Early Modern Notes

I’ve decided to indulge myself by blogging about food from time to time. Not rants about the food industry, just what I’ve been up to in the kitchen lately and my favourite foods (and drinks). It’s not for dieters or those of you trying to feed families on minuscule budgets (so I’ll always give you the choice of whether to read on or not); I know very well that I’ve joined the ranks of those with the luxury of choice. Which is why this is such an indulgence.

There will be plenty of a) cheese and butter; b) olive oil; c) sausages; d) fresh veg and potatoes (among other things). But not a) ready meals (except the kind I made myself earlier); b) dieting and calorie counting; c) margarine (yuck); d) sugary stuff. Too many trips to the deli, but not many to the cake shop. (My favourite foods are nearly all savouries.) I’m not the world’s greatest cook, but I do like cooking as long as it stays fairly simple and doesn’t need weighing out and elaborate fussing over. So there may be a few recipes, but nothing fancy.

Want to come into my larder?

I know it’s autumn because I’ve eaten mashed potatoes twice, once to start off the week and the second time to finish it. (I love mash with a passion, but even I tend to stay off it when the weather gets hot.) Last Saturday, it was cheesy mash, made with comté (a type of gruyère). Tonight’s mash, however, was adulterated with parsnip, which adds a delicious sweetness. (There are in fact only two ways I really eat parsnip: roasted (heavenly) and mashed with spuds.)

In fact, when I think about it, I realise that I’m really a winter cook. I always have trouble with warm weather cooking. I get rather bored with light summery meals. I don’t like salads that much. I tend to end up falling back on tomato sauce and pasta a lot. But as the cold dark nights roll in and it’s time for comfort food, I get enthusiastic about planning meals again. Sausage and mash swimming in onion gravy (tonight’s offering). Soups and stews and curries. Gratins and oven bakes. Now, last night was fennel risotto. Of which I made far too much; it seems as though I always do when I haven’t made it for a while. I tend to forget just how much arborio rice bulks up, and it would never do not to have enough, would it? And I didn’t get it quite right somehow; I like the consistency a little on the sloppy side and it needed a bit more liquid. (But it did strike me that with a bit of ham what I’d made would be almost perfect for those evil Italian deep-fried rice balls… good job I don’t have a deep fryer.)

Perhaps because a lot of this is what I was brought up on. Although rice in our household was strictly for puddings. I’ve expanded a lot from the strictly British cooking of my childhood (my mother has only fairly recently discovered pasta; I don’t think she’s got onto garlic yet); I really enjoy Mediterranean food. But if the flavourings have got a lot more varied, my love of hearty, starchy food remains constant. (You know where you can stick your Atkins diet.)

Product of the week

I rather like cooking from scratch. You won’t find many ready-made sauces in my cupboard. Curries, however, are the exception. I always have a jar of Patak’s Rogan Josh curry paste on the go at home. I have sometimes successfully made my own curry spice mix, but in London I’ve been keeping the spice collection and the piles of glass jars to a minimum. So I was pleased to find the Seasoned Pioneers range of spice mixes locally. Not only are they tasty (I previously tried their ras-al-hanout blend and it was very good), but they also come in packaging that’s both easy to transport home and rather attractive.

I liked the sound of this one. (It may be a bit on the sweet side, but I have ways to deal with that… I mean, does anyone ever use these things without a bit of tailoring?) All I have to do now is decide what to make with it. I’m thinking lamb… lamb… lamb…