Simple and in Season

Name: Lamb Steaks with Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British

September 20, 2016

Lamb Steaks Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

A comforting recipe for Eat Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef

Lamb Steaks with Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

Prep 30 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 45 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 4 servings

A creamy and comforting recipe using Welsh lamb steaks.

Instructions

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

Roasted Summer Vegetables with British Goat’s Cheese #TasteOfSummer

Roasted Summer Vegetables with British Goat’s Cheese

Most of the time we associate roasted vegetables with autumn or winter, in that root vegetables roast so well and sweeten up in the process. But I find that certain summer vegetables get on very well with a drizzle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil in a roasting tin before going into a hot oven. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been roasting plenty of British asparagus during the asparagus season – now sadly pretty much at an end. I actually used salad potatoes in this recipe, which I wouldn’t normally roast, but after par-boiling them for a few minutes I decided to throw them into the tin, too, along with some mini peppers. The salad potatoes actually roasted beautifully and became lovely and fluffy on the inside and a little bit crisp on the outside. Any waxy or new potato variety would work well, too. Another ‘first’ this summer was tasting a salad with roasted grapes and walnuts. I also love roasted summer courgettes or carrots with a sprinkle of caraway seeds. Roasted summer vegetables can be eaten warm just as they are, or, as in this recipe, with the addition of some British goat’s cheese. You can also serve the roasted vegetables cold, mixed with a little cream cheese as a filling for roasted sweet potatoes.

All of these ideas speak to me of summer and so I thought this recipe would make the perfect addition to the Waitrose #TasteOf Summer campaign, currently ongoing.

Over the next few weeks, up until 26^th August 2015, Waitrose are asking you to tell them your favourite #TasteOfSummer and to share your creations on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the chance to win one of their three summer food experiences –

You could win a pair of tickets to an exclusive barbecue event with Heston Blumenthal, at his pub, The Crown Inn, located in Bray, Berkshire. Winners must be available to attend the event on Saturday 25 July.
Or, you could win a ticket to their ‘Cocktails & Party Bites’ evening course at the Waitrose Finchley Road Cookery School in London on Thursday 13 August.
Or, you could win a complete summer party menu as chosen by the Waitrose Entertaining and Waitrose Cellar specialists – so all you’d need to do then is invite your friends over and crack open the bubbles!

Every week, Waitrose are also showcasing the most popular summer flavours across their social media channels.

To enter, you just have to share your favourite summer food or drink on Facebook (find the Facebook page here) Twitter (follow @Waitrose) or Instagram @Waitrose using the #TasteOfSummer hashtag.

Prep 10 mins

Cook 20 mins

Total 30 mins

Author Ren Behan

So, whether you’re enjoying an ice cream at the seaside, or perhaps some freshly caught fish and chips, a barbecue in the garden, a simple summer salad, scones, strawberries and clotted cream whilst watching the tennis or even a slice freshly baked cake topped with fruit at the summer fair – there are lots of chances to win a great summer food experience.

Linking up to July and August’s Simple and in Season, too!

Disclosure: I have been commissioned to create this recipe by Waitrose to help promote their Taste of Summer Campaign and received some vouchers in consideration.

June 1, 2015

Simple and in Season June – Join In!

I can’t believe we’re in June already. It’s going to be a busy month for us as our little boy turns one. Where has the year gone?! We’ll be celebrating with lots of birthday cake – in fact, I’ve already spotted the Nutella cake I want to make over on this pretty site called Call Me Cupcake. Whilst browsing Linda’s site I also found a great recipe for an Easy Rhubarb Cake – which I’ll be making with a stash of garden rhubarb from my neighbour.

I’d like to say a really big thank you to Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary up in the beautiful Shetland Isles for hosting May’s Simple and in Season – a bumper crop of seasonal treats as I’m sure you will agree. Thank you to everyone who took part. All your entries are featured in Elizabeth’s Spring Collection round up here and have also been added to our group Simple and in Season Pinterest board.

June, I am sure, will be an equally exciting month. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve been making using produce that’s seasonal to you – you can link up below.

Don’t forget to link to this page in your post and use the hashtag #SimpleandinSeason on Twitter and on Instagram and I’ll re-tweet any that I see!

GUIDELINES

Simple and in Season is a monthly food blogging event where you are invited to link up any of your seasonal recipe posts – anywhere in the world! Join a thriving community of home cooks who love to share their seasonal creations. Bookmark recipes for later use if the produce used isn’t in season where you are.

Each month, there will be a round up of all the entries and they are also promoted on our community Simple and in Season Pinterest board.

All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box on each month’s launch page (click the badge on my Blog sidebar to find the current host)
A round up post featuring all the recipes entered will be posted at the beginning of each new month.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere, and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
If you are on Twitter or Instagram, tweet your link/photo adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

LINK UP HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

This month, I’ll be choosing a winner who will receive a copy of At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen by Amy Chaplin – published by Jacqui Small.

Don’t forget there are a couple of other events you can join in with –

The No Waste Food Challenge by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

The Extra Veg Challenge

The Credit Crunch Munch challenge this month hosted by Jen’s Food

Meat Free Mondays a weekly link up hosted by Tinned Tomatoes

Check out the Food Blog Diary for more ideas,too.

Happy cooking!

January 22, 2015

Beetroot and Kale Soup | Kale and Almond Crumble | Jumpstart2015

Beetroot and Kale Soup with a Kale and Almond Crumble – virtuous!

So, are you really, really fed up of healthy eating now? Have you fallen off the wagon? Or, are you still ‘being good?’

If you started a new healthy eating regime at the beginning of the year, you could be 22 days in, which is amazing, if you’ve stuck to the plan.

Happily, I’m still in the ‘being good’ category. Since the start of the new year, and with the support of some of my fellow bloggers following the #JumpStart 2015 plan, I’m ten pounds down and feeling much lighter and brighter.

…

January 16, 2015

26 Seasonal Recipes – Simple and in Season December Round Up

Where did January go?!

Simple and in Season December was a feast for all the senses – beautiful colours, aromas (I’m sure) and even some interesting textures! This selection is perfect for bookmarking for next year and perhaps you’ll spot a few ideas for the cold, dark evenings of January in the UK or the brighter climes of other parts of the world.

If you are looking for the current round of Simple and in Season January, it’s being hosted by the lovely Sarah of Maison Cupcake here. The link up follows Sarah’s Cavolo nero and banana smoothie.

…

December 8, 2014

Make-Ahead Leek and Poppy Seed Sausage Rolls

We’ve only recently started making our own sausage rolls at home, but now that we’ve tried them, there’s no going back to the shop-bought variety. The homemade version is altogether a different thing – flaky pastry, good quality sausage meat of your choice (I get mine from Hedges Farm in St Albans) and a few optional extras, like some softly cooked leeks (there was a lone leek in my veg box), or caramelised onions, and a sparkling of poppy seeds, or even sesame seeds. We look forward to having these as an after-school snack (they are super-quick to whisk out of the freezer) or as party food and they’d certainly be great for serving up as a homemade canapé to Christmas visitors. Here’s my recipe, hope you get to try them….

