Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

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One-Pot Lamb with Orzo (Yiouvetsi)

A Cypriot-inspired dish known as Yiouvetsi or lamb with orzo casserole. Perfect for feeding a big family, or a crowd. One of our favourites.

Cypriot Lamb with Orzo

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One-Pot Cypriot Lamb

Delicious and comforting and very easy to make. Orzo is a type of pasta, shaped like slightly larger grains of rice. If you can't find orzo, try macaroni, or any very small pasta shapes. 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g lamb, chopped into very small cubes (leg steaks or neck works well)
  • 2 white onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled, grated
  • 2 tsp tomato puree
  • 400g tin plum tomatoes
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp. fresh or dried oregano
  • 1 litre lamb or chicken stock
  • 250g orzo pasta
  • Large handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
  • 100g feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large casserole pot and brown the lamb pieces, ideally in batches, making sure the first lot is brown before moving on and browning the next amount. Lift each batch out of the pan and set to one side until all of it has browned. Keep the browned lamb covered with a plate. 
  2. Add a second tablespoon of oil to the pan add the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan where the lamb has been browning. 
  3. Cook the onions very gently for 10 minutes until softened. Add a few tablespoons of water to help the onions along and keep the pan from drying out. 
  4. Add the garlic and tomato puree, stir and cook for a further five minutes.
  5. Tip the browned lamb back in, add the tin of tomatoes and then half fill the can with water and tip that in. Add the cinnamon and dried or fresh oregano. Cook on a low, gentle heat for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Bread up the tomatoes with a spoon if they were whole and not chopped. 
  6. Stir the orzo into the casserole pan, stir well and pour over the stock. Cook, uncovered, for a further 10-11min or until the orzo is tender. It should not be too soft, but rather al dente. Season with lots of salt and pepper.
  7. Once cooked, carefully spoon onto a large serving dish, sprinkle over the fresh mint and the crumbled feta. Serve immediately. 

Courses Main

Cuisine Cypriot

You may also like:

Lamb with wild mushroom sauce and dill mash 

Polish meatballs with mushroom sauce 

Turkey and leek meatballs with tomato tagliatelle  

Sausages Baked with Squash [One Pan]

In partnership with Iceland #ad

One Pan Baked Sausages and Squash
Sausages Baked with Squash

If you regularly cook for your family, you’ll probably find, as I do, that some of the biggest challenges you face in a typical week revolve around coming up with a constant stream of nutritious meals, whilst fitting things in around your family’s schedule and dietary requirements. This is when a bit of meal planning comes into its own, as do shortcuts by way of handy items that can easily be pulled out of the freezer.

How can the freezer help?

  • I keep key items on hand, ready for when I’ve not had time to plan ahead, allowing me to quickly and easily rustle up a healthy family meal, such as frozen rice for stuffed vegetables or one-pot dishes, frozen chopped onions, frozen fruit (for quick smoothies), frozen seafood such as king prawns and salmon fillets for fishy pasta, and frozen pastry for quick my quick chicken pie.
  • Frozen food, especially frozen veggies, can often be just as good frozen as fresh
  • The freezer can act as a great back up, saving space in the fridge

So, this week our meal plan will feature some of Simon’s recipes, such as Sausages Baked with Squash and Rosemary (see the recipe below) and a retro Chocolate Trifle for pudding which will last a couple of days at least as it’s so big!

 

My ultimate food hacks

  • Scale up and batch cook so that one meal lasts a couple of nights
  • Keep things such as frozen chopped onions and packets of frozen vegetables to hand in the freezer
  • Go for ‘tray-bakes’ or one-pan dishes as much as possible – this is where you throw lots of items together and bake them on one tray in the oven. We love chicken thighs with chorizo and new potatoes, or salmon with roasted vegetables too.

Commissioned post by Iceland #PowerofFrozen #ad

Lamb Steaks Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

A comforting recipe for Eat Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef

welsh-lamb-ren_-2

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Lamb Steaks with Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

Prep

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Yield 4 servings

A creamy and comforting recipe using Welsh lamb steaks. 

Instructions

  1. Season the lamb steaks with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, on both sides. Drizzle a little oil onto the steaks and rub the oil into the meat. Set to one side.
  2. Drain the peeled potatoes and put them into a pan of fresh cold water, cover, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain into a colander and set to one side to dry.
  3. Place a dry frying pan onto a low heat. Throw in the pine nuts and allow them to toast until they turn golden – this will take around 30 seconds. Tip the pine nuts onto a plate and set to one side.
  4. Add a little oil to the same pan, turn up the heat to medium-high and add the lamb steak to the pan. Fry for 5 minutes on one side then flip them over. Add the mushrooms to the pan and a teaspoon of butter and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lamb steaks (which will be cooked rare-medium rare) and leave them to rest on a plate.
  5. Pour the stock into the pan, swirl the stock around and allow to bubble for a minute. Add the fresh dill and double cream, stir and and bring up to the boil. Then take the pan off the heat.
  6. Mash the cooked potatoes, or put them through a potato ricer. Add one tablespoon butter, double cream and the fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, stir the butter, cream and dill into the mashed potatoes, until the potatoes are creamy and smooth.
  7. Divide the potatoes onto 4 plates. Slice each lamb steak in half and place on top of the mash. Spoon over over the creamy mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and serve straight away.

Courses Main

Cuisine British

You may also like:

Lamb Steaks with Mint Ajika Sauce (Olia Hercules for Marley Spoon)

One-Pot Cypriot Lamb with Orzo 

Make-Ahead Lamb and Potato Moussaka

Jamie Oliver’s Mothership Roast Lamb

This is a paid recipe commission for Eat Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef. Find more Llambassador recipes here.

 

Pizza Pasta Soup

Think of this as a hearty soup, suitable for stretching a little leftover bolognese. You could also use a jar of tomato sauce – a good quality one and add the same amount of stock to achieve a soup consistency. On other occasions, I’ve thrown in chopped, fried pepperoni, mushrooms or shredded chicken. A good sprinkle of mozzarella is a must and a big heap of grated Parmesan cheese for the top. Fresh basil or oregano is lovely, too. Get creative!

Pizza Pasta Soup

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Rainy Day Pizza Pasta Soup

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A great way to use up leftover tomato or Bolognese sauce. Simply add a handfull of pasta and some of your favourite 'toppings' such as chopped, fried pepperoni, mushrooms, or shredded chicken. Add grated mozzarella and a good handful of Parmesan cheese on the top.

