The Great Big Veg Challenge

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V is for Vegetables to be enjoyed on the barbecue
2008-06-10 09:01:00
I know that for those of you who live in warmer countries my delight at having a little sun must seem quaint. We have eaten out in our tiny garden for every meal this week, including breakfast. On a school day this is at 7 am in the morning and we sit there biting toast and spreading honey in monastic silence, trying not to wake our neighbours. To round off our V for Vegetable Kebabs this is Freddie's favourite selection of dishes. But the "absolute top of them all" as he tells me are Lamb and Artichoke Kebabs which he recommends to you all. Lamb and Artichoke KebabsServes 4600g lamb neck fillet2 tbsp fresh rosemary2 tbsp of olive oil1 crushed garlic clove1 tin of artichoke hearts, drainedSalt and ground pepperWooden skewersAsk the butcher for lamb neck fillet and cut it into 4 cm cubes.Wash and drain the artichoke hearts. Cut them in half. Put the lamb and artichoke in a bowl and add the olive oil, garlic, rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Mix round so it is well coated an...
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V is for Vegetable Kebabs
2008-06-01 09:12:00
I read in the paper today that it's going to be a scorching June but a wet July and August. So I know that over the next month we will be dining out at ever given opportunity.Each year we measure the success of the spring and summer by counting how many days it was warm enough to eat outdoors. As a family we are easily pleased. Like many British people we are able to adopt a stiff upper lip when it comes to the weather. We're willing to set up a picnic in a chill wind or risk trekking out into a field even though the skies are turning deep, dark grey.The Great Big Vegetable Challenge has changed our picnicking menu. So we are sharing our V for Vegetable Kebabs with you...normally cooked on one of those instant barbecues that leave an unattractive burnt rectangle on the grass beneath. Freddie has been getting used to all these new vegetables over the last year and is now willing to enjoy something more than a sausage roll in a picnic. He scored the mixed vegetable kebabs 7 out of 1...

The Turnip is your friend....
2008-05-30 07:00:00
Take one man, a moustache, some tight denim shorts and a line of turnips and you have a hit on You Tube. This film comes to you courtesy of the Survivalist Boards, who want you to know that the turnip is your friend. And who am I to argue?Listen out at the last few minutes of the end of the film - the background barking of a dog comes to an abrupt end...is that a gunshot I can hear?Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
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T is for Turnips roast with shallots and thyme
2008-05-29 07:55:00
As a child growing up in Scotland Halloween was always a special day. And turnips played an important part. I remember going out to buy large ?neeps? from the grocers and carrying them home in my tricyle basket. My father would slice off the tops and scoop out the hard flesh, cutting out eyes, a nose and mouth. My mother would cook this with potato to make ?tatties and neeps.? On Burns Night, we would eat it with haggis and at Halloween, with sausages. My father would thread a wire through the turnip and hook it on to a stick. We walked around the cobbled streets with our friends in the dark, scaring ourselves with turnip lanterns. Is it only in Scotland that this happens?This week to round off our turnip tasting session, we made "Tatties and Neeps", mashing together floury Maris Piper potatoes with Swede, a little butter and some nutmeg. Then we turned our attention to the rather more dainty small white turnips with their bright purple tops.When the children were younger we used t...
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T is for Turnip,Crab and Leek Pasties
2008-05-24 06:59:00
Most parents when they cook a meal and present it to their children only ever have to see one or maybe two people grimace and say "yeeuuck!" But there is a man who lives in Gateshead, in the North East of England, who faces a chorus of screwed up faces every day of his working life. And he deserves a medal (or at least a stiff drink). David Hall works with school children as a demonstration chef, introducing them to fresh food, real cooking and new tastes. He sent Freddie a recipe for Turnip, Crab and Leek Pasties . And there wasn't a grimace in sight when I made them. This was a straight ten out of ten, "are there any seconds?" and let's fight over the last pastie. Thank you David - this takes turnip to new heights! Please visit David Hall's Book the Cook blog...David Hall's delicious Crab, Turnip and Leek Pasties1 leek, halved and sliced1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil25g butter1 small turnip, peeled and diced into small cubes1 tbsp Cider vinegarHalf tsp Cayenne Pepper1 tbsp Worces...

