Marvellous Marmalade....

If like me you're not to keen on marmalade but often find a half empty jar stashed in the fridge I have a recipe for you, even better if you like cake:

• 225g self-raising flour
• 175g butter, at room temperature
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 150g thick-cut Seville orange marmalade, plus 2 tbsp extra to brush
• I think any orange marmalade would do, I used some Blood Orange marmalade in mine
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line the base and sides of a loaf tin with baking parchment. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, spices, and marmalade, and mix with an electric hand whisk until well combined.
• Pour into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. Cover the top of the cake with foil for the last 30 minutes if it starts to brown too quickly. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Warm the marmalade in a pan, then brush the top of the cake generously with it. Remove from the tin, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

It is so delicious and moist, it cuts up beautifully! I made it two days ago and it has pretty much gone!

This recipe was also from Ocado.com

Dinner Tonight... What's Cooking Good Looking?

Well tonight friends, whilst I am nervously pacing around due to starting anew job tomorrow, I am soothing my soul with this recipe.. Goodness only knows what it will taste like! I am optimistic, pork, lentils and cider are always a bit of a winner so here is the recipe found from Ocado.com

So:

4 onions, peeled and cut into eighths

• 4 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
• 225g Puy lentils, rinsed and any stones removed
• 500ml dry cider
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 450g pork tenderloin
• 1 drizzle chilli oil
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Put the onions and garlic in a medium-sized roasting tin and add the lentils and half the cider. Stir in the parsley and season well with salt and black pepper.

Slash the pork four times diagonally, then sit it on top of the lentils. Drizzle over the chilli oil (if using), then put in the oven to cook. After an hour, top up with the remaining cider and cook for a further hour. If the meat is browning too much, cover with foil. If the lentils start to look dry, add a little hot water.

Remove the meat from the tin and keep warm while it rests for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the lentils.

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Fabulous Fish Pie

My love affair continues with Diana Henry and her book "Food from Plenty" with this absolutely lip smacking fish pie.

I was pretty convinced that I had actually already blogged about this Fish Pie With Leek Mash, but I can't find the recipe on here, so here goes:

Serves 6 - but obviously make as little or as much as you need.

900g White fish fillets (skinless, boneless)
425ml Full fat milk  I never have this in, so use whatever you would like, actually we normally do half milk half water anyway.
100g Butter
50g Plain flour
Salt and Pepper
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
3 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp Heinz Salad Cream Literally the best idea EVER
125ml Double Cream when I made this last night I totally forgot about this... didn't seem to harm
3 tbsp chopped Dill or Parsley Again, I forgot about it, but I think it is important, more so than the cream
200g Cooked, peeled prawns I cannot think of a worst thing to eat than prawns so these never make it into my fish pies
500g Leeks
800g Potatoes, a good mashing variety!

Lightly poach the fish in the milk, for about 3 mins, remove set aside, keep the milk, but take off the heat.

Melt 50g butter and add the flour to make a roux, remove from the heat, add the milk in gradually stirring all the time to make sure the mixture is silky smooth. Return to the heat, bring to the boil, whilst continuing to stir. It should be really, really thick. Add the lemon, mustard and salad cream, reduce the heat and cook for another 2 mins.  Add the cream and herbs, taste and season.

Put the fish into a 2.4l/4pt pie dish, pour the sauce over the fish and mix together. Leave to cool, and if not in a rush, refrigerate

Preheat the oven to 200c/ Gas Mark 6

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan add the leeks, washed and chopped. Add about tbsp of water, cover and leave to cook down over a low heat. Keep checking they don't burn though! Should take about 15 mins.

Boil the potatoes until tender, drain, put back on the heat and give them a shake to dry out.  Mash the potatoes until smooth, add the leeks with the buttery water into the potatoes. Season, spread over the fish and bake for 30 mins, until golden and bubbling.

Excellent with peas, spinach, or green beans.

Going Greek

Last night with all the wind and the rain I really needed to eat something sunshiny and delicious!
It is from the ever fabulous Diana Henry, but as usual I didn't quite have all the ingredients, my changes will be in italics!

