About Me

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Back in the 80s, I wrote a book called "Voyaging on a Small Income", which was published and sold astonishingly well. It’s become almost a “classic” and is probably why you’ve found this site! I’ve been living aboard and sailing since the 70s. Nine different boats have been home, sometimes for several months, sometimes for many years. I love the way of life, the small footprint and being close to Nature. I’m a great fan of junk rig and having extensive experience with both gaff and bermudian rig, I wouldn’t have any other sail on my boat. It’s ideal as a voyaging rig, but also perfect for the coastal sailing that I now do. I’d rather stay in New Zealand, not having to keep saying goodbye to friends, than go voyaging, these days. Between 2015 and 2021, I built the 26ft "FanShi", the boat I now call home. For the last 45 years or so, my diet of choice has been vegetarian and is now almost vegan. I love cooking and particularly enjoy having only myself to please. I am combining all these interests (apart, perhaps, from junk rig!) in this blog. I hope you enjoy it. I also have other blogs: www.anniehill.blogspot.com and http://fanshiwanderingandwondering.wordpress.com
Showing posts with label Home-made herb/spice blends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home-made herb/spice blends. Show all posts

23 March 2024

Seitan 'English' sausages


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been working on this recipe for a while, now, determined to get it right.   I think most people enjoy sausages, with mash, or chips or as part of a huge fried breakfast.  What I love about this recipe is that is definitely a voyaging one, which means that you can have sausages half way across the ocean, should you so choose.  Not something many people can boast of, unless they have a freezer. In true voyaging style, the ones in the photo above are served with 'Surprise' peas.  Judging by the rest of the stuff on the table, the sea is pretty smooth!  These sausages are also quite fast to make, especially if you already have some sausage seasoning mixed: once you've cooked the sausages in the pressure cooker, they only need a few minutes in the frying pan to brown them to your taste.  Apart from my recipe for chorizo, this will be my first post about seitan, and I think it's a particularly good one to start with.
 
I am besotted with seitan recipes: the texture is so different from most other vegetarian and vegan foods, it’s cheap and making ‛meat’ with it is so quick.  These ‛English’ sausages are great on their own, in a bun/sandwich or as part of an ‛English’ breakfast.  The seasoning is based on that used in Cumberland sausage and the couscous is to replace the rusk that is always used in British bangers, to keep the juices in the sausage so that they don’t dry out.  In this way they're quite different from Bratwurst or other 100% meat sausages. In the days when I occasionally ate meat, I always found these tricky to cook because of the tendency of the ‛100% meat’ sausage to dry out, especially if they were also low fat.  Of course, the result isn’t as juicy as a good quality meat banger, but I do feel that the addition of couscous keeps it a little more moist.  If you don’t want to use couscous, go for the chorizo sausage recipe instead (link above) instead, and substitute the sausage seasoning for that included in the chorizo recipe.

Instead of the herbs, spices and salt in the recipe, shown in italics, I recommend using 3 tsp Annie's English sausage seasoning, for a more complex flavour (see recipe at the bottom of the page.) There's a generous amount of seasoning, because the seitan otherwise has no flavour. It does in fact, have a slight, indescribable taste, which can be a bit intrusive, and this is why the ingredients include vinegar. Most of the recipes that I’ve seen always insist on ‘apple cider’ vinegar (what other sort of cider is there? Surely the definition of cider is fermented apple juice?), but any vinegar, apart from Balsamic, would work just fine. So no doubt would lemon juice, but vinegar is cheaper.

Makes 6 sausages, 2 servings

Ingredients

1/3 cup couscous
1/2 tsp yeast extract or miso
2/3 cup boiling water
 
3/4 tsp crushed black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp sage
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
 
