Hello festival/hello lemon, ricotta and poppy seed cake

Lemon, ricotta and poppy seed cake

Well, what can I say; it’s festival time here in Edinburgh again. The world’s largest arts festival is on my doorstep, literally, Boy don’t I know it. The price of a pint has doubled and walking down the road seems busier and more touristy than the face painting stall at Disney Land. The poncho brigade is out in force.

Despite all my dour negativity I am actually hugely excited about this year’s festival mainly owing to the fact that some of my very closest friends back in the city for a little while. It’s nice just to know they are about and not hundreds of miles away in different cities and countries. I feel so lucky to have such awesome pals. It is making me smile just thinking about them and the things we have planned over the next few weeks.

Another benefit of the festival is that in amongst the dross there are some real gem performances out there. Here is a list of the events I’m going to, my Edinburgh Festival 2011 recommendations if you will.

Ben Howard – folksy, finger picky guitar on communion records (08.08.11 – been and gone)

The Animals and Children Took to the Street – 1927 Theatre Company (19.08.11 – 28.08.11). Eerie animation come cabaret come awesomeness. Stylistically and thematically impressive. The guardian describes it as “restrained malevolent tastefulness”.

The World According to Bertie – Andy Jordan Productions (11.08.11 - 29.08.11). This play is adapted from an Alexander McCall Smith book. I know it is going to be amazing as it has one of my amazingly talented friends in it.

Sold – (12.08.11 – 29.08.11). Devised theater based around human trafficking. It is supported by and features the smart graduates from Central School of Speech and Drama where Laurence Olivier and Judy Dench studied.

Andy Parsons - (20.08.11-28.8.11) Comedian with a funny voice.

Part of living in Edinburgh is finding your self extremely popular during the month of August. We have been hosting A LOT this week and have wheeled this cake out on a couple of occasions. This is the best lemon and poppy seed cake recipe I have ever tried. Hand on heart. This cake is wonderfully light, rich but still tart.

Lemon, ricotta and poppy seed cake (adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days)

For the sponge -

190g caster sugar

190g butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs

190g plain flour plus extra for dusting

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

4 tbsp poppy seeds

zest of 2 lemons

25 ml milk

80g ricotta

For the lemony syrup –

juice of 1 lemon

50g caster sugar

Preset the oven to 170 degrees C.

Grease a loaf tin with butter and dust with flour.

With an electric whisk cream the sugar and butter together for a few minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

In a separate bowl add the flour, salt and baking powder together.

Add a 1/3^rd of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir in.

Add a further 1/3^rd of the flour to the mixture and stir in.

Add in the milk and stir.

Add the remaining flour and into the mixture and stir.

Add in the zest and ricotta and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the greased loaf tin and cook for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking you can get started on the lemony syrup.

Add the sugar, lemon juice and 100ml of water to a small pan.

On a medium heat bring to the boil and remove from the heat when the syrup has reduced by half.

When the cake is cooked, leave to stand for a good 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cook completely.

Add the syrup whilst the cake is still hot.

Enjoy.

Courgette and feta fritters (summer loving)

Courgette and feta fritters

“The twice bitten” has been going for a few months now. It has had a couple of thousand hits and has been read in almost 30 counties. I am in shock. Despite this I sometimes feel a bit awkward about the writing bit. It's not something I've done a lot of before. I'm finding it hard putting myself out there.

Coming up with the recipes and making the dishes is the easy part; I have been doing it everyday for the last 15 years. The photography isn’t too thorny an issue due to a 50 mm camera lens. It is the writing part I find tricky.

Round courgette, lemon and mint

Looking through the blogs I follow (Orangette, Michelle Humes and The Wednesday Chef et al) is wonderful but also a little tough. It is hard knowing that I'm not at their level, not yet able to convey so eloquently the thoughts and emotions that are so integral to their blogs. Not to mention their wit…I guess it is my perfectionist tendencies slipping through although I do realise it is unrealistic to expect to be as awesome as these guys after a few months considering they have been doing it for years.

Eventually I’ll remember that this blog was only meant to be a self indulgent journey. A process that might be fun and I would hopefully learn some new skills along the way. It would give me a chance to collect and develop new recipes; a catalogue of all the things we like to eat.

So here is the easy bit. This recipe embodies summer eating - tasty, simple and perfect with a wee glass of something chilled. Salty feta, creamy courgette and fresh lemon zest and mint.

Courgette mix

Courgette and feta fritters  - serves 2

Adapted from the Jojo Tulloh  for the Telegraph 

2 medium courgettes, grated

100g of crumbled feta

2 spring onions, finely chopped

zest of 1 lemon

8-12 mint leaves to taste

1-2 cloves of garlic, smeared to a paste

8 gently rounded dsp of plain flour

1 beaten egg

seasoning to taste

oil for frying

Salt (about 1 tsp) the grated courgette and leave for at least 15 minutes.

Pat the courgette dry with kitchen towel, maybe give it a gentle squeeze.

Add it the feta, lemon zest, spring onions and mint, stir.

Add in the beaten egg and flour, stir.

Season to taste.

The mixture will be relatively loose don’t worry.

Put a large frying pan onto a moderately high heat with a few tablespoons of oil.

Once the pan is hot add a heaped spoonful of the mixture to the pan and flatten gently to make a fat pancake shape.

Leave to cook for a few minutes until golden brown, flip over and fry the other side.

Continue this process, frying a few at a time till the mixture is used up.

Rest the fritters on some kitchen towel.

I served it with a simple green salad and some lemon wedges.

Enjoy.