Have I ever posted my pesto recipe? I am not sure that I have. For me, pesto has to contain basil; I know there is such a thing as red pesto, made with sun-dried tomatoes, and people make pesto with all sorts of different green leaves, but for me, it's basil or nothing! I will happily substitute walnuts or even peanuts for the pine nuts, and use a strong cheddar instead of parmesan, but it has to be basil!
A large quantity of basil - if you have a growing tub, give it a haircut. A good handful.
1-2 tbs pine nuts, walnuts, or even peanuts
1 clove garlic
Large chunk - about 60 grammes or so - Parmesan, or maybe strong cheddar
1-2 tbs olive oil
Place it all in a food processor and blitz until it gets to the texture you like. If it's too dry, add a little more olive oil.
Serve with pasta, and we like to save a little to have on bread next day!
09 April 2013
25 March 2013
Neither Kedgeree nor Kitchari
I had been toying with the idea of a vegetarian kedgeree - I adore kedgeree, but it's expensive and I don't make it often. Anyway, a bit of research brought me to this recipe, only me being me, I wanted vegetables in and with it, plus we had loads of veg in the bottom of the fridge that wanted using! Serves 4. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
½ cup mung beans
1 tbsp cooking oil (I used sesame oil)
1 chunk frozen grated ginger (or grate your own!)
1 tsp turmeric
½ each asafoetida, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, as liked
1 leek, chopped
1 large courgette, chopped
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
½ cup basmati or other long-grain rice
500 ml boiling water
1 vegetable "stock pot" (or use 500 ml vegetable stock)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mango chutney to serve
Soak the beans for several hours. Fry the spices and ginger in the oil for a minute or two, then add the vegetables. Stir, and allow to cook for a minute or two. Add the soaked beans and rice, and then stir again. Finally, add the stock and adjust the seasoning. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed. Serve with chutney.
½ cup mung beans
1 tbsp cooking oil (I used sesame oil)
1 chunk frozen grated ginger (or grate your own!)
1 tsp turmeric
½ each asafoetida, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, as liked
1 leek, chopped
1 large courgette, chopped
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
½ cup basmati or other long-grain rice
500 ml boiling water
1 vegetable "stock pot" (or use 500 ml vegetable stock)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mango chutney to serve
Soak the beans for several hours. Fry the spices and ginger in the oil for a minute or two, then add the vegetables. Stir, and allow to cook for a minute or two. Add the soaked beans and rice, and then stir again. Finally, add the stock and adjust the seasoning. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed. Serve with chutney.
01 March 2013
Leeks and ham au gratin
This is an old favourite. It is traditionally made with chicory (endives) rather than leeks, but for St David's Day, which it is, one wants something in which leeks are a central feature, rather than an "also-ran".
4 small or 2 large leeks, trimmed. If large, cut in half widthways.
4 slices ham - the nice kind, without added water
250 ml milk
1 heaped tsp plain flour
A very little salt (only a pinch - the ham will add a great deal)
Black pepper
Dry mustard powder
Knob of butter
c 75g grated cheese (cheddar, emmenthal, Parmesan, one of those bought mixes....)
Boil, or (preferably) steam the leeks until tender. When cool enough to handle, wrap each leek or 1/2 leek in a slice of ham. Place side-by-side in an oven-proof dish.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, milk and seasoning together and melt the butter in a saucepan. Pour the milk mixture on to this and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Stir in half the grated cheese, then pour this over the ham and leeks. Top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes.
This is traditionally served with mashed potato.
4 small or 2 large leeks, trimmed. If large, cut in half widthways.
4 slices ham - the nice kind, without added water
250 ml milk
1 heaped tsp plain flour
A very little salt (only a pinch - the ham will add a great deal)
Black pepper
Dry mustard powder
Knob of butter
c 75g grated cheese (cheddar, emmenthal, Parmesan, one of those bought mixes....)
Boil, or (preferably) steam the leeks until tender. When cool enough to handle, wrap each leek or 1/2 leek in a slice of ham. Place side-by-side in an oven-proof dish.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, milk and seasoning together and melt the butter in a saucepan. Pour the milk mixture on to this and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Stir in half the grated cheese, then pour this over the ham and leeks. Top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes.
This is traditionally served with mashed potato.
26 February 2013
Chicken and mushroom curry
Yet another day when two posts come along at once! I hadn't made a curry quite like this before, but it was very good!
