August 18th, 2008

Pastry
There is one thing that I rarely buy here and that is shortcrust pastry premade. I more often than not make my own. I will buy phyllo or Puff, but not shortcrust. And at this point in time I haven't made the watercrust pastry that pork pies are famous for. I guess I need to give that a go sometime.
I hardly ever measure my flour, butter, salt and water for my pastry. There are loads of recipes out there on quantities to use. Once you find the one that works best then stick to it and practice. So make pies!!!! This day I wanted to make a vegetable and ham quiche to use up some of the garden produce.

First off make sure you rub your butter and salt into your flour. Until it looks like this....

I tend to only use the tips of my fingers on my right hand. As someone somewhere said that if you need to answer the phone or do something then have one hand clean. So I try to stick to this rule.

Next add just enough cold water to get your dough to come together into a ball. At this stage you can cover it with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator. But I never have that luxury of time to let it rest.

Make sure your surface and your rolling pin have plenty of flour on them. Turn the pastry a quarter of a turn and I even turn mine over while rolling out to the desired thickness.
Oh you may see specks in my pastry. By now you should know I never leave well enough alone or follow a recipe to the letter. Since I was making a quiche I added in some dried herbs with the flour and butter. You can add all sorts at the beginning. Sugar for extra sweetness in desserts and to help in the browning and crisping. Or Cheese for a savoury crust too. These little things are what make the dishes special.

Once the pastry is rolled out to the desired thickness and size then fold it in half.

And then half again.

My grand mother taught me this trick.... Bring your dish to the pastry.

And just put it over the edge like this. I have seen where folks use the rolling pin but I always have trouble with that method. This one seems to work for me.

Then basically unfold your pastry into your pie dish.

You can make adjustments if need be.

Now gently lift the edges and lightly pat down so the pastry doesn't tear. If you should happen to get a tear, not to worry. Take a bit of the over hang and brush the tear with water and gently press the extra bit into the tear. Don't be afraid to work with pastry. The more you do it the better you get.

You can flute the edges or just leave to over hang and then trim after wards. I just basically pushed mine up a bit and made a lip.

Next line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. These are little ceramic beads that you can get at any cooking shop. Or just use dried beans to keep the pastry flat. I never prick the bottom of my pastry as I plan to pour a liquid into it and I don't want it seeping out if possible. This by the way is called Blind baking. Put into about a 180C (350F)oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it as you don't want it to brown, just set a bit. Then remove the beans and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Now for the quiche bit..... This is really nice with layered Phyllo pastry too. With herbs between the buttered layers of phyllo.

Either blanch or saute your vegetables first. I had broccoli, courgettes, Chard stalks and some sugar snap peas that I cooked for a minute or two in the microwave. Just to soften a bit. Then sauteed some mushrooms, onion, and red pepper with a bit of garlic. And at the last minute I put in some Chopped chard leaves just to wilt.

I next tucked in some sliced torn ham, and some cubed pieces of Gruyere cheese. And sprinkled over some fresh herb leaves and flowers. You can use dry too. Here I used thyme, Oregano, basil and some chive and sage. Then sprinkle over the top some grated cheese. This again is according to taste and to what is at hand. I used some Cheddar and some Parmesan.

Next is the custard mix..... Take a large measuring jug, mine is 500ml. Put in 3 to 4 eggs, I should have used 4 as the vegetables were a bit on the juicy side. Add in about 2 heaping tablespoons of creme fraiche or double cream and then top up to the measure with milk.

You can add some salt, freshly grated black pepper and herbs to this mix too.


Next pour this mixture into the quiche. Making sure to get evenly poured around the dish.
Bake in a 190 to 200C (375-400F) oven for about 30 to 45 minutes. Testing it for doneness by sticking a butter knife in to see if it comes out clean in the middle. If not then stick it in longer.
Ideally you should let your quiche set for at least 10 t0 15 minutes before serving. But when you have three hungry adults who have been smelling it baking, well.......

As I said it was a little on the juicy side. The remedy to that would have been to add another egg and it would have helped. Also I think if I had used double cream instead of cream fraiche too that could have helped also. But as you can tell there was nothing at all wrong with the flavour. That piece was wolfed done by me the next day for breakfast. YUM!!!! Quiches can be eaten either hot or cold.

Sliced White Bread
All of a sudden Brian and I have been buying loaves of sliced white bread. It started out because of the summer puddings I have been making. We haven't bought a loaf in years, not since we started doing our own baking in the bread machine. And if we did it was never just plain sliced white bread.
But we have been really bad here lately and I expect we have gone through at least 4 loaves in the last few months. Besides the summer puddings, we have been enjoying good ole peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! And who can resist a good ole grilled sarnie!!!

