Just a little thought

Hello there.

First of all, here is a site which I recommend to you. http://www.localfoodadvisor.com
This site has enthusiastic contributors, strong ethics and I bet you can guess what it is about. Have a look!

Second, I am delighted to see that this blog has a strong panel of readers across the US, the UK and Europe more widely. I've also got readers in Lebanon and Argentina, which pleases me. If you really enjoy this blog, do write to me as I would enjoy adding any food suggestions you have. Or hit the follow button!

BUT you'll be needing something to eat, so I'll just tell you what to do for a simple cooked breakfast for one, two or twelve. This is what we had today.

Just.....select as many sausages as you think you would like to eat. Get them from a local producer, if you can, and the type of sausages you are after would be meaty and not those with fussy ingredients. So, pork sausages with plenty of  fat to meat and only a little seasoning. Now, split each sausage down the middle, give it a thin spread of Coleman's English mustard, and grill. Do NOT prick those sausages. When your sausages are done, just put each sausage in a soft white bap and eat with a big mug of tea and maybe some orange juice if you have children about (yes: go easy on the mustard with them, although I must say that my boys tend to lap up anything with a mustard tingle or a chilli heat: they've got me as a mother, after all).

The beauty of this --quirky as it is is-- is that it reminds me of the Sunday morning breakfasts of my childhood, it's soothing in the weekday rush, you can leave the sausages under the grill --not too hot, now-- while you go and make yourself beautiful and yell at the children to remember to put BOTH socks on and also this breakfast feels like a treat. I also find the warmth of the mustard gives me a little stimulation at breakfast. Go on: try it.

And while I am at it, if you would like some wonderful Chorizo, look here.  http://www.thebathpig.com/index.php/home

mcuun934 at www.flickr.com Thank you!  I loved this photo because the photographer in question has made their own sausages!

Sorrel Soup.

Now here's a wonderful vegetable that you don't often see in markets or ever (do correct me) in a supermarket, yet it's easy to grow and practically indesctructible. My plant is twelve years old now and seems to think it's a shrub. If it bolts --which it invariably does-- just pull of the bolted bits and you're still in business. If you've never grown any sorrel, set some seeds next Spring. Use some of the smallest leaves raw in a salad and the bigger leaves in cooked dishes: it's like spinach with an addictive lemon bite to it.

This time of year, there are plenty of big leaves left on my sorrel plant. I will be making soup tonight. Beg, borrow or steal some or, if you do see a last crop, snap it up. Sorrel makes a lovely filling for an omelette, an excellent sauce for fish and a delicate soup. Proceed as follows.

Sweat about 40 g of washed and shredded sorrel and three finely chopped cloves of garlic in a large pan in some butter. Stir carefully and constantly until you have a soft green puree. Now add four finely chopped peeled potatoes, mix them into the mixture and add 1 litre of chicken stock. Alternatively, you could make this soup with plain water or milk. If you are using milk, be careful that it does  ot curdle with the sharpness of the sorrel. Raise the heat and then simmer carefully for about fifteen minutes. At this point, add about 100 ml of double cream. Stir carefully, check the seasoning -- you will need to salt fairly generously -- and serve with some croutons or just good bread and butter. The soup with be creamy with a satsisfying smack of acidity.

Photo from ndrwfgg at flickr: thank you!

Heaven from pennies. Roast an onion or two,

Ah, the humble onion. Do remember to look at it as a vegetable in its own right, rather than just as a base ingredient or aromatic.  Here is an idea for a simple meal that will show you what I mean. I prefer white onions --or whatever variety-- for this recipe. I would eat this alone or if company is here.

Just take one fat onion person, peel it and top and tail it and put it into an oven dish. Then, sprinkle it with a little oil (olive oil, sunflower, whatever you like), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and put it into a medium hot oven for about an hour. You need the onion to be cooked so that it is whole and not collapsed. It should be soft and the edges will have caramelised and crisped up here and there. It will smell wonderful. Actually, even if I were only feeding one or two, I would fill my oven dish with these onions, all snuggled in together, because any leftovers are great in sandwiches or chopped up, with a little ground cumin and some chilli flakes added, and turned into an impromptu pickle.

Back to your dinner tonight. With your magnificent roast onion, serve some crusty bread, possibly a simple green salad and some cheese. Maybe a hunk of some local cheese of your choice? This is the sort of meal that sounds plain, perhaps a little empty, but is deeply savoury and very satisfying. Try it. 
Photo by Mer de Glace at Flickr : thank you!