Greek Chicken, Pumpkin and Feta Pie

Serves 8 I halved all the quantities because there were only 2 of eating, and it will be delicious for lunch.

1.2kg Pumpkin/Squash
6 tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 Ground Cinnamon
Salt and Pepper
700g Spinach, washed, stalks removed I used frozen chopped spinach, defrost in the microwave
2 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
A large grating of nutmeg
75g Parmesan grated
250g Ricotta
2 Eggs, beaten
175g Feta
1 1/2 tbsp chopped Parsley I used a bit of mint
50g Butter
250g Filo pastry, As usual I didn't have this I did have a sheet of puff pastry so I made the pie with a puff top! I do want to make it properly though because it is delicious!
350g leftover cooked chicken

Preheat the oven to 200c/Gas Mark 6

Cut the pumpkin/squash into slices, remove the seeds and fibres. Put into a roasting tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle over the cinnamon, and season. Roast until tender about 20mins, remove the skin.

If using fresh spinach, wash, and put into a large saucepan, cover, and on a low heat until wilted. Cool and squeeze out the water.

Heat some oil in a sauté pan, add the onions, cook until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, add the spinach. Season, add nutmeg and half the parmesan. Set aside.

In another bowl mix the remaining parmesan, eggs, ricotta and crumbled feta and parsley. Season.

Take a 22cm springform tin. Melt the butter. Keep the filo under a damp tea towel to stop it drying out. Brush the tin with butter and line with 2/3 of the filo. Lay overlapping sheets onto the base first, the place the sheets like the spokes of a bike wheel radiating out from the centre of the base, brush with butter as you go, leave the sheets overhanging at the side.  

Layer time! Lay all the spinach, then half the pumpkin and all the chicken. Then all the cheese and egg mix, then the remaining pumpkin.

Pull the overhanging filo over the mixture then use the remaining filo to cover the top, overlapping the sheets and tucking the edges down the side, bushing with butter liberally.

Cook for 45-50 mins, until golden. If the pastry is getting too dark cover with foil.

If like me, you forgot the filo, use a pie dish and follow the layering and top with the pastry you do have, cook for the same time and serve!

Cool for 10 mins, carefully remove the tin and slide on to a serving plate.

One for the Pot

I love Pot.  Roasting that is. It is the easiest way to serve up something delicious with minimal fuss, especially when there is something good on the telly, like Downton repeats, or a good game of rugby, this is the recipe for you.


It is from BBC Good Food

So you need:

About 2.5kg Pork Loin
6-8 Garlic Cloves cut into slivers (if like me you have a garlic hater leave them out)
7 tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
Oregano (I used dried)
300g Shallots (the little round ones are best)
1 Large Celeriac, peeled and quartered
130g Pancetta cubes, like the pack you get in supermarkets
600ml full bodied red wine (the original recipe tells you to drink the remainder..  would have to concur)


What you do:

Using a small, sharp kitchen knife, stab through the fatty side of the pork loin to make about 30 fairly deep, randomly spaced incisions. Insert a sliver of garlic into each stab mark, pushing the garlic well into the meat and smoothing over the fat to close up the entry points. Reserve a few slivers to push in cuts made on the flesh-side of the joint. Obviously ignore this if not using.

Put 5 tablespoons of the olive oil, the juice of the lemon, tbsp of fennel seeds and the leaves stripped from 4 oregano sprigs (if using dried, about 1-2tsp) in a large non-reactive dish (a non-porous dish, such as glass or stainless steel, which won’t react with acidic foods and alter the flavour). Grind in plenty of black pepper, then swish everything into a sludge with one clean hand. Put the joint into the dish and massage the marinade into every nook and cranny. Leave the pork to marinade for 6-24 hours in a cool place or the fridge.