These contained nice slices of smoked ham, mature cheddar and slices of onion and a good Dijon mustard. We do try to limit ourselves to just one sandwich per lunch. I serve with a fresh salad of lettuces from the garden so feel it is a little healthy.

And these lovely toasted slices are covered in grilled portebello mushrooms that have been drizzled with olive oil, minced garlic and some slices of mozzarella cheese. Again served on a fresh garden salad.
Well besides my tagine I bought us a slicer..... Now I just need a decent white bread recipe.... And we will be back to baking our own. I did make a Delicious loaf of rye bread this past week and another of light wholemeal. So we are going back to the healthy bread baking. The slicer works brilliant by the way. And hopefully soon I can get a roast and try it out on that.

Lamb Tagine

I am really enjoying Tagine cooking!!!!! Talk about easy!!!! I bought some lamb steaks and just pan fried them in a little olive oil and the spice blend from Barts (Baharat). Then added some sliced carrots and onions and some garlic chopped. Added this to the tagine base and poured some orange juice into the pan to deglaze. Added to the lamb and carrots... Little salt and pepper and a cinnamon stick, and 4 whole cloves and sprinkled more Baharat over. Then into the oven 180 for 1 hour. While that was cooking soaked some dried apricots and prunes. Then put into the tagine with a good drizzle of honey. Back into the oven for another 1/2 hour. You can take the lid off and cook for a bit longer if your liquid hasn't thickened or cheat like me and add a bit of chicken bisto (gravy mix) to the pot and stir and back for another 5 to 10 minutes. While this was cooking I made some plain basmati rice. Brian cleaned his plate and gave his approval by saying we could have it again.

June 6th 2008

Hi all...... Well I am still here.... and still blogging. They say that most blogs don't last more than a few months.. Well mine is now a few days over a year old!!! I have met alot of lovely new friends in this past year and we all have at least one thing in common, our passion for food. So hopefully this blog will be here again in another year's time with more recipes and more new friends.

The past few weeks have been not very adventurous in the cooking department. Although I did make flour tortillas from scratch....

My Mexican cookbook says to take 2 cups (250g) of sifted plain flour and with 1/2 teaspoon salt place in a mixing bowl. Rub in 60g margarine or butter(traditionally you would use lard)with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add enough water to mixture to for a soft dough. About 1/3 to 2/3 (80 to 160ml) warm water. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 equal portions and shape into balls. Brush each ball with a little vegetable oil to coat and place in a bowl. Cover with a dry cloth and allow to stand for 15 minutes. (This is an important step in it allows the dough to relax.) Roll out dough portions on a lightly floured surface to form tortillas about 20 cm in diameter. (the size will depend on your frying pan)

Preheat a dry, heavy-based frypan over a medium heat. Cook tortillas for about 30 seconds each side or until speckled and cooked through. I think mine took a little longer. Stack cooked tortillas into a basket or bowl lined with a cloth to keep warm and flexible. I only did 8 tortillas so mine were a little larger in size which I wanted to use as Wraps for sandwiches later on.

But 4 of them made these lovely Burritos.


How I made my burritos was take some butter nut squash and pan fry along with some chopped onion. Mix into 1 tin of chili beans in a sauce pan and then fry up some chopped halloumi cheese. You can add some herbs and spices to taste. I used a bit of garlic chopped, oregano, chili powder and fresh ground cumin seeds.

The rice was easy to fix too.
Cook long grain rice in Chicken stock along with a tin of chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, some frozen sweet corn and frozen peas. Add a few spices and herbs and when rice has cooked serve with some grated cheddar cheese.

This was a really quick and yummy meal. The leftover tortillas make great wraps for any sort of sandwich filling you desire. We just had salad and sliced ham in ours.

I may experiment a bit more with the tortillas and make my own tomato and possibly spinach ones.

I did come across a new product at the grocery store a few weeks ago...

sorry for the lousy photo..... The camera decided not to play ball that day. Anyway it is Maldon Smoked Sea Salt....... Ohhhhhhh the smell is soooooooo lovely. The only problem I have had with it is if you cook with it, you loose the flavour of the smoke. I just love the smell..... like a campfire on a lovely autumnal evening. I have been having fun trying it on all sorts of dishes. But personally, I think if you are to use it I would use it sprinkled onto the food at the table. Brian and I don't salt our food at the table so seems a bit of a waste. Although it says it is a good seasoning for fish. Any way I can recommend just getting a box to have a good sniff occasionally.
Hmmmmm wonder what it would be like on a baked potato.....

