Pear,almond and ginger cake,sem lactose

It all seems grey skies, gloomy and cold.The chill of Winter is officially here so bring on the cravings for comforting foods that nurture the soul and warm up our bodies!  When I think of Winter... I think of the sweet and warming spices of ginger, cinnamon and cardamon as well as classic foods like tangy tangerines,mandarins, hearty roasted root vegetables, steaming hot puddings, delicious stews, comforting casseroles and bowls of hot steaming soup. What better way to satisfy these cravings than a seasonal pear almond and ginger cake, made using some fine Portuguese Rocha pears and our very own harvest of Algarvian almonds. Ginger was introduced to Europe by the Portuguese and many Portuguese recipes are characterised by the use of a wide variety of spices,Southern Portuguese cuisine in particular having Arab and Moorish influences.
The main ingredient of this recipe obviously is pears. Now I don’t enjoy peeling fruit and vegetables,but the big exception is pears. I could stand peeling pears till the cows come home – which is a long time as I don’t own any cows, nor do any live with me. There’s something about the texture of the pear skin and the pear itself that is lovely. I’m sure a psychologist could make something of that....
A wonderfully moist and rustic cake, the gentle heat of the ginger and the juicy sweetness of the pears, all set in a lightly spiced cake, work so well together. This cake is perfect sliced and eaten along with a cup of coffee, but wonderful served warm as a dessert with either cream or ice cream. Yoghurt makes a particularly happy partner.
 I had scribbled this recipe in the back of one of my cookery books that I have had for decades, found only while having a tidy of my cookery book shelves and delving into a few that I hadn’t read for some time. I have always jotted down recipes when they were demonstrated on television (long before the immediacy of the internet!). Actually, most of my older cookery books are stuffed with bits of paper with both mine and my mother´s  ideas and scrawlings all over them.
The recipe called for milk which I am not allowed,but I saw no reason why,since the cake contained almonds that I could not substitute almond milk.Ha, it worked beautifully.The recipe also called for butter,another forbidden item.I just omitted it and nobody even noticed.
The small pieces of pear inside the cake cook down a little as the cake bakes, giving lovely squidgy pieces. The ginger is there as a subtle back-note.
Pear, almond and ginger cake 
3-5 Rocha pears,depending on their size,cored and sliced lengthways
1/2 cup ground almonds
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
400g caster sugar(1.75 cups)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
250g plain flour (2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to180ºC (350F),gas mark 4.
Grease a 25cm ( 10 inch ) round spring-form cake tin,sprinkle in half of the ground almonds,and shake the tin so they stick to the greased base and sides.beat thev eggs and sugar together till thick and pale.mix in the milk,flour,baking powder and grated ginger.Fold the pears into the batter and spoon the mixture into the tin.Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining almonds and bake for 11/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean.

                                                                                       

Always the bridesmaid never the bride - Alho françes

perfeito para aquele almoço de improviso.

"I have heard of you, Monsieur Poirot," and Poirot made an unsuccessful attempt to look modest.”    ― Agatha Christie, Taken at the Flood  
 
Poireaux,puerro, porro. Depending on what country you are in this is the word for the noble leek, except that is here in Portugal where it comes under the guise of French garlic, Alho francês.I was aware that Mr Ottolenghi was championing cauliflower a while back and now I have taken it on my own to laud the leek and honour it for what it is.Consider the leek. It’s majestic, a titan of a vegetable that belongs, along with onion and garlic, to the genus Allium. Mostly just the white and light green parts are eaten, though the darker green parts have plenty of flavour and can either be cooked longer to tenderize them, or used when making homemade soup stock.This is the funny thing about the green leektops.Recipes always say “use the white and pale green parts only,” and discard the rest.I often use the green part of the spring onion in recipes.I refuse to discard something that if treated with respect will give you an abundance of flavour.Over the next few months I am going to post a variety of recipes involving the leek that shows off its versatility.Always the bridesmaid never the bride, this glorious vegetable deserves a certain reverence on the altar of gastronomy.Here in Portugal it is available in the markets throughout the entire year.I feel it is important to mention this as many will not have thought of using the leek in the summer months.It can add that little  je ne sais quoi and subtlety to a simple soffrito, refogado or tomato sauce.