T is for Turnip - or Rutabaga
2008-05-21 09:04:00
 Sorry about the delay. Before we started on turnips, we had to clear up some confusion. Are turnips different to swedes? After consulting several gardeners I was told that the swede is in fact a Swedish turnip. In America they are known as rutabaga. To add to the confusion, in Scotland the swede is often referred to as a turnip or neep. I found a fascinating book by Marwood Yeatman, ?The Last Food of England. He writes that swedes are ?the product of an accidental cross with cabbage?, arriving in England in the 1800's. So there was much relief in our house as this means we can deal with Swede turnips at the same time as any other turnips: two for the price of one. Freddie and I went to the supermarket to buy our turnips. We took a strong hessian bag and planned to take the bus back home. But when we eventually found our turnips, we were surprised. These were dainty little creatures, with pale skin and a tinge of purple around the top - small enough to fit in the palm of Fre...

In the bag challenge - asparagus twists
2008-05-14 06:34:00
Just before we get mired in the world of turnips, Alexandra wanted to enter Real Epicurian's May "In the Bag" blogging challenge. Alphabetical eating is not always seasonal and we wanted to enjoy the English asparagus that is now in season. The ingredients in this month's challenge include asparagus and egg. I first learnt about asparagus' twists from Anna, a Swedish woman, with whom I sometimes work. As we waited for the kettle to boil, she told me about the recipe. Since then, Alex makes them regularly and has added her own twists. Can we recommend that you click on Chubby Checker down below as you learn how to twist! Asparagus Twists500g ready-made puff pastry1 egg beaten50g parmesan or parmeggiano cheese, finely grated2 teaspoons of dried oreganoSalt and pepper to seasonBunch of asparagus spears - around 12 spearsPreheat the oven to 180C ( 350F). Sprinkle the parmesan and oregano over the pastry and gently roll into the pastry.Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle to a de...
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T is for Tomato and Pancetta Tart
2008-05-09 18:35:00
This is a tale of two tarts. Up until now all our tomato recipes have been smooth, the unsettling texture of the tomato removed to cause less anxiety to Freddie...But for our final tomato recipes I decided to flirt with danger and allow the tomato to flash a little flesh.The creation above is a Tomato and Pancetta Tart . Freddie came back from school saying he was really hungry. In fact he looked at the tart with the thin slices of tomato and only saw the pancetta.There is a Latin saying, "Rabidus fame, ceu canis" as hungry as a dog. He attacked the tart like a puppy."So you do like tomatoes then?""No" muttered Freddie, ferociously biting into the tart."Well that's what you're eating."He stopped mid-bite and looked down. With slightly less energy he carried on eating."Do you want another slice?""No thanks. I liked it but its not good enough to have seconds." So I offered him the other tart - tart number two which we adapted from this recipe, adding sliced courgettes. Out of respect...

T is for Tomato Lipsmackers
2008-05-08 14:05:00
 You know that your work-life balance is completely awry when you only see your child asleep. Alex sleeps facing upwards with her arms and legs akimbo whilst Freddie sleeps on his stomach, his head under the pillow and his limbs tucked underneath him, looking as if he was hibernating in the arctic. Which is strange because it has been very warm in London this week. I have been working in Dubai where it was over 40 C. When I came back to London yesterday the thermometer in the garden claimed that it had been 29C. So I revisted a previous success of the Great Big Veg Challenge and made Veggie Lipsmackers. This time we used tomato juice combined with purple grape juice and orange juice. The children teemed and ladled, tasted and then froze their creations. Freddie awarded his Tomato Lipsmacker a refreshing 8 out of 10.Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge

T is for Tomato Risotto
2008-05-03 10:07:00
 Last night I made a tomato risotto. The recipe came from the BBC Good Food Site and advertises itself as a quick risotto which you make in a microwave. Risotto has been a successful way of getting Freddie to try things he doesnt like so much. So I bought a punnet of cherry tomatoes and followed their instructions.These tomatoes were nothing like as sweet as the ones we bought last summer for the Pan con Tomate but we know that things in season taste best. Still this risotto tasted delicious and it is an impressively lazy way to make a risotto. And did Freddie like it? Well, this isn't something he will be begging me to make again but he did eat it and seemed to like the taste....his score was 8 out of 10."Even though not many children like the texture of tomatoes, I have made myself like tomatoes with this recipe... and it is worth trying if you have children ( especially children like me!!)" says Freddie.THIS IS A LINK PROVIDED BY FREDDIE TO ALL OF YOU WHO HATE TOMATOES....A...
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T is for Tomato Tasting - Pan con Tomate
2008-05-02 14:13:00
I read a comment by someone who said that tomatoes have the texture of the inside of an eyeball. Freddie shares this dislike for the texture of tomatoes. So following on from the success of our League of Lettuce I thought that we needed a similar tasting challenge with tomatoes. And late last summer Amanda, who blogs at Figs,Bay,Wine, came to our rescue.She told us about Spanish Tomato Toast or Pan Con Tomate which is a traditional and very simple Catalan dish. Up until that time, Freddie would not eat raw tomatoes, only consuming them puréed in tomato soups or pasta sauces.We went at the height of the tomato season to the supermarket. I thought I knew that tomatoes were red, unless of course they were unripe in which case they are green. But the tomatoes were competing with the lettuces in the variety stakes. Next to the conventional red ones were crates of yellow, purple, black and green tomatoes. And they boasted their own sign: ?Heirloom Tomatoes'. Now when I think of heirlooms...

