The First "Foodie " I ever Met!

My father introduced me to good food, fine wines and opened my eyes to the delights of cooking.

He was diabetic ( not good about it !) But at an early age I learnt to adapt recipes.

30 years ago today with my cousin Mark (a chef) help, we made my father an enormous surprise birthday party, sadly it turned out to be his last.

Tomorrow my father would be 86 had he lived, after nearly 30 years I still make meal on his birthday ,in his memory, Tomorrow night four friends and I will sit down to this meal.

Cock-a-leekie soup is a Scottish soup dish of leeks and chicken stock. one of his favourite soups

Fresh garden herb stuffed slow roasted organic chicken, the herbs gathered this morning pictured above, he loved stuffing.

Double Roasted Spiced Cauliflower Fritters his second favourite vegetable

Colcannon (Irish: cál ceannann, meaning "white-headed cabbage") ( Irish mashed potatoes with cabbage & green onion ) cabbage was his first

Coconut Roasted Pumpkin Purée for colour !

Rich mushroom sauce this was my fathers recipe, he loved mushrooms depending on the thickness you can use this as a basis for soup, as a gravy, to stuff vol au vent, or pancakes . I learnt to make this at nine years old it has evolved over the years .

I know my father would have preferred a double chocolate fudge cake or a trifle as the end to a perfect or any meal, but I have an abundance of apples, and as this is quintessentially an English or British meal although he loved food from all over the world he was very much a very dapper British gentleman , also apple crumble was a dish he showed me to make .. so we will finish with

Organic Spelt & Oat Apple Crumble and Dairy free custard

Organic Decaffeinated Earl grey tea . (from my union jack tea pot !)

Recipes to follow during the week..

My lack of health and energy this week has made this a week long project. The basic stock for the soup was made Sunday and frozen, the mushroom sauce Monday and also frozen . The apple crumble along with the the stuffing this morning,

A friend is coming to help me later as a sous chef.

Right . now in the oven two turkey wings are slow roasting with herbs onion and water to be sliced into the soup with leeks turnip carrots . and a wee tatty..

The cauliflower is soaking in iced cold salty water to open the florets.

I hope to honour my fathers memory with love and food, and the food he loved.

Comments

Not Schmaltz At All ( healthy chopped liver)

Chopped liver often mocked, reproduced and joked about, as traditionally Jewish as chicken soup. Chopped liver can be made with any type pf liver but personally I prefer the traditional favorite of chicken livers. Chopped liver was traditionally fried in schmaltz (chicken fat ) which over the years has given way to oil, my no fry no oil version tastes just as good but weight watchers can eat with guilt. Nutritional Value Liver is a nutrient-rich food and the ingredients in the chopped liver recipe add more nutrients to the mix. Liver is high in vitamin A, which is dangerous to unborn babies so pregnant mothers should avoid liver in any form.It also contains vitamin C choline, betaine, of vitamin B-12, retinal and vitamin E also of vitamins B-6, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin and thiamin in lesser amounts It also contains the following minerals Its high in i ron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese selenium . If eaten frequently,

Its So Easy Being Green, ( or Yellow ) Sorry Kermit!

Zucchini or Courgette if you are European , are a member of the squash family are so versatile , easy to digest, they are available all year round . Health Values Zucchini’s are low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese. the ideal food for the weight conscious . Versatile Zucchini can be steamed, well seasoned , drizzled with a touch of good quality olive oil and served, they can be eaten raw, baked, fried , griddled. They pair up well with mushrooms, tomatoes, leeks and onions, they are wonderful in quiches , pashdididas. cooked on the griddle, added to soup , as a base of ratatouille. they can be stuffed, sauteed, baked stir fried to name a few ways of cooking them. added to kugels, latkes, and chocolate cake for moisture In fac

Perfect Hot Salt Beef Sandwich When I was twenty I was lucky enough to work a stall in the world famous Petticoat Lane market on Sunday mornings, Back in the day the market was mainly Jewish market traders we were part of the very special history of the East End of London, The excitement, hustle and bustle, comradeship between the stall holders was second to none, we worked all weathers , and shared each other’s joys and sorrows. but the icing on the cake was visiting Blooms on Whitechapel Road after trading had finished for a succulent hot salt beef sandwich, nothing can erase these memories from my mind even though its over half a century ago. When Danny Brummer “Z"L” was running the Deli in Hove Street, I use to cook with him, back in the day we use to pickle our own beef but nowadays you can buy it ready pickled from Gilberts, this is the recipe we used to serve hot salt beef sandwiches to the Brighton and Hove Jewish community 1.5 kilos ready pickle

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