Pumpkin and pearl barley risotto

Ingredients

Pearle Barley

Mushrooms

Roasted Pumpkin/ butternut squash 

blus cheese

toasted walnuts

red onions

Bouillion or chicken stock

sherry vinegar

white wine

spices

fresh sage

smoked paprika 

netmeg

black pepper

bay leaf

fresh thyme

Directions

*1*

Roast the butternut squash in olive oil with some garlic, thyme and salt. Slice into 2cm chunks when cool. Set aside.

*2*

Slice up the red onions lengthwise into long rings. Cook on a low heat in butter and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and caster sugar and some thyme. Saute for 15 mins until sticky before adding a dash of sherry vinegar. Saute on a low heat until sweet.

*3*

Fry the mushrooms on a high heat to get some colour. Then add the peal barley, wine and half of the stock. Cook down adding more stock when necessary. When the barley is tender add the pumpkin. Finish off with the caramelised onions stirred through and the toasted walnuts and blue cheese on top.

Anchovy and chard pasta

Ingredients

pasta

chard/ rainbow chard - leaves separated from the stem

anchovies

toasted almonds

parmesan

chilli 

sherry vinegar

garlic chopped

Directions

*1*

Chop the chard stem's and leaves into 1 inch peices. Peel the stems a little if they are stringy.

*2*

Saute the chard stems for 5 minutes on a high heat in olive oil. Then add the leaves, chilli and garlic and turn down the heat ton medium. Saute until cooked through 5-8 mins, add the anchovies and saute until they  start to disntegrate.

*3*

Add a dash of vinegar and let it cook of for a minute. Then add the almonds and parmesan and the warm pasta and stir through.

Pear frangipanne

I love crumbles.

But this means i make too many crumbles.

Recently while trying to make a cobbler style topping i made a pear frangipanne. It's leke the filling to a tart but lighter without the pastry. I made a red wine anise, lemon and date syrup reduction below the cake mix giving everything a kick.

Ingredients

Wine reduction

1 cup of red wine

1 tsp date syrup

1 star anise

1.2 tbsp light brown demarara sugar

juice and zest of half a lemon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 pears, halfed with the seed removed

Frangipanne style mix

30g unsalted butter

30g caster sugar

10g corn flour

15g plain flour

25g ground almonds

1 egg - separated.

1 tsp vanilla essence/ almond essence

Directions

*1*

Reduce the wine with the sugar, syrup, juice and spices until a syrup consistency. Add the pears and reduce further for a few minutes. I made the reduction fairly sharp because my pears were sweet. If the pears are firmer and not so sweet add more sugar.

*2*

Separate the egg and whip the egg white into soft firm peaks.

*3*

Beat the sugar butter and vanilla/almond essence until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix well. Slowly add the flours and ground almonds until you have a paste. Lastly fold the egg white into the paste using a spatula. For an even lighter cake use 2 egg whites.

*4*

Spoon the cake mix over the pears and bake in at 175 degrees for around 20-25 minutes.

Round 2: Curve garden pizza's

So the last pizza making kitchen went so well we decided to come back. Highlights include a courgette flower, courgette, sage and fennel pizza......

Plum, peach and beetroot salad

So, here's my thing for the summer, been raving about this one all week. Some things don't sound amazing/ quite right but you put them in your mouth and blam they hit you.

Ingredients

4 cooked and peeled beetroots

4 fresh plums

2 fresh peaches

3 sprigs of chocolate mint

few lavender flowers

Juice + zest of half a lemon

pinch of salt/pepper

drip of balsamic vinegar

Directions

*1*

Dice the beetroot, plums and peaches.

*2*

Toss with chopped mint, the lemon and the vinegar. Season to taste and serve.

Pizza's

Had a special People's kitchen at the Dalston Curve Garden last weekend! They've got a clay pizza oven and an endless supply of fresh herbs!

Here's a salad recipe i've been making throughout the summer.

