Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

Food Writer

Lemon

Alternative Easter Lunch: Pollo al Limone from ‘The Amalfi Coast’

Easter is usually all about roast lamb, but in case you are looking for an alternative – or you have an extra large crowd to feed – you might have time to try this recipe for Pollo al Limone – or Lemon Chicken Thighs. It is one of my favourite recipes from a book I received recently called The Amalfi Coast – A Collection of Italian Recipes, by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi. You can be in with the chance of winning a copy yourself here. I’ve actually been able to get Amalfi lemons from Natoora UK (also available via Ocodo) but if you can’t, just use any unwaxed, fresh lemons.

Lemon Chicken Thighs

 Photo credit: Helen Catchcart

Pollo al Limone (Lemon Chicken)

From The Amalfi Coast –  by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi

**(Recipe printed with permission)**

Chicken thighs are underused, in my opinion. They are economical, succulent, full of flavour (more so than the overused breast) and cook quickly. This simple recipe is great as a quick supper dish.

Serves 4

  • 8 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ‘00’ or plain flour, to coat the chicken
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 3 small sprigs of rosemary
  • 100 ml (31⁄2 fl oz/1⁄2 cup) white wine
  • 50 ml (2 fl oz/1⁄4 cup) water
  • juice of 1 lemon (reserve the juiced halves)
  • 25 g (1 oz/2 tablespoons) butter
  • new or fried potatoes to serve
  • slices of lemon to garnish

Method

Season the pieces of chicken with salt and black pepper. Coat the pieces in flour and tap off the excess. A quick way of doing this is to put the flour in a plastic food bag with the chicken pieces and shake the bag, making sure the meat is evenly coated. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the chicken skin-side down first until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side, adding the garlic and rosemary. Pour away the excess oil and return to the heat. Pour in the wine and allow it to reduce for a few minutes, then add water, lemon juice and butter. Add the lemon halves to the pan and keep on the heat until the chicken is cooked through. Discard the lemon halves and serve with new or fried potatoes.

Amalfi_Coast

More Easter Ideas

I’ve just written two posts for Jamie Oliver.com too – so pop over to get some tips on The Perfect Easter Roast or go for another alternative this weekend, an Easter Lasagne.

Other Recipes

Still stuck for ideas? Try my ‘Almost Spring’ Lamb Hotpot or my Pull Apart Spring Shoulder of Lamb.

Lamb Hotpot

I’ll be back tomorrow with some Easter dessert and baking ideas.

British Asparagus, Mozzarella Salad

Is it hot or cold, do we have sunshine or rain? Is anyone else confused?!  Up until yesterday, we were eating warming soups and stews, today, the sunnier and more in keeping with spring weather, inspired this lovely bright British asparagus, mozzarella, tomato and egg salad. This is a sort of cross between asparagus with poached egg (a heavenly combination) and an Italian tomato and mozzarella salad, though on this plate, all the ingredients are British. It goes perfectly with a glass of fizz and you’ll find out why I’ve been drinking that a little later on!

 

…

Read more

Baked Aubergine (Yotam Ottolenghi Recipe)

I have to say that when I popped into my local Morrisons store this week, I did not expect to be met by such an amazing array of seasonal fruit and vegetables. I almost started taking photographs, but held back, in case someone thought I was mad. They did recently refurbish the store and so now it has a true ‘market’ feel but the produce was really far beyond anything I’ve ever seen at a supermarket in Britain before. Much of it was organic, there was also a section of locally grown produce as well as more unusual varieties of fruits and vegetables, such as the graffiti aubergines and the candy striped beetroot below, as well as fresh pomegranates. There must have been at least twenty different varieties of chili, fresh herbs and salad leaves kept watered and fresh, British heritage varieties of apples, pears as well as bang-in-season fresh spinach, artichokes, salsify, wild mushrooms, really everything you could imagine or look for. I am converted. It is so encouraging to see supermarkets really starting to support and push British seasonal produce and offer it at a reasonable cost.

Find the recipe here:

When I came home I immediately dived into one of my favourite cook books, Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi  to find a recipe for Aubergines with Buttermilk Sauce. I didn’t have lemon thyme, so I just used grated lemon zest and that seemed to work fine. Everything else was as Yotam suggests.

I will say without hesitation that this dish is simple to prepare – watch the lovely Yotam make it on You Tube here – (I could just keep this playing and listen to it all day!) When cooked, it looks visually beautiful (perfect for a dinner party) and tastes delicious. I was happy to be able to use some of my Steenbergs Za’atar  (Steenbergs make organic and Fairtrade herbs and spices) which was screaming to be used since being found inside my goodie bag from Food Blogger Connect over the summer. All in all, a fun and inspiring trip to the shops and a simple but tasty lunch!  I will be linking this up with Simple and in Season where already the entries are coming in thick and fast!

