#57 A stressy week
This week has been overwhelmingly busy and consequently I’ve been really STRESSED (sorry for shouting) – it’s been that ‘butterflies in your tummy’ sort of stress which makes me feel a bit sick. The worst part about it is that most of the overwhelm and stress didn’t seem that ‘worth it’, you know when you don’t feel like it’s been productive or yielding? Anyway, I’m sat here now (it’s Saturday), frantically trying to cobble together some crumbs of comfort from the week and get some recipes down on paper for you… I can’t promise much!
The comfort crumbs:
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been developing a few recipes for an exciting little project, besides the worry and stress over making sure they were ‘perfect’, (I made each recipe at least 5 times – JUST TO BE SURE), I did find myself doing a little relieved ‘happy dance’ when I felt like I’d nailed them. WIN!
A Mandolin – last week I used a Mandolin for the first time and besides being very grateful to see that my fingers were all still attached and intact having used it, I also found it rather THRILLING… the slices it produces are so thin and perfect, very aesthetically pleasing!
The sweetest British plums from M&S and equally sweet local carrots and tenderstem broccoli from Dave (the fishmonger down the road who also sells fruit and veg).
Wednesday – the weather was surprisingly beautiful which made me very happy… imagine if every autumn day was as bright and joyous as this?
Spending time outside – whatever the weather… even on the rainy days. I hate stepping out in cold, grey, wet weather but I realised this week that even on these days, it feels so good to spend some time outdoors… my hair may not thank me but my head does!
Receiving some of Bold Bean Co’s new pulses – Queen Carlin peas (produced in association with Hodmedod’s – supplier of quality beans from British farms) - I cannot wait to try them. I’m also thrilled to get my hands on a copy of their new recipe book, I’m very excited to work my way through some, if not all of, the recipes.
This article listing some of the best Substack newsletters to read at the mo – I was delighted to see that my friend Nicola is featured alongside a host of other incredible writers and experts from various different backgrounds/professions. It’s a great read and I’ve already subscribed to some of the other newsletters, now I just need to find the time to read them!
Finally, food wise, simple has been a priority… as has comfort. So, on the menu we have… a quick and easy spinach and ricotta spaghetti, an epic chocolate, orange, and hazelnut Panna cotta, PLUS a chocolate crumb to top it off - you could feasibly just make this to snack on as and when you please. Over on TCC+, I have shared my version of Oreo biscuits (to be dipped in peanut butter - Parent trap fans will understand this combo!). ENJOY!
Spinach & Ricotta spaghetti
Not another ricotta pasta recipe? I’m afraid so friends! This one is inspired by this recipe shared by the pasta legend Mateo Zielonka – I’ve slightly adapted the quantities to suit my preferences, but he’s the magician behind the dish. I’m massively into pasta dinners right now, it’s just the comfort I need each evening, this one is also super quick and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients or prep making it a real win.win.win!
Serves 2
Ingredients
~200g Baby spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
150g Wholewheat spaghetti
125g Ricotta
20g parmesan + extra for sprinkling
¼- ½ freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil, once hot, chuck in the spinach and sauté until wilted down and some of the moisture has evaporated.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente.
Combine the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, and lemon zest in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Once the spinach is ready, add the ricotta mixture to the frying pan, and stir until melted and saucy.
Once the pasta is cooked, use tongs to transfer it to the spinach/ricotta mixture, add a splash of the cooking water and stir everything until the sauce is smooth, glossy, and coating the pasta. Serve with extra grated parmesan.
Single serve Choc, orange, and hazelnut panna cotta
I shared a pic of this choccy Panna cotta on my stories, and some of you got pretty excited… which made me exited too, so here it is! This is the answer to ‘dessert for one’… it takes some preparation, and a little patience, but nothing stressful and the outcome is DI-VINE. The set on this Panna cotta is firmer than I’d usually aim for, but not in a ‘bouncy jelly-like way’; it’s smooth and silky and melts in the mouth - very easy to eat and kinda tastes like a chocolate-based milkshake - heavenly child-like comfort.