First up in my campaign for leekqual opportunity is a variation on Leeks vinaigrette

Winter salad Niçoise wrapped or unwrapped
3 thin to medium leeks cut into thirds
2 chopped hard boiled eggs (7 minutes exactly)
Black olives
Chinese leaves
parsley 
chives

For the vinaigrette-
(this will leave you with plenty to jar up and store in the refrigerator)
300ml extra virgin olive oil
125ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Flor de sal
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 clove garlic
generous sprinkling of Herbes de provence

Make the vinaigrette by placing all the ingredients in a food processor until well emulsified.
Trim the leeks and wash them thoroughly
Cut off the dark green tops, leaving about an inch or two (or three if you like the more strongly flavoured greens) on the shaft. Cut off the roots, cutting as close to the roots as possible, to help keep the leeks together while they simmers.
Bring a pan of salted water to a rapid boil.Once the water is boiling, carefully place the cleaned and prepped leeks into the water. Return to a simmer and lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Start a timer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thickest leek can easily be penetrated with the tip of a sharp knife.
If your leeks are about an inch thick, they should just begin to be turning from bright green to olive-y green at the 8 minute mark. Thicker leeks you'll want to cook a little longer. Use tongs to gently remove the leeks from the pot and place into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.
Remove the leeks from the ice water bath and let them drain. Place the leeks in a rimmed, long serving dish (a Pyrex casserole dish would work for this as well). Drizzle some vinaigrette over the leeks. Gently turn the leeks over and drizzle a bit more vinaigrette on the other side.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the leeks marinate in the vinaigrette for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. (Chill if marinating more than 2 hours. The longer they marinate, the tastier and more tender they become.) The leeks should be served at room  temperature.

In a bowl dress the leaves lightly with some of the vinaigrette.Add the olives boiled eggs and finish with generous amounts of parsley.When you are ready to serve, compose the salad on a platter,arrange the leeks vinaigrette on top and finish with a scattering of chopped chives.
Alternative: carefully put inside a tortilla wrap and roll up in the normal way

Algarve Mediterrãnico-tradição,produtos e cozinhas

 "Endlessly fascinating, illuminating and useful." 

Kevin Gould (The Guardian).

É uma autêntica declaraçao de amorà região do algarve feita por autores que partilham raizes na região.O sul de Portugal é retratado,dando conta ao leitor do que pode esperar encontrar num espaço onde o maré quem mais ordena.Xarém de ameijoas,biqueirões marinados e folar algarvio são alguns dos pratos apresentados.-Revista Comer

Este livro deveria ser leitura obrigatória e essencial para qualquer chef, gerente de chef e proprietário de restaurante na Algarve.Only então a cultura de ementas turisticas, oferecendo frango piri piri e sardinha colar o bacalhau salgado onipresente (bacalhau), todos servidos com a mesma trio de acompanhamentos - arroz, batatas e salada, ser erradicada e uma nova onda de turismo gastro ser introduzida à riqueza aparente da tradição que o Algarve tradicional perdeu.

Anyone with a passion for gastronomy will know the importance of its traditions and culinary heritage.No more so than those living in the Algarve ,where sun,sea, salt,wine, olive oil, bread and fish are among its staples.The three authors of this book,who all share roots in the Algarve, set out to find these traditions through a study of the Algarve´s history,landscape and gastronomy.
The book not only nurtures these traditions and shows us how they continue to thrive,
but also suggests innovative ways of giving them a new lease of life. Particular emphasis is placed on the anthropological and social aspects of the region’s cuisine, its produce, cooking techniques and food preservation procedures.
For several decades, Maria Manuel Valagão has gathered the popular wisdom and millennia-old expertise that shape local cooking. 

“People already have authentic habits inside them that they don’t even realise. They forget that they hold valuable intangible heritage,” says Valagão*

“It’s extremely important that we create mechanisms so that this knowledge is not lost,” she said.

