The Great Big Veg Challenge

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Fly me to the moon...with rocket pizzas
2008-03-02 09:29:00
"On the continent, people have good food;In England people have good table manners." ( George Mikes. How to be an Alien)Actually in England, if our household is anything to go by, good table manners are hard to come by. One byproduct of the great big vegetable challenge is that we all eat together as a family far more often. You'd think this would stimulate interesting conversation. It does - but it also means we have to watch each other eat. "So what did you do at school today? Can you please use a knife and fork.""I thought we could go and see a film. Would you please not lick the plate clean.""You do it.""No I don't.""I saw you." Its a truce. It is disgusting to lick a plate clean at the table. But I console myself that at least it means someone is enjoying the food. A year ago, I hated seeing the plate full of food at the end of a meal. We've come a long way with plate licking... Geek and Nerd did warn me that in her household, rocket pizzas are "inhaled" rather than eaten....
More About: Moon , Rocket , The Moon

R is for Rocket
2008-02-28 07:19:00
Rocket isn?t just a vegetable: it?s a social climber. She can be found appearing under the more exotic names of Roquette and Rucola. In America, she dances under the soubriquet Arugula. Like Eliza in Pygmalion, she has learnt airs and graces. In reality, rocket is nothing special and has been a feature of British cookery since the sixteenth century. There is even a variety, known simply as ?London Rocket? that was noticed by botanists flourishing in the ruins after the 1666 Great Fire of London. I suspect that Miss Roquette learned very early on, that to survive, she had to reinvent herself. Nowadays rocket is definitely seen as posh food and with its peppery, zesty flavour, certainly not something that you would give to the children. But after a visit to France, I changed my mind.  We flew to Nantes to see my brother marry his French girlfriend. Now I know that when it comes to valuing and producing good food, France has always occupied the high ground. And watching the w...
More About: Rocket

Rhubarb and Beef Mince
2008-02-18 09:25:00
The first time that someone left their thoughts in the comment box I was elated. Freddie and Alex were intrigued that out of the ether, visitors had appeared on the blog. When people leave their cooking tips and recipes it is even more exciting. Rhubarb has brought out the best in you all. A lady known only as 'Schmoof' left a recipe for Rhubarb and Mince. This is all she wrote:- "I've never had rhubarb in a sweet dish (I'm not much of a pudding lover) but my dad makes a great rhubard and mince dish. He frys some beef mince with onions, garlic, celery and carrot, and then adds spices like cumin, paprika and a touch of tumeric. He then adds roughly chopped rhubarb, some beef stock, and a touch of sugar. Simmer it gently for about an hour, sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve over rice." I printed the comment and took it downstairs to show Freddie. He thought that as it contained beef it was probably worth trying. Like a magic spell, Schmoof's recipe came alive in my kitchen....
More About: Beef

Veggies: Variety is the spice of life!
2008-02-16 23:53:00
We noticed a dramatic spike in the numbers of visitors from the USA to the Great Big Vegetable Challenge and traced it back to a paper published by the American Institute for Cancer Research. They are promoting the health benefits of eating a wider variety of vegetables and fruit and varying your diet. The title of the paper -"Veggies: More Variety for Maximum Cancer Protection" and they are trying to persaude people to expand their diet beyond starchy vegetables like potatoes. We were so excited to see that they recommend people eating through the A to Z of vegetables and linked directly to our blog.Selling the health benefits of a better diet to an eight year old boy isn't easy, but it made me feel better that all the hundreds of meals we have made over the last 13 months may have another long term benefit for all of the family.Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
More About: Life , Spice

