'For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.' - Job 'Fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency.' - Foghorn Leghorn Towards the end of last week I began to hear, far off in the distance, the faint howl of the black dog. There were a few tell-tale signs of imminent disorder in the old brain-box, such as the return of fractured sleep, inchoate fears and unbidden memories. Well fuck that, thought I. I decided that the strongest weapon in my much depleted armoury was keeping busy. And what better way to busy myself could there be than to clear out the freezer, prior to a much needed defrosting? None that involved so much cooking and eating, so a clear out it was. This mission soon extended to the fridge and thence to the cupboards as well. Amongst the several items in the freezer were a stuffed lamb's heart and pizza dough - that took care of lunch and dinner on Friday. There were some plums in the fridge so I made a crumble. Also in the freezer was a pheasant - Sunday lunch. There was some sobrasada leftover from the previous weekend's trip to Brockley Market, the last of a bunch of parsley, some crème fraîche and a punnet of blueberries. And in the cupboards there were the remnants of various packets of nuts and seeds. So, on Saturday, I made croquettes, on Sunday granola and on Monday rice pudding. All that's left in the freezer now is a duck leg and packets of petit pois and artichoke hearts. I reckon there might be a casserole to be made out of those. Anyway, for the present at least, the black dog can kiss my wrinkled, hairy nutsack. Here's some recipes: sobrasada + potato croquettes These were divine. makes four golf ball sized croquettes 300g (peeled weight) potatoes, in chunks a good pinch of salt 1 dsp plain flour 60g sobrasada 1 tbsp finely chopped spring onions 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 dsp toasted pine nuts, crushed fine breadcrumbs for coating Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Drain, return to the pan and dry thoroughly. Mash and mix in the salt and flour. Taste to see if it's seasoned enough. Allow to cool, form into four balls and chill in the fridge for half an hour or so. Warm the sobrasada in a microwave for 10 seconds or so just to soften. Mix with the spring onion, parsley and crushed pine nuts. Chill in the fridge for half an hour or so. Flatten the potato balls out into cakes and place a dollop of the sobrasada mixture in the centre of each. Bring the edges of the potato cakes up and around the sobrasada and form into round balls. Roll in the breadcrumbs and chill to firm up. Remove from the fridge and roll in breadcrumbs again. Deep fry in vegetable oil at 180C until golden (see picture). rice pudding + blueberry purée serves two 125g blueberries 1 tbsp caster sugar a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste 40g pudding rice 350ml milk 1 heaped tbsp caster sugar 1/2 vanilla pod a pinch of cinnamon 3-5 tbsps crème fraîche, to taste Bring the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice slowly to a boil and simmer for about 3-4 minutes until the berries are broken down. Blitz in a processor to a purée. Place the rice, milk and sugar in a saucepan. Split the half of vanilla lengthways, scrape the seeds into the milk and throw in the pod as well. Add a pinch of cinnamon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the rice is cooked, stirring regularly. Remove the vanilla pod. Add crème fraîche until you have the consistency you like. Pour into two bowls and swirl in as much of the purée as you fancy (you may have some left over). granola I used to make my granola at a much lower temperature (150C), until I started to wonder why I was slow cooking something that I wanted to be crisp. Then I upped the temperature to 170C for a while. This time I tried 180C (actually, 160C fan as I've got a fan oven) and now think that this is probably the ideal temperature to achieve the golden crunchiness I'm after.
Because I had them in the cupboard, I used flaked almonds, pecans and walnuts (both broken up), linseeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, raisins and cranberries for this batch, but it's pretty much up to you what you use. Muscovado sugar, maple syrup and honey were what I had to use as sweeteners, but I'm really happy with the result and think I'll keep using this mixture. makes probably about 6-8 servings (at least for me it does) 400g jumbo rolled oats 200g nuts and seeds of your choice 2 tsps ground cinnamon 90ml apple juice 4 tbsps muscovado sugar 4 tbsps maple syrup 4 tbsps honey 1 dsp vanilla extract 2 tbsps sunflower oil 150g dried fruits of your choice Mix the oats, nuts, seeds and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Warm the apple juice, sugar, maple syrup, honey, vanilla and oil in a small pan and then pour over the oats and mix thoroughly. Spread the mixture into two roasting trays and place both in a 180C/160C fan oven for approximately 40 minutes. Stir and turn the mixture every 5-10 minutes, swapping the trays' positions each time. Keep a close eye on the granola after 30 minutes - you want it golden not burnt. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. When cool, mix in the dried fruits.
55 Comments
Frances Petipher
22/2/2012 11:30:59
Love to see somebody else cooking through their 'demons' my boyfriend gets a healthy amount of cakes and bakes for goodies through the week in his lunch box from bits in pieces in the pantry and fridge. Also great for inventive lunches!
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Sophie
22/2/2012 11:37:58
The croquetas look amazing. Do you just deep fry them in a saucepan, or do you have an actual deep fat fryer?
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The Skint Foodie
22/2/2012 14:06:15
Cheers! Just a saucepan and a thermometer. I don't deep fry all that often.
