Soup for Syria

Last Saturday my apprentice, Karis Kampfer, and I hosted a fund raising event at The Studio entitled 'Soup for Syria'.  The aim was to raise money for the charity 'Hand in Hand for Syria'.  Visitors to The Studio could make a £10 donation and have a lunch of a bowl of soup with bread and cheese.  They got to take the bowl home with them.
We had a lot of fun making the bowls and trying out different simple decorations.  We gave away around 70 bowls and with a raffle and donations from people who couldn't come on the day - we have raised over £1,000.

The event really brought the local community together.  Local businesses and crafts people donated raffle prizes.  The vegetable shop donated vegetables for the soup and the local Co-op also donated soup and bread ingredients.  The Horse pub gave a wonderful loaf of focaccia and others baked bread and made extra soup.  The Cheese Shed, another local business, gave a box of delicious local cheeses.  We were all amazed and delighted by the response and the money raised.

The charity, 'Hand in Hand for Syria', works inside Syria, getting food and medical supplies to people who really need them.  Their admin costs are covered by gift aid, so all the money raised will go to the people who need it most.

Penny's Calendar Recipe for March

Buttermilk Pudding and Orange Compote 

Buttermilk Pudding

Ingredients 

serves 4

2 x 2g leaves gelatine

250ml double cream

115g caster sugar

100ml full-fat milk

100ml buttermilk (use yoghurt if you can’t get buttermilk)

vegetable oil, to grease

This is really simple. If you can’t get buttermilk, then yoghurt is a good substitute. The sour taste really freshens the pudding up. This is great with any seasonal fruits.

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring just to a simmer, and then take off the heat.

2. Squeeze out the gelatine and then stir it into the warm cream mixture to dissolve. Pour through a sieve into a clean bowl and stir in the milk and buttermilk. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary.

3. Grease the inside of 4 small ramekins, if you plan to turn them out, and divide the mixture between them. Cool and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. To turn out, put the dishes briefly in boiling water and then invert on to plates or shallow bowls

Orange Compote

2 oranges (use blood oranges if available)

1 tbsp marmalade

1. Peel the oranges and cut the segments out with a sharp knife.

2. Place the orange segments in a sieve and let the juices drain off for about 5 minutes.

3. Place the marmalade in a small saucepan, gently heat. Add the orange juice to let the marmalade down.

Remove the saucepan from the heat once the marmalade is melted.

4. Gently fold the marmalade coulis in to the orange segments, do not mix too much as you do not want to break them.

Penny's Calendar Recipe for February

Orecchiette and Broccoli Pasta

1 200g orecchiette

2 4 tbsp olive oil

3 6 anchovy fillets in oil, chopped (optional)

4 4 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 1 red chilli, thinly sliced

6 zest 1 lemon, plus juice ½

7 50g fresh breadcrumbs

8 200g purple sprouting broccoli

Cook the orecchiette following pack instructions. 

Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil (and 1 tbsp of the oil from the anchovies if using )in a frying pan.

 Add the garlic and chilli, and sizzle for 3-4 mins until the garlic is just starting to turn golden.

I Add the anchovies and lemon juice, and cook for 1-2 mins more until the anchovies melt into the sauce. 

Put the remaining olive oil, breadcrumbs and lemon zest in another frying pan, stir together and cook until crisp.

When the pasta has 4-5 mins to go, add the broccoli to the pan.

When cooked, drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, then add to the frying pan with the garlic and anchovies.

Stir and cook over a low heat for a further 2 mins, adding a splash of pasta water if it looks dry. Season, then serve in pasta bowls with the lemony crumbs sprinkled over.