New Project - The Cook's Alphabet

Following-on from my earlier quest to deliver a new wild food every week (and as Winter is closing in I'm now onto another project for this blog. This time it's an attempt to go through an entire alphabet of food. Every other day I hope to make a new blog entry with recipe and chef-related information related to each and every letter of the English alphabet. This evening's post is the first of these, starting with the letter 'A'.

Cook's Alphabet 'A'

The letter 'A' is, of course the first letter in the alphabet, and today's recipe is for both a wild food beginning with the letter 'A' and a recipe beginning with the same letter:

Acorn Tortillas

210g rice flour or any whole-grain flour
120g acorn flour
50g arrowroot
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
3 tbsp corn oil
120ml lukewarm water or as needed

Mix all the dry ingredients together then stir-in the corn oil before adding just enough water to make a soft dough that you can press into a very thin sheet between your fingers. If the dough is too sticky to work, add more flour.

Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized balls then using a rolling pin roll the balls into flat, round disks about 2mm thick.

Place a large non-stick pan on high heat and use this to cook each disk on both sides until flecked with brown (less than 1 minute altogether). Don't overcook or the tortillas will get hard.

This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtenet Acorn Tortillas recipe page.


Today's cookery term is: Abats, which is the French term for offal, which in America are sometimes known as 'speciality meats'. These being the internal organs of animals.

For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'A' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'A'
Spices beginning with 'A'
Herbs beginning with 'A'
Wild foods beginning with 'A'
Cook's glossary 'A'

The Recipes of North Africa — Algerian Grilled Sardines with Lemon

All of the seven states of North Africa have extensive coastlines and five of the region's countries border the Mediterranean. These are:

Information and Recipes of Algeria
Information and Recipes of Egypt
Information and Recipes of Libya
Information and Recipes of Morocco
Information and Recipes of Tunisia

Of the other two countries, Western Sahara is a disputed territory currently under the control of Morocco. Sudan lies on the Arabian sea and you can find:

Information and Recipes of Sudan

As might be expected, fish plays a very important part in the cuisines of the majority of these countries. The exception being Libya, where meat (especially lamb) is by far the most important protein source in the diet.

An example of one of these fish dishes is the recipe below, from Algeria for grilled sardines:

Algerian Grilled Sardines with Lemon Recipe

Ingredients:
1 kg prepared fresh sardines
6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
generous pinch of paprika
generous pinch of ground cumin
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
Combine the oil, lemon juice, coriander, paprika and cumin in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper then whisk to combine. Meanwhile, lay the sardines as a single layer in a large baking dish. Pour the oil mixture over the top then cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 80 minutes to marinate (turn the sardines at least every 20 minutes during this time).

Pre-heat your barbecue or grill (broiler) and cook the fish for about 3 minutes per side. Brush frequently with the marinade to ensure and even coating. Serve hot and pour any remaining lemon mix over the top then garnish with fresh parsley.


Below is a classic Libyan fish dish:

Libyan Spicy Fish Recipe

Ingredients:
6 fish steaks
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp kammon hoot
60g tomato purée
250ml passata (tomato juice)
1 onion, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
250ml water
freshly-chopped coriander and lemon wedges, to serve

Method:
Combine half the garlic, kammon hoot, salt and lemon juice together in a bowl. Add the fish and toss to coat then cover and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan and use to fry the onion and remaining garlic until golden brown (about 12 minutes). Add the tomato purée and passata and simmer for about 8 minutes then add the marinated fish and their marinade along with the water. Bring to a simmer then cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.

Transfer the fish to a warmed serving plate and garnish with coriander and lemon wedges. Pour the sauce into a bowl and serve on the side.

(The recipe above reproduced, with thanks, from the Celtnet Libyan Spicy Fish Recipe page.)

For more North African recipes please visit the Celtnet North African recipes page.


For more African Recipes, see the Celtnet Recipes Blog African Recipes page.

This list of African regions and African recipes is brought to you in association with the Recipes of Africa eBook. With over 1000 recipes covering each and every country in Africa, this is the most comprehensive book of African recipes available anywhere.

If you love African food, or are just interested in African cookery, then the Recipes of Africa eBook is a must-buy. You get information about every region of Africa and every African country along with a selection of classic and traditional recipes from that country.

