Lavender Cupcakes

I’m normally not a ‘cupcake’ sort of person, I prefer ‘proper sliced’ cake. I find cupcakes with their icing a little too twee, childlike and fussy. However, when I came across this recipe from Rukmini Iyer’s ‘The Sweet Roasting Tin’, I couldn’t resist. I adore the flavour of Lavender, I don’t particularly like its aroma in perfumes but when it comes to food I find it hard to say no. The addition of lavender makes these little cupcakes a very grown up affair. They’re beautifully light and floral; perfect for a summers day!.. (…and they can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and a little milk)

115g softened unsalted butter

115g caster sugar

2 heaped teaspoons of crushed edible lavender

2 eggs

115g self-raising flour (if using gluten-free you will also need the addition of 40ml milk)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing:

200g icing sugar

30ml water

A dash or two of violet food colouring

Sprigs of lavender to decorate

*You will need a muffin cake tin lined with 12 paper cases.

1. Whisk the butter and sugar together with the crushed lavender until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
2. Gently fold in the flour and baking powder (plus 40ml of milk if using gluten-free flour).
3. Divide the batter between the paper cases.
4. Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for about 15 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean (they will probably still look pale but they will be iced!). Leave to cool.
5. For the icing, mix the sugar and water with a dash of violet food colouring, adding more colour as desired. Ice each cake with 2 teaspoons of icing, placing a lavender sprig or dried lavender buds on each for decoration. Let the icing set completely before serving.

Even though my school days are a misty memory, the notion of ‘breaking up’ for the holidays is something that I still associate with July. I remember the build-up to the last days of the school year – sports day, prize-giving and tired teachers which meant relaxed lessons. For some reason, I don’t remember it raining much although, of course, it must have, as it was after all an English summer. However, my rose-tinted glasses have left me with long, lazy, sunny day memories. So, it’s not surprising that every year when July arrives there’s a little part of me that says ‘relax, take a step back’, even if we haven’t got our holiday booked until the end of August! Naturally, we do still have to eat so I you will still find me busy in the kitchen yet strangely enough, I find that almost every dish I cook is served with just a ‘green salad’ – the simplest side dish! Meanwhile, the main event is always very straightforward; even if it does need time in the oven, it allows me to sit in the garden (UK weather permitting?!) with a book, rather than attend to any chores – like I said, ‘it’s July’!

This month’s recipes echo this need for time to laze around… Menu One is probably one of the simplest fish recipes you could find yet it doesn’t skimp on flavour. Claudia Roden’s recipe for ‘Fish with Garlic, Vinegar & Chilli’ is delicious, particularly with that aforementioned salad (and perhaps a tin of cannellini beans!). Menu Two is ‘Bourbon & Marmalade Glazed-Drumsticks’ from one of my favourite cookbook writers, Diana Henry. The chicken legs are simply marinated overnight and then put in the oven for 45 minutes; just enough time for a chapter or two of that book. It goes brilliantly with a simple watercress salad, but I’m also sharing a ‘Brown Rice Salad’. This admittedly needs more time to prepare however I wanted to share it as it’s a good recipe to have – perhaps save it for September when you’re not feeling so lazy! Finally, Menu Three is a pasta dish which doesn’t need anything on the side – the magic of this recipe is the addition of burrata which creates a delicious creamy finish; ‘Pasta Diavola with Burrata & Basil’ from Julius Roberts is a keeper.

Enjoy!..

Menu One

Fish with Garlic, Vinegar and Chilli (& White Cannellini Beans) (Serves 4)

This is a simple dish with Spanish origins from Claudia Roden’s cookbook, ‘Med’. It goes beautifully with cannellini beans (recipe below). The original recipe was for two so I have doubled the ingredients; you may need to pan-fry the fish in two batches or you could cook the fillets in the oven (180’c fan, brushed with oil, skin-side down on an oiled baking tray  for 12-15 minutes).

4 bream or sea bass fillets, skin on

8 tablespoons olive oil

10 large garlic cloves, sliced

2 good pinches of chilli pepper

4-6 teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt

1. Season the fish with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy non-stick frying pan. Put two of the fillets in, skin side down, and press them down with a spatula to flatten them as the skin curls. Cook over a low-medium heat until the skin is crisp and lightly browned and they are cooked almost through (2-4 minutes depending on the thickness). Turn and cook the flesh side down for a few seconds more to lightly brown. Repeat with the other 2 fillets and an extra tablespoon of olive oil. (*If you prefer you can tray-bake the fillets in a pre-heated oven, 180’c fan; simply brush with oil and place skin-side down on an oiled baking tray for 12-15 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, for the dressing, in a small pan, gently heat the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil with the garlic and chilli until the garlic is only just beginning to get golden and crunchy (do not let to become brown and bitter). Take off the heat and add the vinegar to taste.
3. Serve the fish with the dressing poured over and sprinkled with the parsley, with simply a green salad or white cannellini beans (recipe below).

