French Onion Soup

I haven't had French Onion Soup in a long time but I suddenly had a hankering for it a couple of weeks ago and so I made a batch for the freezer. It is delicious, one of those amazing comfort food dishes that warm you up, and actually really easy to make.

French Onion Soup (from Good Food Magazine April 2013)
(Serves 4)

50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1kg onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
4 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml dry white wine
1.3l hot beef stock

Melt the butter with the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions and fry with the lid on for 10 mins until soft. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook for 20 mins more, stirring frequently, until caramelised.

Add the garlic for the final few mins of the onions’ cooking time, then sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Increase the heat and keep stirring as you gradually add the wine, followed by the hot stock.

Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins. Serve with melted cheese on toast on top.

Chicken Stock

When I have a roast chicken I like to use every part of the chicken, so I always make stock with the bones. It also tastes better! This recipe comes from my Mum, it's the one she has been making for years and so I have no idea where it originally came from. This time round I used the stock in soup and I froze the leftovers.

Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass from a roast chicken
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
1 potato, quartered
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves

Put all the ingredients into large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for an hour, skimming the scum and fat off the top occasionally.

After an hour, drain through a sieve into a bowl, keeping the liquid, leave to cool. Put into the fridge overnight and all the fat will float to the top. Skim off the fat with a slotted spoon and your stock is ready to use.

Apple Chutney

Last chutney recipe of the year. This is actually the chutney that my Mum every year from the apples from her cooking apple tree. It is a fab chutney recipe and I wanted to post it here so that I have it forever more!

Apple Chutney (from Jam's, Preserves and Edible Gifts by Sara Paston-Williams)
(makes 4-5 jars)

225g onions, peeled and finely chopped
657g cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
600ml malt vinegar
125g sultanas
4 tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp salt
350g soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger

Cook the chopped onions in boiling water for 5 mins to soften them, then drain.

Place all the other ingredients in a large pan, and add the onions. Bring to the boil very slowly, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours until thick, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Pour into prepared jars, cover and store for at least 1 month before using.

Green Tomato Chutney

This is the last chutney of the season, the recipe came from a friend. It's a fab recipe for using up those tomatoes that haven't ripened although I kept picking mine thinking they'd stay green and they inevitably ripened. So, I got some from my neighbour in return for a jar of the chutney.

Green Tomato Chutney
(Makes 4 Jars)

900g green tomatoes

225g onions

225g apples

113g sultanas

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp dry mustard

225g sugar

284ml malt vinegar

Chop the tomatoes, apples and onions into bitesize pieces. Add about half the vinegar and cook gently until the tomatoes, apples and onions are soft, stirring every so often.

Add the rest of the vinegar and all the other ingredients and continue to cook steadily until the chutney thickens. This should not take longer than 15 mins.

This chutney has a tendency to dry out so make sure you don’t overcook it. Put into sterilised jars with vinegar proof lids and leave for about 4 weeks before eating.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

I picked the last of my tomatillos a couple of weeks ago and I used the whole crop to make salsa verde which I have then used to make other dishes. Tomatillos are one of those veg that you can't get in the supermarket in England and so far as I know can't get fresh at all, they are fun to grow, but kind of grow humungous and they make awesome salsa.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde (from Riverford)
(Serves about 4)

400g tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed well
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove
1-2 chillies
zest and juice 1 lime
1 tsp brown sugar
20g fresh coriander, chopped
sea salt

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the tomatillos, cook for 5 mins. Drain and set aside.

Put the finely diced onion, juice and zest of the lime and the sugar into a bowl and mix, and leave to sit for 30 mins.

Meanwhile pulse the tomatillos, garlic and chilli in a food processor with a dash of water until roughly chopped.

Mix the onion into the tomatillo and add the coriander. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cottage Cheese and Spring Onion Scones

I made these with that pot of cottage cheese I was talking about yesterday. They are great to have warm with a lovely bowl of comforting soup.

Cottage Cheese and Spring Onion Scones (from An Edible Mosaic)
(Makes 8-10)

230g cottage cheese
4 tbsp milk, plus more for brushing on top
320g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
salt and pepper
80g butter, chilled and diced
3 spring onions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Put the cottage cheese and milk into a blender and blend until smooth, set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper into a large bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the spring onions and stir in the cottage cheese puree. (The dough should come together, but not be too wet; if the dough is still too crumbly, you can add milk a little at a time until it comes together.)

Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk; wrap it in cling film and pop it in the fridge for 30 mins.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a circle about 2cm thick. Use a floured 6cm round cookie cutter to cut out the scones, then gather up the dough scraps and repeat as necessary, you should get about 8 to 10 scones.

Transfer the scones to the baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little milk, and bake for about 14-16 mins until puffed and light golden brown on top. Serve warm.

Piccalilli

So my chutney making continues! This time it's picalilli. My Mum gave me the contents of her fridge before she went on holiday a couple of weeks ago and so I decided to use it up in one swoop. I'm not sure what this tastes like yet as it needs to rest for 4-6 weeks but it smelt gorgeous.

Picalilli (from River Cottage Handbook Preserves by Pam Corbin)
(makes 3 340g jars)

1kg washed, peeled veg - choose 5 or 6 from the following: cauliflower or romanesco, green beans, cucumbers, courgettes, green or yellow tomatoes, tomatilloes, carrots, silver skinned onions or shallots, peppers.
50g fine salt
30g cornflour
10g tumeric
10g English mustard powder
15g yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
600ml cider vinegar
150g granulated sugar
50g honey

Cut the veg into small, even bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours, then rinse the veg with ice cold water and drain thoroughly.

Blend the cornflour, tumeric, mustard powder, mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Put the rest of the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar and honey and bring to the boil. Pour a little of the hot vinegar over the blended spice paste, stir well and return to the pan. Bring gently to the boil. Boil for 3-4 mins to allow the spices to release their flavours into the thickening sauce.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully fold the weel-drained veg into the hot, spicy sauce. Pack the picle into warm sterilised jars and seal with vinegar-proof lids. Leave for 4-6 weeks before opening. Use within a year.

Pickled Onions

My Mum gave me some tiny onions from her garden and I used them to make some pickled onions. I have no idea what they taste like as I need to leave them for a month to develop flavour!

Pickled Onions (from Vegetable Expert)
(Makes a 1 litre jar)

450g baby onions
600ml water
50g salt
400ml malt vinegar
1 tsp pink peppercorns
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp caster sugar – for sweet pickled onions

Dissolve the salt in the cold water and put into a large bowl. Cut a thin slice from the base and top of each onion, ensuring that it will remain intact, and remove the outer skin. Drop the onions into the brine as you peel them. Leave the onions overnight (or up to 24 hours) to draw out moisture. In the morning, tip the onions into a colander and pat with kitchen towel to dry out as much as you can. 

Prepare the pickling vinegar. (If you'd like to include additional spices such as bay leaves, cardamom or chilli, go ahead - ensuring that you use no more than 1tbsp of spice in total.) Put the spices, sugar and vinegar in a pan and bring the mixture to simmering point. Turn off the heat, strain through a sieve to remove the whole spices, and let the vinegar cool for a while.

Prepare the jar. Wash in warm, soapy water and put them into a warm oven (120 degrees C) for 5 mins to sterilise them. Take out of the oven and leave for another minute or two before packing the onions into the jar. Pour in vinegar as you go, topping up after halfway and finishing with enough vinegar to cover the top layer of onions. Put the rubber seal onto the jar and seal. Turn the jar upside down to cool.