"The book has a little bit of everything", she explains, but focuses mostly on the traditions that set the Algarve apart from everywhere else.
I have been fortunate enough to meet Maria Manuel Valagão on a few occasions.One of her previous books Natureza, Gastronomia & Lazer  was somewhat of an inspiration to me, both in the way I started to look at natures bounty and also in the way I adapted it into my style of cooking
Written alongside photographer Vasco Célio and Chef Bertílio Gomes, ‘Algarve Mediterrânico: Tradição, Produtos e Cozinhas’ took four years to bring to life and was a result of a dream that had been in the pipeline for a long time.This magnificent volume thus provides a comprehensive picture of the Algarve’s cultural heritage and culinary landscape, as enhanced by Vasco Célio’s photographic vision and chef Bertílio Gome’s contemporary recipes.
The romance of the Portuguese language and its distinctive vocabulary is evident throughout  in the superb translation by Jethro Soutar.I was never conscious that I was reading a translation. The Guardian writer Kevin Gould was in charge of copy editing for the English edition, and apparently  accompanied Valagão on some of her trips through the Algarve.This work should be compulsory and essential reading for any chef, chef manager and restaurant owner in the Algarve.Only then will the culture of ementas turisticas offering Piri piri chicken and sardine paste, the ubiquitous salted cod (bacalhau), all served with the same trio of accompaniments – rice, potatoes and salad,be eradicated and a new wave of gastro tourism be introduced to the seeming wealth of tradition that the mainstream Algarve has lost.
*Valagão – holder of a PhD in Environmental Studies – has 40 years of experience in similar initiatives and has already carried out studies in the regions of Minho, Alto Douro and Alentejo.

"My salad days,when I was green in judgement and cold in blood"

 "My salad days,when I was green in judgement and cold in blood"

Who is old enough to remember Cleopatra (comin' atcha!)? In case you don´t they were a band of three sisters with cloying lyrics and colourful overalls! Oh trivia - They topped the music charts in the late 90's with the help of Madonna who signed them to her record label! And the rest was history....and I am old enough to have taken O levels and A levels,long before GCSE´s were even thought of. I studied Anthony and Cleopatra for English literature and the above quote came to mind recently. I would love to think that when Shakespeare wrote it he was craving a winter salad perhaps.One might believe that "salad" refers to the sort of meal one was once, in less lavish (or more diet-conscious) days, forced to subsist on. Others think of their salad days as times of youthful innocence and indulgence, of brightly coloured, freshly grown adventures. But the inventor of the phrase had neither romantic austerity nor flaming youth in mind.
In this particular context, by "salad days" Cleopatra refers to a time not when she had to eat salad, but when she was like salad. From the fifteenth century on, "salad" could mean any raw vegetable; metaphorically, the young Cleopatra was as "green" (inexperienced) and "cold" (passionless) as a piece of lettuce. At least, this is how she explained her youthful affair with Julius Caesar. Love it or eat, it my current exclusion diet has got me thinking about eating salads in the winter.When push comes to shove salad is not the easiest of things to compose at this time of the year.Here in the Algarve with a more temperate climate we are luckier than most in that we are able to have access to some of the vegetables needed most of the year,but as the year draws to a close tomatoes have lost their summertime firmness and flavour and leaves are hard to come by unless of course you go for the supermarket bagged variety.In most cases these have been washed and disinfected in chlorinated water to inhibit bacterial growth.Oh dear, I am still searching for that salad bag labelled washed in spring water,which probably means old water from last spring anyway.All this is reduces the nutritional value of the leaves.Labels claiming ‘packaged in a protective atmosphere’ actually means that it has been ‘gassed’ in modified air in order to extend its shelf life. No good for what I am currently looking for.One thing the doctor did not omit from my diet was bread.In Portugal, rootling around in the bread bin, it will never be too hard to find day old bread, for which there are dozens of uses.Not in the mood for migas, crispy homemade croutons tossed with olive oil, and herbes de Provence immediately came to mind,  and this would add the baker´s touch to a born again salad of roasted peppers, a touch of fennel and some sprigs of thyme.A simple yet scrumptious salad.
Roasted pepper salad with born again bread                       Portion for one serving

4 baby pimentos,Red yellow orange and green, seeded and randomly chopped
2 pieces of fennel sliced into quarters6 baby pear tomatoes
a  scattering of home made Croutons, tossed in olive oil and herbes de provence

Put the peppers , fennel and tomatoes in a small roasting tray and toss with some olive oil and a few sprigs of thyme.Roast in a hot oven for about 15 to twenty minutes until the tomatoes start to wrinkle and the peppers are softened and have taken on a bit of charred colour.Toss the the croutons among the vegetables and return to the oven for 5 minutes more.Serve immediately.The salad is packed with flavour and coated in oil so should not need any dressing.Add a little vinaigrette if you like.