 

This week I also got to meet Karen from Lavender and Lovage for lunch. Karen is based in South West France and has immersed herself this year into food blogging, having been already made a career out of professional food writing, photography and food styling, writing features and columns for Country Kitchen magazine as well as other British publications. Karen and I easily spent almost three hours chatting about food, blogging and how much we both enjoy being part of such a friendly online community.  We both said how much we enjoyed finally meeting one another, it’s always lovely to be able to meet in person, in addition to enthusiastically tweeting and commenting on posts! Karen was very sweet to my children and bought me some lovely French chocolat au Citron Noir (delicious) and also these beautiful cabbage plants. In the time that we spent together I also became slightly addicted to the Oreo Cookie Hot Chocolate I was drinking ay the Secret Garden Cafe in St Albans! Thank you Karen for my gifts and for coming to meet us.

So that’s it for now, the end of another busy half-term week. A burst pipe in my kitchen is being fixed as I type, Halloween is looming, I have to work on my macaron making skills as I have been sent a lovely gift set to try by Lakeland and next week will mark my first year of blogging milestone! I’ve also been challenged to take part in a video blogging competition, which I’m very nervous about but will do my best! 

Later today I’ll also be announcing the winner of the Leon Baking & Puddings cook book giveaway which has been very popular. There’s still time to enter if you haven’t already. 

What are your plans for the weekend? Have you been inspired by any produce or cookbooks this week?

 

Lemon Pudding (Leon)

As mentioned in my review post yesterday, this week I’ve been enjoying baking from the new Leon Baking & Puddings book. I hope you’ve been enjoying some baking too for National Baking Week!

Octopus Books have kindly offered three books to giveway to my readers as well as giving me permission to share this lovely recipe called Jossy’s Lemon Pudding Delicious.

…

Read more

Provençal Lavender Biscuit and Lemon Cheesecake

I was recently sent a parcel containing some wonderful French ingredients from an area of France called Vaucluse en Provence. The ingredients included a packet of dried lavender flowers, the most INCREDIBLE bright purple lavender biscuits, thyme, sweet bay leaves, a tub of herby Provence tomato paste and a tub of anchovy paste by Les Délices Du Luberon.

I was delighted to be able to create a recipe including some of these ingredients. To further inspire me, I also received a guide book detailing some of the gastronomy, local produce and restaurants of the area.
 
 
I have travelled many times to France, mainly staying along the Cote D’Azure and yes, the gastronomy and love of local food is definitely something that stays with you for a very long time. From visiting the fresh daily French markets (somewhat replicated by our less regular farmer’s markets) to sampling the haute cuisine within very unassuming Michelin starred restaurants, there is no doubt that if you are a foodie, a visit to France is a true gastronomic treat.
 
So, I was very interested to read all about Vaucluse en Provence, the smallest county in the Provence-Alps-Riviera region. The climate, most importantly, is Mediterranean, with 2800 hours of glorious sunshine a year. Who wouldn’t want to go there?! 
 
It is also an area which is gloriously rich in local produce of all descriptions, including figs, cherries, melon and grapes as well as honey, olives, garlic and best of all truffles. The region is actually the number one producer of truffles accounting for 70% of all French truffle production during the truffle season, which begins in November and takes us through the winter into March.
Organic farming is developing fast in Vaucluse and the geo-climatic diversity of the region means that a variety of crops happily grow there, some of them aromatic, such as lavender, others medicinal. The area is also rich in vineyards and stock breeding is also very strong so you can be guaranteed some of the best wines and meats around. 

Food-wise you can expect to eat dishes such as Filet Mignon of Pork with Melon, Rum and Garlic Cloves, Medallions of Monkfish with Basil, Apricot-Lavender Ice Cream, Roasted Figs with Sweet Wine or even a Lavender Sherbet (a Provençal dish using lavender flowers, lavender honey, lemon and egg whites) 

Personally, I would love to visit Vaucluse to take a cookery class as Provençal gastronomy is based on extremely high-quality local produce and is home to some really great chefs. In the meantime, I will pretend I am there with my parcel of goodies…the lavender inspiring me the most.

 
Lavender has a fantastic fragrance and culinary lavender has a wonderul taste. Lavender can easily be used to make Lavender Honey or Lavender Sugar to add an interesting twist to your cooking. For a wonderful lavender honey recipe do visit my friend Karen’s beautiful and inspiring French foodie blog called Lavender and Lovage, for her Home-made French Lavender Honey Pancakes….mmmn delicious and many more lovely dishes!
 
Chefs in Vaucluse use lavender sparingly, much in the same way as you would use vanilla or saffron. It should add a subtle flavour to your sweet or savoury dishes. Here’s my creation – a Lavender Biscuit and Lemon (no-cook) Cheesecake. If you happen to find these biscuits whilst out and about on your travels, they really do give this summer dessert a colourful lift! If not, you could try making your own lavender biscuits to bring in some lavender flavour – though they probably won’t be quite as purple!

