Hummus at home

Hummus is a food dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe. Its great served with flat bread such as pitta. It’s easy to make and here’s how..

The ingredients you will need are…. •2 x 400g cans of chickpeas •4 tsp tahini (most shops have this although I got this from the health food shop in falkirk) •2 garlic cloves, crushed (try smoked for a change) •1 tsp crushed sea salt •6 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil •1 freshly squeezed lemon •Paprika to sprinkle on the top (I used smoked) Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and tip into the food processor (I sometimes use a nutrabullet if in a rush). Add the tahini, crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice and seven tablespoons of the reserved liquid from the cans. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the oil while it runs. When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, tip it into a serving dish. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and Sprinkle with paprika. Fresh finely chopped coriander is a nice garnish too. There you have it….nice and easy

Dearn's Gnocchi al pomodoro e mozzarella

Another simple Italian recipe which is easy to make with fantastic results, simply potato dumplings in tomato and basil sauce

1. Place the unpeeled potatoes (try to get floury potatoes such as King Edwards or Maris Piper) in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain, and peel before mashing and pushing through a potato ricer (which looks a bit like a large garlic press, I bought one in ASDA for a fiver) 2. Beat in the eggs and flour while the potatoes are still hot. Season with (rock) salt and pepper. 3. Using your hand, knead the mixture for about 3-4 minutes - until it becomes a smooth, soft dough. Take a handful of the potato mixture and roll into a long thin sausage shape, about 1.5cm thickness. 4. Slice the potato rope into lengths - about 1.5cm long. Using your thumb, roll the potato dumpling against the prongs of a fork, which will create ridge marks on one side (helps the sauce to stick to them). Do this with all the gnocchi before arranging them on a well-floured tray. 5. To prepare the sauce; soften the onions in a large frying pan with the olive oil. After about 5 minutes, add the tomato sauce (see me previous posting on pizzas about how to make this) and basil leaves, season with salt and pepper, and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

5. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi, in batches for 2-3 minutes, until they rise to the surface. 6. Using a wire scoop, transfer the cooked gnocchi from the water into the tomato sauce. Simmer a further two minutes before adding the mozzarella cheese and some basil leaves. Serve straight away with a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Pizza time

I have recently been baking my own Pizzas to some good success and in all honesty I do believe these taste much better than shop bought and all the ingredients I use are very natural and health.

I start by making the base, its always the same ingredients I use…. •200g strong white flour, I use allisons but any strong white flour will do. •7g fast-action dried yeast, if I can get my hands on fresh yeast then I use double this amount and a little sugar to activate it. •Pinch of salt (always Rock salt when I cook, normal table salt has chalk added to make it run easier, you don’t really want that in your body, I have also recently started using Organic Himalayan Pink Salt which I had to buy through Amazon but tescos now have it) •140ml water, warm •3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing Mix all these ingredients together in a mixing bowl Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and work it with your hands for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic and has a feeling similar to your ear lobe . This should be enough dough for two pizzas so divide by two and flatten out into two disks and place on a pizza baking tray. Leave in a warm place for 20 mins as the dough with rise a little. Brush some olive oil over the disks and start to add your topping, the base topping is passata (basic tomato sauce) except when making a Florentine pizza with an egg in the middle in which case I don’t use any tomatoes just a mozzarella base leaving the centre base for the egg.

For my tomato sauce I use cherry tomatoes for more flavour or even better still Sugar drop tomatoes if you can get some. I got some in morrisons last week and they were beautiful. I blend the tomatoes with a little garlic and tiny amount of olive oil and sugar, I work it through a wire mesh to ensure there are no seeds and there is the sauce all ready to spread over your base. Then add the topping of your choice and back in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for anywhere between 10-25 minutes depending how to like yours.

3rd June 2015

Monday was the start of our Meteorological summer in Scotland and the rest of the northern hemisphere as I understand it. But you would never guess this by looking outside. We are still experiencing 4 seasons in a day. Rocky my African Grey parrot has recently turned 3 years old (from his hatch day) and is becoming increasingly “cuddly” in the evening even lying on his back on my lap when I’m the sofa watching the TV wanting his underwings tickled. He is great company for someone living alone, now that I have the entry back of my house sealed from access from the driveway (and secured with alarm and motion detector cameras and lights which I don’t want to discuss too much for obvious reasons but it would be like mission impossible to get into my back garden now) I leave the rear window blinds up and curtains open and Rocky loves watching the sunset from his roosting perch before settling for the night (weird Waltons image there)