This is a must-get book for anyone interested in food. Learn about a continent that to this day remains mysterious to many people. The recipes presented here are written by someone who has travelled extensively in Africa and who is a published Author. The book is a properly-produce and published eBook and the collection is immense.

Don't delay, get yourself a copy of the Recipes of Africa eBook today!

Cooking with Sea-buckthorn

I have been cooking with sea-buckthorn in one way or another for many years. However, recent reports of sea-buckthorn berries as a 'superfood' and their use on TV cooking shows have cast this winter berry into the forefront of many's minds.

In fact I wasn't planning to write anything on sea-buckthorn berries for quite a few weeks, but a trip to visit my parents yesterday (they live on the coast) brought this berry to mind. The sea-buckthorn plant is a thorny shrub that likes sandy soils, survives in salty environments but needs un-shaded spots. As a result they tend to grow along the coastline, though many are also used as hedging plants in gardens.

There are distinct male and female plants that flower in March and the fruit of the female plant mature in September. However, the fruit tend to stay on the plant throughout the winter and, typically, they can be picked right through to December. This is why I was planning on posting about this plant much later in the year. However, on yesterday's visit to my parents I spotted a beautiful plant stuffed full of berries.

Now, the traditional way of picking the fruit is to cut the whole fruit-bearing branch away then to freeze it for a few weeks and to strip the frozen berries away with a knife. This harms the plant and it may not bear fruit again for 2 years. As a result, I tend to pick by hand. This, admittedly, can be a tricky process because of the thorns (if you've ever picked sloes you will know what I mean). But it can be done and though you might prick yourself quite a few times you do much less damage to the plant.

The berries are both tart and bitter. Much of the bitterness can be eliminated by freezing the fruit for a week or more. The bitterness is also reduced by cooking and, like all bitter foods, you can add a little salt to counteract the bitterness (salt is the opposite of bitter in terms of cooking).

Sea-buckthorn berries are very rich in vitamins C and vitamin A (hence the yellow to orange colour) they also contain lots of essential oils and make an excellent winter storage food. Indeed, in Northern Europe the fruit are often dried and ground to a powder (seeds and all) to use as a condiment or spice.

We tend to under-use and under-value this plant (indeed, there is an old wives' tale that it's poisonous [entirely untrue]) but in Scandinavia and Russia it's highly prized for its berries. One of the most versatile uses is to make sea-buckthorn berry syrup, which can be used to flavour a whole range of other foods:

Sea-buckthorn Berry Syrup

Ingredients:
1kg sea-buckthorn berries
2 tsp salt
500g sugar (or to taste)
200ml water

Pick over the berries, wash thoroughly then dry and freeze for at least 7 days (this reduces the bitterness). After a week, add the berries to a pan along with the salt (this also counteracts the bitterness). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the fruit are soft. Mash the fruit then strain through a double layer of cloth. Wring the cloth to extract as much juice as possible.

Return the juice to a pan, add 350g sugar and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust for sweetness (I like mine quite tart) then reduce until the mixture syrupy. Transfer to a bottle and store in the refrigerator.

(This recipe reproduced, with thanks from the Celtnet Sea-buckthorn berry syrup recipe page.)

As well as being used wherever you would use a flavoured syrup this syrup can also be used as the basis for cakes and other foods, as in the cheesecake recipe, below:

Sea-buckthorn Cheesecake

Ingredients:
80g rich tea biscuits
80g digestive biscuits
60g butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
250g ricotta cheese
250g mascarpone cheese
3 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
300ml Sea-buckthorn Berry Syrup
fresh sea-buckthorn berries, to garnish

Method:
Crumble the biscuits then combine in a bowl with the butter and brown sugar. Pack into the base of a springform cake tin (about 25cm diameter) spreading the mixture part way up the side of the tin.

Meanwhile, cream together the cheeses and eggs in a bowl then stir-in the sugar and vanilla extract. Pour the cheese mix over the biscuit base then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cake to cool completely in the oven.

When the cake is completely cold carefully warm-up the sea-buckthorn berry syrup and pour over the top of the cheesecake. Garnish with raw sea-buckthorn berries then place in the refrigerator to chill over night before serving.

(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the following Sea-buckthorn Syrup Cheesecake Recipe.)