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb
2008-02-15 07:56:00
 It was Valentine's Day in the supermarket. Over the tannoy, the voice of a tired irritated woman announced,"Today is the day when you have the opportunity to show the one you love just how much you care." There was a pause and a deep sigh."In Aisle 10 there are a range of gifts from as little as 99 pence." So if you really don't care that much, there is the perfect 99 pence gift. I can only imagine that announcing the promise of Valentine's Day twice an hour, had plunged the Voice of the Tannoy into a depression. For my loved ones, I decided to buy more rhubarb. A shop assistant was straightening the vegetables. As I took a bag of rhubarb, he took the other end. "You will enjoy this won't you?" he said and smiled broadly at me. "Oh yes, of course." "It's just that rhubarb is my favourite." "I won't let you down." I said. This was a man with a passion for rhubarb, someone who didn't want it to go to an unloving home. Back at home I made rhubarb and strawberry compote. Ma...

Wise words from Ethelind....
2008-02-07 11:27:00
A neighbour posted a small green pocket book through the letterbox with a post-it note stuck to one page. The book was Ethelind Fearon?s ?Hot and Cold Sweets?, written in 1956. You don?t mess with Ethelind. ?I shall expect some slight co-operation from the reader,? she warns. No gentle hand-holding here. Unlike modern day celebrity chefs, Ethelind does not appear in her book. So I can only imagine what she looks like. In my mind's eye I can see a starched apron and sensible shoes. I may be wrong. Anyhow whilst I was daydreaming, Ethelind took me by the scruff of my dirty apron, poked me with her wooden spoon and barked at me to get on with cooking rhubarb fingers. This recipe was sandwiched between ?Puffs, Jugoslavian? and ?Rice Caramel.? As I dusted the counter with flour, rolled out my rough puff pastry and dipped my rhubarb sticks in melted butter, a wave of 1950?s nostalgia passed over me. Freddie came down and started to play marbles on the kitchen floor. Alex came into the k...
More About: Words , Wise

R is for Rhubarb
2008-02-05 08:35:00
There are some vegetables that sit on the fence: rhubarb is one of them. We treat rhubarb as if it was a fruit but as we eat the stems of the plant, it is in fact a vegetable. It has a rich history in Britain. In a triangle of farmland bordered by Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford, rhubarb growers harvest their prize produce in sheds lit by candlelight. Cosseted in the dark warmth, the rhubarb can focus its efforts on producing long sweet stalks rather than wasting its efforts on leaves to absorb sunlight. This is ?forced? rhubarb and West Yorkshire used to produce 90% of the world?s winter rhubarb. The rhubarb would rumble its way down to London on a train known as the Rhubarb Express. In a diversion from the alphabet, Freddie had his first taste of rhubarb last September when it was still growing happily indoors. Eating alphabetically has taken us on a fantastic journey but when a vegetable is in season you have to try it then and there. We travelled down to Wiltshire to stay with fr...

The next stop is Radicchio
2008-02-02 18:14:00
 I took the tube to the grocers to buy more radicchio. The grand lady wasn?t there. This time we picked out the Treviso and ditched any thoughts of "accents". On the way home on the underground we approached Oxford Circus station. The spaced out voice of Miss London Underground came over the tannoy."The next stop is Ealing Broadway." For those of you who are lucky enough not to have become familiar with the London Tube Map, Ealing Broadway and Oxford Circus are many miles apart. I looked up and laughed. Miss Striped Suit sitting next to me, glanced up with a blank face. Noone else smiled;the entire carriage were clearly the victims of a mass humour-lobotomy. No one reacts normally on the underground. The tannoy could tell them they were about to be joined by a regiment of zombies and there would be no reaction. In fact thinking back, maybe they were zombies. I stopped smiling and stared at my radicchio.Last year Freddie enjoyed chicory gratin so we adapted the recipe to suit...
More About: Stop , Radicchio