As many of my close friends know, my Mum who will turn 86 this month is now in a Bupa Nursing home. It was an extremely hard decision to make as her wish was always to stay in her own home to see out her years, this she could manage with support due to her mobility problems the then dementia started taking hold a couple of years ago and now she really needs around the clock care. It’s very hard as every time I visit her she starts off by saying the same questions “why does your dad and brother not come to see me?” both of whom died many years ago. Then she asks if her parents are still alive but they died over 50 years ago before I was born then my mum gets upset because she thinks she was not there with them when they died but I try to explain the truth which was that she nursed them at home until their time came, something I wished previously I could do with my mum but due to other commitments and reasons I could not. …But….my fears about a nursing home are unfounded, she is enjoying the constant company, the gossip and the goings on some of which she discusses with me thinking she works there (she was a nurse before she retired) Every day when I visit her she is in the communal area with the TV on surrounds with her “pals” and endless cups of tea. Sometimes on “good days” she talks to me about a “date” she had the night before with a man who came up from London during leave from the Army, I know this man she is referring to was my date and this “date” was over 60 years ago but she talks about it with such clarity and she gets excited about meeting him again and the letter he sent her. She talks and remembers about this as if it was yesterday, sometimes these diseases of the mind have a silver lining, a little happy bubble. She talks about her dancing shoes and how her new man has a motorbike and sidecar, this was the man she went on to marry and love and who was my dad, for my mum to relive these happy moments of courtship with my dad in her mind as if it were yesterday is such a blessing. The Apple and pear trees are flowering in the garden this year but still too young for a bumper crop and about given up on the cherry and apricot trees.

As people know… I have a huge love of ice cream….gimmme gimmmme gimmmmme

I churned some malteaser and peppermint with double cream last week which was just bliss!!!!!

Last week I paid a visit to Camelon cemetery, a laid some red roses at a memorial for sadly departed babies, still born and little souls who never had a chance to shine. Luckily my little boy Sam survived against the odds and is the blessing which he is to me now but Sam could have had a little sister 7 years ago but it was not meant to be.

I won’t dwell in detail on this except there may have been a little Shannon soon to start primary 2, a loved daughter and sister. I will always feel her absence and never forget. It’s an extremely sad spot tucked away in the cemetery, quiet and reflective, reading the little silver plates with names and dates of birth or in some case due dates of birth its easy to spring tears but also thank your blessings for what you have.

Paella in Costa del Falkirk

Paella is a Spanish Valencian rice dish with ancient roots that originated in its modern form in the mid-nineteenth century near Albufera lagoon, a coastal lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. The dish is widely regarded as Spain's national dish, as well as a regional Valencian dish. In Moorish Spain, farmers improved the old Roman irrigation systems along the Mediterranean coast. This led to greater yields in rice production. Consequently, residents of the Valencian region often made casseroles of rice, fish and spices for family gatherings and religious feasts, thus establishing the custom of eating rice in Spain. This led to rice becoming a staple by the 15th century. Afterwards, it became customary for cooks to combine rice with vegetables, beans and dry cod, providing an acceptable meal for Lent. Along Spain's eastern coast, rice was predominantly eaten with fish According to tradition in Valencia, paella is cooked over an open fire, fueled by orange and pine branches along with pine cones. This produces an aromatic smoke which infuses the paella. This luxury is not afforded to me here in Falkirk so I have to do with the gas hob. I made the seafood version as follows… Make a seafood broth from shrimp heads, onions, garlic and bay leaves. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add mussels. Cook until they open and then remove. Add salmon, cod and smoked cod, I used Tesco’s fish pie mix.

Add shrimp tails and squid (sliced into rings) and sauté.

Add garlic and sauté. Add grated tomato and sauté. Add rice, I used paella rice from co-op Add paprika and sauté. I prefer smoked paprika. Add seafood broth and then saffron (and/or food coloring). Add salt to taste. Add some whole prawns and fresh peas. Fry some large prawns to use as a decorative top.

Simmer until rice is cooked, half lemon and some sliced red peppers on top.

Serve with some home baked ciabatta bread and garlic mayonnaise

It has become a custom at mass gatherings in the Valencian Community (festivals, political campaigns, protests, etc.) to prepare enormous paellas, sometimes to win mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. Don’t think mine will win any prizes against such tough competition but its very tasty never the less and with some red wine it goes down a treat at dinner parties.

Attending King's Speech in Edinburgh

Last month I attended the King’s Speech…..well at least the theatre version in the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh.

Headlining as the voice coach Lionel Logue is Jason Donovan (Kylies ex and neighbours star from the 80s), clearly authentic enough in origin (being Aussie) and manner to be able to convey the brash familiarity that so irritated the court and high society of the 1930s. Raymond Coulthard played the King.

For those who have seen the excellent film The King’s Speech play, by contrast is an idealised constitutional romance of a tale, in which an ailing monarchy, with a feckless heir about to abdicate, a growing threat of Nazism in Europe, and a bullying king who has reduced his younger son to a stammering wreck, somehow rediscovers its strength and destiny through a revived connection with the people, represented by the growing, unlikely friendship between the stammering new king, George, and irreverent Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.