4 chicken breast fillets
1/2 large or 1 small onion
1/2 punnet mushrooms
1 tbs olive oil
1 large tsp curry powder (or more, to taste)
Around 200 ml boiling water
1 Knorr chicken stock-pot
1 tbs coconut milk powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Fry the curry powder in the olive oil for a few minutes; add onions and chicken fillets, allow to cook for a couple of minutes and then turn the fillets over. Add the sliced mushrooms, reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are all juicy. Now add the water, stock and coconut milk powder, stir, bring back to the boil and simmer uncovered for a further 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve with rice, and perhaps a vegetable side dish (see previous post).
4 chicken breast fillets
1/2 large or 1 small onion
1/2 punnet mushrooms
1 tbs olive oil
1 large tsp curry powder (or more, to taste)
Around 200 ml boiling water
1 Knorr chicken stock-pot
1 tbs coconut milk powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Fry the curry powder in the olive oil for a few minutes; add onions and chicken fillets, allow to cook for a couple of minutes and then turn the fillets over. Add the sliced mushrooms, reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are all juicy. Now add the water, stock and coconut milk powder, stir, bring back to the boil and simmer uncovered for a further 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve with rice, and perhaps a vegetable side dish (see previous post).
Broccoli Bhaji
Our Chinese take-away has been closed for a couple of weeks, which meant the weekly take-away came from the local Indian place, which is slightly further away. We ordered a vegetable thali, which was heaven, and which introduced me to the delicious dish called bhindi bhaji,which is made with okra. I was going to make that this evening, but my daughter and grandson came to stay unexpectedly while their boiler was being replaced, and my daughter said she didn't care for okra, so I made it with broccoli instead. I thought it just a tad dry, but it tasted good!
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp each asafoetida, tumeric (I didn't have any and so perforce left this out), garam marsala and chilli powder (to taste, but that sort of thing)
1/2 large or 1 small onion, chopped
2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large head of broccoli, reduced into florets and the stem chopped small.
1 tbs olive oil
Salt to taste
Crush the coriander and cumin together in a pestle and mortar, and put them, with the other spices, into the olive oil which you have placed into a frying pan or wok that has a lid. Allow to cook gently for a few moments, then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well, cover, and allow to cook gently for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Use as a side dish with curry and rice.
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp each asafoetida, tumeric (I didn't have any and so perforce left this out), garam marsala and chilli powder (to taste, but that sort of thing)
1/2 large or 1 small onion, chopped
2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large head of broccoli, reduced into florets and the stem chopped small.
1 tbs olive oil
Salt to taste
Crush the coriander and cumin together in a pestle and mortar, and put them, with the other spices, into the olive oil which you have placed into a frying pan or wok that has a lid. Allow to cook gently for a few moments, then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well, cover, and allow to cook gently for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Use as a side dish with curry and rice.
22 February 2013
Cheese Pudding
I love this once in awhile; it's the savoury version of bread-and-butter pudding.
3 slices wholemeal or granary bread
Large lump strong Cheddar cheese (75-100 g)
250 mls milk
2 eggs
Whizz the bread and cheese together in a food processor, as you would for a topping for a savoury dish. Place in a greased ovenproof dish. Whisk the eggs and milk together until smooth, seasoning with salt, black pepper and mustard powder. Pour this mixture over the breadcrumbs and stir. Leave to sit for a few minutes - 10 or 15 - and then bake in a moderate oven (Gas 4) for about 45 minutes. I topped this with a sliced tomato, which was lovely, and it would probably have been even nicer if I'd saved some of the cheese to sprinkle on the top.
Perfect opportunity for roasted veg, which can go in the oven on the shelf above!
3 slices wholemeal or granary bread
Large lump strong Cheddar cheese (75-100 g)
250 mls milk
2 eggs
Whizz the bread and cheese together in a food processor, as you would for a topping for a savoury dish. Place in a greased ovenproof dish. Whisk the eggs and milk together until smooth, seasoning with salt, black pepper and mustard powder. Pour this mixture over the breadcrumbs and stir. Leave to sit for a few minutes - 10 or 15 - and then bake in a moderate oven (Gas 4) for about 45 minutes. I topped this with a sliced tomato, which was lovely, and it would probably have been even nicer if I'd saved some of the cheese to sprinkle on the top.
Perfect opportunity for roasted veg, which can go in the oven on the shelf above!
29 January 2013
Cauliflower cheese bake
½ large or 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1 small tin sweetcorn (optional)
250 ml milk
1 heaped teaspoon flour
2 tsp olive oil or similar amount of butter
Salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
A little more butter and milk for the potatoes
c 60-100 g cheese, grated (should be 60 g but I'm greedy!)