R is for Radicchio
2008-01-26 09:25:00
 Radicchio , said Fred must be the radish?s Italian cousin. In fact they aren?t related. Radicchio is a red-leaved chicory. There are different types, named after the regions of Italy from where they originate. I found them in a grocers? shop. There were three red-headed Divas on offer: the Chiogga, the Treviso and the Castelfranco. We chose the Chiogga, which was round and the leaves are compact. ?It tastes quite bitter,? warned the grocer. ?Try grilling it with some olive oil.??Use it as an ?accent?,? barked a rather grand lady who was buying fancy mushrooms. I didn?t want to reveal my ignorance. ?Oh yes, of course, an accent vegetable,? I muttered knowingly.When it comes to vegetables, what exactly is an ?accent?? There are some vegetables that feel too grand for our family mealtimes and this had to be one of them. The Chiogga Radicchio came home with us in a brown paper bag, no doubt complaining bitterly that it had to travel on the bus. I figured that the posh lady?s u...

R is for Radish, Cannellini and Cheese
2008-01-20 15:29:00
The Roman poet Horace compiled a long list of foods that would wake up a weary stomach. Radish es are on his list. And there is nothing more weary than the stomach of a fussy eater. Freddie's own list on the Naming and Shaming Fridge is literally a moveable feast. Radishes have been allowed to creep up from "I hate" to "I am not sure about these ..." Our very last R for Radish recipe came from one of Freddie's favourite chefs, David Hall of the Book the Cook blogspot, who devotes a great deal of his time trying to inspire the appetites of young people. His recipe is slightly sweet, warming and prompted Freddie to nudge radish to the very borders of "I like." Right now the radish is waiting in vegetable transit to be given a visa to travel to "I like." Cannellini Cheese and Radish Salad1 tin of Cannelini beansRadishes, thinly slicedCrumbly goats' cheese or LancashireRed onion thinly sliced( optional - we left this out)Fresh parsley, chopped finelyDressing - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 3 ...

R is for Roasted Radishes
2008-01-09 14:55:00
 I did toy with the idea of carving a face in a radish and then came to my senses. For our very own 'Noche de Rabanos?, I roasted the radishes. I bought bunches of beautiful multicoloured radishes, coated them in seasoned olive oil and put them in the oven. I served them to Freddie and Alex with some roast chicken. ?What sort of potatoes are these??asked Freddie. Once roasted, the radishes become quite tender and they lose some of their fiery taste. I told Freddie he was eating radishes. he looked surprised but awarded the roasted radishes a stunning 8 out of 10. The radish is going up in his estimation... Noche de Rabanos Roasted Radishes750g radishes6 garlic cloves2-3 tablespoons of sesame oilHalf tsp of mild chilli powderHalf tsp of smoked paprika powderA pinch of sea saltPreheat the oven to 190C. Cut the radishes in half. Place them in a deep baking tray. Peel the garlic cloves and add them whole.Cover the radishes and garlic in the sesame oil, mild chilli powder and smo...

R is for Radish with Comte Cheese
2008-01-07 11:27:00
 â€œCan’t you DO something with the radishes? You didn’t exactly change them to make them taste any betterâ€�, said Freddie. This is true. Our previous effort, Radis au Beurre was delicious but the Radish was bare. They suffer from a rather limited public image: always the bridesmaid and never the bride. They are treated as a glorified garnish. In fact, did you know that on December 23rd each year in Oaxaca in Mexico, they hold a Radish Night where people compete to create the most elaborate radish sculptures? If you are a Mexican radish, La Noche de Rábanos is bigger than the Oscars. In the months leading up to the big night, radishes are lovingly cultivated and fertilized to grow to huge proportions. They are then carved into animals, dancers, entire scenes from the Nativity. There is nothing the good people of Oaxaca can’t make with a radish. But as Freddie and I discovered, it was Anne from Sweden who offered us a radish lifeline with a radish and cheese salad with ...
More About: Cheese