Raw Beet

Ingredients:

* Peeled carrots

* Beetroot

* Bramley apples

*Unwaxed lemon

*toasted pumkin/sunflower seeds

Dressing

* Juice of 1/2 a lemon

* pinch of salt

* tsp of caster sugar

* 3TBS of olive or sunflower oil

Yogurt sauce

* Greek yogurt

*lemon juice

* tumeric

* cumin

* pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

*1*

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and check the seasoning.

*2*

Peel and grate the veg and the apples and toss with the dressing. Serve with a dollop of the yogurt dressing

Woodcuts

Just got my woodcut tools sent over! Been playing with a rain and water theme.

Trees in the moon

Here's a bark inspired lino i've made for a friend....

Latto's

Helped out Latto with his pizzas the other friday, they are serious, Palm 2 thursday, friday and saturday. We're talking burnt and roasted aubergine and chorizo and caramelised fennel!!

Cookbook Recipe's pre -edit

Heres a sneak peak at some of my favourite people's kitchen recipe's pre-edit. Definately feeling Jean Jacque's Medlar Jam with Calvidos, that stuff was big!!! Same with Talulla's Rose and white chocolate bread and butter pudding, what can i say.......

Peel Me Potato's

Recipe Posters

Working on some people's kitchen recipe posters.

A prequel to the cookbook.

Currently editing the recipe's, adding the stories and working on the images.

If all things go well i'll screen print the final versions and give them out at the kitchen.




Recipe 1 (unedited)

*** image of an open hand****

Peel me Potatos

I held a handful of peels held over the compost, just as they slipped through my fingers…..

Someone said 'Wait!'

'You can eat that.'

Ingredients

Potato peels – preferably thick cut

Sunflower oil – enough to coat the peels

Smoked paprika

Black pepper

Salt

Cumin

Directions

1.     Coat the peels in sunflour oil and a pinch of salt and roast in an oven at around 220 degrees centigrade for 5-10 mins.

2.     When golden and crispy remove from the oven – add the spices and pepper and serve.

Sunday

Will be cooking this sunday at Passing Clouds in Dalston come holla, or just grab a bite!!! Sun might follow too!

Where you at?

Been around.

People's Kitchen Dalston cookbook no. 1 = Filled

Will upload some pictures soon

Personal favourite = Jean Jacque - medlar and apple jam with calvidos

From the man who taught me to squeeze a little lime in my caramel

much love


Toren

Birthday beets yo

Been a long time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdrAafhyPig

33 layeers of Damascus Steel

Life is easier with 33 layers of Damascus steel, Samurai's i salute you. Word on the street - a dull knife is more likely to cut you - lies.

Aubergine, Tofu and Black Pepper Noodles

Haven't cooked Asian food for a while, and man its good to be back!

Somehow this weeks PK pickup included aubergine, tofu, ginger, bean sprouts, and mouli. How could i do anything else?

Ingredients

1/2 Grated Mouli

Beansprouts

2 packs of Firm Tofu

2 thumbs of grated ginger

4 garlic cloves peeled and chopped fine

2 large aubergines cut into 1 inch dice

Soya sauce 

sesame oil

mirin

Cooked Soba noodles (optional)

Directions

*1*

Drain and press the tofu with a kitchen cloth/towel - not too hard (it will crumble)- to remove the water. Slice into 1 inch dice.

*2*

Rub some salt into the sliced aubergine and press out some of the liquid. Fry in sunflower oil on a high heat then drain on kitchen towel.

*3* 

Saute the tofu by placing into a pan  (medium heat + sunflower oil) with your fingers (delicately like jenga pieces). Turn the Tofu pieces individually once golden and crunchy and saute each side.

*4* 

Saute the ginger and garlic on a medium heat, add the beansprouts and cook for a few minutes. Add soya sauce and mirin to taste and cook until left with a little bite. Add the noodles and an egg if going for a main dish and then combine everything together.

Whats New?

Finished an interview for a people's Kitchen documentary on the horizon. Just been planning a move and sorting out a new camera for some recipe pics. Stacks of notes are building up! My next lino is going to be 'Where the Wild things are'/ Snow/ lampost at night inspired. Lets start the new year!

So far a cookbook, either Frofo Toren or people's kitchen is getting closer in conception. I'm thinking of getting recipe plates made and printing it off the letterpress. Will keep you updated.