Happy Fathers’ Day # 2: An eat-together with the Mad Hatter himself

Yes, I am implying that my Dad is the Mad Hatter in human form; I know he won’t take offence at this though because, like me, he likes having a larger than life, slightly bonkers personality instead of being ‘normal’ (this isn’t to say there is anything wrong with all the ‘normal’ people out there, my family just wouldn’t be the same if we weren’t all slightly mad). Needless to say, having an eat-together with my Dad means taking your time, savouring the food and letting laughter flow (we didn’t have any alcoholic beverages flowing to help us on our way, just Dad’s funny, laid-back perspective on life).

        

A fitting example of all this is that, at dinner, we were all able to have a laugh about what Rose (my Dad’s partner of 16 years) is letting herself in for when she marries him next month. Despite the joking, I am happy about this because I love my soon-to-be step-mum (indeed I’ve been calling her my step-mum for at least the last 10 years), and I’m glad they’re about to tie-the-knot despite the whole scenario not being entirely conventional (although I guess when you think about the world today, it is pretty normal really).

Because of the wedding and us all wanting to look good in the wedding photos I planned, not necessarily a healthy eat-together, but one which was at least making an effort to be better behaved than usual (my eat-togethers are often a good excuse to make hugely calorific, sinful recipes that I love, but just can’t bring myself to make on a random Tuesday evening). The fact that Rose was joining us, that Wimbledon starts today and that yesterday was the first day any of the roses bloomed in the garden, made my mind up that it was a good day to experiment and put my newly created Turkish Delight Sundae on the menu, which was:

Main

Tahini baked chicken with Jamie Oliver’s Moorish Crunch Salad

Dessert

Turkish Delight Sundae

We had a laugh about various things, including me taking pictures of dinner before we ate it and Dad talking to my cat about his dog (goodness only knows what he was on about, or what the cat thought), and we all felt great that we had eaten a delicious but not entirely sinful meal.

Happy Fathers’ Day Daddy!

Check out my new kiddie-related blog: honey and haribo. We hope you like it!

honey and haribo

Mummy knows that Daddy’s favourite desserts are those that are lemony; lemon tart, lemon posset, lemon sorbet etc. etc. So, Happy Fathers’ Day Daddy, I have helped her to make her new ‘Italian lemon grove meets English tea party’ cake. She has called it this because she couldn’t make up her mind which of her many lemon-based dessert recipes to make; so, she combined a Lemon curd victoria sponge, a very English cake at home at a garden party, and Cassata siciliana (Sicilian ricotta cake), which seems to us to be the quintessence of summer in Sicily and Italy.

We didn’t just celebrate with cake though …

We started off the day by giving Daddy a lie-in and had coffee, along with presents and cards, in bed. Then came soft-boiled eggs with marmite soldiers for breakfast – my favourite! After a quick trip to town and Despicable Me, Mummy…

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Smoked mackerel and apple salad

I know I originally posted this as a page rather than a post, but I had it for dinner again last night and decided it is so delicious it deserves it own post! Next task, to stay true to the eight potatoes roots: is there a way of incorporating it into a three course eat-together? Thinking caps on, mind opened to suggestions!

The finished article: Smoked mackerel and apple salad

This is a version of a salad my Mum used to make when I was a teenager, only hers had chickpeas and something (although I can’t remember what exactly) that required an orange. We both used to love it and I have since asked her for the recipe, but much to our dismay she can’t find it or remember where she might have got it from 😦

Although I’m happy to eat chickpeas and beans etc., I’m not their biggest fan, so I use the fact that I can’t remember the original recipe as an excuse to leave them out. I know my Mum used to simply throw a can of them in though, and I’m pretty sure the orange must have been in the dressing as I don’t remember chunks of fruit; if you fancy experimenting then please let me know, I’d love to hear!

It is the epitome of easy; it can be as easy as this (without the dressing):

… or as complicated as this (with the dressing):

Either way, it can be prepared in less than 10 minutes, and is a filling, super-nutritious main course salad.

If you do decide to make the dressing then all you need is this:

If you fancy using a more traditional recipe format then here you go:

To serve 2.

The salad ingredients:

Smoked mackerel – 1 pack/4 fillets
Crunchy eating apples – 2
Watercress or salad leaves of your choice – 1 bag

The dressing ingredients:

Dijon/Finnish mustard – 2 tsp
Cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil – 3 tbsp
Salt and black pepper

The recipe:

• Chop the apples into bite-size pieces and add to a bowl.
• Remove he mackerel skin (don’t panic, because the fish has been smoked and therefore cooked  the skin just peels off like banana skin does – simples).
• Tear the smoked mackerel into bite-size pieces, and add to the bowl of apple.
• Add your salad leaves, and toss everything together.