December 4, 2014

Simple and in Season – December

How is it December already?! Seriously, I don’t know where the time goes. I’ve just been reading through the round up for November’s Simple and in Season, hosted beautifully by Katie over at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter. Thank you Katie. 34 stunning seasonal recipes – honestly, it’s like a cook book! Soups, starters, sharing plates, winter salads, cakes, crumbles, home made liqueurs…I can’t wait for December’s entries now. The link up is below. I’ll be rounding up as early in January as I can.

…

November 11, 2014

40 Seasonal Recipes (October’s Simple and in Season Round Up)

October was a great month for Simple and in Season, with over 40 seasonal recipes and pumpkins aplenty!

This month, Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter is hosting, with plenty of entries already flooding in.

In the meantime, here are Octobers recipes.

Above

Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet Supper by Feeding Boys and a Firefighter
Pumpkin, Ginger and Orange Traybake by Feeding Boys and a Firefighter
Iranian-style Sweet and Sour Olives by My Custard Pie
Roasted Beetroot and Butterbean Soup by Nutritious Deliciousness
Pumpkin Spice Latte with Pumpkin Seed Milk by Veggie Desserts
Creamy Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup by Tinned Tomatoes
Chocolate and Pear Quesadillas by Food to Glow
Chunky Guacamole by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

Above

Rhubarb, Blueberry and Honey No Churn Ice Cream by The Gluten Free Alchemist
Roasted Cauliflower Salad by The Taste Space
Spiced Pumpkin Blondies by How to Cook Good Food
Roasted Squash, Red Onion and Goats Cheese Pave Bread Rolls Franglais Kitchen
Apple Fritters by My Little Italian Kitchen
White Chocolate, Beetroot and Cardamom Mousse by Bangers & Mash
Patty Pan, Purple Carrot, Pine Nut and Cheese Savoury Muffins by The Gluten Free Alchemist
Welly Boot Crumble (Apple, Blackberry & Walnut) by Family Friends Food

Above

Parsnip Soup with Pears. Ginger and Coconut by Food Family Friends
Simple and Sweet Spiced Apple and Yoghurt Cake by The Teal Tadjine
Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple and Pecan Bundt Cake by The More than Occasional Baker
Guernsey Gâche Melée by Tales from The Kitchen Shed
Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables by RenBehan.com
Halloween Chocolate Apples by Fab Food 4 All
Pear and Stilton Toast by Food Friends Family
Kale, Brown Rice and Red Quinoa Salad by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

Above

Halloween Spider Pumpkin Mini Pies by My Little Italian Kitchen
Squash Walnut and Goats Cheese Pizza by Chocolate Log Blog
Greek Potato and Courgette Bake (Boureki) by We Don’t Eat Anything With a Face
Butternut Squash, Black Garlic and Blue Cheese Bake by Kavey Eats
Rustic Courgette Bake by Lancashire Food
Vegetable-Stuffed Baked Squash by Eat Live Travel Write
Vegetable Chilli Stuffed Marrow by Searching for Spice
Healthier Trick or Treats for Halloween by The School of Balance

Above

Nigel Slater’s Chocolate Beet Cake by The Lass in the Apron
Barley Veggie Rainbow Salad by Eat Well Feel Good
Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables by Fab Food 4 All
Bavarian Apple Tart by Fenton Eats
Poblanos with Puy Lentils, Vegetables and Cheese by The Gluten Free Alchemist
Italian Style Roast Pork by The School of Balance
Halloween Pumpkin Cookies by How to Cook Good Food
Easy Winter Vegetable Soup by RenBehan.com

So that’s the round up for October. Thank you for all these wonderful entries. They’ll all been pinned onto my Simple and in Season board which has over 36,000 followers! So keep pinning :-))
Follow Ren Behan Food’s board Simple and in Season on Pinterest.

October 21, 2014

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Quick Risotto-Stuffed Veggies

Author Ren Behan

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

Preheat the oven 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
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.
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.
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.
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.

September 4, 2014

Utterly Scrummy’s Fruit Bowl Cake

The summer holidays with a newborn and two primary-aged children were always going to be busy. In fact, I completely underestimated just how busy we would all be and suddenly, somehow, we are now in September. We enjoyed some time away; a short trip to Cheshire, a couple of weeks in North Wales and a visit to Somerset. I discovered that if you put me in a farmhouse with a farm shop within walking distance I am a very happy girl. I managed to write one blog post – June’s Simple and in Season round up, which captured the very best of what the summertime had to offer us in terms of seasonal produce and just about kept up with a few summer features and recipes for JamieOliver.com.

I’m so grateful to my blogging friends for helping me out and for keeping me awake during night feeds – the perfect time to play catch up with some of my favourite blogs. Simple and in Season went for a little holiday, too. Sally at My Custard Pie collected some tasty recipes throughout July and then Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary put together a stunning collection of even more brilliant recipes to round off August. Nazima is currently hosting a new round for September – I hope you’ll be able to pop over.

One of the recipes I stumbled across earlier on in the summer and immediately set about making was a simple and tasty Fruit Bowl Cake by fellow blogger Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families. Early days with a newborn hasn’t afforded me much time for baking, but this is a recipe I’ve rustled up with ease a couple of times now and it really is a lovely way to use up any fruit in your fruit bowl that is perhaps softening or passed its best. I’ve also made it with Victoria plums more recently and damsons from a neighbour’s garden, along with anything left in the fruit bowl to use up. Michelle is also very close to welcoming her little baby boy to the world – if I lived a little closer to her I’d be baking her this cake and taking it round. Good luck, Michelle!

Some other fruity/plummy recipes you might like to try in September –

Kavey’s Sunshine in a Jar Plum Jelly
Jo’s Plenty of Plums Plum Cake
Jen’s Plum and Nectarine Frangipane Tart
Nazima’s Sweetly Spiced Plum Crumble Tart
Sally’s Spiced Apple Cake
Jeanne’s Mirabelle Plum and Cognac Clafoutis

There are also some lovely food blog challenges going on at the moment.

1. As mentioned above, Nazima is hosting Simple and in Season September so I’ll be linking this up to her as I used British pears, nectarines and plums in this particular cake.

2. Michelle originally made the Fruit Bowl Cake for Elizabeth’s No Waste Food Challenge , so I’m entering mine to this month’s event hosted by Chef Mireille.

3. Sarah is hosting Credit Crunch Munch this month for Helen and Camilla – I love the fact that you could make this cake at pretty much any time with whatever you have to hand to use up in the fruit bowl.

Utterly Scrummy’s Fruit Bowl Cake (Adapted)

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

Total 60 mins

Author Ren Behan

A simple Fruit Bowl Cake (adapted from a recipe by Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food for Families) made with leftover fruit from the fruit bowl.

