Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's white beans with artichokes

This time made with Snorfrisk Norwegian goat's cheese. Yes, really. 'Tis delish!

sources
white beans with artichokes - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday! p 240

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's vedgeree

It turns out we’re still married after all. And what better way to consign last night’s chicken chettinad of hate to the bin (damn you Rick Stein!) than with a sunny walk along the river, via the pub, followed by a vegetable biryani of love, care of the floppy-haired lord of love, St Hugh?

Originally we were scheduled to have another installment of Jamie’s venison stroganoff tonight as Milo has been asking for it all week, but given the veg in the crisper I was intending to use up later in the week for this was looking a mite peaky, we switched things around. As it turned out though, Milo’s disgruntlement was a small price to pay for an happier fridge and even better, a really delicious curry.

Okay, so it’s not as good as the Anjum green biryani, or Rick’s one, but it’s still full of delicate flavours and with the added benefits of using up as much random veg as you’ve got (in this case carrots, parsnips, celery, courgette and a random bit of squash) and having enough left over for lunch tomorrow. Not that we’ll be having lunch on fasting day of course.

Having waxed lyrical, I reckon there’s still scope for improvement. You could probably add some chutney to it I think, just to add a little more depth to the flavours.

sources
vedgeree - hugh fearnley-whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday!, p276 

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's warm salad of mushrooms and roasted squash

sources
warm salad of mushrooms of roasted squash - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg! Everday, p94

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's chestnut and sage soup

Being unable to use my fingers due to the bleeding and discomfort caused by the chestnut shell splinters aside, this is one of the tastiest soups I've ever made. Nothing tastes better than the flavour of scrumped produce:

sources
chestnut and sage soup - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday, p158

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's roasted parsnip, lentil and watercress salad

And whilst that's cooking, I've got time to roast the pocketful of illegal chestnuts we liberated from Richmond Park during the weekend:

And by 'roast', I mean roast and then properly slash my fingers up, with shards of shell stuck under my nails, trying to get the fuckers out before resorting to the internet for advice and then boiling the shit out of them. I could easily be a country cook.

sources
roasted parsnip, lentil and watercress salad - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday, p90

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's roast pumpkin soup

sources
pumpkin soup - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Year, p 199

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's porotos granados

sources
Porotos granados - HFW, River Cottage Veg Everyday, p146

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's roasted parsnip, lentil and watercress salad

sources
roasted parsnip, lentil and watercress salad - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday, p90

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's creamy fish pie

sources
creamy fish pie - Saint Hugh and Fizz Carr, The River Cottage Family Cookbook, p248

hugh's north african squash and chickpea stew

Other than a roast, nothing says autumn is on it's way more than a hearty stew ticking away on the hob, and guess what's cooking tonight?

Funnily enough I'm not as famished as I usually am after yesterday's 5:2 starvathon, so I don't have to instantly make a huge pile of sandwiches when I get home. This means I've got more time to chop up squash/onions/garlic/celery when I get home, and indeed get a bit frisky with some left-over chorizo lurking in the fridge.

What we end up with is a great heart-warming, satisfying stew which is made even richer by the addition of the chorizo, which adds a piquant dimension and greater depth for flavour. This is all to the good as we both knackered, hence the picture wobble:

There's simply too much to do at the moment, and things aren't helped by a Milo discovering hitherto untapped mines of energy after some post-school swimming.

And if we weren't sure it the seasons were turning, watching The Killing is final confirmation. We still can't work out whodunnit though...

sources
north african squash and chickpea stew - HFW, River Cottage Veg Everyday, p30

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's white beans with artichokes

Last night I was eating leftover burgers and panzanalla from lunchboxes in the fridge whilst Milo refused to go to bed and my erstwhile wives were living it up eating foraged nettle ricotta (hopefully the nettles were foraged, rather than the cheese) at The Shed in Notting Hill, hence the lack of updates.

Today I repeated the trick with Claire's left-over roasted veg, asparagus and quinoa salad for lunch, and by tea-time I'm regretting this commitment to thrift. There are only two upsides to my increased methane output:
1. Most of this evening's run around Kew with Al was jet-propelled. Whilst not recording any personal best, I could at least keep up with the long-legged lug, thanks to quinoa power.
2. Whilst I'm out de-gassing, Ana is forced into the kitchen as she's starving.

