Kale, Farro & Leek Broth

It's been so cold today, even Jasper didn't complain at having to wear a woolly jumper.

 We went to the shops and picked up a huge bag of kale and I was  reminded that cheap food can be both beautiful and nourishing. Kale is everywhere at the moment so buy some while the taste is at it's best.

I've pared the kale with farro; a nutty, unassuming sort of grain which is the perfect 'filler' in a winter soup like this one. The farro  is cooked in chicken stock for slightly more punchy flavour but of course you could switch to vegetable and make the soup tee-total vegetarian. Make a big batch and keep it on hand for the week, for moment's that hunger catches you unaware. 

Kale, Farro & Leek Broth

Makes 6 or 8 bowlfuls

Prep Time – 15 minutes

Cook Time - 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

2 medium leeks, finely sliced

3 springs of thyme

100g farro (or pearl barley)

2 litres of hot chicken stock

200g curly kale, stemmed, washed thoroughly and roughly chopped

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

 For the bread 

1 loaf of rye bread 

50g salted butter, softened

a bunch of rosemary 

4 large garlic cloves, smashed 

DIRECTIONS

1/ Heat the olive oil in a big, deep saucepan. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the leeks have begun to turn translucent, but don’t allow them to colour.

2/ Add the springs of thyme and season well. Cover and continue to cook on very low heat for 10 minutes until the leeks have wilted, stirring occasionally to stop anything catching on the bottom of the pan. Stir the pearl barley into the pot and pour over the hot chicken stock. Simmer gently for 40-50 minutes until the faro is tender.

3/ Stir through the kale and allow to boil for the last 6-8 minutes. Top up with a little hpt stock if you think it’s needed. Its lovely for the kale to retain some of its crunch and vibrant green so don’t cook it for longer than needed.

4/ Meanwhile, to make the bread simply soften the butter with the crushed garlic. Slice the bread, but being careful not to cut the slices all the way through. Spread the garlic butter into each slice and stuff with a rosemary sprig. Cook in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes. 

5/ Ladle into bowls and serve your soup with parsley bobbing in it and a good wedge or rosemary & garlic bread.

Rose & Raspberry Marshmallows

I made marshmallows! Easier than I expected and produced a certain satisfaction that is only accompanied with a baking success. This is a dry run, I think bagged up beautifully and given away as Christmas presents may just be on the cards. 

RASPBERRY AND ROSE MARSHMALLOWS

INGREDIENTS

16 leaves Dr Oetker select leaf gelatin (2 packs)

100g Raspberry Jam

2 tbsp Chambord

A little vegetable oil for brushing

400g white granulated sugar

200g Dr Oetker liquid glucose

½ tsp rose water

FOR DUSTING

75g cornflour

75g icing sugar

1/ First, soak the gelatin leaves. Measure 180ml cold water into a shallow bowl. Add 14 of the gelatin sheets, one by one, to the water, fully immersing each leaf. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.

2/ In a small, separate bowl soak the remaining 2 gelatin leaves in 2 tbsp Chambord and set aside for 10 minutes.

3/ Line a 20cm x 30cm x 3cm tin with cling film to cover the whole surface. Use a pastry brush to lightly oil the cling flim. Set aside.

4/ Heat the soaked gelatin and water in a small pan over a low heat until dissolved and set aside for a few minutes.

5/ Put the granulated sugar, 125g of the glucose syrup and 3 tbsp water into a very clean, medium, heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon. Heat for approximately 4-5 minutes, until a sugar thermometer shows 112°C, then pour the mixture into large mixing bowl. Working quickly, add the remaining 75g glucose and mix on a low speed with electric whiskers.

6/ Whisking all the time, add the melted gelatin and liquid and rose water, then increase the speed to medium. Once the consistency of the mixture thickens, increase the mixer speed to maximum for a further 10-12 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape on a whisk – it should have quadrupled in size and become marshmallow like in its appearance. The bowl will be almost cool to the touch.

7/ Meanwhile heat the raspberry jam in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Once it has melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool for a minute before stirring in the gelatin and Chambord mix. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.

8/ Tip the marshmallow mixture into the prepared tin. Working quickly, pour the warm raspberry mixture over the surface allowing the mixture to create a lovely swirled effect. Leave the marshmallow to set at room temperature for 4-6 hours or overnight.

9/ Sift the cornflour and icing sugar into a bowl together. Cut the marshmallows with a hot knife and drop into the bowl, one piece at a time, allowing each piece to be coated in the cornflour mix.

