RHUBARB AND CUSTARD SUNDAES

Three weeks ago I cooked Rhubarb Crumble for Phileas Fogg. Dave cut more stalks of rhubarb than I needed at the time, so rather than waste them, I stewed them and froze the result. Today I took this out of the freezer and made these sundaes. I have, however, included instructions for how to make them from scratch.

Serves 2

200g rhubarb

3tbsp caster sugar

10 oaty biscuits

400g custard (pre-prepared or make your own)

150g double cream

Prepare the rhubarb

Wash the rhubarb and remove any stringy bits.

Chop into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the sugar and 2tbsp water.

Cook on a low heat until it becomes soft and pulpy.

(At this point you can either use it as soon as it is cool or freeze until needed.)

Prepare the other layers

Place the oaty biscuits in a bowl and pound with the end of a rolling pin until you have rough crumbs.

Whip the double cream until it forms soft peaks.

Assemble the sundaes

Share most of the biscuit crumbs between two large glasses (reserving some for the topping).

Pour the custard on top, sharing it equally between the glasses.

Make the next layer from the stewed rhubarb.

Spoon the cream over each.

Top with a sprinkling of the biscuit crumbs.

And serve.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest – COURTNEY LOVE

I was asked recently whether I started with the guest or the recipe. The answer is that it can be either (or neither). Sometimes I watch a particular film or hear a particular song and it almost makes me want to host a dinner party there and then. In that case, I will search through my bank of recipes and pick something which I feel will be suitable. On other occasions, I will come across a recipe I want to adapt, and then think about who I would like to share it with.

And I also have a list of people – dead, alive or fictional – that I know I would love to invite for a meal. (Instead of a bucket list it is more of a ‘Dinner Register’.)

This one is from that list.

I read an article recently where Courtney Love said that she had conquered her addiction to drugs but was still battling her addiction to cheese. In the knowledge that brie is better than heroin, I would invite her round for this tasty Brie and ‘Bacon’ Frittata.

BRIE, ‘BACON’ and CHIVE FRITTATA

2tbsp olive oil

100g vegetarian bacon

6 eggs

Small bunch chives, snipped

100g Brie, sliced

Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan and fry the bacon.

Drain on kitchen roll, then cut into small pieces.

Lightly beat the eggs.

Mix the eggs with the chives, bacon and black pepper.

Heat remaining tbsp oil in a pan and then add the egg mixture.

Cook until semi-set.

Place the brie slices on top.

Place under a hot grill until cooked through.

Transfer to a plate and allow to cool a little.

Cut into slices and serve with salad or an accompaniment of your choice.

COURGETTE FRITTERS

Another 'Waste Not Want Not' recipe. The courgettes in the garden were minuscule one day and then huge the next, thanks to the wonderful British climate. 

Undaunted, Zelda took one and made this delicious light lunch which could also become a more refined starter.

COURGETTE FRITTERS

Makes 10-12

150g/5oz plain flour

2 free range eggs

175ml/ 6floz milk

75g/ 3oz cheddar, grated

150g/ 5oz courgettes

+ olive oil for cooking 

If the courgette is large, with a lot of seeds, scrape the insides out first.

Then grate it.

Mix the eggs, flour and milk.

Add the cheese and courgettes and season well.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan. (Keep fairly heat high throughout.) Drop small blobs of batter into the pan.

Cook both sides until golden.

Drain on kitchen roll.

Place cooked fritters on a plate and keep warm under a low grill or a very warm oven.

Lovely served with chilli sauce or, for a quick lunch, add some chilli flakes, coriander leaves and crisps.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Firstly, the historical context of the chosen meal:

This is a vegetarian version of a very traditional dish.

It was named ‘cottage pie’ at the end of the Eighteenth Century but had probably been cooked in some form or another before then. At this point in time, potatoes became more widely used as a staple food for the masses, so would have been available for the topping. (The very similar ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ would have been made specifically with lamb, rather than any meat which was available.)

Secondly, a personal justification:

William Wordsworth is one of our greatest poets. Tintern Abbey is a work of genius; I love the Lucy poems and Animal Tranquillity and Decay is inspirational. But how is William Wordsworth remembered? By one poem alone, and that is often misinterpreted. Daffodils is not a pretty poem about flowers any more than Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is a pretty painting about flowers.

So, Zelda would like to bring him forwards in time, have him to dinner, cook him a ‘peasant meal’ and reassure him that, even though he will become a marketing ploy for the Lake District, there are plenty of us out there who know his true worth.

COTTAGE PIE

Serves 3 – 4 as part of a main meal

900g potatoes (about 6 – 8)

300g vegetarian mince

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large can chopped tomatoes

300ml vegetable stock

3tbsp Bisto (it is vegetarian)

1tbsp oil

Handful of chopped mixed herbs, fresh if possible

100g grated cheese (optional)

50g butter

50 – 100ml milk

salt and black pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a saucepan of boiling water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until soft.

Meanwhile, fry the onions in the oil. 

When golden, add the chopped tomatoes and tip in the vegetarian mince.

Pour the stock over the top. Stir well and add the Bisto (thickening agent).

Season and add the herbs. Allow to simmer and reduce.

Pour into the bottom of the dish.

When the potatoes are soft, drain and allow to sit for a couple of minutes.

Then, mash with the butter and the milk, added a little at a time. Season well.

This should be made almost to your preference, but just that little bit softer.
Take spoonfuls of the potato and place on top of the ‘meat’ mixture in the dish. Cover it all and then use a fork to scrape over the top.

Cook at Gas 7/ 220C for about 25 minutes, until top browns and sauce underneath is bubbling.

If you like (and we usually do) top with the grated cheese and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guests – YOUNG GUNS

With memories of the latest Cowboy Cookalong still fresh, Zelda thought she would continue with the Tex Mex theme. 

And, with not only the food but the cowboys on her mind, she thought that she would prepare a speedy meal for these boys on a mission.

(Remember that this is a fantasy world, so it is possible to put a twenty year-old Zelda in a cantina in Lincoln County in the 1988 representation of 1877 - well, why not?)

SIX REASONS WHY THE WEST WAS WILD, says the tagline from 1988 film, Young Guns.  And boy, weren't they great, before they either made it too big for their boots or disappeared forever?

Dinner with Zelda Manners has other chilli recipes available, such as Zelda’s version of Johnny Cash’s Chilli. This one is, however, very easy, so makes a quick meal if you don’t have a lot of time to spare and these boys would definitely be in a rush!

You can serve it in a bowl with rice or crackers, but the wraps make a tasty change and mean that everyone can take just as much as they want.

If you don’t have fresh chillies, just up the quantity of chilli powder.

You can serve it as soon as it is cooked, or for a stronger taste, allow the flavours to develop.

CHILLI WRAPS

Serves 2 – 4 (with either 1 or 2 wraps per person). Can easily be multiplied to serve more.

2tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

½ red pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 small cayenne peppers, seeds removed and chopped.

200g quorn mince

1 large can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 large can chopped tomatoes

2tbsp tomato ketchup

2tsp chilli powder (or more if preferred – adjust heat to suit)

1tsp paprika

1tsp dried cayenne pepper

salt and black pepper

To serve

4 tortilla wraps

100ml sour cream

chopped crispy lettuce

100g cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and red pepper until softened.

Add the garlic and cayenne peppers, coat with the chilli powder, cayenne and paprika. Stir until all coated and fry for a minute or two more.

Pour in the chopped tomatoes and add the kidney beans and quorn. Mix ketchup with twice the amount of water and pour over the top of the quorn.

Season and mix all together well.

Allow to come to the boil, then simmer for as long as possible.

When ready to serve

Warm the wraps in oven or microwave.

Make sure chilli is bubbling hot and pour into a serving bowl.

Place on table with sour cream, lettuce, cheese and wraps.

Allow everyone to assemble for themselves.

Any remaining chilli can be frozen for next time the boys ride into town.