Name: Triple Citrus Shrub
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 1 litre
Ingredients: 4 lemons; 4 oranges; 1 grapefruit; 450 ml honey; 500 ml raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother)

Triple Citrus Shrub

February 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Triple Citrus Shrub is a wonderful way to start your day. Fresh orange, lemon and grapefruit puree smartened up with raw apple cider vinegar for all its health benefits and a good glug of honey to sweeten up the proceedings.

I have been beginning every morning with a generous glass of Triple Citrus Shrub to help aid my digestion, provide me with the necessary vitamin c to ward off this ghastly flu that is doing the rounds and generally because it is pretty delicious.

If you are unfamiliar with a shrub, it is a specially brewed drinking vinegar. Originally produced to preserve the fruit juice of the season, they can also be made with alcohol instead of the vinegar, but that makes a very different kind of shrub that probably isn’t going to be your first choice to accompany your breakfast toast. The recipe can be pretty basic by just steeping together fruit, vinegar and sugar and if you have used enough vinegar and sugar it can keep for an absolute age in the fridge. Depending on how much you like the zingy vinegar taste you can dilute your shrub as much or as little as you like. I found that I started out diluting it a lot then got a little bit more generous in my fingers of shrub as I got more and more into it.

I mentioned at the top that I have been drinking my shrub to aid digestion and that’s because I have been really suffering with horrible acid reflux for the past couple of months of this pregnancy. I am trying to avoid drinking copious amounts of Gaviscon or bicarbonate of soda to ease it (as I did when I was pregnant with Cole) as it plays havoc with your gut and so I’m trying all sorts of natural remedies to counteract it instead. So far I’ve got off pretty lightly this pregnancy with my complaints (save the initial morning sickness) but this acid reflux is really getting me down as it’s making me dread eating or drinking since anything seems to be sparking it off.

So here comes the shrub. I had been drinking diluted apple cider vinegar in the mornings which among its many health benefits like reducing blood sugar levels is said to aid digestion. This is due to buying the raw unfiltered vinegar which contains the ‘mother’ which is a by-product of the fermentation process and contains lots of healthy proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria to help repair your gut. However, I had not been getting on so well with the apple cider vinegar as it seemed to be producing an initial heartburn which wasn’t pleasant. So when I found myself with copious amounts of orange, lemon and grapefruit flesh going begging as a result of my Homemade Mixed Peel I tried my hand at turning it into a very basic shrub to help the apple cider vinegar be ingested more pleasurably.

The experiment has been great. I am a great believer that if something is working for you then it works and don’t question it too closely. I am not by any means a nutritional therapist but I am feeling better drinking my shrub everyday, whether it’s the placebo effect or is actually doing something pretty beneficial to my gut is beyond my knowledge but it is delicious and you can’t knock the amount of vitamin c that the shrub contains and so far (touch wood!) I have yet to have a cold this winter.

I didn’t make my shrub in any traditional way as by the time I started properly investigating the recipe then I had already blitzed up all my fruit flesh in the blender and it was too late to steep the whole citrus segments in the vinegar which is what I learnt later I should have done. However, the method I did use was quick, easy and produced a shrub that was available to drink straightaway. All I did was blend the citrus flesh, boil up the puree with a good amount of honey, re-blend the sweetened fruit with the vinegar and pour it into a kilner jar to store in the fridge.

You can dilute the shrub any way you see fit. In the mornings I am happy with a quarter part shrub whisked in with three quarters cold water. However, I have also been finding in the evenings that if I mix the same amount of shrub with three quarters sparkling water then I have my very own healthy fancy cocktail. If I’m feeling especially exotic I have been known to add a sprig of mint in to really jazz it up.

Homemade shrubs are a favourite of mixologists at the moment as they can create really excitingly flavoured cocktails and I can totally see why with all the tangy sweet and sour notes going on. For now though, I can feel pretty saintly as I drink it. Talk to me in a few months though when I am free to glug a bit of gin into my shrub as well. Still perhaps, not at breakfast time.