The salad is tasty enough on its own, so is good if you’re watching what you eat; however, if you want to make the dressing too, it really brings the salad alive:

• Mix all of the ingredients except the oil together, and then use a small whisk to combine the oil to create the dressing.
• Serve drizzled over the salad.

My notes on this recipe:

• I usually use Royal Gala or Braeburn apples because they are really crisp, yet juicy.
• The pepperiness of the watercress goes really well with the mackerel, and it is soft too so mops up the dressing really well. Any soft leaves will do though.
• Try horseradish sauce instead of mustard, although in fear of sounding like Jamie Oliver: it’s a cracking little combo!

Bottle tops from my cider vinegar (left) and olive oil (right) … just because I noticed them, and thought that it is the little details that can make a difference; a principle it is always good to remember when cooking!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Having felt wretched for the last couple of weeks due to a cough, cold and chest infection I have (some people I know might want to sit down for this bit) not fancied coke or chocolate (my main vices), and have been more interested in salads (probably thanks to my last post) fruit and even yoghurt (again something that might surprise those who know me)! It’s not that I don’t like these good-for-you delights; it’s just that I have an exceptionally sweet tooth whose cravings for sugary atrocities such as coke and chocolate are usually just too strong to ignore, and far too frequent to allow fruit to get a word in edgeways!

For the last fortnight though, as well as the orange supermarkets new range of west country yoghurts (my favourite flavours are Glen Ample Raspberry, Timperley Rhubarb and Alphonso Mango, Papaya and Passion Fruit)  my shopping lists have included Royal Gala apples to take to work as my mid-morning snack, fruit to make my beautifully refreshing fruit salad with orange blossom and pistachios and freshly squeezed, not from concentrate, fruit juice (also from the orange supermarket); some of my  favourite flavours of which are English Apple and William Pear, Orange, Mango and Passionfruit and Ruby Breakfast containing Orange, Grapefruit and Blood Orange. And, (yes, I know one shouldn’t start a sentence with a conjunction, but nevermind) in case I crave the not-so-good kind of sugar, then I have been buying all kinds of plump summer berries whose juice, as it literally bursts out, blends perfectly with vanilla cornish clotted cream ice cream. In fact, sweet-toothed individuals such as myself will probably always be able to find an excuse for some sugar and, in this instance, I think one could very tenuously argue that ice cream is a health food in that it soothes sore throats very well indeed. Tee hee hee; I can see my Mum (who has no sweet tooth whatsoever) laughing and shaking her head in dismay at my ability to find excuses to eat ice cream!

I have needed antibiotics and inhalers in order to get over my body’s illness of choice (I get a lot of chest infections, and before you all start wondering, no I don’t smoke), the latter of which I now have to have for the foreseeable future because I still have a horrendous cough which is driving me insane (apologies to all those who have to be around me; I really am trying to get rid). Consequently, I don’t really believe in ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, but considering the previous two chest infections I have had have sent me straight to hospital with pneumonia, maybe my recent attempt at a health kick and additional portions of fruit may be to thank for not having got that sick this time. More likely it is because the weather has been dire later into the year and, although rubbish enough to give me a chest infection in June, it isn’t as bad as having one in December (I usually manage to get them just before Christmas), but the fruit may at least be a contributing factor to my body’s new get-well-soon attitude.

I haven’t really felt like I have been denying myself delicious food though, so what exactly have I been eating that I have enjoyed, felt full up on and feel healthy inside as result of? As I said before, I can’t go raw, but I have eaten a lot of raw food as an accompaniment to other yummy things recently, and that seems to have included a lot of apples too! The following are my current top three, and are all great on their own as a snack or lunch, or as part of a main meal:

• Jamie Oliver’s Moorish Crunch salad (beautiful with Tahini baked chicken)
• Smoked mackerel and apple salad (the quickest dinner I have ever made, with or without a mustard dressing)
• Finocchi insalata di arance e rucola (fennel and orange salad; the epitome of a refreshing main course when served with citrusy devilled chicken).

My Dad is getting married next month and, a week into June, summer finally seems to be making an appearance; so, I hope my tastebuds will continue to fancy these light summery dishes, and make me look good in his wedding photos as well as cure me of chest infections!