Greek Lemon Potatoes

Published: 01 December 2021 01 December 2021

Ingredients

900 g/ 2lb potatoes
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
50g/ 2 oz margarine or butter
lemon twists to garnish

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins
Oven temperature: 190°C – Gas mark 5 – Moderately hot

1. Heat the oven to 190’C/ 375’F/ gas 5. Scrub/ peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices. Place the cut potatoes into an oven proof dish, sprinkle with grated lemon zest and half the juice; season and dot the margarine/ butter over the surface and bake for 15 mins

2. Drain the excess fat from the dish; sprinkle the remaining lemon juice on the potatoes. Bake for 20-25 mins until brown and cooked

3. To serve – transfer the potatoes using a slotted spoon into a warmed dish, garnish with lemon twists and serve

Rhubarb Wine

Published: 01 December 2021 01 December 2021

Ingredients

5 lbs Rhubarb
3.5 lbs Sugar
1 teasp. Ginger (ground or fresh)
Rind of an Orange
7 pints of water
1 tsp wine yeast

Preparation time: 9 months :-)

An entry in the class M160 Alcoholic drink x 1 bottle

This is a recipe from Sheila Emmett who says “We used an assortment of sources but not without first consulting our very very old Mary Woodman Home Made Wines book ( which was passed down to us from an aunt who lived in the New Forest), which usually includes some valuable tips. Unfortunately I do not know the variety but it is a very vigorous one and has been growing on the Canalside Allotments for many years.”

It is best to use mid season rhubarb which has the best flavour. Wipe the rhubarb clean and cut up into pieces, then freeze for a few days.

Put the water and the frozen rhubarb into a large pan and bring to the boil. Allow to cool then add the ginger and stand with a cover on for 3 to 4 days. Strain through a sieve into a sterilized fermentation container. Add the sugar and yeast and allow to ferment in a warm place until completion.

When the bubbling stops and the wine begins to clear it should be ready to syphon into bottles
It should be ready to drink after 9 months.

Parsnip Hummus

Published: 01 December 2021 01 December 2021

Ingredients

4 parsnips, peeled and cubed
either a can of chick peas or the same amount of dried chick peas once soaked and cooked
60ml / 2 fl oz of olive oil
1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
.5 teaspoon ground coriander
.75 teaspoon salt
3 large garlic cloves, chopped or minced
6 tbsp tahini (sesame seeds paste)
juice of half a lemon
70ml / 2.5 fl oz chick pea water

Preparation time: 20 - 25 mins

Cook the parsnips and drain; fry the cumin and coriander with 1 tbsp of olive oil and add to the parsnips. Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor, put in some of the water and blitz; if the mixture starts to stick or looks too thick add more water and belnd again, repeat until you have the consitency you desire. Leave to cool

It comes out sightly more solid than straight chick pea hummus but it is made in exactly the same way. The quantities here are for 4-6 starter portions

Elderflower Cordial

Published: 01 December 2021 01 December 2021

Ingredients

30 elderflower heads
3 lemons (unwaxed, organic if possible)
3 lbs sugar
4 pints boiling water
2 oz citric acid (around 56gm)

Preparation time:
3-4 days

I rarely get asked for recipes – but this one works well, I’ve done it 3 times now. I’m afraid I can’t remember where I got it from, it’s scribbled on the back of an old bill, so I suspect I probably copied it out of a magazine, but I really don’t know! Anyway, here goes….

The elderflower heads aren’t any particular variety, I just cut whole flower heads with scissors from the many wild trees around me, best picked fully open but before any brown appears on them, on a sunny or at least fine dry day, I try to take them from several different trees, well away from any roads to avoid dust and pollution.
Shake the flower heads to dislodge any insects. Cut the flower heads from the stalks using scissors, so you include as much as possible of the white flowers and as little as possible of the stalks, into a large bowl or other suitable receptacle, preferably one with a lid (I use a white plastic winemaking bucket). Add the sugar. Pour on the boiling water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the juice and grated rind from the lemons. Add the citric acid. (Citric acid can be hard to find, but Wilkinsons stocks it in their winemaking section) Stir. Cover with lid or similar.
Leave for 3 days, stirring each morning and evening.
Strain and bottle.
Dilute to taste. I used tap water, but it’s also nice with sparkling water.
If kept in the fridge will keep for several months.