Ingredients

  • 500g/two cups Bolognese or good quality tomato sauce (leftovers are ideal)
  • 250ml/one cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • sea salt
  • black pepper
  • 280g/2 cups cooked pasta
  • 100g mozzarella, torn or grated
  • 100g fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated
  • (optional - fried pepperoni, mushrooms or shredded chicken)

Instructions

  1. Pour the Bolognese or tomato sauce into a large pan. On a medium heat, bring to the boil. Add in the stock and stir well. Add in the bay leaf. Stir in half a teaspoon each of sea salt and black pepper.
  2. When hot, add in the cooked pasta and stir. Remove the bay leaf Add the optional extras, such as pepperoni, if using. Divide the soup between four bowls.
  3. Add the torn mozzarella, and top with grated Parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves per bowl.
  4. Serve straight away

Cuisine Italian-ish

Pizza Pasta Soup

 

Let me know if you make this by tagging me on Instagram or Twitter as @foodren

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Recipe: Skinny Carbonara from {Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver}

Today sees the publication of Jamie Oliver’s brand new cookbook Everyday Super Food and I’ve been busy trying out some of the recipes for myself at home, beginning with Jamie’s Skinny Carbonara.

If you’ve been following Jamie on Instagram or on the You app, you’ll have noticed that this is the year he turned 40. He himself has enjoyed making some simple lifestyle changes, for example, by practicing mindfulness and by making some changes to his diet and lifestyle. Everyday Super Food is really his ultimate manifesto for helping you do the same.

I have four copies of Jamie’s new book to giveaway (see entry form below) with the recipe for Jamie’s Skinny Carbonara also shared below with the publisher’s permission.

Every Day Super Food

The Skinny Carbonara was very tasty and quick to make – fifteen minutes at most. I didn’t see any instructions for juicing the lemon and I ended up adding in the juice of one whole lemon. Next time, I would use the juice of half a lemon. I had quite a lot of pea mixture left over, so blitzed it up with some chicken stock and had a an extra cup of pea soup for lunch the next day. The whole family enjoyed it and the addition of peas and ground almonds gave the dish an extra lift and a bit of texture, along with the crispy bacon. Nobody noticed the wholewheat spaghetti so that’s a permanent switch for us in the future!

I can’t wait to try the Mega Veggie Burger featured by Helen here, or the Baked Eggs with Popped Beans that Katherine tried here. I’m also looking forward to trying Jamie’s Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad, shared by The Happy Foodie.

Skinny Carbonara Ren Behan
My version of the tasty Skinny Carbonara recipe from the book

The book ties in with a new six-part Channel 4 series, Jamie’s Super Food, due to broadcast this autumn and you can buy the book from today.

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SKINNY CARBONARA SMOKY BACON, PEAS, ALMONDS & BASIL

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Yield 2

Humble little peas are a source of nine different micronutrients, and are especially high in thiamin, a B vitamin that helps our hearts to function properly

Ingredients

  • 200g freshly podded or frozen peas
  • 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
  • 1 small clove of garlic
  • ½ a bunch of fresh basil (15g)
  • 15g Parmesan cheese
  • 1 lemon
  • 150g wholewheat spaghetti
  • 1 rasher of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
  • olive oil
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • 100g fat-free natural yoghurt

Instructions

  1. Put a pan of boiling salted water on the heat for your pasta, dunk a sieve containing the peas into the water for just 30 seconds, then put aside, leaving the pan on the heat.
  2. Very lightly toast the almonds in a dry non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, then blitz until fine in a food processor. With the processor still running, peel and drop in the garlic, a pinch of sea salt, the basil leaves, the finely grated Parmesan and the lemon juice. Blitz until it comes together, then pulse in the peas, to try and keep a bit of texture.
  3. Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, very finely slice the bacon and fry slowly in the frying pan with 1 teaspoon of oil on a medium-low heat until golden and crispy, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to kitchen paper, so the flavoursome fat stays in the pan.
  4. Scoop in three-quarters of your pea mixture to heat through.
  5. Whisk the egg and yoghurt together well. When the pasta’s done, reserving a mugful of cooking water, drain the pasta and toss straight into the pea pan, mixing well, then take the pan off the heat (this is very important, otherwise the egg will scramble when you add it, and we don’t want that).
  6. Pour in the egg mixture and toss until evenly coated, silky and creamy, loosening with cooking water if needed. Taste and season to perfection, and serve topped with the remaining pea mixture and the crispy bacon.
  7. It might be skinny, but it’s beautifully light and delicious. Enjoy!

Courses Healthy

Cuisine Italian

 

Skinny Carbonara
Jamie’s Skinny Carbonara {Image from the book, taken by Jamie Oliver}

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Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Random House

ⓒ Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2015 Everyday Super Food) Photographer: Jamie Oliver

With thanks to Jamie’s PR team for the recipes, previews and review copy in the post.

Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale by Amy Chaplin

Yesterday I shared a book review of At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, a new recipe book by New York-based chef Amy Chaplin, who creates vegetarian and vegan recipes. Today (with the publisher’s permission) I’m sharing my favourite recipe from the book, which you can find on page 98 of the UK edition – Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale, Caramelized Onions and Marinated Goat’s Cheese. I didn’t have the marinated goat’s cheese to hand (there’s a recipe for that, too, in Amy’s book on page 116) so I used a mild and creamy locally produced goat’s cheese called Childwickbury goat’s cheese. The recipe calls for kale (cavolo nero) but you can use spinach in it’s place in this beautifully simple pasta dish.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do – it’s become my go-to supper!

Wholewheat Fettuccine

Wholewheat Fettuccine recipe by Amy Chaplin on renbehan.com

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Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale by Amy Chaplin

Yield 4

In this recipe, the author, Amy, uses her own Marinated Goat’s Cheese, inspired by Meredith Dairy, in Australia. However, it also works well with a soft goat’s cheese and so I've used a mild British goat’s cheese many times to make this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 medium to large red onions, thinly sliced
  • Sea salt
  • 340g (12oz) wholewheat fettuccine
  • 1 ½ bunches 700g (1 lb 9 oz/10 cups) sliced kale or cavolo nero (or fresh spinach)
  • 225g (8oz) marinated goat’s cheese (oil marinade reserved) at room temperature (I used a British goat's cheese)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the onions. Sauté for 10 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add a pinch of sea salt, lower the heat slightly and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until onions are soft and caramelised.
  2. In the meantime, bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a large pinch of salt. Add the wholewheat fettuccine to the boiling water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or following the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pan.
  3. While pasta cooks, stir the kale (or spinach) into the cooked onions, cover the frying pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring once or twice. Add onion and kale mixture, three quarters of the goat’s cheese and lots of black pepper to the pasta; mix well.
  4. Drizzle in a tablespoon or more of oil marinade from the cheese (or add a drizzle of good quality olive oil) and season to taste.
  5. Divide among bowls and top with a crumble of remaining goat’s cheese; serve immediately.

Courses Vegetarian

Like this recipe?

You can find more of Amy Chaplin’s recipe here on her webpage. 

For a simple, gluten-free supper, try my Brown Rice Noodles with Spinach and Tomato (GF, V, VG)

If you eat prawns or shrimp try my Wholewheat Penne with Prawns

A UK blog that I love which is full of whole food and healthy recipes is Food To Glow by Kellie Anderson- try any of her delicious dishes!