April 4th, 2008

Well since my last blog, there have been a few changes around here.... I am now retired!!! YEAH!
Brian has given me a super 50th birthday present in letting me retire early. We did all the sums and if we are good, we can afford it. That means cutting back slightly on the grocery bill and also cutting back on our eating out. By doing those two things and watching what we spend, that more than makes up for the amount I was earning on my part time job. I would much rather be at home working here and being with Brian and the cats than out working. We are going to see how it goes..... So far so good.... I have cut our grocery bill down by £20.00 each week so far and we have only noticed that there doesn't seem to be as much going in the bin. I am also going to be supplementing our groceries by growing some of my own veg and a few fruits too. I already have a bit of an herb garden here and grow as many of those that I can.

Great Big Vegetable Challenge Squash Up
Charlotte, Alex and Freddie over at The Great Big Vegetable Challenge are onto the letter S and are now doing recipes for Squash. This is a fruit or vegetable that I enjoy eating quite a bit. They are very good value for money and packed full of flavour and good things for your body. They can be fixed in so many different ways from sweets to savouries. I am learning to enjoy them as savouries, because my family used to use them in pies, cakes, muffins and cookie recipes. One of my favourite salads is pan fried butternut squash with a little balsamic vinegar served with some hunks of grilled goats cheese with salad leaves and red onion slices. I could eat this dish anytime of the year, but now with the weather warming up and sitting out on the patio just around the corner, I think I best be getting in some squash for such an occasion. Hopefully, I will be able to grow some in my garden this summer along with some acorn squash and courgettes. I did however, come up with a recipe that I think Charlotte and the kids might enjoy.....

Slow Cooked Spicy Squash Stew

First off I started by chopping up some braising steak and coating in seasoned flour and pan frying. Once browned I placed into a preheated slow cooker. Then pan fried some chopped onion and then put it into the slow cooker. I also peeled and chopped into good sized chunks one butternut squash this I pan fried too, but with hindsight just put this into the slow cooker. As the precooking made it a bit mushy. Next add in a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of chili red beans. Add some ground cumin and chili powder to taste. And about 1/2 a tube of tomato puree. Stir together and let cook on slow for about 5 to 6 hours.

It didn't come out too hot tasting which for me is just fine, but if you like more kick you could add more chili powder or even some chopped chilies to the recipe or a little cayenne. I served with some cooked rice and some freshly grated cheese. Really yummy especially on a busy day here.


Healthy Muffins

I have been wanting a bit of a snack that could also serve as lunch if I wasn't too hungry. So I opted to make some Carrot muffins which I have been enjoying with a lovely cup of tea. Brian has coffee instead. They are great for a quick bite when you are busy around the house doing things, like we have been lately.

Carrot Muffins
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 carrots grated
1 1/3 cups flour (this can be a mix of wholemeal and plain white)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg/or allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup soaked raisins, seedless
First off the changes to this recipe that I made are as follows....For the raisins I took a cup of hot tea and soaked some currants and some chopped apricots for about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid off before adding to the mixture. Also I added about 1 cup chopped pecans just before filling the muffin cups. You could use Courgettes in place of the carrots with possibly adding just a tad more flour. Or you could add some grated butternut or acorn squash about 1 cup for the carrot and with those I might add some of the tea liquid to the mix. A great all round recipe to experiment with. I also added in about 1 tablespoon or so of porridge oats to the muffins for a little added nutrition.

Beat the oil, eggs and sugar until blended. Stir in finely grated carrots. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add the carrots and fruit to the egg mixture and then add in the sifted dry ingredients. Stir just till mixed add in the pecans and oats and stir till combined. Now spoon into paper lined muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. I had to cook mine for up to another 10 minutes. I guess it depends on your oven and on how full you fill your tins. I ended up with 12 large muffins.


Lemon Chicken with Petitpois and Pancetta

These two dishes come from one of my old copies of Good Food and was published in October 2001. Like my cook books I treasure all my magazines that have recipes in them and when I have time to have a sit down I pull out one of my saved copies from the book shelf and have a browse. They give me inspiration to try new things.
The Lemon Chicken...(serves 2)
Take two skinless and boneless chicken breasts and pound flat. Dredge in some seasoned flour(salt and pepper). Pan fry in a bit of olive oil and butter until browned on both sides. Next take the juice of one lemon and the same amount of water and mix. When the chicken is cooked then add the juice to the frying pan and simmer gently until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley.
This was really quite quick and delicious. You could really taste the lemon. A definite encore type of dish!!!