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LIZZIE
2/3/2012 03:38:36
a wok is great for occasional deep frying, if you have one
Jill Moulton
22/2/2012 11:48:09
What did Churchill do when the black dog was threatening? You hang on in there & keep cooking!
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The Skint Foodie
23/2/2012 05:03:41
'Pudding' rice is simply short-grain rice/round grain rice/pearl rice. As far as I can gather the stuff sold here as that is just cheap, low-grade, broken grains, so OK for something that doesn't require the grains to remain whole. The packet I've got at the moment says it's the produce of both Spain and Italy.
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Harry
23/2/2012 10:34:41
The granola is most yummy, with a big dolup of yoghurt. Thanks!
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The Skint Foodie
23/2/2012 10:53:55
I was in Khan's earlier this evening marvelling at their vast range of nuts and seeds - so expect a different mix next time (hopefully in a week or so). :0)
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The Skint Foodie
23/2/2012 19:49:57
I love a sobrasada, cheese and honey toastie, but haven't tried/heard of cabra before - thanks for the tip!
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Trudie
23/2/2012 14:13:41
I'm definitely going to try the croquetas! Hope you're feeling ok and the cooking is doing the trick. Have you tried Bach's Rescue Remedy? It's always helped me when I start to slip down that slippery slope
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Miriam khamis Coshan
28/2/2012 00:59:27
how funny, I woke this morning hearing the faint baying of the black dogs in the distance - I am following my tried a tested method of treating myself to a a day in bed to sleep and just be. Then later I will read lots of cookery books to get my enthusiasm going. Thanks for this post it made me feel not quite so alone in this mad thing called life. Maybe 500 trips to the same restaurant might benefit me???? X
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Jenny
29/2/2012 14:50:46
There is something so soothing and comforting about cooking, I am glad you have found a possible route to coping with your demons
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hey there, just came across this, we have a lot in common because I cook for a supper club that has only 5pounds a head to churn out an enormous array of dishes - because the rest of the money goes to charity. I shop in Ridley Road market and still manage to do it using predominantly free-range meat. You should come visit some time! YOU might not be amazed but everyone else is, we only have 5* reviews!! LOL
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The Skint Foodie
1/3/2012 14:25:20
Looks like a fantastic and fun supper club - and a great idea.
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Thany
29/2/2012 18:15:29
amazing food, saw the article in the Guardian- you'll probably have loads of fans now. absolutely love it. i've made peace with my black dog- for now. i'm back at work too, though i once thought that that would never happen. i get by with lots of inspiration for cooking curries, baking, plus cycling and loads of outings. Henry David Thoreau also does it for me too. i'm a brit stuck in australian suburbia. coming to terms with life with a mental illness and a child with a profound disability. i take a day at a time approach, moment to moment. and i try and live in the moment too.
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stephen
29/2/2012 19:21:11
a note to say how refreshing your pictures are .....full of taste and flavour as opposed to foodie art which is utterly taste void
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zap_papa
29/2/2012 22:34:56
granola: i add in the dried fruits separately as the granola takes up any moisture
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The Skint Foodie
1/3/2012 14:26:59
Yup so do I - at the end when the granola has cooled (see recipe).
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Molly
1/3/2012 02:40:05
Cooking does it for me too... Can I recommend an experiment if you like cheese? Buy the large square pot of Yeo natural yoghurt, add 2 level teaspoons of salt and whisk for 1 minute. Put a clean drying up cloth into a bowl and pour the yogurt into the cloth. Take the 4 corners and wrap an elastic band round them then hang it over the bowl. Leave to drip overnight. Season as you like... I swear you won't best this.. It's fresh, creamy and delicious!!
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pills4menerves
1/3/2012 03:00:36
Love that croquetas idea...I'm going to try that later...thanks. If I can find any sobresada, that is, in Bristol (I doubt I will). Have you tried nduja? It is a similar texture, but from Italy obviously. More of a pate than a salami, but in sausage form and packed with chillis. I adore it but it is similarly difficult to get in small portions, unless one lives in the capital.
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The Skint Foodie
1/3/2012 15:10:42
Yes, I have had N'duja. Much hotter though, isn't it (calabrian peppers v. paprika I guess)?
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pills4menerves
2/3/2012 03:13:33
Yeah it's pretty hot, but I crave it now. I used to hate spicy food until about 6 or 7 years ago, when I had a hot curry at a friend's house, just to try it, and it was revelatory. My parents never really went in for it, my mum won't even eat garlic. Knowingly anyway (snigger)
Robert
1/3/2012 03:27:11
Its a great site you have here. Your story in the guardian has really inspired me to bookmark you. Take care as you can beat the black dog. It's a beautiful day today.
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Sue
1/3/2012 04:05:15
The granola looks and sounds great - I've been wondering what to do with all of the bloody pumpkin seeds and other miscellanous seeds that my boyfriend brought with him when he moved in several months ago, not to mention the European cinnamon mountain that we've also unwittingly created between us.
