The Queen's Table - 12

Here we see cabbages and cauliflowers. We have a recipe from Delia for braised red cabbage with apples.

I'm not sure whether the Royal Chef will take up her suggestion of serving up the leftovers with bangers and mash! I think it is more likely to be served with venison from the Royal Estate.



Traditional Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

This is a recipe I have been cooking for years. It's great because it can be made the day before and gently re-heated with no last minute bother. It is a perfect accompaniment to venison, goose or pork (and if you have any left over it does wonders for bangers and mash).

Serves 10-12

Ingredients
2 lb (1 kg) red cabbage
1 lb (450 g) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
1 lb (450 g) onions, chopped small
1 clove garlic, chopped very small
¼ whole nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ level teaspoon ground cloves
3 level tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
½ oz (15 g) butter
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).

Method

First discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage, cut it into quarters and remove the hard stalk. Then shred the rest of the cabbage finely, using your sharpest knife (although you can shred it in a food processor, I prefer to do it by hand: it doesn't come out so uniform).

Next, in a fairly large casserole, arrange a layer of shredded cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper, then a layer of chopped onions and apples with a sprinkling of garlic, spices and sugar. Continue with these alternate layers until everything is in. Now pour in the wine vinegar, lastly add dots of butter on the top.

Put a tight lid on the casserole and let it cook very slowly in the oven for 2-2½ hours, stirring everything around once or twice during the cooking.

Red cabbage, once cooked, will keep warm without coming to any harm, and it will also re-heat very successfully. And, yes, it does freeze well so, all in all, it's a real winner of a recipe.

Time for our harvest hymn.

Praise and thanksgiving, Father we offer,
for all things living thou madest good;
Harvest of sown fields, fruits of the orchard
hay from the mown fields, blossom and wood.

Bless thou the labour we bring to serve thee,
that with our neighbour we may be fed.
Sowing or tilling, we would work with thee;
Harvesting, milling, for daily bread.

Father, providing food for thy children,
thy wisdom guiding teaches us share
one with another, so that rejoicing
with us, our brother may know thy care.

Then will thy blessing reach every people;
all men confessing thy gracious hand.
Where thy will reigneth no man will hunger;
thy love sustaineth; fruitful the land.

The Queen's Table - 11

Here we see pea plants. We turn to Delia for a recipe for pea soup.



Fresh Shelled Pea Soup

This soup is a lovely dark green colour and has all the wonderful ingredients and flavours of peas à la Française – peas, spring onions, lettuce and bacon – blended into a velvety smooth soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 lb (900 g) fresh peas, shelled (weight after shelling is approximately 11 oz/315 g)
2 oz (50 g) butter
4 spring onions, finely chopped
4 lettuce leaves, finely chopped
1 rasher unsmoked bacon, derinded and finely chopped
2 oz (50 g) fresh young leaf spinach
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1-2 tablespoons crème fraîche
freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method

First of all, in a large saucepan melt the butter and gently saute the chopped spring onions, lettuce, bacon and spinach for about 5 minutes, then add the peas and some salt and stir everything together. Then pour in 1¼ pints (725 ml) boiling water from the kettle.

Next, add the sugar, put on a lid and let the peas simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, or until they are soft. Now allow the soup to cool a little, then whiz it to a purée in batches in a blender until smooth. You'll find it helpful to have a bowl handy to put the first batch in. Taste and season with more salt (if it needs it) and freshly milled black pepper, then gently reheat. Stir the mint into the soup and serve in hot bowls, garnishing each one with a teaspoon of crème fraîche and a little freshly grated nutmeg just before serving.

Time now for our harvest hymn.

God, whose farm is all creation,
take the gratitude we give.
Take the finest of our harvest,
crops we grow that all may live.

Take our plowing, seeding, reaping,
hopes and fears of sun and rain,
all our thinking, planning, waiting,
ripened in this fruit and grain.

All our labour, all our watching,
all our calendar of care
in these crops of your creation,
take, O God; they are our prayer.

The Queen's Table - 10

Here we see various lettuces being grown for the Royal Table. We turn to Delia for a recipe for Prawn Cocktail.



Prawn Cocktail

This recipe is part of my 1960s revival menu. In those days it used to be something simple but really luscious, yet over the years it has suffered from some very poor adaptations, not least watery prawns and inferior sauces. So here, in all its former glory, is a starter quite definitely for the new millennium!

