Cooking Fun Comfort Food Cheerful Food
To Celebrate Frivolously 25 Years of Changing Faces
Introduction
Table of 25 Contents
This is a book of ideas, not of instruction. There are no details about how to make pastry, or how to line your baking tin. Oil, salt and pepper are reckoned to be in the cupboard, so are not generally listed as ingredients.
FIRST THINGS
Page
Camembert Flatties Carrot & Fennel Soup Cauliflower Fritters Cheese Filigree Cheesy Fingers Corn Fritters
5 6 7 8 9 10
Quantities may serve one, two, three or more people depending greatly on who they are. Above all it is a way of having some fun with simple recipes, collected for a good cause. I hope you will enjoy them, and elaborate on them. Most importantly, if they bring in some funds for this insightful and inspired charity, then they will have done their work. June Emerson 2017 North Yorkshire
MAIN THINGS Cannellini Fryup Celeriac Foundation Cheese Fondue Cheese & Onion Flan Chicken Fruity Curry Chickpea Felafels Chorizo & Fava Hotpot Coconutty Fish Courgette & Feta Salad Courgette Frittata
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
SWEET THINGS Cherry Flantastic Chocolate Figs Cinnamon FrappĂŠ Cinnamon Frenchtoast Clementine Frangipane Coconut Flapjacks Cornflake Fundraisers Cottage Cheese Fruitle Cranberry Fudge
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23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
3.
Camembert Flatties 6 slices of white bread, halved if large 1 Camembert, cut in thinnish slices 2 eggs, beaten
First Things and a few nibbles
Gooseberry or raspberry jam, homemade if possible
Cut the crusts off the slices of bread. Roll them severely with a rolling-pin until they are as thin as they will go. Cover half of the bread slices with pieces of Camembert, leaving a margin uncovered round the edge. Put the plain slices on top and roll again to stick them together. Dip the sandwiches into the egg and then fry quickly in butter or olive oil to brown them both sides. Serve with green leaves and warmed gooseberry or raspberry jam.
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5.
Carrot & Fennel Soup 1 knob of butter 1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced 4 or 5 fairly large carrots, diced 1 garlic clove, chopped small Juice of a medium orange
Cauliflower Fritters Steam the cauliflower head until just soft and allow it to cool.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Cauliflower, leaves removed
Add the fennel slices and stir them until they begin to soften.
Equal quantities of beer and flour
Cut it into slices about 1 cm thick.
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Some will stay together, some will fall apart, but that doesn’t really matter.
Add the carrots and garlic and continue to stir for a further 2 minutes. Add 1 litre/2 pints of water and a little salt. Leave the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the orange juice. Blend until smooth. Glamour can be added with a swirl of cream.
6.
Mix the flour and beer together with the seasonings into a smooth batter and bathe all the pieces of cauliflower to coat them on both sides. Cook in very hot oil in a shallow pan until brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with thin toast and spicy tomato chutney.
7.
Cheese Filigree 50g/2oz Parmesan cheese
Heat the oven to 180ยบC/350ยบF/Gas 4. Grate the Parmesan. Cover a baking sheet with non-stick paper. Place rounded tablespoonsful of the cheese on the paper, spaced out about 2 inches apart and pat them down gently, bringing in any stray bits. You can sprinkle with a little ground black pepper if you want added zing. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes, but keep an eye on them as they sometimes cook rather fast. Allow them to cool on the paper and then lift them carefully with a palette knife.
Cheesy Fingers 1 packet of puff pastry Grated Cheddar cheese Garlic salt 1 egg, beaten
Heat the oven to 200ยบC/400ยบF/Gas 6. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about the thickness of a pound coin. Paint the surface with beaten egg. Sprinkle half of the area with a little garlic salt and a thin layer of grated cheese. Fold the uncoated side carefully over the cheese and press it down. Roll again and repeat. Finally brush the surface with beaten egg and cut into fingers. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until risen and brown.