R is for Radish and the Supertaster Test
2008-01-02 14:41:00
 ?We are going to try radishes tomorrow,? I announced.?But I think I?m a Supertaster.? said Freddie as he sat in front of the television, watching a programme about fussy eaters. I had in mind a caped crusader saving the world by taking huge bites out of mounds of food. ?I may have an extra powerful tongue for tasting,? he elaborated, ?and that?s why supertasters don?t like things like vegetables.?I looked up at the television to hear more. Apparently supertasters are not caped but they do have an unusually high number of taste buds, making them taste food more keenly. Freddie was convinced of his supertaster status. I was sceptical.According to scientists at Yale University of Medicine 25% of people could be supertasters. On the internet there is even a simplified version of their taster test which we tried out.1.Punch a 7mm whole in four small squares of paper.2.Swab blue food colouring on to the tips of the tongue.3.The tiny papillae that house the taste buds don?t absorb th...
More About: Test , Radish , Pert , The Super , Aster

Happy Christmas from the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
2007-12-29 08:23:00
Happy Christmas from the Great Big Vegetable Challenge !Please excuse the two week absence from the blog. Our link to the outside world gave up in the cold weather. Deep under the pavement, the aluminium wires snaking into our home snapped in the cold. No phone, no broadband and no blog.We enjoyed Christmas in London. On Christmas Eve we have a tradition that started six years ago. We make twelve fish dishes, light lots of candles and wade manfully through everything from Cromer crab to squid. The whole feast is served on special fish plates which come out once a year. It is not so much a meal as an aquarium. But Freddie and Alex look forward to it and family Christmas traditions have a habit of persisting, however bizarre.On Christmas Day, we are more conventional, serving turkey and all-the-trimmings which include of course, the Brussels sprout. We ate Brussel Sprouts under B and very early on in our alphabetical vegetable challenge, Freddie discovered that he loved sprouts. Like m...
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The ten minute vegetable challenge
2007-12-14 10:03:00
 Three new quick vegetable dishes for you to try out. Hannah Miles in her country kitchen is sharing her quick pea and mint soup recipe that takes, according to our own reenactment, 8 minutes and 30 seconds from pea to plate. Freddie and Alex loved this soup which we made last night. Thank you Hannah. David Hall, Book the Cook has created a brilliant quick turnaround treat, his Hasty, Hasty Sweet and Sour Peppers on toast. Delicious David - we will be making these tonight for the hoards when they return from school, hungry, tired and impatient. We always love what you do. Thank you David! And that brings us to Holler in Scotland at Tinned Tomatoes with one of her favourite quick recipes, Red Pepper Houmous. This recipe, based on Nigella is perfect for this quick challenge. Now if you all combine these with the quick fried plantain tostones dippers. Holler, Freddie loves red pepper houmous and we will try out your version this weekend. This is a recipe that he can make. T...
More About: Vegetable , Challenge , Minute , Halle

Q is for Quick Vegetable Dishes
2007-12-11 21:25:00
"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." Will Rogers, 1930 in a Letter to the New York Times Dr Edouard de Pomiane wrote a book, ?La cuisine en dix minutes, ou l?Adaptation au rythme moderne?. This was translated into English as ?Cooking in Ten Minutes or, Adapting to the Rhythm of Modern Life?. This was back in the 1930?s and in France. Who said that convenience food is a modern phenomenon? The difference is that Monsieur de Pomiane was teaching people how to cook real French food, quickly. In the time that it takes to remove the packaging, pierce a cellophane lid, microwave, stir and serve a ready-made meal to the family, we could be munching on Pig?s Ears in Egg and Breadcrumbs or rustling up Hare a la crème. And because our extensive search for Q vegetables drew a blank, here are some of attempts at slow food in a fast world; some of the quicker vegetable recipes that Freddie has enjoyed.At the bottom of th...
More About: Vegetable , Quick , Dishes

The Great Big Vegetable Challenge is just over a year old...
2007-12-10 22:42:00
We were all so busy munching through the alphabet of vegetables that we forgot to celebrate we were over a year old...As Freddie said, We never thought there were SO MANY vegetables out there to try...Thank you to those of you who nominated us for a Well Fed Blog Award. We were very excited to find out we were in final five for the Family and Food category. If you enjoy reading our blog, please vote for us here - voting runs out on the 14th December.And keep sending us your Quick Veg recipes which we will be trying out over the next week. Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
More About: Year , Halle