If liked, a tomato or several cherry tomatoes, sliced or halved
Steam cauliflower florets and potatoes. Make a whisked or roux sauce, as preferred, with milk, flour, seasonings, oil/butter. Add the tin of sweetcorn, if using, and half the cheese.
Place the cooked cauliflower florets into an oven-proof dish, and tuck the hard-boiled eggs in beside the handles (so you know where they are!). Top with the sauce, then with the potatoes you have mashed with the extra butter and milk (and seasoned), with the rest of the grated cheese and, if liked, the sliced or halved tomatoes. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes.
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1 small tin sweetcorn (optional)
250 ml milk
1 heaped teaspoon flour
2 tsp olive oil or similar amount of butter
Salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
A little more butter and milk for the potatoes
c 60-100 g cheese, grated (should be 60 g but I'm greedy!)
If liked, a tomato or several cherry tomatoes, sliced or halved
Steam cauliflower florets and potatoes. Make a whisked or roux sauce, as preferred, with milk, flour, seasonings, oil/butter. Add the tin of sweetcorn, if using, and half the cheese.
Place the cooked cauliflower florets into an oven-proof dish, and tuck the hard-boiled eggs in beside the handles (so you know where they are!). Top with the sauce, then with the potatoes you have mashed with the extra butter and milk (and seasoned), with the rest of the grated cheese and, if liked, the sliced or halved tomatoes. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes.
Cauliflower recipes
No posts for ages, then two come along at once. Mostly because we have, for the first time for ages, bought a cauliflower, and I have been thinking of my two favourite ways to eat it. The first is very quick to make:
1 small, or ½ large cauliflower, cut into florets
Large chunk of butternut squash, peeled and diced
Small slab Feta cheese
1/2 cup (125 ml) by volume dry couscous
Olive oil
Rosemary or thyme
1 tin tomatoes )
1 heaped tsp flour )
OR
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Steam the cauliflower florets; spray the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary or thyme. Microwave it for 4 minutes (you can roast it if you have time, which is nicer, but this is a quick meal). Soak the couscous in 250 ml boiling water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make a tomato sauce by whisking the tin of tomatoes with the flour (seasoning it to taste) and then adding this to a saucepan with c 2 tsp olive oil; bring to the boil, stirring all the time, and ideally simmer for a few minutes. If you prefer, you can make a fresh tomato sauce with 1/2 punnet of cherry tomatoes, pierced, cooked for a few minutes in olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar and then mashed!
Mix the squash, couscous and feta and served topped with the cauliflower and the tomato sauce.
1 small, or ½ large cauliflower, cut into florets
Large chunk of butternut squash, peeled and diced
Small slab Feta cheese
1/2 cup (125 ml) by volume dry couscous
Olive oil
Rosemary or thyme
1 tin tomatoes )
1 heaped tsp flour )
OR
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Steam the cauliflower florets; spray the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary or thyme. Microwave it for 4 minutes (you can roast it if you have time, which is nicer, but this is a quick meal). Soak the couscous in 250 ml boiling water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make a tomato sauce by whisking the tin of tomatoes with the flour (seasoning it to taste) and then adding this to a saucepan with c 2 tsp olive oil; bring to the boil, stirring all the time, and ideally simmer for a few minutes. If you prefer, you can make a fresh tomato sauce with 1/2 punnet of cherry tomatoes, pierced, cooked for a few minutes in olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar and then mashed!
Mix the squash, couscous and feta and served topped with the cauliflower and the tomato sauce.
28 December 2012
Carrot, lentil and split pea soup
In the interests of remembering how I did it!
1 tbs olive oil
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
5 large carrots, ditto
1 tsp each cumin and coriander seeds, ground in a pestle & mortar
Pinch asafoetida
1/3 cup (approx 80 ml by volume) each of red lentils and split peas
Salt, pepper, soya sauce
1 tsp tahini
1 vegetable Stock Pot
1.5 litres water
To serve (optional): 1 small tin petits pois and/or 1 small tin sweetcorn or equivalent amount of frozen sweetcorn
Pound the seeds in a pestle and mortar until they are powder. Fry this, the asafoetida, the onions and the carrots for a few minute in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft. Now run all this through the blender, put it back in the pan, add the peas or sweetcorn (if using) and bring back to the boil. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
I do love the mouthfeel that both carrots and lentils bring to a soup. And this was particularly good on an evening when nobody was very hungry, but we all wanted/needed a light meal!