Raymond Coulthard is grumpy but poignant as Bertie, Jason Donovan utterly delightful as the shabby, irrepressible Logue. An enjoyable play on a lovely evening which concluded with a walk back to my car parked at Holy corner at Morningside whilst eating fish and chips.

Garlic Soup La Mancha style with hint of Falkirk

I never wanted this to be a recipe blog but here I go again. Over the past few years I have developed quite a passion for cooking (and eating) and in particular cooking (or attempting) foods for different countries cause let’s face it and be brutally honest, Scottish cuisine can be quite bland at time, not all the time but you don’t surprise dinner guests serving mince and tatties and food should be a talking point too. I was watching Rick Stein on TV touring the regions of Spain from the comfort of my sofa and when he was in La Mancha (Don Quixote country) and watched him make Garlic Soup. Rick describes it as …. “If I were to describe this soup as hot stock with fried garlic, grilled bread and a poached egg, it would sound rather dull, but the fact that it is made all over Spain and is at the very heart of the cooking of Castilla-La Mancha tells you there’s something magical about this combination.”…..and who am I sitting on my sofa in Falkirk to disagree. Here we go….in the Falkirk kitchen … Ingredients As much garlic as your family, friends and co-workers will let you get away with. Try at least a whole head, each clove very thinly sliced. I use lots and smoked garlic which I but from Morrisons at 60p a head. A kettle full of boiled water 3 chicken stock cubes, I particularly like Knorr. Olive oil Pimenton picante (smoked hot Spanish paprika) but I use Smoked Paprika from Schwartz but I now have some of the real Spanish stuff from a friend. Good quality thickly sliced white bread; I use my own bread which I have baked. Crusty white. Gently fry the garlic in a very decent glug of olive oil in a saucepan until lightly golden, but no darker or they will taste bitter. Crumble the stock cubes into the pan and stir until they’ve melted. Add a freshly boiled kettle of water and bring to a simmer. Add the pimenton to taste – start with 1tsp and keep going if you fancy it. I have quite a bit in mine. Turn off the heat and crack an egg into the pan. You can do this into a ladle full of the liquid – this way the egg doesn’t touch the pan base and the yolk stays runny. Basically poaching the egg in the mixture. Always use the very fresh quality free range you can get. I duck egg is super and the white a little firmer. Grill a slice of bread. Tear and place at the bottom of a bowl. Once the egg is cooked, ladle it and some liquid over the bread, until your bowl is full. Devour and bask in its healing qualities. Consume the remaining broth during the rest of the evening, slurping appreciatively straight from the bowl or from a mug. It’s great for the immune system so very good if you have a cold.

Focaccia bread Dearn style

Last week I attempted for the first time to cook Focaccia bread. Normally I use a bread machine for my bread but use my own flour and yeast mixtures which are much superior to shop bought. I do like the bread machine as it saves me having to work the dough by hand but for my Focaccia I was wanting to do it the old fashioned way and bring Italy to Falkirk sipping wine and swearing in a foreign language as I baked. Making the dough for Focaccia is very much like the process making dough for Pizza (will one day blog my walnut and gorgonzola recipe) except you don’t use as much yeast. First I place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and 300ml of the water into a large bowl. Gently stirring with a wooden spoon to form dough then knead the dough in the bowl for five minutes, gradually adding the remaining water also adding about 3 table spoons of the very best cold pressed olive oil. I constantly dust my hands with flour so the dough does not stick to them. Also note that I use strong white flour for most if not all of my baking, a tip I heard at a Paul Hollywood road show in Edinburgh a couple of years ago. I use 2 sachets dried yeast which I pick up in Morrisons. Be aware also that I use flour which is high gluten, I don’t think this would work otherwise so if you are intolerant then perhaps not for you. In Italy they sometime add lard to the mix giving the focaccia a softer, slightly flakier texture. One the dough is in a good condition I flatten out on a shallow backing tray (which has sides) then press holes in the dough at regular intervals and put some fresh Rosemary in the holes and a drip of olive oil. I prefer Morrisons for the Rosemary as it’s fresh and comes in a bunch.

I leave the dough to raise for about 40 minutes after which its almost doubled its size then I press some salt into the dough, I always use sea salt, pure Anglesey sea salt from Tesco finest range is really good, thick crunchy flakes. The I drizzle the dough with a good amount of olive oil before playing in a preheated oven 220C (gas mark 7) for 20Minutes, but keep an eye on it.

A conventional loaf of bread is too tall to absorb olive oil all the way through to its center. Being shorter in height than a conventional loaf and less dense than a pizza dough, focaccia can indeed absorb olive oil all the way to its center or at least nearly so. As such, focaccia might well be thought of as "olive oil bread". As you can see from my pictures the top of the bread is slight burn but this was cosmetic only as inside it was soft and delicious , I was really pleased how it turned out. Next time I intend melting some cheese and adding black olives to the top. I served this bread with hummus (home made by me again) and it was lovely.