Be careful what you wish for!

I was brought up by a very superstitious grandmother and a very Catholic mother. This combination of dogma and irrational belief meant that my childhood was spent not just trying to remember the difference between a mortal and a venial sin, but terrified of what might happen if I looked at a new moon through glass, put new shoes on a table, or didn't say hello to a solitary magpie. It might explain why I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor in the small space behind my bedroom door reading books.

On the up-side, my grandmother was very insistent that we made a wish every time we ate a food for the first time in its season. So lately I've been wishing up a storm, what with asparagus, strawberries, new potatoes and - today - rhubarb. I love rhubarb, and although I lack the commitment to be a good gardener, I have inherited a flourishing rhubarb patch which thrives on utter neglect at the bottom of the garden amongst a tangle of brambles.

So with great excitement (and a bowlful of the stuff in front of me as I write), I bring you my favourite sweet thing - a moist and fragrant rhubarb & orange cake - and the chance to make a wish.

Rhubarb, rhubarb

Rhubarb and Orange cake

Cake:

350g rhubarb, cut into chunks

200g golden caster sugar

grated zest and juice of half an orange

140g butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon baking powder

85g self-raising flour

100g ground almonds

Topping:

25g butter

25g light muscovado sugar

grated zest of half an orange

50g slivered almonds (I often leave them out)

Mix the rhubarb with 50g of the caster sugar and the orange zest, then set it aside for an hour, giving it a stir or two. Pre-heat the oven to 190/gas 5 and grease and line a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Cream the butter and remaining 150g sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, baking powder, flour, ground almonds and orange juice and beat gently until smooth. Turn into the tin and level with a spoon. Drain the rhubarb and spoon the chunks over the cake. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the topping by melting the butter and stirring in the sugar, zest and almonds. Take the cake out of the oven, reduce the temperature to 180/gas 4, sprinkle the topping over it and quickly replace it in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until firm in the centre. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes or so before transferring to a rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or cool with thick cream.

The recipe was snipped out of a Good Food magazine some years ago. 

Nouvelle cuisine

Past experiences of introducing new meals into the household have not been entirely positive, but my children are both fans of Wagamama so I thought I'd try something from their cookbook. Child 1 came home from school with a stomach ache unable to eat, child 2 pushed it around her plate a bit, and my husband ate it all but didn't make any comment. I loved it, and urge you to try it!

Marinated chicken with orange, soy sauce and ginger 

(Serves 3-4)

For the marinade:

3cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

zest and juice of 1 orange

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Put everything in a saucepan on a medium heat for a couple of minutes and stir until the sugar dissolves.

200g chicken meat, roughly chopped

150g medium noodles

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

a handful of mange tout or sugar snap peas, sliced

80g baby corn, halved lengthways

100ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, briefly toasted in a hot, dry frying pan

1 lime, quartered

Marinate the chicken for between 1-24 hours. Cook the noodles, then drain and rinse with cold water. Heat the oil and cook the chicken (not the marinade) for a few minutes until golden. Add vegetables, remaining marinade and stock, and stir fry for another couple of minutes. Dissolve the cornflour in a little water and add to the pan, simmering for another minute or so until thickened. Add the noodles and sesame oil and stir well. Taste, and add more soy sauce if needed. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and serve with a wedge of lime. 

I didn't brown the chicken enough - but it was still delicious
(I also didn't have any sesame seeds or lime)