Faced with cooking an experimental Delia salad she doesn't want to eat anyway, she takes the path of least resistance and uses up the artichokes in the fridge with a second installment of Hugh's white bean salad. Not only that, she fails to burn the garlic like I do, every time.

I suppose this could technically count as 'left over', because one of the benefits of our new tryingnottoeatasmanyportionspernight fat person diet is we actually do have left-over ingredients. Not only does this mean we're not stuffing as much into our ravening maws of an evening, but you've also got half a meal ready for next week, saving money as well as weight. Sort of.

Wine Time
Roasted artichoke is a bugger to match, but I learned a top tip from one of the restaurants I used to deal with which whilst not 100% accurate, is a pretty good rule of thumb: Think of it in the same terms as that other odd-and-pungent veg, the asparagus. In this case, a really green rather than tropical Sauv should would work a treat, with a big wodge of acidity to counter the oily dressing and powdery cannellini beans.

sources
white beans with artichokes - River Cottage Veg Everyday! HFW, p 240

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's white beans with artichoke

In the interests of moving this blog along (yet again), strap yourselves in for a whirlwind catch-up. Today is a good day to start this process as three months on, I've lost my notes so I've got absolutely no idea what I was doing on this particular day: The calendar is blank, but it does look sunny in the picture...

Let's say I spent the day hard at work applying for jobs, before taking on a number of chores around the house. I did not, repeat NOT spend the day fannying about in the sun.

sources
white beans with artichokes - River Cottage Veg Everyday! HFW, p 240

hugh's mexican tomato and bean soup

After yesterday's distinct touch of summer, we're back to a definite grip of spring today. It's not exactly cold, but there's an edge to the wind as we trek around Richmond Park in the next stage of Operation Negative-Fattie-Boom-Batties.

Actually, with Milo back at school today, we've got a week of quality time together (or pointlessly bickering depending who is in what mood - I was in the doldrums today), but today we're clearing the decks post athleticism.

With monkey chops in bed we're at a bit of a loss what to cook. It's a slight case of recipe ennui combined with forgetting to take anything out of the freezer, and forgetting where I spotted a fab-looking recipe for a mixed bean soup. Could've been 'magic bean' though, which sounds even better.

I'd actually got to the point of having rice and dried porcini mushrooms on the worktop for a risotto, but in the end we opt for an equally-great, and more importantly, warming St Hugh soup:

 We've definitely had this before, so I can't believe I can't find it in the blog, but on the basis my promises of 'catching up' are at best vague, let's consider this it's first appearance here. It's a great soup, and an interesting variation on similar tomato and pulse-based dishes, mainly because it feels so fresh, light and zingy. The lime juice obviously helps here, but the whole thing sits a little easier than the infinitely heavier chickpea, tomato and chorizo soup for example.

Obviously we have half portions (twice) and Ana teams it with Ryvita. Cos we is fit, innit.

sources
mexican tomato and bean soup - HFW, River Cottage Veg Everyday! p138

hugh's mexican tomato and bean soup

Having got away with being very, very drunk yesterday I rather chance my arm with Mrs Barnes today having nipped into the office to collect my stuff, only to return three hours later than scheduled, and with slightly more foaming nut-brown ale in me than planned.

She's even less pleased when I clatter around in the kitchen, attempting to knock something quick up for dinner, whilst she's trying to watch telly.

Luckily you can't really go wrong with Hugh's Mexican tomato and bean soup. It ticks a lot of health points as the cooked tomatoes are fully of lovely cancer-bashing lycopene, the pulses are obviously good for the digestion, and it's always good to get a sweat on!

I like to throw in some smoked paprika to give a sweeter edge to the ground cumin, plus the smokiness really pairs up well with the lime juice and the cooling creme fraiche. The other thing you can do is chop up some sweet peppers and add them with the garlic and spices. I'm just saying.

sources
mexican tomato and bean soup - Hugh F-W, River Cottage Veg Everyday! P138

hugh's roast pumpkin soup

What's better than a day at work watching it snow outside? Why a whole evening of heavy snow, and the next day being a Saturday of course!