They will keep their crispness quite well for a few days if kept in an airtight tin. 8.
9.
Corn Fritters 100g/4oz self-raising flour 1 egg, beaten 150ml/Âź pint milk 198g tin of sweetcorn
Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Beat in the egg and milk gradually to form a smooth batter. Drain the sweetcorn and pat the kernels dry with kitchen paper. Stir them into the batter. (Any extra spices or flavours can be added at this point.)
Main Things
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on a fairly high heat and fry spoonsful of the mixture for about 2 minutes on each side. Keep them warm on a plate lined with kitchen paper until they are all cooked. Good with salsa or relish.
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11.
Cannellini Fryup 2 red onions, cut into wedges
Heat some oil in a large frying pan and tip the onions in.
3 medium courgettes, cut into chunks
Cook gently until they just begin to soften.
8 tomatoes, cut into quarters
Add the courgettes and tomatoes and continue to cook until the juices run.
1 tin of Cannellini beans, drained 1 packet of Feta cheesecheese
Celeriac Foundation 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1 celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks 1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
Peel the potatoes and boil with a little salt for 20-25 minutes. After 5 minutes add the celeriac. While they are cooking melt the butter in a pan and cook the spring onions until soft.
100g/4oz butter
Add the beans and stir them through the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. When all the vegetables are tender, crumble the Feta cheese and scatter it over the top. Place under the grill for a few minutes until the Feta cheese begins to colour.
12.
150ml/Âźpt single cream Any smoked meat or fish
Drain the potatoes and celeriac and stir in the onions and cream. Mash them until smooth and spread the mixture in an ovenproof dish. Scatter smoked meat or fish over the top, press it into the surface, and heat for a few minutes under the grill.
13.
Cheese Fondue 2 tbsp cider vinegar
Mix the vinegar with the cornflour in a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of boiling water.
1 tsp cornflour 225g/8oz Cheddar cheese, grated 225g/8oz Gruyère cheese, grated 3 tbsp crème fraîche Dipping sticks and bread
Add the cheeses gradually, stirring them in until they are melted. Stir in the crème fraîche, and add a little ground black pepper. Lower the heat and leave the mixture to keep warm. Cut chunks of bread and sticks of raw vegetables to scoop or dip into the mixture.
Cheese & Onion Flan 225g/8oz pastry 1 large onion, quartered and sliced 50g/2oz Cheddar cheese, grated 2 eggs, beaten 300ml/½pt milk
Heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Line a flan tin with the pastry, and put it in the fridge to chill. Fry the onion gently in butter until soft. In a bowl mix the cheese with the beaten egg, milk, and a little salt and pepper. Scatter the onions in the flan and pour on the cheesy mixture.
Pinch of nutmeg
Sprinkle a little nutmeg over the surface and bake for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set and golden brown.
Put the bowl in the centre of the table and get thoroughly messy.
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15.
Chicken Fruity Curry 1 chicken breast fillet, diced 1 red pepper, diced
Fry the chicken and garlic in a little oil until the chicken is just cooked. Remove and keep warm.
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
In the same pan cook the pepper until it begins to soften, adding a little more oil if necessary.
1 inch of ginger root, chopped finely
Scatter in other ingredients plus the chicken and ½ tsp salt.
A handful of golden sultanas
Pour on the coconut milk and allow it all to simmer for about 20 minutes.
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
Serve with basmati rice.
400ml tin of coconut milk Curry powder, or your own curry mix
16.
Chickpea Felafels 400g tin chickpeas, drained 1 small red onion, chopped finely 1 garlic clove, chopped finely 1 handful parsley, chopped
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor with a little salt. Blend until fairly smooth. Form them into patties and fry in hot olive oil for 3 minutes each side. Good with tomato salsa and green salad.
