Almond, lemon and orange cake

Despite being chocolate-free this is one of my favourite ever cakes. Or is it a pudding? The original recipe is one I harvested as a youngster, about ten years ago. It came on a recipe card from the Observer and was by Sophie Grigson, who described it as being Tunisian. I'm not sure about the North African origins, but this is a fantastically light and moist cake which is first baked and then left to soak in a lightly spiced syrup. Although it's quite sweet, the generous amounts of citrus balances this out and results in a fresh and fragrant taste.
It's also great for people on gluten-free diets as the breadcrumbs can be replaced with crumbs from gluten-free bread. As it's a minor ingredient this substitution doesn't affect the flavour or texture of the finished cake.

Recipe (for one large-ish cake):
45g fresh breadcrumbs
200g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1.5 tsp baking powder
200ml vegetable or sunflower oil
4 medium eggs
Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
Finely grated zest of half a lemon

For the syrup:
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of half a lemon
85g caster sugar
3-4 cloves
1 stick cinammon

Mix all the cake ingredients well and pour into a shallow-ish cake tin (I use a rectangular one that's approximately 25x15cm) lined with grease-proof paper. The cake mix will be more liquid than normal due to the oil in it (and it's therefore easier to cook it in a shallow dish). Bake at gas mark 5 for around 50mins. If it looks like the top is colouring too quickly cover with some foil. The cake definitely needs to be cooked through, so a skewer or fork poked into the middle should come out clean if a bit sticky.
As the cake cooks, make the syrup by gently heating all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved (which should also be enough time for the spices to infuse) and then put to one side.
Once cooked let the cake cool for 5-10minutes, but while it's still warm turn it out onto a plate and spike it with a fork. Slowly pour the syrup over the cake, allowing it to sink in before pouring on more. Ideally leave the cake for a few more hours for the flavours to develop. Serve on it's own or with some mascarpone cheese, sweetened with icing sugar, and mixed with whipped cream or yoghurt. It's what a dessert fork was made for.

Cocum, Cambridge, UK

I have previously documented my love of the masala dosa, and identified the Rice Boat as possibly the only place in Cambridge where an authentic version is available. I was therefore very excited late last year when I heard that another Keralan restaurant was opening in the city.

A quick look at the Cocum website suggested that this place could be good, as it seemed to be an outpost of an established restaurant based in Greater London. The menu was extensive and contained lots of dishes with unfamiliar names in Malayali that I can't really pronounce. And although I was a bit suprised to see Tandoori dishes making an appearance (they are strongly associated with North India), I was reassured by the presence of masala dosas. I also noted that they offered a takeaway service and when one wintery night I really couldn't be bothered to leave the house (or indeed the sofa to cook something in the kitchen), myself and the male companion person thought we'd give Cocum a try. All our dishes were perfectly nice if a bit generic tasting and lacking distinct South Indian flavours. However, I will be the first to admit that a masala dosa doesn't really travel well so when a dinner with the girls was planned I suggested we trying eating in at Cocum.

First impressions on arriving were not impressive. I know 1970's retro is having something of a revival but the decor inside Cocum veered strongly towards the naff rather than cutting-edge cool.

However I would have happily looked past the large (and very dated) Indian tourist board-style posters of Kerala on the walls, the plastic flowers on the table, the old and heavy furniture and the worn carpet if the food had been amazing. It was not amazing.

My masala dosa was perfectly adequate, with the large dosa pancake thin and crispy. But the sambar lacked any real flavour, and certainly didn't have the expected spiciness to combine with the mild dosa filling. The coconut chutney was also acceptable, but again was very mild verging on bland. All in all there wasn't much evidence of many mustard seeds or curry leaves being used in the component parts of this dish, even though they are key flavours of this region.

The other dishes that were ordered also seemed to fall into this category of being completely acceptable but not really distinctively South Indian. This is in marked contrast to Rice Boat, which in addition to contempory decor also has a much shorter menu and dishes that deliver fully authentic flavours.
In later discussions it seems as if this branch of Cocum might actually be a franchise of the orginal London restaurant. And as there has pretty much been some sort of Indian/Bangladeshi outlet on this site for as long as I can remember, it may well be the case that the sign outside has changed but not much else. However this is purely my personal hypothesis, and it may be that Cocum is being run by Keralans who don't think that the residents of Cambridge are quite ready for the true tastes of the backwaters. But whatever the case, apart from a semi-decent masala dosa, my hopes for another venue for South Indian feasting were pretty much disappointed.