 

With thanks to Jacqui Small Publishing for their permission for me to share this recipe. Photo Credit Johnny Miller. Recipe Credit Amy Chaplin. 

Clearspring Gluten Free Brown Rice Noodles with Spinach and Tomato

ClearSpring Gluten Free Noodles

It’s always nice to find ways of making our favourite recipes a little healthier and this is especially true of pasta. This month, I’ve experimented with courgette or zucchini noodles, sometimes called ‘zoodles’ and also with a new type of 100% organic Clearspring gluten free brown rice noodles – recipe below. Usually, these type of noodles are used in Asian cooking, perhaps to make a noodle salad or a Pad Thai, though the packet did say you could use them as a gluten free alternative to pasta – which is what I did. In the ‘Pasta Please’ link up that I was hosting for Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes, we also had some fresh pasta with kale, mint and pesto, eggplant (aubergine) meatballs, fresh spinach pasta and some baked salmon with spinach and basil pesto pasta. So, all very virtuous!

…

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Quick Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables

My mother (who is an amazing cook) can always make ‘something out of nothing’ and I’m hoping that this recipe will always remind me of that.

Vegetables

Last week, when my mum came to stay, I was completely on the back foot. I hadn’t managed a big shop and the fridge was uncharacteristically empty. We found a few red and green (bell) peppers, two courgettes, a plum tomato, a stick of celery, a carrot and a cup of leftover peas. There was also a chunk of Parmesan cheese. The obvious solution would have been to make a pan of soup, but I fancied something a bit more substantial than that. “We”ll stuff the veg!” declared my mum, and after a quick whizz of my cupboards she found some vegetable stock, a tin of tomatoes and one of those two-minute pouches of rice. Yes, I have those in my cupboard.

Stuffed Vegetables

Within minutes the kitchen was filled with the aroma of a bubbling ‘quick’ risotto and after a sprinkle of some sea salt and fresh pepper, the vegetables began baking in the oven.

Cooking with Kids

The pre-cooked rice was really the key to the speediness in this recipe – you can shave off a good ten minutes. If you had some leftover risotto, it would be quicker, still and you could just use that to stuff the vegetables with instead. You can also buy a quicker cook ‘pronto’ version of risotto now in pouches, too, though I haven’t tried those. You can even make it with ‘easy cook rice’ – you’ll just need to simmer it a little longer. The rice should be ‘almost’ cooked before you stuff your vegetables with it.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

Once you know how to stuff veggies (always pre-bake them for at least ten minutes before stuffing just to get them going a bit) you can make all kinds of fillings. You can even stuff them with a bolognese ragu like this one.

And look what you end up with – Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables – fit for a King or Queen.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

We serve ours with some tiny cubed courgettes and a really good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

My mother might just be the cleverest cook in the world. She’s always an inspiration to me.

 

I hope you’re enjoying the (slightly blustery) autumnal weather! If you are not, make these instead, then stay inside and keep warm and happy.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

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Quick Risotto-Stuffed Veggies

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Sea Salt and pepper
  • 2-3 bell peppers
  • 1 large (beef or plum) tomato
  • 2 courgettes/zucchini
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into cubes
  • A cupful of frozen peas
  • 1 packet quick-to-cook rice, or 250g leftover cooked rice
  • 250ml/one cup vegetable stock
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • To garnish - half a courgette and some Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  2. Chop the tops off the peppers and scoop out any seeds. Do the same with the tomato. Cut one of the courgettes in half and using a teaspoon, scoop out the centre. Dice the second courgette for the garnish, keep to one side. Place the prepared veggies in a foil lined baking tin, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for ten minutes. Alongside those, spread the diced courgette onto a flat baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for ten minutes, too.
  3. In the meantime, drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan. Fry the onions for three to four minutes, then add in the celery and carrot and cook for a further few minutes.Throw in the peas and the rice, pour in the stock and add the tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for around five minutes. If you are not using pre-cooked rice, you''ll need to cover and simmer the rice until it is cooked - around ten minutes.
  4. Take the vegetables out of the oven and carefully fill the peppers, tomato and courgettes with the rice mixture. Put the stuffed vegetables back in the oven and bake for a further ten minutes.The vegetables should be soft, take them out and set to one side.
  5. Serve the baked, stuffed veggies with some of the courgette cubes and a grating of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Love you, Mama!

Ooh, if you wanted to stuff your veggies with a traditional risotto – follow my tips over on JamieOliver.com here.

Read all about my trip to Lombardy and Piedmont, with Riso Gallo, who produce one of Italy’s best brands of rice.

Simple Risotto

Lamb and Potato Moussaka

With less than two weeks to go until my third baby arrives, I’ve been in nesting mode  – it’s amazing really how this instinct kicks in just when you think you have no energy left! For me, this has also meant batch cooking and madly bookmarking easy and healthy recipes to support being a new mummy again, such as Pinch of Yum’s Creamy Potato Kale Soup, portions of vegetable lasagna (also layered up with kale and spinach) and ‘quick to throw together or stick in the oven’ recipes, such as the easy Lamb and Potato Moussaka below. A traditional Moussaka would use layers of grilled aubergine, but my kids are really not keen on the texture, so I just replace the aubergine with thinly sliced potatoes. I’m also sure I won’t want to be standing around stirring a Béchamel (white sauce) so a fail-safe tub of crème fraîche along with some grated cheese is a useful back-up plan for making a super-quick cheese sauce ready to pour over the top of this dish before it goes into the oven. I’ve included tips for making ahead and freezing in the recipe notes below.

Lamb and Potato Moussaka

Part-way through my marathon batch-cook, the freezer decided to break down. So I’ve been scrubbing, clearing out and cleaning that, too. Remind me never to freeze red wine in sandwich bags again for later use in sauces, since that’s what created the biggest mess. Can I blame Nigella for that one?! I’m sure it was one of her tips… Luckily, I’ve saved most of what I had already prepared food-wise, but still, it’s not what you need. On the plus side, everyone, including the husband, declared the Lamb and Potato Moussaka dish to be super-tasty – so much so that I’ll have to make another batch to freeze. If you are vegetarian or simply looking to include more pulses into your diet, you can add a tin of cooked lentils to the lamb or leave out the lamb altogether and just make the base out of beans and/lentils (with onions, garlic, the tomato sauce and spices).

Lamb Moussaka

I’ve also been busy road-testing a new kitchen gadget – the Sage By Heston Blumenthal Kitchen Wizz Pro, which I hope to be writing about tomorrow. It’s really a super-powerful food processor, with plenty of chopping and slicing options. I was able to quickly whizz up the onions and garlic for this Moussaka, make my own quick lamb mince (I used British lam leg steaks) as well as thinly slicing the potatoes for the top of this dish. I’ve been extremely pleased with results so far and look forward to coming up with more time-saving recipes, soon.

