Posh Peelings

 What a busy few weeks we've had at Distracted Towers! Weekend after lovely weekend we've had friends and family visiting and lots of enjoyably drawn-out suppers around a very convivial table.  My younger son turned five last week and, eschewing a party, announced that he wanted to go to dinner at the local Italian restaurant.  Yes, he's five... and yes, we went and all had a wonderful time. These announcements are getting to be regular occurrences of late; only the weekend before he announced that he wanted mussels to eat.  His beloved, and adoring, Granny dutifully purchased said bivalves and he tucked into them with gusto... I had to snaffle some quickly to be sure of a share!

When Hubby took the boys to see his parents during the half-term holiday, he returned with a rather large bag of apples.  He confessed that he'd accepted them thinking the children would gobble them up before long, before he found out they were, in fact, 'cooking' apples.  So they sat around guilt-inducingly, until today when I finally had time to process the whole sack bag's worth.

I now have four 1-litre bags of stewed apple for the freezer, and a couple of bottles of extremely tasty apple juice.  This may just be my new best thing...

Thrifty Apple Juice

apple peelings
water

Pack the apple peelings into a deep lidded pan.  I had to use my stockpot because I'd peeled thirty-plus apples and had a veritable Mount Peelmore on the worktop.  Pour water over to just cover the peelings and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat to a very low simmer for a couple of hours, then strain the juice and stir in some powdered sugar to taste.  Let cool before decanting into (empty wine) bottles with a funnel.  Keep in the fridge, or use some to make ice-lollies

Cath xx

Pre-prandials: Americano cocktail

Not to be confused with the caffe Americano (espresso topped off with hot water), an Americano cocktail is one of my most regular pre-prandial whistle-wetters, though I must confess that I drink mine in the non-standard way (i.e. with red vermouth rather than the classically-stipulated sweet).  It is a refreshing long drink, no good with a meal to my mind, but a less solid drink, to paraphrase one James Bond, speaking in Ian Fleming's short story From a View to a Kill, ideal for killing time in a Parisian café.

Ah, yes, 007.  Much as he is associated in the main with the vodka martini (shaken, not stirred, yada yada...), the first drink he orders in Casino Royale** is, in fact, an Americano!  It reappears in From Russia with Love and again in the aforementioned novella, and as a long-time Bond fan, Fleming's drink-related authorial influence has clearly rubbed off on me.

Americano Cocktail

1 part Campari
1 part red vermouth (rosso)
sparkling, or soda, water - to top up

Mix the Campari and vermouth in a highball (i.e. tall) glass.  Top up with fizzy water.  Drink deeply, considering the possibility of another.

**It should be taken as read that I refer, above, to the novels and not to the films.  Fleming was much more exacting about the drinking habits of his most famous character than United Artists or MGM have ever been (apart from the, frankly, now oft-repeated, almost hackneyed martini-ordering sequences which seem  to recur almost constantly (or is that just how it feels to me these days?). Sorry, geek rant over...

Cath xx

Babbaccino

Much as I drink tea by the bucketload (and I drink what has become known, chez moi as 'naked' tea; black, with no milk or sugar), I do, rather love my coffee as well; more specifically, my latte.  My lovely husband bought me a coffee machine with a steam nozzle a while back and now I am never far away from one if I so fancy (which is often).  The children are fascinated by the way that the steam nozzle works and the resultant clouds of cloud-like milk foam (and, yes, they have been warned about steam being dangerous, burns being horrid, not to touch the machine, yada yada yada...).  After discovering the bambinoccino on the 'piccolo menu' at Pizza Express, they were unable to believe their luck when I pointed out that I was able to make these at home too.  These are always popular, at any time, but seem to go down best with them at weekends, making them feel 'grown-up', watching a favourite film while the rain rattles against the windows.

I serve what we call 'babbaccinos' in their very own little cups;  Maxwell & Williams demi cups, from the Cafe Culture range.  I bought these in my lovely local coffee shop, Y Mecca / The Mecca, which is well worth a visit should you ever happen to be in the Aberystwyth area!.  The sprinkle of cocoa mixed with cinnamon is de rigeur, and non-negotiable, as far as my boys are concerned.  As you can probably imagine, they feel much the same way about the biscuit perched on the saucer alongide their 'babba'.