The bill for three of us was slightly under £40 (not including service), and this included two masala dosas, a prawn main dish, a couple of side dishes, and some drinks. So if low cost and slightly grubby and tired surroundings are your thing then Cocum might be the place for you, but I think I'll be sticking to the Rice Boat.

Cocum
71 Castle Street
Cambridge CB3 0AH

Cauliflower soup with cheese on toast

So as I continue to spend my days wrapped in a scarf and unwilling to leave the house except for essential activities (shame going to work appears to fall into this category), the need for hearty fare for dinner persists. I would include this cauliflower soup with it's cheese on toast accompaniment in this category, as it was warming, rich and luxurious. And pretty quick to make too.

Recipe (enough for around four)

1 medium cauliflower (cut into small florets)
1 small white onion
1 medium clove garlic
1 medium potato (chopped into small cubes)
Around a pint of vegetable stock
sprig of thyme (optional)
good grating of nutmeg
small knob of butter
salt and pepper to season
single cream to finish (if you want it)

Slice the onion thinly and gently sweat it in the butter until it softens. Crush the garlic, add to the pan with the thyme (if using) and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add in the cauliflower and potato, give everything a good stir and then pour in the vegetable stock (as with previous soups I always use Marigold bouillon powder). Simmer for around 20-30mins until the vegetables are completely soft and falling apart. Wait for it to cool a bit, fish out the thyme and then blend in the saucepan with a stick blender until it's smooth. Grate in some nutmeg, and however much salt and pepper you like. Re-heat gently and pour into bowls. Swirl in some cream if you want (it tastes quite rich even without this) and serve with cheese on toast while considering if you have actually made some sort of highly innovative, de-constructed cauliflower cheese.....

Fully loaded butternut squash skins

With the current weather conditions it's all about hibernation and hearty fare for me at the moment. These butternut squash 'skins' are a variation on the traditional potato version, but make nice a change from the trusty spud and are still incredibly simple.
Halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out any seeds from the centre, and score the centre a bit to help it cook faster (be careful not to slice all the way through to the skin though). Place on a baking sheet and cook for around 40mins in a medium hot oven (gas mark 6). Once the halves of squash are soft and full cooked through, carefully scoop out the flesh making sure to keep the skin in tact. You may want to leave the squash to cool for a bit before starting this. Once you have all the flesh in a bowl stir in a couple finely chopped spring onions, a tablespoon of butter, a good handful of cheddar cheese, and some finely chopped chives. You could also add some fried mushrooms or regular onions, or a different cheese like mozarella. Carefully place your chosen mix back into the squash skins and top with a bit more cheese. Return to the oven for around 20mins or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Shovel into face while wondering if it would be wrong for one person to eat an entire butternut squash. Or show more reserve and allocate a halve per person and serve with some steamed brocolli and a couple of spicy tuna fishcakes (a.k.a. fish chop).

Eating and greeting 2010

I seem to become less and less excited about new year as I get older, and for the last few years I have generally stayed in and cooked enough food for about ten people (number of people actually consuming food=2). And the transition into 2010 was no different.
On the menu this new year were smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis, sea bass and salmon goujons with a green salad and guacamole, whole prawns baked with garlic and thyme, potted crab with toast, and mini jacket potatoes with sour cream and chives. And a large platter of profiteroles for pudding. I may possibly have cooked too much food.
Most of the above are quite self-explanantory, but this was the first time I'd made either potted crab or choux pastry for the profiteroles. Both turned out to be very simple to prepare and delicious. The potted crab was based on this recipe by Thane Prince although I used a pinch of ground chilli and some paprika instead of tabasco, and only a little bit of lemon zest. The resulting dish was very rich but packed full of flavour.

The choux pastry recipe was from Delia Smith with an additional tip from The Ample Cook about letting the butter, water and flour mix cool a bit before adding the eggs (I fear scramblage would have occurred if I hadn't done this). Some whipped cream and a chocolate sauce made of melted chocolate and single cream finished things off.

And so 2010 started with feeling rather full up and in need of a lie down.

Spiced pumpkin and potato soup

So this is what I did with the remaining third of my culinary pumpkin. It was getting towards the time of year when soup weather becomes more common so that seemed the obvious thing to make. This soup is lightly spiced with some Indian flavours and is thick and full-bodied from the vegetables. This isn't something that you need particularly accurately measurements for so everything can be scaled up or down depending on what ingredients you have and you can also increase the spicing if you want to.