Like many wild fruit, sea-buckthorn berries can also be used to make a tasty jam or jelly which is an excellent breakfast spread. Follow the following link for a whole range of Sea-buckthorn Berry Recipes.

For all the wild food recipes on this blog, see the wild food recipes page.

Cooking with Chillies

Chillies, also known as chilis, chilé and ají are the fruit of members of the Capsicum genus of flowering plants (all members of the Solanaceae (deadly nightshade) family of plants and range from sweet bell peppers (no heat) to the Naga chilli (currently the world's hottest).


They all originate in the Americas, where they have been cultivated for at least 7500 and they were probably probably an essential component of the Mesoamarican diet (which relied on maize and beans as a staple) as the high vitamin C content of red peppers increases the uptake of non red blood cell iron in diets containing little or no meat. For this very reason they are a crucial component of the West African diet today.

Christopher Columbus encountered them on his first voyage to the Carribean in 1492 and though he did not bring any back on that voyage (they were taken to Spain on his second voyage) he does wirte of a 'pepper' that the natives called Ají which was better in taste and nature that ordinary peppers. However, it was the Portuguese who, in 1498 took the chilli pepper (most notably the piri-piri chilli) back to Portugal and the Cape Verde islands. But as they sought to exploit their foothold in the Americas they brought chillies to West Africa and African slaves to Brazil. Chillies, most notably, the piri-piri did so well in West Africa that they became wild and naturalized and now the piri-piri grows wild in West Africa (which is why, even to this day it's often mistaken as an African native). Between 1498 and 1549 the chilli spread eastwards both over the silk route and through Portuguese conquests in India, the Spice Islands, China and finally Japan so that by 1549 the chilli was known as far as Japan. See this article on the history of the spread of chillies to learn more about how chillies moved across the Old World.

Of course, what's amazing about chillies is that, when dried, they have pure 'heat' but no bitterness and only very little flavour. As a result they can be used to enhance a dish without affecting it's flavour in any way. The actual 'heat' effect of chillies is created by the chemical, capsacin. These are hydrophobic (water-hating) chemicals and this is why they tend to bury themselves into the surfaces of the palate and the mouth causing irritation (the burning sensation; indeed the chemical is produced by the plants to deter predation by animals). This is also why drinking water is ineffective as a way of eliminating the burning sensation. The capsaicinoids do not dissolve in water and are simply spread by it. However, foods rich in fat such as milk and yoghurt will eliminate the chemical (this is why yoghurt is served with many Indian dishes).

As a fruit, there are five species of chillies: Capsicum annuum, the largest group which contains sweet bell peppers as well as Jalapeño chillies, Thai birdseye chillies and cayenne peppers; Capsicum frutescens which includes African birds-eye chillies and Tabasco chillies; Capsicum chinense, which includes some of the hottest chillies, Scotch bonnet chillies and habanero chillies; Capsicum baccatum, which contains some of the rarer but more flavoursome chillies such as the ají 'hot lemon' and Capsicum pubescens which contains chillies such as the rocoto.

he 'heat' of foods is measured by special units, called Scoville units. Bell peppers rank at zero Scoville units, jalapeños at 3,000–6,000 Scoville units, and habaneros at 300,000 Scoville units. The current official Guinness Book of Records record for the highest Scoville rating for a chilli pepper goes to the Red Savina Habanero, measuring 577,000 units. Reports of a hotter pepper have circulated for many years, though and a recent report was made of a pepper from India called the Naga Jolokia measuring at 855,000 Scoville units but the validity of this claim is disputed. However, in April 2006 a report of the Naga Dorset pepper, a variety of the Naga Jolokia pepper cultivated exclusively by the Peppers by Post company in Dorset, England who claimed their pepper measured 923,000 SHU [note that pure capsaicin rates at 15,000,000 Scoville units].

In the fruit itself, it's only the stem end of he fruit that contains the glands to produce capsaicin. This chemical then flows down the membranes inside the fruit and into the seeds. This is why removing the seeds and membranes as well as the stem effectively reduces the heat of the fruit. (To learn more about chillies see this chilli spice page.)

Of course, the real point of chillies is to use them in cooking, whether you use the raw fruit or use prepared chilli powders such as cayenne pepper, paprika or hot chilli powder. Or you can use dried chillies (chillies dry well and retain their heat, which is one reason that, globally, they became a desirable spice).

