A Midweek Marvel

April 30, 2014


 I can’t always share every recipe of which I create or cook on here. It would be extremely difficult as I cook ALOT!  I do try my best though in sharing as much as I can but sometimes I create a recipe or cook one day and something comes together when I least expect it.  I had done this dish one night midweek, for what I thought was going to be a somewhat, quick Pasta dish to keep me going in between writing. Nothing special as I grabbed some remains of ingredients to use up in the fridge… More fool me!  I had meant to post this over a month ago and came across it this week whilst juggling through my Food Photography Pics. I pretty much try to take pictures of all dishes I cook as you never know! 
  The good thing about this dish is that the main vegetable featured, the wonderful Purple Sprouting Broccoli is still in season… just! So I would say, if you’re going to have a go?, try this weekend? Or even for tomorrow nights dinner! 
  If you can’t get hold of  Purple Sprouting Broccoli, You could substitute for Tender stem or  even Standard Broccoli but you should find some still knocking around. 




Chicken, Chorizo and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Carbonara:


Ingredients: ( Serves 2-3 people)

–  Tbsp Rapeseed oil
–  Knob of Butter
– 2 large Free range Eggs
–  100 g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese) 
–  350g of Spaghetti 
–  2 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
–  1 small red onion finely sliced
–  approximately 60g of Spanish cooking Chorizo diced
–  1/4 of a mild green chilli diced finely
–  150g Roast/cooked Chicken 
–  100g Purple Sprouting Broccoli (Blanched before hand)
–  Salt and Black pepper to season
–  Pinch of dried mixed herbs ( I used herbs de provence)


Whisk Eggs in a bowl and add in the grated parmesan cheese.
Cook the Spaghetti to packet instructions.
Fry off the Red onion and Garlic in oil and then add the butter.






Add the chorizo and Green chilli. Then the cooked chicken and Herbs.

At this stage you can add the Blanched Broccoli,season to taste then stir for a few minutes and add your drained pasta to the mixture.


Then pop your Pasta mix into the bowl with the eggs and parmesan and quickly stir.

Serve into warm bowls immediately and grate some more parmesan on top.















St George’s day, 450 years of Shakespeare and the start of the British Asparagus Season

April 24, 2014





I was on my own yesterday for St George’s Day (Well me and Drake the Cat should I say),  So I wasn’t sure wether I was going to do something Patriotic or not? I should though! ( I thought to myself), being English! 

   Last year I made a Hearty Beef Pie dish but I couldn’t possibly attempt to eat that all to oneself and I believe most of my friends were busy doing something or other.
  It was wonderful to see also the fact that we were celebrating 450 Years of William Shakespeare! I actually felt rather guilty that I had hardly read any of his work and shock Horror…never seen a play. I did feel quite disappointed in myself and began to scour through “Kindle” to see what I could buy and to my astonishment, some of his most famous work was free! Brilliant! I would have preferred a “real book”  of course! but this was convenient for me. 

   Earlier that morning I had already made some homemade Wild Garlic and Fennel seed bread along with some Pesto, just to start using up the vast amount I already had of Wild Garlic in the fridge. So I had a rather nice looking loaf which would be ready to slice by lunchtime.  Whilst pottering about at this time I was listening to BBC Radio Leicester, Rupal Rajani was on and asking people what makes us predominately “English”? or rather, what springs to mind when you think of the English? It then came to me, what my dish would be for St George’s day.  A Ploughman’s Lunch, with a couple of Modern ingredients added for my taste.  I then imagined Shakespeare ripping some bread and Cheese apart with a big Glug of Ale. I’m not sure wether he would have liked the ingredients of Bread, Chutney and cheese (The basics of a Ploughman’s).  But I do know that since the first mention of this dish in “Pierce the Ploughman’s Creed” (c.1394) of Bread, Cheese and Ale it is still a great Lunch for any Worker now. Something so simple yet hearty and stable.  Shame our Patriot St George couldn’t have experienced it back then after Slaying the Dragon! 
  Here’s my version of this great Pub Lunch that I had in My Kitchen diner instead.




My Ploughman’s Lunch with Homemade Wild Garlic and Fennel Seed Bread:

Bread Ingredients:

–  500g of Crusty Wholemeal bread mix consisted of Wholemeal flour, Chickpea Flour and the Dry yeast. (I used this because it needed using up and I wanted Wholemeal flour for this, not White Flour) 
–  A big Handful of Wild Garlic leaves finely chopped.
–  340 ml of lukewarm water.
–  Salt and Pepper.
–  Sprinkle of Fennel Seeds for on top of loaf.


This is the first time I have used a Packet Bread mix and I was pleasantly surprised.  I still had to knead the dough and do all I would have anyway so that still made it fun.  Here is the process to the packet instructions.


Here as you can see I have Kneaded the dough and placed in a greased Loaf tin, covered with a wet Tea Towel and placed in my airing cupboard for 15 mins.

 After 15 Mins I took out the dough, folded and kneaded it again with the Wild Garlic in and let it rise for another 30 mins in the airing cupboard.

 Placed the Fennel Seeds on top and into a preheated oven at 220c for approx 30-40 minutes.

                                                               

As you can see regarding the rest of my Lunch, it consisted of Boiling an English Egg, blanching some English Asparagus, placing some lovely English Ham onto the plate. Popping my Local Tomato Chutney into a Ramekin.  Chopping My English Spring Onion, Slicing my English Cheese, picking my Home grown Salad leaves and Pouring My English Ale! … I think you get the Gist now! 