White Cannellini Beans (Serves 4)

It’s amazing just how delicious tinned cannellini beans can be with the addition of a little onion and herbs…

1 onion, chopped

400g tin white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra to drizzle)

A handful of fresh thyme leaves

Sea salt and black pepper

1. In a small pan, fry the onion with the olive oil over a low heat for about 5 minutes, until soft and beginning to colour.
2. Add the cannellini beans to the pan with 100ml water and the thyme leaves, season with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
3. Serve drizzled with 1-2 tablespoons of a good olive oil.

Menu Two

Bourbon & Marmalade-Glazed Drumsticks (& Brown Rice Salad) (Serves 4)

This is another fantastic recipe from Diana Henry. Wonderfully sticky and moreish, these drumsticks will become a family favourite. Don’t forget to suck the wonderful caramelised juices from the orange wedges! Serve simply with a watercress salad or ‘Brown Rice Salad’ (recipe below).

8 drumsticks

150g orange marmalade

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons bourbon

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 red chillies, halved, deseeded and finely chopped

2 oranges (preferably thin-skinned), halved and cut into wedges (about 2cm thick)

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Make small slits in the drumsticks with a sharp knife. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the marmalade with 1 teaspoon of the mustard. Set aside. In another bowl mix the remaining marmalade – squash it down with the back of a spoon to break it up – the remaining mustard, the bourbon, garlic and chillies. Put the chicken in to this and turn it over so that it gets well coated. Cover and put it in the fridges for a few hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. To cook the drumsticks, place them in a roasting tin with all the marinade and any juices, laying them in a single layer. Add the orange wedges. Turn the chicken and oranges over so that the oranges get coated in the marinade. Season everything with salt and pepper.
3. Roast in a pre-heated oven, 210’c fan, for 40-45 minutes until the drumsticks are cooked through, glossy and almost caramelised. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, brush the top of the drumsticks with the reserved marmalade and mustard mix.
4. To serve lift the oranges and drumsticks to a serving plate and spoon some of the juices over the top. They are delicious with a simple watercress salad or ‘Brown Rice Salad’ (recipe below).

Brown Rice Salad (Serves 4)

This is a super healthy side dish and what’s more it’s delicious!

165g cooked, long-grained brown rice

75g carrots, chopped

75g cucumber, seeds removed and chopped

75g radishes, sliced

65g celery, chopped

50g red onion, chopped

100g peas (thawed if frozen)

Bunch of basil, chopped

Bunch of mint, chopped

Bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the Dressing:

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon red chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. First of all, whisk together the ingredients of the dressing.
2. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, then toss gently with the dressing (you may not need it all).
3. Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.

Menu Three

Pasta Diavola with Burrata & Basil (Serves 4)

The addition of torn burrata to this sweet tomato sauce creates a fantastically creamy dish; this recipe from ‘The Farm Table’ by Julius Roberts is a keeper!

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

2 tablespoons tomato purée

2 x 400g tin plum tomatoes (San Marzano are great)

a small bunch of basil

40g butter

3 teaspoons caster sugar

400g penne pasta (gluten-free if required)

2 balls of burrata (at room temperature)

1. Put the garlic cloves into a pan with the olive oil, then turn on the heat and allow the oil to slowly warm up until the garlic is sizzling. The aim is to infuse the oil, not colour the garlic. Add the onion, chilli flakes and tomato purée and cook for about 10 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Cut up the tomatoes in the tin with a pair of scissors, then add to the pan. Rinse out the tins with a splash of water and pour that in too. Mix well and add a few sprigs of basil and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave the sauce barely bubbling for 20 minutes, until rich and thickened.
3. At this point, stir in the sugar and butter, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. Before draining take out a large mugful of the starchy water and set aside.
5. Add the drained pasta to the sauce, mix well adding generous splashes of the starchy pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil, until it forms a silky sauce that coats the pasta.
6. Spoon the pasta into bowls. Tear each burrata in half and place on top of each bowl of pasta. Season the burrata with salt and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of basil leaves.