From P to Q
2007-12-09 08:53:00
We are saying goodbye to Plantain, but not before we have printed off the wonderful recipes that we have been sent. Plantain will now be a permanent feature of our family cooking. Take a look at Cynthia Nelson's homage to the plantain on Tastes Like Home.And Siri's Corner sent us this plantain curry recipe to try out. Thank you Srilatha.Our next stop is Q. Because the letter Q is not blessed with vegetables, we will be featuring Quick recipes that use vegetables - simple real food, made fast.Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge

Tostones on a stormy day
2007-12-07 14:59:00
Freddie would like to thank you for tostones. We don't know how it is pronounced but knowing how it transforms plantain has been a revelation. We are particularly grateful for one comment left by someone known only as Carolina who told us about jibaritos. Carolina, wherever you are, in our home you have earned the title Queen of Plantain. Let us start with Tostones which are fried, flattened and then refried slices of green plantain. There is something a little gothic about the name - add a "mb"and you get tombstones. I went out in the morning to buy my plantain when it was still dark and it was stormy. My nearest market runs along the side of a red brick railway line, punctuated with huge arches that are full of stalls selling anything from goat meat to salt fish. Every few minutes the stalls rattle as a train passes overhead. The plantain were being piled up by the grocer, glowing bright green in the half-light. By the time I got home, it was lighter but there were was a squall b...
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Plantain and Chicken Skewers
2007-12-03 15:12:00
"Yes we have no bananas..."Having accepted that plantains are not going to taste like bananas, Freddie has tried them again. In Shepherds Bush market there is a huge selection of fruit and vegetables from around the world and even better, queues of people who are willing to help you learn how to cook them. A woman waiting in the queue to pay, recommended that I buy the blackest plantain, the ones that you would reject if they were bananas. Plantain is more fibrous than a banana and has less sugar but as it ripens, the starch turns to sucrose. I took my black plantains home and cut them into chunks and marinaded them with the chicken. Freddie gave these kebabs 9 out of 10.Plantain and Chicken kebabsServes 4-54 chicken fillets, boned and skinned1 tbsp of jerk seasoning2 ripe plantainJuice of 1 lime1 garlic clove, crushed2 tbsp of olive oilSalt and ground pepper to seasonWooden skewersPlantain will take a few days to ripen. Unripe ones are green, semi-ripe are a mottled yellow and blac...
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P is for Plantain
2007-11-28 20:26:00
"..the city is not an urban jungle, it is a human zoo."(Desmond Morris, anthropologist)For the Great Big Vegetable Challenge, we have grown pots of chilli peppers, herbs and tomato plants in our little patio. I have even allowed mushrooms to sprout in the airing cupboard. But I know that cities are not always easy places to show children where food comes from. You have to play to the strength of where you live and when it comes to finding out more about unfamiliar vegetables, the city comes into its own. A few months ago we did a bit of advance research into plantains, which is our next vegetable. Well it is more of fruit, looking like a bunch of large green bananas. We took the bus to Notting Hill to enjoy the annual carnival. In the streets that lead off the main carnival route, there are hundreds of food stalls selling different Caribbean and African delicacies. People turn their basements into makeshift kitchens. We drifted from house to house, sampling goat curry, sucking on ...
More About: Plantain

