Sandwiches

The humble sandwich. Almost any foodstuff can be put into a sandwich. I have a few favourites - chicken, brie & cranberry sauce; ham and coleslaw; egg mayonaisse; pink salmon; and the good old staple bread and cheese. There is a huge variety of cheese available - I love a brie and cranberry sauce toastie, rustic bread dipped into baked camembert, boursin spread liberally onto a piece of crusty French stick, and the good old default, cheese and pickle, for me, it's Red Leicester with mango chutney, mmm delicious.

Some time ago I watched a programme called "Take A Hike" in which  contestants were leading various country walks, providing interesting commentry along the way and lunch. One of the lunches was jam sandwiches, which left the recipients visibly underwhelmed.

When I was a little girl bread and jam was a popular sandwich. I can remember my mum serving supper, just a slice of cake or a toasted teacake or jam sandwiches. It was an affordable food and formed a major part of the diet of the poor working classes. 

The reason why the contestants in the show were not pleased was because the bread was dry and the filling was sparse. 

For a really satisfying jam sandwich you have to have good white bread, real butter and lots of jam. I think strawberry is the most popular but I like cherry (above), apricot and raspberry. Sometimes I put peanut butter with raspberry.

The sandwich as we know it was popularised in England in 1762 by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Legend has it, and most food historians agree, that Montagu had a gambling problem that led to him spending hours on end at the card table. During a particularly long session he asked the house cook to bring him something that he could eat without getting up from his seat. The cook put some meat between two slices of bread and, voila the sandwich was born. Montagu enjoyed his meat and bread so much that he ate it constantly, and as the concoction grew popular in London society circles it also took on the Earl’s name. 

Women, War, and Bread and Jam.

In 1917 The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was created, and young women were allowed to join the army. A lovely book called 'Women and War Work' gives details of a typical week’s meals, “to show how well they are fed". Their daily meals were breakfast, dinner, tea and supper. Supper was always bread and jam.

With austerity looming maybe more of us will be turning to jam sandwiches to subsidise our meals!

Do you have a favourite sandwich?

∼ Be safe and well∼

Polly x

Salmon Teriyaki

Salmon Teriyaki with noodles and stir fry veg.
One of my favourite dishes and very easy to prepare.

1 salmon fillet per person; about 5 tablespoons of light soy sauce; 1 clove of garlic, about 2.5 cm stem of ginger, 1 onion, pack of mixed veg, noodles, oil and any extra veg that needs using up. 

Hidden away at the back is a pack of mushrooms that had seen better days but I peeled off the outer skin and trimmed off the really bad bits and they were fine.

 Combine soy sauce, crushed garlic and grated ginger. 

Cut salmon into bite size chunks and put into the mixture.

If I'm using broccoli I par boil it first as it doesn't cook enough for my taste by stir frying. 

Use just enough oil to coat the frying pan, 

I put a small amount on a piece of kitchen paper and wipe it around the pan. 
Add the salmon and cook gently. 

Add the rest of the extra veg and stir fry for a minute or two

then add the packet of mix veg and cook to taste.

Cook the noodles.

Plate up and enjoy

bon appetit!

~Be warm and well ~

Polly x

Ugly Veg

My carrots could be famous! well ok not famous on a national scale, more like here at chez O&P. 

The carrots I grow on my allotment aren't neat or straight, they are crooked, strange and some have been downright rude, resembling all manner of body parts - boobs, bottoms and, ahem, dangly bits. My daughter tells it as it is, she says they are mutants! 

I was reading an article recently how Asda have announced they will be extending their wonky fruit and veg range which was rolled out in 25 stores at the beginning of the year. Labelled "Beautiful on the Inside" the new range features crooked carrots, knobbly pears, wonky spuds and more, all sold at reduced rates. Jamie Oliver has long been a pioneer of healthy eating, he says "If most Brits had half an idea of the amount going to waste, they’d be snapping up ugly veg by the trolley load. There’s no difference whatsoever in taste or nutritional value. This is perfectly good food that could and should be eaten by humans.”

And he's so right. My carrots don't look pretty, but they taste dam good, they have just grown wonky.  
There are only a few left now, and a few cabbages and some parsnips, the sweetcorn has finished, the brussels and swede were dismal failures, but the purple brocolli is looking good.

The mutant carrot was about to take over the kitchen, the Assasins Creed, dinosaur and canon ball lobber surrounded it on all sides, but to no avail, the carrot was just too strong, only one thing could stop it in its tracks - 

yes the mighty peeler and my worn out chipped little knife with which I can cut, peel, slice and dice anything, almost with my eyes closed, without cutting myself! 

This monster carrot was about to become part of a shepherds pie dinner.

One of my favourite meals

Sunday

Sitting with my feet up, a glass of Asti in hand looking forward to watching Downton Abbey. 
I'm devastated that tonight's episode will be the last one ever!!

It's been a bit of a busy day, morning walk with the dogs. It's getting very slippery under foot now. I slipped over the other day, I was climbing over a stile and my foot just slid from under me, thank goodness I was holding on to the top of the fence.

  

I don't clean my boots very often as they just get very dirty every day, but this morning I decided to give them a quick clean.

Catching up with emails, followed by a bit of work on my dolls house. 

Ham sandwich for lunch, then over to my allotment for some carrots and parsnips for dinner.