Peas with Pancetta.
First chop an onion and pan fry with the pancetta in a bit of butter until the onion is translucent and the pancetta is brown but not crisp. Stir in some frozen peas and a touch of water. Add some sprigs of thyme. I used lemon thyme. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with some fresh ground black pepper.

I served this meal with a baked potato with some butter and some chopped parsley. Must remember to start the potato earlier next time.

Spinach From My Garden

I wanted a dish to fix for supper that would be worthy of my Spinach that has been growing all winter. Brian isn't all that keen on cooked spinach so I needed a recipe that had other ingredients too so you didn't get slimy green in your mouth. This spinach wasn't at all slimy tasting.
The recipe comes from Prue Leiths Cookery Bible. It is for Veal Florentine, but I substituted chicken for the veal.
Take one onion and chop fine and fry in a little olive oil. And some chopped mushrooms and two chopped cloves of garlic. Next add some tinned chopped tomatoes and I used two fresh chopped tomatoes too. Place into a baking dish. Clean frying pan and with a little butter wilt down the spinach. The recipe calls for 450grams of spinach for two servings. I picked as much as I could and added a few chard leaves too to get about 400 grams. Wilt this down until most of the liquid is gone and then top the tomato mixture. I sprinkled on some fresh grated Parmesan and some pine nuts. Next take your chicken and pound and cut into strips. Pan fry in a little oil and butter till lightly browned and then place on top of the spinach. Next make a Mornay sauce and cover the chicken with this. Top with some grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for about 30 minutes in an 180 C oven and then brown under the grill. Be careful as the bread crumbs will catch rather quickly.

I served with some microwaved Cauliflower and Brocolli, and some spaghetti that had been tossed in some passata once it was cooked. I think this dish was definately worthy of my Spinach.

Mornay Sauce
20 g butter
20g plain flour
pinch of dry English Mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
290 ml milk
55g grated cheese such as Cheddar, Gruyere or Red Leister
15g grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and stir in the flour, mustard and cayenne pepper. Cook stirring for about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour in the milk and mix well with a whisk. Return to the heat and stir till boiling. Simmer stirring well for 2 minute. Add all the cheese and mix well. Don't reboil!!! Season to taste with salt and pepper.

February 24th, 2008

Sorry for not blogging sooner. Had a bit of a computer problem. My computer crashed!!!!! I think I have now got the programs reinstalled back onto it and recovered some things I lost, but mostly I lost some of my photos since December and some of my recipes I had saved from various sites. So word of warning to all - remember to back up your files!!!!
Another reason for not doing much blogging is I haven't really been cooking alot. I have been trying hard to loose a bit of weight and it seems if I cut back on food and wine and do a bit of exercise it does seem to work. So instead of eating alot I have been trying to get by on a little, so not too many fancy dishes here lately. Also just recovering from a virus myself that put me off food for a bit. But I am much better now, I have lost 5 pounds and my computer is running well so back to blogging again.

Sweet and Sour Pork

This recipe comes from my tried and true 1980 Bisquick cookbook that has definately been trough the wars of cooking. It is a recipe I find easy to make along with loads of flavour. This little book has alot of quick and easy and really yummy recipes in it using one of my fav things that I can get over here Bisquick. The thing is if I couldn't find it here I have several recipes for making a copy cat version of bisquick.

Sweet-And-Sour Pork
3 Tablespoons Butter/margarine
1 egg
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 pounds pork (I used tenderloin or you could use boneless chops) boneless shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup Bisquick baking mix
Sauce (recipe follows)
4 cups hot cooked rice
Heat oven to 400 F/200 C. Heat butter in a baking dish in the oven until it is melted. Beat the egg and water slightly. Dip the pork cubes into the egg mixture, then coat with the baking mix (shake the pork in a bag with 1/3 cup baking mix at a time). Arrange pork in pan. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Turn and bake another 15 minutes.

This is what it looks like when baked.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce and cook the rice while the pork is baking. I usually put the rice on during that 15 minutes after the pork has been turned. The sauce I start while it is initially baking.

Sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks, drained(but keep the liquid)
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons catsup
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 green pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, sliced
I added a sliced carrot too! You can add red pepper also to this along with the green for more colour. And at the end I added some whole cherry tomatoes but at the last minute.