The Last Potato Post
2007-11-26 11:03:00
Last night it was so cold we needed to light a fire in our living room so I went foraging,in Central London. What we lack in trees, hedges and grass verges we are more than compensated for by skips. Every time someone moves into a new home, they throw out the old kitchen. The streets around are dotted with huge yellow builders'skips. If you were to look into the landfil sites around London, you would find entire room sets and intact kitchens, like dolls house rooms. I put our supper into the oven. This is our last potato dish of the Great Big Vegetable Challenge. The recipe was emailed to us by Cynthia Nelson, a Guyanese lady who lives in Barbados. Her site is called Tastes Like Home. And as Iput on a woollen hat, boots and fetched the Radio Flyer truck from the cellar, I thought of Cynthia in her warm kitchen in Barbados. Envy is unbecoming. Freddie waved me goodbye as I stepped out into the misty November night."You look like that woman in Mary Poppins," said Alex. "You know, the...
More About: Post , Potato , The Last

Baked Potato with asparagus, chicken and cress
2007-11-20 07:29:00
 The Pimp my Chicken challenge continues. And we think it is worth sharing this simple filling recipe because Freddie gave it 10 out of 10. And as you know, that doesn't happen too often.Asparagus , Chicken and Sour Cream FillingTo make enough for four large baked potatoes:8 asparagus spears2-3 tablespoons of soured cream (can substitute with a lower fat creme fraiche)2 tablespoons of fresh chive, finely choppedHalf a punnet of mustard or salad cress, finely chopped1 teaspoon of dried sage4 skinned and deboned chicken thighsSalt and pepper to seasonSteam the asparagus spears until just tender. Cut off the woody end and then slice at a slant into half inch pieces. Spray a pan with a little oil, add the deboned and skinned chicken thighs with a teaspoon of dried sage and cook over a medium high heat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove and slice into strips. Add to a bowl with the asparagus, cress, soured cream and chives. Ser...
More About: Baked , Potato , Cres

The Great Big Baked Potato Challenge
2007-11-19 10:33:00
 Welcome to the Great Big Baked Potato Challenge . Baked Potatoes are the ultimate in comfort and convenience. But over the weekend Freddie and I have had some fun adding a little challenge and controversy. And best of all we have been joined by a stellar cast of food bloggers with their best baked potato recipes. Our latest contender is the wonderful Amanda who writes the Little Foodies website. This is a great place to pick up some real inspiration for family meals and food to entice your children. (Her kids are also chefs in training)Her baked potato recipe is packed with vegetables. Thank you Amanda To start off, look at this. It is fantastic. Celia from Purple Podded Peas is a talented artist and gardener but she knows how to pimp a potato. She has created an oriental baked potato dish at her kitchen studio in Cambridgeshire - a potato pagoda for Freddie. Inspirational.Holler at Tinned Tomatoes who comes from Scotland, has harnessed the power of pesto with her delicious r...
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You like potato and I like Po-tah-to!
2007-11-17 16:25:00
 Before we say goodbye to the potato, we wanted to know all about your favourite jacket potato recipes and toppings. If you have heard of the tv programme "Pimp my Car!", this is "Pimp my potato!" The food thought police may well prevent us from counting a potato as one of our five-a-day but if you have any canny ways of adding a few vegetable go-fast stripes, let us know. Over the next three days, Freddie, Alex and I will be sharing some of our favourite recipes with you.If you have a blog, please email me your post or if you want, just leave your ideas in the comment box.Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
More About: Potato

P is for Potatoes - Cornish Pasties
2007-11-13 07:24:00
A few nights ago we were woken up in the middle of the night. I looked out of the window onto the street to see a large woman swaying down the middle of the road. She was bellowing the song "My Way" whilst carrying a large shopping basket full of food. Living in a city, its not unusual to be woken up by drunks, sashaying back home from a night in the pub. But the large lone shopping lady at 3am was unique. One of our neighbours brought the performance to an end, yelling at her to shut up and move on. In the morning I went out to buy a paper from the corner shop and found her abandoned shopping basket, full of potatoes. Was she serenading me?  A few months ago we had a holiday on the South Coast of Cornwall. Our first Cornish meal of the holiday is always the same. After a long drive down a wooded lane to the ancient town of Lostwithiel, we buy four large Cornish pasties and sit on the river bank to eat them. Like all traditional dishes, the ingredients of an authentic Cornish ...
More About: Potatoes , Pasties , Nish

