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Ham leftovers: Ham, leek, and potato pie

2012-01-08T18:35:00.000Z

Ham, Leek and Potato Pie

We had this pie for dinner because I had so much ham left over from New Year's Day dinner. I had everything that it called for except creme fraiche but luckily found that on sale so this was a very inexpensive meal but quite spectacular in appearance. It would make a very impressive main course for a lunch or dinner with guests. The fact that there were potatoes in the pie, meant that I only had to make vegetables.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion , finely chopped
3 leeks , finely sliced
2 large potatoes , cut into small cubes
2 tbsp plain flour , plus extra for dusting
300ml chicken or ham stock
100ml pot crème fraîche (or use leftover double cream)
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
200g cooked ham , shredded
4 bay leaves , optional
375g pack puff pastry
1 egg , beaten, to glaze (or use milk)

Heat a large frying pan, melt the butter, then add the onion and leeks. Cover, then very gently cook for 15 mins until soft. Add the potatoes after 5 mins cooking.
Stir in the flour, turn up the heat, then add the stock, stirring until the mix thickens a little. Take off the heat, then stir in the crème fraîche, mustard and ham. Season to taste, then cool, if you have time. Spoon the mix into a large pie dish, adding a couple of bay leaves. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut a pastry strip the same width as the lip of the dish, wet the edge of the dish with egg, then fix the strip around it. Brush the top with egg, then lay over the remaining pastry.
Trim pastry to the edge of the dish, then ruffle the cut edges with the knife blade to help the layers rise. Cut a few slits to let the steam escape, decorate with bay leaves, if you like, then brush all over the top with egg. Can be done up to a day ahead, keep chilled. Bake for 30 mins until risen.

Clam Chowder and Christmas

2011-12-24T16:27:00.000Z

I don't know why we had clam chowder for our tree trimming party in 1989 but we did and it started a tradition. Perhaps it isn't a tradition for the whole family since my daughters don't seem to like sea food as much as Cliff and I. It seems to me that that year we also started eating tourtière as one of our pre-Christmas treats. Below is our chowder recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 C butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 C flour
1 litre semi-skimmed milk
3 medium potatoes
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t thyme
2 5 oz cans of baby clams

1. Melt butter. Sauté onion till transparent and fragrant. Don't brown. Add flour and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Whisk in milk. Add parboiled potatoes and spices. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or till the potatoes are tender.

3. Add clams and juice. Reheat at serving time. Garnish with croutons, bacon pieces and chopped onions.

Pumpkin Muffins

2011-12-24T08:47:00.000Z

Easy
Ready in 45 mins

Ingredients
Serves: 12
1 small sugar pumpkin, seeded
375g plain flour
400g caster sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
160ml vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins |Cook: 25 mins
1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin cases.

2. Split pumpkin in half. Remove seeds and strings. Place on baking tray, cut side down. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 90 minutes. Scoop out pumpkin and puree in blender. Weigh out 500g of pumpkin puree; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, bicarb, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the 500g pumpkin puree, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Scoop muffin mixture into prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Lemon Chicken

2011-12-21T14:14:00.000Z

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

3 juicy lemons
50g butter
3 tbsp clear honey
leaves from 4 rosemary sprigs
1 garlic clove , finely chopped
8 chicken pieces, such as thighs and drumsticks, with skin
750g potatoes , peeled and cut into smallish chunks (You could also serve with rice!)

Serves 4
Easily doubled

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 5 - 10 mins
Cook 1 hr

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan180C. Squeeze the juice from 2 lemons into a small pan and heat with the butter, honey, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper, until the butter melts and it smells fragrant.
Lay the chicken in a roasting tin - don't pile it up or it won't cook so well. Add the potatoes and drizzle with lemon butter to coat evenly. Cut the third lemon into 8 wedges and tuck them in. (Can be made up to 2 hours ahead up to this point.)
Roast for 50 minutes - 1 hour until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are crisp and golden. Serve with a green salad.

Fish Stew

2011-12-05T19:47:00.001Z

Ingredients
Serves: 4
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
500ml fish or vegetable stock
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
225g frozen peas
175g frozen sweetcorn
600g skinless white fish fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme leaves to garnish (optional)

Preparation method
Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 30 mins
1. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are light gold.
2. Add the pepper and sweet potatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the sweet potatoes begin to soften. Stir in the stock, thyme and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are just tender. Stir in the peas and sweetcorn.
3. Place the fish on top of the vegetables, cover and cook gently for 8–10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Season to taste with black pepper, then serve immediately sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves if you are using them.

Mint Sauce

2011-08-07T14:37:00.001+01:00

Today I have decided to make a recipe from the Waitrose magazine, Minted Lamb in Filo Pastry. I wanted to make my own mint sauce, which is called for, since I have lots of mint in the garden. This one looks good!

Ingredients

bunch of mint
pinch salt
4 tbsp boiling water
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 level tbsp caster sugar

Preparation method

Strip off the mint leaves, sprinkle with salt and chop finely.
Place into a jug, add the sugar and pour over the boiling water, stir and leave to cool.
Stir in the vinegar and taste.
Add more water or vinegar and adjust seasoning to suit your taste.

Blackberry Jam

2011-08-04T21:26:00.001+01:00

Cliff and I went blackberrying this evening and at first I thought I would make a pie but now I have decided to try jam and the following recipe from the Good Food magazine.

Ingredients

900g fruit (blackberries, plums, raspberries or strawberries), prepared weight
900g golden granulated sugar
knob of butter

Put the fruit into a preserving pan or large heavy-based saucepan. For blackberries, add 50ml of water and 1½ tbsp of lemon juice; for plums (halved and stoned), use 150ml of water; for strawberries, add 3 tbsp of lemon juice (no water); and for raspberries, add nothing. Bring to the boil.
Lower the heat. For blackberries, simmer for 15 minutes; for plums, simmer for 30-40 minutes; for raspberries, simmer for 2 minutes; for strawberries, simmer for 5 minutes. The fruit should be soft.
Tip in the sugar, stir over a very low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Raise the heat, bring to a full rolling boil, then rapidly boil blackberries for 10-12 minutes, plums for 10 minutes, raspberries for 5 minutes or strawberries for 20-25 minutes - don't stir though - until the setting point of 105C is reached.
Remove from the heat, skim off any excess scum, then stir a knob of butter across the surface (this helps to dissolve any remaining scum). Leave for about 15 mins so the fruit can settle. Pour into sterilised jars, label and seal.

Meatloaf from Delia Smith

2011-07-24T10:47:00.000+01:00

Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) minced beef
1 lb (450 g) minced pork
2 medium onions, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 heaped tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 level dessertspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 large egg
3 oz (75 g) white bread, sliced and crusts removed, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes
3 tablespoons milk
1½ rounded teaspoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 fl oz (110 ml) dry white wine
about 8 slices (6 oz/175 g) traditional smoked streaky bacon
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).

Equipment
You will also need a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin, 7½ x 4¾ x 3½ inches deep (19 x 12 x 9 cm deep), preferably non-stick.

This recipe first appeared in Sainsbury's Magazine.

Method

1.The best way to make a meatloaf is in a large food processor, if you've got one. In which case you can begin by chopping the onions, garlic, parsley and thyme all together until the onion is very finely chopped, then add the meats and break in the egg.

2. Place the bread in a little bowl, spoon the milk over, then mix it with your hands or a fork until the bread has broken down to fine crumbs.

3. Add these to the processor along with the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, wine and a really good seasoning of salt and pepper.

4. Now, switching on and off, or using the pulse button, mix the whole lot together until thoroughly blended.

5. If you don't have a food processor, grate or mince the onion, chop the garlic finely then mix everything thoroughly in a large bowl.

6. When the mixture is ready, pack it into the loaf tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon, then snip the rinds off the bacon and lay the slices all along the top of the meat, slightly overlapping, and press them down firmly.

7. Now place a piece of foil over the top and twist or pleat the corners.

8. Stand the tin in a shallow baking tin, pour about 1½ inches (4 cm) boiling water into the tin straight from the kettle and place the whole thing on the middle shelf of the oven.

9.Let it cook slowly for 2 hours.

10. After that remove the foil and dig a skewer into the meatloaf; press it down to make sure that the juices are running clear.

11. Now, if it's cooked, remove it from the oven then let it cool for about 30 minutes and after that, if you're serving it cold, replace the foil and place something heavy on top to weight it down. Leave it weighted like this until it's completely cold. This makes the meatloaf easier to slice.

12. If you're serving the meatloaf hot, just allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the tin, covered with foil, then turn it out on to a board and serve cut in slices.

Dinner from the fridge and cupboards

2011-07-16T14:11:00.000+01:00

I was going to cook the duck which I had taken from Nina's fridge when I emptied in. However, I looked at the use by date and discovered that it had been in Nina's freezer since 2005 so I thought better of it. However, I do have pork mince in the refrigerator and I have found this recipe from Nigel Slater that sounds interesting. I have decided not to tell anyone about the ingredients until after they have eaten it. Read ahead and you may understand why!

Pork meatballs with anchovies

Ingredients

couple of good handfuls of pork mince (about 500g/17½oz)
good handful fresh white breadcrumbs
1 lemon, zest only
small handful freshly grated parmesan
handful flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
handful thyme, leaves only
8-10 canned anchovies, drained, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
few good glugs of fruity olive oil
enough hot chicken or vegetable stock to come halfway up the patties
Swiss chard leaves, to serve

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Mix together the pork mince and breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl with the lemon zest and parmesan. Add the herbs and the anchovies, season with a little salt then more generously with freshly ground black pepper.
Using your hands, mix together well and then form the mixture into 6-8 large patties.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the patties until brown on both sides. Place in a shallow ovenproof dish and cover with enough stock to come halfway up the pork patties. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. They will have crisp tops but be deliciously moist underneath.
Serve them in a shallow bowl with some steamed Swiss chard with some of the stock they were cooked in.

Blueberry Pie

2011-07-16T10:10:00.000+01:00

Blueberry Pie Ingredients :
Crust:
* One double recipe for all butter pie crust dough

Filling ingredients:
* 6 cups of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
* 1 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for thickening)
* 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces

Egg wash ingredients:

* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon milk
Blueberry Pie Recipe INSTRUCTIONS

1 Prepare the crust. Roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

2 Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out remaining dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

3 Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash.

4 Remove the unbaked pie from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with 4 cuts (so steam can escape while cooking). Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving...and the blueberry pie recipe is ready ! Enjoy it !

Clean out the cupboards and fridge weekend!

2011-07-16T09:34:00.001+01:00

This is the cook out the cupboards and fridge weekend. I am determined to only eat what we already have in hand and most especially anything that has lingered too long. At the moment Of writing I am defrosting some mystery berries, which may be blueberries and which came from my friend Nina's freezer when I cleared it out for her. I shall be making a pie with that. I also have duck breasts from the same clear out. I have no idea how to cook them but I will figure it out! First thing this morning I made bread and corn muffins, the recipe for which is below:

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted
into a muffin comes out clean.

Quiche Lorraine

2011-07-15T20:03:00.001+01:00

Though Quiche Lorraine doesn't see like a dish that would be economical, you could feed 6 people with this and a salad.

