THIRTY-EIGHT & THIRTY-NINE : FROZEN DINNERS AND A FRESH START

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

JUNE 01 2012

THIRTY-EIGHT : BLACK BEAN CHILLI WITH AVOCADO SALSA
THIRTY-NINE : VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA

It's a very strange thing to lose one's mojo. Mine has been elusive for a few months now and, although I know why it has now departed, I'm not sure exactly how to get it back. It lurks around corners, almost within reach, but as soon as I catch it's eye my mind drifts off and I lose focus. "Oh well", I shrug. It has become so much easier these days to think of nothing rather than that which occupies my mind entirely. So I sit in the backyard, avoiding all thought, and instead watch the little finches gorge themselves on thistle seed.

But as spring swings into summer and my garden offers up the first few radishes, I'm reminded again of what I'm missing. So how best to lure it back? The answer is pretty clear. Start doing again what I love to do... garden, cook and share it all with my friends.

THIRTY-EIGHT : LIME AND MANGO ICE CREAM

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

APRIL 27 2012

THIRTY-EIGHT : LIME AND MANGO ICE CREAM
 
You probably think you got the best of me, don't you, April. Getting all hot and sunny last weekend and twisting my thoughts until I truly believed summer was here and rainy days were behind us. I got caught up in your little mind game and though, "hey, I think I'll make ice cream!" Okay, you got me.

But, you know what? The ice cream is actually really damn good. And your 2012 appearance has just about ended. So suck on that while we slurp down yummy, fruity homemade ice cream. Yes! I win!

THIRTY-SIX & THIRTY-SEVEN : COD WITH TAPENADE & ROASTED ROOTS

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

APRIL 24 2012

THIRTY-SIX : ROASTED FISH TOPPED WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO TAPENADE
THIRTY-SEVEN : ROASTED ROOTS WITH HERBS

The sunny weather over the weekend put me in the mood for a light, fresh meal and fish seemed like just the ticket. I know I've had my challenges cooking fish in the past, but this being a roasted dish, I was feeling more confident. It's usually the pan-frying that puts me all in a tizzy.

As a bonus, both recipes require "little or no attention"... yes! And I get to turn the oven to it's highest setting. Things about to get hot in here! Just gotta chop the roots then toss them with herbs, garlic and olive oil. Then into the screaming hot oven to sizzle for 35 minutes. Ah, I'll just pop outside and check on the garden.

THIRTY-FIVE : MOROCCAN BAKED CHICKEN

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

APRIL 19 2012

THIRTY-FIVE : MOROCCAN BAKED CHICKEN WITH CHICKPEAS AND RICE
 
This dish incorporates some of my absolute favorite flavors. Chickpeas, olives, big chunks of lemon all in a rich, saffron-laced broth. I am so ready for this one! Plus, it's a one-pot meal which makes clean-up a snap-and-a-half.

Of course it starts with browning the meat (le, sigh). The chicken skin needs to be nice and crispy before bathing in the fabulous broth so I get to work. I am loving my splatter screen more and more with each Delia's recipe. While the chicken sizzles, I toast and grind the spices and give the pre-soaked chickpeas their final 20 minute simmer.

oh saffron, how I love thee!

THIRTY-ONE - THIRTY-FOUR : BEANCAKES, CARAMELIZED FENNEL AND CITRUS PUDDING

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

APRIL 14 2012

THIRTY-ONE : SAUTEED CARAMELISED FENNEL
THIRTY-TWO : MASHED BLACK-EYED BEANCAKES WITH GINGER ONION MARMALADE
THIRTY-THREE : GINGER ONION MARMALADE
THIRTY-FOUR : HOT CITRUS PUDDING

Me: "Dang, everything on my plate is brown and looks the same." Hubby: "That's how you know it's authentic English food!"

bean cake on the left - caramelized fennel on the right

Thankfully our first bites quickly reveal the two items to offer vastly different taste, texture and experience.

THIRTY : STEAK AU POIVRE IN RED WINE

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 29 2012

TWENTY-EIGHT : BRAISED STEAK AU POIVRE IN RED WINE
 
I am well versed in basic kitchen arithmetic : beef + onions + red wine + 2 hours = one amazing dinner. I don't need Delia to teach me that. But, maybe I do need her stern glare that prevents me from skipping the hated step of browning the meat. And then, again, to sweet talk me into adding an obscene quantity of black pepper to the pot. Both of these conspired to take our au poivre to the next level.

crushing peppercorns

TWENTY-EIGHT & TWENTY-NINE : CRUSTED FISH IN ROMESCO W/ BAKED CELERY

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 29 2012

TWENTY-EIGHT : PARMESAN-COATED FISH WITH WALNUT ROMESCO SAUCE
TWENTY-NINE : CELERY BAKED IN VINAIGRETTE WITH PANCETTA & SHALLOTS
 
Why, oh why am I so darn bad at cooking fish?!? I can't understand it. Am I using the wrong pan? Is the pan not hot enough? Do I need a fancy fish spatula? I was determined not to mess up the fillets for dinner tonight. "I can do this! Just use lots of butter and get the pan super hot." Fish into the pan with a reassuring sizzle. Okay, lets turn these babies. AAARRRGGHHH!!! It's all sticking and falling apart and I start panicking and... ugly, ugly, ugly.