1 tsp coriander 1 tsp cumin
Chorizo & Fava Hotpot 200g/8oz chorizo sausage, skin removed 2 tins of chopped tomatoes 2 tins of Hodmedods British Fava beans 2 tbsp pesto
Probably the simplest recipe in the whole book, and one of the tastiest. Slice the chorizo and fry it gently in a large pan for about five minutes until it begins to colour. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and the Fava beans and stir them all together. (If you can’t get the Fava beans then butter beans will do.) Simmer gently for about 10 minutes, and then let it rest on an extremely low heat while you top up the wine glasses.
½ tsp chilli powder 1 tbsp plain flour
This allows the stunning chorizo flavour to spread through.
½ tsp salt
Pour the mixture into a noble earthenware pot (optional) and swirl the pesto through. Ladle it generously into bowls. 17.
18.
Coconutty Fish 1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp mayonnaise White fish fillets, one for each person, without skin or bones Equal quantities of desiccated coconut, and breadcrumbs (freshly made if possible), mixed together
Heat the oven to 180ÂşC/350ÂşF/Gas 4. Beat the mayonnaise into the egg in a shallow bowl. Dip the fish fillets into the egg mixture and then into the crumb and coconut mixture, making sure they are well covered. Place the fillets in an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the crumbs are just browned, and the fish is cooked through.
19.
Courgette & Feta Salad 200g/8oz Feta cheese 2 medium-sized courgettes ½ small red onion, cut into thin strips Salad leaves Your favourite salad dressing
Cut the Feta cheese into cubes and grill until browned, turning them once at half-time. Using a vegetable peeler shave the courgettes into ribbons (a mixture of yellow and green looks good) and combine them with the salad leaves. Stir in the red onion strips. Scatter the Feta cheese on the salad and add the dressing at the last minute.
20.
Courgette Frittata 1 medium courgette, grated 1 medium potato, grated or julienned 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 2 eggs, whisked and seasoned 200g/8oz Feta cheese cut into cubes
Heat the oven to 200ยบC/400ยบF/Gas 6. Fry the onions and potatoes in a little oil until softened. Add a tbsp water if they begin to stick. Put them in an ovenproof dish. Stir the grated courgette and half of the Feta cheese into the egg and pour over the potatoes and onions.
Sweet Things
Scatter the remaining Feta cheese over the top and bake until it sets and the topping is lightly browned.
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22.
Chocolate Figs
Cherry Flantastic 225g/8oz pastry 425g/14oz tin of stoned Heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas black cherries 1225g/8oz tsp cornflourpastry 1 miniature of brandy 300ml/½ pint tin carton dou- Line a flan tin with pastry and bake 425g/14oz ble ‘blind’ (lined with paper and dried of cream stoned black
cherries 1 tsp of cornflour 1 miniature of brandy 300ml/½ pint carton double cream
6.
peas/beans) for about 20 minutes.
Drain the cherries and put the liquid into a small saucepan. Stir in the cornflour and heat it gently, stirring until it thickens. Add a tablespoonful or two of the brandy. Drink the rest.
100g bar of good Fairtrade chocolate 6 figs
Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it above a pan of boiling water to melt gently. Wash and dry the figs and cut the hard bit at the bottom off flat, but keep the stalk. Dip the figs into the melted chocolate so that they each wear a dark brown skirt. Stand them in non-stick paper cake cases to cool and then put them into the fridge to harden. Serve on a pretty plate.
Just before serving put the cherries in the flan and pour the boozy liquid over them. Serve with a bowl of whipped cream.
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Cinnamon Frappé 120ml/4fl oz fresh black coffee 1 tsp sugar, or more to taste 10 ice cubes ¾ pint of whole milk Scoops of ice-cream
Put the coffee, sugar, milk and ice cubes into a blender and blitz for a minute until the ice is crushed and the mixture is frothy.
Cinnamon Frenchtoast 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Pour into glasses, float the ice-cream on top and dust with cinnamon.
½ tsp vanilla essence
Serve immediately with a long spoon and a thick straw.