It's the perfect training weekend for Milo, to get him prepared for the holiday of a lifetime chez Hamilton's amazing Harlock Household (get those chicken wings on Hayley!); we go sledging in Richmond Park, we build snowmen, we throw snowballs and we generally arse about. It's aces!

And the best way to warm up? Why with a hearty bowl of Saint Hugh's amazing roast pumpkin soup with a side portion of cheese (and Worcestershire sauce) on toast!

Mmmm, thick, warming, garlicky goodness. Even better (other than the fact there's loads for lunch this week) is the fact Milo decides he doesn't like cheese on toast. Mu-ha-ha-ha!

Wine Time
The keen-eyed will spot I wasn't actually drinking wine with my soup, I had a brewski. Partly this is because I'm not a massive fan of wine and soup; it's the liquid-liquid thing I struggle with, and on reflection I don't actually remember drinking anything whilst eating it.

I suppose if you wanted to try something, I suppose the best thing you can do is go with a trad match of an off-dry Riesling or a Gewurtztraminer, particularly as the soup has a lot of garlic which gives it a bit more sweetness.

sources
pumpkin soup - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Year, p 199

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's creamy mushroom soup

After last week's two-day return to work, it all kicks off with a vengeance today: 0800 meeting, cold ride to work and cold paella for lunch. Despite not drinking yesterday, on reflection I don't think putting in a three hour stint until 00.45 watching Any Human Heart (whilst openly weeping) properly prepared me for the return.

By the time I get home, mercifully early for the first time in three months, I'm not only famished, I'm also still dehydrated from all the crying. The good news is soup is pretty much 100% water, so that's the latter point sorted, and even better (although not for her grumbling stomach) Ana's back on the intermittent fasting, so I've got loads for lunch tomorrow.

 

Despite being a far superior accompaniment to the latest Midsomer on catch-up than a corn cake with some peanut butter, it's strangely unsatisfying. I think I might have used slightly too much water because the flavour is oddly lacking; you don't really get much thyme, or garlic OR the variety of fungi - portobello, chestnut, button and some porcini - in it. Odd. But as I say, better than a corn cake.

Wine Time

I don't really hold with wine with soup, mainly because it's liquid and liquid, unless you're being jazzy and serving shots of soup as amuse-style bouches. However I appreciate if you're serving as a starter (and therefore presenting significantly smaller portions), you would want some wine to accompany it.

Assuming you manage to get more flavour into your soup, you need look no further than a great Old World Pinot Noir. Red Burgundy loves mushrooms as it's full of earthy flavours that perfectly compliment fungi, in fact the earthier the better! Or if your feeling a bit more left-field, and you could add a bit to the soup to give it a lavish edge, Madeira would be similarly magic. It's the oldest-lived wine you know?

sources
creamy mushroom soup - hugh fearnley-whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday!, p152

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's vedgeree

After the first of the year's Christmas corporate tastings last night (Christmas in October - wtf?), tonight we hit the Hugh double, and it's a controversial number: Hugh's Vedgeree.

It's controversial for a couple of reasons; One, it wasn't the best thing I cooked last time, lacking something and being a bit bland really. I'd confined it to the experimental bin to be honest, so it was a bit of a curve ball when Ana decided it looked delicious - and that's even with her personal kryptonite, aubergine. Even more controversially, I sort of managed to burn the veg...

The egg doesn't look that sharp either does it? As it happens though, it's a marked improvement on the last effort: I used more spices this time, and the poached egg (Ana's was much better, I promise) I think is a better option than soft-boiled, as you can you at least guarantee you've got some yolk to help moisten the otherwise-dry-ish rice dish.

Are we going to have it again? Lord knows - it's probably more likely than it was, but I might have to work on my poaching technique at least. Anybody else convinced?

sources
vedgeree - hugh fearnley-whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday!, p276

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's roasted parsnip, lentil and watercress salad

Ooooh finally it's getting a bit Autumnal - at least the nice bit of Autumn: It's bright and crisp, clear and erm, even. Well not even, but bright, sunny, and lovely. It's a pleasure cycling in, and even quite nice winging it back, having a quick play with monkey and roasting me 'nips whilst snuggling up in bed with him.

