Kidney bean is king.. salad

I don't know about you, but I always do the same thing with beans. Which is chuck 'em into a sauce (i.e. chilli and baked). I'm not sure why, because, thinking about it, they are properly versatile. In fact...they just might be THE perfect receptacle! Protein, vitamin and fibre rich with a subtle flavour and pleasant texture, I think more should be done with the bean. And that's any bean. Especially the beans lurking at the back of your cupboard. They are destined for greatness, you just didn't know it until now. So, here's a little recipe to turn the humble bean into a rock star in the blink of an eye, a la X factor.  

Ingredients
1 can of red kidney beans (or other beans of choice) cooked in the microwave according to the instructions.
Half a red onion, finely sliced
Juice of half a lime
A handful of Cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of Walnuts, roughly chopped
Left over boiled potatoes (if you have any), cubed
Small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt & black pepper to taste
Method
Put the sliced onion in a small bowl and squeeze over the lime juice, add a little salt and leave for 5mins.
Then chuck everything in together and toss it about a bit. Stand back and admire the ease. Get fork. Consume.
Prep time 5 mins. Cooking time 2 mins. Feeds 1. 

Double choc coconut spelt muffins

Need a little smackerel of something sweet? A weekday teatime treat? Well alright, here you are then. These super quick (and quite delicious!) muffins are the perfect answer. This recipe only makes 6, but if you want a full dozen just double up.

Ingredients
1 egg
Sugar equal in weight to the egg
Soft Butter, equal in weight to the sugar 
White Spelt flour, equal in weight to the butter
2 tablespoons of dessicated coconut
Half a teaspoon of baking powder
2 teaspoons of good quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
75g of chocolate, roughly chopped
A pinch of salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 175oC (fan). 
Weigh your egg. You'll need the same weight as the egg, of butter, sugar and flour. 
Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon, until well combined and pale. Add in the egg and beat. Add in the remaining ingredients except the chocolate and salt, and mix to combine. Divide between 6 muffin cases. Sprinkle over each batter filed case, some chocolate chunks and a couple grains of salt. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 mins, or until the top is firm and springy and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.  


Makes 6 muffins. Prep time 5 mins. Cooking time 15 mins.

Review of Roast, Borough market

After a beverage at the Old Thameside Inn, which is a lovely pub btw, we trundled over to Roast, above borough market. I was so looking forward to eating here, and couldn't believe our luck when they had a table available.  It was heaving. This was a Friday night in central London after all. We had to sit in the bar area, but as it turns out, it’s really not so different to the restaurant area. There are just some people standing around, at the bar and what not, and the chairs are lower and not so good for anyone who has back issues! Anyway, we were in. Piano music was drifting across the bar and the hum of people who had been drinking fancy cocktails was gradually rising. 

Roast markets itself as classical British food using brilliant British ingredients. And it absolutely is those things. The ingredients were the highest quality and were cooked perfectly in a traditional manner. We sat down to the fried duck egg and duck livers with smoked black pudding and baked Dorset crab with Berkswell cheese to start, and followed those with slow braised pig’s cheeks with parsnip mash and roast Yorkshire Grouse with Damson jelly, game chips and gravy. All of which were good, but seemed to lack the little jet of excitement and seasoning! That is apart from the crab, which was particularly salty.

The great seller for Roast is the view, so try and make it for lunch if you’re going to visit. So you can watch the hoards of people bustle through the market place below. The ambiance is also fantastic. The service however is mediocre and the real sticking point for me was the lack of interest on the plate and the simplicity for the price they’re charging. For the amount charged I would expect a little more going on, a little something exciting. For 2 courses, for 2 people, without any drinks or sides, came to about £100. But judging by the number of people they couldn’t seem to seat on time, I’m sure they will not be missing my custom, not even a bit.

Roast

The Floral Hall

Stoney Street

London SE11 1TL

Tel for reservations 0845 034 7300

Roasted chicken breast stuffed with herbs, garlic & mushrooms

When the parental unit comes back bright and early from a country walk laden with a glut of field mushrooms, you know it's going to be a good day. Mushrooms for brekkie along side local free range double yolkers, bacon, home grown tommies and lashings of ketchup! Mushrooms on spelt bread toast for lunch. And mushroom risotto; no soup; no...stuffed into chicken breasts. O yes! Happy Happy Happy. 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (skin on if poss)

250g chestnut mushrooms

1 large clove of garlic

1 small onion, finely chopped

30g butter

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

salt & pepper

dribble of olive oil

Method

First make a herb butter. Melt half the butter in a frying pan with a little olive oil to stop the butter burning. Add in the onion and cook slowly over a medium heat until softened. Add in the garlic, sage and rosemary and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Increase the heat slightly and add in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Allow this to cook for about 3 minutes or until the mushrooms are just tender. There should be little liquid left at this point. Set aside to cool and then mix with the remaining butter and fresh thyme. Taste and season if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 180oc (fan), 200oc (conventional), GM6. Cut a pocket into the chicken breast, as deep as possible, without breaching the other side. Fill this pocket with as much of the mushroom mixture as it'll hold. You may want to secure the sides together with a cocktail stick once full. Place on a baking tray and rub the tops with a little oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 25 mins or until cooked through. Then remove from the oven and allow to rest covered for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 2. 15 mins prep. 30 mins cooking time.

Pics from walks in Somersetshire this weekend

I couldn't resist putting a few of these photos up. Somerest is gorgeous all year round but especially on an Autumnal morning. These pics show Wayford Woods and the surrounding area.