1 tbs olive oil
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
5 large carrots, ditto
1 tsp each cumin and coriander seeds, ground in a pestle & mortar
Pinch asafoetida
1/3 cup (approx 80 ml by volume) each of red lentils and split peas
Salt, pepper, soya sauce
1 tsp tahini
1 vegetable Stock Pot
1.5 litres water
To serve (optional): 1 small tin petits pois and/or 1 small tin sweetcorn or equivalent amount of frozen sweetcorn
Pound the seeds in a pestle and mortar until they are powder. Fry this, the asafoetida, the onions and the carrots for a few minute in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft. Now run all this through the blender, put it back in the pan, add the peas or sweetcorn (if using) and bring back to the boil. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
I do love the mouthfeel that both carrots and lentils bring to a soup. And this was particularly good on an evening when nobody was very hungry, but we all wanted/needed a light meal!
15 December 2012
Mulled Wine
Someone asked....
1 bottle cheap red wine
1-2 sachets mulled wine spices (or mix your own - cloves, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg....)
2-4 tbs brown sugar
1 orange
1 tbs brandy per person (optional)
Put wine, spices and sugar into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes. Some people boil the sliced orange in with the wine, but I prefer to put the orange slices in the mugs with the brandy, if using, and pour the mulled wine on the top.
1 bottle cheap red wine
1-2 sachets mulled wine spices (or mix your own - cloves, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg....)
2-4 tbs brown sugar
1 orange
1 tbs brandy per person (optional)
Put wine, spices and sugar into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes. Some people boil the sliced orange in with the wine, but I prefer to put the orange slices in the mugs with the brandy, if using, and pour the mulled wine on the top.
13 December 2012
Instant Supper!
I didn't have my act together at all this evening, and the Swan Whisperer came in from Ice Dance Club at 8:30 pm and I hadn't even begun to think about supper. In my defence, I had had rather a substantial snack earlier in the day....
So a quick trawl through the fridge yielded this, which really took no more than 7-8 minutes in total:
1 packet lardons
1/2 packet cherry tomatoes
Handful diced cheese (or grated, but I had some diced brought back from France - a mixture of Mimolette and Gruyère. It was nice as it went all stringy, but if you don't like stringy cheese, use Cheddar!)
2 eggs
For the noodles:
1 egg
1/2 cup (125 ml by volume) buckwheat flour (or plain white or wholemeal flour, or even gram flour. Buckwheat and gram flours are gluten-free, so suitable for those with coeliac or similar)
120 ml water
Salt and pepper
Pierce the cherry tomatoes and put them and the lardons into a saucepan and allow to cook gently. Meanwhile put a second pan of salted water on to boil, and make the noodles by mixing the ingredients together to form a smooth paste. It should be more paste-like than batter-like. To make noodles, you really need a potato ricer - I have this one, which I use pretty well daily for mashed potatoes, mashed root vegetables and noodles (it comes with three different discs) and have done for some years now.
Put the paste into the tub of the ricer, using the disc with fewest holes in it, and press the noodles into the boiling water. Bring back to the boil, and allow to cook for one minute. Drain, and add to the saucepan where the lardons and tomatoes will now be cooked. Add cheese, the two eggs and some pepper and stir until the eggs are cooked. Serve at once.
So a quick trawl through the fridge yielded this, which really took no more than 7-8 minutes in total:
1 packet lardons
1/2 packet cherry tomatoes
Handful diced cheese (or grated, but I had some diced brought back from France - a mixture of Mimolette and Gruyère. It was nice as it went all stringy, but if you don't like stringy cheese, use Cheddar!)
2 eggs
For the noodles:
1 egg
1/2 cup (125 ml by volume) buckwheat flour (or plain white or wholemeal flour, or even gram flour. Buckwheat and gram flours are gluten-free, so suitable for those with coeliac or similar)
120 ml water
Salt and pepper
Pierce the cherry tomatoes and put them and the lardons into a saucepan and allow to cook gently. Meanwhile put a second pan of salted water on to boil, and make the noodles by mixing the ingredients together to form a smooth paste. It should be more paste-like than batter-like. To make noodles, you really need a potato ricer - I have this one, which I use pretty well daily for mashed potatoes, mashed root vegetables and noodles (it comes with three different discs) and have done for some years now.
Put the paste into the tub of the ricer, using the disc with fewest holes in it, and press the noodles into the boiling water. Bring back to the boil, and allow to cook for one minute. Drain, and add to the saucepan where the lardons and tomatoes will now be cooked. Add cheese, the two eggs and some pepper and stir until the eggs are cooked. Serve at once.