Quiche Lorrraine (From the BBC website, The Good Cook programme)

For the pastry

60g/2oz butter, cut into small pieces
60g/2oz lard, cut into small pieces
200g/7oz self-raising flour
pinch salt
2-3 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling

8-10 thin rashers good quality smoked streaky bacon
4 free-range egg yolks
3 free-range eggs
400ml/14fl oz whipping cream
salt and freshly ground white pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation method

For the pastry, place the butter, lard, flour and salt into a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Place the pastry into a mixing bowl and, using a round-bladed knife, stir in enough water to bind the mixture together. Lightly knead the dough until well amalgamated, dust with flour and slip into a plastic bag. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and warm a baking sheet.
Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible. Line a 20cm/8in wide by 4cm/1½in deep tart tin and lightly prick the base of the pastry with a fork all over. Place onto a baking tray, line with greased aluminium foil and baking beans and bake blind for 15-20 minutes.
Technique: Lining a tart with a cartouche (baking blind)
Watch technique1:23 mins
Remove the baking beans and foil. Place the tart case back into the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until it is pale golden, crisp and cooked through.
Fry the bacon in a dry, non-stick frying pan for 1-2 minutes, or until crisp. Drain onto kitchen paper and spread out evenly over the base of the cooked tart case.
Whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together in a bowl. Stir in the cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until nicely puffed and the surface of the custard is pale golden and just set.
Eat warm, or at room temperature.

Muesli 3

2011-04-29T11:45:00.002+01:00

And yet another! Everything here but the kitchen sink!

Healthy Breakfast Muesli Recipe
This recipe is totally editable. If you don't like something then leave it out, and if you want more of something, simple add
more!

1 cup rolled oats
2 cups porridge oats
1 cup mixed nuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup linseeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1tbsp pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup barley or rye flakes
1 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 dsp cinnamon

and the secret ingredient: a big handful of Grapenuts! Delicious!

Mix this all together, put it in your sealed container, shake it, store it. Simple as that! You could also add in: a handful of
cornflakes, dried prunes, chopped hazelnuts, wheatbran, chopped dried apple.

Don't forget your awesome toppings, some yogurt, chopped fresh fruit or unsweetened tinned peaches.

Muesli 2

2011-04-29T10:54:00.002+01:00

This recipe does not call for a toasting in the oven. I think that I might add the dried fruit after a short toasting in the oven of the rest of the ingredients. I will let you know how it turns out.

Ingredients

3 cups oats
1 cup mixed nuts including macadamia if possible
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried ready-to-eat apricots , chopped

Method

Tip the oats into a large airtight container and add the nuts, seeds, raisins and cranberries. Stir in the apricots.
To serve, spoon a portion into a bowl, pour over the milk and top with chopped fresh fruit.

Muesli Recipes

2011-04-29T10:24:00.001+01:00

In the tradition of trying to find ways of saving money, I have been trying muesli recipes to compliment my collection of granola recipes.

This from the BBC website. I made some changes because I was making it with my grand-son Noah in mind and I don't think that too much in the way of dried fruit. I changed saltanas for raisins, left out the hazelnuts because I didn't have any and also omitted the other dry fruit. I will probably leave out the apricots and figs when I make it for myself since there is too much sugar in the fruits for a diabetic.

Ingredients

200g/7oz jumbo porridge oats
25g/1oz flaked bran or wheat germ
75g/3oz barley or rye flakes
50g/2oz hazelnuts, lightly crushed
50g/2oz flaked almonds
50g/2oz sultanas
50g/2oz dried, ready-to-eat apricots, roughly chopped
50g/2oz dried, ready-to-eat figs, roughly chopped

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
Place the oats, flaked bran or wheat germ, barley or rye flakes, hazelnuts and almonds on a large baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, shaking and turning in the tray halfway through. Take the tray from the oven and leave to cool: this should take only about 10 minutes.
Mix the toasted ingredients with the sultanas, apricots and figs. These fruits are only suggestions: you can use whatever you prefer, for example dried apple, mango, papaya, dates or cherries.
You can eat this muesli straight away with milk.

c. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/basicmuesli_67724

Tabouli (Tabouleh)

2011-04-24T09:57:00.000+01:00

6-8 servings

Ingredients

You should begin to soak the bulgar at least 3 hours before serving time so that it can marinate and chill.

1 C. (cup) of dry bulghar
1 1/2 C. boiling water
1 1/2 t (teaspoons) salt
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 t of crushed garlic
1/2 C. chopped scallions
1/2 t dried mint
1/4 C. olive oil
Fresh black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 packed C. of freshly chopped parsley

Method

1. Combine bulghar, boiling water and salt in a bowl. cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes, or until the bulghar is chewable.

2. Add lemon juice, garlic, oil and mint, and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate 2-3 hours.

3. Just before serving add vegetables and mix gently.

4. Taste and correct seasonings.

Garlic sauce

2011-04-24T09:45:00.000+01:00

Ingredients

4 fat cloves of garlic
1/8 t (teaspoon) salt
2 egg yolks
freshly ground pepper
1 t lemon juice
1 C (cup) olive oil

1. Crush garlic to a smooth paste with salt.

2. Blend in egg yolks.

3. Add olive oil drop by drop at first, then thin trickle, whisking the mixture till your arm feels it.

4. Once thick add the rest and serve.

Hot or Cold Tomato Soup

2011-04-24T09:38:00.001+01:00

Ingredients:

3-4 C (cups) of unpeeled tomatoes
1/4 C chopped onions
2 t (teaspoon) cornstarch
1 T (tablespoon) lemon juice
pinch of thyme
1 t salt
1 1/2 t sugar (optional)
pepper
1/2 C sour cream
chopped parsley

1. Drop all the ingredients (except the sour cream and parsley) in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Put through a sieve to remove tomato seeds.

3. Bring to a slow boil until thickened.

4. Before serving add sour cream and stir.

5. Sprinkle parsley on top.

(Note: We first had this soup in Syria where tomatoes were inexpensive and plentiful all year round. My children didn't like sour cream so I left it out and the soup was still wonderful. I've also skipped step 2 and no one really noticed. This will definitely cut down on the time it takes to make the soup. It's a tasty and quick light supper or lunch.)

Rhubarb Cake

2011-04-13T21:34:00.001+01:00

Ingredients

125g (4¼oz) butter
300g (11oz) caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g (9oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
250ml (8oz) buttermilk (if unavailable use plain yogurt and milk mixture)
250g (9oz) rhubarb, chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour
Topping:
50g (2oz) butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
225g (8oz) brown sugar

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.

2. In another bowl, sift together 250g flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add sifted ingredients alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture.

3. Toss rhubarb with 1 tablespoon flour and stir into batter. Spoon batter into buttered 23x33cm baking tin and smooth the surface.

4. Blend together 50g butter, cinnamon and brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over batter.

5. Bake at 180 degrees C (gas mark 4) for 45 minutes.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2011-02-17T21:39:00.000Z

A delicious sour cream coffee cake, baked in a tube pan.

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, sift before measuring
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces sour cream (1 cup)

Topping

1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, room temperature

Preparation:

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. In another mixing bowl cream together butter with sugar until fluffy and light; add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until flour is blended. Blend in sour cream then stir in remaining dry ingredients.
Spread half of batter lightly into a greased and floured 10" tube pan. Sprinkle half of Topping and spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining Topping. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Topping: Mix together flour, sugar, salt and chopped pecans. Add butter in small pieces. Work butter in with hands until mixture is crumbly.

Bread and what I've learned since Christmas

2011-02-15T06:59:00.001Z

Just before Christmas I started baking bread daily for a church run restaurant in Egham. I used the same recipe for each batch, and though I have used it in the past, I used fresh yeast for the first time in many years. I also used a sponge to start off each batch. I had never heard of the sponge method before reading a baking booklet from the Guardian.

This is some of what I learned. Using a sponge improves the flavour of the bread. The moister the dough, the better the bread. You don't need sugar. You don't need salt either but it does improve the flavour. Make sure the salt doesn't come in direct contact with the yeast or it will kill it. You should experiment! Real bread rules!

Making bread using a sponge

Ingredients

5 to 10 g of fresh yeast (available from the bakeries at most supermarkets)
1 1/2 cups of warm water
1 1/2 cups of flour (whole wheat, white or rye)
1 t sugar

1. To make sure that your yeast is alive, disolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water with the teaspoon of sugar. You will know that it is alright if after 10 to 15 minutes it is bubbling and making a sizzling noise.

2. Add the remaining water and all the flour, stir and cover with cling film.

3. Set aside in a warm area for 12 to 24 hours.

Part 2 in next post.

Tendresse aux pommes

2011-01-27T20:55:00.001Z

Stale bread (equivalent of 2 baguettes)
1 litre milk
1 cup raisins
8 eggs, beaten
8 T (tablespoons) sugar
4 T rum
4 apples, peeled and sliced
butter for greasing

1. Take all the bread and put in a large bowl. Pour over enough milk just to cover.
Add the raisins and mix with your hands. Leave in the fridge overnight.

2. The following day, the milk should have been soaked up by the bread. Mix together the eggs, sugar and rum and pour over the bread preparation. Add the sliced apples. Add more sugar, rum or fruit to taste. The mixture should be moist, like a cake dough.

3. Grease a cooking dish with butter and heat the oven to 180C. Pour the mixture into the dish and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

(Times Magazine, January 22, 2011)

Apple Desserts

2011-01-27T20:40:00.001Z

I have just read the most wonderful article in the Guardian Magazine this weekend on a bakery in Paris. I can't wait to go one day. (Sigh!) It's called Du Pain et des Idées and is found at 34 Rue Yves Toudic. (http://www.dupainetdesidees.com)

The article included two recipes, one called 'Tendresse aux pommes', and the other, 'Tarte Fines aux pommes'. The simplist first!

Tarte Fines aux pommes

1 package of puff pastry
Ground almonds
Apples
Butter
Sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and unroll you puff pastry.
2. Sprinkle generously with ground almonds and scatter with sliced apples.
3. Add a few chunks of butter and 4 to 6 large spoons of sugar.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the apples start to look caramelsied.

Chocolate Lime Flourless Cake

2010-12-28T23:31:00.001Z

I love this time of year because it gives me a reason to experiment with recipes I wouldn't normally try because there would be no one around to eat them other than me. So, this year I made a Christmas cake using a packaged mix. It had Delia Smith's name on it and followed her famous recipe! It was great fun to try out and I can see the attractions of a mix, which has everything measured out for you and with the fruit pre-soaked in brandy. I only tried the cake yesterday though I had made it in mid-November. I have been adding a bit of sherry each Sunday. I'm not keen on brandy and have always used sherry instead. This cake was a bit of a mixture, with brandy soaked fruit and a regular top up of sherry but it did taste wonderful.

Today I decided to try a new recipe, a chocolate lime cake made without flour. It was wonderful in its own way. Light and rich with chocolate.

Ingredients:

150 grams (g) dark chocolate chopped
150 g of unsalted butter (though I used salted and it was fine)
6 eggs, medium
250 g caster sugar
100 g ground almonds
4 teaspoons (t) best quality cocoa powder
zest and juice of a lime
icing sugar, for dusting the cake

Oven temperature: 180 C
Pan: 23 cm spring form cake pan, cover the bottom with parchment paper and butter the sides

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together. I used a pyrex bowl suspended over a saucepan of boiling water.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar together until they are pale yellow and frothy and have increased to 3 times the original volume.

3. Mix together the ground almonds and cocoa powder. Fold into the egg mixture.

4. Next fold in the slightly cooled chocolate and butter, followed by the zest and juice of the lime.

5. Pour into the prepared cake tin for 40 to 45 minutes.

6. Check your cake after 35 minutes. I tested mine with a tooth pick and it came out clean at this point. It is possible my oven was too hot, though I did use an oven thermometer.

7. I served it with cream with sugar and lime beaten in but I think that in future I would use plain cream or ice cream since the cake is very rich.

Salt dough Christmas decorations

2010-12-19T18:51:00.001Z

Things You'll Need:

1 cup of water
1 cup of salt
2 cups of flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and knead well.

