... it's the simple things

Ok, I’m getting obsessed with this newsletter, primarily because you are all so friendly and lovely, but also I’m like an excitable CHILD - I feel like I have so many things I want share with you… all my little dimes of comfort (as well as discomfort and mildly embarrassing/comical moments). One slight issue is that I think of things - often at inconvenient times, (like just as I’m about to nod off to sleep, or in the shower), I don’t or can’t immediately write them down and therefore promptly forget about them, then an hour or two later spend way too long trying to rack my brain over what it was I wanted to mention.

Similarly, I want everything to be perfect for you… so perfect that I baked around 39 biscuits this week… the first 13 were actually fine but I just wanted to check (with the remaining 26) that I hadn’t made any mistakes… I hadn't. I’ve therefore been eating and distributing biscuits for the majority of the week, hard times eh?

Anyway, how are we all? This week has been largely uneventful & somewhat underwhelming for me… sorry to disappoint. Being a typical Brit, I’m blaming the weather- I just feel like it’s meant to be summer now so please sunshine, would you make a more regular appearance?

I’ve had a couple of appointments, one physio, one podiatry - both positive, if only to put my mind at ease. I’ve worried quite a bit… one particular low point was remembering that I hadn’t taken my calcium supplement on Tuesday evening and wondering whether I should get up (at midnight) and take it…I managed to rationalise that I had actually probably eaten sufficient calcium that day and regardless, I could afford to miss it, nevertheless it resulted in a somewhat disturbed nights sleep. I posted my first advert on Instagram, for a brand I really love and was keen to share with the World. It was all a bit scary because I wanted to make sure it was perfect but, despite a slight hiccup - there was a link thing that didn’t work and I got in a RIGHT old panic pickle - I did it! … so, as the saying goes, “feel the fear and do it anyway!”

Despite my moans, I have been very mindful of the sweet, simple, comforting moments and as it turns out, there have been quite a few… and I’m not hanging around any longer because I’m excited to tell you about them… let’s GO!

Bake Off the Professionals

I mentioned that Bake off has become a bit of a stressful watch for me since I have been on the show, but Bake Off the Professionals I LOVE. Firstly, I think newly appointed presenter Stacey Solomon is such a hit, she's hilarious and I really want to meet her in person please and thank you - obviously fellow Bake off contestant Liam is also brilliant. Second, judges Benoit & Cherish are fabulous, I adore their energy and passion for baking. Third, I learn something new from every show; who knew a chocolate sculpture was called an ‘amenity’ by professionals, and that there is a special almond cake called a ‘pain de gênes’? Finally, the gravity defying, intricate things the contestants manage to produce - ok sometimes they don’t quite produce them as they have a tendency to dramatically crash to the floor, but sill - is mind blowing; I just love seeing the ambition, passion and skill of such accomplished bakers. Basically, I love it, love it, love it (as Cherish would say!).

For the love of PESTO

Where do I start with pesto? Surely we can all agree that it is pure heavenly comfort. This humble Italian sauce - originating in Genoa - never disappoints; comprised of just a handful of vibrant, aromatic ingredients muddled together, it forms the basis of, arguably, some of the most life affirming meals.

Pesto pasta, in a particular, has been my side kick through everything: I would eat it before athletics training sessions as a teenager, at University, it was a staple when the cupboard was bare, M&S’ spinach and pine kernel pasta salad was my ultimate treat at a weekend and currently it’s my go-to, low effort work-day Tupperware lunch.

Whilst I merrily consume homemade pesto sauce year-round, it is undoubtedly at its best in the summer months, when the basil is in season; slightly peppery, yet delicate and wildly pungent, stirred through linguine, spread on a ciabatta & topped with roasted veg and buffalo mozzarella, an excellent dipping sauce for your pizza bread crusts (thanks to my friend Sally for this excellent suggestion) and a great topping for fish: salmon works best.

Traditionally, pesto is made in a pestle and mortar, and vigorously pounded into a smooth paste. Very untraditionally, I often revert to using my trusty Nutribullet - what a machine this is by the way - undoubtedly one of the finest pieces of kitchen equipment I possess. However, when I have the time and inclination, the traditional approach somehow yields a slightly superior outcome.

Ok, enough of this chat, below I have provided not one but two of my favourite pesto recipes - one is completely traditional and one you probably already have in the recipe archive, the other is a little novel, but ultimately still fulfils its comforting duty.

One more thing (sorry) if you haven’t watched Salt Acid Fat Heat - the Netflix documentary presented by Samin Nosrat - RUN to your TV NOW and watch it, the Italian one first, you will learn how to make pesto like the Nonna’s do and it’s very wholesome viewing!

My GO-TO traditional basil & pine nut pesto

40g Fresh basil leaves
25g Grated parmesan
25g Toasted pinenuts
1 small garlic clove grated
zest of 1/4 lemon
75ml Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or food processor and grind/blitz to a smooth paste. Freeze in ice cube portions for future dishes or cover and refrigerate - eat within 3-5 days.

*make sure the toasted pine nuts have cooled before you mix everything together - the heat can discolour the basil leaves.
* I freeze portions in little Tupperware (see below) and grab them out for pesto-related emergencies.

Broccoli & Almond pesto

Serves ~ 3

Ingredients

150g Broccoli florets
25g Toasted almonds finely ground
Zest of half a lemon
25g Grated parmesan
1 garlic clove grated
15g Parsley
15g Basil
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Add the broccoli to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water - leave to drain again while you prepare the remaining ingredients. In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine the drained broccoli, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, basil and olive oil, add about 1 tbsp of water and a squeeze of lemon, and blitz to a thick paste. Add the parmesan and ground almonds and blitz again until thick and smooth ish - the smoothness will vary a bit based on the power of your blender, I use my Nutribullet. Add a little more water if it’s super thick, and blitz again - it’s not the same consistency as regular pesto, it’s should be quite a bit thicker. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can cover & store this in the fridge (or freeze in portions) until ready to use or use straight away.

When you come to use the pesto, cook your pasta in boiling salted water; reserve a cup of pasta water as it cooks. Once the pasta is cooked, drain, and return to the pan, place back over a low heat, and add the pesto followed by a few tablespoons of the reserved starchy pasta water. Toss for a minute or two, add more pasta water as required, until the pasta is coated in the sauce. I enjoy mine with roasted veg: tomato/pepper/courgette, and topped with grated parmesan. As mentioned above, this is also GREAT as a pasta salad the next day - so leftovers are absolutely welcome.

Roasted rhubarb

Ingredients

300g Rhubarb
Juice and zest of 1 medium orange - around 100ml orange juice
30g Caster sugar - essentially 10% by weight of your rhubarb.
2 cubes (10-15g) of crystallised ginger
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (1/2 tsp extract if you have that instead)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Trim the ends of the rhubarb and arrange in large roasting dish. Combine the orange zest and sugar in a bowl. Add to the rhubarb and leave to macerate for 20 minutes while the oven heats up. Meanwhile juice the orange and finely chop the ginger. Once macerated, add the orange juice, vanilla and ginger to the rhubarb and mix to coat. Roast in the oven for around 20-25 mins - in my experience cooking time is quite dependent on the length/thickness of the rhubarb as well as the size of roasting dish you use so you may need to judge by eye a bit. Every 10 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and gently jiggle the dish to ‘baste’ the fruit in the liquid. Once the rhubarb feels tender but still holding its shape, remove from the oven and leave to cool fully in the dish before transferring (with the juices) to an airtight container and storing in the fridge - left overnight, the flavours infuse further and it tastes even better! Serve with yoghurt… or ice cream, custard is obv a winner too - YUMMM!

*NOTE, this technique doesn’t always yield that ‘insta-worthy’ perfect pink rhubarb - ‘pinkness’ partly depends on the colour of the rhubarb in the first place - some of the less ripe, whiter ends will never miraculously turn pink, and the orange juice discolours everything a bit too. However, in my (humble) opinion, this method gives the most consistent, delicious results.

A V.special Oat-y Comfort Biscuit

Can we all agree that a sweet biscuit is an ANYTIME source of comfort - mid morning with a cuppa, mid afternoon… with a cuppa, following a blood test, when you feel sick (ginger biscuits I’m looking at you), after school hockey matches (is that still a thing?)… just always know that a biscuit will fix it!

Now everyone has their favourite biscuit - yes I want to know EVERYONES favourite in the comments below, but in my opinion nothing rivals an oat based biscuit - I’m thinking Hobnob/Anzac (and on the savoury side, an oatcake). This week called for an emergency comfort-biscuit-situation and this oat-y sensation was born. It’s lies somewhere between Hobnob and Anzac biscuit in that it has the syrupy/flapjack-y flavour of a Hobnob and the slight chew of an Anzac (less the coconut), it’s super simple to prepare & quick to bake, so will have you sorted in no time.

Enough chat already - just go and try them and let me know what you think.

Makes 13 - if you’re superstitious, still make 13 or they won’t be as good!