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Easy Lamb and Potato Moussaka

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Yield 4 -6

A quick and tasty Lamb and Potato Moussaka recipe, using potatoes in place of aubergine, flavoured with cinnamon and oregano and topped with an instant, tangy cheese sauce.

Ingredients

  • 5-6 large potatoes, I used Maris Piper, peels and finely sliced
  • 2-4 tablespoons olive oil or rapeseed oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 500g/one pound lean ground lamb mince
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste/puree
  • 1 can chopped plum tomatoes
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • For the cheese sauce -
  • 200g/one cup crème fraîche
  • 50g/half a cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 50g/half a cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • A dash of milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • A little butter for the baking dish

Instructions

  1. Heat a tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a large, flat pan. Firstly, start by gently browning the potato slices. Do this by frying a few slices for one-two minutes on each side, in batches, until they are all slightly golden. Add a little more oil to the pan as necessary. Keep all the potatoes to one side, on some kitchen paper, until later. You can skip the potato-browning stage if you want a quicker version.
  2. Once that's done, in the same pan, add a further tablespoon of oil and cook the onions and garlic until soft and golden. Add the minced/ground lamb, turning up the heat a little to brown the meat all over. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and dried oregano and stir. Add in the tomato paste, canned tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, make the quick cheese sauce by gently heating the creme fraiche and stirring through all the cheese until melted. Add a splash of milk to loosen the sauce, take it off the heat, allow to cool a little then whisk in the beaten egg.
  4. When you are ready to eat, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
  5. Lightly grease three small dishes or one large baking dish with a little butter. Spoon in some of the lamb sauce, then a layer of potato, then a further layer of lamb sauce followed again by potato. Pour the cheese sauce over the top.
  6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and the top is golden.

Notes

Freezer Tip: Bake the Moussaka and cool completely. Portion up into small containers, double-wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost in the usual manner and reheat in microwave (or oven) until thoroughly heated through for a quick meal.

Courses Main

Cuisine Greek

I hope you feel inspired to give this easy Lamb and Potato Moussaka a try – it’s a great family-friendly meal or perhaps even a crowd-pleased to bookmark for the upcoming World Cup!

What are your favourite batch-cook or make ahead recipes?

Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

 British asparagus season is in full swing!

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta
A simple, seasonal dish ready in minutes!

I’ve been craving the combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese in every form this week, which is unusual for me. Strong, salty flavours are vying for my attention, as well as the sourness of beetroot and pickled cucumbers. Still, at 37 weeks pregnant, it could be worse and at least my sweet tooth has been calmed. I’ve also been eating plenty of fresh, British asparagus, as it’s in season now in the UK, with some of the best spears coming from the counties of Lincolnshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The Vale of Evesham is also renowned for its asparagus, with the British Asparagus Festival 2014 running between 23rd April and 21st June. This pasta dish of asparagus, smoked salmon and cream cheese is very quick to make with just a few ingredients. I’ve used small penne tubes, though any small pasta shapes work well with this almost-instant cream cheese sauce.

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

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Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

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Yield 2

British asparagus spears, paired with smoked salmon in a simple and quick cream cheese sauce with penne

Ingredients

  • 250g/ one cup dried Penne pasta, or other small shapes
  • One bunch/one cup fresh asparagus, chopped into one inch pieces
  • 200g/ 3/4 cup cream cheese, regular or light
  • A glug of olive oil
  • 120g (one small packet) smoked salmon
  • Fresh dill to garnish
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add in the pasta shapes and cook for 8 minutes, or according to the packet instructions.
  2. Two minutes before the end of cooking time, add the chopped asparagus to the water. Take out one cup of pasta water for the sauce. After two minutes, drain the pasta and asparagus.
  3. Add the cup of pasta water back into the same pan, stir in the cream cheese and a glug of olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper. Add in the cooked pasta and asparagus.
  4. Stir through the chopped smoked salmon, leaving a few pieces to garnish the top. Sprinkle over the fresh dill and serve immediately.

Courses Main

Cuisine Italian

I’m entering this dish into a few blog event challenges this month. Firstly, to Pasta Please! created by Jac of Tinned Tomatoes and this month hosted by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen with a theme of pasta sauces.

pasta please

Next, the post goes on to Four Seasons Food, celebrating all things spring. This event is jointly hosted by Louisa at Eat Your Veg and  Anneli at Delicieux.

fsf-spring

And finally, to my own Simple and in Season Spring, open here.

Simple and in Season

More asparagus recipes to try

British Asparagus and Westcombe Cheddar Tart for JamieOliver.com

British Asparagus, Spinach, Halloumi and Beetroot Salad

Fresh Pasta with Asparagus, Goat’s Cheese and Lemon

Asparagus, Salmon and Cream Cheese Pasta

 Have you been enjoying any seasonal asparagus in simple, family meals?

Next week it’s National Vegetarian Week so look out for plenty of veg-packed recipes!

Kopytka – Polish Gnocchi for Tenderstem ®

Hurray! Today officially marks the first day of spring. March has already been an incredibly busy month for me recipe-wise and I have lots of great things to share with you over the next few days. Firstly, I wanted to tell you about a new recipe up on the Tenderstem ® broccoli website, which I was asked to create as part of their focus on inspiring recipes from around the world. I created my Polish version of a gnocchi recipe, known as ‘kopytka’ – meaning ‘little hooves’ – made in a similar way to Italian gnocchi, with leftover mashed potato, flour, an egg and a little seasoning. I also added some small pieces of Tenderstem ® to the dough itself, to brighten things up a bit and then served them with more healthy Tenderstem ®, shallots and Polish ham. It’s a really easy recipe to bring together and I’ve already had lots of positive comments on Twitter, from readers letting me know how they’ve got on trying it. I’d love to here from you, too, if you fancy this for a spring supper one evening!

Photograph copyright Tenderstem
Photograph copyright Tenderstem

Print

Kopytka (Polish Gnocchi) with Tenderstem ®

Ingredients

  • 200g pack Tenderstem
  • 500g mashed potatoes, cooled
  • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • A small knob of butter
  • 2 shallots, peeled, chopped
  • 200g Polish ham or bacon, such as Sopocka or Wiejska, or use pancetta.

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the Tenderstem. Boil for five minutes, remove with a slotted spoon (keep the water, turn off the heat) and drain under cold water. Chop five sprigs of Tenderstem very finely. Put to one side to add to the dumplings.
  2. Put the mash potato into a large bowl. Add the finely chopped Tenderstem, the flour, egg and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Using a metal spoon at first, bring the mixture together. Then tip it out onto a board and knead it until all the flour is incorporated into the potato.
  3. Sprinkle a little extra flour onto the board and cut the dough into four quarters. Roll each piece into a long cylinder and cut at an angle into one inch pieces. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.
  4. Bring the salted water back to the boil and in batches, drop in the dumplings. Gently boil for three to four minutes.They will rise to the top once cooked. Take them out with a slotted spoon, drain and cook the rest.
  5. Once the dumplings are cooked, add one tablespoon olive oil and the butter to a large frying pan. Gently fry the shallots and the chopped ham. Add the rest of the pre-cooked Tenderstem and add the dumplings to the pan to colour them slightly. Cook for a further two minutes and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size Serves 4

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

There are also lots of other globally inspired recipes to be found on the site, here.

