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Definitely contains Nuts!






Looking through some memorabilia recently, I came across this menu for a birthday lunch in November 2009. It would have been for Paul and Jessica’s birthdays. I had obviously been thinking about allergies and food intolerances, and the very helpful way now that restaurants, supermarkets and other shops give so much information about the source of their products, as well as details of farmers and butchers supplying vegetables and meat.

In my family we are lucky enough to not have any allergies or intolerances at all. I have an aunt who eats fish but not meat, but that is the only factor which I have to work into menus – not a problem at all.

This menu therefore is very tongue-in-cheek, and is a little nut-obsessed!

Lunch Menu
29th November 2009

Pre-Lunch nibbles:
Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts
This is from an authentic recipe from the New York Cafe; please note that this dish is certified to be completely nutty and prepared in a nutty environment; the chef is certified to be 100% nutty

A Selection of Phileas Fogg Crisps
Phileas Fogg crisps are guaranteed to have no artificial colours or flavours, are made with 100% sunflower oil, have no MSGs and no hydrogenated vegetable oil

First Course:
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
This is prepared in a local kitchen; butternut squash is a type of winter squash; all spices are roasted and crushed by hand

Prawn and Fennel Bisque
Prawns are farmed responsibly in the warm, tropical waters of Indonesia

Home-made bread
Not suitable for those on gluten or wheat-free diets; not suitable for those on an olive oil free diet; suitable for those who are lactose intolerant

Main Course
Baked Glazed Gammon
The gammon is from somewhere unspecified in the UK; glazed with maple syrup from South East Quebec, collected in the Spring; Dijon mustard is from Dijon (probably)

Chicken Terrine
Made from British free-range chicken (tender and full flavoured); the pork mince is from pigs bred outdoors by farmers who share the values of the chef; the bacon is Denhay West Country bacon from welfare-assured outdoor reared pigs; Denhay Farms has been farming in the Marshwood Vale since 1952; the team is led by George Streatfeild (possibly related to the children’s author Noel Streatfeild)

Spinach Pie
This is made to a traditional recipe from “Jennifer Aldridge’s Archers Cookbook” and is suitable for vegetarians but not vegans

Carrots with Vanilla and Rosemary
Carrots grown by Clem Tompsett, leaf tracks number 25185; rosemary from the chef’s garden and vanilla extract from Australia

Jacket Potatoes
Red Duke of York potatoes were first grown in 1942; these ones were grown in 2009 in Suffolk

Winter Salad
This is a variation on coleslaw, but contains no cabbage and contains English celeriac, the same carrots as above, cox’s apples (a traditional variety of apple first grown in a Berkshire garden in 1825) and other unspecified ingredients

A Selection of Home-made Chutneys
Please note that beetroot chutney can stain and is best kept away from children

Puddings:
Delicious Chocolate Mousse with Warm White Chocolate, Lime and Ginger Sauce
This is obviously a Jamie Oliver recipe as it has the word ‘delicious’ at the front – the recipe would not market as well were it called ‘disgusting chocolate mousse’ ; all chocolate used is from Belgium

Steamed Pear Pudding
Pears used in this recipe are Conference Pears; the variety was named for the award it received at the 1885 International Pear Conference; Lyle’s Golden Syrup is made by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen and is suitable for vegetarians, is gluten free and is free from artificial colours, elephants and artificial flavours and preservatives

Meringues
These are made especially for the birthday girl by her grandmother and are gluten- and dairy-free

Drinks:
There is a wide variety of drinks available of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety; please serve yourself or you might be waiting a long time for a drink; should you have a tendency to spill your drink, pale-coloured drinks are easier to clean out of the carpet; the chef has a wide variety of stain removers available should you spill anything on your clothes; bleach is particularly good for removing stains from white clothes; Vanish Oxi Action Intelligence plus is good for all other colours

 



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Remember that Sprouts are not just for Christmas….



Sprouts with Chestnuts

I think that the humble Brussels sprout has a really bad and undeserved reputation. Yes I do know people who loathe them, or who are not enthusiastic about brassicas in general. Brassicas have a natural bitterness, which is an acquired taste for children. In general children prefer sweeter flavours. Even some adults I know are not 100% enthusiastic about the humble sprout. I have a bit of a conflict in my family. At Christmas time, most of my relatives believe that the best (indeed the only) way to cook sprouts is to boil them. I am unable to host Christmas lunch, so boiled it is every year! That would be fine except that no-one seems to be terribly enthusiastic about the sprouts; it seems to be a ritual at Christmas that we must eat boiled sprouts.

Amongst my friends on facebook, there is a running joke about the length of time sprouts have to be boiled for. Quite soon I am sure there will be advice going out to get your sprouts on in time for Christmas 2018! Joking apart, I do remember many years ago my aunt visiting some relatives in Northern Ireland. Before they went off to church, the two sisters put some cabbage onto the stove to cook!

Anyway, enough of this negativity. I love sprouts, but I’d prefer not to have them boiled. In fact, as far as I am concerned you can keep them away from water entirely. I also see no reason why they should just be for Christmas. One Boxing Day I did cook a selection of sprout dishes as a first course.

I made some sprout bhajis, using a recipe for onion bhajis made with gram flour.

Preparing Sprout Bhajis

These were excellent, and I’d have no hesitation about serving them as the first course to an Indian meal, served with a mango raita. I also cooked sprouts with chestnuts, simply stir-frying them in a little butter and oil. When stir-frying sprouts I always slice them first.

My other dish was sprouts stir-fried with chilli, ginger, garlic and soy. Adding spice to sprouts offsets the bitterness, so is definitely a positive for me. The smell of sprouts is always better too if no water is involved. Boiling cabbage, boiling sprouts… just does not do it for me!

For meat eaters, the other great addition to a dish of sprouts is of course bacon. Again, the sweetness offsets the bitterness of sprouts perfectly.

I also love soup, and brussels sprout soup works really well.

This soup was made with potatoes, onions, sprouts, chestnuts and vegetable stock. I made a crunchy topping of stir-fried sprouts with chilli, ginger and soy. Usually I make chunky soups, but this time I decided to more or less puree the soup with my stick blender, and have the interest of the topping.

Sprouts and cheese also go really well, and there are many recipes for sprouts in cheese sauce, or sprout and macaroni cheese. In fact, I think you can safely cook anything which sprouts which you might do with cabbage. Bubble and squeak made with sprouts is perfect. I also made a dish of roasted savoy cabbage wedges and halved sprouts, finished off with a cheese sauce. This works well in smaller quantities as a side dish, or as a main dish in itself. I would serve it with jacket potatoes in that case.

If anyone has any exciting sprout recipes, please feel free to add them in the comments! I look forward to hearing your ideas.