As Strong As Soup

There are thousands of soda bread recipes on the net and this one isn't so very different, but I wanted to record my basic, perfect-for-soup (and other things) soda bread recipe. Forgive me if you've heard it all before.  Apart from the buttermilk, this recipe uses ingredients that I normally have to hand in my kitchen cupboards and fridge and so this is a bread that can be put together quickly with minimal effort. To that end, I use the packaged crispy onions that you can buy at pretty much any supermarket but don't let me stop you frying your own crispy onions, if you're so inclined.  Like other soda breads, this does not store well and should either be eaten quickly or frozen. Happily, it does freeze very well. The amount of buttermilk specified here might seem strange but buttermilk is most commonly sold in ½ pint measures in the UK. Let's just say that the reason for this is historic. 160g self-raising flour 160g wholegrain flour  1 tsp bicarbonate of soda  40g

Venison shanks are a flavourful, reasonably-priced (usually) cut of meat. They need lengthy cooking and are ideal for letting a slow cooker do all the hard work. This looks like quite a long recipe but it's actually a pretty straightforward and relaxed way to get beautifully tender meat which tastes a little different to the usual ways of flavouring venison.  I've owned a number of slow cookers over the years and I wish I could say that they all behave in exactly the same way. But I can't. So the cooking time here should be treated as a reasonable, but in no way foolproof, recommendation. I've used a five spice paste to give extra depth and make things easy, but a little five spice powder could be added instead, if that's what you have. I think the gochujang works particularly well with the venison, but you could substitute a different chilli paste (maybe a smoky one) if you prefer. This should be enough for 4 people and, since it delivers some punchy flavour, is pr

Marmalade is a joyous thing but I think it's worth making much wider use of Seville oranges.  They're sharp enough to be used in dressings in the place of lemons, for instance, and that dressing will work very well with roasted veg. They also work in sauces. Duck is a traditional choice but, for a change, try cooking pork fillet in an orange sauce. Apart from the oranges, this sauce is made up of ingredients that I tend to have to have knocking around in the kitchen, but it's possible to make substitutions with your chosen favourites. The important thing is to get the sweet and sour balance just the way you like it. If you want to use other types of orange, then they'll probably be (significantly) sweeter, so reduce the amount of maple syrup you use and, maybe, add a little lemon juice. This will serve 2. 1 pork fillet (tenderloin) Juice of 5 or 6 Seville oranges - about 150ml will be ideal 3 or 4 tsp maple syrup (add more or less to taste) 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp sw

This is a simple, cheap (or cheapish), low-effort dish that's also very comforting and warming on cold, January days. I admit that many French sausages taste very strange to me but, some years ago, I came across some particularly fine sausages in the Cotentin and this is one of the ways they were being cooked. The original version of the dish contained some excellent Normandy black pudding but, if you don't fancy that or can't lay your hands on any, then do what I did here and use a little chorizo. There are some very fine beers in the north of France but the Cotentin is probably better known for cider and you could certainly replace the beer with cider in this recipe. I do think the beer adds a good contrast to the apples, though. If you can't find wheat beer, then you can substitute a light style of beer such as one of multitude of trendy pale ales that seem to be popping up everywhere lately.  You could use any sausages you fancy but I think larger sausages with a hi

I've already given a recipe for the cake known as a pastis (or croustade) from the Pyrenees but, more than five years later, I thought I really ought to get around to a recipe for the pastis from the Landes just down the road. (Admittedly, it's quite a long road and densely lined with pine trees towards the end). In the Pyrenees, the cake is usually made with baking powder but in the Landes yeast is used as the raising agent. It could make an interesting alternative to certain ubiquitous Italian cakes at this time of year.  The flavourings in the cake might seem a bit elaborate, but they're my attempt to recreate the complex flavour of the original. It will still make a fine cake if you want to leave one or more of the flavourings out - just don't boast about it in the Landes. I'm perfectly happy to have a slice of this just about anytime with tea or coffee but it's lovely with a generous dollop of crème anglaise or yoghurt and maybe a little fruit. As ever, do

Don't ask me about the history and origins of Hélénettes because I don't have a clue. All I know is that they're a simple, little, almond (or sometimes hazelnut) cake that's similar to a classic, old-style macaron but uses egg yolks rather than egg whites. This recipe is based on received wisdom (with only minor tweaks) from some French bakers that I've come across. They're really easy and quick to make. They're also a good way to use up egg yolks after the egg whites have played their part in other recipes such as meringues. I like the vanilla flavour in this recipe but it could be replaced with almond extract, orange flower water or whatever else you might fancy - within reason. Alternatively, you could leave out the added flavouring altogether. You could also replace the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts if you feel like it or if you have some languishing in your cupboard.