Triple Citrus Shrub

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

1 litre

Ingredients

4 lemons
4 oranges
1 grapefruit
450 ml honey
500 ml raw apple cider vinegar with the mother

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

1 litre

Ingredients

4 lemons
4 oranges
1 grapefruit
450 ml honey
500 ml raw apple cider vinegar with the mother

Instructions

Carefully remove the peel, pith and seeds from the fruit until you are left with only the flesh.
Place all the fruit flesh into a blender and blitz until smooth. You should have about 1 litre of fruit puree.
Pour the fruit puree into a saucepan along with the honey, whisk them together and heat gently until boiling.
Remove from the heat and pour back into the blender.
Pour in the apple cider vinegar and blitz for a minute or so until mixed completely.
Pour into a large jar and leave to cool then store in the fridge.

Recipe Notes

The shrub can be kept in the fridge for up to a month.

SHOP THE RECIPE

I think the reason I was so quick to blitz my fruit was because I’m always itching to use my Vitamix® Pro750 Food Blender, Copper UK Model which was a birthday present from Luke back in December. Words cannot express how much I love it, it’s my new kitchen baby. It makes the most deliciously smooth smoothies, healthy green soups and date purees for baking. I am in no way sponsored by Vitamix, I just love my new toy.

The apple cider vinegar I like is Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, 946ml which I used in this shrub, the Vinegar Cake I am posting about next week and every day uses like salad dressings and marinades. It’s very delicious and supposed to be very good for you too.

The Amazon links above are affiliate links which means if you click through to buy then Amazon gives me a small commission at no cost to you whatsoever. I will only recommend products I use in my kitchen and love. It’s just a way for me to fund my shopping list for the blog so if you do click through then many thanks!!

Filed Under: Drinks Tagged With: citrus, grapefruit, lemon, orange, shrub, vinegar

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins {gluten-free}

January 16, 2018 by 2 Comments

These Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins are light, bright and zesty. Gloriously gluten-free but moist, bouncy and incredibly moreish.

A friend commented that since I’m on a maternity break from the cake stall that I must have a lot less cake wastage in my house. Ha, I invited her to come and visit the muffin graveyard that was currently overtaking my kitchen. At that particular time when she made the innocuous remark I had about 35 Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins crammed on top of my workspace that were begging for a home. These little guys were good muffins, every one of the six batches I made were fine but not quite the muffin I had in mind when I began my quest to come up with my ultimate gluten-free Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffin.

With the cake stall all my bakes are tried and tested recipes which I have made many many times and perfected. I don’t sell out every week, although that is the aim and usually there is not much left. Rest assured though all the unbought cake goes to good homes afterwards as I offer it to my fellow stall holders who have braved the cold day alongside me. The cakes and bakes which I make for recipe testing though don’t always have such a happy ending as quite often I can be absolutely inundated with half-finished, mediocre tasting fare which haven’t reached the potential I had intended. A lot is given away but those that fall way below par end up in the bin.

My current adventure to develop the perfect gluten-free Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffin can only be blamed on Cole. We were having lunch at a café together a couple of weeks ago when his head was turned by the collection of Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins standing to attention on the counter directly in his eye line. Every muffin in different brightly coloured cases, the icing glinting from the sunlight strewn window. There was no doubt, these were toddler catnip. He mewed for one from the moment we sat down and feeling magnanimous I acquiesced that he could have one for dessert.

As it turns out we were stuffed after our lunch but he still wanted a muffin so I got him one for later. Unfortunately they were not gluten-free so I went without. But the craving had set in and since we had no plans in the afternoon I decided that whilst he ate his muffin he could stand at our kitchen counter and watch whilst I showed him how to make the gluten-free version. Totally for his benefit you understand.

So that’s what we did and it was great fun. However the end result wasn’t quite what I had intended, they were okay but the texture wasn’t right at all. In my ratio of gluten-free flours I had obviously used far too much almond flour. They were not the light and fluffy muffin that I was hoping for, a bit dense and claggy and certainly not enough lemon. I ate one slightly disappointed, resolving to give the recipe another go the following day.