Going, (Growing) strong so far…

April 11, 2014

I am just so thrilled with how our Kitchen Garden is coming along.  We haven’t even started on the main plot yet either!  I am trying so many new vegetables this year, I can’t stop! I fear at this rate, I may need a new Freezer as I am going to have to freeze so much down for over winter! 
  The added bonus this year aswell is that luckily for my Partner and I, at Christmas just gone, we received a lovely gift from my Parents which was a beautiful all singing and dancing “Kilner”  preserving kit. We were very lucky to receive such a gift so I will be going preserving mad over this year. I can’t wait.  I am literally thinking of all the fun I am going to have with green ketchups, Chutneys, sauces… It will be homemade gifts all year round galore… Be prepared friends and family! 
  Anyway, back to my seedlings… Here is what is happening.  As you can see also now, is that outside, things are starting to grow.  
  The plan is that my Partner needs to dig the main plot out, cover and for the first time, hopefully, we will be trying a raised plot. So in the meantime, whatever I can set seeds in, I will. I am using any container, bag, or pot nameable! Even mushroom containers and plastic trays which tomatoes come in.  Oh and please excuse the weeds just yet, Im going to be using the dandelions,(All will be revealed soon)… then my partner can take them away as I still can’t with my bad back.







I must point out also that there are also Aubergines and chillies growing…but in the bathroom, yes! As it is much warmer in there.  
  Next to sow are the lovely selection of beetroot that I have, I am dying to create recipes with those! So many different colours, stripes and shapes.  Garlic is being planted today or tomorrow.  I also have some red spring onions to sow and some lovely Alpine strawberries which come red and cream so I will try those in hanging baskets.  Watch out for those in my dessert recipes and Ice cream. 

Saturday Night Food…Dinner Party anyone?

March 26, 2014

Following on from a great day I had with Ben Jackson for Food Friday, Saturday came and I was still so full of cooking energy and immediately wanted to come up with something new again! 
  Now, not always does this happen straight off when recipe developing and with a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc being in my system (evening by this time),  I didn’t think I was going to be as pleased as I was with this recipe.  
   This may not be everyones “Cup of tea” I realise that, but I felt it was the nicest risotto I had made in a long time. I am yet to cook this for my fiancé as he was away at the time and I am intrigued to see what he thinks also, he’s always honest! 

  So, from the recipe that I had done the day before, I had bits and bobs left over in the fridge including some of the lovely Pearl Barley I had pre cooked. There were bacon opened as I fancied a BLT for breakfast, anyway you get the gist!
   This is what I came up with in the end.  It took me a long time to figure out a title name for the recipe as theres a lot going on in it, but it came to me that the title for this is right really. Its leftover ingredients but not with Potato in this instance. Even though it doesn’t have specific Springtime ingredients in this, It did make me think of Spring when I dived into it.


My 2 Grain Bubble and Squeak Risotto with Bacon,  Poached Egg and vegetable crisps.

 Ingredients:

(Serves 2 as a large portion or may stretch to 4 for starters)

–  1 Tbsp Olive or Rapeseed oil
–  2 Knobs of Butter
–  1-2 Garlic cloves chopped
–  1 small Onion diced
–  2 rashers of Bacon
–  2-3 leaves of Savoy Cabbage sliced thinly
–  3-4 Chestnut mushrooms chopped small
–  1/4 of a leek sliced thinly
–  100g of cooked Pearl Barley
– 150g of Arborio Rice
–  175ml of Dry White Wine ( 1 Glass for yourself also! )
–  500ml of Chicken stock keeping hot.
–  Sprig of fresh Thyme
–  Eggs for Poaching
– 1 Parsnip and a small amount of Butternut Squash for the Vegetable Crisps
– Vegetable Oil for the frying of the Crisps
–  Sprinkle of caster Sugar for the Crisps
–  Salt and Cracked Black Pepper for seasoning 
–  Grated Parmesan Cheese to finish




Fry off the Onion and Leek in some olive oil, then when starting to sweat down a little, add the butter.

 Add the Bacon, Mushrooms, 1/4 of the Cabbage first, Garlic and Thyme.


 Once cooked down a bit add in the risotto rice, stir gently and add your wine. Once the wine has almost evaporated you can add your Hot Chicken Stock a bit at a time.

 Whilst the Risotto is cooking away, Peel your Parsnip and Butternut Squash very thinly like so and fry off in oil. I have used a Wok but if you have a Deep Fat Fryer, great! 

 They only take about a minute. Once starting to brown, bring them out onto Kitchen Paper. Sprinkle with a tiny amount of Caster sugar.

 Add the rest of your Cabbage and Pearl Barley to the Risotto, Poach your egg and finish with another knob of Butter, parmesan Cheese and any seasoning required.

Top with your Poached Egg and add Your Vegetable Crisps for Sweetness and Crunch.

Life!

March 26, 2014

Its been a month now since all my little seeds have been sown.  I have sown a little bit more in-between.  I think Ive possibly sown some more tomatoes, herbs, Chillies and Aubergines.
So I best show you how the Porch is looking now! 

I am pretty pleased with the outcome so far.  Some haven’t come up yet as you can see but theres still time. It is still up and down with the weather and a few days ago, there was frost overnight.  This weekend is going to pick up, so hopefully we will see some more Life then?  Ha! I sound like a weather girl! 

Anyway, before I end this post…Good news was that I also had my first picking of some salad I am growing. They were only baby leaves but so so sweet with a hint of pepper so just really lifted my salad that day.