Almost Christmas?

Why every year Christmas comes all of a sudden? I always think I can prepare myself in advance making cards, sweets, and decorations but then without even realising I wake up and find an obscene list of last-minute jobs that require my attention.

(By the way, between you and me, I still haven't started the famous hand-made food gifts...but I am confident that I will - sooner or later...)

And now I've got the play looming over my shoulders...For the last couple of years I have inflicted on my friends the staging of A Christmas Carol. I thik everyone was too polite to refuse to take part in it. When I suggested the idea to my family, there was a general chorus of "Nooooo" with miming of throat slitting and self asphyxiation. I didn't insist.

So I was quite reluctant to propose the idea to my friends. But to my surprise a few of them even requested it. Suspicious, very suspicious...

For the moment I can probably breathe a sigh of relief that the cooking class last night didn't witness any chopped fingers and burnt hands. My tiny kitchen was swamped by 9 people...I tried to camouflage the lack of space by putting candles everywhere (the decision not to have curtains in the kitchen turned out to be a good one as I would have definitely set fire to them otherwise...) and some pretty Nigella-style lights around the window.

I was a bit anxious, despite having repeated to everyone "nine people at the cooking class? No problem, eeeeasy!". But I pretended I wasn't. And I believe it worked. Or was it the amount of wine I offered around?

The panforte we made though was excellent. I am munching some it right now being careful not to break (again) any tooth...so WARNING: it contains hard nuts. If you do crack your teeth, don't blame me or send me hefty claims. I have NO money!

Panforte (or Hardbread)

Makes 2 small tins

250ml water

300g almonds

170g caramelised citron

110 g caramelised orange

200g sugar

140g flour

1 tbsp honey

4 tsp all spices

1 tbsp dark cocoa

1. Boil the water in a pan and add the honey and sugar until they form a froth on the surface. Don't let it over-boil or it will evaporate and you will left with a gloopy blob.

2. Add the candied fruit, the spices, the chocolate and almonds (whole not chopped) and let it simmer for about 6-7 minutes

3. Remove from the hob and let it cool in a large bowl. Add to it the flour sifted and incorporate well. Set it aside while you grease a tin (12cm wide x 5cm tall).

4. Pour the mix in the tins and cook in the oven (pre-heated) at 180C for 25 minutes.

5. When it is cold, sprinkle it with icing sugar.

It is ideal to be served cold and accompanied with a glass of sweet wine or vinsanto. Everyone loved it. And thought of making it again as a Christmas gift. It is seriously easy, and everyone can do it.

When I was little (or I should say younger as I am still little....) I used to hate it. That spiciness and stickiness. With age and wisdom I have learnt to appreciate it. Normally we are so stuffed by the end of the meal that nobody wants a slice of panforte (together with fifteen other cakes). This year I will make sure I do give it justice.

Revelations

Considering the time of the year, I too had some revelations.

Revelation number #1: French macaroons are in reality Italian (from maccherone or the verb ammaccare, crush into chunks, probably due to their main ingredient which is ground almonds, and brought to Henry II from Caterina dei Medici).

Revelation number #2: R. can produce a ragu' (aka Bolognese sauce) that is almost better than mine. It is true: making a good sauce is a "labour of love". And I guess I don't have much love to give to pork lately. The secret: mix some pork to lean mince meat . R. boned a leg of pork, diced it into small pieces, and cooked all together which definitely added taste to the general yum of the thing. I guess you could use pre-diced pork but I suspect it will lose the freshness.

Revelation number #3: you cannot improvise with biscuits. They are not easily fooled. The original recipe required only ground almonds. As I only had a third of it, I decided to top it up with normal flour and some semolina. The result? Good but a bit sandy...and reasonably hard but perfect to dip in sweet wine or in your tea! If you use entirely ground almonds the biscuit becomes really soft. I will give it another try!

Almond biscuits

Makes around 30

300g ground almonds (or 100g almonds, 100g flour, 100g semolina)

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

zest of a lemon

1 tsp cinnamon

150g icing sugar

50g butter

1. Work the butter with the sugar. Add the zest and the cinnamon.

2. Mix the flour or almonds with the baking powder. Sift it into the wet mix and knead well. The mixture will be quite wet and soft.

3. Make out of the mix little balls (walnut size) and squash them down on icing sugar that you will have placed on a plate. Pick up the squashed ball making sure you don't drop the sugar on the other side of the biscuit. If you think there is too much, shake any excess.