2 Once you have kneaded it, you will need to roll out the dough. To make this easier, it helps to either use wax paper under the dough when you roll, or to lightly coat the counter with flour before placing the dough on it. Roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness.

3. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Use a toothpick to put a hole for a string in the top of the shape.

4. Place shapes on a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven at 300F degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Before removing from oven, ensure there are no soft spots, if so you can bake until they are gone.

5. Once your decorations have cooled, they are ready to paint. Any acrylic craft paint will work. Once painted, you will want to seal them to keep out moisture by putting on at least one coat of clear varnish, polyurethane or even clear nail polish.

Christmas Card

2010-12-16T09:14:00.000Z

Christmas Card

Oatmeal Shortbread

2010-12-13T19:41:00.000Z

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz) butter
3/4 C brown sugar
2 t (teaspoons) vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1 cup rolled oats

1. Cream together butter and sugar; blend in vanilla. Gradually work in flour and oats, using spoon or fingers. Chill for about 20 minutes or until firm enough to roll.

2. Roll out on lightly floured surface, to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheets; prick with fork.

3. Bake in 325 F (160C) oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 48 cookies.

Cranberry mincemeat

2010-11-27T17:53:00.000Z

Homemade Cranberry Mincemeat

500g dried fruit (heavy on currents and raisins with 75g of dried cranberries)
3 dessert apples, peeled, cores and finely chopped
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
the juice of 1 small lemon
3/4 teaspoon each ground cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon
150 g dark soft brown sugar
125 ml of Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry
300 g cranberries
1 tsp vanilla

1.Mix all the ingredients except the vanilla, together.
2.Simmer for 20 minutes until everything looks pulpy and has absorbed most of the liquid. You may need to mush up the cranberries with the back of your wooden spoon.
3. When it has cooled somewhat add the vanilla and stir.
4. Spoon into sterilized jars.

Dumplings!

2010-10-29T12:51:00.003+01:00

I made dumplings last night for the first time in years! I had forgotten how great they are and very filling. Here's the recipe I used but I'm sure there must be variations. Ideas any one?

Sieve together:
2 cups of flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt.

Add enough milk to make a stiff dough. Drop spoonfuls into boiling broth and leave the lid on for ten minutes! They were delicious with our beef stew.

Roasted Olive and Grape Tapenade

2010-10-23T20:56:00.005+01:00

Here'a a quick and easy recipe for a spread/topping. It was in the free magazine our local grocery store, Raleys, distributed last fall. Makes a nice gift when put in jar with tag.

Roasted Olive and Grape Tapenade

1 1/2 c pitted Kalamata olives, halved
2 1/2 c red grapes, halved
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350F.
Stir together all ingredients on large rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes
Serve warm or room temperature with goat cheese and baguette slices.
Will keep refrigerated for about 2 weeks.

Yields about 1 cup. May be doubled.

Zucchini Egg Foo Yung

2010-08-30T18:44:00.003+01:00

Just had this for supper to use up the multitude of zucchinis we have this year! Wonderful!

Grate coarsely
4 medium unpeeled zucchini

Mix in
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (2 fluid oz in a measuring cup) plain flour
1/4 t (teaspoon) garlic powder
1 t salt
1 onion, grated

Fry by tablespoonfuls in hot oiled skillet, turning once when golden brown. Arrange on platter and top with sauce.
Combine in saucepan
1 cup chicken broth (8 fl. oz)
2 T. (tablespoons) soy sauce
1 T. cornstarch

Cook and stir over low heat until thickened. Serve with rice.

Options:

Add fresh bean sprouts with grated zucchini.

Switch from Chinese to Italian meal by topping with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. Serve with spaghetti.

A recipe for left-over chicken

2010-08-24T15:05:00.006+01:00

Chicken Julienne

Ingredients

serves 4

175 g (6 oz) long grain rice
3 Tbsp (40 g) butter
3/8 cup (40 g) plain flour, sieved
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) 1/2 pint chicken stock
1 1/4 cup (1/2 pint) 300 ml milk
350 g (12 oz) cooked chicken, cut into long narrow strips
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
4 oz (100 g) green beans, cooked
pinch of dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh parsley
4 oz (100 g) carrot, peeled, cut into julienne strips and blanched
1/4 cup (25 g) 1 oz flaked almonds, toasted

Method

1. Cook the rice in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, but not soft. Set aside and keep hot.

2. Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring. Remove pan from the heat and gradually stir in the stock and milk. Bring to the boil and continue to cook, stirring until the sauce thickens.

3. Gently stir in the chicken, lemon juice, green beans, thyme and seasoning and cook for 5 - 10 minutes until heated through.

4. Add the parsley to the cooked rice and toss lightly. Make a border of rice on a serving dish and spoon the chicken into the centre. Decorate with carrot and almonds.

Italian Sponge Cake

2010-08-15T15:53:00.002+01:00

I rather like the sound of this cake. It is used in a recipe for Tirame-Su (Pick me up cake) which is found in Venetian restaurants.

Pan de Spagna (Italian Sponge Cake)

5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups white cake flour, sifted
1 t vanilla essence
1/2 t grated lemon rind

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat till lemon coloured. Add the sifted flour, a little at a time, mixing in well. Add the essence and rind.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the flour mixture.

Butter and flour a cake tin about 10"/25 cm in diameter. Pour in the cake mix and bake in a moderate (350F/180C) oven for 40 minutes.

Turn out on to a cake rack and cool

To make Tirame-Su using Italian Sponge Cake, use the following instructions:

1 Italian sponge cake (baked in a 14"/35cm pan)
1/2 cup strong black coffee
3 1/2 fl oz / 100ml kirsch or Tia Maria or any other favourite liqueur
1lb 2oz / 500 g cream cheese sweetened with icing sugar to takst
unsweetened cocoa powder

Cool the sponge cake and split in half. Mix together the liqueur and coffee and carefully sprinkle half over bottom half of cake. Spread some cream cheese over this half and place the second half on top of this. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the rest of the liqueur and coffee and spread the rest of the cream cheese over the top and sides of the cake. Sieve a thickish layer of unsweetened cocoa powder over the top and transfer to a serving plate. This cake should only be about 2 in/5cm in height and should be fairly moist without crumbling inside.

Venetian cooking

2010-08-15T08:29:00.005+01:00

I was in the local Oxfam shop yesterday and discovered a copy of Taste of Venice: Traditional Venetian Cooking by Jeanette Nance Nordio. I bought it for a number of reasons. I love reading the books of Donna Leon with her wonderful descriptions of meals en famille in Venice, the book was beautifully illustrated and finally, I am looking for new recipes to enliven our mealtimes. So far, I have been rewarded with a recipe for a tomato sauce and one for Italian sponge cake, both of which I will make today! I have looked on the Internet for Jeanette Nance Nordio but it seems that Taste of Venice is the only cookbook she has written. What a shame!

Tomato Sauce

500g unskinned jam tomatoes (plum?) or 14 oz/400g tinned, peeled tomatoes
1 clove
1 small onion
1 small carot
1 stalk celery
3 T (tablespoon) parsley
2 T basil
20 g butter
1 t (teaspoon) olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a copper or earthenware pot melt the butter and oil and add the celery, carrot, onion and parsley finely chopped together. cover the pot and cook over a moderate heat for a few minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add the tomatoes, cut into large pieces, the basil and the garlic and recover the pot and allow to cook over a low hear for 15 minutes. Add the salt, sugar and pepper and blend or sieve the sauce.

Return to a low heat and gently simmer for another 25 minutes until the water from the tomatoes has been consumed and the sauce has thickened. Do not overcook as it will tend to become acid in taste.

This sauce may be bottled and sealed like jam to be used when needed.

Update on sponge cakes

2010-07-09T15:41:00.003+01:00

I made the sponge cake recipe I posted the other day and was a little disappointed. In part the underwhelming size of the cake. I used an 8" size and should have used a sponge cake tin, which I think must be at least a 7".

Instead I will post the recipe for the first sponge I made. I was much more pleased with that one.

Madeleines

2010-07-07T08:19:00.004+01:00

I still haven't managed to make the sponge cake I said that I would in the last post but I did finally make madeleines. I went to Paris in 2005 and one of the items I brought back was a madeleine tin. In all those intervening years I have never used that tin! But I have now. Twice!

I used Rick Stein's recipe but checked another recipe after I made the first batch and they didn't come out quite as I expected. Rick Stein suggests that you put the batter in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. In Paris Sweets, they suggest that you wait a minimum of 3 hours and that you can keep the batter for up to two days. My second batch worked much better than the first so I would suggest waiting.

I had to go to Paris for my tin because at the time they weren't sold in the UK. However, you can now get them at Lakeland for only £7.95. Certainly less expensive than a trip to Paris, though perhaps not as interesting!

Today I promise to make one of the sponges and report back tomorrow!

Sponge Cakes

2010-06-28T14:55:00.003+01:00

It has been a long time since I posted here. I seem to have ground to a halt on my writing, which includes my blog writing. I had never made a sponge cake until late May of this year, when I saw a recipe by Hugh Firnly-Wittingstall in the Guardian weekend magazine. I've made it 3 times since and really like it but it isn't as light as I have heard that sponge cakes should be so I am in search of the perfect recipe. Here is my first and I shall make it tonight.

Sponge cake recipe ingredients: Serves 4

100g butter
100g caster sugar
100g self raising flour
Vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
2 medium eggs

Sponge cake recipe cooking instructions:

1. Preheat oven to Gas mark 190°C.

2. Place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.

3. Beat the eggs in basin or cup and add to the mixture a little at the time, with the flour keeping the same smooth and creamy consistency.

4. Making sure the mixtures does not get too wet or dry as you go when you have used all the flour and the eggs.

5. Add the vanilla essence and a pinch of salt, mix for a few minutes.

6. Divide into two lined, or non-stick sponge tins, put into a moderately hot oven, middle shelf.

7. Put into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (it is important that the oven is well heated).

8. Put to cool on a rack to cool.

9.When cool put one upside down on a plate spread with jam, you can also put fresh cream in at this stage, put the other piece on the top and dust with icing sugar.

I rather like Delia Smith's instructions for her sponge cake so I will try that one later in the week. Now I just have to decide who to give these cakes to so that I don't eat them all myself!!

Orange and Apple Cake

2010-02-14T21:41:00.004Z

I thought this sounded good and when I get some marmalade, I will make it. In fact, I think I'll ask Cliff to buy some tomorrow.

220 g of butter at room temperature
210 g brown sugar
4 eggs
250 g whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t of baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
200 g apples
100 g raisins
125 g marmalade
finely grated zest of orange
Demerara sugar

Cake Tin: 20 cm round cake tin, with removable base

160C / 1hr 15

1. Cream butter and sugar until light.

2. Whisk the egs.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

4. Core and roughly chop the apples. Apple sizes should be less than 1 cm square.

5. Add raisins to apples and then mix in the marmalade.

6. Add egg mixture to creamed butter and sugar a little at a time.

7. Gently fold in the flour.

8. Fold in the fruit mixture along with the orange zest.

9. Spoon in to cake pan and sprinkle demerara sugar on top of cake.

10. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until skewer come out with no cake attached.

11. Cool before serving.

Eco balls and microfibre cloths

2010-01-28T18:20:00.004Z

I had a look around after reading Mary Jane's post on cleaning products and thought that I would post some links to some of the products I use. The first is 'Eco Balls", a way of washing your clothes without using any detergent. How could that be, you may ask! I asked the same question four years ago but decided to try them and we have been using them ever since!