TWENTY-FIVE - TWENTY-SEVEN : LEMONY CHICKEN W/ LENTILS & ROASTED PARSNIPS

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 26 2012

TWENTY-FIVE : GRILLED CHICKEN WITH LEMON, GARLIC & ROSEMARY OVER LENTILS
TWENTY-SIX : PARSNIPS WITH A MUSTARD & MAPLE GLAZE
TWENTY-SEVEN : CHICKEN GIBLET STOCK
 
Dinner tonight featured a monster of a chicken, raised by a friend, that had been hogging space in the freezer for far too long. The very well-endowed roaster contributed two of the largest chicken breasts I have ever seen; each literally the length of my forearm! All I needed tonight was the breast meat, so I cut up the rest for a future recipe and turned the bones into a lovely, rich stock. Perfect!

TWENTY-FOUR : COLCANNON POTATOES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 20 2012

TWENTY-FOUR : COLCANNON POTATOES
 
Hmm... what goes really well with left-over corned beef? How about mashed potatoes with sauteed cabbage and green onions stirred in! Ya!!

A stroke of genius inspires me to boil the potatoes in the corned beef broth (sorry, recipe) and infuse them with fabulous flavor.

TWENTY-THREE : STEAMED TREACLE SPONGE PUDDING

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 18 2012

TWENTY-THREE : STEAMED TREACLE SPONGE PUDDING
 
Steamed treacle pudding.. have you any idea!?! I sure didn't. How about the fact that "pudding" is actually cake. And Delia assumed I am blithely steaming puddings every holiday and therefore failed to mention exactly how to steam a pudding and what that even means. So I turned to my friend internet for more guidance and discovered it is basically a sponge cake cooked in a steam bath for hours and I should be able to rig up a steaming contraption fairly easily from my various pots and bowls. So, here goes!

TWENTY-THREE : TRIPLE TOMATO "RISOTTO"

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 14 2012

TWENTY-TWO : ROASTED AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO RISOTTO
 
Risotto is hard, right? It shackles you to the stove for 25 - 30 minutes of continual stirring and brothing and stirring and brothing, right? Wrong! Turns out, after just a few minutes of sauteing, I can stick everything in the oven and ignore it for 35 minutes and suddenly have risotto! Well... kind of risotto. More like baked rice. Which is good, but lacks that all important sauciness and texture contrast of risotto. The rice was flavorful, ooey-gooey and I ate it up, but calling it risotto is a bit of a stretch. Maybe I'm splitting hairs here, but I can so I will.

TWENTY-TWO : ICED APPLE SOUFFLE

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 12 2012

TWENTY-ONE : ICED APPLE SOUFFLE WITH CARAMELISED APPLE

 
Reading through this recipe, I was initially perplexed as to how this could possibly be classified as a soufflé. Isn't a soufflé a stressful baked dish made light as air by folding in whipped egg whites and served immediately out of the oven before it deflates and everything is ruined? Apparently, that is only half true. According to a random internet dictionary, a soufflé can be defined as such:

soufflé [ˈsuːfleɪ]

n

1. a very light fluffy dish made with egg yolks and stiffly beaten egg whites combined with cheese, fish, etc.

2. a similar sweet or savoury cold dish, set with gelatine

While tonight's soufflés have no gelatine, they are fluffed with stiffly beaten egg whites and fall soundly in the category of a sweet cold dish. So fine, Delia, I accept that this is a soufflé.

TWENTY-ONE : OXTAIL BRAISED IN GUINNESS

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 2 2012

TWENTY-ONE : OXTAIL BRAISED IN GUINNESS WITH CANNELLINI BEANS
 
Braised oxtail, another exercise in browning a strange, tough cut of meat before slowly and lovingly braising it for hours and hours in a flavorful (and often alcoholic) liquid. I am becoming very familiar with this technique as I cook my way through the Winter Collection. Admittedly, slow braised meat kills it during a cold, rainy evening. So we are eating it up! And, I do enjoy trying new flavors and stewing cuts such as oxtail, a first for me.