Ingredients

500g of fruit, chopped (I used nectarines, pears and plums)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
200g soft, light brown sugar
3 free range eggs, beaten
100ml vegetable oil, or mild, light olive oil

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan.
Grease and line (with baking paper) a 23cm round cake tin.
Remove any stones from the fruit, roughly chop into small chunks.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cinnamon and add the sugar. Pour in the beaten eggs and the oil and mix together well.
Stir the fruit into the cake batter and pour into the prepared tin.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean.
Serve with a little dusting of icing sugar, or store in a tin and serve with warm custard the next day.

Now that the children have gone back to school, I hope I’ll be able to get back to blogging a little more regularly – in as much as my napping newborn allows!

August 11, 2014

Simple and in Season Summer Round Up (June Entries)

Hello! Yes, this post comes with the biggest apology. My summertime blogging-with-a-newborn-and-two-children-on-school-holidays plan ground completely to a halt. I had totally forgotten how all-consuming new motherhood is – even the third time round. Luckily, the lovely Sally at My Custard Pie stepped in to help me out, hosting Simple and in Season July with 50 entries, and this month, Simple and in Season August is being hosted by Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. Elizabeth is also doing a fantastic job of populating the Simple and in Season Pinterest board as she goes along. So, I’ll focus on the positive with a massive thank you to both Sally and Elizabeth, along with an even bigger thank you to our Simple and in Season June entrants who have waited so patiently for this recipe round up. Normal service will be resumed shortly…

June’s Simple and in Season recipes

1. Firstly, a real surprise as Meagan, a blogger who I met at IFBC in Seattle, joined in with her Rhubarb Crisp over on The Curried Nut – thank you Meagan!

2. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All also used seasonal rhubarb to make a Rhubarb and Marzipan Cake.

3. Whilst Michell at Utterly Scrummy (soon to be in for some newborn baby adventures herself!) made a stunning Lavender and Strawberry Victoria Sponge.

4. Laura at How to Cook Good Food made some very pretty Elderflower Madeleines

5. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen made a beautifully presented Chargrilled Vegetable Summer Salad.

6. Linza over at Lancashire Food made a Gluten Free Rhubarb and Rose Cake.

7. Caroline at Caroline Makes made some Queen Cakes or Blueberry Muffins

8. Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen made a vegetarian Garam Masala Radish Quiche with Radish Tops and Brie.

9. Corina at Searching for Spice made an Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

10. Laura at How to Cook Cook Food came back with another seasonal recipe, this time, Raspberry Cranachan Ice Cream.

11. Gayathri at Spices Galore made some summery Grilled Indian Style Corn.

12. And our current host, Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary made a beautiful Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova.

13. Janet at The Taste Space joined in with her recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Vanilla Steel Cut Oats – a very tasty looking recipe, indeed.

14. Janice at Farmers Girl Kitchen made a lovely Italian pasta dish of Papardelle al Pomodori Secchi with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Feta.

15. And Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen came back to us with a wonderful Cherry Clafoutis in celebration of being a finalist (and then winning) a recipe competition with Michael Caines.

16. Even more strawberries – this time, Ness at Jibber Jabber UK made a Strawberry and Mint Meringue with Elderflower Cream.

17. Sarah at Maison Cupcake made me chuckle with her Kermit-the-Frog inspired super-healthy Spicy Cavolo Nero Raw Green Soup made in her Vitamix blender.

18. Whilst Kellie at Food to Glow continued with the healthy theme by making a Rose and Summer Berry Skinni-Fredo, which I loved.

19. Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker made a delicious White Chocolate and Cardamom Cake with Rose Strawberry and Yoghurt.

20. Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed sent across a recipe she had made earlier for Strawberry Jelly and Strawberry Glaze for her Strawberry Tart – great use of a glut!

21. Whilst the team at ProWare Kitchen made a Fresh Tomato Pasta dish – perfect for Simple and in Season.

22. Louisa at Eat Your Veg made a tasty and interesting dish of New Potatoes with a Lettuce Pesto Dressing.

23. Karen and Lavender and Lovage joined in with a bright and colourful Tabbouleh Salad.

24. And the lovely Kavey at Kavey Eats made a Home Made White Cherry Rum Liqueur.

25. Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed came back with a recipe that was a huge hit on Twitter for her Peach Melba Rice Delight.

26. Jenny at Mummy Mishaps made a Strawberry and Elderflower Eton Mess Cake.

27. Kate at The Gluten Free Alchemist joined in with her Gluten Free Cherry Pancake.

28. Helen at Family Friends and Food made Baked Gooseberry and Elderflower Custards – lovely!

29. Whilst Helen at Good Life Mum made a batch of Elderflower and Lemon Cordial.

30. And with her cordial, Helen made an Elderflower and Lemon Sorbet.

31. Inspired by the start of the Great British Bake Off Helen at Good Life Mum made a showstopping Elderflower Angel Cake.

32. Having saved a few cherries, Sally at My Custard Pie made some Cherry Almond Spelt Muffins.

33. And Sarah at Maison Cupcakes came back to us with a No Churn Dairy Free Vegan Raspberry Ice Cream.

34. Bintu at Recipes from a Pantry sent across her Herbed Cauliflower Rice with Tahini Yoghurt – bookmarked!

35. Nazima at Franglais Kitchen impressed with her Blueberry, Vanilla and Mascarpone Ice Cream Terrine.

36.Andrea at Shabby Chic made the most of the wild strawberries, redcurrants and raspberries in her garden to make Shaken Berries.

37. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made a tasty looking Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper and Chorizo Soup.

38. Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter made a speedy Lemon and Mint Pesto with Tagliatelle.

39. Vanesther at Bangers and Mash made her own Elderflower Cordial, too, perfect for a summer tipple.

40. And for our final three recipes, we had entries from Selma at Selma’s Table who made a Broad Bean, Pea and Ricotta Crostini with Mint.

41. An entry from Sudha at Spicy, Quirky and Serendipitous who made a Corn and Shrimp Chowder.

42. And last but by no means least, Vohn from Vohn’s Vittles closes our June round up with a recipe for Brazilian Spring Greens.

Thank you so much for bearing with me whilst I posted this round-up!

The current round (August) can be found over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary here.

I hope you are enjoying the summer!

July 10, 2014

News & Simple and in Season July at My Custard Pie

Hello – I’m dipping my toe back into blogging after an almost month-long break, which has felt very strange. We welcomed a beautiful new baby boy into the world (the day after posting my last post!) Following a safe delivery and currently being blessed with glorious sunshine – we couldn’t be happier. I’m remembering (rapidly) how different life with a newborn is – though relishing every moment at the same time. I can’t promise the same level of regularity when it comes to blogging. I’m working to a time-frame of fifteen minute slots, within which to do everything, including getting the older children ready for school, washing, cooking, feeding baby, and everything else that goes on in a day!