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/ecoballs!REG/F/keyword/laundry/product/21756

Next, I discovered microfibre cloths from the same supplier during this summer just gone by. I thought that if the ecoballs work why not try the cloths. Again, you don't need to use detergent with them. And yes, we are still using them 6 months later:

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/F/keyword/microfibre%20cloths

About Today's Lunch from Leftovers

2010-01-23T22:12:00.005Z

To make today's lunch, used leftover turkey chili from the freezer, baking potato from the dark cupboard, spinach from the crisper drawer and low fat sour leftover from New Year's Eve.

Defrosted the leftover chili and kept in warm on stove.

Baked the potato in microwave. Cut it in half and scooped out the white. Mixed it with the sour cream, celery salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Mounded potato back into both skins, making a little trough-like indentation down the centre.

Returned the two potato halves to microwave to warm up.

Mixed some baby spinach leaves with a very light dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar and seasonings.

Put a thin bed of spinach on each of two plates. Set half a potato on the spinach. Spooned warm chili along the trough and then on top of the trough. Sprinkled on some grated Parmesan, chopped fresh cilantro and chopped green onion. Then gave each plate a good grating of black pepper.

We liked it..seemed to suit a wintery Saturday.

About Leftover Basic Black Beans

2010-01-20T23:09:00.004Z

There's a recipe for Basic Black Beans in a post dated a few days ago. In today's post are some notes about two ways to use leftovers from that recipe. Fr both recipes, you start by pureeing the beans in a blender or food processor.

Then...

Black Bean Soup
Add the purred beans to a few cups of good chicken, beef or veg eatable stock. Season to taste with cilantro, ground cumin and salt. If you've sour cream, a dollop onto the soup in the bowl is a good garnish.

Black Bean Dip
Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil per cup of pureed beans. As with soup, season to taste with cilantro, ground cumin and salt. Serve with oven baked corn or flour tortillas chips. A lager is a nice accompanying beverage.

About Pico de Gallo

2010-01-17T22:11:00.003Z

We like the Black Beans (recipe in previous post) with flour or corn tortillas, Pico de Gallo (recipe below) and some very finely chopped jalapeno pepper on the side.

Pico de Gallo

2 or 3 ripe but frim tomatoes, roughtly chopped
!/2 whote onion, roughly chopped
3/4 cup or so of roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
juice os 1/2 a lime
salt to taste.

Mix above together and enjoy with the beans. We like our Pico de Gallo to be made within a few hours of eating it, enjoy the freshness.

About Basic Black Beans

2010-01-15T22:53:00.003Z

Basic Black Beans

Rinse a bag of dried Black Beans, also called Turtle Beans, I think they're ususlly about one pound bags.

Toss the rinsed beans into the crock pot along with a chopped whole onion and 2 or 3 cloves of copped garlic. Cover with water. Cook on high for 1 to 2 hours.

Check water, keep it just barely above the top of the beans, not too much as you dont' want to end up with too much "sauce".

Add about 1/4 cup of ground cumin and 1 T cocoa. Continue cooking for 1 hour or so more. It depends on how fresh your beans are.

When beans are soft, add about 2 T cup of chili powder, 2 t cumin seed, 1 t hot pepper flakes and salt to taste. About 2 tsp salt might taste right, it depends in part on how much salt is in your chili powder.

You may want to add more cumin at this point, depending in part on the quality of your ground cumin.

Continue cooking on low for at least 1/2 hour more.

We use these beans as base of burritos and dips. They freeze very well.

About white vinegar

2010-01-14T23:41:00.004Z

I am confident someone else will soon show up here. In the meantime, I will try to keep my resolution to post here three times per week...so far, so good.

Okay, this is another, and likely final, post about household cleaning products.

What do you do with white vinegar?

- Mike thinks it gets sweat stains out of workout shirts so soaks his gear in it from time to time

- I think it gets rid of bad smells. Put out a dish and your home smells like white vinegar, not paint of cooking odoure or smoke.

- I know it removes calcium build up in kettles and from around taps

- What else...???

I know some people use it to wash windows. I don't. To wash windows, I use a spray bottle of water, just tap water and a aqueegie and nothing else. I think anything else in the spray bottle contributes to streaking may be wrong on that.

I think I've reached the bottom of my well of knowledge about household cleaning products.

About cleaning products

2010-01-09T04:13:00.003Z

How many different cleaning products do we need?

Here's what I think we have on hand right now:

All purpose spray cleaner
Liquid dish detergent
Powdered dishwasher soap
Scouring powder in a can
White sponge..I think it's called an eraser
Spray carpet spot cleaner
Liquid laundry soap
Spray spot remover for laundry

With exception of "eraser", scouring powder, carpet cleaner and laundy spot remover, I think all are "green" or "greenish".

Suggestions for improving my list are welcomed? What do you have?

About Oatmeal Plus

2010-01-08T02:57:00.005Z

I've been eating the same thing for breakfast for the best part of four years and it may be time to name it. I think I'll call it Oatmeal Plus.

Put 1/3 cup regular oats into a microwavable bowl with 2/3 cup water. Microwave on high while you slice a banana and get out the plain, low fat yoghurt. Remove bowl of oats from microwave and give it a stir. Plop about 1/4 cup of yoghurt atop the oats. Toss the banana slices on top of the yoghurt and there you have it: Oatmeal Plus.

Mike likes his without the yoghurt and banana and with raisins and semi-thawed frozen blueberries. I think I'll call that version Oatmeal Plus for Him.

Any breakfast alternate suggestions? Any Oatmeal Plus alternate ideas?

About too many ripe bananas....

2010-01-07T01:33:00.005Z

Okay....I resolve to post here 3 x per week or should that be I'll try to post her 3 x per week......we'll see Here goes:

Yes we had too many bananas....too many ripe bananas.

Just removed three soft and blackened bananas from the fruit basket, peeled off the skins and popped the mush into a ziploc bag.

I now have 1 1/2 cups of ripe banana on hand. More precisely, I have 3 cups of ripe banana on hand as there was already a bag of bananas in the freezer. (Note to self: go back to freezer and mark which bag of bananas in oldest.)

I've a quick and easy "low fat" banana bread recipe but I think I'll postpone making it. Even though low fat, it is high in calories when you snack on it all day.

...and that brings me to my annual weight loss resolution which seems to fit well with this blogs title" "Live More with Less".

Normandy sausages

2010-01-06T20:54:00.003Z

This was absolutely wonderful!

Ingredients:
450g of sausages
3 dessert apples
1 T calvados or apple brandy
200 ml cider
100 ml cream
butter
oil

Slowly fry the sausages in butter or oil for around 20 minutes or until they are cooked.
Meanwhile add butter to a second pan and fry the apple pieces until they are golden brown
Remove the sausages from the pan and keep warm. Add the cider to deglaze the pan. Stir, bring to a boil and reduce the cider for a few minutes. Add the calvados and cream, reduce the heat and let this bubble for 30 seconds. Check seasoning and pour the sauce over the sausages and apples. Serve with mashed potatoes

How to work out quantities for a large meal

2010-01-04T16:40:00.003Z

I found this site just before Christmas and then lost it again just in time for our Christmas feast. Here it is to help others when their next big meal comes up:

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions

Corn Bread Recipes

2009-10-21T16:09:00.003+01:00

The other day, I decided to make corn bread. I haven't done so for a long time because I have always had a hard time finding corn meal (corn flour in Canada) in the U.K. I went into my usual source, a health food store, only to discover that they don't stock it anymore. I also found out that it wasn't called corn meal by them but maize meal. Whatever it's called, it wasn't available. I then went to several supermarkets without much hope since I had never found it there before. Today, I had luck in Waitrose and discovered that they called it polenta. Funny! I often wondered what polenta was. It does say on the package that it is 'fine' and I wonder if the cornmeal/cornflour/maizemeal/polenta I'm used to is supposed to be coarse! I'll soon find out since I'm going to try and make corn break tonight! Wish me luck and below is the recipe I'm going to try from the website: http://southernfood.about.com

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups stone ground cornmeal
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 1 large egg

Preparation:
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Heat oven to 350°. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or large cup, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, and egg. Combine the two mixtures until blended and spread in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Later!

I'm still waiting for it to come out of the oven but I just wanted to add that I decided to put 1/2 a red pepper in it. I think that the colour will look great and the flavour will add something to it. We shall see!

Chocolate Zucchini (Cougette) Cake

2009-09-08T06:34:00.002+01:00

This cake is so easy to make and so good to eat that I may never use another recipe for a cake again!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 cup oil (6fluid oz)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour (8 oz in a liquid measure cup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (courgette)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, salt and vanilla until well blended. Sift four, soda, cinnamon, and cocoa, and mix well with the egg-sugar combination until smooth. Stir in the zucchini (courgette) and nuts. Pour into a cake pan about 9"x9" and bake at 350F or 180C for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. (The cooking time will depend on the size of the pan.) I prefer serving this cake slightly warm from the oven and without icing.

Watermelon revisited

2009-08-11T22:30:00.003+01:00

I bought a watermelon and it turned out to be over ripe. It wasn't all that pleasant to eat so I had to decide whether to get rid of it or find something else to do with it. So, tomorrow I'm going to try and make watermelon ice. It isn't complicated but what will it taste like?

Ingredients:

1/2 small watermelon, pelled, seeded and cut into 1 chunks (about 6 cups)
3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

In covered blender at low speed blend 1 cup of the watermelon chunks with confectioner's sugar, juice and salt until smooth; add remaining watermelon and blend until smooth. Pour into a 9" x 9" baking pan; cover with foil or plastic wrap and freeze until partially frozen, about 2 hours. Spoon watermelon mixture into a large, chilled bowl. With mixer at high speed, beat until fluffy. Return mixture to baking pan and freeze until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.

To serve: Remove from freezer and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature for easier scooping.

(taken from: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/article/118/17946)

Summer Water

2009-07-20T04:40:00.003+01:00

Susan posted a recipe for a refreshing drink based using lemons and mint. It sounds refreshing.

Here are the ingredients for a"summer water" I've been making:
1/2 cucumber, sliced
big chunk of ginger, sliced
a lovely lemon, sliced
a handful of mint, chopped

Put above ingredients into a pitcher. Add water. Let steep in fridge then stir up a bit and pour into tall glass and enjoy. I top up the water and all stays fresh and refreshing for several days.

Lemons, watermelon and ...

2009-07-09T22:21:00.003+01:00

It's my turn to say that I haven't checked the site in a while. Mary Jane has posted an interesting recipe with watermelon and cucumber. I must admit that I don't have many watermelon leftovers. Watermelons are not as plentiful in the UK as they are in Canada or the United States but I will keep it in mind.

She says that she likes the lemon recipes. I have a lemon obsession. One of my favorite drinks at the moment is boiling water, juice of a half or whole lemon and mint leaves to taste. It's wonderfully refreshing.

Naomi wants to know where to find madeleine tins. I bought mine in France but surely they are available somewhere in the UK. I will start looking. Unfortunately, I still haven't made the madeleines. I am moving shortly and will have a more reliable oven so I will definitely try that recipe.

I am weeding my cook books in advance of moving. I really should curb my habit of buying so many. For the most part, I get them from the Oxfam charity shop in Egham, a nearby town. At least they aren't that expensive. I have made a vow to only have things in my new house which are either useful or beautiful. That should eliminate a lot of things, including certain items in my kitchen!

Easy Salad for Hot Summer Days

2009-07-01T16:16:00.004+01:00

I've made this salad twice this week. Don't have the exact recipe in from of me but don't think exact amounts matter much. It's refreshing and, as mentioned, it's easy. Good way to use up a leftover bit of watermelon.

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

Gently toss the following together.

About one or two slices of watermelon, chopped into approx 1 inch squares
About 1/3 of an English cucumber, chopped into about same size pieces as watermelon
one clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/3 or so cup of fresh mint, chopped
about 2 T red wine vinegar
about 1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
about 1/3 cup of chopped Feta cheese--add gently after tossing to avoid breaking Feta up too much

Serve at room temperature.