With many thanks to Tenderstem ® for this recipe commission. 

Happy Spring!

Linking up to Simple and in Season – March

Recipe:Turkey Stroganoff with Soured Cream

It’s time to think smart when it comes to making the most out of the food we buy and using up our leftovers. I was pretty shocked to read that the average family in Britain wastes nearly £60 a month (the equivalent of 6 meals a week or 24 meals a month) in unused food. As we approach Christmas, two for one deals and special offers go into overdrive, which means that if we’re not careful, we’ll end up buying too much and then throwing some of it away. The one thing we are very good at doing is coming up with ways to use up our turkey leftovers and I’ve been challenged to do just that by the Lean on Turkey campaign. Although we shouldn’t just be thinking of leftovers at Christmas or Thanksgiving, using up all the little bits we have in the fridge and making the most of a roast should be the way forward all year round. I’m tapping into my Eastern European roots a little with this recipe for a turkey stroganoff, which uses up leftover turkey (or any poultry, really) along with some red onions, mushrooms, mustard, soured cream and a few sprigs of dill. It’s perfect for a Boxing Day buffet or for a quick family supper, whenever you have some leftovers to use up. Stroganoff can be made with a tablespoon or mustard or tomato puree and an optional sprinkle of paprika. Always use ‘smetana’ or soured cream.

Turkey leftovers (1 of 3)-2

Costings (to come in at under £10 for 4)

  • Leftover Turkey (nominal as it should be leftover) – £2
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (store cupboard)
  • 1 red onion – 40p
  • Mushrooms 200g – £1.69
  • 1 tablespoon mustard – 5p
  • Soured cream 300ml – 99p
  • Fresh dill – 25p
  • Noodles/Rice – £1.50

Total – £6.88 to feed 4 (Ocado)

Print

Turkey Stroganoff with Soured Cream

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4

A quick and easy dish to use up leftover turkey

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 300g mushrooms
  • 500g leftover turkey
  • 300ml soured cream
  • A splash of whole milk
  • Fresh dill to garnish
  • Noddles, pasta or rice to serve

Instructions

  1. Cook the noodles, pasta or rice according to the packet instructions.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large frying pan. Cook the onions over a medium heat for five minutes, until soft. Stir in the wholegrain mustard and the mushrooms and season with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt. Cook for a further five minutes.
  3. Add the leftover turkey to the pan and mix together well. Pour in the soured cream, adding a splash of milk if the sauce is a little thick. Cook for another five minutes, or until the turkey is piping hot.
  4. Serve on a bed of noodles, pasta or rice and garnish with fresh dill. Optional: drizzle over a little extra olive oil.

Previous #LeanonTurkey recipes

Challenge 5 – Turkey and Leek Meatballs with Tomato Tagliatelle

Challenge 6 – Coronation Turkey Picnic Rolls

Lean on Turkey Blogger’s Page

This is a recipe commission in association with Lean on Turkey. Ingredients + development time paid for.  

Chicken and Mushroom Lasagne (Great British Farmhouse Cookbook)

Weekends are for leisurely cooking, the kind that allows you to pull a cookbook from the shelf, put a little more time into something and maybe try a recipe you haven’t tackled before. There’s something about country cooking or farmhouse cooking that particularly lends itself to the weekend, too. Flicking through The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook by Sarah Mayor, my thoughts look forward again to summer holidays in Wales, to being woken up by the sound of free-roaming sheep or cows in the fields surrounding us and of fresh, local produce in abundance. Cookbooks always take us somewhere; whether to foreign lands, a family farmhouse or even just to a pantry stocked with homemade jams and preserves. This particular cookbook took me straight to the West Country with fresh British produce at the heart of the adventure.

Yeo Valley Orange Cheesecake
Photo credit Andrew Montgomery

Sarah Mayor wrote The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook from her family home in Somerset, England. Her family have been farming there historically since 15th Century. Sarah’s parents bought Holt Farm in 1961 and later opened up a small tea room. Since there was plenty of skimmed milk leftover from creating clotted cream, they started to produce yoghurt and ‘Yeo Valley’ was born – the largest organic business in the UK. Produce is made with an astonishing 2 million litres of milk per week, some of which comes from the families own British Friesian herd.

The cookbook tells lots of stories from field to fork, taking in The Dairy, The Farmhouse Kitchen, The Veg Garden, The Farmyard, The Pastures, The Woods, Hedgerows, Fields and Streams and The Fruit Garden. Even before you are introduced to any recipes, the scene is set, with photographs of fresh produce, vintage farmhouse crockery, baby lambs, British seasonal fruit and family gatherings inspired by the great British outdoors. Its ‘wellies’ all around and the food is hearty and welcoming.

In the first few pages, Sarah focuses on milk, the staple ingredient of the farm, with recipes for your very own DIY Dairy including yoghurt, ricotta, butter, cream cheese, crème fraiche, clotted cream and the all-important milkshakes. So, if you fancy trying your hand at becoming an artisan for the day or even for longer, dip in and give these recipes a go.

Whether you are making your own diary produce or simply buying the freshest ingredients that you can get your hands on,  you can look forward to trying Sarah’s Orange yogurt cheese cheesecake (photo above) or a Poppy seed and lemon ice-cream cake with stewed blackcurrants, or our very favourite, Lemon curd and raisin bread and butter pudding for a zesty twist on a great British classic.

A friend of mine recently said that she acquired a glut of broad beans via a local delivery scheme, so I pointed her in the direction of Sarah’s Broad bean paté on toast with torn mozzarella, basil and lemon oil. These would make a great addition to an outdoor lunch or a summer family picnic.

Yeo Valley Broad Bean Pate
Photo credit Andrew Montgomery

Whilst we were still in the mood for a spot of comfort cooking and so made Sarah’s Chicken and mushroom lasagne, with chestnut mushrooms, leftover chicken, Parmesan, thyme, cream and the addition of seasonal leeks.

Yeo Valley Chicken and Mushroom Lasagne

I also spotted a lovely list of top ten foods to forage, including wild garlic, blackberries, wild plums and elderflowers, with which you could make a Spinach, wild garlic and filo pie or Elderflower rhubarb and jelly creams. I don’t think there is a single recipe in this book that I wouldn’t be tempted to make and as clichéd as it will sound, The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook immediately made me want to plan my own escape to the country!

You can find the recipe for Sarah’s Chicken and mushroom lasagne here.

Yeo Valley Family Farm The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook by Sarah Mayor is published by Quadrille Publishing, RRP £20.00

Yeo Valley Cookbook

With many thanks to Quadrille for my review copy.