Mix the brown sugar and cornstarch in a 10-inch skillet or a wok. Add enough water to your pineapple liquid to make 2 1/4 cups. Stir liquid into the sugar mix along with the vinegar, catsup and soy sauce. (I added the sliced carrot at this time to make sure it was cooked). Cook over a medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the pineapple, green pepper and onion, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. I didn't cover mine.


Add in the cooked pork and heat through....


And right before dishing up add the cherry tomatoes.

Serve on a bed of hot cooked rice and since I can't get crunchy chowmein noodles here I use Cashew nuts on top. Enjoy!!!!

Sprouts

I have been bitten by the gardening bug, but it is still too early to get out and plant anything here... So I decided to start some sprouts. Many years ago, I read in a magazine or book somewhere about sprouting lentils. All you do is wash them really well and place in a jar with a bit of cheese cloth over the opening and a rubber band. Rinse them daily and place in a dark place like the kitchen cubboard. And in a week or two you will have sprouts. That is all there is to it. The amount you have in your jar would depend on the jar size. I would say maybe a tablespoon or so to a pint jar. Just remember to keep them well rinsed everyday. I also lay my jar on it's side that way they are more distributed in the jar. They have a slight musty taste to them and are nice on sandwiches with cream cheese, grated carrot and beetroot. I also tried sprouting some mung beans in another jar at the same time and used those in a stir fry, but unfortuneately that photo is now in nowhere land.


Mein Deutsch Rezepte/My German Recipe
I found another recipe in one of my German cooking magazines that I wanted to give a go... And when I did it didn't look anything like the picture when I finished. Their's looks like a lovely cross between a lasagne and a moussaka and comes out in nice little layered squares. Well mine ended up rather soupy. So maybe I created a lovely Lasagne and Moussaka soup!!! The Aubergine/eggplant was a bit on the tough side too. So not sure if salting it was a good idea or not. Or maybe I should have sauteed it before putting it in the dish. The courgettes on the other hand were yummy, and maybe that is where the liquid came from. Anyway here is the recipe in German/Deutsch first and then what I did via Brian and I's translations of the recipe.

Würziger Auberginen-Zucchini-Auflauf
Zutaten für 6 Personen:
750 g Auberginen
500 g. Zucchini
Salz, schwarzer Pfeffer
2 mittlegroße zwiebeln
1 Knoblauchzehe
500 g. gemischtes Hackfleish
10 EL Olivenöl
1 Dose Tomaten (425 ml)
1 Töpfchen Oregano
2 El Paniermehl
3 Eier
500 g Kartoffeln
75 g Mehl
50 g Butter/Margarine
3/4 l Milch
100 g geriebener Parmesan-Käse
1. Auberginen und Zucchini in ca. 1/2 cm dicke Scheiben schneiden. Auberginenscheiben mit Salz bestreuen, ca. 15 Minuten ziehen lassen. Zwiebeln und Knoblauch fein hacken. 2 Esslöffel Öl in einer Pfanne erhitzen. Hackfleisch darin anbraten, Zwiebeln und Knoblauch zufügen. Tomaten in der Dose zerkleinern, ebenfalls in die Pfanne geben und kurz mitdünsten. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen.
2. Oreganoblätter von den Stielen zupfen und, bis auf etwas zum Garnieren, fein hacken. Mit dem Paniermehl und 1 verquirltem Ei zur Hackmasse geben.
3. Kartoffeln schälen und in scheiben schneiden. Auberginen abtupfen. Vorbereitetes Gemüse und Kartoffelscheiben portionsweise in 8 Esslöffel Öl goldbraun braten. Mehl in heißem Fett anschwitzen, mit Milch ablöschen und aufkochen. 2 Eier und Käse verquirlen. Mit etwas Soße verrühren und in die Soße rühren (nicht mehr kochen!) Anschließend die Soße mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken.
4. Kartoffeln schuppenförmig in eine gefettete, ofenfeste Auflauf-form (ca. 30 cm Länge) schichten. Mit 1/3 Soße bedecken. Hackmasse darauf verteilen. Zucchini und Auberginen im Wechsel schuppenförmig darauf legen. Übrige Soße daruber verteilen. Im vorge-heizten Ofen bei 175° C (Umluft 150 °C) ca. 45 Minuten backen. Auflauf mit restlichem Oregano bestreuen und servieren.