The lemon tart and madeleines

2009-05-02T19:52:00.003+01:00

This afternoon, I finally got around to baking the lemon tart I gave the recipe for a while back. It was simple to make and wonderful to eat! I had intended making madeleines as well but I didn't like the recipe in the Paris Sweets book so I've found one from Rick Stein's French Odyssey.

3 medium eggs
100 g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100 g plain flour (all purpose), sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon (t) baking powder
100 g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the tins

1. Brush 2 x 12 madeleine moulds with melted butter and set aside for a few minutes till the butter has set. Then dust with four, tapping out the excess.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 190 C.

3. Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and whisk with a hand-held electric mixer for 3 minutes until thick and moussey.

4. Whisk in the lemon zest.

5. Sift the plain flour and baking powder together, and gently fold in, followed by the melted butter and the honey.

6. Place the batter in the fridge and leave for 15 minutes to thicken slightly.

7. Fill each of the moulds three-quarters full with the mixture and bake for 10 minutes until puffed up and golden.

8. Leave to cool, then carefully remove from the tins.

A simple chicken dinner

2009-05-02T12:01:00.004+01:00

I bought some chicken thighs from my butcher last weekend because I thought that I might make the lemon chicken again. They are quite inexpensive and I think, taste better. Here is what I did. It tasted very good so I thought that I should write it down.

Ingredients

1 or 2 small onions (or one large)
6 chicken thighs (2 or 3 people - add thighs accordingly)
1 lemon
1/2 C (4 oz) of dry white wine (not necessary but I had some left from another recipe - I buy 1/2 bottles for cooking)
1 or 2 chicken stock cubes and 1 cup of water (or chicken stock)
salt, pepper, Italian seasonings (whatever you enjoy most)
olive oil (or other)

1. Chop onion/s and gently fry them till they are soft. Don't allow to brown.
2. Remove chicken skins, dust thighs with seasoned flour and brown in frying pan with onions.
3. Once the chicken has been fried on each side, add the wine, and chicken stock (water + stock cubes).
4. Season and add lemon juice.
5. Turn down heat and gently simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
6. You could add cream or crème fraiche to make a richer sauce.

I served this with mashed potatoes and carrots but you could have rice and any other vegetables.

If you wanted to serve 4 people, you would need 8 good sized thighs.

Lemon Posset

2009-04-19T19:32:00.004+01:00

At the beginning of my obsession with lemons, I gave a recipe for lemon posset. I hadn't tried it but now I have! Great recipe and really not all that complicated.

Baked Lemon Cheesecake with summer berry compote

2009-04-15T18:21:00.003+01:00

Ingredients (t = teaspoon, T = tablespoon)

For the base:
100 g butter, plus extra for greasing
200 g digestive biscuits (graham crackers?)
2 T caster or demerara sugar

For the filling:
500 g full-fat cream cheese
200 g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
2 T cornflour (corn starch)
300 ml crème fraîche
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 3 T juice

For the summer berry compote:
22g rasberries
50 g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
350 mixed summer berries (halved small strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Icing sugar, to serve

1. Lightly butter a 20 cm clip-sided tin and line the base with a piece of non-stick baking parchment or buttered greaseproof paper. Preheat the over to 150C.

2. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Crust the biscuits into crumbs in a plastic bag, add to the butter along with the sugar and mix together well. Put into the tin, level out and press onto the base in an even layer with the back of a spoon. Set aside.

3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, on at a time, and beat well between each addition. Add the cornflour, crème fraîche, lemon zest and juice and beat once more.

4. Pour the mixture onto the base and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until just set but with still a slight wobble in the centre. Now turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside, and let it go cold.

5. For the summer berry compote, put the raspberries, sugar and orange zest into a bowl and crush with the back of a fork into a purée. Rub through a sieve into a clean bowl and stir in the summer berries. Chill until ready to serve.

6. To serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from its tin-you might need to run a round-bladed knife around the edge first-and transfer it to a serving plate. Dust the top with a little icing sugar and serve, cut into wedges, with the summer berry compote.

Lemons, a continuing theme!

2009-04-15T17:36:00.003+01:00

I've just read an article in the Guardian by an English (?) journalist and the cooking lessons she is having with her French mother-in-law. (If you are interested, here is the link!) One of the dishes she learned how to make was a lemon tart. I had forgotten till reading about it, how much I love lemon tart, so here is a recipe from my French cook book. I haven't made it before and will endeavour to do so tomorrow!

Lemon Tart

Ingredients

1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4.5 ounces) rinsed and dried
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour in UK)
4 oz (1/4 lb or 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Partially bake the tart shell at 325 F (165 C).

2. Slice lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly puréed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. Pour the filling into the crust.

3. Bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and lightly browned. Transfer tart to a cooking rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Best served the same day it is baked!

(from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan)

More on Lemons

2009-04-08T21:24:00.004+01:00

I'm not sure why I'm so into lemons at the moment but they keep showing up in my life! Today, I came across a cookbook called 'Easy Cooking for one or two' in Oxfam and picked it up because it had some interesting recipes.

So here are some of the lemon recipes!

Lemonade

makes 1 pt

1 lemon
1 1/2 rounded teaspoons of caster sugar
1/2 pt of cold water

Method

1. Wash the lemon and thinly peel just the outer yellow part of the rind.

2. Put the rind in a glass jug.

3. Squeeze the lemon and add it to the rind in the jug.

4. Stir in the sugar and water.

5. Leave it overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

6. The next day, stir it again and make up to about a pint with cold water but taste as you add so that you don't dilute it to much and loose the tangy flavor.

More to come!

Lemons

2009-04-05T16:38:00.004+01:00

Though lemons can be expensive, they go a long way. I have two bags in my refrigerator at the moment (a 2 for 1 deal) and I use them a lot since discovering that they are good at slowing down the digestion of certain carbohydrates. I've become very attached to lemon and hot water, and just recently, lemon and mint tea. I was really pleased to find this recipe by Nigel Slater in the Observer Magazine (5.4.09) for Lemon posset. Emma and I were served it at Oxford last weekend and every once in a while I find it in Marks and Spencer's.

Makes: 4 small glasses

Ingredients

500 ml double cream
150 g caster sugar
75 ml lemon juice

1. Put the cream and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

2. Lower the heat and leave to bubble for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Reduce the heat so that the mixture doesn't boil over. Let it boil enthusiastically for about 3 minutes more, stirring regularly.

4. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to settle.

5. Put into glasses and refrigerate for a few hours.

Spicy Lamb Pie

2009-03-24T20:22:00.006Z

I love this pie. The contents would be great inside pasties as well, or just over a baked potato. The pie itself is also nice cold the next day.

350g minced lamb.
Short crust pastry for one 9 inch pie dish.
1 onion, diced.
1 tin of chopped tomatoes.
2 cloves of garlic.
1/2 tsp cinnamon.
1/2 tsp ground cumin.
1 good pinch of ground cloves.
1/2 tsp salt.
Plenty of pepper.
Coriander.

Fry the onion in olive oil until soft and golden, about ten minutes then add the chopped garlic. Fry for a further three minutes. add the lamb and fry until the meat looses its raw look. Add the cinnamon, cumin, cloves, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir. Allow to cook gently on a low heat for 30 minutes. A lot of the liquid should evaporate leaving a thick meaty filling. Add the coriander. Roll out the pastry and line the pie dish. Pour in the meat filling. Brush the edge of the pastry the beaten egg the add the top. Pinch the edges of the pastry to seal and then brush the top with egg. Place in a preheated oven 220c for 35 minutes.

A few cans and et voilà! Dinner!

2009-03-24T18:23:00.006Z

1. A can of corn: Corn Fritters: Your starter

Make a pancake batter (English or American? I imagine that bother would work!). Drain the corn of all the liquid, keeping some to mix into the batter. Add the corn and some chopped coriander (not absolutely necessary). Mix. You could also add chopped spring onion and green chillis. Fry in vegetable oil (each should be about 5 cm in diameter...quite small actually). Serve 3 person. Top with yogurt or sour cream. I wonder what they would really be like. Definitely a starter.

2. A can of Smoked Oysters and a can of tomatoes: Conchiglie with smoked oyster sauce: The main course

Sauté some plain white onion in a little olive oil. Chop in a c an of good, plain Italian peeled plum tomatoes and add to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and chopped parsley and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes on a low simmer. At the end, add a tin or two of smoked oysters. Mix into the tomato sauce together with the oil they were marinated in. Add more chopped herbs for colour. Serve on shell-shaped paste. No cheese.

3. A can of pineapple: Griddled pineapple: Dessert

Heat griddle for 5 minutes. Lay out the pineapple on a tea towel or paper towel and lightly sprinkle with muscovado sugar. Cook on he griddle until the sugar is caramelised. Put pineapple on a plate, top with sour cream/yogurt/cream. You could top with chopped nuts of your choice.

Sticky Lemon chicken

2009-03-23T19:13:00.004Z

I had two chicken breasts on the bone and thought that I would make a casserole of some sort. However, when I got home I realized that I had forgotten an essential ingredient. So what to do now! I decided to do something with chicken and lemons since I had two bags of lemons (on special at the supermarket). I couldn't be bothered searching through my cookbooks and tried the internet instead where I discovered this recipe and a short video to show you how to do it. Mine didn't turn out all that sticky but the gravy was wonderful.

1 large chicken jointed into 8-10 pieces (I used two chicken breasts, you could probably use legs and thighs as well)
sea salt and black pepper
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1 head of garlic halved horizontally (you could use less!!!!)
few thyme sprigs
splash of sherry vinegar (I didn't have any but that was fine)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 lemon, finely sliced
bunch of parsley, chopped (I also didn't have any)

Here is the video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mARkUax2jg0

Seasonal shopping

2009-03-13T06:16:00.004Z

I decided last week to buy a supermarket produced magazine, Sainsbury's Magazine, to see whether I could find any new recipes to liven up our meal times. It was an interesting experience! There were some wonderful recipes but for the most part, they used vegetables that are not in season in the UK. They were encouraging me to use courgettes (zucchinis), green beans, asparagus (which is almost in season but not quite), peppers, cucumbers, broccoli (I could use frozen), cherry tomatoes and the list goes on. Not a root vegetable in sight on the whole, though potatoes did play a role. I know that our eating habits have changed dramatically since I was raising my children but considering the environmental consequences and the economic conditions, you would think that supermarkets would begin to reflect that in their magazine recipes at least.

On the same topic of vegetables, carrots were in the news on Farming Today this morning. Apparently, we are about to run out of carrots and some supermarkets have already started to import from as far away as Australia. Why is there a shortage? We did have a poor growing season last year but it seems that supermarkets are pushing farmers more and more to reduce their prices so that a number of farmers are moving out of carrots and into more profitable crops. Carrots can be a bit tricky to grow at home and so I have never bothered before but since they are also a root vegetable that can winter through quite well, it might be an idea to consider them this year.

This situation with the carrots makes me wonder if, perhaps, the supermarkets are being as irresponsible as the banks have been. They have our food supply in their hands and in the UK seem to be responsible for farmers in this country going out of business or changing to more profitable crops. I don't think that government policy helps either. Farming Today reported (I can't remember when it was) that it was policy to move to importing all milk with none being produced here. All this makes me want to find a plot of land and start a large vegetable garden.

I did find one recipe that I thought sounded good and here it is. It is a simple beef stew or soup and you could add other root vegetables to it, such as sweet potatoes, though I wouldn't add them till near the end. I do like the idea of the paprika.