Recipe (just about enough for four)

One third of a small pumpkin (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
2-3 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
1/2 inch piece of ginger (peeled and crushed to a paste)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground chilli
1 pint of vegetable stock (approximately)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Few tbsp double cream to finish

Warm the oil in a large pan and add the ginger, garlic and spices. Gently fry them for a few minutes and then put in the pumpkin and potato pieces. Stir thoroughly until all the vegetables are coated in the spice mix, and leave them to sweat slowly for around 10minutes.
Add the stock (I use Marigold vegetable bouillon powder) and leave the soup simmering for around 30mins until the pumpkin in tender. Give it a stir every now and then, and if it looks like it's becoming too dry then add some more stock or hot water. When everything is cooked through leave the soup to cool for a while and then check the seasoning. Blend with a stick blender to whatever consistency you like- I prefer my soup with a bit of texture to it rather than super-smooth. I think both the cooking method and blending got over my issues with the texture of this pumpkin that were a bit incongruous in the lasagne in my previous post. But it actually worked really well in soup, with its delicate flavour being complimented by the spices and somehow feeling quite decadent but healthy.

Gently heat the soup up whenever you want to eat it and add a bit of double cream for some extra richness. Serve with crusty bread, while gazing out over a wintery landscape.

Culinary pumpkin
I rate it 8/10 for soup making purposes
Cost: Around £0.70 for a smallish one

Deluxe spinach, mushroom and pumpkin lasagne

So here's another meal that falls into the hearty fare category. I first had a version of this veggie lasagne with butternut squash when it was made by some good friends. Obviously the memory remained strong, and a mere two years later I decided to try my hand at making the dish myself.
This was partly influenced by buying a 'culinary' pumpkin in the supermarket, that was billed as having more flavour and sweetness than a traditional carving pumpkin. And also by the ready availability of fresh pasta sheets, which I hoped would remove past issues with 'crunchy' lasagne.

Recipe (enough for a least six people)
Two thirds of a small pumpkin
Small amount of oil
Around 500g frozen spinach (defrosted)
4 large flat mushrooms
3 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
250g ricotta cheese
Nutmeg for grating
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Around 5 0r 6 sheets of fresh lasagne depending on the dimensions of your baking dish

For the cheese sauce (quantities are approximations as I usually do this by eye)
Around 30g butter
Around 30g plain flour
Around 1/4 pint of milk or enough to make a smooth sauce
Small handful grana padano cheese
Large handful cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Making any lasagne is really pretty simple as it's mostly assembly but it does require preparing the components in advance.
Firstly peel and chop the pumpkin into small pieces, season, drizzle with a little olive oil, and roast in a medium oven (gas mark 6) for around 45minutes or until tender and cooked through. Set to one side to cool.
Cut the field mushrooms into thick slices and fry gently in a little oil. Add in the defrosted spinach (the same sort as used here), and the crushed garlic. When heated through mix in the ricotta cheese, season to taste and grate in some nutmeg (you want to be able to taste it but don't go overboard). Again set to one side to cool.
For the cheese sauce, simply melt the butter in a saucepan, put in the flour, stir and then gradually add in the milk. Beat like hell with a whisk to stop everything going lumpy and stop adding milk when it reaches a thin-ish sauce consistency. Keep stirring on a low heat for around 5mins to cook out the flour. Add in the cheese and then season to taste.
To put it all together I layered pumpkin and spinach, followed by a sheet of pasta, a thin layer of the cheese sauce, more pumpkin, spinach and pasta, finishing with more sauce and final sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Bake in the middle of an oven at around gas mark 6 for about 30-40 minutes or until the top of the lasagne is golden brown. To make this a 70's retro feast serve with garlic bread and salad.

This is a pretty deluxe lasagne with both ricotta and a rich cheese sauce, but the culinary pumpkin was a bit of a let down. It didn't really have much flavour and the texture was strangely watery but still fibre-y. I will be sticking to butternut squash in the future. But the fresh sheets of lasagne worked very well, with no sections left uncooked as I've experienced previously with dried pasta. I'm a fan of Quorn products as meat substitutes but have to say in this case (even with the disappointing pumpkin) the vegetables made for a much more flavoursome final product.
Thank you to A&A for the original inspiration.

Culinary pumpkin
I rate it 5/10
Cost: Around £0.70 for a smallish one

Tesco fresh lasagne sheets
I rate them 8.5/10
Cost: Around £0.80 for 6-8 sheets

PS What to do with a third of a culinary pumpkin left over from making lasagne following soon.