Okay now for my version that like I said turned into a soup. But a very tasty soup it was!!!
Recipe is for 6 people.
750 g aubergine/eggplant
500 g. courgettes/zucchini
salt and black pepper
2 medium sized onions
1 garlic clove
500 g. mince/hamburger
10 Tablespoons olive oil
1 can tomatoes (425 ml)
Oregano (fresh preferably but dry will do)
2 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs
3 eggs
500 g potatoes
75 g Flour
50 g Butter/Margarine
3/4 l milk
100 g grated Parmesan cheese

I started out with washing and slicing the Aubergine/eggplant and the courgettes/zucchini into rounds and placing in a collander and sprinkling on some salt. This was supposed to take out the moisture.

Next I browned the mince/hamburger in some oil along with the onion and garlic clove. I then drained the meat mixture and added the tomatoes. Now whether I should have used tomato paste rather than chopped tomatoes, might be part of the problem. Cooked until a bit of the moisture had evaporated. Then added in the bread crumbs, oregano and one egg.
Next I sliced my potatoes and put into a glass baking dish. and sprinkled on some olive oil (I didn't use 10 tablespoons as that seemed a bit extreme) and into the microwave for about 5 to 6 minutes to part cook the potatoes.
Then I made a bechamel/white sauce with butter, flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Added in the eggs once the milk was blended in and cooked on a low heat whisking all the time to keep it smooth until it thickened. Then I added in the grated cheese. (I felt the sauce was a bit bland tasting so added in a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce. This was an amazing transformation!! and I will be doing this with all future white sauces.)
Next came the layering after rinsing the aubergine and courgettes and giving them a really good squeeze to get all the moisture out (I must be a wimp!!! And this is where possibly the aubergine might have been better sauteed a bit to make it softer as it turned out rather tough the way I did it.)
With the partcooked potatoes on the bottom of the dish I next spooned on some of the white sauce, then the meat sauce next and then more white sauce and then the aubergine in the middle and the zucchini around the egde and finally the rest of the white sauce and a sprinkling of oregano and parmesan cheese.

Into the oven to bake.... and here is where I think there was another problem. It didn't cook at that temperature stated in the recipe above.....170 C /150 C fan..... So for an added 15 minutes I cranked up the oven temperture to 200 C and it finally started to brown. So possibly I would cook this at 180 or 190 next time. Might help again with the moisture.
It wasy rather yummy in flavour, but like I said a bit on the soupy side. So this recipe will need a bit more fine tuning.

February3rd, 2008

I am really sorry for not updating sooner. But I have been a bit busy and in a bit of a slump in cooking. I haven't really had alot of time to try out any new recipes, so I have been making some of my old standbys lately. While there is nothing wrong with old standbys, some of which are recipes you use over and over again because they are good and you have perfected it to just how you like them to taste.
Tuna Casserole is one of my fav standbys for when I am busy doing other things or when I don't feel much like cooking. It is a recipe that will change with my mood and the ingredients on hand.
The basics for this dish is Tuna. Every other ingredient may well change like I said according to my mood or what is on hand. Most often than not I use pasta for the casserole, but sometimes it may contain rice. Which ever you use it will need to be cooked first.
So start with the pasta or rice in a large bowl, followed by the drained tin of Tuna, (you could make it with Chicken if you like and sometimes I do, but then it becomes a Chicken casserole. I guess even the Tuna isn't the main ingredient!!! hmmmmmm)
Then in go the other ingredients.....
A tin of Cambells Cream of mushroom soup(could use Cream of chicken, celery, etc)
Rinse tin out with 1 tin of milk
Chopped Celery, and chopped onion and mushrooms (these can either be sauteed first or if you like a bit of bite then as they are)
The next is peas or sweet corn or a bit of both. Or you could even use some broccoli florets.
Cheese is next, and inside the mix I usually use cubes of cheese. In the US I enjoyed Colby cheese, but here in the UK I either use Cheddar or Red Leister. Lancashire might also be nice.
Give a good mix and season with herbs...... Again your choice. Usually mine will contain a mix of thyme, oregano, and garlic, salt just a pinch and some fresh ground black pepper.
Place into your baking dish and then top with some crushed up potatoe chips (crisps for the Brits) and some grated cheese. Into a 180 C oven for about 30 to 45 minutes. Then enjoy!!!!


I would be interested in finding out what you put in your Tuna/Chicken Casserole that makes it your special comfort dish.