4. Place the biscuits on a greased try and cook in the oven at 180C for 15minutes.

For the moment with all my revelations I am enjoying a cup of festive tea with my biscuits next to the fire. This morning the frost was so thick that it appeared like snow...leaving a fairy-tale effect everywhere.

Dresdener handbrot

I remember the first time I went to the theatre. It was a real experience, truly marvel. And everyone so well dressed. People made the effort. And when I say "effort" I don't mean expensive. A bit like going to a wedding, or a first job interview (well I would have a couple of words even on this topic to be fair...).

On Friday at the Royal Opera House to my disdain there were more jeans and trainers (trainer, for God's sake, trainers!) walking around than black dresses and ties. What is this? A political statement that culture only eats brains and not clothes? As if wearing a suit had become an offence. Or simply too bourgeois to worry about.

I was almost even more astonished once at my seat. A grumpy man who reported me for taking pictures during the break, a Marcel Marceau-looking-guy who must have been concerned about hurting his palm while clapping, a ginger-haired girl in rosy wellies. Where will we end up like this I wonder?

Before the ballet experience we froze almost to death at the German Christmas market in Hyde Park. My idea was to spend the entire afternoon wondering around markets. I don't think I would have survived...somebody would have found a small corpse crumpled in a corner...

What made us going for half an hour though was not gluh-wine but a wonderful hand-baked bread stuffed with cheese and bacon covered with a generous dollop of sour cream. The bread seems to originate in Dresden (for those of you who like me have no clue as where Dresden is, it is practically in Poland and once in the hands of the Communists (is this politically incorrect?). No idea what it looks like - will have to wait for a £0.01 Ryanair flight...

In any case last night while waiting for the agnolotti sauce to be ready (recipe to follow soon) we thought of reproducing the bread and it turned out very similar - of course if you had an open-air wooden oven like Jamie Oliver that would taste better. But you can't have it all. The recipe goes like this:

Dresden handbrot

250g plain flour

2 tsp yeast (if dried, otherwise half a cube of fresh yeast)

150ml lukewarm water

50g cheddar (or Edamer) cheese

2-3 slices of smoked bacon

2 mushrooms

2 tbsp sour cream

a small handful of chive

1. Pre-head the oven at 240C.

2. Mix the dried yeast with the flour or melt the fresh yeast in warm water (the same warm water you are going to use for the recipe). If dried yeast, then add the water and let it rest for 1-2 minutes and then mix kneading well. If fresh then add the water to the flour with the yeast melted in it and proceed in the same way as above.

3. Leave the dough to raise for 1 hour. When almost doubled, flatten it down and make a rectangular. On one side of it place the slices of cheese, the bacon and and mushroom (optional). You can make it as cheesy as you like. It is actually pretty scrumptious when the cheese overflows and slightly burns on the outsides!

4. Fold the other side and tuck it in well making sure it is well sealed. Sprinkle a small quantity of salt on top and brush with some olive oil.

5. Cook it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes depending on how big you have made it.

6. Serve it hot in slices with some sour cream and sprinkle of chopped chive on top.

Below are some snaps I managed to take before my hands turned blue - at which point I decided to put my gloves back on and switch off the camera...

Goodies under the Christmas tree

Every year I hear myself saying "this Christmas I will give everyone hand-made food gifts presented in nice boxes or bottles with pretty and colourful ribbons". And then I don't. Last minute Rome meetings, Christmas parties (and plays), and so I am whizzing around so much that I simply cannot afford two (only two??) entire days in the kitchen creating my culinary works of art.

But this year I have made a resolution (a pre-New Year's one) and announced that everyone in the family will receive at least (note this!) one edible present to devour in a day or shut in a cupboard, as my mother will probably do as she feels sorry to ruin them (and so years of presents get accumulated...).

This announcement was received with a sarcastic smile by R. "you always say this" he mocked me. Fine then! You'll see! So now it is a real duel. And I'm sure I will conquer my victory! Urgh...even if this means I will have to cook for the next 2 weeks! Argh....

Of course I'll make sure that everyone realises how much it takes to make these hand-made stock-fillers. For some reasons people always assume that DIY presents are cheaper and that is why one does it. Wrong. Equally wrong is that it takes no time to bake some cakes or make pates. For as much I hate battling and making my way through mad crowds ravaging shops, it is still quicker to pop in John Lewis or Borders and tick your shopping list.