NINETEEN & TWENTY : VENISON SAUSAGES BRAISED IN RED WINE

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 27 2012

NINETEEN : VENISON SAUSAGES BRAISED IN RED WINE
TWENTY : PERFECT MASHED POTATOES

Today was the kind of day that required a warm, delicious, comforting dinner. And what's more delicious than sausages, onions and bacon slowly braised in red wine. Not much!

together these make magic!

First brown the sausages then remove from pan and saute the bacon and onions. Smelling good! Add all the seasoning, sausages and red wine to the pan and gently simmer 30 minutes. I simmered mine a bit too gently so gave it an extra 15 minutes at this stage.

EIGHTEEN : PRAWN COCKTAIL 2000

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 25 2012

EIGHTEEN : PRAWN COCKTAIL 2000 

(Please read the following in a robotic monotone voice:)
 
It is the year 2000. Welcome new millennium. I will celebrate with a prawn cocktail served in a martini glass. How fashion forward and futuristic this prawn cocktail looks in it's fancy stemmed serving glass. Oooh. La. La.

(You may now return to your normal inner monologue... unless you're enjoying the robot voice and want to continue)

SEVENTEEN : FETA, OLIVE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO SCONES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 19 2012

SEVENTEEN : FETA, OLIVE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO SCONES

scone o'clock!

Good morning, scone! You perfect, compact, savory little breakfast nugget. Salty, cheesy, yummy.... and so easy. I want to eat you all but that would well exceed my daily sodium intake, thanks to all the salty, salty feta, olives and sun-dried tomatoes packed into each little guy. Oooh! These would be even better (and saltier) with crumbled bacon. Maybe next time...

FIFTEEN & SIXTEEN : ROAST CHICKEN W/ CRISPY POTATOES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 17 2012

FIFTEEN : TRADITIONAL ROAST CHICKEN WITH CRANBERRY, SAGE AND BALSAMIC SAUCE
SIXTEEN : PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

It's clear that Delia is very, very concerned that my roasted chicken might come out dry and embarrass me in front of my husband, our guests and the entire world. Which is why I will be packing a pork-based stuffing under the skin and in the cavity, liberally rubbing the whole chicken with butter and THEN layering on slices of bacon. Finally, as if all that's not enough, I'm supposed to baste it three times with pan drippings while roasting. After all that, there is no way the white meat can be anything but juicy!

THIRTEEN & FOURTEEN : CHICKPEA-CORIANDER SOUP WITH CROUTONS

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 16 2012

THIRTEEN : CHICKPEA, CHILLI AND CORIANDER SOUP
FOURTEEN : PARMESAN CROUTONS

"I stand before you ashamed yet undeniably guilty of soup-icide. My only excuse is that I was led astray by the persuasive influence of one Delia Smith. She sweet-talked me and made me believe, albeit hesitantly, that the chickpeas would be better off in the blender, processed until fine and smooth. I did as asked and am now filled with regret." ~ Day, 15 minutes ago

The opening paragraph above was composed while tonight's soup was in it's final 30 minute simmer. I'd been tasting it all along and thought it bland, liquidy, meh. And I have always found pureed soups to be lacking any real qualities other than a strong similarity to baby food. (Except the turnip velouté at Beast, which rendered me speechless). Then, I had my first bite of the finished soup in all it's glory. And immediately realized I would be completely rescinding every word in the above paragraph. I only leave it in this post to illustrate how first impressions should not always be trusted.

TWELVE : MARMALADE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 14 2012

TWELVE : CHUNKY MARMALADE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

There's nothing much to say about this very simple dessert, except... it may have just revolutionized breakfast and reminded me exactly why I'm doing this project. Yep, that's all :)

Seems like the perfect quick, weeknight dessert. All I gotta do is make little butter and marmalade sandwiches. Then quarter them, stack them in a baking dish with squares of candied orange peel and fresh orange zest and cover with a quick custard that bakes into fluffy, creaminess.

spread butter and Seville orange marmalade on ciabatta slices

ELEVEN : FALLEN CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE WITH ARMAGNAC PRUNES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 11 2012

ELEVEN : FALLEN CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE WITH ARMAGNAC PRUNES

Here I am again, for the third time in my life (and all within the last month) watching a bowlful of butter and dark chocolate slowly melt into glossy swirls. I'm watching and worrying to myself that I will miss the moment when the egg whites are peaking softly and will accidentally whip them to death. And how will I know when the egg yolks are ribboning perfectly?!? I just know I'm gonna screw this all up.

chocolate and butter become one

And I still can't quite convince myself there is really any point to making this stupid souffle which I don't even want to eat. I am going to a party, so hopefully someone there will be in the mood for a shot of sugar straight into their veins.