Ingredients

60g Rolled Oats (Quaker)
20g Jumbo Oats (Mornflake)
70g Plain flour
40g Plain Wholemeal flour (Duchy)
50g Soft light brown sugar
30g Caster sugar
pinch of flaky sea salt (v.important)

90g Unsalted Butter
40g (approx 2tbsp) Golden syrup
zest of 1/2 large lemon

1/2 level tsp Bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp water

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Measure the oats, flours, sugars and salt into a large bowl - mix thoroughly to combine. Next add the butter, golden syrup and lemon zest to a saucepan and place over a low heat until the butter melts - stir a bit to help it along. While it’s melting combine the bicarb and water in a small bowl to make a ‘slurry’. Once melted, remove the butter and syrup mixture from the heat, immediately add the bicarb water slurry and stir for about 15seconds - it may fizz a bit. Pour directly over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Measure out 13 even chunks of dough and roll into balls - mine weighed about 30g - this gets a bit messy, sorry! Evenly distribute across the 2 baking trays leaving room between each for the biscuits to spread a bit. Flatten the balls into chunky discs - around 4-5cm in diameter - using your hand or the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until quite a deep golden (12mins for more of a chewy vibe, 15 mins for a bit more bite). Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool fully on the baking trays.

VITAL EXTRAS

The BIRDS - they are just so chirpy at the moment and I LOVE it. First thing in the morning when the human World is still asleep, they are up and stretching their vocal cords. Then at around 8:30-10pm, they are like the live theme tune to my evenings - the most wonderful soothing sound.

So I have Jess (who commented on my previous post) to thank for this, she reminded me of the EPIC combo that is a Peppermint tea & some dark chocolate, I opted for Tony’s 70% ‘extra dark’ chocolate and I tell you it was MAGICAL. You have to drink the tea AND eat the chocolate at the same time - just so you know the drill, and suck don’t chew the chocolate… always suck chocolate right?

Boiled beetroot and flaky sea salt - I was discussing this on Instagram with Alison, she agreed that beetroot is a great thing! My Grandma Sheila got me into beetroot when I was younger, she would buy a bunch of raw beetroot, remove the stalks, pop in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil, simmer for around 40-60 mins or until tender. Run briefly under cold water until she could hold them - remove the skins, they just slide off, and leave them to cool. They would accompany most dinners regardless of what was on the menu. I like them just with flaky sea salt, but balsamic vinegar (as mentioned by Alison) is a great addition, as is salad cream!

The punnet of locally grown British strawberries I purchased from Dave-The-fishmonger, (he also sells fruit and veg by the way). These were the first strawberries I have had this summer and oh my word were they divine! It’s hard to rival a really great strawberry right?

Finding my FAVOURITE chickpeas in Waitrose - if you haven’t tried Bold bean Co chickpeas (and or any of their other beans), please do, they redefine a humble bean… I eat them straight from the jar and they are simply magical.

Cold hot food… I’m talking leftovers - WHY DO THEY TASTE SO AMAZING? Actually, I’ve just Googled it… it’s science 'innit. Apparently, aromatics have more time to disperse through the dish, meats and pulses tenderise a bit, and molecules in potatoes/starches rearrange themselves - back to the crystallised state they originally started out as - and trap in any surrounding flavour - pure wizardry… I may just let all my food go cold from now on, seems like a great idea.

Shaving off slivers of cheese before bed… they say that cheese gives you nightmares - they lie - cheese before bed is COMFORT.

A quote which my Mum saw and now I’m taking the credit for. Lewis Hamilton’s physio, Angela Cullen, (seems like an incredible woman by the way) shared a post on her social media - she quoted Oscar Wilde & Stephen Fry, and everything she wrote really resonated with me. Her post read as follows:

‘Reinvent yourselves everyday, be a verb not a noun…
If you know what you want to be then you inevitably become it. That is your punishment. But if you never know, then you can be anything. There is truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am a person who does things - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun - Stephen Fry
Oscar Wilde:
If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you like what some might call the dynamic life - but what I will call the artistic life - if each day you are unsure who you are and what you know, you will never become anything… and THAT is your reward.’

I’ve never really found my ‘calling’ in life - I’ve never been a THING or even known what ‘thing’ I want to be - and constantly feel like a failure for this. I’m 31, I can’t financially sustain myself, and still live at home with my Mum, I’m without a husband, 2 children and a dog (the example set by ALLL of my peers) - I’m behind in life - and time is ‘running out’, I’ve never fulfilled my potential, I’ve not done what I should do.
Yet this quote gave me some perspective… admittedly, it’s not easy to change our mindsets, but I’m taking a little comfort from the quote and will try to remind myself that ‘never becoming anything’ is in fact a reward, being a verb, not a noun is exciting, and living the dynamic life, being a little different, paving my own path will inevitably generate the greatest reward.

Over & Out…

Right, I’m sure there have been more comforts - like cute cat moments - but I’m going to call it a day. Just before I go though - a quick heads-up - keep your eye on my Instagram next week as I’m due to announce a little project that I worked on at the end of last year - it means a lot to me as it all came together while my Dad was still with us, so I’m excited (& nervous - obv) for you to see it. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled - WOW I’m creating so much SUSPENSE!

Once again, thank you ALL for the support, I hope you like the recipes - let me know if you try them.

Love & Hugs - See you all next week! X