OR 3 tsp Annie's English sausage seasoning 
 
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 heaped tsp tahini
1 tbsp olive oil or deodorised coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp chickpea flour
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
  • Cut baking parchment into 6 sheets, approximately 200/8" x 150/6".
  • Put the couscous in a large bowl.
  • Mix the yeast extract/miso in 2/3 cup boiling water and then pour it over the couscous. Cover the bowl and leave it for about ten minutes until the water has been absorbed.   
  • Now mix the seasoning into the couscous.
  • Add the 1/4 cup of water and mix well.
  • Then add the soya sauce, followed by the vinegar, tahini and oil. Mix this all very thoroughly, because once you have added the vital wheat gluten it will be difficult to incorporate the other ingredients evenly.
  • Now add the chickpea flour and the vital wheat gluten and quickly mix it in to the rest of the ingredients.  Again do this very thoroughly.   I find a butter knife the best tool.
  • Mix as well as you can with your knife and then use your hand, incorporating all the flour that will be trying to stick to the edge of the bowl.  Keep mixing until everything until you have a smooth dough and it stops sticking to your hands. You should end up with a fairly soft mix.
  • Place the dough on a board.  (Make sure you clean the bowl really thoroughly, because the gluten sticks as soon as it dries out, making it quite difficult to clean.  Soak it for a while if you've left much behind, before cleaniing.)  Roughly shape it into a rectangle about as long as you want your sausages to be.  (The dough is nowhere near as accommodating as bread dough when it comes to shaping).   
  • Cut the dough in half and then thirds so that you have six equal lumps of dough. I usually have to pinch a bit of dough from one or two to get them all more or less the same size.
  • Shape the sausages to be best of your ability – the wrapping finishes the job.  Don’t worry about gaps and creases.  The cooking sorts out most of that.  It would be fun to try to make one long sausage, wrap it up in baking paper and then form it into a coil to put onto the trivet.  This would produce and authentic Cumberland sausage shape, which would be fun and impressive, but I’m not sure how well it would work.
  • Now put each sausage, centred at the edge of a piece of baking paper and roll it up tightly. This helps make it round.  Twist the paper at either end, until it is squashed against the end of the sausage.  Do this with all six sausages.
     

     
  • Put the trivet into your pressure cooker.  Add about half a cup of water – don’t let it cover the trivet.  Place the sausages onto the trivet – it doesn’t matter if they are stacked – and bring up to pressure; cook for 5 minutes.
  • Let the pressure come down naturally.
When they’re cooked, take the sausages out of the pressure cooker and unwrap them.    Put them somewhere where they can cool and dry out a little before storing them.  I find they keep best in my wooden bread bin!  Fry them before using them – the added olive oil gives additional flavour and I enjoy cooking them until they are slightly crisp.
 
 
Serve with mashed or smashed potatoes and vegetables, or any way that you enjoy your sausages.  They will stand up happily to barbecuing or cooking on the beach.

Annie’s English Sausage seasoning:

Makes enough for about 60 sausages, or 20 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground mace
2 1/2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp rubbed sage
2 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 1/4 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

  • If you don’t have ground nutmeg or mace (which don’t keep well ready-ground) grind up about 1/2 a nutmeg in a mortar or blender. Remove 1 1/2 tsp and add to a bowl.
  • Take several blades of mace, grind to a powder, remove 1 tsp and add to the nutmeg.
  • Now add all the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Put into a glass jar and keep as cool and dark as feasible.
Add 3 tsp of sausage seasoning to 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten, ie, per 6 sausages.

Annie's English sausage seasoning

 


This is a very well-flavoured, spicy blend to add to sausages, using whatever recipe you like.  It is based on several recipes for Cumberland sauasage, a popular English variety and native to the next county I grew up in.  It makes for an astonishingly authentic taste in sausages that are entirely innocent of meat. 

Makes enough for about 60 sausages, or 20 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground mace
2 1/2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp rubbed sage 
2 tsp onion powder
 1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 1/4 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

  • If you don’t have ground nutmeg or mace (which don’t keep well ready-ground) grind up about 1/2 a nutmeg in a mortar or blender. Remove 1 1/2 tsp and add to a bowl.
  • Take several blades of mace, grind to a powder, remove 1 tsp and add to the nutmeg.
  • Now add all the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Put into a glass jar and keep as cool and dark as feasible.

Add 1/2 tsp of seasoning per 6“ sausage


21 August 2023

Pav Bhaji spice blend

 



Blender Alert


Pav Bhaji is a popular Indian street food and is usually made in huge pans. Pav means “a small bun,” while bhaji means “vegetable.” The spice blend used to make the vegetable stew is different from the usual garam masala (or curry powder!) and has sour and sweet notes. The black peppercorns add a background heat, and the other spices add glorious scent and flavours to the blend. It can be used on any vegetable side dish or you could experiment with adding it to vegetable curry.