I’m currently pulling together a roundup of all the wonderful Simple and in Season entries for the month of June – plenty of fresh berries marking my favorite time of the year for British produce.

Simple and in Season July

Very kindly, Sally, over at My Custard Pie is hosting Simple and in Season July – to enter, simply leave your link within a comment on Sally’s post here.

Other news and where to find me!

My Foodie World Cup recipes for Jamie Oliver.com proved to be very popular – though all my teams were knocked out in the group stages! (Russian Blini and Bosnian Burger shown above)
Cuddling Baby – most of the time!
I made Michelle’s Fruit Bowl Cake – perfect as a mid-afternoon snack, I’ll write about that shortly.
Some more of my recipes have also been featured on the Good Food Channel including the simple Summer Berry Tart below

Summer Berry Tart for the Good Food Channel {Recipe Here}

I’ll be back very soon with a couple of new review posts and some new recipes.

In the meantime, the easiest way to keep in touch is via Twitter @RenBehan

Thank you for all your well wishes!!!

June 11, 2014

Simple and in Season May Round Up

Finally I’m back with a round up of all the lovely entries for Simple and in Season May/Spring. A new round is open now for June, with lots of inspiring entries coming in already. At 40 weeks pregnant, there’s now very little space between my bump and the laptop, so please forgive the efficient nature of this round up!

1. First past the post was Kellie from Food to Glow who sent across her delicious Deconstructed and Reconstructed Rhubarb and Fruit Crumble with the option of using spelt flour, wholemeal flour or a gluten-free mix along with oats.

2. Next, Sally from My Custard Pie in Dubai used bulbs of fennel and rocket from the last market of the season to make a Lentil, Fennel, Orange, Chicken and Rocket Salad.

3. Ceri from her blog Natural Kitchen Adventures made a Wild Garlic and Amaranth Tabbouleh – move over quinoa!

4. Ros from the More Than Occasional Baker used seasonal British asparagus to make Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche.

5. Choclette from The Chocolate Log Blog used nettles to make some delicious Nettle, Lemon and White Chocolate Cupcakes.

6. And the team at Pro Ware Kitchen (helped by Luna the dog) made a wonderful Thai Red Curry Soup using up pak choi from their veg box.

7. Kellie from Food to Glow came back to us with a beautiful supper of Quick and Spicy Crab Parcels (with a vegan option) – using in-season crab.

8. Andrea from Shabby Chic paired two of my favourite things asparagus and halloumi cheese to create her dish of Grilled Asparagus with Halloumi and Myrtle Berry Oil.

9. Elizabeth over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary made a super-comforting dish (which I could eat right now!) of Hidden Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Sauce, served with tagliatelle using cauliflower from her veg box.

10. Charlene at Food Glorious Food used Granny Smith’s apples to make her Pork Chop Bake.

11. Vanesther over at family food blog Bangers & Mash made a Wild Garlic Pesto Tear and Share Bread – perfect for the World Cup this weekend!

12. Whilst the very clever Laura from How to Cook Good Food made a stunning recipe of Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs using pea shoots, homegrown leaves and a selection of pretty, fresh herbs.

13. Camilla from Fab Food 4 All made a Slow Cooked Pulled Lamb with White Wine and Root Vegetables – gorgeous recipe.

14. Sudha at Spicy, Quirky and Serendipitous made Asparagus with Garlic and Soy Sauce.

15. Aniko at Multiculti Kitchen made a refreshing Peach, Rosemary Blossom and Rhubarb Iced Tea – perfect for our warmer weather.

16. Camilla over at Fab Food 4 All came back to us with her Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam recipe.

17. Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary also came back with another impressive recipe for a Rhubarb and Saffron Yogurt Cake.

18. And Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen showed us her step-by-step Colourful Fruit Tart or Crostata Di Frutta.

19. Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter is part way through her Weight Watchers Step into Summer Challenge and sent across her Creamy Tagliatelle with Bacon, Asparagus and Tomato – using British asparagus.

20. Vohn over at Vohn’s Vittle’s made a bright and colourful Wild Garlic and Hazelnut Pesto.

21. Anneli at Delicieux made a pretty Layered Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Coriander.

22. Nadine at Juggle Mum made and sent in her Vegetable Ribbon 3 Cheese Pasta, also known as her Pasta Fakeaway.

23. Nazima at Franglaise Kitchen firstly sent in her Jasmine Rice Pannacotta and Rhubarb Cardomom Compote – well worth a visit.

24. Secondly, Nazima at Franglais Kitchen linked up her Spiced Apple and Rhubarb Hand Pies – for mini hands.

25. Mireille from Chef Mireille’s East West Realm in NYC made a Rajasthan Watermelon Curry – a great way to use up a big watermelon.

26. And Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni joined in with her Garlic Chilli Mogo – using a vegetable I’ve never used before – fresh mogo.

27. To follow up, Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni also send across her Eggless Upside Down Mango Cake – delicious!

All of which bring’s May’s Simple and Season to a bountiful close. I’m looking forward to visiting June’s entries already – baby permitting!

LINK UP HERE WITH YOUR POSTS FOR SIMPLE AND IN SEASON JUNE

A huge thank you to everyone for joining in!

May 8, 2014

Simple and in Season Spring – Now Open!

Spring has finally arrived, although today’s rain may be trying to convince us otherwise. We’re firmly into British asparagus season and I’ve seen plenty of it about. I’ve already been enjoying visiting some of your posts and recipes and coming up with some recipes of my own, including this simple British Asparagus and Westcombe Cheddar Tart now up on JamieOliver.com. I bought some gorgeous Lincolnshire asparagus today from my local deli and am thinking about what to make for tonight’s dinner as I type. There are also plenty of freshly picked Jersey Royals about, wild garlic, and I’ve started to spot some British summer fruits, too. Don’t forget though that you can share whatever is in season where you live!

A big thank you to Michelle over at Utterly Scrummy for hosting April’s Simple and in Season. So many of you entered and Michelle did a sterling job of rounding up all of the recipes here. I’m launching May’s round today – open until the end of May. Although since baby number three is due to make an appearance early in June, I may be extending the deadline into June! In the meantime, it’s business as usual and I’ll be popping over and read any posts that you link up. Don’t forget to also share your posts on Twitter/Facebook using the hashtag #SimpleandinSeason and I’ll share any that I see.

HERE’S A QUICK RE-CAP ON THE GUIDELINES:

All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via the Linky Tools form below)
This round will run up until 30th May 2014. I will publish a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

ADD YOUR RECIPE LINK HERE:

Looking forward to seeing all of your seasonal entries.

Don’t forget to visit the Food Blog Diary, too for details of other events you can link up to at the same time.

