13 Time-Saving Thoughts for Cooks

Thirteen is my luckiest number, so here are that many ways of saving a little time in the kitchen. If, like me, you're often prepping food in a rush, there might be something here which is worth a go.

 1  Salad dressing: put all ingredients into a small jam jar, seal and shake vigorously (the 
         jar that is). Will keep well in the fridge for a while.

 2  Grate cheese onto a piece of kitchen paper or greaseproof (rather than a chopping 
         board), then fold and pour.

Strawberry huller

 3  Prep strawberries just before they're needed: use a huller (cheap like the one above, or
         slightly smarter, e.g. from Lakeland), then wash.

 4  If spreading Marmite in baking, for example onto puff pastry, put the required amount
         into a small microwaveable bowl and microwave for 10 seconds. It'll be runnier
         and easier to spread, and will go further - usually needs to be used sparingly anyway.

 5  Use scissors to top & tail gooseberries. If they have that mildew thing, soak in water
         for a while then just rub the skins clear. Scissors are also quickest for 'chopping'
         herbs or dried chillies.

 6  To skin tomatoes quickly, slash the skins a couple of times then put into a bowl of
         just-boiled water for a couple of minutes. The flesh expands and, hopefully, bursts
         out of the skins.

 7  When a cooked dish needs reheating in the oven (e.g. pastry based which would go
         soggy in the microwave), it's still worth microwaving for a couple of minutes while
         the oven heats up - saves quite a useful amount of time.

 8  Freeze freshly washed (and patted dry) mint, thyme, sage or parsley leaves whole.
        When needed, take the amount out and just crumble it straight away.

 9  If freezing a large quantity of fresh veg, prepare the approx number of freezer bags first.
         Put the portion size you want in a bag and weigh it, then duplicate the weight for
         other bags until all the veg is packed. Saves time judging the portion each time.

10 I've mentioned this one before: when a recipe says to rub butter into flour, I find it still
         works if you use melted butter from the microwave and just mix it into the flour. If
         you try this, it might be best to experiment first! It can same time, effort and mess.

11 An oldie but worth a mention: when cooking on the hob, use a lid. Boils more quickly
         and needs slightly lower heat to maintain cooking, saving time and fuel.

12 Use a potato peeler to make ribbons from courgettes, then marinade them in dressing -
         no need to cook. Same for raw, peeled carrots.

13 To make biscuit crumbs, for example for a cheesecake or banoffee pie, put the whole
         biscuits into a large polythene bag and use a rolling pin to crush. Quicker than
         getting out the blender then washing and putting it away.

So that's my thirteen. If you carry out each one just once, you should save enough time to make a lemon drizzle cake. That's what I'd do.

Ten Facts about the Luscious Strawberry

So we're in the middle of the happy strawberry season. Not that you'd know it from the skies. Still, there are plenty of strawbs in the shops, many thankfully local, so here are some facts about this, my favourite fruit. (Although I'm very fond of Sharon fruit, raspberries and lychees too.)

by sigusr0
via flickr.com

Strawberries
 1  They are a member of the rose family. (Much nicer though. Discuss.)
 2  Apart from humans, keen munchers of this fruit include aphids, thrips, weevils, beetles, 
          birds and moths as well our beloved national slimeball, the sl*g.
 3  They're rich in vitamin C.
 4  100g of this fruit contains only about 30 calories.
 5  The 17th century English writer Dr William Butler wrote about the strawberry:  
          "Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless He never did."
 6 This is the only fruit to bear its seeds on the outside - on average about 200 of them.
 7  Belgium has a museum dedicated solely to the strawberry. It's in Wepion, on the banks
          of the river Meuse, and is apparently rather small.
 8 The flowers are considered hermaphrodite; the fruit is commercially propagated from
          runners.
 9 Medieval stonemasons carved strawberries around the tops of pillars and on altars in
          churches and cathedrals, since they were said to symbolise perfection and
          righteousness.
10 For a similar reason, in Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona's handkerchief is
          decorated with strawberries.

by Sancho McCann via flickr.com

Finally, has anyone yet tried the new variety which is white with red seeds? Said to be just as lovely, but I can't believe the 'experience' would be the same. 


Some of these facts are courtesy of The University of Illinois.

Coronation Quorn & Jubilee Dessert, fit for ... most people!

Couldn't let the weekend pass without a nod at food fitting the theme.


The Coronation Quorn is similar to the chicken version which was apparently created for the coronation in June 1953. I have to admit its 'back-cover blurb' lacks a certain something, as it's served at room temperature and can look a bit of a mess. But its appearance doesn't do it justice, if that helps. I loved it, and John ate every scrap. Turns out his resistance to Quorn chunks dates back to when he was very young, and the family ate stewing steak which had gristle. Reminds me of the charming little boy in 7-Up who said he wouldn't get married because 'Supposing she served me greens. Well I don't like greens.' Such a fascinating series, but I digress.
     To check I hadn't forgotten any key ingredients, I first checked the recipe on http://www.cookvegetarian.co.uk , which is 'Cheat's Coronation Quorn'. But all was well. The recipe below serves 2-3, but the Jubilee Dessert would serve 2.

Coronation Quorn
Ingredients
3 tbsp good oil
1 large onion, peeled & coarsely chopped
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp sesame seeds
300g pack Quorn chunks, defrosted if frozen
2 tbsp mayonnaise (light version is fine)
1 tbsp strong curry paste (approx)


Method
1  Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fry gently for 7 mins.
2  Stir in the sugar and cook gently for a further 7 mins, stirring from time to time.
3  Meanwhile, place the flour and sesame seeds on a medium plate and mix them. Use this
       to coat the Quorn pieces on all sides.
4  When the onion is done, remove it from the pan into a medium bowl..
5  Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the Quorn pieces gently for about 10
       mins, turning so that all sides of the cubes are browned. Add to the bowl.
6  Add the mayo and curry paste and mix gently (so the cubes don't break down but are
       evenly coated). Taste at that point, and add more mayo if too spicy, or paste if too 
       mild.


The cucumber and crusty French stick went well with this. To get the frilly edges to the slices of cue, cut a single chunk enough for 2-3 people. Then use the tines of a tough fork to score heavily down the rind lengthwise before slicing thinly. There's no waste, unlike methods which involve cutting out triangles lengthwise down the side.

Jubilee Dessert
This looked very fine, but as it doesn't have a solid base it couldn't be served in neat portions. Tasted great, all the same. I could have made it on parchment on a square plate, then cut through the dessert and parchment with scissors and serve like that! Confess I needed to find a clear pic of the Union flag to make sure I got the white stripes right.
Ingredients
150ml double cream
70g strawberries
60g blueberries


Method - if possible, use a square plate with flat part more than 20cm along each side.
1  Whip the cream until it is just stiff. Spread it on the serving dish to a square with sides of
       about 20cm, smoothing the top flat and tidying the edges.
2  Wash and pat dry the strawberries. Slice thinly and arrange on the cream to match the red
       in the Union flag.
3  Wash and pat dry the blueberries and put in place for the blue parts of the flag.


A cuttable base would have been good, such as a sweet pastry square, or a base made from crushed digestive biscuits mixed with melted butter and chilled before topping. Even a square of simple sponge cake would be nice too - more or less the ingredients for a Victoria sponge!


And a last thought - is someone going to invent a replacement for the Vic Sponge and call it an Elizabeth sponge? I just might have a crack at that.