Changing Food… One Meal At A Time!
Summer
Jan Fullwood Food Consultant
(aka JamJarJan)
NOTES FROM A CHAOTIC KITCHEN
Welcome to day to day life in a chaotic well used kitchen…..
A constantly evolving kitchen: always busy, full of cooking and creating (dinner, treats, mess) for work and for play, for family and friends.
Let me introduce myself and my family:
- A Food and Recipe Consultant who is ‘never knowingly under-catered’, I’ll whip up a five-minute muffin mix at a moment’s notice. I’m constantly creating, evaluating and eating, always cooking and learning something new.
- Long-suffering Hub who just wants a clutter-free kitchen (and longs for a bit of peace and quiet). Happiest in the garden.
- Eldest cheffie son and his patisserie chef girlfriend who cook catering quantities of delicious food at every opportunity for us to sample (hard job, but someone’s got to do it)
- Protein & carb obsessed younger son set for uni (cooking not his forte - self survival skills urgently required)
We all eat to live. Let me help you live to eat.
What's in Jan's Pan?
June 2025
Work in progress....
If I am to follow on from May with another month inspired musical theme, then June is definitely busting out all over. And if my garden is anything to go by, then it's fair to say that the song from Carousel is one hundred percent accurate. The wonderful weather we've been enjoying recently has brought out the best of the garden in all its glory.
Even the great garden guru, Monty Don, claims that there are more insects than ever, and the wildflower borders he suggests cultivating are full of them. We are ahead of the game on that front, and our gardening style (kempt unkempt as Hub likes to call it) encourages insects and bees aplenty. This has meant that the fruit on the bushes have ripened earlier than usual, and we have been able to enjoy sitting out and making the most of the longest days of the year more so than usual. How often does the summer solstice pass us by when the weather is not so inviting, but this year we have been able to have plenty of weekday meals and weekend entertaining al fresco.
I read that writing is an excuse to go out and have experiences. I've always been one to seize any opportunities that come my way (Ok, so FOMO Fullwood is my middle name) and if I'm to hone my writing skills then I need to put my money where my mouth is (or perhaps, where my pen is.)
This month has been no exception and highlights have been a delicious Malaysian supperclub hosted by Norman Musa at Divertimenti (details below) and the Guild of Food Writers Awards ceremony, which for me is the culmination of nearly a year's worth of planning and organising to ensure that the judging of 15 categories full of cookery books, food and restaurant writers goes smoothly. We then have a huge presentation ceremony, which is full of
What's in Jan's Pan
The fruit is ripening unseasonally early, I usually start to pick it in July. Our fruit and veg patch has redcurrants. blackcurrant, gooseberries which fruit evey year, and now Alpine strawberries have taken hold and spread over the ground as well.
There’s nothing better than going down early morning or late evening to pick the fruit. It’s very therapeutic, away from the call of social media, lost in your own thoughts with the sound of nature around you. It’s a gentle way to ease into the day and feel at one with the world. Long trousers and gardening gloves are required to avoid the brambles and nettles which catch you unawares as you reach over, focussing on a particularly ripe and juicy blackcurrant. These ripen at different stages even on the same cluster of currants, so it’s never all done in one go.
Redcurrants drip like Jewels and the sprigs are easier to pick. De-strigging them can be time consuming (I use a fork to pull them off) so I tend to freeze them with the sprigs on because the currants just fall off once they’re frozen. I keep them in a bag and take out what I need throughout the year.
Fruit picking can be a labour of love - picking, sorting, washing and preserving, but it's become part of my annual routine and I benefit from the bounty all year round.
I do love to make jam, blackcurrant is my all time favourite, but as it is so sugar laden I also like to make a much lower sugar conserve to keep in the fridge for more immediate use.
Jam requires 60% sugar to preserve it fully which allows you to keep for a year or more. This time I cooked up the blackcurrants with a squeeze of lime (my favourite flavour combination) 30% sugar which is just enough to sweeten but retain the sharpness of the fruit.
