Green Figs in Honey

575g of green figs
Three table spoons of honey
Six cloves
A lemon (without pips)
A dozen cloves
Two teaspoons of finely chopped fresh ginger

Chop stalks off figs. Stab both ends.

Fill pan with cold water, boil for ten minutes.

Remove fruit from water, aiming to lose sticky latex.

Repeat with fresh water twice more.

Add chopped half lemon to final boil.

Now you have drained, soft figs and boiled lemon peel.

To make the syrop add juice of other half of lemon, finely chopped ginger, 13 cloves, a teacup of water to four table spoons of honey, bring to the boil.

Add fruit to syrop, boil for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool, press individual figs into jars.

Add chopped lemon rind to residual syrop and a little bit of water, bring to the boil, boil for a minute.

Spoon lemon rind and two table spoons of syrop into each jar, seal.

Eat after a week - I tried after 12 hours and they were not very good: pretty tough, not much flavour, in overly lemon flavoured syrop: currently marked family only. Maybe if I boil them again....

Pot Roast Duck Legs in Marmalade Sauce

The intention is to re-do the first post on this blog. http://weekend-chef.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/pot-roast-duck-legs-in-marmalade-sauce.html was a success, I spotted the duck legs in Sainsbury's last weekend, so they may be a little more gamey than usual.

Reading the previous recipe it suggests we avoid parsnip mash and sweat potato, as the marmalade sause itself is sweet. Also no greens. So lets try baby turnips, white cabbage and potatoes.

Also increase the number of shallots from 8 to 12.

Ingredients

4 Duck legs
1 Orange
rind of one squeezed lemon
12 Shallots
4 Tablespoon marmalade
50cl grapefruit juice
2 Cloves garlic
Serve with baby turnips, savoy cabbage and potatoes.

Roast Duck legs and shallots in a pan with lid off at 200 for 40 minutes, having rubbed in olive oil and salt and pepper

Remove from heat and allow to cool, remove duck and whole shallots from juices.

Add marmalade, grapefruit juice and crushed garlic.
Cut orange into 8, add to pot and bring to boil.
Replace duck.
Cook for further 40 minutes

What actually happened

The shallots browned and the duck cooked for too long, at 150 °, probably three hours.

I added far too much grapefruit juice, orange juice would have worked I think. Do not think that the lemon helped.

Flora enjoyed, but I think it was over cooked and also should have had at least some of the duck fat drained, though the citrus cut the greasiness it probably would have been an improvement.

Shows that repeats are more difficult than you think!

Boiled Beef and Carrots

Boiled Beef and Carrots, Boiled Beef and Carrots,
That's the stuff for yer Derby Kell
Keeps you fit and keeps you well.
Don't live like vegetarians on food they give to parrots.
From noon to night blow out your kite
On boiled beef and carrots.

My previous Beef Casserole is a little terse.

This meal is cooked to be shared with a friend, who has just come out of hospital, so cannot be too exotic, as I do not know the tastes of her children.

1.5 kg (3 packs) Irish slow cooking beef

One red chilli pepper, deseeded and finely chopped.

Add 10 carrots chopped, paprika, dried thyme.

Add 5 sticks of celery.

To keep the meat juices cook in a saucepan, with lid on, pouring off juices into casserole. Continue to sweat the beef, carrots and 5 sticks of celery in the saucepan whilst you peel two bags of shallots (a long time).

Fry the shallots with the meat, carrots and celery in a wok, in olive oil and black pepper, spooning the browned into the casserole. Add one teaspoon of french mustard and two tablespoons of cornflour whilst frying. Add olive oil as necessary.

The carrots had stuck to the bottom of the saucepan: no matter, free up with saved meat juices, pour rich browning into casserole.

Chop 400g of value, open cup mushrooms, add to wok, as you remove browned pieces.

Add two thirds of a bottle of Chilean Merlot to casserole and a half pint of water.

Bring all to boil. Boil for thirty minutes. Leave overnight.

Orange Pot Roast Chicken

Stuffed chicken with 2 lemons, chopped, 1 chilli pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, dry bay, fresh thyme, sage, a fe slices of ginger.

Surrounded chicken with 3 red onions, 6 shallots, 3 ripe plum tomatoes, 8 carrots. Third of a bottle of white wine. Olive oil and pepper on breast.

Cooked at 150°C for three hours.

Served with our own new potatoes and kale.

Sardines on toast

1 tin John West sardines in tomato sauce
1 tin Pen Duick, Belles de l'Atlantique, Sardine ´ l'Huile d'Olive, Connétable
1 onion
1 large tomato
1 large table spoon of damson chutney
1 clove garlic

Fry the finely chopped onion in the olive oil. Add the tomato, finely chopped. Mix in garlic, pepper. Finally add chutney.

Make toast (10 slices), butter, spread with mixture. Grill until brown.