Turkey chilli, sweet rhubarb crumble and toothsome fudge

After a sloth-like week throwing together odds and ends from the dark depths of the fridge and trying to identify frozen chunks of green in the freezer (which turned out to be spinach by the way) last night the cook in me came out again.
That’s not to say Mr GG and the little ones have been starving. They’ve had fish and chips, a couple of pub dinners and a few slapdash but delicious picnics thrown together after a mad dash around Waitrose.

Last night saw the return of a family favourite – chilli. It wasn’t my usual recipe, which I’ll share at another time, but a quick, chuck-everything-in affair.

I made the dish with free-range turkey mince, which is incredibly healthy, and served it with a sprinkling of organic farmhouse cheddar (not so healthy), a flutter of coriander and a side of brown basmati rice.

Afterwards there was a sharp, sweet rhubarb crumble made with fruit from my old man’s allotment, and served with vanilla bean ice cream.

I absolutely adore rhubarb. Especially when it’s been lightly stewed with a hint of cinnamon and sugar and strewn with buttery crumble that sinks in at the edges to create a jammy, stodgy, caramelly mouthful of yum.

Later on in the evening it was time to bring out the chocolate fudge. Now, anyone who knows me will know I have a real obsession with fudge (and ice cream) and can probably tell you the best places across the country to buy this confection.

Linden Lady in Essex does a fantastic fudge, with a real chocolately hit, the Fudge Kitchen brand that has a few outlets in the UK is OK – a bit too soft for me. But my absolute favourite of favourites has to come from Justin Chocolaterie in Whitby.

My mum, knowing how much of a chocolate fiend I am, brought me back some of their chocolate fudge last year after a jaunt in Yorkshire, and I am now so infatuated with it that it seems to appear at every birthday, Christmas, anniversary and any other occasion I can think of.

Made tablet-style (just like it should be) the fudge is crumbly but soft, with a rounded sweetness and a rich, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate flavour.

In fact……I’m off to eat some now!



Turkey Chilli

Ingredients:

450g turkey mince (preferably free-range)
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1small tin tomato paste
2 small onions finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2tbsps fresh oregano, chopped (or 1tsp dried)
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2tsps ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
1/4tsp ground cinnamon
2 whole cloves
1/2tsp sea salt
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped



Do it:

1. Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic and chilli. Saute on a low heat until the mixture is softened.
2. Add the turkey mince and brown.
3. When the mince is brown, add all of the spices, the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, cocoa and oregano. Add a mugful of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for one hour.
4. Add the fresh coriander, lime zest and juice. Simmer for a further five minutes and then serve.


Summer rhubarb crumble

Ingredients

Filling:

5 large sticks of rhubarb
1tsp cinnamon
2tbsps caster sugar (or to taste)

Topping:

100g butter or margarine
200g plain flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
75g caster sugar

Do it:

1. Make the crumble mixture by placing all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mixing them into breadcrumbs.
2. To make the filling, chop the rhubarb into bite-sized chunks and simmer it in a pan with the sugar and cinnamon with ¼ mugful of water until it softens.
3. Place the rhubarb mixture into an ovenproof dish that it will fill about half way. Cover with the crumble mixture.
4. Cook in the oven at 200c for 25 to 30minutes until the topping is golden.