Brussel Sprouts.... This has been the year of the sprout in our household. Usually I am lucky to get poor Brian to eat even one and this year he has had them every conceivable way I could think of to cook them. (I haven't done a dessert with them and don't think I will be going there either.) The latest recipe using the nutritious sprout was a soup. You start off sauteeing some chopped bacon until crisp and set this aside. In the drippings left from the bacon you then sautee some thinly sliced sprouts and onion just until transparent. (Don't let it go further and ignore all phone calls at this time as if you don't they turn bitter. Yes I have learnt my lesson!!!!)
Next goes in some chicken stock or you could use vegetable stock. And a chopped up potatoe to add body. Once the potatoe is cooked then blitz with a hand blender and add some double cream. Season to taste. Heat just through and serve with the bacon and possibly more cream.


Another of my stand bys lately is how I cook fresh fish. Since I am trying hard to help Brian and I to eat more fish, this recipe is always yummy and quick to do.

First skin and de bone the fish. Could be cod, plaice, Halibut or our latest find Haddock. Place some olive oil into your baking dish and then the fish.

Next sautee off some onions just till translucent in a bit of olive oil along with some chopped rosemary(I have two rather lovely bushes growing in the garden so always have plenty of fresh rosemary to use) and some chopped garlic. Add some Bread crumbs and sautee just a bit longer. You can add some lemon zest to this mix too or some oregano and some juice of the lemon.


Now spread the crumb mix over the fish and bake in the oven at about 180 for 20 or so minutes till the fish is how you like it cooked and the crumb is just browned.


Another fav is chunky oven Chips that Brian likes to have on occasions. Take some olive oil into a baking tin. Then add some chunky potatoe chips. I coat the potatoes in the oil. Bake for about 20 minutes then take out and turn the chips. Add some rosemary and some garlic cloves. These can either be whole or sliced depending on how strong you want your garlic. Then back in the oven for another 20 minutes. This is when I put the fish in. And there you have A little healthier version of Fish and Chips.



And you can't have Fish and Chips without Tartare sauce!!! Well I ran out of my fav storebought stuff the last meal we had with fish and chips so I thought why not try to make some. I had all the ingredients for a change. Capers, Gherkins etc.......

So.......

I took 1/2 cup mayonaise and added about 4 teaspoons of chopped rinsed capers, and about the same amount of chopped gherkin. Then added in some dried dill weed and chopped parsely. And a splash of my homemade tarragon vinegar (this is dead easy to make yourself and oooooooo so yummy) and a pinch of sugar. That is it. And Brian gave me the thumbs up and said it was much better than the stuff we buy in the jar. So guess I will be making my own Tartare sauce from now on.

Tarragon vinegar.

Take a clean bottle and fill with white distilled vinegar. (you can add a splash of white wine if you like for added flavour)

And then add some clean fresh tarragon leaves. Let sit for at least a month. Strain off and replace the vinegar to the bottle and add some more fresh tarragon leaves.

This vinegar is really lovely in vinegrettes and just sprinkled on salads and such. I even add it to potato salad.

You should try your hand at making flavoured vinegars as they are easy and add so much more depth to your recipes.

November 24th, 2007

I have been rather busy this past month but not too busy to cook. On the way home from work one day, I stopped by the farm shop and picked up some Cod from the fishmonger. I was looking for some halibut, but he said the awful storms we had a few weeks back had affected the fishing. But he should be back in a weeks time and should have some then.

I had been perusing my cooking magazines and I came across a recipe for Savoy cabbage with bacon and cod, they microwaved theirs, I rather fancied mine in the oven. I started off by frying the bacon till crispy and then just barely stir fried the cabbage and onions ( I snuck in some thinly sliced brussel sprouts, don't tell Brian). And then placed in a glass baking dish. Put the cod on top and sprinkled some black pepper and a bit of thyme on top. I forgot to add some chicken stock that they recommended, but instead I added a bit of white wine and some lemon juice.Then I popped the lid on and into the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 c. I also made my Butter bean mash to go with the fish dish and a lovely fresh salad.



Butter bean mash is easy, make potatoes as normal for mash and before adding to the bowl take a can of drained and rinsed butter beans and squish them with your fingers. Then add the mash and proceed as normal. The beans add a nice flavour and texture to the mash. I added my cloves of garlic to the potatoes while they were boiling so it wasn't too overpowering. Then put potatoes and garlic through the ricer. Add a bit of milk and butter and season with salt and pepper. Top with some grated cheddar cheese and just brown in the oven. I made the mash first and put it in with the fish in the oven.


