Gin and tonic perfection

The perfect gin and tonic.

I start with a disclaimer; everyone thinks their own method is the best one. Let's not fall to blows...
but my husband makes what is universally recognised as a world-class Champion g-and-t.
So here is his recipe, carefully adjusted over years: I dare anyone to try it--and please do post a comment if you have an opinion!

FIRST - beforehand
Chill the tonic: the kind that comes in individual size little tins stays the freshest. but whatever size bottle you are using, chill it.
Have biggish ice cubes, not the Dozens-of-little-thimble-shaped ones. (they melt too fast and make the drink too watery)

Use a jigger if you have one;
ours says, 1/4 gill on it. I measured this carefully in a graduated jug and it's 35 ml. (Americans - a reasonably generous 2 tablespoons)

Into a long glass, place the following four ingredients in the order named: ice, lemon, gin, tonic.
See below:

2 or 3 biggish ice cubes
1 or 2 very thin slices of lemon, on top of the ice. Cut thinly, more of the juice and flavour is released.
Pour the gin over the lemon and ice
Top up with about 150 ml of chilled tonic. this is about 5 fl oz, or (for American readers) a generous 2/3 cupful.
You may briefly poke or stir the bottom of the glass to ensure the gin mixes in. No more stirring than this please.
You may, if you wish, garnish the drink with a rub of a slice of lemon or lime around the rim, or a mint leaf or borage flower. The latter look sweet!

A note on lime: although you might think they are much the same, lime has a sweeter aroma but a bitterer flavour than lemon: and to my mind, is not so suited as a match for gin. However it is an acceptable variation.

Sláinte mhaith!

Postscript: once, while visiting Vancouver, BC, - otherwise a delightful city in many ways - we requested a gin-and-tonic in the bar of a posh hotel.
The drink that arrived was a limp, bland apology for g&t
When we protested, the barman showed us the actual tin of tonic water that he had used: to our horror, it contained no quinine!
That is not quinine tonic, clearly: in fact it is little more than lemonade.

You should use the best tonic you can find, and it must contain quinine.
However, low-sugar variants are perfectly acceptable - the taste difference is not detectable.

The best carrot cake you've ever tasted

CARROT CAKE

(It's not a  difficult recipe at all but there are a good number of ingredients;

- so line them up first in their groups, to simplify proceedings.)

First line a large square baking tin with baking paper: About 8  x 8 ins is about right.

Turn on oven to 180 deg. C (355 F)

Assemble the ingredients in 3 groups; the wet, the dry, and additions.

First group (wet) (with a mixing bowl)

 

2 eggs,

6 oz caster sugar (yes I know it's not wet!) (170gms)

6 fl oz bland vegetable oil (about 160 ml)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2^nd group (dry): sift together and put ready

 

6 oz self-raising flour  (170gms)

1 teasp baking powder

½ teasp bread soda

½ teasp mixed spice

½ teasp salt

3rd group; Additions

 

8 oz finely grated carrot (peel and grate, then weigh; about 2 teacups) (230 gms)

2 oz chopped walnuts (60gms)

METHOD

Cream together the eggs and sugar (a mixer is useful), whisking very thoroughly.

Add the oil and beat again until thick and smooth. Add lemon juice, stir in.

Sift in the dry ingredients, previously mixed together. Stir in.

Add the grated carrot and the nuts and mix well.

Place into prepared tin, bake in centre of oven for about half an hour.

Leave to cool.

ICING

Use a fork to mash 5 oz Philadelphia with about 1 tablespoon of orange juice until soft.

 

Mix in 2 oz, (or more as needed) of sifted icing sugar, and spread on cold cake. Garnish with orange rind if wished.

 

(see photo for how to cut the orange rind into carrot shapes)

Vegetable stew

This is what you make when...
You're broke, vegetables are cheap.
You want some extra vitamins and minerals.
You have to make a meal out of whatever you can find in the fridge, or on the shelf (which isn't much)
You want some warming satisfying "spoon food" to comfort your soul and fill your belly
You have to feed a vegetarian
You're on a diet and need something low-carb, lo-fat, low-meat but full of flavour, and which is filling, fresh and wholesome

So you get started with only your trusty cutting-board and sharpest knife for assistance, and a large pot on the stove. Oh, and a colander or bucket for the compost-able by-products, skins, cores, ends;  there will be plenty!

Vegetables: start with an onion or two, they give an irreplaceable aroma and flavour.
Other veg: choose from what you have, obviously; (wash first, if not peeling) then, cut, slice, cube, dice or chop any of the following, or any others you may come across. But see notes, below.
carrots
mushrooms
celery
parsnip
peppers
cabbage
broccoli
cauliflower
turnip
peas
green beans
and so on and so on.
Place them in bowls or dishes as they are done.