March 14, 2014

Simple and in Season February Round Up

Another colourful round of Simple and in Season! I’ve really enjoyed visiting all of the posts and have been busily bookmarking lots of the lovely recipes sent in. You’ll have to scroll through to the bottom to find out who the winner is this month!

You may have also read that I’m hosting the Square Bakes challenge over on the Lurpak Bake Club site, and if your baking happens to incorporate any seasonal ingredients, feel free to take a snap and like your recipe up to both events!

Without further ado, here were the February entries – with huge thanks to all who joined in! The March round of Simple and in Season is now open.

1. First to enter this month was Solange who writes at Pebble Soup entering her bright and cheery Kiwi Muffins.

2. Sarah posted over on her family-friendly blog called Dinner With Crayons to share her recipe for Pulled Pork Noodles with Savoy Cabbage – bang on season and super-speedy, thank you!

3. The Walthamstow Foodies joined in, too this month, with a seasonal recipe for Oven-Baked Celeriac and Swede Croquettes – which are also vegan.

4. Whilst Bintu over at Recipes from a Pantry linked up her beautiful and zingy Citrus Salad.

5. Next, a lovely entry from the very clever Ceri at Natural Kitchen Adventures who made a gluten-friendly Celeriac and Parsnip Sesame Slaw – interestingly, celeriac is known as celery root in the USA.

6. Life of a Mother joined in this month with her version of Delia’s Slow Cooked Pheasant in Cider.

7. Chef Mireille made a colourful Saffron Cous Cous and Ras el Hanout Vegetable Saute in her NYC kitchen.

8. And Italian blogger Rosella made Puntarelle with Basmati Rice (early winter chicory) perfectly in keeping with the ethos of Simple and in Season.

9. A lovely bright recipe from Caroline over at Caroline Makes who made a Chocolate and Beetroot Cake for Valentine’s Day.

10. Charlene at Food Glorious Food made a tasty Salmon and Red Onion Tart.

11. Janet over at The Taste Space made a very virtuous Lentil Marinara Sauce with Spaghetti Squash.

12. Whilst Louisa over at Eat Your Veg used up some seasonal kale to make Kale and Caraway Crisps.

13. An entry now from Thou Shalt Cook for Paneer Methti Kofta Curry – lots of great flavours here!

14. Elizabeth from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diaries sent across her Leftover Roast Beef and Potato Hash – delicious comfort food.

15. Katharine over at Leeks and Limone in Wales made a lovely dish of Tagliatelle with Leek and Sausage.

16. Whilst Choclette made some gorgeous Blood Orange Curd to fill some sponge cakes with.

17. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen joined in this month with her recipe for Schiacciata Fiorentina – which is a quick orange flavoured sponge cake – delicious – particularly as it’s made with in-season Sicilian oranges.

18. Camilla over at the ‘fab’ blog called Fab Food 4 All made some of her own Lemon and Raisin Scotch Pancakes, using plenty of fresh and zingy lemon for Pancake Day.

19. Vanesther over at Bangers and Mash joined in with her recipe for Braised Pig Cheeks with Carrot and Parsnip Mash – amazing comfort food and I loved the photo, too.

20. And last but by no means least, Lucy at her bright and beautiful blog Super Golden Bakes made a stunning Kedgeree – an easy midweek meal served with a fresh tomato sauce.

And the winner is…..it was a tough choice…but Alida over at My Little Italian Kitchen really captured our attention and our taste buds with her Carnivale-inspired Sicilian Orange Cake (entry 17) – thank you! I’ll be posting you a copy of Season to Season by Sophie Dahl.

Thank you to everyone who entered Simple and in Season February. March is now open here.

March 2, 2014

Simple and in Season March

Thank you to all of you who entered and supported Simple and in Season February – there were some lovely seasonal creations, which I’ll be rounding up very shortly. In case any of your are super-keen, here’s the link up for March. This month, I’ve already been busy roasting my rhubarb (forced rhubarb is now in season in the UK) – look out for rhubarb from Yorkshire for the best variety. My own entry for the month will be coming up very soon – I’ll be sharing my roasted rhubarb and ginger curd pancakes, in time for Shrove Tuesday. March is a really exciting month for fresh produce, as spring is hopefully allowed to provide us with a change to some of the hardier winter veg we’ve all be eating. Look out for blood oranges, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach and spring onions, as well as hake and lemon sole, if you’re a fish lover.

Simple and in Season is monthly seasonal food blog event. This is a community event, open to anyone with an active blog. All you have to do is to write a blog post with a recipe incorporating any seasonal ingredient. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can link up by telling us about anything that is seasonal to you – savoury or sweet. The event will stay open until Monday 31st March, after which there will be a round up and a new link opened for April.

This month’s winner (chosen by my kids) will win a copy of Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less. Don’t forget, you can also keep up with my weekly blog posts over on JamieOliver.com for extra inspiration!

Enter your link here:

HERE’S A QUICK RE-CAP ON THE GUIDELINES:

All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via Simply Linked)
This round will run up until 31st March 2014. I will pick a winner shortly after (excluding myself obviously) and will include a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

There’s are lots more blog events that you can link up to, the more the merrier. Find out more at The Food Blog Diary.

Happy Seasonal Cooking!

February 3, 2014

Simple and in Season – February Now Open

It was lovely to welcome back Simple and in Season to my blog – you can read the round-up of January’s seasonal recipes and posts here. I’m very pleased to be opening a new round for February – the linky is open at the bottom of this post.

Simple and in Season is monthly seasonal food blog event. This is a community event, open to anyone with an active blog. All you have to do is to write a blog post with a recipe incorporating any seasonal ingredient. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can link up by telling us about anything that is seasonal to you – savoury or sweet. The event will stay open until Friday 28th February 2014, after which there will be a round up and a new link opened for March.

This month’s winner (chosen by my kids) will win a copy of Sophie Dahl’s book – From Season to Season.

What’s in season in the UK? Look out for cauliflower, celeriac, leeks, parsnips, PSB, oranges and rhubarb. Don’t forget you may still find some game and fish, such as haddock, mackerel and salmon can also be in season.

NEW BADGE

Please add the Simple and in Season badge below to your posts by right clicking on the image and then clicking on “copy image” then simply “paste” it into your post and don’t forget to link back to this post.

ADD YOUR LINK HERE:

HERE’S A QUICK RE-CAP ON THE GUIDELINES:

All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via Simply Linked)
This round will run up until 28th February 2014. I will pick a winner shortly after (excluding myself obviously) and will include a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

There’s are lots more blog events that you can link up to, the more the merrier. Find out more at The Food Blog Diary.

Happy cooking!

