JK's kitchen

'tribute in soup form' In this interminable quarantine it is easy to fall into comfort food and that is in many ways the correct move but some days you want to revel in virtue and wholesomeness. Also Facebook told us that it was our friends anniversary. So as a household we decided to pay the couple tribute with a soup as wholesome (and as green) as their marriage. to give her her due mom made a similar soup earlier in the week and I've been thinking of broccoli soup since. The Soup  Broccoli (Chop the stalk into small dice, keep the florets in florets) Celery (Chopped) Onion (Chopped) Garlic (Chopped) Assorted greens (we used kale you could use spinach or savoy cabbage) Vegetable stock  (or a cube, it's hard to justify making stock at the moment) Parmesan rind (optional) Bacon (Mom used this) Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) If you are using it  cut your bacon into chunks and cook through rendering the fat (Start in a cold pan). Lightly saute your...

'A Sunday treat' Mexican food in England is often not good (some of it is good but almost none of it is great) but there is something all encompassing and comforting in the idea of a burrito. When you go for one (particularly if you are vegetarian) they often tend towards either the brand or the ‘one note’ spicy type. They also often come bafflingly with lettuce which bothers me. What follows is a ludicrously complex burrito made of lots of bits and bobs that allow for a high quality’ make your own way’ style burrito (you don't have to make everything just the salsa and veg are good enough for a weeknight). Roast corn salsa Fresh corn on the cob (not always worth it but here it is) Tomatoes(chopped to the size you like your salsa, I like about the same size as the sweet corn) Onion (chopped finely) Red chill(chopped finely) Lime (zest and juice) Salt Coriander (fresh, finely chopped) Butter Mix your onion with a small amount of salt. Leave at roo...

'it's so creamy' There exists a classic pesto, basil pine nuts Parmesan and olive oil. The only problem is that pine nuts are expensive (They grow on trees) and you need almost a tonne of fresh basil. As such I have made several kinds of pesto-like sauces. This one exists because we have a lot of broccoli in the fridge.  This one doesn't save well because raw broccoli when minced up changes its flavor pretty quickly. So make and serve this one immediately. You can get it done more or less in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta. The pesto Broccoli (one head roughly chopped) Garlic (about three cloves, grated in a micro plane) Nuts (a hand full of nuts, whatever you have is fine. Chopped) Olive oil (enough) lemon juice (about a teaspoon) Parmesan (as much as you want so add somewhere between none (if you're vegan or dairy free) and too much(if you're decadent)) Black pepper (To taste) Salt (to taste) Pasta (Whichever) Add your brocco...

'back to brunch' For some reason fritatas remind me of my mother I feel like growing up we had a period where we had a lot of fritata.  I also had frittatas in Italy (when i was doing some reaserch for this recipe I found out that this is an Italian dish when I've always thought it was Spanish) this broadened my mind what I'm giving you is a classic recipe that my mom used to make, you can make a frittata with whatever leftover carbs you have from dinner. There is a point in the recipe where I say to watch for hot handles, my brother had to finish and take photos for this. I had my fingers under cold running water. The frittata Onion (3/4 chopped roughly) Pepper ( chopped roughly) Cooked potato (we had left over jacket potato) Peas (cant have a frittata without peas) Eggs Salt Pepper olive oil Caramelize the onion, and peppers in a non stick, oven safe skillet.  Meenwhle lightly whisk enough eggs to just cover your ingredients this is your last ch...

'Just stick  with me' Coffee tonic is fast becoming one of my favorite ways to drink coffee. it sounds weird and a lot of people think its gonna be disgusting but in fact it is refreshing and energizing a perfect for these beautiful spring days we seem to be having. I first had it after seeing it on offer in a cafe in Sheffield that I trust Implicitly, Marmadukes , it must be said that I was skeptical but i am now a convert.   I have cupboards full of tonic even when there's no gin in sight. Coffee and tonic (Two shots of espresso mixed with twice that much tonic if at all possible but you could also use an equal amount of strong filter, drip or cafitire coffee and tonic. i havn't yet needed to use instant) Lemon (two wedges one squeezed one garnishing) Ice (cubes) Make your coffee according to your preferred method your'e looking for strength here probably stronger than you would usually then allow it to cool in the fridge.  Put your coffee into a cu...

'left over corner, part one' We had some spiced mash left from  My dahling shepard's pie , we also had some braised cabbage and a few peas left over. So for breakfast, bombay bubble and squeak its a simple but satisfying recipe.  I paired it with some sour grape chutney that I made (because what else is there to do with sour grapes? not a rhetorical question please leave a comment) The bubble and squeak Spiced mash (essential, from the Shepard's pie recipe or if you don't have any left just put some curry powder in the mash) Cabbage (essential, we had braised cabage leftover from Sunday dinner) Odds and sods of vegetables (whatever you have left boiled carrots, a few peas) Flour (a dusting) Oil Mash everything together lightly, you want some chunks.  Form the mixture into palm sized patties.  Dust the patties with flour.  Carefully flipping only once fry them untill golden on each side.  keep warm then serve.  The grape chutney ...

'Its a project' (This isn't the noodle soup I'm describing here but what do you want from me I'm on quarantine) I've been making noodle soups for years, since I was a child really. I have a very clear memory of me and my brother and two of our friends (who were also brothers) making a big pot of Aldi's noodle soup and feeling accomplished because we added some peas and scallions to the pot. Our skills, and the complexity of the recipe, have grown somewhat since but it is still a thoroughly satisfying and nutritious dish. The Broth  Carrots (essential) Onions (essential) Garlic (essential) Celery (essential) Various odds and ends of (raw) veg Herbs and spices (cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander seed, fresh ginger, dried chili, pepper corns and dried mushrooms) Bay leaf (nice to have) Neutral oil Water Make stock as in my  vegetable stock recipe .  Leave out the Parmesan rind and use cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander seed, fresh g...

'comforting and flavorsome' OK this one came to me in a flash of inspiration I wanted to add some interest to a vegetarian Shepard's (or cottage, when you're vegetarian it doesn't matter) pie because my mom wasn't feeling up to much and I wanted to make something nice and comfort foody.  I also like Indian flavors and felt that a lentil base would work well as a mince substitute. What you end up with is a comforting dish that manages to simultaneously taste like a cottage pie and a curry. It's a bit of a trip but it has become one of my new favorite recipes that I'm sure to be making for many years. The Base Lentils (red and green, or just green) Onion (diced reasonably finely) Carrot (diced reasonably finely) Cellary (diced reasonably finely) Other root veg (whatever you would usually put in a Shepard's pie) Chili (enough to make it as hot as you like it, but not too spicy we're going for comfort food) Garlic (half a bulb) Ginger ...

'peanut-aly delicious' Picture from Momma K. Satay is one of the sauces that you don't often get as a vegetarian but home made satay goes well with lots of things i like mine with butternut squash or aubergine. for the non vegetarian amongst you chicken seems to be most popular with this one.  I'm going to give the recipe for a marinade that you can let out with a bit of water to make a dipping or drizzling sauce be creative (maybe its great with lamb). The satay  Ginger (minced or finely grated) Garlic (minced or finely grated) Lime (zest and juice) Chili (red and chopped) Coriander (leaves, chopped) Peanut butter (chunky) light soy sauce white pepper bit of water Mix these ingredients together they will appear to coagulate at first but keep on mixing and adding a little splash of water at a time until you have reached a consistency you like.  Put some of it on whatever you are grilling (or barbecuing) then spear it onto a skewer (soaked if it...

'Leftovers ain't ever looked so good' These came about because we had made too much beer based white sauce for Sunday dinner and as such had a good base to make a quick welsh rarebit style sauce. I'm going to be honest i'm reposting the welsh rarebit recipe for that element of the dish but the outcome is quite distance from the previous recipe. The rarebit Cheddar cheese (150-200g per person, grated) Beer (not carling, a dark er beer We used a plumb porter ) Mustard (English or wholegrain) Hendersons relish (or lea and perrins if you’re unlucky) Flour Butter Salt and pepper (black pepper) Toast. First make a roux by melting about a wooden spoonful of butter in a heavy bottomed oven safe pan then stirring in a roughly equal amount of flour then cooking on a low heat for approximately one verse of american pie (when I’m singing it) Take the pan off the heat and slowly add your beer and a good amount of mustard (whatever this means to you)...

'Boxty in a griddle boxty in a pan, if you can.t make boxty you'll never keep a man' In these dark days of quarantine food can be both a tension as people worry about (a mostly intact) supply chain and  a comfort home cooking is one of the few activities that is mostly unaffected.  as such i am trowing open this blog to the public when it was previously a hidden archive of family and favorite recipes being collected in anticipation of a heartwarming (yet crucially cheap) Christmas gift for the family.  The following recipe is a lovely brunch constructed by my brother and me. it consists of potato cakes (boxty pancakes, tatty scones, potato farl or any one of many names) The potato cakes    If you want it to be more of a breakfast than a brunch I'd suggest making the potato cakes up the night before and reheating them in the oven. Four potatoes (cut in half) One cup of self raising flour (don't worry too much) Butter (3 teaspoons) Chives (a few, ...