One of the hottest chilli dishes I know is the West African 'pepper soup' and below is a recipe for this very fiery stew:


Pepper Soup with Chicken

Ingredients:
20 Scotch Bonnet chillies
4 ripe tomatoes
Juice of 1 lime
200ml chicken stock (or 1 chicken stock cube in 200ml water)
450g chicken thighs
2 onions, roughly sliced
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Method:

First take five of the chillies and pound to a paste in a pestle and mortar. Then roughly chop the tomatoes and add these to the pestle and mortar and pound in.

Add about 60ml vegetable oil into a large stock pot, then add the chicken and fry until golden brown on all sides. At this point add the remaining chillies, onions and garlic and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the chilli and tomato paste, season with the salt and pepper then add the lime juice, 200ml of chicken stock and 1.5l water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.

The soup can be served as it is (the guest would mash the chillies with the back of a spoon before eating) or, alternatively mash the chillies with a fork and then serve in soup bowls.

(This recipe, reproduced, with thanks from the Celtnet Chicken Pepper Soup Recipe page.



For a collection of several hundred chilli recipes from all corners of the globe check out the Celtnet Chilli Recipes pages.


If you truly like chillies then here is a link to an article (with recipes) for the word's three hottest chillies.

Cooking with Shaggy Ink Caps

I have to admit that this was an accidental rather than a planned forage. I'm no expert mycologist, but I do know the commoner fungi when I see them, so I can hardy describe my surprise that, when I was walking home last night, I saw a cluster of Shaggy Ink Caps (Coprinus comatus) next to the path just outside a local park. Now, I know that these mushrooms do grow in and around towns, but it was still a surprise to see them.

There was a cluster of half a dozen, all with closed caps and with the stems just showing (as in the picture). I was only 20 minutes from home and I could cook them almost immediately, so I picked the lot. I should note here that shaggy ink caps contain enzymes that liquefy them. It's this liquefaction that, when the caps open, leads to them dripping black 'ink' from the outer edges of the cap. This ink being the mushroom's method of spreading its spores.

The problem is that, even in young specimens, the enzymes get to work as soon as you pick the mushrooms. Taking the stems intact helps delay the process, but if you pick shaggy ink caps you need to be able to eat them within an hour. But these are a delicate and flavoursome mushroom, well worth collecting. If you do collect them, here are a few recipes for you:

Poached Shaggy Ink Caps

Ingredients:

12 young shaggy ink caps
1 garlic clove, grated
100ml milk
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

Combine the milk, garlic and mushrooms in a pan. Season to taste, bring to a simmer, then poach the mushrooms gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and serve immediately.

(This recipe reproduced, with thanks, from the Celtnet Poached Shaggy Ink Caps recipe page.)


Oatmeal Shaggy Ink Caps

6 shaggy ink caps, halved
1 egg, well beaten
salt and black pepper, to taste
plain flour
fine oatmeal
60g

Whisk the egg with 1 tbsp water in a shallow bowl then season the oatmeal and place on a plate. Dip the mushrooms in the flour and then in the egg mixture then dip in the oatmeal and ensure that it's completely coated.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and place the mushrooms in the pan, gill side down. Fry for about 3 minutes, then turn the mushrooms over and cook on the other side until golden. Serve immediately.

Check out this page for many more shaggy ink cap recipes.

For all the wild food recipes on this blog, see the wild food recipes page.

Baking Christmas Cakes

Yes, I know it's not yet the end of October, but the truth is that a number of Christmas cakes (especially fruit cakes) need several weeks to mature properly and I'll be starting my own Christmas baking next week. As a result I'm presenting here the recipe for my family's traditional rich Christmas cake (which is also used for wedding).

Traditional Rich Fruit Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
420g sultanas
270g raisins
270g currants
120g chopped prunes
120ml brandy or Madeira
360g butter
300g dark brown sugar
300g plain flour
120g ground almonds
pinch of salt
1 tsp mixed spice
5 eggs, well beaten
grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
juice of 1 lemongrated rind of 1 orange


Method:

The night before mix all the fruit, the wine and the lemon juice and allow to marinate. The following day cream together the butter and sugar until soft and very fluffy. Sieve all the dry ingredients together and beat the eggs well. Gradually add the flour mix and the eggs alternately into the butter and sugar mix. Beat well after each additon.

