Gastroplod

Here’s a nifty little tool – not complex enough to call a gadget – I found in a smalltown mall in the Canadian hinterland a few years back.  Microplane call it their “Try Me” Zester.   At 6.5 by 3.2 cm I find its only trying aspect is trying to find it amongst the flotsam and jetsam of my kitchen drawer.  So I solve that little problem by keeping it on the window sill: it makes short shrift of a clove of garlic, zests a lemon in seconds, grates Parmesan in a trice and cleans in the wink of an eye.  As long as I have this I see no rhyme or reason in acquiring a full-size version – for a start where would I put it?   Priced to match its size the only downside is that it’s not available in Europe…

Oh my, what a successful festive season. As if feeding family and friends weren’t reward enough, along came the snowstorms forcing us to subsist on remnants and remainders while awaiting the thaw.   But all that idle time made for some goodly innovations and as a result I hereby declare the Stilton and walnut dumpling fare fit for a king.   I had snapped up Marks and Spencer’s irresistible offer before Christmas but never thought we’d get through a whole kilo of Stilton – even of Tuxford & Tebbutt creamery’’s sumptuous standard for a ridiculous £4.99 – but we did!

Having bought in a battalion’s worth of supplies the cold spell caused us quite the opposite of hardship; sheer semi-hibernational bliss rather.  Broccoli and Stilton soup having become a bit of a cliché, albeit delicious, with a cheeseboard theme in mind we swung with celery bisque, not entirely successfully I might add.   Next time I’ll use a more concentrated stock, celeriac and celery salt to boost the flavour and I won’t add cream either.  That’s if I make a celery soup at all: following Ed Baines‘ flavour lead I rather fancy making a beef consommé and letting these feather-light cheese’n'nut nuggets grab the limelight, they’re fabulous.  And meaningful employment for a couple of the usual suspects in the leftovers league.

For the dumplings

250g self-raising flour (or same amount of plain with a tablespoon or so of baking powder)
125g suet, shredded (I use vegetarian)
a pinch of salt
150g Stilton cheese, crumbled
50g finely chopped walnuts (do it yourself with a knife)

Sift the flour with the salt (and baking powder if using).  Add the suet, Stilton and walnuts and toss gently to distribute evenly.  Using fingertips, start to work this into a dough by adding a tablespoon of cold water at a time (2or 3 maximum): stop before you think you need to and form the dumplings into balls by lightly pressing the mixture together. Add them to your soup hot in its pot, replace lid and cook for 20-30 minutes, either at a very gentle stove-top simmer or in a low-medium oven.

Ed Baines original recipe in The Independent newspaper.