09 December 2012
Hummus
Although hummus (or homous, depending on how you care to spell it) is ubiquitous in supermarkets these days in a multiplicity of flavours, I like to make my own occasionally. It's the one occasion where I do think tinned chickpeas are useful - I've increasingly moved to using the dried variety, only you do have to think about them in advance!
1 400-g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 tbs tahini (sesame seed paste, widely available in the World Foods section of supermarkets; but if yours doesn't do it, check your local Turkish shop)
1-2 cloves garlic (which you may, of course, omit if you dislike garlic)
1-2 tbs lemon juice
1-2 tbs olive oil OR 1 tbs olive oil and 1-2 tbs natural yoghurt
Seasoning to taste. I went for Moroccan, and used a Moroccan seasoning mix from France, some Ras-el-Hanout, also from France, a few coriander seeds (couldn't find my cumin seeds; think they were lost in the Great Spice Rack disaster of a few weeks ago) and a little Harissa paste.
Put most of the chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. A tablespoonful of water or another tablespoonful of yoghurt or olive oil may help if the mixture is too thick for your taste. Add the rest of the chickpeas just before you stop the machine, so they remain a little chunky.
Perfect with pita or other flatbreads, toast, or stirred through "slow-fried" vegetables.
1 400-g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 tbs tahini (sesame seed paste, widely available in the World Foods section of supermarkets; but if yours doesn't do it, check your local Turkish shop)
1-2 cloves garlic (which you may, of course, omit if you dislike garlic)
1-2 tbs lemon juice
1-2 tbs olive oil OR 1 tbs olive oil and 1-2 tbs natural yoghurt
Seasoning to taste. I went for Moroccan, and used a Moroccan seasoning mix from France, some Ras-el-Hanout, also from France, a few coriander seeds (couldn't find my cumin seeds; think they were lost in the Great Spice Rack disaster of a few weeks ago) and a little Harissa paste.
Put most of the chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. A tablespoonful of water or another tablespoonful of yoghurt or olive oil may help if the mixture is too thick for your taste. Add the rest of the chickpeas just before you stop the machine, so they remain a little chunky.
Perfect with pita or other flatbreads, toast, or stirred through "slow-fried" vegetables.
01 December 2012
Lemon marmalade
I seem to be unable to make the correct amount of marmalade each January, as either I have too much left when the Seville oranges come in again, or I run out, as I did last year and have this. As I am not very fond of three-fruit marmalade, finding it rather too sweet and lacking the "tang" or a proper Seville orange marmalade, I made lemon marmalade last year, and have done the same this year.
4 lemons and their weight in sugar, and the equivalent amount of water, or a little more (my lemons weighed 540 g so I used 600 mls of water and 600 g sugar).
Place whole lemons into a pressure cooker with the water and cook on HIGH pressure for 20 minutes, then allow to cool. Remove lemons from the water, then remove the insides, which you return to the water, and chop the peel as finely as possible. Boil up the water with the insides of the lemon in it for 5 minutes, then strain to remove the pips. Add the chopped peel and sugar, and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Then boil hard until setting-point is reached (about 5 minutes - lemons have a lot of pectin!).
Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so, then pot into heated jars, cover and seal. Keeps indefinitely, but you only need it to keep until you make proper marmalade again in January!
4 lemons and their weight in sugar, and the equivalent amount of water, or a little more (my lemons weighed 540 g so I used 600 mls of water and 600 g sugar).
Place whole lemons into a pressure cooker with the water and cook on HIGH pressure for 20 minutes, then allow to cool. Remove lemons from the water, then remove the insides, which you return to the water, and chop the peel as finely as possible. Boil up the water with the insides of the lemon in it for 5 minutes, then strain to remove the pips. Add the chopped peel and sugar, and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Then boil hard until setting-point is reached (about 5 minutes - lemons have a lot of pectin!).
Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so, then pot into heated jars, cover and seal. Keeps indefinitely, but you only need it to keep until you make proper marmalade again in January!
25 November 2012
Onion Soup
4 large onions (I used 2 red and 2 white)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp flour (cornflour if you need to be gluten-free)
1 litre water
1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot
Seasoning to taste
To serve:
Toasted cheese, ideally Emmental, ideally on a chunk of baguette (but ordinary cheese on toast will do); 1 slice per bowl.