This is definitely not a summer salad: It's earthy and surprisingly hearty (if you eat the whole thing between the two of you, despite the fact it's supposed to serve four people), but it's freshened by the peppery watercress, and the dressing spiked with garlic and mustard.

Wine Time
See what I said above? Garlic, mustard, lemon, earthy lentils and hefty parsnips. Oh and peppery watercress - that's a whole lot of flavours that need taming-slash-balancing.

I'm a bit torn with this one; on the one hand I think something like a warming, white Burgundy would work: It's acidic, warming and has a big enough body to stand up to the lentils.

On the other hand I reckon something juicy with some pepperiness would probably work equally be good, like a Cotes du Rhone villages. Conflicted, or what?

sources
roasted parsnip, lentil and watercress salad - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday, p90

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's pasta with raw tomato

Another month goes by, and once more I've failed to do any updates. Hurrah for me, or not - hey ho. What better way to kick-start yet-another second coming, than with another Ana smasher?

Tonight, whilst I'm doing the circuits in the rain, she's gamely de-seeding and de-skinning tomatoes, before pushing it all through a sieve, and then marinading it all. She blinking loves it, although of course she doesn't and finds it all a massive pfaff and will. never. cook. it. again.

I could've told her this of course, having made a similar Bill Granger number when we were in Wundy Wullington, but she needs to find these things out for herself. Plus I was battling burping up snails and Barolo, and trying not to be sick in a park of course, so I couldn't tell her.

It is however, very, very lovely, so she's going to have to make it again next week:

Wine Time
I might have mentioned this before somewhere, but what's going on here - other than spiky garlic and peppery basil - is a whole load of acidic tomato, which as we all know, needs something equally acidic to balance it. The key difference to my amazing video debut, is the tomatoes aren't cooked, and whilst red wine nails a ragu it completely overpowers the raw fruit.

This is a zesty dish, so you'd want something similarly zingy, with some fleshiness to it to work with the weight of the pasta. I thinking a good, bone-dry, Provencal Rose would go down a storm, as would something like an Albarino from Spain or even something like a Loire Sauvignon - or even better, given the peppery herbs, a Rhone pink might just be perfect.

Sources
pasta with raw tomato - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday! p254

hugh fearnley-whittingstall's creamy fish pie

It's been a long time since I last updated this blog - June as Kendra and Lucy have kindly pointed out - and I can only offer the excuse I've been very busy. Sorry. Hopefully we'll be back on it from now on, whatever 'it' is, and I'll attempt to catch up in someway over the coming weeks, or until the festive season of wine events my calendar/liver.

Still, we're back with a bang tonight with one of my favourite comfort dishes to make: Hugh's creamy fish pie. Every stage of this is a joy to make, and it's so easy: from letting the fish gently poach in milk, to mashing the potatoes and making the bechemel with the fishy cow juice, it's all strangely satisfying.

Given we're all suffering from some sort of cold at the moment, even Kay and Mike who are up for two day's school run, it's like a big fishy scarf/hot water bottle when it comes out of the oven. Just imagine that for a moment. It sounds terrible, but there's nothing more warming, welcoming and instantly snot-battling than the smell of smoked haddock and mashed potato.

Interestingly, we've switched to frozen fish these days, mainly because it's vastly cheaper. The only downside as far as I can tell is the fact the frozen fillet tend to lose their shape and flake, rather than stay chunky, but with the pie I think that's a minor gripe. Yet again we're all restrained enough to leave some for Milo's tea tomorrow, although he's insisted he wants the prawns separately for 'pudding', and for my lunch, so we must be coming down with something.

Wine Time
You've got creamy bechemel and smokey haddock dominating this dish, so I'd go with something similarly rich and buttery, but with a touch of the timber - but only a touch, otherwise you'd overpower it all. An AC Burgundy should do it, or any lightly-oaked chardonnay depending on whether you like greener fruit (Old World) or more tropical flavours (New World). Or steaming mugs of tea, like us.

sauces
creamy fish pie - Saint Hugh and Fizz Carr, The River Cottage Family Cookbook, p248