When done gradually add the fruit to the mix and beat well so that they are completely integrated.

When ready spoon the mixture into two 1kg loaf pans (or a large square or round tin) that have been well greased and lined with greaseproof paper. Place in the centre of an oven pre-heated to 150°C and cook for an hour. Cover the top with greaseproof paper, reduce the heat to 140°C and cook for a further four hours, or until the cake is done and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges clean. Allow to cool completely, cover in greaseproof paper and foil then place in an air-tight tin to mature for at least 4 weeks before decorating (preferrably more).

This recipe is adapted from the Traditional Rich Fruit Christmas cake recipe page.

Other traditional Christmas cakes include:

Scottish Black Bun
Christmas Cake (Dark Fruitcake)
Dundee Cake
Dresdner Stollen
Icelandic Layer Cake
King Cake (Twelfth Night Cake)
Mincemeat Christmas Cake (a last minute Christmas cake that does not need ageing)
Old-fashioned Yule Cake
Panettone
Scottish Christmas Bun
Trinidadian Black Cake
Twelfth Night Cake
Yeasty Christmas Cake


Few of the cakes listed above would be complete without a layer of traditional marzipan and a coating of Glacé Icing Recipe.

These recipes and links are brought to you by the Celtnet Christmas Recipes collection.

Cooking with Sweet Chestnuts

Sweet chestnuts are one of the glories of late Autumn, one of those wild foods that you really should go out of your way to forage. In much of Europe, sweet chestnuts are a very versatile food, turned into flours, pastes, sauces and even beer. Indeed, the use of chestnuts dates from Roman times (as the recipe given below shows). Just be sure, when picking, that you select edible Sweet Chestnuts (Castanea sativa) and not the toxic Horse Chestnut (sweet chestnuts have lots of needle-like spines on the outer casing and there are three tear-drop nuts inside).


Remove the outer casing and you will have the brow nuts. The outer casing is inedible, but can be easily removed if you cut a cross in the top of the nut then blanch in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove the brown case and rub off the inner peel and you will have the white flesh of the nut itself. These blanched nuts will freeze very well and will last you easily through the Winter and spring. You can also turn sweet chestnuts into flour by drying the sweet chestnuts and then grinding in to flour (you can also buy sweet chestnut flour).


Lenticulam de castaneis
(Roman Lentils and Chestnuts)


Ingredients:

600ml beef stock
225g sweet chestnuts, cleaned
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp mint, chopped
dash of bitters (optional, mimics the flavour of rue seed)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
200g cooked lentils (see above)
salt, to taste
freshly-ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Combine the spices in a mortar and pound into a powder then add the herbs and bruise. Mix in the red wine, honey and bitters and stir to form a paste.

Clean and wash the chestnuts then add to a pan along with the stock and the spice mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chestnuts are tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed (about 40 minutes). Puree the mixture (either with a pestle and mortar or in a blender) then return to the pot along with the lentils. Add 120ml water and allow to heat through.

Season with salt, transfer to a serving bowl and grind some black pepper over the top. Garnish with olive oil and serve.


This recipe is reproduced, with thanks from the Celtnet Roman Lentils and Chestnuts Recipe, part of that site's Ancient Roman Recipes collection.

Below is a cake recipe using sweet chestnut flour.

Chestnut Flour Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
400g sweet chestnut flour (either buy or make your own by grinding sweet chestnuts)
30g pine nuts
30g raisins
4 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
generous knob of butter
7 tbsp breadcrumbs (about)

Method:
Place the raisins in a large bowl, cover with warm water and soak for 20 minutes then drain and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Combine the chestnut flour, sugar and salt in a bowl then add 4 tbsp olive oil to moisten and mix to combine. Now add just enough warm water to bring the mixture together as a soft batter.

Grease a cake pan with butter then sprinkle the breadcrumbs over to cover. Pour in the swet chestnut batter then arrange the pine nuts and raisins on top. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top then place the cake in an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top of the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly.


This recipe is reproduced, with thanks, from the Celtnet Chestnut Flour Cake Recipe.

For more sweet chestnut recipes please visit the Celtnet Sweet Chestnut Recipes, which is part of the Celtnet Wild Foods Recipes site.

For all the wild food recipes on this blog, see the wild food recipes page.