A bit more work on my dolls house

prep time for Sunday roast, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots

mmm 50 minutes in the rotisserie, cooked to perfection

potatoes and parsnips cooked in the Actifry

Frozen Yorkshire puds, I like cooking and usually do everything from scratch, except these, I've tried but I just can't get them to rise and taste as good as these little beauties.

put it all together



with sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce 

gravy

and of course a glass of my favourite fizz

oooh I think Downton is going to be a bit weepie

PS The trailer for Downton said it was going to be the series finale, but at the end they announced there will be a Christmas episode. I thought it strange that such a popular series wouldn't have a Christmas episode.

Saturday

Saturday was quite a busy day, starting with the morning walk with the dogs. 

I tried to post this yesterday evening but we are having problems with our internet connection.

After breakfast I pruned a few roses. 

then I treated Buster's legs and feet, he will tell you all about that in his next diary post.

 After a spot of tidying and some lunch I went with a friend to collect her daughter's dog from the kennels. I didn't want to put any make-up on or dress up, I wasn't being lazy because I usually do make an effort, but I knew my friend would be casually dressed so I opted for my favourite comfortable trousers and a light cotton tee shirt, oh and a smattering of mascara and eyebrows!

I love my little M&S coral bag, it receives lots of compliments.

The kennels was very posh, little M had been very well looked after.

Back home I started to prepare dinner - Slimming World Chicken

Pasanda Sizzler with roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

Preheat oven to 200 deg C/400 deg F/Gas 6.

Combine 150g yogurt with 1 tblsp mild curry powder,
juice of 1 lemon, 1" fresh ginger and 2 garlic cloves.

 Cut 4 chicken breasts into bite size pieces and marinade in the mixture for at least half an hour. 
A cup of coffee is optional :-)

Put cauliflower and broccoli florets onto a baking tray or into a dish, I used the actifry, spray with Fry Light and sprinkle over 2 tsp cumin seeds. Roast for about 35 mins. It took about 40 mins.

In a large frying pan sprayed with Fry Light soften 1 large chopped onion and 1 cinnamon stick for about 5 mins.  Add the chicken mix and cook for 3 mins.
Add 2 tsp tomato puree and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through.

I served it with papadums, naan bread and mango chutney. I was disappointed with the look of the broccoli and cauliflower, they needed a lot of sprays of fry light. They tasted all right but if I do this dish again I will par boil them first.

Borough Market

Back on terra firma and just a short walk away from the Shard is the superb Borough Market, renowned for exceptional British and international produce, a haven for anyone who loves eating and drinking- who doesn't?!!

As far back as the 11th century London Bridge attracted traders selling grain, fish, vegetables and livestock. In the 13th century traders relocated to what is now Borough High Street and a market has existed there ever since. In 1755 the market was closed by Parliament, but a group of Southwark residents raised £6,000 (a princely sum in those days!) to buy a patch of land known locally as The Triangle, once the churchyard of St Margaret's church, and reopened the market in 1756. 

Shocking behaviour!!

The Sports poster is dated 1914 and the admission price was sixpence. When I stood and looked at the background I imagined all those people going about their daily business and wondered what they would make of London today, with buildings like the Shard just down the road.

Southwark Cathedral

Cafes, bars and restaurants offer a plethora of goodies, bakery, 

charcuterie, dairy, drinks, seafood, meat, fruit and veg.

                           A novel use for an old telephone box

And to finish off a perfect day you can go home with a 
beautiful bunch of flowers and some pretty tableware. 

A Little of What You Fancy

I needed cake, chocolate cake to be precise. I'm a chocoholic and I love baking, but having lost just over a stone in weight last year I haven't made a cake for a while and I limit my chocolate intake. However at the weekend I gave in to my cravings and made a cake! Now before you say, oooh that's a slippery slope down the road of excess calories let me explain why I won't be eating it all. My grandson takes a slice to school each day with his packed lunch and my son-in-law has some of it, and, whilst I eat sensibly and healthily I don't think it's good to deny myself treats completely, therefore A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good, with the emphasis on Little :-) 

So after perusing my favourite chocolate recipe books I found this one, Chocolate Fudge Cake. 

It's a truly delicious decadent cake, courtesy of Nigella Lawson’s book Nigella Bites.

If you like chocolate and baking I can recommend it, but Be Warned – it’s VERY addictive. 

For the cake:

400g plain flour                                                    175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled             

250g golden caster sugar                                    125ml corn oil (I used Flora cuisine)

100g light muscovado sugar                               300ml chilled water

50g best quality cocoa powder                           2 teaspoons baking powder      

                                           
For the fudge icing:

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda                          175g dark chocolate, min 70% cocoa

½ teaspoon salt                                                     250g unsalted butter, softened                               
3 eggs                                                                       275g seived icing sugar                                            
142ml tub sour cream                                           1 tablespoon vanilla extract                                     
1 tablespoon vanilla extract        

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter and line two 20cm sandwich tins. Mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In a pouring bowl or measuring jug whisk the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. In a large bowl (use a KitchenAid or a mixer bowl) beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture and mix until everything is blended then pour into the prepared tins.

Bake for approx. 50 minutes or until cooked through and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in their tins for 15 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. To make the icing melt the chocolate in a microwave for 2-3 minutes or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Beat the butter until it's soft and creamy, add the icing sugar (Nigella says "I know sieving is a pain but you have to do it or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy") It is a pain and I don't do it and I'm not convinced it makes that much difference. Gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until glossy and smooth. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, then ice the top and sides, spreading and smoothing with a palette knife or spatula. 

I only put icing in the middle and on the top because it's very rich.
Eat & Enjoy!