Cath xx

Mother's Ruin

"Do not allow your children to mix drinks. It is unseemly and they use too much vermouth."  Social Studies, Fran Lebowitz, .

If you have access to damsons, this is a lovely thing to make at this time of year. Because of the time of year that the damsons start to fall,  it will be ready in time for Christmas and makes a good present, if you are generous and would like to give some away.  It is also great to be able to offer your guests a nip during the cold winter months. It takes a good six to eight weeks, but a little shimmy-shake occasionally is all that is required of you for most of that time.

Damson Gin Liqueur

This recipe also works very well with cranberries for a pleasantly bittersweet liqueur, to be served icy-cold in shot glasses.

450g damsons
450g caster sugar
1 litre gin (inexpensive, even cheap, stuff is fine)

Put everything into a large, clean Kilner-style preserving jar and seal.  Store in a cool, dark place and shake the jar vigorously every day (or as close to that as you can manage).  After six or eight weeks the liquid will be a gorgeous deep purple-red colour and look slightly syrupy.  Strain the liquid from the fruit and bottle.  I pop the gin-soused fruit into bags, and then into the freezer, to use in 'naughty' jams and chutneys later... anyhow, enjoy!

Cath xx

Milky Milky

This is a really nice treat for the children, full of goodness and, even better, they can get really involved with the preparation.  We make almond milk quite often and this milkshake is one of my boys' favourite things to do with it.  Admittedly you don't have to make the almond milk yourself (you can buy a version in most health-food-type stores and some supermarkets but, as you will see, it takes very little effort and is actually rather fun (for the children, too).  It has several uses; my children love it on cereal and I've made a very successful almond custard using almond milk.  I've yet to try it for making ice-cream, but the time is undoubtedly drawing near when I shall, I'm sure... possibly an almond latte would be nice too!

Almond Milk

400g whole, shelled almonds (with the skin still on)

Blanch the almonds.  Do this by putting them in a pan of cold water and bringing them to the boil.  Drain and leave to cool, then slip off the skins by squeezing them at the pointed end with your thumb and forefinger.  Children really seem to like doing this. 

Put the blanched almonds in a large bowl and cover with 1 litre of fresh water.  Leave to soak for 24 hours or so,giving it a stir whenever you think about it.  The next day, whizz the water and the nuts in the blender until finely chopped (I need to do this in two batches). Strain through a muslin-lined sieve, pressing the solids down hard to extract as much liquid as possible.  Store in a covered jug in the fridge. You can stir in a couple of drops vanilla extract at this point if you like (or some amaretto, which is lovely for an almond custard but maybe not such a good idea on your breakfast cereal, eh?)

Now to that all-important milkshake...

Bakewell Pudding Milkshake

500ml almond milk
100g raspberries (frozen ones are fine)
1 tbsp Demerara sugar

Blend. Hand to excited, pleading offspring. Relax in glow of perfect motherhood for all of ten seconds.

Cath xx

Blowing Raspberries

The raspberries I mentioned on Saturday had been soaking for six days (rather than the usual five, but that's motherhood for you) so this morning I finished off the bottle of raspberry cordial. Diluted with (fizzy, for preference) water, this is a beautifully refreshing drink and not too sweet for my taste - unlike most fruit-flavoured drinks you can buy. Apart from the five-day waiting period it's a quickie and, let's face it, it doesn't ask anything of you than for a bowl to be in its service for a few days. Oh, and for a corner of the kitchen counter.

Raspberry Cordial

500g raspberries (I tend to use frozen ones)
300ml white wine vinegar

Put the raspberries in a bowl (not a metal one, though) and crush roughly. This is why frozen berries can be better than fresh - no juice squirting everywhere! Pour over the vinegar, cover with clingfilm and leave for five days to steep. Line a colander or large sieve with a J-cloth (or a piece of fine muslin, if you happen to have such a thing lying about), then rest it over a saucepan and strain the berries and juice through the cloth until you have all the drips. Try not to 'help' by squeezing and pressing the fruit as it will end up cloudy. Less work, too...