Makes about 1/4 cup 

Ingredients

4 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 whole black cardamoms or use whole green cardamoms
4 cloves
1/2 to 3/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp ground cinnamon (not cassia)
3 tsp dry mango powder/amchar

Method: 

  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. 
  • Add coriander, cumin, fennel, cardamoms, cloves, chill flakes and peppercorns and dry roast for a couple of minutes, until the coriander and fennel seeds start to change colour.  Cool slightly and transfer to a spice grinder.
  • Add the cinnamon and mango powder and grind the ingredients to a powder.  Transfer to an airtight container and store in the proverbial cool, dark space.  A glass jar is better for blended spices.
 

02 April 2023

Harissa seasoning

Real Harissa, is a paste made from the following spices, plus roasted red pepper, tomato purée, fresh garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. It is totally delicious and can be used in many ways. Unfortunately, when you make it yourself, it will soon go mouldy unless you have refrigeration, like most things that contain tomato. You can, however, use the following recipe and mix it with the above ingredients to make an ersatz harissa paste, in the quantity you need. (Instead of a whole roast pepper, just cut off a piece of red pepper and hold it over a flame until the skin chars. Then remove the skin and blend it with the above ingredients and some of your harissa seasoning from the recipe below, in a blender.)
 
However, this seasoning is good in Moroccan recipes, especially if you incorporate some or all of the other ingredients in the same dish. It's also an excellent condiment when you've made something and just want to add a little more 'zing' to it!

Makes about 1/3 cup

2 tbsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp garlic granules
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne (see Note)

Method:
  • Toast the cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds on a dry pan over low-medium heat. Toast only until they are fragrant.
  • Remove the seeds from the heat and, once they are cold, add to a blender with the garlic and grind to a powder. Alternatively pound them using a pestle and pestle.
  • Transfer the powder to a bowl and add the smoked paprika. Mix thoroughly.
Store in an air tight container.

Note:
  • We all have different ideas of what constitutes ‛hot’, and you can’t realistically taste the blend until you use it, because the spices are essentially raw. However, if you find it a bit bland, add ½ tsp cayenne. Next time you make it, either add the cayenne at the time or some more chilli flakes.

10 January 2023

Annie's Seasoned Salt

Most people enjoy salty food, and sprinkle it generously over their chips, popcorn, fried tomatoes, etc.  Unless you have, or are susceptible to high blood pressure, there's not much to say against this habit, however, adding a few herbs and spices brings salt into an entirely different realm of condiment.  There is also a school of thought that reckons herbs and spices have properties that enhance your gut health (as well as tasting delicious) and can be included in our quest to eat a widely varied diet, which is often no mean feat on a small boat with ditto income.  Anyway, I recommend that instead of buying seasoned salt, you make your own.  It's a lot cheaper, for a start.

This recipe is for a modest amount because some of the ingredients are susceptible to damp and tend to absorb moisture and go hard.

7 tbsp salt 
1 tbsp dried, minced garlic 
1 tbsp ground black pepper 
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp ground cumin 
1 tbsp oregano 
2 tbsp celery salt or 1 tbsp celery seed 
1 tsp dried chilli flakes or 1/2 tsp cayenne

Note:
  • For a finer mix, you can put everything into a spice grinder, if you have one.  In which case, you can use whole peppercorns and cumin seeds, which will make an even better seasoning!  Mix it up in another bowl and then grind a tablespoon or so at a time.

04 January 2023

Annie's Mixed Herbs

I once bought a container of ‘Italian mixed herbs’ and for ages tried to puzzle out what was so special about it. At last, it came to me – there was a lot of fennel in the mixture. I found I much preferred the flavour to normal mixed herbs and when the container was finished, experimented with a number of combinations, until I came up with the following. I think there is a satisfying balance here between the sweet, the pungent and the robust, with the fennel adding that certain je ne sais quoi to the whole deal.You could, if you preferred, use ground fennel, but I always have fennel seed on board for my curries and if you happen to bite one, they add a delicious burst of flavour.

Incidentally, don’t even think of using ‘ground garlic’ in this – it tends to gum everything together.  If you don't have dried, minced garlic, then leave it out.   

The following recipe makes about ¼ of a cup.

1 tsp dried basil 
1.5 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp dried, minced garlic 
1 tsp dried mint 
1 tsp dried oregano 
1.5 tsp dried rosemary 
1.5 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme 
1/2 tsp ground cinammon 
1 tsp chilli flakes

 Mix everything together in a bowl and then put into an airtight jar.