When the party´s over, all is not lost. Bring on recipes for a rethink

You might love cheese,you might adore butter, you might love milk and you might love yoghurt, but as you age, sometimes their love for you becomes more than just unrequited.This means your body has developed an intolerance. One common example of food intolerance is lactose intolerance.These so called intolerances can appear at any stage of your life it seems. They just come in the night and steal your health,they do.

Whether lactose-intolerant or sick of cheese and wine parties,(does anyone still host a cheese and wine party I wonder?) there are many other gift horses out there that can give you back the daily dose of calcium that is missing in dairy free diet.Cheese and wine parties,coffee mornings,bring and buy stalls,God forsake,I am starting to sound like my mother.So when you have to by-pass the dairy aisle where do you go to get your calcium? Well as you´ve seen from my recent post there are now many alternatives to milk where no cows are required.

Oat milk,almond milk and rice milk,in which the bovine has played no part.Well now that I have this part of my shopping basket sorted I can excitedly move on to the next aisle, but pausing for a quick pine and small whimper as I pass the butter display."Lovely artistic display today Mr Martins,but I cant stop to purchase even one of your tempting 250g unsalted blocks". Yes, butter seems to be the big bug bear.I can´t believe I cant have butter.Its what I imagine a reformed smoker must feel like.Its an integral part of almost everything I eat,sandwiches,toast,cakes,soups sauces, curries, puddings...  Oh dear,bit overwhelmed,must go home sit down and think things through whilst having a comforting cup of tea with Oatmilk, and perhaps a bowl of hot porridge and luxurious Oatly cream.Just note the instant kind doesn’t boast the same benefits as old-fashioned rolled oats, which are a quick breakfast option full of fibre and the all important calcium that you need.
I can then start tapping on the keyboard to share this blog post of some lactose free recipes with you.
To consume the required 1,000 mg of calcium per day translated literally( in my terms ) this is what it takes,one thick slice of cheddar cheese in a sandwich, a bowl of yoghurt with fruit and a generously buttered toasted teacake.I have barely got past breakfast and I am not allowed to eat the majority of the above and there is still the rest of the days nourishment to be accounted for.
While food intolerances may be mistaken for a food allergy, they are thought to originate in the gastrointestinal system. Food intolerances are usually caused by the individual’s inability to digest or absorb foods or food components in the intestinal tract.
When one finds oneself in this situation Its amazing what you can create when you put your mind to it.Take for example pasta sauces,Many are rich in dairy and cream, well move over marinara,move on macaroni, its time to change to the new bambino on the block, avocadonara,well that´s what I have called it.

Spaghetti Avocadonara
Rich ,virtuous and on the table in under 30 minutes
Serves 6 to 8 so adjust quantities accordingly for a single portion

12 ounces spaghetti
2 avocados--halved, pitted and peeled 
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bunch small spring onions, roughly chopped 
Juice of 1 lemon 
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Flor de sal and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped parsley, for garnish

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. 
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce: 
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the avocados, garlic,spring onions, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth.
When the pasta is ready reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the reserved water to the avocado mixture and process again until smooth.
 Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, portion the pasta onto plates and garnish with parsley.

While still on the subject of pasta dishes Here is a link to my dairy free take on pork and clams with Udon noodles.

Having had time to sit down and think all this through,my new shopping list was beginning to take on a structure and my new route around the supermarket bypassing dairy was starting to make sense.I then encounter two women trollies parked alongside each other and a conversation ensuing as follows...

A    "Where's Tim?"
B    "Oh we´ve got separate trollies this week,he´s gone gluten free".