When you are ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 4/fan oven 150C. Put the 300g of shallots in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes to loosen the skins, then tip the shallots into a large sieve or colander and rinse under cold water. Trim off the root end, then peel the shallots, breaking any large ones into their natural segments. Halve the 4 celeriac wedges, then cut into large, bite-sized chunks.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Toss in the 130g pack of pancetta and fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly frazzled. Transfer the cubes to a large casserole big enough to take the pork, using a slotted spoon so the fat drains back into the pan. Throw the shallots and celeriac into the frying pan and sauté them for 3-4 minutes until coloured, turning frequently. Transfer them to the casserole, again draining off the oil.

Pull the frying pan to one side. Quickly scrape off any excess marinade from the pork loin, then season the meat with fine sea salt. Replace the frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the pork on all sides, including the ends. Place the loin on the vegetables in the casserole. Stuff the remaining 4 sprigs of oregano around it, or add some more dried.

Pour off and discard all the fat in the frying pan, raise the heat and pour in the 600ml of wine. Bring to the boil, scraping up all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine bubble and reduce for 3 minutes, then pour into the casserole.

Place the casserole over a high heat and bring the juices up to a bubble. Immediately put the lid on the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the loin for 1 hour 45 minutes, turning it halfway through. Remove the casserole from the oven and leave the pork to rest in a warm place for 15-30 minutes, still covered, before carving.


I served this with roasted potatoes and french beans, it was beautifully moist and delicious. The leftovers were great too!

Pursuing Polenta.. Again

Apologies for my lack of posts, what with one thing and another I haven't been cooking that much. However, I currently have a little bit of spare time so I am spending it wisely (i.e. baking not looking for the job I probably should be)

Here is a little biscuit recipe, using my favourite ingredient right now polenta, or corn meal. I love the grainy crunch it gives these biscuits and the could not be simpler.  They are from a Jamie Oliver recipe I believe but I came across them somewhere on the interweb and just copied it down, so here you are!


Sorry about the cup measurements UK bakers, I quite like not having to get the scales out sometimes!

1 1/2 cups of polenta/ corn meal, not instant!

6 oz chilled butter (I never really bother with unsalted butter, the original recipe specifies unsalted)

3/4 cup of caster sugar

2/3 cup of plain flour

2 tbsp of orange zest, which is about 1 large orange worth

(pinch of salt if you are using unsalted butter)

2 large eggs


Another excellent thing about this bake, is that it is all done in a food processor. Bonus!

In said food processor, put the polenta, butter, sugar, flour, orange zest (salt if using) and pulse until it looks like crumbs, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and pulse again until the dough just comes together, put the dough in a bowl and put in the fridge until it firms up, about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375/gas mark 5 and line 2 baking sheets. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough on the sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 15mins, remember to switch the trays around halfway through to make sure they cook evenly.

I have to do mine in batches, so put the first 2 sheets worth on cooling racks then repeated the process until all the dough is gone.


According to my notes they will last for a week in an airtight container or a month in the freezer. (I
have yet to try them from the freezer, and will be trying the to make the dough and store that in the freezer too, to have instant biscuits.)

They are absolutely delicious, and I'm also going to try dipping some in dark chocolate for an extra luxurious finish.

Enjoy!

Sunshine Stew

The sun has finally come out to play in the U.K. although it is still pretty chilly, so here is the best thing for capturing the Spanish sun and delicious flavours of the Med, courtesy of Bill Granger and his book Easy, which is literally exactly what everything in there is. Tasty, easy and something with an Australian outlook!

Serves 4

2tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 celery stick, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
250ml of white wine
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Pinch cayenne pepper
A few strands of saffron (I didn't bother as I didn't have them at home, but I do think they would add depth)
400ml fish stock
600g firm white fish fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Handful of flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges

Serves 4

Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan over a lowish heat, chuck in the onions and celery, cook for about 5 mins until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, red pepper, and paprika and cook for about 3 mins stirring all the time, until it is fragrant and the pepper is going soft. Pour in the wine and reduce slightly.
Add the tomatoes, cayenne, saffron, stock and a pinch of sea salt and simmer for 10 mins. Add the fish and simmer for a further 3 mins then add the chickpeas and cook for another 2-3 mins. Season, serve scattered with parsley and lemon.

Enjoy!