January 29, 2014

Shredded Chicken Pancakes for Chinese New Year

This Friday lots of people will be marking Chinese New Year. It’s out with the old and in with the new and if you’re up for a spot of Chinese-themed celebrating, there’s plenty out there to be enjoyed. Last year we took the children into Chinatown in London to show them some of the Chinese festivities and symbols – red lanterns and flags, Chinese dragons and very loud drums. We also enjoyed a tasty Taiwanese meal in a surprisingly authentic restaurant called Leong’s Legend, which had a very simple interior (based upon a Chinese tea house) but some really great food and was much less busy than the main streets in China Town. Try the ‘pork buns’ or Taiwanese mini kebabs, as recommended by Jay Rayner in The Observer.

I’ve written about what we’ll be doing this year along with some recipe suggestions in my weekly blog for Jamie Oliver. In the meantime, I’ve also come up with a family-friendly starter – a simpler (and slightly healthier) version of crispy duck pancakes made with shredded chicken. I know, I know, it’s not authentic and there’s no crispy skin to feast on, but my kids are a bit picky when it comes to duck fat so I’ve gone with shredded chicken (from a leftover roast) instead. Thankfully, they like the Hoisin sauce and the building aspect of this for tea keeps them extra quiet.

I’m hoping to be able to pop into Chinatown at some point over the weekend to hunt for some more steamed buns and to stand by the windows watching homemade dumplings being crafted by hand.

Time for a little link-love. Firstly, I’m joining in with Extra Veg, a new monthly blog event hosted by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle at Utterly Scrummy – lots of raw sliced carrots, cucumber and spring onions here. I’m also sending this to January’s Feel Good Food Challenge over at A Kick at the Pantry Door, which has a theme of tasty and inexpensive – this is both, especially by using chicken instead of duck and adding lots of raw veggies. For the same reason, January’s Four Season’s Food Winter (co-hosted by Eat Your Veg and Delicieux) gets a hit too, with a theme of virtuous food – less duck fat! I’m also linking up to Credit Crunch Munch, also jointly hosted by Camilla at Fab Food 4 All and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours – leftover chicken, a substitution for duck and lots of veggies. And finally, to my own Simple and in Season – the carrots, cucumber and spring onions are all British and in season in January!

1 vote

Shredded Chicken Pancakes

Prep 5 mins

Cook 5 mins

Total 10 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 4

An alternative to 'cripsy duck pancakes' - this is a kid-friendly and budget-friendly recipe using leftover roast chicken and plenty of raw veg, instead.

Ingredients

200g shredded leftover roast chicken (around two breasts)
Half a cucumber
2 carrots, peeled
4 spring onions
12 Chinese pancakes
80g Hoisin or plum sauce

Instructions

Shred the chicken with two forks - preferably whilst its still warm.
Finely slice the cucumber, carrots and spring onions and warm the pancakes slightly, if you like.
Set out the chicken, sliced vegetables and Hoisin or plum sauce. Fill each pancake with the prepared ingredients, roll up and eat.

Cuisine Asian

Let me know if you get up to anything exciting for Chinese New Year!

January 13, 2014

Farfalle with British Pancetta and Italian Artichokes

I have an Italian recipe for you today – using ‘farfalle,’ bow-tie or butterfly pasta and a tasty sauce flavoured with British pancetta, garlic, artichokes, fresh spinach, tomato and cream. This is a lovely supper for a chilly evening and one that reminds me of our wonderful trip to Northern Italy late last spring. A piping hot plate of pasta is the perfect dish to serve up to a large family. The recipe itself is inspired by a new range of Italian products called Parioli Cucina to the theme of ‘seasonal, Italian and savoury.’

One of the things I noticed in Italy, particularly when wandering around the food markets of Bologna, was the abundance of fresh artichokes on offer. The same doesn’t really translate over in Britain and I always think that we’re short of ideas on what to do with artichokes. Granted, preparing fresh artichokes takes a tiny bit of practice, although I follow the steps outlined by David Lebovitz here. As David says “Artichokes are not hard to prepare but they do take a bit of determination.” Since fresh artichokes usually come into season during the late spring (May/June) a good alternative is to use an authentic supply of artichokes in a jar, which are harvested in season, marinated, grilled and then preserved in vegetable oil. I’ve also added British spinach to my dish, from Kent.

A quick note on the British pancetta, too. I was looking out for Italian pancetta, but this caught my eye at the supermarket and as I haven’t seen British pancetta before I was keen to try it. I was impressed to read that it is hand-cured, made with outdoor bred pork and is air dried for ten days. The smoked pancetta really made the dish. It gave it a little extra edge, complimenting the grilled artichokes and fresh spinach beautifully. If you can find some smoked pancetta, do try it in this recipe. Otherwise, use any good quality Italian pancetta you can find.

As to the rest of the ingredients from Parioli Cucina, these are made and imported from Italy. Parioli is a neighbourhood in the north of Rome in Italy and the range includes dried pasta, sauces, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, chopped and plum tomatoes, antipasti (including the grilled artichokes) and olives. For this recipe, I used the Parioli farfalle pasta – which I really liked because the pasta bows were quite small and bite-sized; smaller than farfalle I’ve tried in other ranges. The pasta had a good bite and worked really well with my sauce. I also used some of their tomato sauce called ‘Basilico’ – a Sicilian basil and tomato sauce, made with vine ripened tomatoes from the Puglia region and fresh basil leaves from Neapolitan farms. The sauce had a very rich flavour and I would say was of a better quality to any of the more well-known branded pasta sauces that I’ve tried.

So, all in all, a lovely mix of flavours and textures with both British and Italian ingredients.

I hope you get to try this dish. Let me know if you do and whether you agree with me on the quality of the products used.

1 vote

Farfalle with British Pancetta and Italian Artichokes

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 20 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 4

A family pasta recipe made with both British seasonal and Italian ingredients from the Parioli Cucina range

Ingredients

400g Farfalle or bow-tie pasta (100g per person), I used Parioli Cucina Pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil or oil from the jar of artichokes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
180g pancetta, I used Tesco finest British smoked pancetta
280g jar grilled artichoke hearts, drained, oil reserved, I used the Parioli Cucina brand
170g or half a jar tomato and basil pasta sauce, I used Parioli Cucina ‘Basilico’
450g/ 2 cups fresh spinach
80ml or 1/3 cup double/heavy cream
Sea salt for the pasta water
Optional, Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the farfalle according to the packet instructions, or until al dente. When the pasta is cooked, take out one cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the rest of the pasta until the sauce is done.
Heat two teaspoons oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and chopped pancetta. Fry until the pancetta is golden brown. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and add them to the pan, stir well. Pour in the tomato sauce and bring to the boil. Stir in the fresh spinach and keep stirring until wilted. Finally, add the reserved cup of pasta water to the pan and stir in the double cream and take the pan off the heat.
Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce. Serve whilst piping hot, with Parmesan cheese grated over the top, if you like.

Courses Main

Cuisine Italian

I’m linking this recipe up with Simple and in Season, a community blog event hosted by me here. The spinach wilted down so much I could have really used twice the amount. It’s also a lovely recipe to bookmark for late Spring when we start to see fresh artichokes in season, too.