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 lb (900 g) large prawns in their shells (see recipe)
1 crisp-hearted lettuce, such as Cos
1 oz (25 g) rocket leaves
1 ripe but firm avocado
cayenne pepper
1 whole lime, divided into 6 wedge-shaped sections

For the sauce:
1 quantity of mayonnaise
1 dessertspoon Worcestershire sauce
a few drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup (preferably organic)
1 dessertspoon lime juice

Method

The very best version of this is made with prawns (either fresh or frozen in their shells) that you have cooked yourself. Failing that, buy the large cooked prawns in their shells, or if you can only get shelled prawns cut the amount to 1 lb (450 g). To prepare them: if frozen put them in a colander and allow to defrost thoroughly at room temperature for about 1 hour. After that, if using uncooked prawns, heat a large solid frying pan or wok and dry-fry the prawns for 4-5 minutes until the grey turns a vibrant pink. As soon as they're cool, reserve 6 in their shells for a garnish and peel the remainder. Then take a small sharp knife, make a cut along the back of each peeled prawn and remove any black thread. Place them in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and keep in the fridge until needed. To make the cocktail sauce, prepare the mayonnaise and add it to the rest of the sauce ingredients. Stir and taste to check the seasoning, then keep the sauce covered with clingfilm in the fridge until needed. When you are ready to serve, shred the lettuce and rocket fairly finely and divide them between 6 stemmed glasses, then peel and chop the avocado into small dice and scatter this in each glass amongst the lettuce. Top with the prawns and the sauce, sprinkle a dusting of cayenne pepper on top and garnish with 1 section of lime and 1 unpeeled prawn per glass. Serve with brown bread and butter.

Time now for our harvest hymn.

Fair waved the golden corn,
In Canaan’s pleasant land,
When full of joy, some shining morn,
Went forth the reaper band.

To God so good and great
Their cheerful thanks they pour;
Then carry to His temple gate
The choicest of their store.

Like Israel, Lord, we give
Our earliest fruits to Thee,
And pray that, long as we shall live,
We may Thy children be.

Thine is our youthful prime,
And life and all its powers,
Be with us in our morning time,
And bless our evening hours.

In wisdom let us grow,
As years and strength are given,
That we may serve Thy Church below,
And join Thy saints in Heaven.

The Queen's Table - 9

There are so many varieties of potatoes to choose from. These potatoes are King Edwards - so appropriate for use at The Queen's Table!



Of course, perfection is expected at the Royal Table, so here we have another recipe from Delia Smith, this time for perfect mashed potatoes.

Perfect Mashed Potato


This is now my standard all-time mashed potato recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 lb (900 g) King Edward potatoes
1 level dessertspoon salt
2 oz (50 g) butter
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 level tablespoons crème fraîche
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method

Use a potato peeler to pare off the potato skins as thinly as possible, then cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks – not too small; if they are large, quarter them, and if they are small, halve them. Put the potato chunks in a steamer fitted over a large pan of boiling water, sprinkle the salt all over them, put a lid on and steam the potatoes until they are absolutely tender – they should take 20-25 minutes. The way to tell whether they are ready is to pierce them with a skewer in the thickest part: they should not be hard in the centre, and you need to be careful here, because if they are slightly underdone you do get lumps.

When the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the steamer, drain off the water, return them to the saucepan and cover with a clean tea cloth for about 4 minutes to absorb some of the steam, then add the butter, milk and crème fraîche. When you first go in with the whisk, use a slow speed to break the potatoes up, then increase it to high and whip them up to a smooth, creamy, fluffy mass. Taste and, if they need it, season.

Time now for our harvest hymn.

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
praise the Lord, for he is kind:
Refrain:
for his mercies aye endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us blaze his Name abroad,
for of gods he is the God: Refrain

He with all commanding might
filled the new-made world with light: Refrain

He the gold-tressèd sun
caused all day his course to run: Refrain

The horned moon to shine by night,
mid her spangled sisters bright: Refrain

All things living he doth feed,
his full hand supplies their need: Refrain

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
praise the Lord, for he is kind: Refrain

The Queen's Table - 8

Today sees the start of our Harvest Festival.

Here we have some potatoes - a crop which tends to grow really well in Scotland. I am giving a recipe by Delia Smith for Rosti Crab Cakes to grace the Royal Table at a Harvest Supper.



Rosti Crab Cakes

As a great lover of any type of fish cake I have always adored American crab cakes, but somehow the small English crabs seem too rich for them. After some serious tasting comparisons with my husband, scoring out of ten, the following recipe gets top marks. The potato counteracts the richness of the crab more effectively than the usual breadcrumbs, and served with Pickled Limes you complete a marriage made in heaven!