‘Almost Spring’ Lamb Hotpot

One of our favourite one-pot meals, by far, is a lamb hotpot. It is so easy to throw together and is incredibly warming and comforting. I am desperately willing for it to be brighter and warmer, but we’ve still got frost and grey skies – so an ‘almost Spring’ hotpot is called for. You could make this in a slow cooker, but the potatoes wouldn’t get crispy on top. The lamb and vegetables would be lovely and tender, though. My onions, celery and carrots were all from our veg box and this is a classic, seasonal British dish.

Lamb Hotpot

Spring lamb is just coming into season. I usually ask the butcher for British lamb neck fillet, but a traditional ‘hotpot’ can also be made with neck chops, stewing lamb, diced leg or shoulder or something with a bone for extra flavour.  For a Lancashire Hotpot, add 3 lamb kidneys, sliced, to the pan at the same time as browning your meat. Leave out the tomato paste and add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce instead.

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Lamb Hotpot

I’m sending this recipe across to Louisa at Chez Foti who is hosting this month’s Simple and in Season.

I’m also sending this to Credit Crunch Munch  hosted jointly by Helen at Fuss Free Flavour and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All – although buying lamb fillet can be pricey, the carrot, onions, celery and potatoes are all in season and were all from my veg box. The stock and tomato puree are store-cupboard staples.

This recipe takes around one and a half hours to cook in the oven. You could follow all the same steps and instead of transferring the lamb and veg to a lidded casserole dish, layer it up in a slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on a low setting. Pop over to Mediocre Mum’s new site Slow Cooker Queen for more slow cooking ideas.

Finally, this is my first entry into Made with Love Mondays, too.

What’s your favourite warming one-pot meal?

Family Spaghetti Carbonara (ASK Italian Cook Book)

Today marks the official publication of The ASK Italian Cookbook, in support of GOSH – Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. I’ve had a sneaky peak of the book ahead of the launch and have been busy bookmarking and cooking some of my favourite recipes from it. When I moved to London, aged 18, as a student, the very first job I had was in an ASK Italian restaurant, just off Tottenham Court Road. I have many happy memories of serving (and eating) big plates of pasta and tasty pizzas. Since then, many of the ASK restaurants have had an update. Chef Theo Randall has also been working with ASK to improve the quality of their food and to inspire some of the chefs and team working for the group. Theo has also contributed a number of his own recipes to the book and other collaborators, such as Carla Capalbo and ASK CEO Harvey Smyth have lent a hand, too. As well as giving the home cook the chance to try some of ASK’s favourite recipes at home, part of the proceeds of sale of the book will go towards their favourite charity, GOSH.

ASK’s goal is to raise an ambitious £1 million over the next few years to fund facilities in the new Surgery Centre.

ASK Italian CookbookThe ASK Italian Cookbook offers a good mix of traditional Italian recipes, including Antipasti, Pasta, Risotto, Pizza, Fish and Meat, Salads and Desserts. There is a section called The Italian Larder, an Italian Wine Tasting Guide and wine recommendations alongside some of the recipes. You’ll also find advice on chosing pasta and making fresh pasta, risotto and pizza dough. Towards the back, there’s  a chapter on some of the ASK Italian menu staple sauces and bases.

ASK Cookbook

Photographs from the ASK Italian Cookbook. The photograpy is by Jamie Laing, Sylvie Tata and Carla Capalbo

Last night, I made a big bowl of ASK’s Spaghetti Carbonara, one of the dishes I remember looking forward to eating after a busy shift as a waitress. The purist would never add cream to the eggs, so Theo marks it as an optional ingredient. Other recipes I immediately want to make include –

  • Penne Con Salsiccia e Porcini (pasta with Italian sausage, garlic, dried porcini, tomatoes and cream) NB The porcini is duplicated in the ingredients list
  • Penne al Pollo Della Casa – this dish flies off the menu at all ASK’s. Baked, creamy, garlic and mushroom chicken with thyme, cheese and pasta
  • Lasagna di Caprino, Spinaci e Funghi – Goat’s cheese, spinach and mushroom lasagna perfect for feeding a large crowd
  • Risotto con Gamberoni e Zucchine – a really flavoursome risotto made with prawn stock, garlic, courgettes, wine, tomato passata and chilli
  • Spalla D’Agnelo con Olive – Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with anchovies, olives and rosemary (Sunday lunch this weekend)
  • Torta Morbida di Cioccolato – Theo’s Valrhona chocolate cake made with chocolate, eggs, sugar and cream and cooked in a bain marie

Spaghetti Carbonara

My version of ASK’s Spaghetti Carbonara – Spaghetti with Pancetta, Eggs and Cheese.

Although I have lots of Italian cookery books on my shelf, this book doesn’t over-complicate and makes for easy reading and cooking. It would make a great Christmas present for a young cook, perhaps beginning to dabble in pasta-making or for a student. There are some good cooking tips to be found within the recipes, too, such as buying king prawns in their shells and then using the prawns to make a stock for your risotto by poaching them, taking the prettiest ones out and peeling the rest. You then boil the shells for another ten minutes before straining – you’re left with a really tasty seafood stock for your risotto.  Another ASK tip is to use semolina flour to dust the work surface before kneading pizza dough as it will give it a crispier dough.

ASK Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Recipe re-printed with the publisher’s permission

Ingredients:

  • 250g pancetta, cubed (Italian bacon)
  • 1 teaspoon ASK Italian extra virgin olive oil
  • 500g spaghetti
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 100g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 100g pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped, fresh parsley
  • 50ml single cream (optional)
  • freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Method:

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pancetta slowly in a small frying pan in a tablespoon of oil until golden and crispy. Turn off the heat but leave the pancetta in the pan.
  2. Drop the spaghetti into the pan of water and cook according to the packet instructions.
  3. When the pasta is nearly cooked, place the egg yolks in a large warm serving bowl and stir in three-quarters of both cheeses and a tablespoon and a half of parsley. Grind in some black pepper. Turn the heat on under the pancetta pan to keep it hot.
  4. Just before draining the pasta, use a mug to scoop out some of the hot pasta cooking water. Set aside.
  5. Tip the steaming, drained pasta immediately into the bowl with the egg yolks and stir to coat the pasta and cook the eggs.
  6. Add half a mugful of the hot pasta water to the pasta and eggs. Top with the pancetta and its hot oil and stir again. If you want to add cream, do it now.
  7. Serve the carbonara immediately, garnished with parsley and black pepper, and with the rest of the grated cheese on the side.

Spaghetti Carbonara

The ASK Italian Cookbook is available to buy from today in all ASK restaurants. If you buy the book in an ASK restaurant, you can buy it for £10 and £4 will be donated to GOSH.

You can also buy the book online, and a minimum of £1 will be donated  to GOSH from all sales. The RRP is £15

With many thanks to Penguin  and ASK for my review copy and for permission to print a recipe.