Chunky beef, carrot and smoked paprika soup (serves 4 to 6)

1 KG diced braising steak (I imagine you could use stewing beef or is it the same thing?)
1 onion peeled and diced
a little light olive oil
1 lt beef stock (water and oxo cubes?)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes (I don't think you need to peel potatoes if they are washed. You keep more of the goodness of them that way)
3 carrots, peeled (again a good washing should be alright), and cut into 1 cm pieces
3T sherry, port or Madeira (optional)
2 t of sweet or hot smoked paprika
2 X 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
2 shakes of Tabasco sauce, or more, to taste
a handful of parsley, chopped (if you have some growing in a pot in the house!)

In a large pan, over a medium heat, soften the onion by itself in a little olive oil and then add the meat in batches. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the stock, potatoes, carrots, sherry and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat and simmer covered for around 2 hours. You may need to add some liquid during the cooking process.

Add tomatoes and Tabasco sauce and continue to cook for another half hour.

Top with parsley.

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-03-11T10:05:00.005Z

I bought a butternut squash at the supermarket last week because it looked interesting and it's also in season here at the moment. I wasn't sure what to do with it. Then I had the most wonderful butternut squash soup at a friend's house at this prompted me to investigate recipes. This isn't her recipe but it looks easy and tasty, two qualities which are highly valued in my house at the minute!

I large butternut squash

500g potatoes

1 onion

coriander leaves (optional)

1 stock cube

butter and olive oil

cream

pepper.

Peel the squash with a potato peeler, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and cut into 1 inch cubes. Melt the butter in the olive oil and fry the onions until soft but not browned. Chop the potatoes (peeled or not) into 1 inch cubes and add to the onions. Add the squash, cover and cook for ten minutes, turning everything to make sure it get coated in the olive oil. Add the stock and 1litre of water or enough to just cover the veggies. Cook until everything is soft. Season and top with a little cream! I'm not sure when you're supposed to add the coriander but I suppose you could garnish it with some at the end.

I don't know why I'm so into soups at the minute! It could be a combination of the weather and thinking about recipes I can make for Noah in a few months time!

From frozen vegetables to frozen fish

2009-03-08T18:24:00.003Z

Last weekend, I went off to the frozen food section of my supermarket in search of broccoli and instead ended up looking at fish. Fresh fish is wonderful but very expensive. Over a year ago I bought frozen fish to make a fish pie. Obviously for pies and chowders you don't need fresh fish so since frozen is less expensive, it is the way to go. To my delight (and that of my wallet) I found 500 gram packages of individually vacuum packed pieces of haddock from Iceland for £1. I was expecting a lot more and still have no idea why it should be so inexpensive. Could it be the devaluation of the Icelandic currency? I don't know but we have been feasting on fish. The first night we had it oven cooked in foil. I put pesto sauce on mine and also included tomatoes, red pepper and snap peas. Tomorrow night we're having breaded fish and later in the week, either fish pie or a chowder. YUM. It pays to have a look in the freezers at the supermarket.

Frozen Vegetables

2009-02-24T22:49:00.004Z

I had a eureka moment on the weekend. I always buy frozen peas, even in the summer, since fresh peas are so expensive. I went shopping on Sunday and intended buying fresh broccoli. Suddenly I realized that we were in the middle of the winter. What was I doing buying fresh broccoli? It will have come from overseas, it certainly is expensive and I don't need unfrozen broccoli since I don't eat it raw. I bought a huge package of it frozen and it will go much further and for far less money. This is what I used to do years ago. How did I fall out of the habit? I won't make this mistake again.

Here is a link to an article from the BBC website suggesting that out of season, frozen vegetables are the healthier options. Interesting!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2902223.stm

Charity Shops in trouble too!

2009-02-24T22:44:00.002Z

Mary Jane posted this as a comment. I hope she doesn't mind if I've posted it here. In the UK, exactly the same thing is happening. It's interesting that the same thing is happening in both countries.

"[I] was talking to a woman who does marketing for second hand shops that benenfit adults with developmental challenges.

The adults' vocational programs benefit from the money raised in the three shops they have in this area and some of the adults work in the shops.

The marketing woman surprised me when she said the shops' revenues have decreased since the economic crisis began. She reports that they have a stocking problem. Their donations of saleable have reduced greatly and she gave two reasons for that.

People have less stuff to donate because they aren't buying as much new stuff to replace their old stuff.

The second reason for the decline in their revenues is competition. A large number of second hand shops have recently opened in this area, most of them raising money for their own good causes. This reduces the number of donateed items as well as the number of shoppers.

So maybe we will soon see "going out of business" signs plastered across second hand shops? They will have something in common with the high end shops in these parts."

Pea and Sausage Soup!

2009-02-23T10:06:00.006Z

Here's a recipe for another really yummy soup I used to make (and will be making again now that I've remembered it!)

The measurements aren't exact. I just make it up depending on what I have in the house.

Sausages - cut into pieces

Flour

Stock (of any sort)

At least two tins of mushy peas (or you could use frozen peas I guess!)

Seasoning.

Fry the sausages until cooked. Add the flour and stir around until it has been absorbed by the sausage fat (making a roux). Add the stock gradually allowing it to thicken before adding more. Add the mushy peas and simmer. Add the seasoning and serve with bread or biscuits. Simples.

I like experimenting with different types of sausage; Tescos do some sweet chilli sausages which are really good in the soup.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2009-02-14T17:38:00.005Z

400g Chicken (or pork)

12g Sugar

50 ml Soy Sauce

50g Cornflour

1 Clove of garlic - crushed

25g Fresh ginger

1 Onion chopped

1 Pepper, green or red

1 Chilli - chopped

2 Pineapple rings - cut into chunks

100 ml White vinegar

150g Brown Sugar

125 ml Tomato ketchup

1 Tbls Worcester sauce

Cut the meat into chunks and marinade in soy sauce and sugar for 30mins. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable. Then, boil the vinegar and brown sugar in a sauce pan.

Add the ketchup and Worcester sauce. Leave to simmer.

Take a wok and add enough oil to coat the bottom and heat. Add the chopper garlic and ginger and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the onion, pepper and chilli and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sweet and sour sauce and allow to simmer. Add the pineapple chunks and cook on a low heat. Pass the chicken through the cornflour and deep fry until cooked. Drain and add to the sauce and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Serve with rice.

I don't deep fry the chicken I just add it to the sauce to cook. It's a good idea to coat it in some corn flour though as this thickens the sauce. I don't add chillis either but sometimes put in thinly sliced carrot. You can also play with the amout of sugar and vinegar you put in to get in sweeter or more sour depending on your taste. It tastes so close to the Sweet and Sour Chicken from the Take Away and is probably better for you! Granted, this is not one for the diabetics amongst us!

More on Cheap Food

2009-01-24T23:02:00.003Z

I did watch the programme but only managed to watch part of it. I am going to try and see it later this weekend. However, I did see enough to know that part of the programme followed two families who were trying to lower their monthly food bills. One of the families bought the cheap supermarket lines of food and did save but decided at the end of the month that the only thing in that line they would continue to buy was the fruit and vegetables. The other family gave up the supermarket and started shopping at a local butcher for their meat and at the town market for much of the rest of their shop. They managed to save a considerable amount as well. However, for all of them, their savings also came from finishing what they had in their fridges and cupboards before buying more. They all planned better and had less wastage.

Cheap Food

2009-01-21T21:07:00.002Z

The story continues on the issue of cheap food. Mary Jane and Naomi have both made comments on the previous post which are worth reading. Naomi pointed out that there is a program on channel 4 tomorrow evening on which the article I read was based. She's right that it could put you off processed food forever. However, I'm not a big one for processed food so I should be able to avoid most of those pitfalls. But what about other types of food that aren't processed such as Mary Jane pointed out. Chick peas, who would have thought that they could be a problem and I suppose that anything from China should be considered as suspicious.

I suppose the answer is to buy basic ingredients and build meals from those. However, if you don't have the expertise that can be quite difficult. I have just finished making the recipe from a few posts back for Banana-Chocolate energy bars. So far so good! They are sweetened by the bananas and the oatmeal makes them slow digesting. I'm not sure about the bitter chocolate but I shall give them a try and test my blood sugar levels and see what happens. They taste great and would be something simple to make for children and adults for the lunch box.

I shall watch the programme tomorrow night on cheap supermarket food and report back. I hope it isn't too disgusting!

Poor quality food for the poor!

2009-01-18T21:46:00.003Z

I was reading an article today in the Observer about the quality of 'budget food' sold at super markets. How depressing! In Canada pork sausages have to be 100% pork. That obviously isn't the case in the UK because supermarkets sell 'value' sausages with only 40% pork and part of that 40% includes pig skin. Apparently, it's high in protein but would you want to eat it? I'm not certain that I would. There are even some beef pies that only have 18% beef in them and apple pies with only 4% apple. Even more of a concern is the fact that it would cost 1p at most to dramatically improve each one of those and of course, that isn't the choice of the supermarkets.
So, the poorest in our society eat the poorest of food. They suffer from malnutrition and their children under perform at school. And of course, with the economy as it is, even more people are turning to lower cost food.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2009-01-09T09:24:00.007Z

I tried this today and really enjoyed it!

4-5 Carrots grated or finely chopped. (Or 3 Carrots, 2 Parsnips)

1 Onion finely chopped

6 Cups of broth

1tsp Soy Sauce (optional)

Rosemary or Thyme or Coriander.

Salt and Pepper

1/4 C rice.

Fry onion in butter until soft. Add grated vegetables and rice and broth. Simmer until everything is soft and has thickened. Add seasoning and Soy Sauce. Blitz in the blender until smooth and eat hot or cold!

Blueberry muffins

2008-12-22T21:41:00.002Z

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

2/3 cup (135g) sugar

1/2 tsp (3g) salt

2 1/2 cups (300g) all–purpose flour

1 Tbsp (15g) baking powder

1 large egg

1/3 cup (80mL) vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups (300mL) reduced–fat (2%) milk

1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract

1 cup (150g) fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C)

Combine the sugar, salt, flour, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients and blueberries. Mix with a fork until it forms a loose batter.

Lightly coat a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the pan until the cups are 3/4 filled. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the centres are firm.

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 227
Protein: 4g
Fat: 7g
Carbohydrates: 37g
Sodium: 193mg
Cholesterol: 19mg
Fibre: 2g

Butter tarts aren't just for Christmas

2008-12-22T21:28:00.003Z

Rich pastry for 8 to 10 tarts

1 C brown sugar
1 C raisins
1 egg, beaten
butter size of an egg, melted
1 T water
1 t vanilla

1. Beat the egg, add the sugar and beat again; add the water, vanilla, raisins and butter. Drop mixture into tart shells to almost healf-full and bake in a 450 F (225 C) oven for about 15 minutes.

Yum!

Banana chocolate bars

2008-12-01T15:01:00.002Z

This may be good for diabetics or those trying to eat slowly digesting carbohydrates:

Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars

- 200 grams (2 cups) rolled oats or mixed rolled grains
- 60 grams (2/3 cup) ground almonds, a.k.a. almond meal
- 30 grams (1/3 cup) dried, unsweetened grated coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 120 grams (4 1/4 ounces) good-quality bittersweet chocolate
- 4 very ripe, medium bananas, about 400 grams (14 ounces) when peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) whole almond butter (substitute olive oil, or slightly warmed coconut oil)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a medium baking dish with vegetable oil.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, coconut, and salt. Set aside. Chop the chocolate so the largest pieces are about the size of a chocolate chip. Set aside.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and almond butter, and mash thoroughly. Add the oats mixture and mix well. Fold the chocolate in gently.