Its always reasuuring to know you´re not alone in your own personal predicament.
The next stop after the no cow section would be grains and pulses,followed by pasta,canned fish,and in particular canned salmon.To avoid putting a dent in your wallet, canned salmon is a great choice. Here’s the catch: It’s the bones in canned salmon that hold all the calcium, so they need to be mashed up right along with the salmon meat for all the benefits! But don’t get turned off just yet—the canning process softens the bones so they easily break apart and are unnoticeable when mixed in with the rest of the can’s contents. For my boost of calcium and omega 3’s, I feel some salmon cakes coming on.Its the same with canned sardines,you can crunch up and eat the bones. For the rest of my dietary requirements I think a visit to the market will round the list off nicely.I can go nuts about some lovely Algarvian almonds and dried figs,always good to pack some punch and calcium into a mid - afternoon snack.A carrier bag full of seasonal veg like Bok Choi,Grelos (Portuguese turnip tops) and any kind of cabbage,including chinese leaf and not forgetting kale, will be great for stir fries, migas and side dishes.
Honestly, the first few weeks are horrible but then you figure out how to live with it and life goes on. In just three weeks, I've learned a few things, first among them that milk and soy are hidden in strange places. Second is that I prefer to discover some new favourites rather than gag on unsatisfactory imitations  ( I can´t believe its not butter) of things I can no longer safely have. One soon realises that with a bit of initiative there is still plenty one can eat out there, and everything need not be Utterly Butterly.I will keep you posted on how I am progressing.As I said earlier this is an elimination diet and hopefully by trial and error I can narrow down the food items that have been excluded and start to bring back some favourites with maybe the addition of some new introductions along the way.

Olive on the bushes a much travelled fruit

the crimson petal and the olive

Does it ever feel like just a few people have all the power? If it's a government that's run like this, it's an oligarchy. It seems however these last few weeks our one and only olive tree has become an olivegarchy. 
It started life somewhat like a tiny bush in a little pot with a tiny bottle of Tuscan olive oil tied around its trunk. A parting gift from a dear friend.Having already travelled from Italy to England, it then continued its journey with us to the Algarve,so in theory we have an Italian strain of olives growing in our Portuguese garden. This term these olives have come to power in our garden with an overall majority, giving the thespian a chance to stand as the opposition and find a cure .
There are many ways to cure olives, many of them time consuming and complicated.The essential thing is that you extract the glucosides from them – the chemicals that make the olives very bitter when they are just picked.
You can cure them in water, changing it daily, or dry salt them, or salt then smoke them, or you can do it with a rather complex combination of water + brine sequences.For many reasons the thespian settled for salt curing.Being surrounded by an abundant supply of flor de sal this seemed the most logical reason. Secondly this method is great for smaller olives ( like these ones picked from our tree,similar to the Portuguese "Galega" variety)

Dry Salted Olives

First prepare the olives – wash them and slit them.
Take a clean Kilner jar,add a layer of natural flor de sal, then a layer of olives, and so on until the jar is full.
The salt will trickle down between the olives, but as long as it’s all packed in there, that’s ok.
Your salted olives will need a shake and a turn ever other day – the olives will soon exude liquid and the whole jar will become rather slushy. That’s great,you´re on course. Keep going.
Start tasting your salted olives after about 3 weeks, and when they taste right to you (saltier, and a bit shrunken, and slightly sweeter than brined olives), remove the olives from the salt.
Once your olives are duly salted, you can eat them as they are, or store them in oil with herbs. They’re pretty damn yummy.
The advantage of not using more complicated cures is that you  can  decide what to flavour them with and marinate them with herbs,garlic,chilli oil and other things like garlic or lemon in small batches to suit whatever suits your taste at the time.