Marvellous Mascarpone

Having come back from a lovely time away on the Gower in Wales, I was slightly at a loss about what to cook. Then looking at the little bits and pieces left over from the food whilst we were away and I found a gem. Mascarpone. It is a such a gem, a delicious accompaniment to cake (especially my Lemon Polenta Cake) and makes a lovely creamy pasta sauce, which is what I made.

Beautiful Rhosilli Beach

Mascarpone, Bacon and Spinach Spaghetti

1/2 an Onion diced finely

4 Rashers of Bacon, sliced up, streaky, back or pancetta would work well here

2 big handfuls of spinach

3 tbsp Mascarpone

Splash of Marsala

Thyme

Nutmeg

Spaghetti for 2 people

Boil the water for spaghetti, I would normally salt it, but the bacon is so salty I don't think it will need it.  

Whilst that is coming to the boil, saute the onion, once soft add the bacon, try to get some bits of the bacon crispy. It is always nice to have a bit of texture. Splash in the Marsala, add some thyme.

Add the spinach, let it wilt down and then add the mascarpone more thyme and a generous grating of nutmeg.

Whilst making the sauce cook the spaghetti, once it is al dente and the sauce is ready add the pasta to the sauce tossing it through and add a bit of the cooking water to make it extra silky.

Serve immediately, with a sprinkle of parmesan and black pepper.

Enjoy!

Crazy over Carbonara

Last night after yet more baking, I was craving something really savoury, but without much faffing about. We had some more leftover ham, a million eggs from all the baking and we always have parmesan some pasta and Hey Presto!  A delicious meal in minutes, here is the inspiration taken from the Guardian's Word of Mouth Blog:



(the picture is from the blog...mine looked exactly the same)
Felicity's perfect spaghetti carbonara. Photograph: Felicity Cloake

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
75g pancetta, cubed
250g dried spaghetti
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
25g pecorino romano, finely grated
25g parmesan, finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg, optional

1. Put two bowls into a low oven to keep warm, or boil a kettle and half fill them with hot water. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat, then add the garlic and cook until well coloured, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the pancetta and cook until translucent and golden, but not brown around the edges.

2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and the extra yolk and then stir in the the pecorino and most of the parmesan, reserving a little for garnish. Grind in plenty of black pepper.

3. Scoop out a small cupful of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta well. Tip it into the frying pan and toss to coat with the pancetta fat.

4. Take the pan off the heat and tip in the egg mixture, tossing the pasta furiously, then, once it's begun to thicken, add a dash of cooking water to loosen the sauce. Toss again, and divide between the warm bowls, finishing off with a grating of nutmeg and a little more parmesan. Eat immediately.

Making a Hash of it

Last night we couldn't really be bothered to make anything, what with cake baking, visiting friends and trying their cake and baking the biggest Dundee cake in the world (it took nearly 2 hours to cook!) I wanted something extremely savoury and relatively easy to cook.

So nothing in the oven as we had the giant cake in there, I thought a hash, comforting, tasty and pretty much one pot cooking. We had leftover from a bacon joint and some sweetheart cabbage that had been sauteed, I cooked a few new potatoes and sliced up an onion.


Recipe:

3 thick slices of gammon chopped up into chunky pieces
1 onion sliced
Half a bag of new potatoes, boiled
Any leftover veg, we had cabbage.


Heat some olive oil and butter in a saute pan and throw in the onion, cook until soft and going golden and add the meat.  Whilst this is happening you can cook the potatoes, once boiled chop them up roughly and add to the pan with the left over veg. spread the mixture out over the pan so it is in one layer and leave to get crispy then break up and flip over to get it all soft and cripy and hot and golden brown.

We had ours with a coleslaw using up the left over red and white cabbage, carrot and my Dad's secret coleslaw recipe!

This is a really easy way of using up leftovers, if you have cold left over potatoes even better as you don't have to cook them specially!

Enjoy

xx

Potty over Polenta

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been away and busy with my real life, but i'm back in the kitchen trying out new recipes.