With many thanks to Parioli Cucina for inviting me to create this recipe.

January 10, 2014

Simple and in Season – January 2014

Find the January round-up here.

Simple and in Season, the monthly seasonal food blog event, is back! This is a community blog event, open to anyone with an active blog. All you have to do is to write a blog post with a recipe incorporating any seasonal ingredient. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can link up by telling us about anything that is seasonal to you – savoury or sweet. The event will stay open until Friday 31st January 2014, after which there will be a round up and a new link opened for February. This month’s winner (chosen by my kids) will win a copy of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Veg Everyday.

New Badge

ADD YOUR LINK HERE:

Here’s a quick re-cap on the guidelines:

All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via Simply Linked)
This round will run up until 31st January 2014. I will pick a winner shortly after (excluding myself obviously) and will include a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

There’s are lots more blog events that you can link up to, the more the merrier. Find out more at The Food Blog Diary.

My first entry – Polish Apple Pancakes

I look forward to visiting your seasonally-inspired posts!

July 12, 2013

Simple and in Season June Event Round Up (Part Two)

Here I am back with Part Two of June’s Simple and in Season – you can see the first 27 entries here. I’ll jump straight in as there are so many lovely posts and recipes to share.

The winner of June’s round who will receive a copy of The Green Kitchen is Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen for her Apricot Tarte Tatin – scroll down to see!

Simple and in Season is taking a little summer break. I will be stepping back a little, too, so that we can all rest a little and enjoy the sunshine and the school holidays. I hope to start it up again in September. Many thanks for your support!

28. At the halfway mark, Cooking Up a Storm in a Teacup sent across her Jersey Royal, Asparagus and Fennel Salad with a Herby Dressing.

29. Dancing Veggies sent across a ruby red Beet Risotto.

30. Susie at Fold in the Flour made a Classic Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Custard.

31. Janet at The Taste Space sent across her Creamy Mushroom Tomato Pasta.

32. Choclette over at the Chocolate Log Blog made some White Chocolate and Raspberry Tarts.

33. My Cupcake Habit made Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes.

34. A savoury entry from Louisa at Chez Foti who made a Spinach and Feta Filo Pie.

35. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen made a super-bright Apricot Tart Tatin – winning herself a copy of The Green Kitchen!

36. Nicole at Nicole Bremner made a Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake, inspired by The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes In Town.

37. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made three pots of Rhubarb, Vanilla and Lemon Jam.

38. Anna May, Everyday made some easy Raspberry and Lemon Tarts.

39. Whilst Michelle over at Utterly Scrummy made some equally lovely Summer Berry Tarts.

40. Mummy Makes Cakes discovered her own Elderflower shrub and so made some Homegrown Elderflower Cordial.

41. It’s a Fine, Fine Life made a Summer Chicken Casserole in her slow cooker.

42. Andrea at Shabby Chick made a Rhubarb and Rose Cake with Rhubarb and Rose Jam and Mascarpone.

43. A second tarte tatin this month, this time from Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes who made a Rhubarb and Ginger Tarte Tatin.

44. Gill at Tales at Pigling Bland joined in this month (hurrah) with her Make-Ahead Simple Strawberry and Vanilla Layer Cake made for her garden party.

45. Mummy Makes Cakes came back to us with her Chargrilled Turkey and Nectarine Salad.

46. A Girl in Her Kitchen made some Classic French Peach Tarts.

47. Alida over at My Little Italian Kitchen made Green and yellow Crepes with Rocket and Bresaola Salad – stunning!

48. Scrumptious Sally made Easy Strawberry Shortbread Sandwiches.

49. Galina at Chez Maximka made a very pretty Mango Salad with Edible Flowers.

50. Dancing Veggies came back to us again with a Vegetable Lasagne.

51. Luisa at Chez Foti made another summer dish, this time a Roasted Tomato and Feta Risotto.

52. Fromage Homage (fab name) made a Fennel Goat’s Cheese, Samphire and Tomato Tart.

53. H is for Home also joined in again with this Elderflower Crunch Cake – so beautiful.

54. And last but by no means least (and the last Simple and in Season post for the whole summer!) was Camilla at Fab Food 4 All with her Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Milk.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Simple and in Season over the last TWO years! I hope to bring it back in September.

July 11, 2013

Simple and in Season June Event Round Up (Part One)

I am incredibly late posting my round-up of June’s Simple and in Season so my apologies for that. I’ve loved seeing the recipes come in and June was certainly a wonderful month for seasonal produce. In between speaking at Food Blogger Connect, running my second My Polish Kitchen pop up and celebrating my father’s 90th birthday – there has been lots going on!

So, without further ado, here’s part one of June’s Simple and in Season community blog event – many thanks for all your entries.

1. Ros at The More than Occasional Baker started off proceedings with these lovely Raspberry and Pistachio Financiers.

2. The lovely Kellie at Food to Glow made a positively glorious Quinoa Bowl with Citrus, Avocado and Edamame.

3. Caroline at Caroline Makes joined us with her stunning Cardamom Layer Cake with Raspberry and Rose Mascarpone. I love the idea of raspberry and rose.

4. JibberJabberUK sent over her Asparagus and Bacon Quiche.

5. Chris from Cooking Around the World made a wonderful Rhubarb Cardamom and Crumble Cake with fresh rhubarb stalks from his garden- many thanks for being ready before I was!

6. The lovely Luisa from Chez Foti sent across a Chicken, Asparagus and New Potato Traybake – as Luisa says, there is great simplicity in a traybake – thank you.

7. Wild Craft Vita joined in this month with a Wild Rose Infused Honey – what a lovely idea.

8. Jen over at Blue Kitchen Bakes made possibly one of my favourite dishes – Smoked Salmon, Courgette and Dill Pasta.

9. What’s Cooking joined in with Roasted Cauliflower with Ras El Hanout – many thanks, one to try.

10. Laura from How to Cook Good Food wrote all about her love of chard using up some of her rainbow chard in the process.

11. Jen from Blue Kitchen Bakes came back to us with her Individual Strawberry Tarts – perfectly in season.

12. Denise at Magnolia Verandah I think has moved! But I managed to find her post on Tamarillo and Apple Chutney and I’m so pleased I did – made with backyard tamarillos!

13. Shaheen over at Allotment 2 Kitchen came back to us with her Vegan Strawberry Cake with Pink Icing.

14. Lousia at Chez Foti has started a new blog challenge of her own called Four Seasons Food, which I urge all of you to enter and support, and so made A Couple of Summer Crostini – many thanks!

15. Kellie at Food to Glow sent in her stunning Peach Melba and Frangipane Scones – an absolute must-try for the summer! Max the Cat agrees…

16. H is for Home joined us with this summery Asparagus and Gruyere Tart – thank you.

17. Elizabeth writes a beautiful blog called Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary and this month, she made a Roast Butternut Squash Ravioli with Walnut Muscovado Butter Sauce – stunning.