To comply can be an awfully big adventure

"to die would be an awfully big adventure" so said J.M Barrie´s Peter Pan.
Peter Pan's life is full of exciting adventure but, just like his age, his life never changes.
Well recently my life changed somewhat when my doctor put me on on an aversion diet for two weeks to try and ascertain if there were certain foods that were irritating and upsetting my stomach.This particular diet was lactose free.No dairy, no butter, no cheese, no yoghurt, no milk.,no fruit, no fruit juices. I threw up my hands defeated.... where do I go from here? Apparently I could eat as much bread as I wanted, so no gluten or coeliac worry there mother. I love bread but  how can I have a sandwich without using butter as an emulsion on the bread,olive oil drizzled on the bread thats the answer.Other emulsions can include tapenades,aubergine based paste,pestos,relishes, mayonnaise and chutneys.All was not lost and there was a glimmer of hope.But then if I can have toast,what can I spread on it, not butter...so, what? Peanut butter, dripping? What was I going to put in my tea and coffee? Soya milk said the doctor. I pulled a very long face and flatly refused.My dilemma was taking yet another turn for the worse.Have you ever tasted soya milk? How can it be good for anybody?
It is definitely one of the most controversial foods in the world.Depending on who you ask, it is either a wonderful superfood or a hormone disrupting poison.I would go with the latter but as with most things in nutrition, there are good arguments on both sides.My argument is that it is not good for the environment and not good for us.Over 90% of soy produced in America is genetically modified and the crops are sprayed with the herbicide Glyphosate, which may be associated with adverse effects on health and certainly on vegetation surrounding these crops.Because it’s cheap and has certain functional properties, soybean oil and soy protein have found their way into all sorts of processed foods. So many of us (unless we are avid label readers,which I have recently become), are consuming significant amounts of soy without even knowing about it.Has anyone ever seen Organic soya on packaging,I very much doubt it.
Things started to look a little more encouraging when good old doctor J informed me there were other alternative lactose free products that I could try that contained no soya.Yeahhhhh.Hurrah for rice milk and oat milk.His on course GPS landed me perfectly in front of the exact chill cabinet where these very products were being stored.I bought a sample of each including a small 250ml carton which i did not realise until I poured it all over my granola was the cream version for cooking with.Could this get any better.This was pure ambrosia.if you can imagine a bowl of hot porridge on a cold winter morning covered with a layer of thick oaty cream.I was on the side of the gods,but a spirit of control must be applied here or my weekly shopping basket was going to incur a letter from the bank manager.
The rice milk was the right consistency for putting in tea and coffee but I am not sure I would want it on my cereal for breakfast. Its slight disadvantage was that it added a certain sweetness to a hot drink and I am not one for sugar in my drinks.
 The oatmeal milk was by far the superior option for hot drinks and gave a luxuriant alternative to milk or cream on my granola, in fact If it wasn´t for the expense my shopping basket could become quite addicted to it.I expect that it would be quite acceptable to use it as a substitute for milk in baking and certain savoury sauces.

Well I dont know about exciting, but the last two weeks have certainly for me, been an adventure in experimentation and thanks to lovely "Oatly" and its quirky packaging, to die and go to heaven could have been an awfully big adventure,but then I was grown up.
Find out about more products at....
http://www.oatly.com/products/international/

Toffee apples and tonka bean ice cream

Oh how, come Halloween, I loved toffee apples. Nothing beats the crunch of a toffee apple on a crisp, parky autumnal evening.No Halloween or bonfire night party was ever complete without some traditional toffee apples. I am far too old for sweet treats,bonfires, burning effigies, and neither am I any longer a trick or a treat. 
However I thought I would re-kindle these childhood memories with a more adult Halloween trick,a little dark bean that supposedly can make your wishes come true.It actually turned out to be a simply delicious treat.Grown up toffee apples with tonka bean ice cream ticks all the boxes for a Halloween dinner dessert. I took it it even further and deconstructed a Granny Smith apple to obtain a mixture of different textures and flavours that one could play with on  the same plate.Granny Smith apple, apple crisp, caramelised apples  julienned fresh apple and a dusting of sweet crumble.The sweetness of the milky custard  smooth golden tonka bean ice cream was the perfect foil for all these different textures. Sweet and sour apple,crunchy sticks of raw apple, the smoothness of the caramel infusing a mellow soft toffee flavour into the apple segments.All brought together by a dusting of  crumble.
My particular choice of Tonka bean for this dessert was the fact that every time I eat food that has been infused with Tonka It induces me to dream,. I often find the same toxicity in nutmeg.So what better for a Halloween dinner than for everyone to toddle off to bed and be mildly transported to the dark side.
In the Pagan and Occult tradition, the Tonka bean is believed to have magical properties. Mages believe that crushed Tonka beans brewed in herbal tea may help to cure the soul, relieve symptoms of depression and confusion, chase away negative thoughts and boost the immune system. It is also believed that holding the bean in one hand, while whispering a wish, leads to its fulfillment.
Just remember: While the Tonka bean might not be able to grant you all your wishes, your culinary ones should be well served.  Just keep your indulgence in healthy, non-toxic moderation
Tonka bean ice cream
200 ml carton cream
500 ml  whole milk
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
25 ml  maple syrup or mild flavoured  honey
1  Tonka bean, freshly grated (Note: you could probably use as little as ½-3/4 grated bean and still achieve good results)
Pour the cream and the milk together in a saucepan. Add the grated Tonka bean and bring to a simmering almost-boil. Take off from the heat and leave to infuse for about 15 minutes.In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. Add the maple syrup (or honey).Slowly, begin to strain- little by little - the recently heated dairy/tonka mixture into the yolk-sugar mixture while whisking at thesame time.
When everything has been well whisked together, pour the blend into the saucepan and - while whisking fairly constantly - bring to a custard consistency,being sure not tolet it curdle.
Take the ice cream  from the heat and cool it down as quickly as possible (by using an iced water bath, for example).Once it has cooled down, Place the ice cream base in the refrigerator to mature, preferably over night.Then, churn the chilled base in your ice cream machine according to instructions (or, in case you have no machine,freeze in your refrigerator churning every few hours to stop crystals forming).Put in a freezer-safe container, cover with plastic film and lid and store in the freezer.