T is for a Tomato Soup Memory
2008-04-28 07:37:00
This is my brother and I, circa 1975. We are standing in front of my Aunt and Uncle's pale blue Volkswagen Camper Van. It is probably mid-summer which is why we are wearing the essential English holiday attire of a thick arran sweater, shorts and wellington boots. In the background my Aunt is stirring a tin of tomato soup over the VW gas stove. Everyone should have a tomato soup memory. My aunt and uncle were responsible for providing me with a whole album full. I would visit them during the school holidays. Maybe children remember things in a different way to adults but I can recall the smell of my aunt's house; a combination of cooking gas and Imperial Leather soap. They had exciting things that we didn't have at home. Things like an Edwardian Pianola, variety packs of breakfast cereals but best of all, the VW Camper Van. When I wasn?t clinging onto the sides of the piano stool, frantically pedaling my way through ?The Toreador?, my Aunt and Uncle would drive us round Britain s...
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S is for Sweet Potato Calzone
2008-04-21 19:27:00
Right, here is Freddie's sweet potato recipe. He has taken over the kitchen and created something really delicious. Using a pizza base mix, he made calzone, which are like folded pizzas, filled with sweet potato, brie and basil. Like quesadillas, calzone are a great vegetable-containers! And of course whenever Freddie is involved in the cooking, his scores are much higher. Sweet potato calzone were given 10 out of 10. Sweet potato, brie and basil calzoneMakes 4290g Pizza base mix300g sweet potato, finely diced2 tablespoons of pesto sauce175g brieGenerous handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly choppedSalt and ground pepper to seasonPreheat the oven to 220C. Make the pizza base mix according to the maker?s instructions. Knead the dough and divide into four equal pieces. Peel the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Boil or steam for about 8 minutes until they are tender, but not mushy. Drain well. Place in a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce. In another bowl, cut the b...
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S is for Sweet Potato
2008-04-19 10:00:00
When I was a child I spent a year living in the American city of Philadelphia. We arrived in 1976, a pale-faced English family with exemplary bad timing. Everyone was celebrating the bicentennial year of the American Declaration of Independence from the British Empire. Wherever we went there were renactments of battles. And to cap it all, my brother?s name was Benedict. In school he learnt with some unease that Benedict Arnold was an infamous traitor of the American revolution. We spent our first week at a university in Washington DC, undergoing ?acclimatisation?. My parents sat through lectures on how to use the telephone, drive on the right-hand side of the road and dial 911 (preferably not all at once). I discovered the canteen. I drank coke, ate hot dogs and embraced hyperactivity. I chased round with all the other British children, high on sugar.My own acclimatisation was rapid. Within a few months I stood on stage at my American school, belting out songs of the American revolu...
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S is for Spinach Spaghetti - ?Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if y
2008-04-16 17:50:00
Some days I feel as if I could do with support from the Army Catering Corps. The nights when we all arrive home late, drenched in rain and exhausted by work, school and football fixtures. There are instant demands for food. I fend them off with a drink of squash and a biscuit but that only buys a few minutes? grace. The demands become more aggressive. An unexpected side effect of the Great Big Vegetable Challenge was that I am now far better at looking at the fridge and coming up with fast food, incorporating vegetables. I made spaghetti with baby spinach leaves, bacon and pine nuts. The pine nuts or pine kernels are oily and can be toasted very quickly in a dry pan. The meal takes as long to make as it takes to cook the spaghetti. The baby spinach wilts in the heat of the cooked pasta. The film star Sophia Loren said, ?Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner.? We were all so hungry, we followed her advice. Freddie?s score for this meal was 9 ...
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S is for Lamb and Spinach Curry
2008-04-14 08:00:00
Spinach is taking over. After our Greek-inspired Spanakopita we've grown green wings and flown a couple of thousand miles east to India, for a Lamb and Spinach Curry . Our journey was inspired by Nupur of One Hot Stove and Ursula who left their ideas in the comment box. Every night Freddie and I rummage through the comment box, deliberating over our next move. Ursula recommended Madhur Jaffery's book "Indian Cookery" which I borrowed from a neighbour in exchange for a hand blender. There must be something in the water because yesterday the whole street was stepping out of their culinary comfort zone. Neighbours were crossing over the road holding casserole dishes and cooking torches. I handed over one rolling pin, a jar of capers, a funnel and a pestle, without its partner, the mortar. I am a little worried about the lone pestle. I can see the headlines in the Evening Standard: "Local man killed by deadly pestle blow." Am I an accessory to the crime? Anyhow, we made our Lamb and Sp...
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S is for Spinach - Spanakopita
2008-04-13 08:57:00
"There are two kinds of people - Greeks, and everyone else who wish they was Greek." (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2002) For a long time My Big Fat Greek Wedding was Freddie's favourite film. He would sit down and watch it at least twice a week, drawn in by the central themes of a huge family, large quantities of roasted red meat and the sound of the bouzouki. So when Ben from Mexico City left a comment about the joys of a Greek spinach dish, spanakopita, we had to try it out."This is an eight out of ten...", hesitated Freddie. "Or maybe it was more a 7.9. No actually make it an eight and tell Ben that it tasted really good."Follow the same path that we took to find Ben's recipe for spanakopita. My version looks a little different to his as I blended the spinach in a food processor. But it tasted delicious. Thank you Ben!What are your favourite ways to eat spinach? Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
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Spinach - "We plunge it in cold water, boil it, and then force it on our c
2008-04-11 12:55:00
?An exotic from Persia, it was brought by the Moors to Spain, by the Spaniards to the Low Counties, by Flemish refugees to England. And after that great pilgrimage, we plunge it in cold water, boil it, and then force it on our children.?I like what Robert Carrier says about spinach. This is a vegetable that has been forced on generations of children, presumably because of its reputation as an iron-rich wonder food. The trouble is, in our house, the ?this is good for you? approach is the kiss of death. All Freddie cares about is that his vegetables taste good. So we took a brave step. The Great Big Vegetable Challenge went on the road to test out our spinach recipe with the gardening club at Freddie?s school. On a small patch of land in front of the school, the children and their teachers have created their very own Garden of Eden. They dig, sow and weed with devotion, oblivious to the distant thunder of the Great Western Road. Through the year there are beetroot, corn, tomatoes, p...
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Day 4 - Great Big Squash Up - Baked Gem Squash
2008-04-03 08:10:00
At work I got chatting to Frik, a colleague who comes from South Africa. This is one of the many conversations that I now enjoy at work. Office gossip has taken on a whole new vegetable dimension. Frik told me how his mum would make a Gem Squash recipe when he came home from school. He now lives thousands of miles away in London but regularly makes Gem Squash for supper, a reminder of home. He described how his Mum would boil the gem squash whole for about twenty minutes, then cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. She would fill them with creamed sweetcorn, topped with cheddar cheese and bake them. I took notes. Then at home I brought his mum’s recipe to life, for my children. Freddie asked what was for supper. “Is there no meat or fish in this recipe?� But when they came out of the oven and he tasted it, he smiled. “Tell Fric this is really good. And tell him his squash recipe gets the highest score.� We are on a roll with the Great Big Squash Up! Baked gem squash w...