 

British Baby Leek and Mushroom Three Grain Risotto

Having survived National Cupcake Week, my scales are pleased that we are now into British Food Fortnight. Whilst I could continue to bake cakes, I am moving instead, into savoury, autumnal cooking-mode.

I know, I know, I could have chosen a British dish to cook, but I was mainly inspired by the lovely British baby leeks that are in season at the moment and by some British mushrooms (not foraged, this time) and by coming across a ‘three grain’ risotto in the back of my cupboard.
 
I’ve been buying locally produced organic spelt flour for some time now (made at Redbournbury Mill) and often enjoy spelt bread, but I have never actually cooked with or eaten spelt as a whole grain. So, I was quite keen to try it. The three grains I used included long grain rice, pearl barley and pearl spelt and I cooked them in the same way that I would cook a normal risotto. 
 
The baby leeks and wild mushrooms give this risotto a lovely flavour and if you top it with some vegetarian cheese, it will also tick the Meat Free Monday box. Aren’t we all being so good? 
 
 
 
You shouldn’t have any trouble at all finding British produce to cook with if you are in the UK, particularly during British Food Fortnight, but I am finding that generally, shops are very keen to push British produce and the double-bonus is that fresh British produce will most likely be in season too.
 
As a random aside, if you are interested in hearing more about spelt, catch up with this week’s Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen on iplayer. Nick’s guest was Edd Kimber, the winner of last year’s Great British Bake Off and about half an hour into the show you’ll also hear me talking about spelt flour in my ‘Ren Recommend’s’ slot! If you are into baking, you’ll find a factsheet on the same page with lots of free recipes on it too, including Edd’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and his Orange and Passion Fruit cake.
 
 
Over the next fortnight up until 2nd October, look out for ‘meet the producer’ style events, special promotions in the shops and in restaurants, healthy eating activities for kids (or, if like me, you overdosed on cupcakes, then for yourself) and generally for the “Buy British” message that the campaign is trying to push.
 
If you are a tweeter, you can follow @theBritFFGirls and add the hashtag #BritFF to your posts/tweets too.
 
You can also follow the campaign by ‘liking’ the Love British Food Facebook page.
 

 

British Baby Leek & Mushroom 3 Grain Risotto

Serves 4
 
Ingredients:
300g Three Grain Risotto (I used the Riso Gallo brand)
1 Tablespoon British Rapeseed Oil
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
220g British Baby Leeks, cleaned and finely chopped
150g British Oyster Mushrooms, chopped
50g British Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced
1 Litre Vegetable Stock
 
For the topping
110g British Baby Leeks, washed and finely chopped
15g Butter
A twist of pepper
A handful of freshly grated vegetarian-style Parmesan cheese
 
Method:
 
1. Boil the kettle and make up the vegetable stock to one litre in a separate sauce pan. Leave the pan on a low heat so that your stock is constantly simmering as you add it to your grains/rice.
 
2. Add the oil to a large heavy-based pan and gently fry the onions and leeks for around five minutes. Add the rice, stir it well until it is coated in the oil and mixed with the onions and leeks.
 
3. Add the mushrooms and risotto rice/grains, mix well until all the grains are coated. Over a medium heat, add a ladleful of stock to the rice and vegetables and simmer. As the stock bubbles in the pan and is absorbed, add another ladleful and again stir. If your rice/grains are in any way sticking to the pan, your heat is too high. Add more as necessary, until all the stock has been used up and the grains are cooked. The grains should take no more than 25 minutes to cook and should still have some bite to them, but should not be hard.
 
4. Using your (now empty) stock pan, add the butter and the extra baby leeks and gently fry for three minutes or so. Serve your risotto in bowls and top with the extra baby leeks, a twist of pepper and plenty of grated cheese.
 
 
 
I will be linking this recipe up with Simple and in Season – running up until 15th October.
 
Don’t forget to leave me comments too if you are writing about or eating British food over the next two weeks.
 
Thank you for all your help, comments and feedback about my blog name! I am sticking with Fabulicious Food! and the move is happening as I type.

Tomato and Garlic Pasta

Last week I posted an interview with Vanessa Kimbell and hosted a competition to win a copy of her new book, Prepped!

As mentioned in the post, Vanessa gave up her job in order to pursue her dream of writing a cookery book, documenting the process through her blog Writing a Cookery Book giving us all a fascinating glimpse into the world of food writing and publishing. Her book offers time-saving recipes and introduces a concept called ‘linked cooking’ as well as double-cooking, incorporating flavoured sugars and syrups that can be made-ahead and ‘mixed and matched’ according to what you have to hand.

Thank you to everyone for entering and telling me which one of the chapters in Vanessa’s book would be your favourite from the inspiring selection on offer including Elderflower, Rhubarb, Lavender, Lemon, Vanilla, Tomato, Plum, Caraway, Chocolate, Cardamom or Orange & Clove.  

I’m very pleased to announce that the winner, chosen by a randomiser, is Sally from My Custard Pie who I am sure will love Vanessa’s book and make excellent use of it!

I have to say I am truly torn. Having tested recipes for the book from both the Chocolate and Vanilla chapters I am certainly won over by the ease of Vanessa’s recipes.

I’m also both intrigued and inspired  by some of the more unusual flavour combinations in Prepped! – the Victoria Sponge with Cardamom Rose Cream and Rhubarb along with the Chocolate Beef are next on my hit list. However, my favourite recipe so far (and one that, I confess, I am slightly addicted too at the moment) can actually be found in the Tomato chapter, so I’m probably with Sally on her winning choice.

Vanessa’s Tomato & Garlic Pasta, also known as “Garlic Yum Yum” pasta is possibly one the the quickest and simplest recipes in the book. It also happens to be a ‘linked’ recipe, meaning that you can make double the quantity and use it as the base for the Tomato Pizza. 

Vanessa has kindly given me permission to share the recipe with you below – I urge you to try it – it is so simple but really delicious and my kids love it too.  

Last week also marked the official launch Prepped!   It was lovely to be able able to chat and mingle in a very leisurely fashion at Rococo Chocolates with Vanessa, other food writers, bloggers and members of the ‘Prepparati’ including Helen from Fuss Free Flavours, Katie from Feeding Boys and a Firefighter, Jayne from Jaynerly and Becky from Rebecca Bakes Cakes. We also sampled some of our favourite treats and recipes from the book, including Chocolate Chilli Cupcakes, Pink Meringues with Elderflower Cream, Victoria Sponge with Cardamom Rose Cream & Rhubarb, Chocolate Cookies, a Chocolate & Raspberry Cake, the Chocolate, Vanilla & Black Pepper Cupcakes as well as the obligatory taste of some Rococo Chocolates too.

What a clever idea to host a party in a chocolate shop and not just any chocolate shop, Rococo’s was a truly luxurious experience and we all left hideously high on chocolate!

Thank you so much to Vanessa’s good friend Chantal Cody and to all her lovely staff who looked after us so well and of course, to the bright and bubbly Vanessa Kimbell for the kind invitation for us to take part as recipe testers for Prepped! and to the launch. 

