Salad bowls… and other utensils
One of the things missing from television cookery programmes is the cook’s actual kitchen. The Great British Bake Off is conducted in a large tent; MasterChef whips up the culinary angst in a television studio – even Nigella and Delia cook their delicious things in specially-constructed spaces.
So, finding a cookbook that takes you right into the author’s very own kitchen is a bit of a one-off – but that’s exactly what you get with Lindsey Bareham’s latest work. The Trifle Bowl is full of quick, easy and accessible recipes with an added twist. It’s organised by the kitchen gadgets, pots, pans or utensils that Bareham has used in producing each dish.
There are also some envy-making pictures of Bareham’s charmingly relaxed kitchen, full of cluttered shelves and dressers and workspace galore. There’s even a helpful dog. But the real stars of the show are her cake tins, earthenware pots, salad bowls, rolling pins and jelly moulds, their provenance and use all described – and, of course, the food itself.
Bareham is renowned for her speedy, time-efficient recipes (which appear daily in The Times) and that’s what you get here. Figs and duck livers on griddled toast, pot-roast chicken, roast tomato risotto, prawn egg-fried rice with chilli and coriander. But it’s equally wonderful to hear about the utensils she uses to whip them up.
The Tri fle Bowl And Other Tales, by Lindsey Bareham, with photography by Chris Terry, is published by Bantam Press, priced £20.
Serves 6
Boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Drain, crack them under cold, running water and flake away their shells. Halve lengthways.
Slice the onion very finely. Place in a bowl and soak in boiling water for 10 minutes. Toss with the vinegar. Peel and chop the garlic, then crush with a pinch of salt to make a paste. Remove the zest from half the lemon in paper-thin scraps. Strip the rosemary off the stalk and chop to dust with the lemon zest. Squeeze the lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic paste and rosemary dust, then whisk in the olive oil.
Rinse the chickpeas under cold, running water in a sieve. Shake dry and stir into the dressing. Run a sharp knife down the side of the chorizo and peel away the skin. Slice thinly. Core, then chop the tomatoes. If using peppers, slice into strips.
Squeeze the vinegar out of the limp onions and stir them into the salad. Shred the mint leaves and finely snip 2 tbsp of chives. Stir the chopped tomatoes, or peppers, mint and chives into the salad. Season with salt and lavishly with freshly ground black pepper. Stir again and serve, or chill, covered, until later.
To serve, tip on to a platter and edge with hard-boiled egg halves, decorated with some snipped chives.
Melt the butter. Finely grate 1 tsp lemon zest. Stir the zest into the melted butter and leave for 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and caster sugar until pale, thick and fluffy. Add the honey and beat for a further couple of minutes.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones, followed by the lemon butter, to make a thick, smooth batter. Stretch a sheet of cling film over the bowl, sagging to skim the batter, and chill for an hour, after which the mixture will have thickened and be spongy.
Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. If using a metal mould, butter 12 indentations, dust with flour and shake out the excess. If using a silicone mould, this shouldn’t be necessary. Put a spoonful of mix into each mould so they are three-quarters full. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10-14 minutes, until golden, swollen in the middle and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. If using a tin mould, tap on the side to loosen the cakes before turning out on to a cake rack to cool. A silicone mould should peel away.
So, finding a cookbook that takes you right into the author’s very own kitchen is a bit of a one-off – but that’s exactly what you get with Lindsey Bareham’s latest work. The Trifle Bowl is full of quick, easy and accessible recipes with an added twist. It’s organised by the kitchen gadgets, pots, pans or utensils that Bareham has used in producing each dish.
There are also some envy-making pictures of Bareham’s charmingly relaxed kitchen, full of cluttered shelves and dressers and workspace galore. There’s even a helpful dog. But the real stars of the show are her cake tins, earthenware pots, salad bowls, rolling pins and jelly moulds, their provenance and use all described – and, of course, the food itself.
Bareham is renowned for her speedy, time-efficient recipes (which appear daily in The Times) and that’s what you get here. Figs and duck livers on griddled toast, pot-roast chicken, roast tomato risotto, prawn egg-fried rice with chilli and coriander. But it’s equally wonderful to hear about the utensils she uses to whip them up.
The Tri fle Bowl And Other Tales, by Lindsey Bareham, with photography by Chris Terry, is published by Bantam Press, priced £20.
CHORIZO AND CHICKPEA SALAD
Serves 6 - 4 large fresh eggs
- ½ red onion, approx 100g
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 new-season garlic cloves
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 sprig of rosemary, approx 8cm long
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas
- 150g Iberico chorizo sausage
- 4 vine tomatoes or 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
- About 20 mint leaves
- A small bunch of chives
Boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Drain, crack them under cold, running water and flake away their shells. Halve lengthways.
Slice the onion very finely. Place in a bowl and soak in boiling water for 10 minutes. Toss with the vinegar. Peel and chop the garlic, then crush with a pinch of salt to make a paste. Remove the zest from half the lemon in paper-thin scraps. Strip the rosemary off the stalk and chop to dust with the lemon zest. Squeeze the lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic paste and rosemary dust, then whisk in the olive oil.
Rinse the chickpeas under cold, running water in a sieve. Shake dry and stir into the dressing. Run a sharp knife down the side of the chorizo and peel away the skin. Slice thinly. Core, then chop the tomatoes. If using peppers, slice into strips.
Squeeze the vinegar out of the limp onions and stir them into the salad. Shred the mint leaves and finely snip 2 tbsp of chives. Stir the chopped tomatoes, or peppers, mint and chives into the salad. Season with salt and lavishly with freshly ground black pepper. Stir again and serve, or chill, covered, until later.
To serve, tip on to a platter and edge with hard-boiled egg halves, decorated with some snipped chives.
LEMON AND HONEY MADELEINES (pictured top)
Makes 12-18, depending on the size of the mould- 75g butter, plus an extra knob
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- 2 eggs
- 50g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- 100g plain flour, plus a little extra
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Melt the butter. Finely grate 1 tsp lemon zest. Stir the zest into the melted butter and leave for 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and caster sugar until pale, thick and fluffy. Add the honey and beat for a further couple of minutes.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones, followed by the lemon butter, to make a thick, smooth batter. Stretch a sheet of cling film over the bowl, sagging to skim the batter, and chill for an hour, after which the mixture will have thickened and be spongy.
Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. If using a metal mould, butter 12 indentations, dust with flour and shake out the excess. If using a silicone mould, this shouldn’t be necessary. Put a spoonful of mix into each mould so they are three-quarters full. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10-14 minutes, until golden, swollen in the middle and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. If using a tin mould, tap on the side to loosen the cakes before turning out on to a cake rack to cool. A silicone mould should peel away.