Day 3 - Butternut Squash Lasagne
2008-04-02 19:45:00
It is Day Three of the Great Big Squash Up and today's lunch, butternut squash lasagne, comes to us courtesy of Ed Bruske Lane from The Slow Cook. Ed lives in Washington DC, a mile from the White House. On his blog is his manifesto, like a protestor's placard, railing against all thats wrong about modern processed junk food. "Reject fast food! Reject waiting lists at over-hyped, outrageously expensive restaurants! Reject food out of season! Sit, eat drink. Enjoy good food made by caring hands. Enjoy food eaten slowly, in good company." Well with due reverence and with Ed's words ringing in my ears, I washed my caring hands and made this delicious meal. The recipe is over on his site and it won't disappoint you. Above is the before picture and below is the happy aftermath. Freddie and Alex both gave Ed's lasagne full marks, ten out of ten. The only trouble is we didn't really keep to the spirit of Ed's manifesto - at least the eaten slowly bit. This was consumed with indecent...
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Day two of the Great Big Squash Up
2008-03-31 14:44:00
Tasting all the different roasted squash has given us an idea of all their individual qualities. Freddie liked the butternut squash best because it tastes sweet and it has a soft melting texture. The wrong texture is a big turn-off with fussy eaters. Smooth is good, stringy or bitty is bad. So I bought some more butternut squash and made a soup. Because it is so smooth, it makes a perfect soup. Freddie awarded this 8 out of 10. I am in danger of becoming complacent - all his scores seem to be high.Baked butternut squash and coconut soupServes 41 butternut squash2 sprigs of fresh rosemary50g sachet of creamed coconut1 litre of vegetable stock1 onion, chopped1 carrot, diced1 potato, diced1 garlic clove, crushed3 tablespoons of crème fraicheSalt and pepper to tastePreheat the oven to 180C. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Rub a little olive oil and a pinch of salt into the flesh of the squash and place flesh down on a baking tray. Place a sprig of ro...
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Please join in the Great Big Squash Up!
2008-03-30 08:16:00
There is one family of vegetables that appear on market stalls and in the supermarkets like a collection of jewels. Mounds of brightly coloured squash compete for attention from the shopper. They do this in two ways; flaunting their flamboyant colours and muttering their elaborate names. The Red Kuri, also known as the Baby Red Hubbard, jostles with the yellow Patty Pan, Gem Squash , Golden Acorn, Turk?s Turban, Crown Prince and the Butternut squash. There are an overwhelming number of squash or ?Cucurbita?. During the Great Big Vegetable Challenge we have already singled out some family members such as courgettes, cucumbers and pumpkins. Alex and I picked out the most colourful examples and brought them home for the Great Big Squash Up.After a game of squash boules on the kitchen floor, two of them were singled out for special treatment. Freddie picked out butternut squash and acorn squash to make Spicy Roasted Squash. We added courgettes, baby corn and spices with the sweet flavour...
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S is for Sorrel Sauce
2008-03-26 08:49:00
Back in London and this was the first sorrel recipe we made at home - a simple sauce to have with fish. It also gave us an excuse to use the set of fish plates that only get an outing on Christmas Eve. When Freddie was five years old he went to a church auction clutching a ten pound note. These plates caught his eye and he started bidding. It was a contest between a seasoned antique dealer from Notting Hill and a small boy in a Snoopy t-shirt. Freddie won. We came home on the bus with a huge laundry bag packed with a six place setting. Helped by the infamous fish plates, Freddie scored this mild creamy sorrel sauce 8 out of 10. Creamy Sorrel Sauce Sorrel leaves A knob of butter Teaspoon of water Thick single cream Heat a knob of butter on a medium heat in a pan with a teaspoon of water. Add the sorrel leaves and stir. They will quickly wilt and start to turn a khaki colour. Keep stirring. After two minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the cream. Use a hand blender to puree the sa...