Peel and slice onions and place in a heavy-bottomed pan with the olive oil and balsamic. Cook on a low-ish heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions are soft and colouring, add the flour and stir well for a few seconds until the flour browns. Now add the water and Stock Pot (of if you are that way inclined, you could use a litre of your own home-made stock), adjust the seasoning (I used salt, pepper and soya sauce). Bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes or so while you make the cheese on toast. Place a slice of cheese on toast into a big soup bowl and pour the boiling soup over it.
1-2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp flour (cornflour if you need to be gluten-free)
1 litre water
1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot
Seasoning to taste
To serve:
Toasted cheese, ideally Emmental, ideally on a chunk of baguette (but ordinary cheese on toast will do); 1 slice per bowl.
Peel and slice onions and place in a heavy-bottomed pan with the olive oil and balsamic. Cook on a low-ish heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions are soft and colouring, add the flour and stir well for a few seconds until the flour browns. Now add the water and Stock Pot (of if you are that way inclined, you could use a litre of your own home-made stock), adjust the seasoning (I used salt, pepper and soya sauce). Bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes or so while you make the cheese on toast. Place a slice of cheese on toast into a big soup bowl and pour the boiling soup over it.
16 November 2012
Vegetable Carbonara
2-3 potatoes, diced
1 packet lardons
1 leek, chopped
A bit of cabbage, also chopped ("just a nice amount")
2 eggs
About 50g strong Cheddar, grated
Pepper (the recipe won't need salt).
Put the lardons into a large, shallow casserole or frying pan and cook gently until the juices run. Then add the potatoes, leeks and cabbage, cover, and allow to cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are done. Whisk the eggs together, and stir them and the grated cheese through the hot vegetables until the eggs are just set, like you do spaghetti carbonara.
1 packet lardons
1 leek, chopped
A bit of cabbage, also chopped ("just a nice amount")
2 eggs
About 50g strong Cheddar, grated
Pepper (the recipe won't need salt).
Put the lardons into a large, shallow casserole or frying pan and cook gently until the juices run. Then add the potatoes, leeks and cabbage, cover, and allow to cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are done. Whisk the eggs together, and stir them and the grated cheese through the hot vegetables until the eggs are just set, like you do spaghetti carbonara.
Prune and Armagnac ice-cream
150 g stone-out prunes
200 ml boiling water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs Armagnac
4-5 tbs Greek yoghurt
Put the prunes and sugar into a bowl; pour over boiling water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then leave to cool and cook for 5-6 hours.
In a food processor or blender, blend the prunes, armagnac and yoghurt and as much of the prune juice as is necessary to make a fairly thick batter. You can drink the rest but it is foully sweet (you need ice-cream to be sweeter than what you would normally eat). Freeze as normal.
200 ml boiling water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs Armagnac
4-5 tbs Greek yoghurt
Put the prunes and sugar into a bowl; pour over boiling water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then leave to cool and cook for 5-6 hours.
In a food processor or blender, blend the prunes, armagnac and yoghurt and as much of the prune juice as is necessary to make a fairly thick batter. You can drink the rest but it is foully sweet (you need ice-cream to be sweeter than what you would normally eat). Freeze as normal.
08 October 2012
Vegetable Curry
This started out as a take on David Lebovitz' root vegetable salad, and sort of evolved!
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs curry powder (or to taste)
Asafoetida, garam marsala, turmeric, to taste
1 onion
Several cloves of garlic
Chunk of swede
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1/2 red pepper
Chunk butternut squash
1/2 punnet mushrooms
3 tomatoes
Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, soya sauce, maybe hot pepper sauce)
2 tbs hummus
Fry the first lot of spices very gently in the oil, while you peel and dice the first 5 vegetables (down to and including the parsnips). Add these, cover, and allow to cook gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the rest of the vegetable (also diced), stir again, and cook for about 15 minutes. Season, and stir the hummus through it. Serve with rice.
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs curry powder (or to taste)
Asafoetida, garam marsala, turmeric, to taste
1 onion
Several cloves of garlic
Chunk of swede
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1/2 red pepper
Chunk butternut squash
1/2 punnet mushrooms
3 tomatoes
Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, soya sauce, maybe hot pepper sauce)
2 tbs hummus
Fry the first lot of spices very gently in the oil, while you peel and dice the first 5 vegetables (down to and including the parsnips). Add these, cover, and allow to cook gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the rest of the vegetable (also diced), stir again, and cook for about 15 minutes. Season, and stir the hummus through it. Serve with rice.