When I was at school there was this tradition (not sure how really well accepted it was by everyone) to give all your class girl friends a Christmas gift , regalo or better regalino (small gift) as it was assumed to be tiny. Just a thought. Well I put a lot of thought in it. I could have gone to at the time "Everything 1,000Lire" (which at a closer inspection 1,000Lire was only the starting price). Instead I made them myself. Once I remember I made candles. I fiddled with a concoction of stinky wax and soap to the disgust of my parents. The fading smile on my class mates' face once they had opened the packet made me understand. I never did it again.

So. I will keep you updated about the developments of my Christmas laboratory. Rose scented Turkish delights, coconut macaroons, chocolate coated orange peels, star-shaped breads, and many more! Yum! I must make sure I make enough for us too!

Time has started ticking...

Barley and fennel in China

Is it just me or it seems like more or more people want to have an opinion at no costs? No matter what they know about the subject, they will still impart you their lecture making sure that their point comes across loud and clear.

When I was younger (without giving my age away....) I always thought things could be easily divided into black or white but over the years I've realised that's just not true. It really depends on many variables and jumping to conclusions is not productive. Those who know me will probably think I am talking about somebody else as I seem to be the first to give a judgement about something or somebody. But actually that is not true. What I try to do is to find a reason behind people's acting and thinking. My parents think I just do it on purpose to question anything they say. But are you sure? But perhaps...but..but...mhmmm.....

I've been told for example that Chinese people (ok this is a bit generic, the country is quite large) tend to smile and nod even when they don't mean to condescend in the slightest. A friend told me it's called the Monna Lisa smile. You never know what they really think. I find differences in cultures fascinating.

For example if you go to a restaurant with friends, or anyone really, if your back is towards the kitchen you will be the one the waiter/waitress brings the bill (and who pays -unless you plan a big run after the meal...). Or if you are invited out and you then order rice at the end of the meal you will mortally offend your host because that means you hadn't have enough and still need to stuff your stomach. I could probably go on and on....

Last night I wasn't really in a Chinese mood but just wanted to find ways of using two ingredients: barley and fennel. And for funny reason I came across these recipes in this book, Chinatown, by Ross Dobson. I have made a few changes to the original recipes but you can keep the recipes in their original version.

Barley and vegetable soup

6 small dried porcini (or shitake) mushrooms

1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

1 small onion chopped

1 garlic clove roughly chopped

1 celery stalk

1 carrot cut unto half and in slices

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1.5 lt chicken stock

110g pearl barley

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 chilly

1 tsp sesame oil

half leek

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in a small bowl with hot water and cover with a lid (or plate) to ensure that the steam is retained inside the bowl. Leave it for about 20 minutes and then squeeze the mushrooms and cut them into medium pieces if they are quite large. Keep the water they have produced.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, or until the onion is just softened. Add the ginger, celery, chilly, leek and carrot and cook for another 1 minute.

3. Add the stock, the barley, the soy sauce, mushroom water and season with black pepper. Don't season with salt as soy sauce is quite salty already! I made this mistake once...it was inedible!

4. Cook for at least 40 minutes until the barley is soft and plump. Serve it with the chopped mushrooms and a few strings of spring onion if you have.

I also made some biscuits. Once again I changed the recipe slightly so instead of using orange I used a lemon. I will try it again as the recipe says but I think in this was it was pretty good. And that was not just my opinion....

Lemon, almond and fennel biscuits

80g butter

110g white sugar

60g brown sugar (you can have just 170g of white sugar if you prefer)

210 plain flour

40g ground almonds

2 eggs

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

zest of half a lemon

1 tsp baking powder

80g ground almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (this is the best part of the recipe now as it warms up my kitchen!)

2. Mix the butter, seeds and zest together and combine well (by hand or in a food processor - if you have a mixer that'll do too...I am still dreaming of one of those massive boys to sit on my shelves...Christmas is near...)

3. Add the eggs to the butter and mix well.

4. Mix the baking powder and the ground almond to the flour and sift it into the wet mix.

5. Make a sausage out of this mix (of you think it is still too wet add more flour until you can handle it) of about 20cm lenght and 3-4 cm thick.

6. Cook it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cut 2cm slices. Turn on one side the biscuits and cook them for 10 minutes. Then turn them on the other side and cook it for a further 10 minutes until the biscuits will have become crunchy.

This is essentially the recipe to make cantucci (which Sturbuck calls biscotti which is the generic Italian word for biscuits). This means that if you hate fennel seeds, you can use anything you like - pistachios and almonds, chocolate chips, poppy seeds etc. etc...