S is for Sorrel at the Wild Food School
2008-03-21 16:03:00
This is the view from the cottage that we rent on holiday in Cornwall. A long narrow road winds alongside the coast. If we walk twenty minutes uplane we reach a farm selling its own organic meat. Twenty minutes down lane is a farm where we can buy vegetables and eggs. This is a world away from London. Cornwall is the place where we first tasted Samphire but also our next S vegetable, Sorrel . In the back garden of a small cottage in a nearby town of Lostwithiel we took our first lesson in foraging. This is the home of Marcus Harrison who runs a Wild Food School . We were led into a long narrow strip garden round the back of the house. ?This is like the herbology class at Hogwarts,? whispered Alex. It was full of giant weeds. But when you looked closer the weeds were lined up in ordered rows. Marcus' garden is an encyclopedia of wild edible plants, a living classroom. For two children who have grown up in an urban jungle, this was a whole new world. Freddie, who had already eaten da...

S is for Salsify...the forgotten vegetable!
2008-03-19 15:52:00
It seems that the letter S has its fair share of unusual vegetables. After samphire, we moved on to Salsify. "Its the forgotten vegetable,? said the grocer. ?It?s as if people don?t know that it exists and wouldn?t know what to do with it.? He was right. When I googled the word salsify there were countless entries from seed companies. Yet they hardly ever appear for sale. I had seen them in markets in France and Italy but much of Britain seems to have chosen to neglect them. The grocer was delighted to be able to sell me salsify. I took the bus to a grocers where there bundles of what looked like stumpy black wands stacked on display. This was black salsify, also known as scorzonera. A small pink label told me it came from a farm in Belgium. Salsify and scorzonera are both root vegetables. One is long and thin with light-brown whiskery skin. It is related to scorzonera which has much darker roots with skin like tree bark. I picked up Freddie from school. A small crowd of his friends...
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S is for Samphire and Crab Tart
2008-03-18 06:33:00
?half-way downlies one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade!?(King Lear)Hundreds of years ago samphire gatherers risked their lives to pick strands of the rarer rock samphire. At times, children were tied with rope and dangled over the cliff edge. This is the ?dreadful trade? that Shakespeare refers to in King Lear. On Monday morning, with a day off work, I went to find marsh samphire. I wasn't hanging from the edge of a cliff but the route was almost as perilous. And that is because on Monday morning the pavements of West London are covered in unwanted furniture. In the half mile walk between home and the fishmongers I had to climb round enough furniture and fittings to furnish a small mansion. Two velour sofas, three dining chairs, a kitchen table, four rolled up carpets, a couple of standard lamps and a bedside table later I arrived at the fishmongers and bought my samphire which came from Mexico. Back through the forest of dumped furniture, which was now decorated by dog dirt,...
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S is for Samphire....
2008-03-17 07:53:00
Samphire is a succulent wild green plant that you find growing on coastal marshes around Great Britain. The North Norfolk coast and parts of the Essex coast are famous for it. The samphire season in Britain lasts between June and September. So this was one vegetable that we had to taste when it was available. On our last holiday in Cornwall I overheard people talking about samphire growing on a local estuary. The next day I went to find it. The children looked on from the safety of solid ground as I stepped out purposely into the mud with what I thought was a perfect foragers? basket. When you go foraging you have to be optimistic. Then the mud started to creep over the top of my wellington boots. I clung to my wicker basket and squelched around. Never believe anything you hear in a pub. There was no samphire. Or at least if there was any, it was hidden by mud. I thrust my hand into the mud and pulled out weeds. It started to rain heavily and then thunder. Alex and Freddie shouted a...

Exciting news from the Great Big Veg Challenge!
2008-03-13 08:51:00
Exciting news for us - the Great Big Veg Challenge is being turned into a book. A short while ago the publishers, Vermillion, who are an imprint of Random House contacted us. After months and months of stress ( I now have enormous respect for people who write books for their living) it is gradually becoming a reality and will be on sale from July 3rd 2008. This is the front cover that came through the post recently. Freddie read the quote at the top and muttered "....or she is bonkers."Meanwhile we are munching our way through the alphabet as normal...our next stop will be S for Samphire which I was amazed to find in a local fishmongers.Read about the Great Big Vegetable Challenge
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S is for Salad Shells
2008-03-11 09:52:00
?My salad days, when I was green in judgement?When Freddie was little he was invited to a birthday party at an extremely smart house. The child who lived there had not one but two nannies. Caterers had been brought in to celebrate his fourth birthday party. There were no sausage rolls, no chips, no jelly or sweets. Instead the mother looked on as tables of small children were served with salads and what can only be described as canapés for infants. The mothers and nannies became competitive.?Come on now Peter, you know you like tomatoes.??Lucinda, try those lovely asparagus tips.?Most of the kids went on strike. Some of them crawled under the table and started fighting. Even the birthday child refused to play ball. They held out until the cake arrived and then fell on it like vultures.It has taken 5 more years to entice Freddie to eat a salad. I experimented with ingredients and dressings. After months of intensive research, we have stumbled on a successful formula; give complete co...
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You made me love you, I didn't want to do it...
2008-03-08 17:16:00
Rocket NoodlesServes 4375g dried egg noodles150g smoked salmon trimmings, cut into strips100g rocket leaves,washed1-2 tbsp olive oil or 1 tbsp of melted butter if preferred3-4 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheeseGround pepper to season (optional)Smoked salmon trimmings are cheaper and perfect for this meal. Slice the trimmings into smaller strips. Wash and dry the rocket leaves. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. When they are ready, drain the noodles. Add the olive oil, stirring it round. Quickly stir in the rocket leaves which will wilt in the heat of the cooked noodles. Add the smoked salmon strips. Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top. We said our goodbyes to the Misses Roquette, Rocket and Aragula with a meal that earned an 8 out of 10. Our Namer-in-Chief, Alexandra, called it Rocket Noodles. It is easy to prepare with rocket, salmon and parmesan. Our Initiation Au Gout, inspired by a restaurant, La Cigale, has gone...
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