24 August 2012
Gran's strawberry ice-cream
I haven't made this in years, and had forgotten all about it until I reread Clothilde's coconut ice-cream recipe, which is what I have made this week (substituting creme de framboise for the rum and adding some frozen rasps to make it a raspberry-coconut ice-cream). So when I was buying the evaporated milk for this recipe, I bought a second tin, and a tin of strawberries, too, and this will be made very soon:
1 tin evaporated milk
1 tin strawberries
Whisk together (no need to puree too hard, it's rather nice with bits of strawberry in it) and freeze. Couldn't be easier.
Although when I make it, I'll probably add 2 tbs creme de fraise (this is how you use all those fruit liqueurs you buy in France and seldom, if ever, drink when back in the UK!) as alcohol does seem to make ice-creams freeze better.
Edit: I did make this and it was horrible! Tasted of evaporated milk! Greek yoghurt is a much better idea!
1 tin evaporated milk
1 tin strawberries
Whisk together (no need to puree too hard, it's rather nice with bits of strawberry in it) and freeze. Couldn't be easier.
Although when I make it, I'll probably add 2 tbs creme de fraise (this is how you use all those fruit liqueurs you buy in France and seldom, if ever, drink when back in the UK!) as alcohol does seem to make ice-creams freeze better.
Edit: I did make this and it was horrible! Tasted of evaporated milk! Greek yoghurt is a much better idea!
18 August 2012
Peach and butterscotch ice-cream
This didn't quite come out how I intended, but I don't actually care, it is very, very good! Quantities for the peach bit are approximate - depends on how many peaches/how much yoghurt/etc, you have.
5 ripe peaches
3 tbs white sugar
About the same amount, or a little more, Greek yoghurt (depends how much you have!)
About 150 ml whipping cream
2 tbs peach liqueur (optional)
1 quantity butterscotch sauce using David Lebovitz' wonderful recipe (Please note that "heavy cream" is apparently whipping cream, not double).
Soak the peaches in boiling water for c 1 minute until the skins slip off easily. Remove them, the put the flesh in a large bowl. Blitz with a stick blender (or use a food processor) until you have a smooth puree. Now add the sugar, yoghurt, cream and liqueur, if using, and continue to blitz until well mixed. Chill thoroughly in the fridge, and freeze in ice-cream maker.
I meant to make the butterscotch sauce go through the ice-cream as a ripple, but either it wasn't quite cold enough, or the peach ice-cream wasn't quite as frozen as I'd thought, as it went a bit liquid, plus there was rather too much for the ice-cream maker. So I emptied most of the frozen peach into a freezer-proof bowl, and continued to work the ice-cream maker with the liquid remains; it didn't really freeze solid, but enough so I could add it in to the rest of the stuff. Of course we had quite a lot of tastes that night - but really, next day when I came to try it, it had turned into a sort of marbled-effect ice-cream, and was (and still is) seriously delicious! Not quite sure if it's reproducible, though!
5 ripe peaches
3 tbs white sugar
About the same amount, or a little more, Greek yoghurt (depends how much you have!)
About 150 ml whipping cream
2 tbs peach liqueur (optional)
1 quantity butterscotch sauce using David Lebovitz' wonderful recipe (Please note that "heavy cream" is apparently whipping cream, not double).
Soak the peaches in boiling water for c 1 minute until the skins slip off easily. Remove them, the put the flesh in a large bowl. Blitz with a stick blender (or use a food processor) until you have a smooth puree. Now add the sugar, yoghurt, cream and liqueur, if using, and continue to blitz until well mixed. Chill thoroughly in the fridge, and freeze in ice-cream maker.
I meant to make the butterscotch sauce go through the ice-cream as a ripple, but either it wasn't quite cold enough, or the peach ice-cream wasn't quite as frozen as I'd thought, as it went a bit liquid, plus there was rather too much for the ice-cream maker. So I emptied most of the frozen peach into a freezer-proof bowl, and continued to work the ice-cream maker with the liquid remains; it didn't really freeze solid, but enough so I could add it in to the rest of the stuff. Of course we had quite a lot of tastes that night - but really, next day when I came to try it, it had turned into a sort of marbled-effect ice-cream, and was (and still is) seriously delicious! Not quite sure if it's reproducible, though!
10 August 2012
Lemon chocolate sorbet
I do own an ice-cream maker, but the bowl tends to sit in the freezer taking up space and the other bits do likewise on top of the fridge. So when we got a new fridge-freezer recently the Swan Whisperer more or less said "Use it or lose it".
So I was half planning to make Clothilde's wonderful dark chocolate sorbet anyway, but yesterday a friend said that for her, one scoop of chocolate ice-cream and one scoop of lemon sorbet was a match made in heaven.