Serves 2 as main course or 4 as starter

Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) mixed prepared crabmeat
5 oz (150 g) firm waxy potatoes
1 slightly rounded tablespoon capers, drained and chopped (or, if they're very small, left whole)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 spring onions, finely chopped (including the green parts)
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or parsley
groundnut oil for frying
salt and freshly milled black pepper

To garnish:
lime quarters
sprigs of fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley

Method

First put the unpeeled potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water and salt, and simmer them for exactly 10 minutes. Meanwhile measure out the rest of the ingredients, except the groundnut oil, into a mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and grate the flesh on the coarse blade of the grater, pushing the potatoes all the way down the length of the grater so that the strips are as long as possible. Now carefully combine the grated potato with the crab mixture, trying not to break up the pieces of potato. Have a flat tray or baking sheet handy, then take rough tablespoons of the mixture and form them into eight little cakes, squeezing and pressing them evenly together – don't worry about any ragged edges: this is precisely what gives the crab cakes their charm when cooked. When the cakes are made, cover them with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill and become firm.

To cook, heat 1½ tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, making sure it is very hot, then gently slide in the crab cakes using a spatula. Cook them for 3 minutes on each side, turning the heat down to medium. Don't turn them over until the 3 minutes are up or they will not be firm enough. Remove them to a plate lined with kitchen paper, then transfer them to a warmed serving plate and garnish with lime quarters and coriander or flat-leaf parsley. Serve with Pickled Limes or with Toasted Sweetcorn Salsa.


1. Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
all is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God's own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.

2. All the world is God's own field,
fruit as praise to God we yield;
wheat and tares together sown
are to joy or sorrow grown;
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.

3. For the Lord our God shall come,
and shall take the harvest home;
from the field shall in that day
all offenses purge away,
giving angels charge at last
in the fire the tares to cast;
but the fruitful ears to store
in the garner evermore.

4. Even so, Lord, quickly come,
bring thy final harvest home;
gather thou thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there, forever purified,
in thy presence to abide;
come, with all thine angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home.



I am sure Her Majesty will recognise the hymn tune - it is 'St George's Windsor'!

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

We are back in the vineyard. Here we see two fine bunches of grapes - I am sure they could go towards a fine bottle of wine! As we gather for our Eucharist on this the day of resurrection, wine - the fruit of the vine - becomes the Blood of Christ.



At the Lamb's high feast we sing
praise to our victorious King,
who hath washed us in the tide
flowing from his pierced side;
praise we him, whose love divine
gives his sacred Blood for wine,
gives his Body for the feast,
Christ the victim, Christ the priest.

Where the Paschal blood is poured,
death's dark angel sheathes his sword;
Israel's hosts triumphant go
through the wave that drowns the foe.
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed,
Paschal victim, Paschal bread;
with sincerity and love
eat we manna from above.

Mighty victim from on high,
hell's fierce powers beneath thee lie;
thou hast conquered in the fight,
thou hast brought us life and light:
now no more can death appall,
now no more the grave entrall;
thou hast opened paradise,
and in thee thy saints shall rise.

Easter triumph, Easter joy,
sin alone can this destroy;
from sin's power do thou set free
souls newborn, O Lord, in thee.
Hymns of glory and of praise,
Risen Lord, to thee we raise;
Holy Father, praise to thee,
with the Spirit, ever be.



Happy Sunday!

The Queen's Table - 7

Here we see some gooseberries. This time we turn to Nigel Slater for a recipe for Gooseberry Fool.



Smooth, timeless and soothing, the fool is simply crushed fruits folded into whipped cream – perfect for summer. That said, I like my fools to have a slightly rough texture, with crushed, cooked fruit in among the cream. This is easy to do if you crush the cooked berries with a fork rather than sieving them. The seeds add important contrast to the general creaminess.

The recipe

Serves 6
450g sharp cooking gooseberries
3-4 heaped tbsp sugar
300ml double cream

Top and tail 450g of sharp cooking gooseberries. Tip them in a pan with 3 or 4 heaped tbsp of sugar and one or two of water, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until the fruit has burst. Cool then chill. Crush with a fork. Whip 300ml double cream till thick, but stop before it will stand in peaks. It should sit in soft folds.

The trick

Use sharp cooking gooseberries, not the sweeter, fat dessert varieties. Other than that, it is all in the whipping of the cream. Put the bowl in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before you pour the cream in. Whip slowly, with a hand whisk. Stop once the cream starts to feel heavy on the whisk and will lie in soft, undulating folds. Fold in the fruit only when it is cool. It will curdle if still warm. Don't leave it uncovered in the fridge for long, otherwise it will absorb all the other flavours in there. Parmesan fool, anyone?

The twist

Elderflower, in the form of flowerheads simmered with the gooseberries or a drop of cordial stirred in with the cream, is a classic. Red gooseberries will produce a sweeter, slightly murky-coloured fool. The best twist is to ripple a spoonful of lightly crushed, cooked berries through the finished fool to give a ripple effect, adding texture and interest.