Pour into the prepared baking dish, level the surface, and slip into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is set and golden-brown. Let cool completely before slicing into bars. If you're not serving all the bars at once, I suggest you cut out only what you need. Cover the rest with foil and keep at room temperature.

How changing my diet has made me look differently at the food we eat

2008-11-23T13:47:00.003Z

A long title but true. I knew so little about food before I was diagnosed with diabetes and though I still don't know a lot more, there are certain things I know now that make me look differently at the food I eat. I know a lot more about carbohydrates. For example, I didn't know that sugar and starch are carbohydrates. I didn't realize that some carbohydrates are absorbed more quickly that others. I didn't realize that by having something acidic (such as vinegar or lemon juice) with a meal, your digestion is slowed down and therefore the carbohydrates are more slowly absorbed. I learn a little more each week and am slowly tweaking my diet. I now eat a salad with a vinegar or lemon juice salad dressing with my mid-day meals. I enjoy potatoes and miss being able to eat them. However, if I eat new potatoes and have a dressing with them, I can still eat them.

The big no-nos in my diet are wheat products, rice, pasta (unless made with durum wheat) and potatoes. However, you learn fairly quickly how to deal with these restrictions. I try to eat only rye and sour dough breads which are more acceptable than regular wheat breads. I've discovered how much I enjoy both of these types of bread, so no real loss there.

(more later)

Houmous without sesame seeds

2008-11-20T16:14:00.004Z

1 red pepper
400g can chick peas, drained
1 large clove of garlic
1T lemon juice
1/2 t each ground cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder
A little sea salt and black pepper
1-2 T natural yogurt

1. Cook the red pepper under a hot grill, turning frequently, until the skin turns black. Place in a polythene bag. When cold, peel off the skin and deseed.

2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a rough purée. Season to taste and turn into a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour to give the flavours a chance to develop.

First sight of the new member of the family!

2008-11-17T17:35:00.006Z

Here are the first photographs of the new addition to our family:

Four generations! GB (my mother), me, Naomi and Noah Thomas!
Naomi, Noah and I!
Cliff and Noah.

I haven't forgotten this blog!

2008-11-12T06:56:00.002Z

No, I haven't really forgotten this blog but I have been distracted by being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I promise (if anyone is interested!) to get back to writing here within the next few days.

I'm diabetic and I wonder how that will affect my cooking?

2008-09-28T20:33:00.002+01:00

Last week I found out that I was diabetic. Needless to say, I railed against my fate. I have type 2 which apparently means that though I have enough insulin my body fails to recognize it. How will this affect what we eat.

I actually don't have a lot of sugar in my diet and so I don't think that I will miss it all that much. I won't meet with the dietitian until Tuesday but I have started to look at what I eat and what processed foods are lurking in my cupboards. I really enjoy instant soups when I'm at school. No more! Sugar in a soup! Yuk! I sometimes buy kidney beans already in a sauce. Again, they have sugar in them so I'll be buying beans in water from now on. And that's it. The tomatoes are sugar-free, as is the tuna (of course!). I don't really buy much more in the way of canned and processed food. I like jam on my toast but rarely have it in. I'm much more of a marmite person. Ah well, no sense second guessing. I'll just have to wait and see.

I realize that this doesn't have much to do with 'More for Less' but I'm sure that it will. How about 'more flavour with less sugar'. Perhaps this isn't only going to be about sugar. Perhaps there is more to it.

I sing of old cookbooks!

2008-09-11T19:02:00.003+01:00

Yes, and I have sung before but I have more to say. This time it's about Basic French Cooking by Len Deighton (writer of spy novels like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy). I read an article in the Guardian about the joys of cookbooks from days gone by (someone after my own heart!) and Deighton's book was mentioned. I had no idea that he had gone to art college and at one point had also written a cookery column in the Observer. The column was illustrated with cartoons, demonstrating various cooking techniques. Apparently, he put himself through art college working in restaurants and he would pin these strips up to keep his cookbooks clean. The book is now out of print but I managed to find a copy on Amazon.com for a reasonable price. In the UK the book was anywhere from £27 up. I got a deal at $9.
It really is wonderful and I can't help but wonder why it hasn't been reprinted! Good, sensible recipes, illustrated by the aforementioned cartoon strips. How I hate a cookbook littered with expensive, glossy photographs. I am slowly working my way through and am on the section about applying heat to food. I have learned a lot and will share some of it at a later date. My dinner is awaiting and so I leave you here.

Caramel croissant pudding by Nigella!

2008-08-27T20:06:00.001+01:00

(North American measurements to follow)

2 stale croissants

100g caster sugar

2 x 15ml tbsp water

125ml double cream

125ml full-fat milk

2 x 15ml tbsp bourbon

2 eggs, beaten

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

2 Tear the croissants into pieces and put in a small gratin dish; I use a cast iron oval one with a capacity of about 500ml.

3 Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan, and swirl around to help dissolve the sugar before putting the saucepan on the hob over a medium to high heat.

4 Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away, without stirring, until it all turns a deep amber colour; this will take 3 to 5 minutes. Keep looking but don’t be too timid.

5 Turn the heat down to low and add the cream – ignoring all spluttering – and, whisking away, the milk and bourbon. Any solid toffee that forms in the pan will dissolve easily if you keep whisking over a low heat. Take off the heat and, still whisking, add the beaten eggs. Pour the caramel bourbon custard over the croissants and leave to steep for 10 minutes if the croissants are very stale.

6 Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Nigella Lawson

Time to hit the hedgerows - Elderberries

2008-08-15T21:01:00.010+01:00

I spent 4 days in New York and then another 5 and 1/2 days on the Queen Mary 2 coming back to the UK. I had hoped to visit some cookery book stores but unfortunately I only went into two book stores, one was a generalist and the other a French language store. However, I did experience some interesting food both in the city and on the ship.

The impression I have of New York is one of a city full of places to dine or to buy food to go. I went out early every morning and bought a take away breakfast. Near my hotel was near Briant Park where I sat under trees and watched New York wake up and pass by. More about New York and the Queen Mary 2 later.

I came back to England to discover various hedgerow fruits ready to be picked. Just nearby to the house are ripe blackberries and in Emma's garden (number 2 daughter) there are elderberries. Both of us were wondering what we could do with them and so I have been doing some research. At this site, you'll find some important information about Elderberries. Did you know that they had cyanide in them unless they are cooked?

Homemade Blackberry Jam

6 lb. blackberries
1/4 pint water (5 fl. oz)
Rind and juice of 2 lemons
6 lb. sugar

Instructions

1. Put the cleaned fruit, the water and lemon rind and juice in the sauce pan.

2. Simmer until the fruit is soft.

3. Stir in the sugar and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.

4. Remove from the heat, skim, pot, cover, and label.

10 jars (depending on your size of jar)

Pesto Sauce

2008-07-24T07:44:00.004+01:00

I have a pot of basil growing in my garden and last night, I had a craving for pesto sauce to go with some pasta. First I wondered how healthy it might be and then whether or not it was cost effective to make your own. The ingredients are as follows:

basil leaves
pine nuts (or walnuts) (so not good for people with a nut allergy)
olive oil
Parmesan cheese
garlic

I suppose it depends on whether or not you use these items in other recipes. This is more of a summer dish and so you could grow basil in a pot in the garden or in a window box. That would make it cost effective. I think that you would need the entire window box because it takes quite a lot of basil to make the sauce (1 cup of leaves for two to 3 servings).

Many people use olive oil already and if you use it sparingly it should last a long time. I have found that it is cheaper in cans (larger quantity, therefore cheaper per unit).

Pine nuts are not that expensive but I wonder what else you could use them in. Some accidentally got into my granola and they were fine but I think they may be quite oily. Perhaps they would be good in salads as well.

Garlic can easily be grown in the window box with the garlic. I say this but I have never tried to grow garlic. I shall look it up and report back! I don't think it is that expensive and many people already use it in other recipes.

Parmesan cheese can be expensive. It is cheaper if you buy it in blocks and not already grated!

So, here is my recipe. I halved the quantities in the Silver Palate Cookbook (p. 80, 1979) but still found that there was too much olive oil. I would suggest trying it with 1/4 cup of oil instead.

1C basil leaves, washed and patted dry
2 gook sized cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2C chopped walnuts or pine nuts
1/2C olive oil (I suggest 1/4 or a 1/3 C)
1/2C grated Parmesan cheese
(1T Romano cheese - I didn't use this cheese and it was fine)
salt and pepper to taste

I find this enough with a bowl of pasta to feed me in the evening but if you want to flesh out the meal, you could have a salad to start with.

My courgettes (zucchinis) are growing in leaps and bounds so I will be looking for recipes. Any suggestions?

Food from the highways and byways

2008-07-21T18:50:00.004+01:00

Along my road we are anticipating a bumper crop of blackberries. They won't be ready for another 3 or 4 weeks but I am already planning jams, pies and ice cream. I have also discovered a number of apple trees at a near by round-about which could supplement my lone tree if it doesn't crop well this year. What a surprise to find some recipes in the Guardian today which should help me put some of these fruits away for the winter months.

Blackberry and apple leather

Makes 2 sheets of 24 x30cm

500g blackberries
500g peeled, cored and chopped
cooking apples (2-3 large apples)
juice of 1 lemon
150g honey

1. Preheat the oven to 60C. Line two baking sheets, measuring about 24 x 30cm, with baking parchment.

2. Put the blackberries, apples and lemon juice into a pan. Cook gently until soft and pulpy, about 20 minutes. Rub the mixture through a sieve or mouli into a bowl; you should have about 700g smooth fruit puree. Add honey and mix well.

3. Divide the puree between the two baking sheets. Spread it out lightly with the back of a spoon until the puree covers the sheets in a thin, even layer. Put the baking sheets in the oven and leave for 12-18 hours, until the fruit puree is completely dry and peels off the parchment easily.

4. Roll up the leather in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. Use within 5 months.

Guardian, Perfectly Preserved, July 21, 2008

More on Bread: Easiest loaf in the world

2008-07-20T19:38:00.004+01:00

Back in November the Guardian newspaper put out a booklet on bread and bread making. I found this:

The Half sponge Method

"The method uses what old bakers used to call the half sponge method, which is the easiest way to inject flavour into a simple loaf. All the water and half the flour are mixed together with the yeast and left until the mixture bubbles up and drops back down. It is the way bread used to be made in Britain before additives, and motor cars, were heard of. Home cooks long before me have enthused about the great flavour you get from dough left to mature for hours rather than minutes, and this recipe is in that vein.

White Farm House Tin Loaf

For the sponge

225 ml warm water (about 30 to 35 C)
1 t easy blend yeast
175 g strong white bread flour

For the Dough

175 g strong white bread flour
1 t fine salt
25g unsalted butter or lard

1. Scald a big mixing bowl with boiling water, they add the warm water and stir in the yeast.

2. Add the flour, stir it up well with a wooden spoon, cover the bowl and leave for 2-4 hours or even overnight. So, you can mix it in the morning before work, or late on a Friday night when the house is quiet.

3. When you are ready to make your dough, put the second batch of flour into a bowl and add the salt and rub the butter through until it vanishes, so there are no little lumps floating around.

4. Add the flour to the yeast, and mix the whole lot into a big, sticky lump of dough. Then scrape off the bits on your fingers, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave for 10 minutes.

5. Give the dough 3 light needs over 30 minutes, then cover and leave over a further 30 minutes.

6. Lightly flour the work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle 2cm thick that measures (from left to right) slightly less than the length of a 2 pound loaf tin.

7. Roll it up tightly and place seam-side down in the buttered and floured tin.

8. Cover the tin with a tea towel in a warm place until the dough has doubled in height. (about 1 1/2 hours)

9. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted), though better if you can get to 240C (220C fan-assisted).