They are quite addictive. But if you resist they can also be a really nice Christmas (or birthday) gift if arranged in a nice box with some tissue paper. Perhaps a Chinese looking tin. Personally I don't think I've ever had this type of biscuits when I was in China and I suspect that fennel seeds are used in many kitchens (French, Italian). So I guess you can claim they are from wherever you want...

I should definitely go back to China. Last time I only visited a small portion...and it was before the Olympics - I am sure they caused a lot of changes...

Chai Tea

As the Ice Age is still raging in Cambridge (I heard it reached -10C which may or may not be true depending on how dramatic they want it to make it sound to excuse themselves for being so rubbish at non-coping with the cold), I came to adopt drastic measures.

I am now wearing four layers between tops and jumpers (of various thickness), three pairs of socks (including the skiing ones), the water bottle under my feet, and the fire place burning Wimpole Hall-collected-logs (shhh...don't say this too loud!) almost non-stop. To give me an extra boost, I decided to make a spicy drink. And thought of Chai Tea.

The idea of simmering milk with spices and water made R. very worried. The look on his little face was so dispirited that I accepted to modify the original idea. So instead of adding milk, I simply simmer the water for a minute or two and then let brew for 2-3 minutes with all the goodies I added. The smell was so overpowering - it almost made me forget my three toes were frozen....

Reinvented Chai

For 2 cups (or 4 glasses)

4-6 cloves

4-6 cardamom pods

half a cinnamon stick

grated zest of 1/4 lemon

1 tbsp Indian black tea (or Gunpowder)

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tbsp sugar

1. Grind the cloves, cardamom together.

2. Add the nutmeg, the zest and sugar. Place the mix in a pan.

3. Pour boiling water in the pan and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.

4. Transfer in a pot and let it brew for a few more minutes. Add more sugar according to taste.

The sugar really brings out the flavour of cardamom. It is a really calming and warming drink. Even just making it is a pleasure.

I will make it again later perhaps with a biscuit I will bake tonight.

Cauliflower in Winter

I think I am a reasonably good cook ("we hope so"! you must probably think) but somehow I don't think I'm good at creating from nothing. I mean there are those people who can generate a mouth-watering dish using only their imagination. I need a recipe. Even if I don't follow it (as I often don't even seem able to read) I still need some starting point from which to divert.

I am sure that cauliflower doesn't make anyone fantasize. Especially as you know that it is really good for you - full of vitamin, anti-oxidants etc. And that off-white colour is probably not the most inspiring. However, even cauliflower can be promising. And I managed to come up with a recipe all on my own and which was even tasty!

If you also have in your cupboard potatoes, leeks and cheese, then you're fine. I added a few extra frills to make it a bit less hospice-taste like...

Cauliflower with pine nuts, paprika and lemon

For 2 people

half a cauliflower

half a leek

2 medium potatoes

100ml milk

50g parmesan (or white cheese like brie)

zest of 1/4 lemon

1 tbsp pine nuts

1 tsp paprika

1. Peel and cut into medium pieces the potatoes. Boil them in hot and salted (2 tsp salt) water for 5 minutes or until almost tender.

2. Cut the leek in rings and cook it in a large frying pan in a knob of butter for 5 minutes. Add the milk and stir well. Add the cheese and melt it well.

3. Cut the cauliflower and add it to the potatoes once they are almost cooked.

4. Drain the above vegetables and add them to the leeks. Grate the lemon zest and stir well as otherwise the milk stars curdling.

5. Add the pine nuts and continue stir frying the vegetables so that the nuts toast. Sprinkle the paprika over the vegetables and serve immediately when still warm.

You can also add some raisins. That really makes it very Christmassy and I suspect could be a nice side dish to the boring turkey.

First snow and mini scones

On Saturday we started seeing our first snow in Cambridge. I always get so excited when I see 2 mm of it on the roof opposite our bedroom window...but we managed to have more than an inch and cover everything properly. I don't know why but when it snows I become even more childish than I am already...

I have never understood though how a few centimetres of snow can drive the whole country into complete chaos. And every year! As if they were in some all year-Sun-blessed-country where they have only seen snow on TV or in What a wonderful life at Christmas! You keep on hearing of all sorts of disasters...how have they not managed to be slightly more organised than they are?!? It must be "the wrong type of snow" surely...

However, despite the snow, our guests did manage to find refuge in our humble home and celebrate all their great news with us. An oncoming adoption of two boys, a new position in a very posh school, a baby coming out soon, the publication of a book...how much more news can you desire? So I was ecstatically whizzing around with a bottle of Prosecco and a cake stand full of mini scones filled with sour cream, dill and chive, and smoked salmon.