400g caster sugar
250ml boiled water (preferably still hot, but only boiled ONCE)

Add the sugar to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the water. Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer while you skim off the scum that has surfaced. I use a tea-strainer for this, and very well it works, too. Pour through a funnel into a sterilised bottle and cool. Stick the lid on and bung it in the fridge.

You don't need much per drink - maybe a tablespoonful for a tumbler topped up with water, and it is a glorious pinky red. My children are very keen on it and I'm happier for them to drink something like this than regular squashes or fizzy pop drinks as I know what's in it. It may be sugary, but it's all-natural, no nasties.

Drinks for Lazy Summer Days

So we've had a teeny taste of summer. I suppose it's a bit of a case of "get us addicted and then jack up the price", because now I'm sitting watching the rain beating down outside and thinking back to the last few days of sitting in the garden of an evening, with just Radio 4 and a long drink for company.

Looking ahead hopefully to warmer weather to come (fingers crossed, at least) I've made a start on our summer drink supplies. I've some raspberries stewing in white wine vinegar for my raspberry cordial (watch this space...) and fresh lemonade can be made using my Lemonade Base, but this ginger drink can be whipped up whenever and stored in the fridge for all sorts of occasions. It's lovely poured over ice and diluted with water (fizzy or still, your call). In fact, once diluted, it tastes like 'proper' ginger beer, but carries with it none of the problems or effort. It is also rather nice to splash it, neat, into cocktails, pop or fruit juice for an extra hit of fire.

Ginger Drink

Please don't worry about peeling the ginger too scrupulously, will you?

3 large pieces of root ginger, peeled and sliced
1 lemon, zest pared and juice
1 litre water
1 heaped tbsp ground ginger
250g caster sugar
2 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar

Put everything, bar the vinegar, into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil (uncovered) for 30 minutes or so, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vinegar and then pour through a funnel into a sterilised bottle. As you can see, I use an old wine bottle. I line the funnel with a J-cloth to stop any bits or sediment going into the bottle. Leave the bottle to cool completely, then stick the lid on and keep the bottle in the fridge.

A Funkin Good Time

This weekend was a bit of a big one; I went out with a couple of girlfriends to celebrate one of their birthdays and my Mum came to visit - ostensibly to babysit (aren't Mums great) - but I had a lovely time with her on Sunday and Monday too.

On Saturday night, before going out, my friend Sharna and I tried out these new Funkin Cocktail Pouches. I was sent samples from this brand new range of clever cocktail mixers to try out. It's a great idea, I have to say - perfect cocktails in just minutes. You just have to add you r spirit and ice to a glass and top up with the single serve cocktail pouch, though I must admit that for testing purposes we opted to make two small drinks (i.e. one for each of us) with each pouch!

Of the three we tried, we were a little disappointed with the Mojito mixer - bags of lime flavour, but little in the way of mint - if you had access to some fresh mint it'd still be a goer though. It also occurred to us that it would be gorgeous with a shot of tequila instead of the rum.

The other two pouches were better - the raspberry mojito still suffered from the lack of mint but the fresh, fruity flavour made up for thatt. The Cosmo - easily among my favourite cocktails anyway - was really good, and it really took no longer to make this than it would to throw together a vodka and orange. Way more stylish, though!

Pre-prandials: Tongue in Cheek

I have to say that, in general, I'm deeply suspicious of all the 'health food' stories you read in the media and the whole 'superfood' phenomenon is no exception to that. But no matter, some of the foods the mysterious 'they' like to recommend happen to be really tasty, so I go on eating them fopr that (and only that) reason. As for goji berries or linseeds, forget it! I tried having linseeds on top of my cereal for a while when I was pregnant with James but - ugh - never again.

With that in mind, then, here is tonight's cocktail. Named (albeit sarcastically) to reflect the alleged superpowers of the fruits included, this cocktail should only be drunk for pure pleasure. Although the possibility of negating the alcohol, by the inclusion of the supposedly all-powerful pomegranate and blueberries would be a nice thought...

Superhero

1 part gin
2 parts pomegranate juice
2 parts blueberry juice
squeeze of lime

Shake everything together, over ice, and then strain into a glass. Drink, humming the 'Wonder Woman' theme tune.

