It is a good, simple cake; Nigella Lawson's Banana Bread. If you have bananas ripening too fast in the fruit bowl, try it. 

Don't forget to marinate the raisins for an hour or so - I have tried brandy, rum, tia maria, even sloe gin; the quantity is small, and the alcohol is cooked off, but leaves subtle hints of exotica. This time i used a Morris Tokay (a raisin-y dessert liqueur) from Rutherglen, AUS .. i am working my way through his abandoned wine cellar.

Count the number of ways to cook red cabbage; 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. and so forth. The varieties are infinite, delightful and always easy.

I have my favourites.

Red Cabbage with Apple  (perfect with shepherd's pie) 

1 red cabbage 

2 eating apples
2 onions, halved and peeled
2 garlic cloves

nutmeg, cinnamon

3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
butter
Shred a red cabbage (I use my new mandolin), a couple of onions and a couple of cored apples. Layer in an ovenproof dish with a couple of cloves of minced garlic, half a grated nutmeg and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of soft brown sugar and the same of white wine vinegar. Dot with a little butter (or a splash of oil), cover with a lid and bake in a low oven (150ºC) for 2 and half hours. Reheat at will. 

Red Cabbage with Orange  (ideal with baked gammon)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red cabbage
1 onion, halved and peeled
1 tablespoon sea salt
3 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups red wine
Juice of an orange
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
2 eating apples

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan or casserole. Finely slice the peeled and halved onion into thin half moons and add to the pan with the salt; this will stop it catching. Fry gently until the onion softens but doesn’t become coloured.

Finely shred the cabbage and stir it into the onion in the pan layering it over the top. Sprinkle the sugar over the cabbage, and then add the wine, orange juice and mixed spice. Peel and core the apples, and then chop them into small pieces. Add these to the pan, and when everything has wilted down a little carefully give the pan a stir.

Cover with a lid and cook very gently at the lowest possible heat for about 2 hours. It really can’t be overcooked and is often better reheated and eaten the next day. Check the seasoning when the cabbage is ready at the end, as the flavors only really come out once the vegetables have cooked down and softened.

And one more .. using the cherry coke stock from Nigella's Cherry Coke Baked Ham. Nothing else needed in the pan and it makes the most divine braised cabbage. 

Carrot Soup with Miso & Sesame (with thanks and credit to Smitten Kitchen)

I use Clear Spring Organic Sweet White Miso, which, in their online blurb, it is recommended to use (sparingly) instead of milk or cream in soups or mashed potatoes. An excellent tip for dairy-free goodness. 

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled,sliced

2 leeks, chopped and washed - my option - or an 1 onion, chopped
4 cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon (at least) finely chopped or grated ginger
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup white miso paste

Toasted sesame oil

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, leeks (if using) and garlic sauté until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth and ginger. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender. In a small bowl, whisk together the miso an a half-cup of the soup. Stir the mixture back into the pot of soup. Taste the soup and season with salt, pepper or additional miso to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish each with a drizzle of sesame oil.

(Temple soup: my body is a temple, pure in spirit if not in thought).

                                                                                     

My supper; mashed potato & celeriac, a tin of canned tuna and seasoning - shape into patties and cook in the oven until crispy-hot. I have a thing for tartare sauce.