Two weeks and 60 muffins later I finally reached the ultimate goal and that’s the recipe I am sharing here. These Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins are the perfect muffin to begin your day, break up your afternoon with alongside a cup of tea or treat yourself to after dinner. There is plenty of zest in the sponge which is fluffy from the collection of sweet rice flour, oat flour and almond flour. The top is drenched with a tangy lemon icing and sprinkled with more poppy seeds for a little crunch.

Not only can I see these Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins standing the test of time in our family but the recipe is so adaptable that you can easily swap out the lemon zest and poppy seeds for perhaps blueberries, orange zest or something more adventurous. I’m thrilled I cracked this muffin, as is Cole so he can now have Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins on tap. The neighbours, however, might be a little sick of them.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins {gluten-free}

These Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins are light, bright and zesty. Gloriously gluten-free but moist, bouncy and incredibly moreish.

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

12 muffins

Ingredients

250 ml whole milk
200 g caster sugar
125 ml light olive oil
2 eggs
zest 3 lemons
150 g sweet white rice flour
125 g gluten-free oat flour
100 g almond flour
2 tablespoons black poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Icing

225 g icing sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

12 muffins

Ingredients

250 ml whole milk
200 g caster sugar
125 ml light olive oil
2 eggs
zest 3 lemons
150 g sweet white rice flour
125 g gluten-free oat flour
100 g almond flour
2 tablespoons black poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Icing

225 g icing sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Place muffin cases in a 12-hole muffin tin and pre-heat the oven to 170°C.
Place the milk, sugar, olive oil, eggs and lemon zest into a large bowl and beat together until smooth.
In a separate bowl whisk together the sweet rice flour, oat flour, almond flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat together until smooth.
Divide the batter into muffin cases, filling to just below the top.
Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
As soon as the muffin tin has been taken out of the oven, then lift out the muffins and leave on a cooling rack to cool completely before drenching with icing.
Make the icing by beating together the lemon juice and zest with the icing sugar until the icing is just pourable.
Spoon the icing over each muffin then leave to set.

SHOP THE RECIPE

For these muffins I used almond flour, as opposed to ground almonds which kept the muffins fluffy. Finely ground almond flour isn’t as easy to find though and here in the UK I have to order it from Amazon. It’s not cheap (it’s gluten-free baking what can I tell you!) but a 1kg bag will keep you going for some time. I love RealFoodSource Certified Organic Extra Fine High Protein Almond Flour (1KG) which is ultra fine flour and works perfectly in these muffins.

For more info on almond flour see my post on nut flours which gives the breakdown of the different between ground almonds, almond meal and almond flour.

As for sweet rice flour I have finally found a brand which is 100% certified gluten-free. I have no idea why it’s so difficult to get in the UK but I use sweet rice flour a lot so this was a real find. The brand is yourhealthstore Premium Gluten Free Sweet Rice Flour (glutinous) 1kg

Gluten-free oat flour is thankfully a lot easier to get hold of but you will still have to order it from Amazon. I order it in bulk since it’s one of my favourite flours and the brand is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Oat Flour 400 g (Pack of 4)

The 12 hole muffin tin I always use and will thoroughly recommend due to its durability and ease of washing is the MasterClass 12-Hole Non-Stick Cupcake Tray / Baking Pan, 35 x 27 cm

The links above are affiliate links which means if you decide you want to click through to buy then Amazon gives me a small commission at no cost to you whatsoever. It’s just a way for me to fund the blog so if you do click through then many thanks!!

Filed Under: Cupcakes and Muffins Tagged With: citrus, lemon, muffins, poppy seed

Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Loaf {gluten-free}

March 25, 2017 by 8 Comments

Singing with citrusy aromatic flavour this gluten-free Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Loaf is a showstopper of an everyday teatime cake.

Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Loaf was the first gluten-free cake I developed for the cake stall three years ago. It is a firm favourite amongst my customers and ever since its creation I have never failed to include it as part of my weekly menu at the market. It is always the first to sell out and the one which provokes the most conversation with my customers.

I don’t know why I have waited so long to write about my Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle, I guess I wanted to do it justice as it’s my most requested recipe. I’m glad I waited this long though as the photographs were finally taken in collaboration with Tara from Fork & Dram as part of our food styling day last month. Tara is an amazing photographer and stylist and has been of invaluable help in focusing the look of my photography.