Prepped! is available on Amazon, currently at £10.48 or at many branches of Waterstones (RRP £20.00) and is published by Spring Hill 

Tomato & Garlic Pasta
Posted with the kind permission of Vanessa Kimbell

 

(Serves 4)

 

Ingredients:

1 whole medium garlic bulb
500g spaghetti
1 x 200g tube tomato purée (I used a can)
80ml extra-virgin olive oil
120g fresh Parmesan, grated, for serving
Salt
Method:

 

1. Peel and finely chop all the garlic cloves (I put them in a mini blender but you can just finely chop). Put a pan of boiling water on for the pasta and add a teaspoon of salt to the water before cooking. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan for 1-2 minutes then add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (do not burn!) You are not looking to brown the garlic at all, so you must keep the heat at a medium temperature.
3. Stir in the tomato purée and turn the heat down to a slightly lower temperature. Keep stirring. As the tomato cooks it incorporates most of the oil and turns from a fresh red into a deeper, darker red. After 5-7 minutes the sauce is cooked. The pasta will be ready too.
4. Drain your pasta and add it to the tomato sauce, stirring well. Serve immediately with fresh parmesan.
There won’t be any left as it is so delicious but you could make double the quantity of sauce, as Vanessa suggests, and use it as a base for Vanessa’s Tomato Pizza and Oregano Bread

Pull Apart Spring Shoulder of Lamb

There’s something about weekend cooking that normally means the pace is a lot slower and you may have a little bit more time to spare to cook a family meal or even a Sunday roast – though having more time doesn’t mean it needs to be hard. This week I came across a lovely shoulder of lamb at my local butcher, which is usually a bit cheaper than leg of lamb but tastes great slow roasted – the meat can literally be pulled off the shoulder with a spoon and fork.

Look out for rare breed, new season spring lamb for great flavour. Grass-fed will mean that the lamb will also be higher in omega-3. Also, keep an eye out at your local farmers’ market or ask your butcher whether he has any locally reared lamb, as you’ll also be helping local farming and agriculture whilst at the same time capturing that really good British spring lamb flavour at its best.  
For a really seasonal Sunday lunch try slow roasting your lamb with garlic, herbs and wine(see below) and serving it with Jersey Royal new potatoes and British asparagus, both of which can be par-boiled and then just roasted in the lamb juices – almost a one-pot meal. I also used the stock cube trick Marco Pierre White recently showed us to season the meat – seemed to work a treat. You’ll see it in the method below.  

Don’t forget to keep sharing your seasonal recipes in my Simple and in Season linky-up, there are now quite a few great looking seasonal treats to try (not just from the UK!) I’ll be rounding-up in a separate post at the beginning of June and sending out a book to the winner. 

 

Slow Roasted New Season Shoulder of Lamb,
with Jersey Royals & British Asparagus

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

1 x 1.3kg shoulder of lamb or leg of lamb
2 white onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 lamb stock cube
3 tablespoons fresh or dried rosemary
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
250 ml of white wine, water or stock
Jersey Royal New Potatoes (as many as you need to feed your crowd)
1-2 bunches fresh British asparagus 

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees celcius

2. Take a tin or casserole dish large enough to fit in your leg or shoulder of lamb, put your sliced onions and garlic in the bottom of the tin and lie your shoulder or leg of lamb on top

3. Crumble a lamb stock over the shoulder or leg or or put your stock cube in a small bowl and pour in a small amount of olive oil, mix this together with your finger to form a paste (a la Marco Pierre White). Spread this paste all over your leg or shoulder of lamb, season all over with salt and freshly milled pepper and scatter some rosemary all over the top
  
4. Pour over your white wine, water or stock and cover with a tightly fitting lid or with tin foil

5. Cook in the oven for 3 hours basting occasionally. If your liquid runs dry, add in some more wine, water or stock

6. Wash and boil your new potatoes for fifteen minutes and set aside. Blanch your asparagus for around three minutes and rinse under cold water

7. After three hours of cooking, take off the lid or foil and throw in your par-boiled new potatoes and asparagus. Coat everything in the liquid in the tin/dish and cook, uncovered for a further 45 minutes

8. After 45 minutes, take out your shoulder of lamb and place on a plate, covered to rest (for fifteen minutes.) Check your potatoes are soft, if not put them back in the oven for fifteen minutes. Pull the lamb apart (I usually throw it back on top of the veg) and serve.

Easy Macaroni Cheese with Baby Leeks

It’s Meat Free Monday again which means I have a really lovely, easy recipe to share.  This one is great for a quick kids’ tea as it really should take less than twenty minutes from chopping to serving. We really love macaroni cheese, it is lovely and warming and cheese melting under the grill really makes the house smell yummy!

Although making a roux (flour and butter based white sauce) isn’t difficult, even an expert roux-maker can have issues with lumps so I make a really easy alternative with cream, crème fraîche and cheese.  You can use half-fat versions if you prefer. I also add a touch of Dijon mustard and an egg yolk, just for flavour.

This is a really versatile sauce and can be added to any pasta dish (try adding chopped smoked or poached salmon, chopped bacon and peas or chopped left-over chicken for a non-Meat Free Monday alternative) or just make a veggie version, as I have, adding any vegetables you like.  You can also skip the pasta altogether and just use it as a sauce for pouring over cauliflower or broccoli.

I have used baby leeks this week, which are in season and make a more colourful alternative to onions.  They also have a much subtler and sweeter flavour, don’t make your eyes water and are a great source of Vitamin C as well as iron and fibre. Go for small or medium sized leeks, as the larger ones can be a bit woody.  You can remove the outer layer if you need to and give them a good wash removing and grit.

Easy Macaroni Cheese with Baby Leeks

Ingredients

250 g macaroni pasta
One tablespoon olive or rapeseed oil
6 or 7 baby leeks or 3 medium-sized leeks

200 ml double cream
50 g crème fraîche
75 g grated Gruyère cheese
1 free-range, organic egg yolk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

75 g grated cheddar for the topping

Salt & Pepper

Method

Pre-heat your grill.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.  Add your macaroni or other shaped pasta to the pan, stir and cook according to the packet instructions (firmer/al dente is best)

Finely chop your leeks, add a tablespoon of olive or rapeseed oil to a frying pan and gently fry your leeks for a few minutes until they soften.

Pour the cream and crème fraîche into a pan and gently bring to the boil. Once it is very gently bubbling, add the grated Gruyère cheese and mix well. (For extra flavour you could add some extra cheddar too)

Add the Dijon mustard and mix again. Take off the heat and add your egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper and stir again keeping it off the heat.

Drain your pasta and add it to the pan of cheese sauce, tip in the cooked baby leeks. Mix well until all the pasta is coated.

Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese (or use more Gruyèreor any firm cheese) and place it under the hot grill just until the cheese starts bubbling and melting.

Serve and eat as soon as possible.