Toffee apples
4 granny smith apples,peeled cored and cut into segments 
3 tablespoons superfine caster sugar 
I teaspoon ground cinnamon
Toss the apple segments with the sugar cinnamon and 2 tablespoons water.
Tip them into a heavy based frying over a medium heat and let them caramelise and brown.turn each of the segments as they begin to caramelise and take them out when they are cooked on both sides 

For the apple crisps and raw julienne
Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Thinly slice the apple through the core – use a mandolin, if you have one, to get thin slices. Arrange the slices on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 40 mins. Cool until crisp.

While the crisps are in the oven  cut juliennes of raw apple and sprinkle with lemon juice to stop them browning.Set aside.
For the crumble
Make a small amount of crumble topping from flour butter and light muscavado sugar
a good formula to follow is half the quantity of butter to flour and half the amount of sugar to flour.Rub all together with your fingers till you have  a mix similar to coarse breadcrumbs.Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until aromatic and crispy. 

The turnover of the season- spiced pear and white port

 Oh my god, how I used to love my mother´s apple turnovers.When the nights start drawing in and there´s a nip in the air, our thoughts turn to baking. Autumn fruits, plums, pears, apples and blackberries are plentiful and combined with warm spices and flaky puff pastry, one´s kitchen is guaranteed to be filled with the homey aromas of autumn.
These little lovelies are much more sophisticated than the turnovers from my childhood.These are turnovers for grown-ups.They are filled with a very subtle natural sweetness of pears and dates.The dates are the only sweetener here and pair well with an infusion of ginger cinnamon and allspice.Turnovers are often made as a sort of portable snack or dessert and therefore make a great healthy option for lunch boxes and picnics.Their storage options are also good.....
Turnovers are best enjoyed the same day you bake them, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; refresh them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 6 minutes.
Unbaked turnovers can be stored in the freezer, individually wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks. You can bake them directly from the freezer—just add 5 to 8 minutes to the baking time and proceed as directed.)

Spiced pear and white port turnovers
For the filling
6 to 8 pitted and finely chopped Medjool dates
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
5 or 6 ripe mrdium Rocha pears, peeled, cored, and chopped into small dice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon flor de sal
1/4  cup / 60ml of good quality white port

For the turnovers
About 1 pound commercial or homemade puff pastry
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream

To make the filling, Put the dates and baking soda in a small bowl and add enough hot water to cover the dates. Stir to dissolve the baking soda, which will soften the skins of the dates and allow them to blend more easily into the pears. Let the dates soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the dates and, using a spoon or a fork, mash them slightly until they’re smooth and soft.
In a medium sized pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the mashed dates, pears, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the dates and pears are starting to soften and the spices are well distributed. At this point the pears will seem dry, add the 1/4 cup (60 ml) white port. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes more. You want the dates to dissolve into the pears and the pears to soften somewhat, so keep cooking until you have a soft pear compote. Remove from the heat and let cool. You should have about 3 1/2 cups. (The compote can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week and can be used for breakfast with yoghurt cut through)

To make the turnovers, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a well-floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a thin rectangle. Cut out 8 4" (10cm) identical squares.