I have limited time to work on the website these days as I am a full-time mum to Cole during the week and bake and work on the market stall at the weekends. Pockets of time where I can make and photograph my food specifically for the website are like gold dust. Tara has helped me understand how I can achieve photos I can be proud of efficiently and without any complicated set-ups or props.

I was thrilled then that Tara helped me capture the beauty of this cake. No to go all crazy-cake lady on you but this cake is kind of like my BFF. I can make this cake in my sleep, I never go to a market without it and it’s reliably delicious. That’s not to say that it was the easiest recipe in the world to develop, on the contrary getting the cake to rise evenly without falling in the middle was a bit of a stumbling block at first but there are tricks to ensure perfect results every time.

Do follow the recipe precisely, mix the butter and sugar on a low-medium speed until light and fluffy which ensures a good rise and then when the cake is finally in the oven don’t open the door for at least the first 40 minutes. I do like to check on my cakes to make sure they are all nestled comfortably in the oven after the first 20 minutes but this cake has a tendency to fall like a sozzled sailor on a two day shore leave. Resist the temptation.

All the faffing is worth it though and to be honest even when the cake did fall, or didn’t rise properly, it was still amazing in flavour. Boy, does the Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle pack a punch. It made sense to me when I initially developed the recipe to add blueberries into a lemon drizzle. Blueberries provide such a delightful gentle counterbalance to the tang of citrus. But the cake is then taken stratospheric with the inclusion of peppery aromatic Basil. Lemons, fresh blueberries and basil are all added into the cake batter and then dredged over the top of the just baked cake to form the signature drizzle.

The recipe method was originally inspired by the lemon drizzle cake featured in Outsider Tart’s cookbook Baked in America which is one of my favourite baking books. The key to their Drizzle is to use an almond paste which imbues the cake with an unbeatably moist texture. The taste of the almonds is barely noticeable, especially with the over-the-top citrus notes, the fragrance of the basil and the gentle pop of blueberries.

The beauty of using an almond paste here also means you don’t have to use very much flour as the ground almonds in the paste do a lot of the work for you. So with only a scant amount of flour in the recipe, an easy shop bought gluten-free flour is more than fit for purpose.

I’m very happy to finally share my Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Loaf and thank you to Tara from Fork & Dram for helping me bring the cake to life.

Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Loaf {gluten-free}

Singing with citrusy aromatic flavour this everyday teatime cake is an absolute showstopper.

Singing with citrusy aromatic flavour this gluten-free Blueberry Basil Lemon Drizzle Loaf is a showstopper of an everyday teatime cake.

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

60 minutes

Servings

10 slices

Ingredients

For the almond paste:

110 g almonds
110 g caster sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg white

For the cake:

28 g basil leaves removed and finely chopped
zest of 2 lemons
zest of 1 orange
210 g caster sugar
210 g unsalted butter room temperature
5 eggs
150 g gluten-free plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
120 g blueberries

For the drizzle:

80 g blueberries
28 g basil leaves removed and finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
175 g granulated sugar

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

60 minutes

Servings

10 slices

Ingredients

For the almond paste:

110 g almonds
110 g caster sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg white

For the cake:

28 g basil leaves removed and finely chopped
zest of 2 lemons
zest of 1 orange
210 g caster sugar
210 g unsalted butter room temperature
5 eggs
150 g gluten-free plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
120 g blueberries

For the drizzle:

80 g blueberries
28 g basil leaves removed and finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
175 g granulated sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C on the fan setting* and line and grease a 9 inch x 5 inch loaf tin.
First make the almond paste by placing the almonds in a food processor and blitzing until finely ground. Add the caster sugar, golden syrup, vanilla extract and egg white and blitz again until a paste has formed. Set aside for a moment.
Place the basil leaves, lemon zest and orange zest in a food mixer along with the sugar. Whisk for a few minutes together until fragrant.
Add the butter, one cube at a time and beat on high until light and fluffy.
Scrape the almond paste into the creamed butter and sugar and beat until combined.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt then beat it into the rest of the batter.
Roll the blueberries around in the empty flour bowl so that they are gently coated with the remaining dusting of flour then stir into the batter.
Pour into the cake tin, smoothing the top then bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
To make the drizzle place the blueberries in a small saucepan with a dash of water and heat for about a couple of minutes until the blueberries are just beginning to soften but not so that they have burst. Leave to cool.
Pour the blueberries into a medium sized bowl along with the lemon juice, basil leaves and granulated sugar. Mix together.
Remove the cake from the tin onto a wire rack, making sure there is a baking tray underneath to catch the excess drizzle.
Prick the cake all over with a cocktail stick and then spoon the drizzle over the cake.
Leave to cool completely before serving.

Recipe Notes

*I find that due to the moistness of this cake that the fan setting helps set the cake a bit better. However, if you don’t have a fan setting on your oven then 180°C is fine for a conventional oven but do check after half an hour to make sure the top of the cake isn’t browning too much. If it is, then pop a piece of loose foil over the top of the cake.

SHOP THE RECIPE

I have a few loaf tins but this Loaf Tin 2lb Alan Silverwood is my absolute favourite. It’s just a great size, slightly bigger than your average 2lb loaf tin so bear in mind for some recipes. It is made of anodised aluminium so conducts heat brilliantly, making the cake bake evenly all the way through. It’s really hard wearing and pretty much completely non-stick but has no coating. However because of the anodised aluminium you mustn’t put it in the dishwasher or it will ruin.

The link above is an affiliate link which means if you decide you want to click through to buy then Amazon gives me a small commission at no cost to you whatsoever. I will only recommend products I use in my kitchen and love. It’s just a way for me to fund the blog so if you do click through then many thanks!!

I sell my cakes at local farmers’ markets in London but lucky for those who don’t live nearby I also love sharing the recipes for all the cakes I sell and if you want to receive more of my cake stall recipes then I have a FREE mini e-book of the top 3 Favourite Gluten-Free Cakes which are on my stall including Fig, Almond and Salted Honey Cake, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes and Minted Brownies. The recipes are really special to me and if you want a copy of them then just click the button below!

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: drizzle, lemon, loaf cake, teatime

Pork Crackling, Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

February 3, 2015 by 5 Comments

This isn’t a quick whip-me-up midweek supper I’m afraid but a bit more of a languid affair to begin on the Saturday then work your way across to the Sunday for a bounteous end of weekend supper. So then I’m not sure why I’m giving this recipe to you on a Tuesday but at least it gives you time to hunt and gather.

3Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

1Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

2Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

6Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

The most important ingredient in these meatballs is the addition of pork crackling. I’m sure that I read somewhere that this is how a famous chef makes his meatballs taste so good but I can’t find any residual reference of that so I might have just made it up. Nevertheless it adds texture, flavour and fat to these meatballs which are wonderfully succulent, meaty, fresh with lemon and bright with fennel. You simply must save some crisp crackling for sprinkling over the top as well for added umami crunch.

I bought 1 kilo of pork skin, even though only 300g is really needed for the recipe. I then cooked all of the pork skin by boiling it up to soften it and after that portioned out the amount I needed for the recipe, cutting up the rest to put in the freezer, ready for frying up into crackling snacks at a later date. You never know when the urge is going to hit so it’s best to be prepared.

Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

4Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

I ummed and ahhed over how to serve my meatballs; in a sauce not in a sauce. Then once I had decided on that I wondered if they would be best accompanied with an Italian-American inspired marinara sauce. However, at the weekend we had a bit of a trip to Ikea, now I have never eaten their meatballs but you can’t help but be deluged with the images as you are wandering, rather painfully, around the labyrinthine warehouse. Can you imagine I only went to buy candles and napkins and I think we ended up in this other dimension for about two or three hours. Nothing like wasting your weekend away. Anyway, since everyone waxes lyrical about these meatballs I always mean to try them, but without fail by the end of my shopping trip and an hour long queue to buy a few measly items I just want to get the hell out and the idea of meatballs falls by the wayside.

7Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

8Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs

So, when I was researching the gravy these mythic Ikea meatballs came to mind and I sought inspiration from Swedish meatballs, although since I’m no expert I certainly have no idea if this gravy tastes remotely like anything Ikea (or any Swedish recipe) offers. I just liked the idea of a simple gravy, imbued with the intense flavour of good stock, a bit of redcurrant jelly for sweetness and then finished off with the creamy tang of crème fraiche. The gravy compliments the unctuous meatballs perfectly. They have so much flavour packed in that I just wanted the gravy to nest the meatballs not create a swimming pool for them, so don’t expect more than a couple of spoonfuls of sauce per serving.

These meatballs are rich so I found that just to accompany them with a bowl of steamed greens and carrots was plenty but by all means I can only imagine the possibilities if you would like to serve these with a prodigious mound of mashed potato.

Today this recipe seems a perfect fit for the wintry weather we are experiencing and I can think of nothing better than sitting down cosily later with a bowl of hot creamy meatballs whilst gazing upon the blanket of snow currently covering North London.

Pork Crackling Lemon and Fennel Meatballs
Makes about 16 meatballs

300g pork skin
60g ground almonds
60ml milk (or water or veg stock)
1 onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons butter
500g pork mince
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
Zest ½ lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
25g parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour
450ml chicken stock
½ teaspoon redcurrant jelly
150ml crème fraiche

The day before you want to eat your meatballs, prepare your pork skin by rubbing all over with plenty of salt and pepper.
Place the skin in a wide saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil then put the lid on a leave to simmer for about an hour and a half.
Remove the pork skin from the water and pat dry. Leave to cool before refrigerating overnight to completely chill.
Also, the night before you should prepare the almonds by pouring the milk over and leaving in the fridge to soak overnight.
Another job I would recommend doing the night before is caramelising your onions, so place the diced onions in a medium saucepan with the butter and cook on a very low heat for about 20 minutes to half an hour until the onions are soft, golden and melting. Leave to chill in the fridge overnight.
The next day finish your pork crackling. Slice the pork skin into strips. Then heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a wide bottomed saucepan and when hot, place the pork skin into it. As the skin turns into crackling it will spit a lot so clear the sides of anything you don’t want covered in oil and stand back. Fry for about 10 minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to cool if you are very restrained. Then chop finely. Reserve the fat in the pan for making the meatballs in a minute.
To make the meatballs, add the pork mince into a large mixing bowl along with the soaked almonds, caramelised onions, fennel seeds, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, thyme, about two-thirds of the pork crackling and an egg. Season then mix thoroughly with your hands until completely combined.
Shape into balls, about 50g each and heat the pan in which you cooked the crackling which should be still filled with the pork fat. When hot, drop your meatballs into the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Remove the meatballs and set aside. Then remove most of the fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Carry on heating on a low heat and add the flour, mixing into the fat so that it turns into a smooth roux.
Slowly add the stock, whisking into the roux until it’s all combined. Keep whisking as the sauce begins to bubble. Taste for seasoning.
Add the redcurrant jelly and whisk through. Then add the crème fraiche and whisk into the sauce so it becomes thinner and smoother. Again, taste for seasoning.
Place the meatballs back into the pan and coat thoroughly with the sauce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until they are piping hot then remove from the heat.
Serve the meatballs with the gravy and plenty of parsley and the rest of the pork crackling sprinkled over the top.

Filed Under: Main Meal Tagged With: fennel, lemon, Pork Crackling, Swedish Meatballs, Weekend

Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Infused Olive Oil: Day 7 of Whole30

May 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

If you cook a lot then there are a bunch of tasks which you will be doing on a regular basis like chopping onions or crushing garlic. It’s these menial jobs which can sometimes add a good few minutes onto preparing your meal and let’s be honest, those few minutes can sometimes be better spent thumbing through Grazia or hopping amongst the Sky channels.

This is why I love infused oils; garlic is such a good infused oil mainly because of garlic’s innate tendency to burn easily, so while I am very careful about using fresh garlic in the oven, if all the garlic flavour is within the oil then you don’t need to worry. Also I do get fed up of always peeling and crushing those suckers, I must do it nearly every day. So having an oil where the hard work is done for you is so useful.