So I thought, well, why not lemon chocolate sorbet? I cut back the water a bit from Clothilde's recipe, and upped the sugar in order to add the lemons.
3 unwaxed lemons
140 g granulated sugar
250 ml water
40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
80 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% at a bare minimum)
2 tbs limoncello
Either peel the lemons very finely (don't get any of the white pith) with a potato peeler or grate the rind on a lemon zester or equvalent. Place into heatproof jug with the sugar, and pour the boiling water over this. Stir well and leave to stand while you squeeze the lemons and chop the chocolate into as small pieces as you can be bothered.
Put the cocoa powder into a saucepan and strain the lemon water on to it. Whisking and stirring all the time, bring to the boil, and, as soon as it boils up (don't let it boil over!), pour it on to the chopped chocolate (which you have, of course, transferred to the jug you originally used to steep the lemon peel). Stir vigorously until the chocolate dissolves and you have a smooth fluid. Now add the lemon juice and limoncello (you can leave this out if you don't have any, or if children are going to eat this, but all sorbets and ice creams are improved with a little alcohol in them), stir again, and leave to cool. When cool, chill thoroughly in fridge.
Freeze in your ice-cream maker (or in a shallow tray, stirring every hour to break up the crystals) and enjoy! I served with a peach-and-raspberry sauce (home-made) and some thick cream with limoncello which I'd happened to see in Tesco's earlier.
VERDICT: Tastes absolutely lovely, but a little watery. Not sure quite how to deal with that - perhaps make sure there is no more than 275 ml total of liquid, whether lemon juice or water, and then bring it all to the boil together, and strain out the lemon peel before adding the solid chocolate? Or boil for longer?
It would be greedy to have a second helping, wouldn't it?
EDITED: Made this again last week (10 November) and altered it to about 250 g sugar to 200 ml water/lemon juice, which I brought to the boil, boiled hard for one minute, then added the cocoa powder, brought it back just to the boil (this was my grandmother's chocolate sauce recipe: 6 oz sugar, 1/4 pint water, 2 oz cocoa powder), then added the chopped chocolate. Much better - thicker, and less watery. And rather too much limoncello so it didn't freeze quite properly, but was none the worse for that!
So I was half planning to make Clothilde's wonderful dark chocolate sorbet anyway, but yesterday a friend said that for her, one scoop of chocolate ice-cream and one scoop of lemon sorbet was a match made in heaven.
So I thought, well, why not lemon chocolate sorbet? I cut back the water a bit from Clothilde's recipe, and upped the sugar in order to add the lemons.
3 unwaxed lemons
140 g granulated sugar
250 ml water
40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
80 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% at a bare minimum)
2 tbs limoncello
Either peel the lemons very finely (don't get any of the white pith) with a potato peeler or grate the rind on a lemon zester or equvalent. Place into heatproof jug with the sugar, and pour the boiling water over this. Stir well and leave to stand while you squeeze the lemons and chop the chocolate into as small pieces as you can be bothered.
Put the cocoa powder into a saucepan and strain the lemon water on to it. Whisking and stirring all the time, bring to the boil, and, as soon as it boils up (don't let it boil over!), pour it on to the chopped chocolate (which you have, of course, transferred to the jug you originally used to steep the lemon peel). Stir vigorously until the chocolate dissolves and you have a smooth fluid. Now add the lemon juice and limoncello (you can leave this out if you don't have any, or if children are going to eat this, but all sorbets and ice creams are improved with a little alcohol in them), stir again, and leave to cool. When cool, chill thoroughly in fridge.
Freeze in your ice-cream maker (or in a shallow tray, stirring every hour to break up the crystals) and enjoy! I served with a peach-and-raspberry sauce (home-made) and some thick cream with limoncello which I'd happened to see in Tesco's earlier.
VERDICT: Tastes absolutely lovely, but a little watery. Not sure quite how to deal with that - perhaps make sure there is no more than 275 ml total of liquid, whether lemon juice or water, and then bring it all to the boil together, and strain out the lemon peel before adding the solid chocolate? Or boil for longer?
It would be greedy to have a second helping, wouldn't it?
EDITED: Made this again last week (10 November) and altered it to about 250 g sugar to 200 ml water/lemon juice, which I brought to the boil, boiled hard for one minute, then added the cocoa powder, brought it back just to the boil (this was my grandmother's chocolate sauce recipe: 6 oz sugar, 1/4 pint water, 2 oz cocoa powder), then added the chopped chocolate. Much better - thicker, and less watery. And rather too much limoncello so it didn't freeze quite properly, but was none the worse for that!
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