Place about 1/3 cup (80 grams) pear compote off centre in each square. (You will probably have some pear compote left over) Using the back of a spoon, spread the compote a little so it fills half the square diagonally and leave a little empty lip around the filling to allow for the sealing of the dough triangle. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the empty pastry dough with the egg wash. Carefully fold the egg-washed dough over the compote and use your fingers to pinch the turnover triangle together. Use the tines of the fork to firmly press the edges of the turnover together and make sure the turnover is well sealed. Repeat with the remaining dough and pear compote. Reserve any remaining egg wash. 

 Transfer the turnovers to the prepared baking sheet. Add the cream to the remaining egg wash and whisk with a fork. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the turnovers with the egg-cream mixture. Bake until the dough is entirely browned and baked through, 50 to 60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let the pear turnovers cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the filling to cool. The turnovers are best enjoyed the same day you bake them, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; refresh them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 6 minutes

Paella rojo con vino tinto a marriage of three nations

What do you get when you mix bomba rice and belota salame 

with a fruity Portuguese red wine from the Douro?

Days are getting shorter, the weather is cooling, and we aren't quite ready for summer to be over, but we're embracing autumn with open (sweater covered) arms.It is time to start thinking about slightly more hearty dishes. There are so many recipes that call for red wine.That does not mean the ropy old vin de table that remains screw-toppedly half opened by the side of the cooker, but that fruity little gran reserva you have been saving for that special occasion.
It is a truism that there is no point cooking with bad wine,and that the better the wine deployed,the better the dish.This is  a sort of contradiction in terms, for there is not much else you can do with left over wine than cook with it.However when a wine is truly past it,whether its corked or just too old, it´s not going to do much for your cooking.Red wines tend to last longer than whites and this is generally as true when you cook with them as when you drink them.Colour is a good key.When your fresh and fruity country red turns to a vapid and acidic rosé, its gone.I dont know why I just said that, as cooking with "good" rose is not much cop anyway.Wine for cooking,of course, is more likely to be left over from the night before than than from the year before last.Half finished bottles should be married up,,have a cork stuck in them and be kept in the fridge, this will keep them serviceable for a week.If you don´t have leftovers then a robust country red bought for the purpose need not cost very much.There are times and recipes  when left overs just will not do and you have to bite the bullet and you need to fork out for a wine that really fits the bill.Generally speaking,the better the wine,the less you have to cook it.
In the following recipe the wine never really boils  as its flavours are absorbed by the rice, and its earthy flavour makes for a truly unusual and outstanding dish.The dish is loosely adapted from a recipe by the late great Marcella Hazan in her Second Classic Italian Cook Book,in which she uses arborio rice,Italian salami and a fruity Italian red from Piedmont such as a Gattinara,Spanna,Barolo or Barbera dolcetto.A California Barbera would also work  beautifully. 
I however used an Esperão Assobio,a Portuguese wine from the Douro with a deep ruby colour. It is spicy and fruity, revealing an elegant palate showing youthful fruit and fine tannins with good balancing acidity on the finish. Ms. Hazan said" No one who conceived this dish thought small".This is no light,tripping springtime risotto for feeble appetites.What I produced was a merger of three lusty dishes, a risotto from Piedmont and a paella from the marjal de pego paddy fields in the region of Valencia.This recipe also references one of my favourite Algarvian recipes- favas algarvia ( broad beans with bacon and chouriço)

Paella rojo con vino tinto
serves 6
1 onion
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
2 small turnips
150g spanish belota salame in one piece
50g butter plus more to stir in at the end of cooking
250g bomba (paella) rice
1 bottle of fruity red wine,Barbera, Dolcetto or Assobio
Half a cabbage (about 300g )
400g fava beans podded cooked and skins removed
chicken stock
olive oil

Chop the onion, celery stalks, carrots and turnip into small cubes.Stew vigorously in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.Cut the salami the same size and add to the vegetables.Cook gently for 5 minutes then add 50g butter.When melted, pour in the rice and season with salt and pepper.When well coated and starting to stick to the pan pour in all the wine, stir gently bringing just to the boil.When this in turn starts to stick, begin adding the stock a ladleful at the time.It will take about 15 minutes careful and watchful cooking for the rice to become tender.
While the rice  is cooking shred the cabbage ad blanch briefly in boiling water.Drain and add to the rice with the broad beans.Serve in a large terracotta dish and let everyone help themselves.