10. Dust flour over the dough with a tea strainer, slash the loaf diagonally a few times with a sharp serrated knife and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200C (180C fan assisted) and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until dark, golden brown, remove from oven and tin and cool on a wire rack.

Guardian Guide to Baking, November 2007

Another Banana Recipe

2008-07-10T21:49:00.000+01:00

Banana Smoothy

Into blender toss 2 small or 1 1/2 large bananas. Frozen bananas would work even better.

Spoon in a very large tablespoon or two of unsweetened frozen orange juice concentrate.

Pour in about 3 cups of cold low or non fat soy or cow milk.

Add 3 or 4 ice cubes.

Whiz on high till smooth and creamy. Enjoy...

Mary Jane

Cornell Recipe

2008-07-10T11:12:00.002+01:00

The Cornell Bread recipe was developed by Cornell University in the 1930's to increase the nutritional value of bread. I used it years ago and have just remembered it again and thought that if one was using the least expensive flour to make bread, perhaps this recipe would allow for a more nutritional loaf. To each cup add one teaspoon each of soy flour, dried skimmed milk powder, and wheat germ.

Cornell Formula White Bread

3 cups warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
2 T honey or sugar
3 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
6 C unbleached flour
1/2 C full-fat soy flour
3/4 C nonfat dry milk
3 T wheat germ

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in honey, salt, and oil.

2. Combine three cups of the unbleached flour with soy flour, dry mild, and wheat germ to yeast mixture. Add more flour, i/2 C at a time, to make dough stiff enough to knead.

3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead about ten minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding four as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to oil the top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until double; about one hour.

5. Punch dough down and turn only lightly oiled board. Divide into three equal portions and share each into a loaf. Place in greased 8 x 4 inch pans. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until double; about one hour.

6. Preheat over to 400F (200Celcius). Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and cool on wire rach.

Makes 3 loaves

Things to do with over ripe bananas!

2008-07-09T13:04:00.004+01:00

This recipe comes from the website Love Food Hate Waste. Though it really isn't 'ice cream' because there isn't any cream in it, it is a good frozen dessert.

Peel 8 ripe bananas, wrap in cling film and freeze overnight.
Allow to soften for 20 minutes then put into a food processor and whiz until thick and creamy. Serve immediately or refreeze.

You could also make banana muffins:

3 or 4 Large bananas, mashed (the more bananas the moister, so I use 4)

1/2 cup white sugar (original recipe calls for 1 cup, but I don’t like them too sweet) (I used 3/4 of a cup and it was still a bit sweet)

1 slightly beaten egg

1/3 cup melted margarine or butter (I used sunflower oil)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

Mix the mashed banana, sugar, egg and margarine/butter/oil together. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Mix wet and dry ingredients all together, being careful not to over-stir! Pour into greased muffin tins, and bake in 350 F degrees *180 C) oven for approximately 20 minutes. Enjoy!

*These are much more flavourful the next day, and they freeze very nicely too!

*Also, if you like walnuts, you can throw a handful of those in there as well for some added flavour and texture, or try adding chocolate chips, or better yet, both.

If you need a metric recipe, here it is:

Banana Muffins - metric version

3 or 4 large bananas, mashed (the more bananas and the riper they are the moister, so I use 4)

125 g white sugar

1 slightly beaten egg

75 ml melted butter/margarine or sunflower oil

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

225g plain flour

Mix the mashed banana, sugar, egg and margarine/butter/oil together. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Mix wet and dry ingredients all together, being careful not to over-stir! Pour into greased muffin tins, and bake in 180 C oven for approximately 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Waste not want not!

2008-07-08T22:21:00.004+01:00

This seems to be a big topic of interest in the UK at the moment. Even the Prime Minister has come out in the press and said that we have to stop wasting so much food. Of course it has been known for a while that people in the UK waste on average 1/3rd of the food that they buy. However, what the Prime Minister fails to point out is the fact that more that half of food wastage is from supermarkets and restaurants. How much easier for the Prime Minister to put this back onto the public. Let us stop wasting and the government doesn't need to do anything to deal with either the waste or the actual reasons for the increase in the cost of food. I'm not trying to justify waste. I just don't think that the problem of rising food prices can be solved by people not wasting and I wish politicians would stop trying to come up with simplistic solutions! (Sorry about that rant. I will now get down from my soap box!)

Today the Guardian published an article with 20 ways to reduce food wastage. There are some excellent ideas and good Internet links. It's worth a look!

Weights and Measures - Equivalents

2008-07-06T11:09:00.005+01:00

My favourite book for finding out anything about cooking that I'm not sure of is Prue Leith's The Cook's Handbook. I don't think that it's in print at the moment but you can still find copies of it on Amazon. It is advertised as 'the cookbook that makes all you other cookbooks work' and it is to this book that I have gone to give you some equivalent measurements. Many of my recipes come from North America where they use volume rather than weight to measure dry ingredients, such as sugar and flour. It is easy for a European cook to use these recipes as long as they have a liquid measuring jug and remember that a North American cup is 8 oz (and not 10).

1 C = 8 fl. oz
1/4 C = 2 fl. oz
1/3 C = 3 fl. oz
1/2 C = 4 fl. oz
3/4 C = 6 fl. oz

With butter:
4 oz. = 1/2 C
8 oz. = 1 C

I also use abbreviations when I write out my recipes. They are as follows:

t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon
C = cup

Fresh Glazed Strawberry Pie

2008-07-04T19:27:00.005+01:00

As mentioned in the previous post, we made strawberry pie for Canada Day. Here is the recipe:

1 baked pastry shell
1 quart (or more) fresh strawberries (4-8oz cups)
3 T(ablespoons) cornstarch (cornflour in UK)
1 c(up) sugar (white)
1 T butter
1/2 c water
1 T lemon juice
whipped cream

1. Arrange the best looking berries in the cooked pie shell.

2. Crush the remaining berries.

3. Combine the cornstarch (cornflour) and sugar. Stir in crushed berries and water.

4. Cook gently till thick and clear.

5. Remove from heat, add butter and lemon juice. Cool.

6. Pour onto pie. Top with whipped cream.

Chowder

2008-07-04T16:34:00.009+01:00

I've just gotten back from 7 days at Othona at Burton Bradstock in Dorset, England, which is very much a centre of 'living more with less'! While I was there I racked my brain to come up with a meal that would reflect Canada when we celebrated the national day on July 1st. After too much time spent thinking about this, I decided to make a fish chowder and a strawberry pie. The chowder comes from the maritimes and the pie recipe is Mennonite, from Waterloo County in Ontario.

I have been having chowders quite a bit since I was reminded of them earlier in the year. The following is a recipe that we have enjoyed as a family for years but I've never really thought of it as money saving or nutritious. I suppose it is both. I served it with home made bread and the pie for dessert. However, it would be great to have a salad with it as well, or instead of the dessert. You could also use inexpensive fish from the freezer section. In this recipe I have used clams, which are a lot less expensive that I would have supposed.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients
1/4 cup of butter (2oz)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour (4 oz in a measuring cup)
1 litre of semi skimmed milk
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced and parboiled
1/4 t(easpoon) salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. thyme
2 - 5oz cans of baby clams (approx. 280 g.)

1. Melt butter. Sauté onion till translucent and fragrant. Don't brown. Add flour. cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Whisk in milk. Add parboiled potatoes and seasonings. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or till potatoes are tender.

3. Add clams and juice. Reheat at serving time. Garnish with croutons, bacon pieces and/or chopped green onions.

(Serves 6)

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Choose your own favorite chowder -- Manhattan, made with tomatoes or New England, made with milk.

1/4 c(up) minced onion (2 oz in a measuring cup
2 cans clams, drained (reserve liquor)
2 c diced pared potatoes (parboil)
1 c water
1/3 c diced celery
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
2 t snipped parsley
1 t salt
1/4 t thyme
1/8 t pepper

In large saucepan, cook and stir bacon and onion until bacon is crisp and onion is tender. Stir in reserved clam liquor, the potatoes, water and celery. Cook uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add clams, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. 6 servings.

Limit Your Repertoire

2008-06-26T11:59:00.004+01:00

"Limit your repertoire. Variety may be the spice of life, but too much will give you indigestion. Most of us have kitchens filled with ingredients (especially spices) that we rarely use. One strategy is to collect about two weeks worth of recipes that meet your criteria for both cost and nutrition. Cycle through them, then begin again. Or designate each day of the week for focusing on a particular type of food: Monday, soup in cold months and salad in warm months; Tuesday, tofu; Wednesday, pasta; Thursday, eggs; Friday, pizza, Saturday, sandwiches; Sunday, beans and rice. Variety and flexibility are built in. Soup might be from a can, from a mix or from scratch depending what is on sale and what is in the cupboard. By beginning with just a couple recipes for each category, the system stays manageable."

Does this sound familiar? It comes from an article written by Meg McGowen which I highlighted in an earlier posting. It makes a lot of sense and when I look at the way I cook, I suppose that is what I do. After years of preparing meals, it is almost second nature. However, I do like to add new recipes now and again to my repertoire and I suppose that once every two weeks you could have a 'new recipe' day. I am going to re-examine the recipes I cook and see if I can't come up with a two week cycle and see how it works. I like the idea that you would have a number of recipes to call on in each category. More to come. However not for a week or so since I am off to Dorset to enjoy country cooking beside the sea! Hopefully I'll come back with more ideas!

Mary Jane's Strawberry Jam in Winter

2008-06-23T19:38:00.002+01:00

Strawberry Jam in Winter....

Make when frozen strawberries are found on sale.

I buy a bag of frozen strawberries and it on the counter for about 20 minutes to thaw a bit.

I put the thawing berries into a pot with about a cup of brown sugar and the juice of a juicy lemon.

I cook the ingredients over medium heat till it is at stage where it darkens, thickens and "spits" at you. You need to stir constantly or it will burn.

Then I take it off the heat and let it cool a bit before putting into some jars. When fully cooled, the jars of jam must be refrigerated (at least I think they "must" refrigerated but I may be wrong).

I've played with this one a bit. I like it with orange rind grated into it but Mike prefers it without.

It's more like strawberry preserves than strawberry jam.

I don't think I'll ever use fresh strawberries for jam again as the frozen ones here are usually very good for jam and usually cheaper than fresh even when fresh are at their peak. mj

Strawberry Jam

2008-06-22T14:56:00.004+01:00

Mary Jane said that she had made jam from frozen strawberries. I haven't been able to find such a recipe but I have come up with the following that might be of interest:

750g strawberry
125g granulated sugar
a squeeze of lemon juice

1. Rinse and hull the strawberries but don't dry them.
2. Pile them into a stainless steel or enamel pan with the sugar.
3. Roughly crush the fruit with your hands or a fork then place the pan over a low to medium heat.
4. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes, spooning off the pink froth as you go.
5. The jam should be thick enough to fall slowly from the spoon, like syrup, but nowhere near thick enough to set.
6. Pour into a bowl and serve with scones, (where it will drip down your fingers), or slices cut from a sponge cake, spoon over goat's yogurt or allow to cool and stir into a mess of whipped cream, fresh berries and crumbled meringue.
(Nigel Slater, Observer, June 22, 2008)

Strawberry Jam

1KG strawberries
800 g granulated sugar
the juice of a large lemon

1. Wash and hull the berries. Keep the small ones whole and halve or even quarter the large ones.

2. Put them into a stainless-steel pas with the sugar and lemon juice and bring to the boil.

3. Boil rapidly for 15 minutes or until the fruit is starting to look soft and translucent.

4. Skim off the pink froth that appears on the top then spoon into the sterilised jars, seal carefully and leave to cool.

(A fairly light set)