This particular infusion of olive oil is brilliant for slathering over a chicken before it goes on to roast. You can also use it drizzled over barbecued meats or steamed vegetables for instant flavour or in salad dressings which cuts out mincing about with mustard and vinegar emulsions, chuck this onto your leaves and you’re golden.

So the main thing I am really trying to get across here is that for about 30 minutes of not too stressful labour of a weekend you can produce an oil that will help you cut down time on your cooking for the next couple of weeks. Just as long as you like all your meals flavoured with lemon and garlic, but who doesn’t?

Of course you can use whatever herbs you like, the woodier herbs tend to dry better than the more leafy ones so will impart flavour more easily. It is important to use dried herbs rather than ones picked fresh as mould will gather on fresh herbs floating about in oil. The same goes for the garlic and lemon but I advise you fish those out of the oil anyway then you don’t have to worry about botulism or anything. The other oil infusion I also regularly make is chilli oil. Prepare it in the same way as the garlic infusion by simmering the oil with the chilli then removing the chilli before you decant it.

As a footnote, one of the directions below calls you to peel a whole head of garlic. If you find this a bit of a nuisance then you obviously haven’t seen Martha Stewart’s excellent tutorial which explains how the job can be done in under a minute. And since I tested it out for this recipe I can confirm that it does actually work.

Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Infused Olive Oil

A few sprigs of thyme
1 head of garlic
3 strips lemon zest
500ml olive oil

First of all dry the thyme by putting the herb on baking parchment on a baking tray and place in the bottom tray of an oven at the lowest setting you have. Leave the door slightly ajar and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Remove and peel all the garlic cloves from the head of the garlic.
Then place the garlic, along with the lemon zest and olive oil in a wide bottomed saucepan.
Heat the oil on a low setting, never bringing to a simmer, for about 30 minutes.
Remove the lemon and garlic with a slotted spoon and leave the oil to cool before decanting into a jar along with the dried thyme.
This should keep well for about 2 weeks.

Filed Under: Marinades, Sauces and Pestos Tagged With: garlic, lemon, olive oil, paleo, thyme, whole30

Roasted Aubergine and Courgette with Sumac and Herbs

January 8, 2014 by 2 Comments

Today I was very excited to make a silky warming butternut squash soup. It was exactly what I was hankering for. I took the stock out of the freezer last night, leered over the butternut in eager anticipation and fished out the chipotle from the very back of the cupboard. I used a ladder and everything. It was all systems go. And then I smashed my kitchenaid blender. I still don’t understand how as the glass on those things is about an inch thick. But it briefly kissed the surface of my ceramic sink and shattered like the fragile heart of a tween.

So, basically, you are not getting soup and I’m getting a new blender.

So stepping up to the plate is one of my absolute faves. It’s probably the one I make the most often of a weekday. So easy to throw together in the roasting tray straight after work. Whack it in the oven, have a sit down with a glass of sparkling water, as it’s January, then serve with anything you like. I have it the most with grilled lamb chops. It might also be even better the next day taken out of the fridge and brought up to room temperature to have at your desk for lunch, I would never bother re-heating this. I have eaten it with leftovers, with roast chicken, with garlicky yoghurt drizzled generously over and taken it to picnics.

Due to the amount of oil that the aubergine soaks up it’s very rich and so you don’t need a great deal, not that I usually let that stop me.

Oh, and the best thing about this dish… it doesn’t require a blender.

Roasted Aubergine and Courgette with Sumac and Herbs

2 aubergines
2 courgettes
60ml olive oil
¾ tsp sumac
10g mint leaves, roughly chopped
10g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Wedge of lemon

Top and tail the aubergine and courgette and then cut each one in half widthways. Halve each again lengthways and then cut into 16 wedges in total.
Toss the wedges in the olive oil, sumac and plenty of seasoning and place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Roast for 30-40 mins, checking halfway through to give a good mix around.
Once the aubergine and courgette are soft, lightly browned and slightly crispy at the corners then remove from the oven. Mix together with the herbs, squeeze the lemon wedge over and serve.