A Trip to London
Almost no trip would be complete for us without seeing St. Paul's Cathedral. We always ride past it on a bus either going in or coming home. On the day this photo was taken it was a lovely Autumnal day and sorry for the specks of dirt and the glare, I took the photo from the top of a double decker bus.


We had two missions that day, actually three.... 1. To have lunch at our fav Italian restaurant Anacapri ..... 2. To check on Hamish's flat. They are off to Peru for two weeks and let us use the flat when they are away. Only thing is Brian doesn't like leaving the cats so we only stop for a rest and make sure things are okay. ......3. To see if I could find some Orzo. Well we managed two of the three. The ever elusive Orzo will have to be ordered off the internet I guess.


When you walk through this door you are greeted as long lost family. The head of the restaurant is so friendly and welcoming. Immediately upon sitting at a table you are looked after like no other place I know. They start bringing out the food even before you are presented with menus. There are fresh celery and carrot sticks with a lovely vinaigrette dressing. Olives, bread and butter and bread sticks are there to nibble while reading the vast menu of delicious options.

We both decided on the Mozzarella and tomato salad. I know it isn't very adventurous but it is really lovely!!! And the starters are as big as the mains!!!

Sorry for the olive pips. I just love black olives. We chose a nice Frascati wine to go with our meal.

I just love their Veal Milanese it melts in your mouth like butter and the spaghetti though it may look plain is so packed full of flavour. I wish I could make a plain tomato sauce that good. I would be a very happy woman if I could.


And Brian's main was veal medallions in a creamy mushroom sauce. I have had veal once in France that was so tough to chew that I sent it back and was really cross with them. Thinking that a French restaurant would know better!!! You only cook for just a bare minimum. And the chefs at Anacapri have it to perfection. They have some lovely pasta dishes that we have had before and loads more on their menu for all tastes. Hamish and Yuk-kin first introduced us to this lovely find....... The lucky sods only live a block away!!!!! I guess it is lucky we don't live so close, as we would probably be there every week and then it wouldn't be so special when we did go. Oh and if the starters and mains weren't enough you really should see the desserts!!!! They make a big presentation of the desserts. And you will usually have about 5 different ones brought to your table to tempt you. We opted for Cream Caramel (mine) and Cheese cake (Brian).


You will not need to lift the wine bottle to fill your glass and you won't go away hungry. The restaurant it's self is rather small, but the food and service sure aren't. So if you should find yourself in the Marleybone area of London around lunch or dinner time..... You would be hard pressed to find a much nicer restaurant than this one. I highly recommend it.

Comfort food
Okay you have been working away all day and it is cold outside and sleeting down with rain and you don't really feel much like cooking tonight.... well here you go.... Couldn't be any simpler than a good ole Sausage Hot Pot!!!

Very similar to Lancashire hot pot except it doesn't have lamb and you use baked beans and don't use mushrooms okay so maybe it is way different....
Start by browning some sausages in a frying pan, this will depend on how many you are cooking for. I usually go with the whole pack as I eat leftovers for lunches. You don't need to cook them fully, just brown well. And while those are browning throw in some chopped onion to slightly soften too. Place into a large ovenproof casserole dish. In the same frying pan saute some slices of carrot, celery and peeled pumpkin. Again giving them just a bit of colour, and just part cooking. Again put into the casserole dish. Now according to how many you are feeding, you can use one or two cans of baked beans. Mix these in and give a good stir. Now take about 4 peeled potatoes and slice really thin. I use my special gadget for this. Layer over the sausage mixture. Bake at 180 c for about 30 minutes covered. Next uncover and sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese over the top and back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Serve with a nice side salad. And this is as nice as a big fluffy blanket on a cold winters eve.

Thanksgiving
Even though I have lived here for 11 years we still celebrate Thanksgiving, but a scaled down version. We have a roast Chicken instead of a turkey. I do wish I could figure out how they have those gorgeous birds with the legs still attached and all golden brown. Then again those may be really dry, mine are never dry and are always falling off the bone.


And my pumpkin pies I have to make from scratch by roasting my pumpkin and then blending the flesh with two eggs, a bit of milk, some brown sugar and spices.

I even make my own pie crust from scratch, although I could buy this premade.

And then it is roasted potatoes and Stuffing balls rather than the traditional dressing I used to make.

And they do have cranberries here in the grocery, you can get fresh ones or already prepared cranberry jelly in a jar. Oh and instead of gravy I make bread sauce from a packet that is just gorgeous with chicken and roasted potatoes.

Ohhhhhh gotta save room for some pie!!!! Happy holidays everyone!!!!