I have long been a fan of Polenta, the golden, soft, slightly gritty accompaniment to italian stews or the firm grilled or baked version as chips with steak, seasoned well with cheese and pepper. Delicious.  However I have never used it in a cake or in sweet recipes, although I have eaten my fair share of them.  As I have been asked to make a cake for this weekend and our little family excursion to Wales I thought that now would be the time to experiment (especially as my Mum is making a Dundee cake, so if it is a disaster we'll have that to eat anyway).

The unknowing got the better of me this morning so I am doing a trial run (fine polenta is so cheap £1.10 for 1.5kg) it seems rude not to use it and the recipe I have chosen is a Nigella one. She is very reliable for easy cakes that are a little different and so far it is going well! Plus it is Gluten Free too!


Here is the recipe and for once I have followed it faithfully:

For the cake

• 200 grams soft unsalted butter (plus some for greasing)
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 200 grams ground almonds
• 100 grams fine polenta (or cornmeal)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (gluten free if required)
• 3 large eggs
• zest of 2 lemons (save juice for syrup)

For the syrup

• juice of 2 lemons
• 125 grams icing sugar

Method

1. Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment and grease its sides lightly with butter.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
3. Beat the butter and sugar till pale and whipped, either by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon, or using a freestanding mixer.
4. Mix together the almonds, polenta and baking powder, and beat some of this into the butter-sugar mixture, followed by 1 egg, then alternate dry ingredients and eggs, beating all the while.
5. Finally, beat in the lemon zest and pour, spoon or scrape the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
6. It may seem wibbly but, if the cake is cooked, a cake tester should come out cleanish and, most significantly, the edges of the cake will have begun to shrink away from the sides of the tin. remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack, but leave in its tin.
7. Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and icing sugar in a smallish saucepan.
8. Once the icing sugar’s dissolved into the juice, you’re done.
9. Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester (a skewer would be too destructive), pour the warm syrup over the cake, and leave to cool before taking it out of its tin.

Here it is!

Morning Munchies

Ingredients:

This recipe is actually on my other blog, but as I'm trying to reorganise what that one is about I thought I'd repost it here. Apologies if you've seen it before. It is actually from Bryony the genius behind A Girl, A Style  it is utterly delicious!

A few cups of plain rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
1 cup roughly chopped nuts (any combination, such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios)
A good handful of mixed seeds (such as pumpkin, sunflower, linseed)
1 cup roughly chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, peach, cranberries, dried cherries, sultanas, raisins)
1/2 cup apple juice (though any  juice will do really)
2 tbs honey + 2 tbs maple or golden syrup (or 4 tbs honey if preferred)
2 tbs oil or melted butter
Small handful of dried coconut (shredded of flaked)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
A large handful of rice bubbles, wheat flakes, chocolate chips or any other preferred additives

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius (35o farenheit). Lightly mist 2 large baking trays/sheets with cooking spray.
Combine the oats and cinnamon in a bowl until you???re happy with the proportions (no need to be too precise).
In a separate small bowl, combine the juice, vanilla extract, honey, syrup, salt and oil/butter. Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir well. Taste, and if it seems a little dry or not as sweet as you would like, add a touch more juice or honey (the mix should be moist and combined, though not saturated).
Spoon evenly into two large baking trays, and bake for approximately 20 minutes ??? or until almost dry and golden. At this stage, add the nuts, seeds, dried fruit and coconut (stirring in to combine and break up the baked mix slightly ??? you want a mix of small pieces and chunks). Bake for another 10-20 minutes, or until the nuts and dried fruit look slightly baked (do keep checking regularly, as the fruit can quickly burn) and the whole mix is a nicely crisp and golden.
Allow to cool completely in baking trays, then stir through rice bubbles (or whichever ???unbaked??? ingredients you wish) ??? these will lighten the whole mix, and add another textural layer against the crunchy oats.

Makes 2 large mason jars worth.

via agirlastyle.com

I saw this over on A Girl A Style, the delightful world of Miss B, makes you want to jump right on that health kick, right?! Yum! 

Enjoy

Xx