4 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp milk
Ground cinnamon
8 slices of bread
25.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar and spices in a bowl, then pour the mixture into a shallow dish or soup plate. Dip the slices of bread into the mixture, coating both sides, and fry in butter until golden and irresistible. They can be eaten plain or with honey or maple/golden syrup trickled over.
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Clementine Frangipane 225g/8oz pastry 225g/8oz butter, softened 175g/6oz caster sugar 4 eggs, beaten ½ tsp vanilla essence 225g/8oz ground almonds 2 clementines, the segments cut into small juicy pieces. (Sprinkled with sugar if bitter.) 1 tbsp flaked almonds
Line a flan tin with pastry and chill it in the fridge for half an hour.
Coconut Flapjacks 150g/6oz butter
Meanwhile heat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/Gas 3.
2 tbsp golden syrup
Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence together until pale and fluffy.
150g/6oz porridge oats
Add the eggs a little at a time and continue beating until smooth. Fold the ground almonds into the mixture. Scatter the clementine pieces in the flan and pour in the almond mixture.
Set the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Melt the butter, syrup and honey in a large saucepan.
2 tbsp runny honey
100g/4oz desiccated coconut 75g/3oz dried cranberries 75g/3oz dried pineapple
Stir in all the other ingredients. Spread in a square or oblong baking tray and pat it down flat. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until it begins to brown. While it is still warm cut into squares or bars, but allow it to cool in the tin. Finalise the cutting when cold. Makes about 16 pieces.
Arrange a pattern of flaked almonds on the smoothed surface and bake for 35-40 minutes until set and golden brown. 27.
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Cornflake Fundraisers 50g/2oz Cornflakes 100g bar of 85% Fairtrade chocolate 25g/1oz butter Large handful of mini marshmallows
Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it above a pan of boiling water to melt gently. Let it cool a little, then stir in the Cornflakes until they are thoroughly coated. Add the marshmallows and stir a bit more, leaving some tempting pink and white bits showing. Put spoonsful into non-stick paper cake cases and allow them to cool. Serve to adults, with coffee and a collecting tin on the table for your favourite charity.
29.
Cottage Cheese Fruitle 300g/12oz cottage cheese 1 lemon, juiced 1 banana, chopped into small chunks 1 tbsp ground almonds 150g/6oz frozen berries, slightly thawed 1 tbsp golden syrup Wafer biscuits
Whizz the cottage cheese, lemon juice, banana, syrup and almonds in a blender until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Pour into a bowl and fold the berries in, stirring them a little so that they make colourful streaks. Serve in small bowls with interesting wafer biscuits. This can be kept in the fridge for up to three days, but who can wait that long?
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Cranberry Fudge 397g tin condensed milk 150ml/¼ pint milk 450g/1lb demerara sugar 100g/4oz butter Handful of cranberries
Put all the ingredients apart from the cranberries into a saucepan and melt gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and stir for 10-15 minutes (118ºC/244ºF). If it forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water it is ready. Remove from the heat, add the cranberries and beat with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Pour it into a square 20cm/8" tin lined with baking parchment. Leave to cool before cutting into squares.
Useful Tips Puff pastry is generally available in large frozen slabs. It is a good idea to cut a slab into four and freeze the pieces. Then you can make just a few Cinnamon Flakes or Cheesy Fingers, as they are best eaten while fresh and crisp. You can also do experiments with different fillings without wasting too much.
Changing Faces The Squire Centre 33-37 University Street London WC1E 6JN E. info@changingfaces.org.uk T. 020 7391 9270 changingfaces.org.uk facebook.com/ChangingFacesUK twitter.com/FaceEquality instagram.com/changingfacesuk
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© June Emerson All rights reserved All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No. 2710440 Registered Office: The Squire Centre, 33-37 University Street, London WC1E 6JN Registered Charity No. 1011222 Charity Registered in Scotland SC039725