Pre-prandials: Classy Classics

A true classic cocktail this Sunday, and one not to be messed about with. Thankfully I have yet to come across a messed- about Raspberry Mule or Moscow Cosmo, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before some loopy dude comes up with those. I don't (yet) have any copper mugs in which to serve my Mules - but that's about the only departure I can put up with. Does anyone else remember the truly hideous Smirnoff Mule alcopop from the late nineties? The one that could simultaneously induce diabetic coma with its sweetness and strip tooth enamel with its roughness? Thankfully that one seems to have evaporated into alco-hell, along with student staple Hooch. This is soooo much better...

Moscow Mule

For the ginger beer, I like Fentimans' Traditional or Idris' Fiery Ginger Beer. You want to feel the heat of the ginger, that's half the fun! Everything must be well-chilled, even so.

50ml vodka
juice of 1/2 lime
ginger beer

Pour the vodka into a suitable receptacle and squeeze in the lime juice. Top up with ginger beer and add a wedge of lime for garnish, if you must. I must. Chin Chin!

Pre-prandials: Put a Sling in your Step

For as long as I can remember, I've had this postcard on the wall in my kitchen and, just like Will Young in the fridge, it's become somethingt of an institution. Simple then, to explain just why the Gin Sling lists among my very favourite cocktails. Being a cocktail drinker inevitably carries with it a certain air of kitsch that is, in my opinion, to be embraced and played up to at every opportunity - even if my only audience is the cat!

The Gin Sling, however, needs none of your faffing about with shakers and blenders, nor any elaborate garnishes à la Piña Colada. Perfectly simple; a lovely, long drink for a very warm and humid evening. Although, personally, I can never resist the pull of the ubiquitous little maraschino, waiting sweetly at the bottom of my glass.

Gin Sling

I tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
double measure (50ml) of gin
soda water
maraschino cherry, if you like

Add the sugar and lemon juice to a hi-ball glass and pour in the gin. 'Muddle' together with a stirrer or long-handled spoon until the sugar is more or less dissolved. Top up with soda water and pop (in) your cherry.

Lovely, that - I might have another...

Pre-prandials: Pink Lady

Definitely one for the girls, I feel - tonight's libation of choice is one of my perennial favourites. And for good reason, trust me. Gin-based (always a winner) and pleasantly sweet, but with a wicked sharp kick from the lime. That, and the addition of a maraschino cherry makes this, if not numero uno, then top three at least

Pink Lady

2 measures gin
1/2 measure grenadine syrup
juice of 1/4 lime
ice
soda water
maraschino cherry and lime slice, for garnish

Pour the gin, grenadine and lime juice into a shaker and toss in one or two ice cubes. Shake it, baby! Strain into a cocktail glass and top up with soda water. Add the lime slice and - plink - the all-important maraschino.


Best enjoyed barefoot and in a swishy skirt - preferably while listening to some disco diva classics. Did you know I have a mirror ball in the dining room?

Pre-prandials: Salty Dog

I've decided(in a Sir Alan-esque, home-executive kinda way) that a cocktail or two on a Sunday night is a civilised way to end the weekend and start the new week in style. It helps that cocktails don't somehow become the proverbial challenge, like a bottle of wine does; why is it that a glass of wine makes you want more wine, but you can drink just one cocktail and be content? This was the situation that my girlfriends and I pondered as we drank Cosmopolitans together before going to see the Sex and the City movie during the week. We were glad of the fact that we weren't the only ones who'd dressed up to the nines in honour or Carrie and her cohorts, although to be honest I get gussied up for far less than that.

So, tonight (Matthew) I'm drinking:

Salty Dog

Frost the rim of a cocktail glass with salt. Add a shot of vodka and top up with chilled grapefruit juice. Sip, and sigh...the weekend's nearly over.

Cocktails, of course, mean canapés. Sometimes I really go to town on these, even just for myself; they're so much fun - but tonight I really can't be bothered, so I've cracked open a can of olives. Simple is as simple does.

Just Chillin', Little Bit o' Illin'

Today we spent ALL day in the garden - I only came inside as far as the kitchen to sort out meals. I bunged some bits in the slow-cooker mid-morning so that we could eat a dinner of Beef with Cider & Lemon this evening, avoiding too much time spent stovebound. I took bread, cheese and tomatoes outside for lunch and we took turns in the hammock (though my go was, in general, punctuated by the children jumping on me!)