The Great Big Potato Mash Up
2007-11-05 19:49:00
 I went to school in the days when Home Economics was compulsory. I had to learn to cook, sew, knit and keep my finger nails clean.I was a chaotic cook, dangerous with a needle and my nails were always dirty. But the biggest problem I had in cookery was that I was out of synch with the rest of the class. When they were making Christmas Cake, I brought along a basket of ingredients to make Quiche Lorraine. And so it went on for half a term. I prepared for Margharita Pizza when it was Chelsea Buns,Coconut Ice when it should have been Victoria Sponge. My punishment each week was extreme boredom. I would sit in the cupboard where the spare pots and pans were kept, writing out long lists of cooking terminology. When I need to get to sleep I can still recite the alphabet of cooking terms as if it were the shipping forecast. Béchamel, blanch, bouillon, chaud-froid, court bouillon, croutons and so on... Eventually things got better, I resynchronised and I started to learn to cook. We w...
More About: Great , Mash-Up , Potato , The G , Mash up

They seek him here, they seek him there...
2007-11-02 18:24:00
POLICE NOTICEInspectors are looking for the thief who stole Mr Pumpernickel. Taken from the front doorstep a London home at approximately 1900 on October 31st, after just 20 minutes in the public eye.If seen, Mr Pumpernickel has a distinctive greeny orange birthmark over his cheek, due to the wet English summer. He has one arched eyebrow. If found, inform interpol.Yes, Mr Pumpernickel had a very short spell as our Halloween pumpkin. Such was his appealing face, someone decided to steal him minutes after we put him out on the doorstep. Or maybe he has made a bid for freedom...any sightings, let us know. Just to let you know that next week's vegetable will be the potato. And I won't be leaving out any on our doorstep. ( All those Five a Day thieves feeding their vegetable habit....) Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
More About: Seek

The March of the Pumpkins!
2007-10-31 10:12:00
Please excuse our absence - we have been away on a half term holiday. But we are back in time for Halloween.I am feeling a little uneasy about our pumpkin, modelled above by Freddie, who wishes you all a very Happy Halloween. He is contemplating a sugar-fuelled romp around the houses of West London. He has already identified a street with the poshest houses, where he hopes to collect industrial quantities of e-numbers. Tonight he will come home, tired but excited, probably floating several feet above his bed,a Happy Halloween Helium boy.Back to my unease. The mistake I made with this pumpkin was to become too friendly with it. It all started with the March of the Pumpkins . Mr P and a friend of his, were given to me by the school gardening club. I made Pumpkin Soup with Mr P's friend which the children sipped in their vegetable garden one autumn evening before half term. Chris and I carried these huge orange beasts for the mile walk between school and home. Cradled in our arms, we w...

The Day of the Pumpkins
2007-10-23 10:27:00
?To dream of pumpkins is a very bad omen.?(Richard Folkard in 'Plant Lore' (1884))I have been dreaming of pumpkins. I'm not sure what Freud would have to say. As with the Daikon, the giant radish, I feel at this time of year that there is a never-ending supply of pumpkin flesh to consume. Fortunately, Freddie sees the pumpkin as a friendly vegetable and is willing to try out different dishes. Even with a modest-sized pumpkin you need several recipes up your sleeve. So I have teamed up with some good friends and we are all posting on pumpkins today. Do pay a visit to our good friend David Hall at Book the Cook who is offering an irresistible and delicious Spiced Pumpkin, Bacon and Mussel Conchiglie. David has a wonderful taster in chief at home, his little girl Cerys. Now if you want to learn how to cook a WHOLE pumpkin then you have to visit our friend-in-vegetables, the wonderful Alanna Kellogg in Missouri with her pumpkin recipe at A Veggie Venture. For a beautifully sweet and ...
More About: Pumpkins