Now start the onions frying in a spoonful of hot olive oil in the pot: stir and watch until they are bronzed and sweet-smelling. Start adding the other vegetables;, all e#xcept the potatoes: adding first of all the ones that take longest to cook, ie, the root veg. Add and stir in all by turns. Let sizzle a few minutes, then pour in some stock or water, bring to a boil and simmer till half cooked.
Then carefully place the cubed potatoes on top (if using) and return to heat until the potatoes are tender.

Serve with a chunk of bread = instant dinner. However -- many variations are possible.

BUT see below --

Optional: Now the interesting bit: adding protein or carbs or both.
Well, you can serve it just as-is with a slice of good bread and butter: a plain substantial meal in its own right, nothing wrong with that.

but consider the following points; to be continued

For flavour and texture, a piece of pork or bacon rind makes a big difference; if you have a small bit off the end of a pork roast, or boiled bacon, you can cut it into tiny cubes and add at the beginning of the cooking: the fat seeps into the vegetables and adds an irresistible "mouth feel" of savoury tenderness (not for vegetarians, however)
Meat: see previous note. If plain lean meat, bacon or sausage is very suitable. The classic plain lean pale meat, ie chicken breast, is NOT so suitable, it is too bland and improves neither the chicken or the stew.

A much better choice: Beans, or any member of the pea/lentil/legume family. These add vegetable protein, a substantial and filling form of fibre, and they absorb the fats and become tender and satisfying, making this a complete meal indeed.

Seasoning: if using fat rinds, meat, or beans/peas: crush 2 cloves of garlic to a paste and stir in quite late in the cooking, so that the aromatic tang is not lost.
SALT is very necessary  - it acts as a flavour enhancer: otherwise this kind of dish can emerge as having a too-watery or sweetish taste. Add pepper too, and any other herbs and spices that  you like.

A note: if you use cumin or garam masala (both recommended) add the spice to the onions at the very beginning: the entle frying in oil releases their flavour.

As i have said, use whatever vegatebles etc you happen to have: but a few notes should prevail =
ce;lery adds depth and saltiness, always try to include some
Mushrooms contribute colour and character to the gravy
 Use peppers cautiously, their taste can be invasive and overpower the others.

Bon Appetit!

Potato Wedges

This is a very simple way to cook potatoes in the oven, and goes very well with fish, fried eggs, or anywhere you might have chosen to eat chips or roast potatoes.

Start by preheating the oven to 200 C/390 F

Take biggish potatoes, and either scrub them thoroughly and leave the skin on, or else peel them.
Cut them in half such as to leave the two "shallowest" halves

Cut each half-potato into a number of wedges or slices, each somewhat thicker than your middle finger. 

Prepare a baking dish; I used a shallow Pyrex dish. Into this put a good tablespoon or thereabouts of olive oil and a tablespoon or two of hot water: mix together using a spoon.

Flavour this mixture as you prefer but choose something quite savoury and tasty: I usually put in a shake of turmeric powder, salt, pepper, maybe crushed garlic or any spices or herbs that appeal to me at the time.

Mix all this together. Put in the potato wedges and stir them around to coat them all over as best you can.. Bake the dish in the oven for about half an hour, then test for done-ness.

If the spuds seem to be getting too dry roll them over a bit in the liquid to coat them; or alternatively, cover with a sheet of tinfoil.
Nice served with a squeeze of lemon, etc.

Christmas fare - the groaning bored.

I've got plenty to say about the seasonal repertoire. Main complaint about the baked stuff, is, it's all the same ingredients, over and over!
Think about it: Christmas Cake, Plum Pudding and Mince Pies all contain just about exactly the same ingredients!
Dried vine fruits - raisins, currants, sultanas. Came in with the Crusades, from those exotic lands of the  eastern Mediterranean.
Nuts, sometimes; they keep very well through the winter - hazelnuts are local, walnuts and sweet cherstnuts also abundant, almonds imported in quantity since time immemotial.
Spices; cloves and cinnamon ansd allspice and nutmeg - formerly a rare and expensive luxury item, saved up for the special festive baking.
The dried and sugared, (or sometimes fresh), rinds of the citrus family of fruits (in season at this time of year, of course) and the juices of same.
Other candied fruits, sometimes - such as cherries or pineapples.
Booze; a preservative and flavour enhancer.

Fats like suet, lard and butter
Usual baking background ingredients like flour and eggs.
Sugar both white and brown, and syrups: golden syrup, treacle, molasses - all are by-products of the sugar-making industry.
We can see here the historical origins of the seasonal food - in the olden days this would have been honey, of course. Still used, and good, by the way. Sweet food was traditionally a scarce expensive luxury, before cheap cane sugar from the West Indies became generally available.

But if you don't have very good recipes and discriminating taste-buds, all the Christmas baked stuff may well end up tasting the same...