Tag Archives: food

New Cookery Book

I have a bit of an addiction with cookery books. I know there is nothing in them that I couldn’t find online if I wanted and I do subscribe to several food blogs, but, there is something lovely about turning a page of a book to find inspiration overleaf. The irony is I very rarely follow a recipe. I tend to use these books for ideas and then adapt to suit our tastes or whatever I have in the fridge at the time. Ah well, here’s my latest bedtime read…

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…and yes I really do flick through these in bed. I know that’s not normal right?

Cherry and Vanilla biscuits

Today I’ve spent a very productive afternoon in the kitchen. I’ve a busy week coming up so decided to get ahead of myself again and make our meals for the coming week. So far I have meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs, cottage pie and a chicken curry ready to go, but, while I was at it I also made some Truffles, roasted lamb for today’s dinner and baked some biscuits. I love those biscuits, they’re quick and easy to make, if you’ve the ingredients at hand 20 minutes tops…

Cherry and Vanilla biscuits

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5.5oz butter / margarine
8oz plain flour
4.5oz caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
Glacé cherries

Pre heat oven to gas mark 4.

Sift flour into a bowl and add butter. And rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir through sugar, vanilla essence and chopped glacé cherries (I have no idea how many cherries, I just chop and add until it looks about right) and then being together with your hands to form a dough.

Roll out on a floured surface until about a centimeter thick, cut into shapes and set out on a greased baking sheet. bake for 15mins (or until they just start to colour on the edges).

Finish with a dusting of caster sugar and leave to cool and firm. Or if you’re a fatty like me just scoff them still warm and soft from the oven with a cup of tea as per the picture above.

Alternative flavours

I’ve also made these with lemon flavouring and mixed peel, almond flavouring with no fruit and also just plain vanilla. All equally delicious and seriously moorish!

Vegetable Pastry Slice

Last night I had my friend Catherine over for dinner and it gave me the opportunity to try out a variation of a recipe I’d read online a while ago.

I hadn’t got all the veg in the house that I remember was in the original but I had enough that I thought it would work.

Here’s what I made

Vegetable Pastry Slice
(Makes 4 slices)

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One pack of pre rolled puff pastry
2 red onions
1 red peppers
8-12 Cherry tomatoes
Some  Mushrooms
Roasted red pepper pesto
Mozzarella
Cheddar

Take the pastry out of the fridge before you start, that way it will have warmed slightly be less cold before you’re ready for it and is less likely to crack when you unroll from the pack.

Pre heat oven to Gas mark 6 (or whatever that equates to in °c/°f)

Peel and quarter the onions and separate the layers and slice the peppers.

Chop mushrooms into quarters.

Heat some olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and throw in the veg, after a couple of minutes throw in the mushrooms and either 2 or 3 cherry tomatoes per slice (dependant on taste). Remove pan from the heat when the veg is starting to look charred and the tomatoes soft.

Unroll the pastry, lie flat and cut into quarters.

Now take a sharp knife and score a line all the way around the rectangle about 1cm in from the edge being sure not to cut all the way through. (Don’t worry if you do a little in parts turn the pastry and smooth with your finger to rejoin the edges), and place on a baking tray.

Using the score lines as a guide spread the pesto over the inside of the slice.

Now spoon the vegetable mix equally on top of the pesto.

Milk or egg wash the visible pastry and put on the top shelf of the oven.

Cook for approx 10 mins or until the pastry is starting to puff.

Remove from the oven and crumble the mozzarella and as much grated cheddar as you like over the veg.

Season with black pepper and return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the pastry has browned and the cheese melted.

Finish with a couple of leaves of fresh basil.

I served these with rocket, cherry tomatoes and olives with a balsamic dressing.

Variations, I think this would work with roast vegetables too and I’m planning on trying a similar method with ham, asparagus and cheese. In fact I think you could use this method to top the pastry with just about anything!

With thanks to our friend Jez Turner for the mozzarella, made with his fair hand.

Crunchy Chilli Potatoes

Last year was the 366 project that I migrated to Instagram. This year I’ve decided to start documenting some of the things I throw together in the kitchen.

I rarely follow a complete recipe often substituting things, or changing them to suit what we have in, or the tastes of the household. I then usually forget what I’ve done the next time I come to make it. I’m hoping this will be my memory of sorts.

Here’s the first:

Crunchy Chilli Potatoes

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Cut potatoes into approx 2cm chucks.
Boil until just cooked through, try not to over cook, they need to be soft but not falling apart and drain, leave to steam in the colander while you heat some olive oil and butter in a flat griddle or heavy bottomed frying pan.

Once the oil is hot tip in the potatoes and squish with a fork… you don’t want to mash them, just flatten and break them up a bit.

Leave for a few minutes until starting to brown and crisp up before turning them over.

Don’t worry if the potatoes break up a bit while your doing this, it just means more crispy bits.

Now they’re flipped over, add the spice.

I had one of those Jamie Oliver grinders with Szechuan, chilli and ginger salt so I used that, but you could use sea salt, black pepper and chilli flakes. Whatever you have to add a bit of kick in the pantry.

Shuffle the pan about a bit and once the potatoes are nice and crisp serve.

We had them as an alternative to chips with a piece of fish, but I could see them working with most things.