RED ONION & APPLE

Red onion & apple loaf (adapted from Dan Lepard, Short & sweet)

* 1 small dessert apple


* 1 small red onion, finely chopped


* 75ml ale


* 175ml warm water


* 2tsp dried yeast


* 100g sunflower seeds


* 250g malted grain bread flour


* 175g strong wholemeal bread flour


* 1 tsp fine sea salt


Grate the apple into a bowl, peel and all, but without stalk or pips, then add the onion. Stir in the ale, water and yeast, add the seeds, flours and salt, mix and leave for 10 minutes. Lightly oil a worksurface, knead the dough for 10 seconds, then return it to the bowl and leave for 45 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, then place on a tray lined with nonstick paper. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for an hour. Preheat the oven to 220C, cut a cross in the top of the loaf, bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 180C and bake for another 20 minutes.

Many fundamental questions of craftsmanship versus mass production, the relationship of usefulness and beauty, the practical purpose of formal beauty in a commonplace object, and whether or not a single proper form could exist, were argued out among its 1,870 members (by 1914).

ALE & HONEY

Alehouse rolls 

Recipe by Dan Lepard

Those lunches always made feel rather drunk and stupid for an hour or two afterwards
Nancy Mitford; Don't tell Alfred

YELLOW BEETROOT & PORCINI

Yellow beetroot, porcini & dill soup (Serves 4-6)


* 1kg yellow beetroots
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 2 sticks of celery, chopped
* 8g dried porcini mushrooms
* 170ml stock
* Splash cider vinegar
* Large handful dill
* Salt & pepper

Roast the beetroot with a splash of water covered in foil 180ºC until tender
Slowly fry the onion, garlic & celery in oil in a covered sauce pan for 45 mins
Meanwhile soak the porcini in 150ml hot water for 30 mins, save the liquid and add them to the onions for 10 mins
Peel & chop the beetroot, add with the remaining ingredients except the dill
Simmer for 30 mins then blitz
Add the chopped dill

Their first attempt to talk to one another only resulted in an intense & ludicrous situation about the solar system 

PRUNE & PARMESAN

Prune & Parmesan muffins (Makes 9)

* 200ml milk
* 25g olive oil
* 100g baby leaf spinach
* 2 medium carrots, grated
* 250g wholemeal spelt flour
* 1tbsp baking powder
* 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
* 50g Parmesan, grated
* 80g prunes, chopped
* 75g sunflower seeds
* 1 egg, beaten

Grease 9 holes of a muffin tray or use muffin cases
Boil the milk, butter & spinach. When cool blitz until finely chopped
Sift the dry ingredients together & add the carrots, prunes and most of the parmesan & seeds
Beat the egg into the spinach and fold all together
Spoon into the tin & sprinkle the remaining parmesan & seeds
Bake 190ºC for 20-25mins

She wore a straw hat that she had bought on their first weekend away to together.

BROCCOLI & BLOOD ORANGE

Blood orange mayonnaise sauce for sprouting broccoli (Serves 2)

* Handful of yellow or purple sprouting broccoli
* Zest of 1 blood orange
* 2tbsp homemade or good quality mayonaise
* Plenty of black pepper

Steam the broccoli for 5 mins till tender

Spoon over a dollop of mayonaise, the zest & black pepper

He may thus be the last romantic

GREEN OLIVE & CUMIN

Egg, potato & green olive pitta

Steve Parle & Emma Grazette's Spice Trip recipe

A change of scenery was just what was needed to put things in perspective and make some plans. 

GRAPEFRUIT & STAR ANISE

Grilled grapefruit with star anise

* ½ grapefruit

* Large pinch star anise seeds

* Demerara sugar

Sprinkle the anise & sugar over the grapefruit & grill until browned

It was the second time that week that the paper had arrived with the crossword already done.