Roast the leftover nuts to create an utterly delicious crunchy accompaniment to your dessert and, if you can be bothered, the chocolate crumb (recipe below) finishes this off so perfectly.
Serves 1
Ingredients
70g whole milk plus a drop extra
70g Double cream plus a drop extra
25g roasted hazelnuts
Zest of ½ small orange
5g Caster sugar
½ sheet gelatine (Dr Oetker - Platiunum grade)
30g Dark chocolate
½ tbsp icing sugar
Method
Measure the cream and milk into a saucepan, bring just to the boil then turn off the heat and add the hazelnuts and orange zest. Cover the pan with clingfilm and leave to infuse for 1 hour.
Once infused, pass the mixture through a sieve pressing through as much as the liquid as you can. Reserve the nuts (don’t worry that there will be orange zest attached too) placing them on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb any excess moisture – set aside until later.
Bloom your gelatine for 5 minutes or as directed on the packet and measure your chocolate into a medium sized heatproof bowl, pop to one side.
Next, reweigh the infused milk/cream mixture back into the saucepan, you need 120g total – if you don’t quite have this much, top up using a drop of fresh milk and cream – I had 110g after the infusion, so I topped up with 5ml each of cream and milk (hope that makes sense).
Place the pan back on the hob, add the caster sugar and stir until dissolved, continue to heat until steaming hot, then add the gelatine and whisk until fully dissolved. Pour this mixture over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate has melted – just like when you make ganache – if it looks grainy and not quite melted in, you can place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and stir continuously until smooth but be really careful not to raise the temp too much. Allow the mixture to cool to 30-35C (check this using a digital thermometer) then pour into a ramekin or dariole mould. Leave to set for around 4 hours for the perfect wobble/smoothness.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190C/170Cfan. Pat the hazelnuts as dry as possible using kitchen paper, and pop in a bowl, toss in ½ tbsp of icing sugar and stir to coat. Transfer to a lined baking tray, and bake for around 10 minutes or until golden, shake the pan halfway through to ensure an even colouring.
After 4 hours setting, dip the base of the ramekin/mould in warm water for 5 seconds then upturn onto a plate and forcefully shake (holding the plate and ramekin firmly!!) until the Panna cotta releases – it may take a few attempts of dipping in the warm water and shaking, but be patient and persevere, it will release in the end. Once released, scatter over some toasty hazelnuts and optional chocolate crumb (see below).
Notes:
The longer I left the Panna cotta to set, the firmer it became, I defo found the sweet spot to be around 4 hours. It’s not offensive if left longer just more of a ganache texture!
You should be fine to double, triple, quadruple the recipe if you want to accommodate friends and family.
Snack on any leftover nuts - hard task, I know!
Chocolate crumb
I’m warning you now, this is very addictive stuff. Make it, then sprinkle it on everything or just snack on it when you need a morsel of chocolate-y, nuggety comfort.
Ingredients
5g Cocoa powder
15g Caster sugar
30g Plain or pastry flour
15g Unsalted butter melted
Method
For the chocolate crumb, preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan and line a small baking tray with parchment.
Combine the cocoa powder, flour, and caster sugar in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until coated and clumping… I get my hand in and pinch the dough together a bit to create some bigger nuggets. Transfer to the lined baking tray and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.
As ever, I hope you’re all doing ok,
Sending love and hugs as always,
Steph x x x
Hope the stress dies down a bit and you get more good weather. Thanks for the addictive warning on the chocolate crumbles. You've made it dangerously accessible - you're a choc dealer! Narcotics drug overlords got nothing on you. Fortunately for us you deal only in comfort, but I wish you profited more than in infinite thanks. I'd vote to have 34 of the best Substack newsletters with TCC topping the list.
I won’t go near the mandolin, it’s my wife’s gadget and it is brilliant at slicing potatoes to a uniform thinness very quickly, all that knife work eliminated. However, I found to my cost, that the various attachments to hold the produce as you slice it are provided for a reason, and to ignore them is foolhardy in the extreme. Still, fingers repair themselves I’m happy to say...😵💫 All the best Steph and hope this week isn’t being so stressy!