Cake for a friend

A friend has a had an exhausting couple of months and kept smiling all the way through. I'm seeing her today so decided to bring cake. That always helps, no? 

Koya Udon

Some things are worth waiting for. Koya has been on my radar for months. The reviews of this beautiful Japanese, the fresh udon and that fact that it lies in the heart of Soho with all of London's energy seeping through the restaurant door were pointers enough.

We had to wait 30 minutes in the dusk for a table, far from frustrating, it was a lovely moment of chatting with friends and catching up on busy days. The waiters, all wearing a collarless linen shirts, showed us to the table and waited, generously, for us to make any sort of decision on food. 

My companions both had the lightest tempera I've ever tasted. I opted for udon, of course I did.  My noodles sat, swimming in delicate broth with smoked mackerel providing the protein. We drank sparkling water and sipped on miso soup. They didn't do desserts. It was virtuous heaven. 

The bill, not a scary figure, wasn't rushed upon us despite the queue outside. I discovered an old friend sitting on table for two by the door, waiting for her date. We left, into the warm November night and vowed to go back and enjoy another evening on Koya. 

www.koya.co.uk

Pumpkin Pie

Winter coats, collecting kindling and home made soup have all been indulgences this week. Hurricanes rather than heat waves are occupying the front pages, seasons have changed and we have finally crossed the line into Autumn. I can't say I'm disappointed always having been a blustery walk kind of girl rather than all beach and bikini's.

Pumpkins and squash are prettying up shop windows, supermarkets & coffee shops and the colour orange dominates.They are so cheap at the moment, pumpkins. So big, so yummy and so cheap!? Don't just see them as a container for your candles but more a canvas to some cooking. Whizzed into soup, roasted in maple or, of course, transformed into the all American pie.

It was an average Tuesday in our house but I made this to make my boys happy. I've written the recipe down for my book so I'll tell you the recipe just as soon as it comes out in print, it's not too long now. 

Silo, Brighton

Moving away from London wasn't an easy decision. We left red buses, enormous branches of Topshop and a raging foodie scene that I was proud to be a part of.  Brighton beckoned and occasionally we reverted to feeling wistful and nostalgic for our spent days exploring the capital. I would read the opening of new restaurants, markets and coffee houses hoping, just occasionally the postcode began BN.

But oh the excitement as places have opened, existing restaurants have upped their game and we discovered the plethora of places that already exist. The latest addition is Silo, hidden in the Lanes but not more than a 5 minute walk from the station. 

Opened last week, the building is outrageously cool with a raw, stripped back feel that I love. This particular restaurants POS is quite an impressive zero waste policy.  

Flour will be milled on site, yoghurt made and chocolate created.  Loos will be flushed using waste water from coffee machines. There is an enormous food composter just inside the restaurant. The compost will be given away to customers, completing the cycle from food to soil. Mushrooms proudly grow on the wall, sitting in used espresso granules. To solve the problem of takeaway coffee cups, Silo will offer customers a free coffee for every five cups they return and the cup will be shredded and composted.  

Douglas McMaster is the man behind the Silo and he's put together a sustainable, seasonal and very reasonable menu. One fish option, one wild, one meat, one plant and one dairy. Beautifully simple. 

Go and visit, I think Brighton should be really proud of Silo and I for one will enjoy sitting and sipping coffee whilst the rain pours down outside. 

Panda Box @ Itsu

I like to think I work quite hard on Jasper's diet - the fear that my little boy will only eat salty crisps and something resembling a fish finger makes me a little sweaty under the collar. I'm not winning by any means, we have plenty of days that pizza is the only answer, and only once the tomato bit has been scraped off but just occasionally I feel quite proud of both his appetite and willingness to try. 

Itsu, owned by Pret, is hoping to expand dramatically over the next few years, hopping on the health bandwagon as it clatters it's way down the high street. It has always been one of my secret pleasures and I dream of the day we can visit, the two of us, and happily enjoy a box of sushi together. 

I'd heard they have developed a new children's 'Panda' menu and so we visited; mummy, hopeful and Jasper, hungry. I'd say it wasn't a total failure and he loved playing with chopsticks, dipping chicken in sweet hosin and popping endame beans. Frozen yoghurt was a hit. Detox drinks were drunk with the same enthusiasm he approaches lemonade. And chocolate rice cakes were special enough to mean he would try my miso soup. We had fun, sitting and enjoying a new taste or two. I love the thought he was playing with new textures and unfamiliar flavours. A success I think?