CARROT TOPS & MINT

Carrot top greens & mint pesto

* Bunch of carrot top greens

* Bunch of mint leaves

* ¼ cup olive oil

* ¼ cup almonds

* 2 cloves garlic

* Salt & sugar to taste

* Handful parmesan, grated

Blitz all the ingredients together & then add the parmesan

He conversed with an overwhelming conspicuous clarity.

BEETROOT & POPPY SEED

Beetroot & poppy seed tagliatelle

* 75g cooked red beetroot, pureed

* 1 free-range egg

* 200g "00" pasta flour

* 2 tbsp poppy seeds

* Extra flour and fine polenta, for dusting

Bring the ingredients together & kneed for 5 minutes.

Wrap in cling film & chill for half an hour

Divide the dough into 4 and feed through the pasta machine

Dust with the fine polenta

`Hang spring-cleaning!' and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously,

Kenneth Grahame; Wind & the willows

GOLDEN BEETROOT & CARAWAY

Golden beetroot & caraway tagliatelle

* 75g cooked golden beetroot, pureed

* 1 free-range egg

* 200g "00" pasta flour

* 1tsp caraway seeds

* Extra flour and fine polenta, for dusting

Bring the ingredients together & kneed for 5 minutes.

Wrap in cling film & chill for half an hour

Divide the dough into 4 and feed through the pasta machine

     

It was a mild & motionless spring day, exactly right for washing carpets

Tove Jansson; Tales from Moominvalley

PHEASANT & GRAPE

Pheasant, grape & verjuice spelt salad

* 2 pheasant breasts, roasted & shredded

* 70g spelt, cooked 20 mins & drained

* 2 handfuls watercress

* 10g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

* 1 celery stick, chopped

* 2 handfuls of seedless black grapes, halved

Dressing;

* 40ml verjuice

* 2 sprigs thyme

* ½ tsp Dijon

* 2tbsp hazelnut oil

* 4 juniper berries, ground with pestle & mortar

* Salt and pepper

You know we could have had a daughter and we could have named her Anna 

And she would have been a sweetheart but with punk rock manners

Could have supported us when we retired, bought us a cottage near the countryside

You could have taught her to play hockey

I could have taught her the guitar

And her granddad could have shown her the way to the bar

Anna; Hello Saferide lyrics

BEETROOT & NIGELLA SEEDS

Braised beetroot greens & Nigella seeds

* Bunch of beetroot tops

* 1 clove of garlic, chopped

* 1 onion, finely chopped

* 1tsp Nigella seeds

Toss the garlic, onion & Nigella seeds in oil & add the beetroot tops.

Fry for a couple of mins then add a splash of water, braise covered for 10 mins

Uncover and add a little more water & continue to braise a further 10 mins

Inspiration from just outside the backdoor was as good a starting point as any for the latest project. 

CHICORY & COCOA

Chicory & cocoa nib filo quiche (Serves 6)

* 4 sheets filo pastry

* 2 chicory heads

* 300ml milk

* 3 eggs, lightly beaten

* 75g Gruyer cheese

* Nutmeg

* Salt & pepper

* Cocoa nibs

Half the chicory length ways & braise in water for 5 minutes

Separate the leaves & set aside

Mix together the milk, egg, ¾ gruyer, nutmeg & seasoning

Layer the filo with olive oil between each sheet in a tart tin

Bake at 180°C for a couple of minutes

Add the chicory and pour over the mixture and top with cheese and a sprinkling of cocoa nibs

Bake 40 mins

Allow to cool in the tin 

Following the recent reissues of synthpop pioneer Thomas Dolby's classic debut The Golden Age Of Wireless and its mini album successor The Flat Earth, journalist Joseph Stannard discusses his own relationship with these seminal recordings, which oft reside in the shadow of Dolby's 1982 hit 'She Blinded Me With Science'.

Drowned in sound 

AUBERGINE & MANGO

Aubergine & mango soba noodles
Recipe from Ottolenghi Plenty

Well-wishers had filled the house with flowers; they made it look very beautiful, glowing in the evening light.

Don’t tell Alfred; Nancy Mitford