The only other 'non-essential' thing I went inside for was to keep topping up the lemonade jug. This lemonade base is a fantastic way of having fresh lemonade all weekend, with very little work - and it makes a fab mixer too.


Lemonade Base

2 lemons, roughly chunked up
5 tbsp sugar (or to taste, we like it quite sharp)

Whizz these in the blender with 250ml water. Stir in a further 250ml water and chill the mixture in the fridge.

When you want some lemonade to take outside, strain the liquid from the pulp into a serving jug and top it up with 500-750ml more water.

This is the good bit; return the strained pulp to its container and stir in 500ml water. When you're ready for another jugful, proceed as before with the straining and topping up . Chill it, and let's go round again...You may find, after a few goes, that you need to add another tablespoonful of sugar with the water. I've been regenerating our batch of base all weekend, and little James has a new favourite - fresh, homemade lemonade.

Mulling It Over

It's been a really busy weekend for us; my parents came to visit and, as we won't see them over Christmas, I wanted to give their stay a bit of festive spirit. We went to Aberystwyth on Saturday afternoon and visited the Christmas market; Mum and I both bought some mutton for the freezer and I also brought home some big slices of Welsh Black braising steak. We nipped into Ultracomida to get some cheese before driving home. I was able to pick up my annual cheese treat, a Vacherin Mont d'Or.

Mulled wine is a Christmas favourite, so a good home recipe is helpful if you want to avoid buying the supermarket alternatives of ready-mulled bottles, or teabag things purporting to be an 'easy option'. If you want to take a shortcut (always useful at this time of year), I would suggest the cloth-tied mulling bundles available from Julian Graves. What I would do without JG at this time of year I really don't know, a big sortie for snack foods and spices is de rigeur. This year we are mostly eating their gorgeous (and very moreish) Garlic and Herb Grissini.

Mulled Wine

This makes a lot, but you can use half of it for the chicken recipe below (which freezes very well). Nor do you have to drink all of it in one evening (ahem). If you strain it into a jug it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days to be reheated. You can even microwave it by the mugful if you like... Please don't try to use cheap nasty wine for this, you need something halfway decent or it will just be foul.

2x 75cl bottles red wine
500ml water
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
inch of root ginger, sliced (no need to peel)
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch of whole cloves
pinch of whole black peppercorns
1/2 nutmeg
50ml brandy
50g caster sugar, or to taste

Bung everything into a big pan. Bring to boilking point, then turn the heat down and keep the wine just below simmering point for about 20 minutes. Either dole it out straight from the pan, or decant into a punch bowl if you have one (we were lucky enough to be given one as a wedding present). Either way, serve in heatproof glasses or nice chunky mugs. Mulled wine and good cheese is a great combination on a cold winter's night.

This chicken casserole, which we had for dinner on Saturday night, is something that I first made a few years ago when Hubby's parents came to visit just before that Christmas. Most of the work can be done a day or two in advance, then finishing it off takes only about ten minutes of hands-on work and half an hour in the oven, making it ideal if you want to spend time with your guests rather than your stove.

Mulled Wine Chicken

half-quantity of mulled wine recipe above
5 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
6 small onions, quartered
400ml hot chicken stock
6 chicken legs

Boil the mulled wine, reducing the quantity by half, to concentrate the flavour. Heat a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil in a large casserole and fry the bacon and onions until just browning. Add the hot stock and the (strained) wine, bring to the boil, then lay the chicken legs in the liquid. Cover the pan and transfer to a 200°c oven for an hour.

*At this point you can quickly cool and then chill the chicken for two days, or freeze it for up to a month. Defrost thoroughly, bring to the boil and then proceed as below.*

250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered.

Stir in the mushrooms and return to the oven for 30-40 minutes. Serve with steamed potatoes or rice and some green vegetables. We had broccoli and sprouts from this week's veg box.

Pudding was another Christmas favourite of ours; Mincemeat Meringue Tart. This is my bastardisation of Michael Barry's 'Mince Pie Royale' from his lovely Radio Times Cookery Year. I make an almond pastry for the base, top it with my homemade mincemeat and then pile on meringue made according to the original recipe in the book. Dust it with icing sugar and serve with dollops of thick cream.