 

Provençal Lavender Biscuit and Lemon Cheesecake (no-cook)
Serves 2
 
You will need two stainless steel chefs rings/moulds
 
Ingredients:
For the base
250g lavender biscuits
100g melted unsalted butter
For the topping:
150g Full Fat Cream Cheese
150g Full Fat Crème Fraîche
100g Vanilla Sugar
Grated zest of one lemon
 
Method:
 
1. You will need to crush your lavender biscuits first to make the base either by placing them in a plastic bag and bashing them with a rolling pin or by whizzing them in a food processor. Once they are nice and fine, add your melted butter and mix well until all your crumbs are coated. Place your rings onto a flat board or plate and fill the moulds to make the base. Push down well and smooth until flat with the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to set, at least for an hour.
 
2. To make the filling, mix the cheese, crème fraîche, vanilla sugar and lemon zet together in a clean bowl. You may need to use a whisk to make sure there are no lumps.
 
3. Fill your ring moulds with the filling and again, smooth down with the back of a spoon. Place them back in the fridge to set, ideally over night.
 
4. To remove the cheesecakes from the rings, rub a hot cloth or towel around the edge of the moulds to release them over a plate. Serve on individual serving plates and garnish with either fresh springs of lavender or
sprinkle the plate with some dried lavender.
 
You can find out more information by visiting the Official Tourism Page of Vaucluse or have a look at their Facebook Page.
 
I am linking this post up to Karen’s wonderful Tea Time Treats event at Lavender and Lovage for a floral themed event this month! (May 2012)
 
Tea Time Treats
 

Have you visited this particular region in France? If so, what did you think and were there any gastronomic highlights?

Lemony Spring Cupcakes

Although there are still (officially) a couple of weeks until spring, the first appearance of daffodils in my garden have already cheered me up! It’s been a busy couple of weeks (see below) and I realise I have been slack in posting, but I promise lots of lovely posts in the coming weeks.  Today I have been baking cupcakes for my friend Beejal’s birthday and I wanted to share an easy recipe for lovely moist lemon cupcakes with a lemon curd frosting.

Spring offers so much inspiration and there is so much to post about…Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day, Mother’s Day, lots of ideas for Easter, the arrival of some wonderful seasonal food.  I have also been invited to attend a cookery demonstration at The Caldesi Cookery School in London and no doubt will come back with some recipes to share and will soon be hosting my first ‘give away’ competition courtesy of Hotel Chocolat so there is lots to come.

Last weekend I had one of the most amazing adventures of my life as I spent the day in the kitchen of  The Waterside Inn, a three Michelin starred French restaurant in the tiny village of Bray overlooking the River Thames.  It was truly amazing to see how the famous “Roux” kitchen works right from the inside. It was a slick operation, let me tell you, nobody wants to drop the ball in that kitchen! I was extremely well looked after and it’s an experience that will stay with me forever…though I won’t be changing my career to become a chef anytime soon!

I also popped along to The London Cocktail Club to take a masterclass, also for Beejal’s birthday.  A few Mojitos and Passion Fruit Martinis down the line and we were mixing like pros!

Back to cupcakes, since I am forever on the hunt for tasty cupcake recipes to try, the gorgeous Vanessa Kimbell sent me a sneaky-preview of a recipe (Vanilla, Elderflower and Rhubarb Cupcakes) from her soon-to-be-published cookery book Prepped! Though as I’m still perfecting my rhubarb jam and elderflower syrup I will have to share these with you at a later date.

For now, here are my Lemony Spring Cupcakes with a Lemon Curd frosting.  My top baking tip for the perfect cupcake is to buy a packet of disposable piping bags (Lakeland sell them). You fill your piping bag with your batter (I use a pint glass to hold the piping bag to free up two hands) then snip off the bottom and pipe the batter into the cases until they are two-thirds full.  It is much easier than using a spoon and I find gives a more even finish.  You could wash the bags or use re-usable ones but the Lakeland bags are great value.  I also use a muffin tray (Wilton) which is deeper and holds the cupcake case better as the cakes cook. Take special care when separating cupcake cases as even the slightest dint or crimple will make a difference to the finished product!

Print

Lemony Spring Cupcakes

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 18

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Butter Cream

Ingredients

  • 375 g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 120ml milk
  • 120ml vegetable oil (rapeseed is best)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
  • 115g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • Lemon Curd Buttercream
  • 110g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 500g icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon essence
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon curd
  • 2 tablespoons of milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole and a 6 hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl and leave to one side.
  3. Measure out the milk, oil and vanilla in a jug and also leave to one side.
  4. Whisk the butter and sugar in a mixer until very pale and creamy.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time and mix.
  6. Add the flour mix and milk/oil mix alternately to the mixer until it is combined – be careful not to over mix.
  7. Add the grated lemon zest and mix once more.
  8. Pipe the mixture into the prepared tin with cases or spoon in until they are two-thirds full.
  9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  10. For the Lemon Curd Buttercream
  11. Beat the butter, lemon essence and zest for about three minutes until the butter is pale.
  12. Add half the icing sugar and beat again until smooth.
  13. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat again.
  14. Add two to three tablespoons of milk to loosen the mixture a little if it is too thick.
  15. Pipe your buttercream onto your cooled cakes or spread on with a spatula. Decorate with spring flowers and sprinkles or smarties…!

Courses Cupcakes

  You may also like to read my homemade lemon curd post here: