Hungry?

Thank you for your patience as we prepare to move to the U.S.
Watch this space though. I may manage to squeeze in some baking
between organising the move, packing and selling the house!

Posted by email from divaindoors's posterous

Potato Salad

Potato facts:
-Nearly all the world's cultivated potato varieties come from a subspecies indigenous to Chile
-The potato, now a staple worldwide, was introduced to Europe only in 1536
-In recent decades, the tuber has grown explosively in Asia, where about four-fifths of the world's total crop was grown in 2007
-China produces the most potatoes, followed by India
-Potatoes are a source of carbohydrates (one-fifth of a 100g of potato), but are also a source of fiber and protein (2.2 grams in 100g) and vitamin C - a fifth of daily needs -100g will also provide one-tenth of one's daily potassium needs and a host of other vitamins and minerals, especially eaten with the skin on.

Now that you know how good it is for you, you can eat more of it. Starting with this salad!

• Potatoes, 1 kg worth
  
• Mayonnaise, 4 tbsp
• Mustard, seeded, 1 tbsp
• Dill, 1 tbsp, chopped
• Lemon, juice of 1/2
• Curry powder, 1/2 tsp
• Capers, 1 tbsp
• Spring onion, 3 stalks, with white part chopped, some green for colour
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Boil the potatoes (I have used new Ontario red ones here) for about 20 minutes in salted water. Check with a fork that they are done before draining the water, then cube them
2. Mix together all the rest of the ingredients
3. Stir the creamy dressing into the hot, cubed potatoes gently, taking care not to break them up
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper

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Chillied Pesto Fish

This is one of my fall-back dinner options when I am short of time, which is fairly regularly. There is always fish in the house, and invariably, some pesto or basil too. A whirl in my mini chopper of some basil, chilli, pecorino, pine nuts and olive oil and voila, a marinade is ready for a dish that will bake or grill in just a few minutes.

This amount will be sufficient for two portions. Served here with fig and mango salad.

• Basil, large handful of
• Pecorino, 2 tbsp, grated roughly (parmesan can be used)
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Red chilli, 1/2, chopped roughly
• Pine nuts, 2 tbsp
• Olive oil, 3-4 tbsp
• Fish fillets, 2
  

1. In a mini food processor, blend all the ingredients together
2. Leave the pesto's texture slightly rough (for more interest)
3. Spread it over fresh, firm, white-fleshed fish such as sea bass or cod or haddock or tilapia
4. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice
5. Place on baking tray and grill or bake in a preheated 220C oven for about 5-6 mins

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Bloody Mary

Ideal for the summer, with or without alcohol, the Bloody Mary is said to have been introduced to and refined in the United States in the early 20th century. The drink's name is associated with Queen Mary I, who reestablished Roman Catholicism in England, causing many Protestants to be burnt at the stake for heresy and spurring the justly unflattering nickname for herself.

Its teetotaler sister drink is, sensibly enough, the Virgin Mary.

Don't know about you, but I need a drink after all that!

• Tomato juice, tall glass of
• Vodka, 1 1/2 oz (omit if making the mocktail)
• Pepper, dash of
• Celery salt, pinch of
• Worcestershire sauce, good 5-6 dashes of
• Tabasco sauce, 3-5 dashes of
• Lemon juice, 1-2 tbsp of
• Celery stick, 1, to garnish

1. In a tall glass, add ice cubes and fill with tomato juice
2. Add all the other ingredients, gradually, adjusting for personal preferences
3. Pop the celery stick in at the end. Cheers!

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Banana Cake

Rather than sitting around hoping the family will eat the vast amounts of rapidly ripening bananas that are constantly in the house, plunging them in a cake seems to guarantee their disappearance. I have used a loaf pan here but it's still a cake rather than a banana bread, as the key ingredients and their proportions remain distinctly cakey.

Lisa had popped round with her children and we threw this together without skipping a beat in our conversation. Nothing like having a ready and appreciative audience for a fragrant cake, fresh out of the oven, with cake-eating models at hand.

• Bananas, 4 inordinately large ones, squished with a fork
• Butter, 125g (1 stick and a bit)
• Eggs, 3, large
• Sugar, 1 1/2 cups
• Flour - plain 1 1/2 cups, wholemeal 1 cup
• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice, 1 tbsp
• Baking powder, 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda, 1/2 tsp

1. Beat sugar and room-temperature butter with a handwhisk
2. Add eggs and whisk till creamy and fluffy
3. Add salt, baking powder and soda, and lemon juice
4. In batches, add the flour, blending in between
5. Use a spatula to fold in the mashed bananas
6. Pour into a loaf tray or cake pan
7. Bake in preheated 180C oven for about 40 mins or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean

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