I would recommend this idea for parties, especially if you want to make a finger buffet (do people really eat fingers??). The ingredients and method is the same as for scones, meaning:

Scones with smoked salmon, herbs and sour cream

220g flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 pinch of salt

200ml milk

40g butter

100ml cream

half a lemon

smoked salmon

a handful of chive and of dill

1. Mix the flour with the baking powder the salt and sugar. Mix well.

2. Rub in it the butter in small pieces reducing it into crumbles with your finger tips.

3. Add to the mix the milk mixing first with the knife and then mixing using your hand. It doesn't need to be kneaded for long.

4. Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it to make a pasty of 2cm high. Cut the scones using a port glass (or something sharp and with a 3cm maximum diameter).

Tip: roll them out leaving them quite thick as otherwise they won't raise much (like a cake would do). This is the real secret for having tall scones. Also add a pinch of sugar to the mix as this helps the raising process while salt stops it!

5. Place the scones on a greased tray, spread a drop of milk on the top so that they become shiny when then cook, and place in the oven at C220 for 1o minutes.

6. Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool down. Prepare the cream by mixing the cream with the juice of half a lemon so that it curls up - whisk with a spoon quickly. Spread it in the scone with some chopped herbs and a few smalls bits of salmon.

Goan-style fish curry

The Asian cycle has started already ! Let's see if there are any positive effects on my feet....today it got even colder, I think it reached 1C and I couldn't avoid leaving the house (I was running out of, really, the basics...) so I wrapped up warm and faced the cold. "Courage!" I said to myself. I was probably looking more like I was going on an expedition to the Arctic...

I must confess that I have no merit whatsoever in the making of this dish - except giving inspiration... R. did it all. And I was so pleased with it - I even had it twice (which doesn't happen often). But I twisted his arm and extrapolate the recipe..hopefully he didn't innocently omit a key ingredient!!

What we had last night was exactly what I was after. Some warm and spicy food which made me think of distant white sands and waving palms. I had something similar in Mombasa last January, with the only difference of king prawns instead of pollock.

Kenyan coastal food has strong influences from India - I think it has a specific name but I cannot remember now. It combines all the old favourite spices together with coconut, coriander and ginger. What we had is called in Kenya Kuku Paka. It is normally made with chicken but variations on the theme are common.

Fish Kuku Paka (or Fish Curry)

For 2 people

2 pollock fillets (or cod, haddock or sea bass, if you feel rich)

3 tinned plum tomatoes

2 sweet potatoes

1 tsp coconut cream

half an onion

2 garlic cloves

vegetable or fish stock (1l water)

1 handful fresh coriander

1. Sprinkle a generous handful of salt on the fish. Chop it into small/medium pieces.

2. In a large pan fry the chopped onion and crushed garlic in 2 tbsp of oil. Peel and chop in small pieces the sweet potatoes. Put the cubed potatoes in the pan and stir well to make sure they coat with the onions without burning.

3. Make the broth by melting the stock cube in a litre of water. Pour the water onto the potatoes to cover them and let it simmer on high heat. Add the fish and continue stirring.

4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes to ensure the sauce thickens up. If it doesn't you can add a tea spoon of corn starch mixing well to avoid lumps.

5. Add the coconut cream and cook for another 5 minutes.

6. Before the curry is done, cook separately the rice (ideally basmati ) in enough water to cover the rice of only half a finger having added to the water a couple of tea spoons of salt and a knob of butter.

7. Sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander to the curry before serving. Sprinkle some more once it is served on the plates. Serve it with the rice.

The photo is not great as my eye was suffering last night so I couldn't see whether I was putting on focus or not...I am only using manual focus now so deep concentration is required!

I leave you dreaming on these images now that outside is freezing and you are shivering in your pijama...how mean I am...well at least we are in the same boat! I am also shivering! Brrrrrr.....

The idea of going for a peaceful walk on the beach in Mombasa (at least around the hotels) is simply a dream. Unless you are very resolute and on the brink of rudeness, and you are a woman (small detail I was about to forget) you will inevitably be accompanied. But to my surprise I even found myself giving trade mark advice on a possible logo infringement case...how more random could it be?

The city of Mombasa is not much. Faded beauty and forgotten poverty which most of those tourists enclosed in luxurious resorts don't want to see. People seemed suspicious somehow but once you started talking to few of them they seem genuinely interested. It was pretty nice.

Getting lost in the market and the maze of little road is always good fun - and you can be sure to find somebody who wants to point you to the right direction, perhaps after having taken you to his cousin/uncle/father's shop...