It's easy enough to work out how much to add with this simple calculation:
For standard jam with 60% sugar divide the weight of the fruit or cooked pulp by 0.6 and multiply by 0.4% to give the weight of sugar to add.
This can then be adjusted accordingly depending on the percentage you want to incorporate.
For 30% sugar divide the weight of fruit by 0.7 and multiply by 0.3% to give the weight of sugar to add, and so on.
It's less likely to spread like a traditional jam, but it's less of a sugar hit and just as tasty, but it will need to be kept in the fridge as the shelf life is shorter. It's perfect for quick desserts though - layer up with yoghurt or custard and crumbled biscuits or sponge for an easy mid-week trifle-style dessert.
The garden has been gorgeous, and there have been plenty of opportunities for al fresco dining this month. I served this salad at a recent Friday night gathering on the patio during a particularly good spell fo weather.
Roast Bunched Carrots with freekeh, carrot tops and feta
Serves 4
I love the bunched carrots that arrive in my veg box, and this recipe makes the most of the edible tops as well. They look like firmer less delicate versions of dill or fennel tops with a grassy, earthy flavour and a subtle hint of the carrots. full of iron and a shame to waste them. Recipes for pesto too, good to bulk out other more fragrant herbs. So simple, but effective. Freekeh is a delicious smoky flavoured cracked grain from the Middle-East. It's available in supermarkets, but the most authentic I have found is available from wholefoods direct. Bulgur wheat, pearl barley, wheatberries or couscous are good alternatives, but do try the freekeh if you haven't before it;s much more flavoursome.
Cut off the tops as soon as you receive them. Pop them in a jug of water to keep them fresh. Wash and chop a good handful of the fronds.
Heat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/ Gas 7. Scrub the carrots and cut in half. Lay them on a baking tray and toss generously with olive oil. Roast the carrots for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until they soften and char.
Now crumble a block of feta into large chunks and scatter over the carrots. Allow to soften and char for up to 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
Meanwhile cook 200g freekeh in some well flavoured vegetable stock.
In a salad bowl put 3tbsp EVO, the zest of 1 lemon plus 1tbsp juice, salt pepper and the chopped carrot tops. Drain the freekeh and tip the warm freekeh directly into the dressing and toss to coat.
Top with the soft warm carrots and feta and sprinkle with some extra carrot top Serve warm or cold.
What's on Jan's plate
Norman Musa's Malaysian supperclub at Divertimenti in the Brompton Road
We were welcomed with hibiscus fizz, Malaysia's national flower symbolizing the country's cultural heritage, unity, and resilience. Its five petals represent the five principles of Rukun Negara, reflecting core national values such as loyalty and morality.
aubergine and a canape of tempeh slice , such an innovative use of tempeh, firm
starters umai - halibut ceviche with beetroot lemongrass and ginger
chicken satay with chunky sauce
spiced honey prawns
beef short rib rendang with turmeric rice fried lotus root
Asian tiramisu with macha
Great pizza toppings at a recent pizza gathering
Camembert and apple from our trip to Le Brevedent in Normandy
Pear, blue cheese, walnuts and honey from our friend's trip to NZ
Top right picture
Overnight rice pudding, cooked in the residual heat of around 100C
Middle left
Borlotti beans cooked overnight with garlic and rosemary from dry
Pizza party leftovers lamb stew
Lamb chump chops cooked with raw leftover aubergine and peppers, leftover tomato sauce from the pizza, cooked in the slow cooker and harissa paste
What's in Jan's Air Fryer
Nettle tea
Roast nuts
Crispy bacon in focaccia
I’m beginning to view nettles with a different eye t. Apparently, they have antihistamine properties (useful for the mass of mossie bites accrued in the heatwave sitting in the garden - the tingle of the nettle sting subsides more quickly than the itch of the bite). Whilst I’ve always thought of them as hindrance I'm beginning to see their benefits as I recently read about their superpower properties.
Apparently nettle tea is perfect for combating arthritis and joints.
To be continued....
Comments