Are You a Fake?

I talk a lot. I talk to clients, I talk to friends, I talk to my family. So, I found it uncanny when within the space of a week, I found myself having the same conversation with two different girlfriends (who don't know each other).
One is a television producer, the other does special consultancy work for a bank. Both of them are working mothers, at the top of their game and really very successful, and yet, they both whispered to me, "one day I fear everyone is going to figure out that I am a fake...an imposter". Have you ever thought that of yourself? We struggle hard at a career over a number of years, we make sacrifices, we work long hours, we get promoted, we get headhunted, or we start our own companies. Is the end result a bunch of people who think that one day everyone will realise that they don't deserve to be where they are?
Ladies, if any of this resonated with you, have a hard look at your job title, your salary, your office (if you have one) and the snivelly kids who work under your direction. Know in your heart that if you are top of your game it's because your talent got you there. Don't forget that.

It's time I added a pudding to this blog. Roasted fruit might horrify you, but it ticks my boxes as it takes moments, it's idiot proof (I mean that kindly) and it can be prepped ahead of time.

Roast Fruit with Vanilla Mascarpone

The star of this dish is the mascarpone. It's italian cream cheese which I have been able to buy pretty much anywhere. You'll also need a fresh vanilla pod, some runny honey and the fruit itself.

First prepare the mascarpone: Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the oily seeds with a teaspoon. Add that to the cheese together with a good trickle of honey or maple syrup. Stir it all together (a little effort needed here!) and taste. It should be vanillified (is there such a word?) and a touch sweet. Store it in the fridge. If you do this the day before, the vanilla flavour will become intensified throughout.

Now the fruit: I like to roast pears and peaches. Pit and peel the peaches and de-core and peel the pears (neither need to be ripe). Cut both into quarters and scatter in a roasting dish. Pour in some ginger wine so it's a quarter inch deep. Add a cinammon stick, some cloves and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg. Bake at 200C for 35 minutes or until the fruit is softened. Serve it hot with some of the juice and a generous dollop of the mascarpone.

Bonus recipe idea!
Sometimes I make just the vanilla mascarpone and serve it with fresh raspberries.

Are You a Martyr Mum?

We all know a Martyr Mum. They sacrifice all their energy, time, thoughts, life, daylight hours and nighttime dreams and discussions to being a mother. For them it is all defining and all consuming. They go to bed early so they are on form for the next day, they play with their children for hours, they enjoy making puppets and home made easter cards, they volunteer for everything at school, they stay up late sewing little Johnny's Halloween costume/Dara's fairy outfit for the Christmas play and most importantly, they cook all children's meals from scratch. God Bless You All, I am not worthy. Granted, Martyr Mums are a little bit crazed, but hell some people are passionate about brewing their own beer and quite frankly I think children are a better cause... Ha. You thought I would be more controversial, didn't you? Just because I work doesn't mean I don't get it. The all consuming mom thing.

When I feel the love for my kids (and have the time) I make risotto!

Martyr Mum Risotto

Making risotto is neither scary nor difficult. It's an act of love. It's also a great way to use up an odd assortment of ingredients.

Get everything ready as once you start you can't stop: Heat some stock (cube will do) in a separate saucepan. Have lots to hand and it must be hot! Chop up an onion and all the vegetables you will be using. Choose a protein (I like cubes of chicken or tiger prawns). Grate some parmesan cheese. Now we start! Heat some olive oil in a deep frying pan and add the onion, a good shake of oregano and a handful of arborio risotto rice per person. Stir for a minute or so to fry the rice and semi cook the onion, then ladel in the first of the stock. It should sizzle impressively. Keep stirring the rice with a wooden spoon until the stock is almost all sucked up, then ladel in some more stock. Keep on stirring (this is the love part) and it too will be sucked into the rice, and so on. The whole process takes about 20-25 minutes, so if you are cooking hard veg like carrots or brocolli add them after 5 minutes and soft veg like asparagus or courgettes after 15 minutes. The hot stock and stirring eventually cooks the veg. Same for the protein. If it's chicken add it after 5 minutes so it cooks through by the time the risotto itself is done, and if you're using prawns, then add them only at the last 5 minutes to heat through or you'll have bullets. Add a generous handful of grated parmesan towards the end, and stir it in to melt. Taste the risotto to make sure it's not crunchy, and once it's oozy and soft, you're done. Serve with more parmesan on top.

Wrinkles - Do I Care?

Am I the only person in my 40's who doesn't give a shit about wrinkles? Yes I slather on the cream day and night because it feels nice, but I feel so ready and able to face my wrinkles, current and future. To be honest I don't have too many which might make it easier, but anyone I know with wrinkles is simply who they are, not how wrinkly they are. Why is it the media fawns over some super shallow celeb who has had multiple facelifts and countless botox injections? I think they look like freaks. Raise a glass, tonight, to the thought of growing old graciously, the way our grandmothers were taught. And don't forget your face mask!

I ate these last night at a restaurant and they were so good I pretended they were french fries. It couldn't be easier, and really, when is the last time you cooked a humble parsnip?

Perfect Parsnips

Slice up a few parsnips into sticks, finger length and width. Lay them on a shallow baking tray and coat with olive oil, sea salt and a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves off the stalk. Roast in a hot 220C oven for about 20 minutes (I would think?) until they are cooked, even slightly burnt at the edges. Yum scrum.

I Haven't Got Time To Do.....

I think it's a fair statement to say that a working mother is as busy as the President of the USA, at least, it feels like that sometimes. I do sympathise with part time working mothers though, because you're supposedly able to do your job and be a mother as you're only busy half the time... People often ask me how I find time to do anything that isn't work or mothering - things like going for a run, having a massage, throwing a dinner party, or writing a blog. The truth is I don't have the time at all. Not even close. And as I realised a long time ago that "free time" would never ever present itself to me one fine sunny day, I have resorted to taking it instead. I literally wrench it, wrestle it, hack it out and grab it for myself ignoring the phonecalls, emails and wails of children so that I can have some time that is spent on things that mean something to me alone. Life passes us by quickly, so the next time you think you don't have time to just sit down and have a coffee with a friend, think again.

As the weather is cooling off, I thought a warm and easy side dish might be useful.

Very Fattening Potato Bake

Thinly slice 1 1/2 peeled potatoes per person you are serving. Also thinly slice 1/2 onion or leek per person into rings. You will need some single cream, thyme (dried will do) and gruyere cheese. Grease a deep baking dish with some oil and spread a thin layer of onions followed by a solid layer of sliced potatoes, then drizzle on a coating of cream, a sprinkling of thyme, sea salt, pepper and then cover with gruyere cheese slices. Repeat this process until all the ingredients are used up, hopefully achieveing about 3- 5 layers. You can top the whole thing with grated parmesan cheese and lots of freshly ground pepper. Cover the dish with foil and cook it at about 200C for an hour or so. You can take the foil off for the last 10 minutes to brown the top. You'll know it's cooked if you can slide a knife point in easily. If you're in a rush, parboil the sliced potatoes (3 - 5 mins) before making the layers. Then the cooking time should reduce by approximately 30 minutes.