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maddy costa
1/3/2012 05:25:42
like a lot of people, have just read about you in the graun, oh my goodness this is such a fantastic blog. this is pretty much how i cook too, for a family of four, when i see the waste that goes on even within my own extended family it makes me want to cry. occasionally write recipes of my own (usually for cake) at http://statesofdeliquescence.blogspot.com/, if you're ever interested to stop by. off, now, to eat flapjacks baked last night because the oven was on for roast potatoes and i can't bear to waste the energy just cooking one thing, made using the annoying bits of sawdusty crumble you invariably get at the bottom of cereal packets. yum! take all good care, maddy
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What an excellent blog! I often trawl through food blogs looking for something that can be made with the limited (and not horrendously expensive) ingredients on offer in my home town (Buenos Aires)...and often leave disappointed. That rice pudding is first on my list though. Do you think frozen blueberries would work ok?
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The Skint Foodie
1/3/2012 15:12:48
Yep, they'd work - no probs.
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I tried your granola recipes this morning, having tried and made up several version, why did it take your comment on slow cooking vs crunch before the light was switch on....geez and I am grown up too so after years of hit and miss today (with your one simple statement) solved crunchless granola, it turned out beautifully, plus the 2 tray stategy....genius! so I am forever in your debt
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The Skint Foodie
2/3/2012 14:56:02
That's brilliant, Robyne, I'm so pleased!
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ammani
1/3/2012 09:30:56
Great blog. This is precisely how I approach food. Zero waste. I grew up in India where every meal time would be invariably accompanied by the sound of someone at the door begging for left over food. My mum would say that the goddess of food Annalakshmi would cry if I threw any food away. That image of this eight-limbed, bejeweled goddess sitting by the bin shedding copious tears has remained with me. At home in the UK I have a small statue of Annalakshmi that I picked up on my last trip to India. I tried to bluff my children in to believing the myth (they didn't sadly).
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Howard Johns
1/3/2012 10:04:30
Sobrasada - can't get it down here in Pasty Land (Cornwall).
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The Skint Foodie
1/3/2012 15:19:14
Not really, only online shopping, I'm afraid:
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1/3/2012 10:17:52
Fantastic blog! Your love of food is heartwarming and the no waste policy is admirable. I'm an English teacher, and I'll be using your blog as an example of funny, practical and really enjoyable writing (though I might have to avoid showing the wrinkled hairy bit.
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The Skint Foodie
2/3/2012 15:07:17
Ha! I also try and avoid showing the wrinkled hairy bit. ;0)
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The Skint Foodie
1/3/2012 15:20:30
It is - an absolute joy!
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Anna
1/3/2012 23:49:30
I too came across your blog after reading about you in The Guardian yesterday and I'm so inspired. I'm horrified at what could be spent on food - and I hate leftovers and waste. I also know about the black dog .... took my own for a long walk yesterday and a mental perusal of the storecupboards en route.
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Mel
2/3/2012 00:50:23
Love the writing, love the site design, love being inspired and love the concept!
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Angeliek
2/3/2012 01:24:21
Hi! you're doing well,with this! I have a similar recipe for granola, from Sohie Dahl, and she uses something called agavesyrup, intead of the maple. I'm sure she got it from somewhere too, but I make my own yoghurt to go with it. I started doing it to save on plastic containers as well, but it's really rewarding,not sure if it's cheaper.
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Amy
2/3/2012 01:42:57
Wonderful wonderful site! I wish you strength and send kindness for the black dog days, you're not alone in the world even when it feels like it...
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Pippa
2/3/2012 02:19:53
I know I could look it up but as an excuse for contacting you - what is sobrasada? Great idea, wish I had your imagination! Mine was less a black dog, more a lion in the attic (panic attacks). Gone now, gone gone gone, and good riddance.
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The Skint Foodie
2/3/2012 11:02:50
A soft, spreadable paste of chorizo-ish sausage from Mallorca.
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manuela
2/3/2012 11:02:50
I have really enjoyed reading your posts especially the shopping section. Thank you for sharing your passion and ideas.
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Caitlin
2/3/2012 11:30:45
Hey, just wanted to say loving the blog and the recipes, keep it up! You've inspired me to visit Brockley Market for the first time this weekend. Thanks!
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Dutch Alex
2/3/2012 13:19:31
Hello! Thank you for your wonderful blog, when I read it I decided to use a recipe for dinner. And it was GORGEOUS. (Capunata acompanied with some bulghur pilav) Absolutely loved reading about the shops in Peckham, as I used to live in the UK. I seem to be more skint now then when I was a student... (and I wasn't a rich one either) But then again it does make you very resourceful. If push comes to shove, eat that black dog! I'm sure it tastes like chicken.
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The Skint Foodie
2/3/2012 15:09:39
And a big thank you to all of you for your comments. I appreciate it.
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Canadian fan
3/3/2012 21:30:32
Hello -- love your blog -- and just tried your chips recipe from the fish and chips entry. Absolutely fabulous.
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L
5/3/2012 06:13:20
Hello,
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Elkie
5/3/2012 07:45:50
Love the blog and the recipes.
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Eileen Abell
30/12/2012 13:32:24
I've just happened on your blog - WONDERFUL!! - You are a blogger who writes in hilariously good English...
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The Skint Foodie
30/12/2012 14:18:05
Hi Eileen
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