18. Another beautiful blog, this time, SuperGolden Bakes sharing her Yoghurt Strawberry Shortcakes – super photo.

19. Yay, Andrea from Shabby Chick made a Torta Verde with Jack by the Hedge – so inspiring!

20. Dancing Veggies joined in with a Potato and Beet Casserole – unusual and very enticing.

21. Recipe Junkie linked up her Chicken with bacon, courgettes & green garlic – using up the green garlic in her veg box.

22. Choclette from the Chocolate Log Blog made a seriously tempting Chocolate Genoese with Minted Strawberry Cream cake – bringing chocolate, mint and Cornish strawberries together perfectly and calling it a Chocoadoodledoo cake!

23. Another simple and tasty dish from Louisa at Chez Foti – Smoked Salmon and Courgette Carnonara – a great twist.

24. Next came a wonderful entry from Helen at Fuss Free Flavours who shared her recipe for a Lemon and Mint Ricotta – Perfect with Berries. Thank you Helen, lovely photo, too.

25. Leeks and Limone over in Wales shared her Raspberry Bakewell Tart – I love the look of those crispy almonds on top.

26. The Flexitarian made a Mediterranean Tomato Tart showing us a simple way to use up summertime tomatoes.

27. And neatly at the halfway mark, we had a second entry from Laura over at How to Cook Good Food who made Raspberry, Chocolate and Almond Tartlets – I’d love to eat one of these right now!

Come back tomorrow for more seasonal inspiration and part two of June’s round up.

Many thanks for reading and taking part!

June 20, 2013

Simple and in Season May Event Round Up (Part 2)

So, it seems that rhubarb, wild garlic and asparagus were more or less the ingredients of the month in May as seen in the first part of the round up for Simple and in Season. Now it’s time for part two!

Simple and in Season June is also in full swing and you can enter here and also be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Green Kitchen.

26. Just over the half way mark, came an entry from Edible Things with a story from Mel about harvesting her own asparagus and also making an Asparagus Mousse for friends.

27. Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes made a vegetarian Broccoli and Celery Soup for her continuing 5:2 fast diet. I’m hearing great things about the plan and am going to try it soon, so this soup is bookmarked.

Jacqueline also writes for Baby Centre and very kindly included one of my summer salads into her recent post called Top 10 BBQ Salads – so if you are looking for salad inspiration, pop over and take a look.

28. Next came a stunning Asparagus and Gruyere Tart from Louisa at Chez Foti – a great champion of Simple and in Season!

29. Ooh strawberries next from Caroline Makes with her lovely Fraisier Strawberry and Cream Cake – (strawberries are fraise, in French) and the cake is made of two thin layers of Genoise sponge and then filled with creme patissiere with strawberries around the edge – perfect for a summer birthday party or celebration.

30. And then we were graced with another lovely summer cake, this time from Lottie’s World of Cakes and Bakes with a White Chocolate, Blueberry and Lemon Layer Cake. I adore the stenciling, Lottie.

31. Next, an exciting post from Chocolette at the Chocolate Log Blog who made Dandelion Honey – a mixture of dandelions, sugar and lemon juice which then turns into/tastes like honey! Thanks for sharing Choclette.

32. More summer sweetness, this time from Urvashi, The Botanical Baker who made Strawberries on Hazelnut Shortbread as a midweek treat or even for Wimbledon watching!

33. Meanwhile, Nazima at Franglais Kitchen made a tasty brunch of Asparagus and Potato Hash with Poached Eggs – delicious!

34. Michelle at Utterly Scrummy came back to us this time with an Asparagus Quiche to follow her glut of rhubarb – thanks Michelle.

35. Next, a recipe from Reneé at Ren’s Recipes who made a gluten-free and dairy free Chilled Apple and Rhubarb Crumble – thank you!

36. Vanesther at Banger’s and Mash also came back and made an Asparagus, Ham and Parmesan Tart – a really great family recipe.

37. Back to the rhubarb and this time Camilla from Fab Food 4 All made a simple yet impressive Rhubarb & Ginger Cake

38. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen also came back to us again with some Strawberry Mini Tarts or Italian Pasticcini alle fragole – which I sampled plenty of in Italy!

39. Another yummy recipe from Kellie at Food to Glow – this time Spring Ricotta Gnocchi with Asparagus and a Lemon Thyme Butter and Caper Sauce – stunning.

40. Vanestha had a busy month and also baked this Rhubarb Cinnamon Cake sweetened with splenda.

41. A nice family-friendly entry from Coombe Mill with Chicken and Ham with Wild Garlic – with wild garlic from the farm – thank you!

42. Gluts and Gluttons joined us and made something very unusual – a Lovage Cordial which induced a snooze! An alcoholic cordial, what a good idea…! Thank you for joining in.

43. Quiches and tarts were definitely popular this month. Cakes, Photos, Life sent across a Chicken, Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche.

(Sorry, I can’t seem to share the photo)

44. Another great idea from Edible Things, this time a Rhubarb Vinaigrette to go with lots of things, including fish.

45. Spices Galore joined us, too and made Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes with fresh strawberry puree – thank you.

46. Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter also squeezed in another post, this time with her Chard and Sunkiss Tomato Pesto – made in her Vitamix with rainbow chard from a new local veg box scheme. Very inventive, Katie!

47. Nicole Bremmer who writes a lovely blog made these Rhubarb Fairy Cakes with Edible Pansies – perfect for a summer picnic.

48. Ros, The More Than Occasional Baker, also made some cupcakes, this time Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes. Thank you Ros!

49. I also had some rhubarb delivered to me and so made a Rhubarb and Almond Cake for the Good Food Channel.

50. Sarah from Maison Cupcake sent across a really tasty and simple recipe for Rhubarb Quark Crumble – a new summer favourite!

51. And our final entry taking us over the 50 entries mark was Choclette’s Mini Chocolate and Rhubarb Pavlovas – how lovely!

Which leads me to announce that the winner for the month of may was….

Vanesther at Bangers and Mash for her Spiced Rhubarb and Lemon Sorbet (served with Cinnamon Biscuits) – because I don’t think it would ever have occurred to me to make a rhubarb sorbet and yet the recipe is simple with just rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, water and a few spices. Well done Vanesther – a copy of the Yeo Valley Farmhouse Cookbook is on its way!

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in May to mark Simple and in Season’s second birthday!

Simple and in Season June is open here.

June 19, 2013

Simple and in Season May Event Round-Up (Part 1)

My goodness me, May was a busy month and we’re already more than half way into June! Where does the time go? Without further ado, here’s the round up (part one) of all your wonderful creations for Simple and in Season May. I’ll be announcing the winner in a separate post following the round-ups very soon.

Thank you for all your stunning seasonal entries!

1. First to cross the line was The Taste Space with these Mediterranean Beans atop Lemony Arugula – absolutely perfect for this time of year and a really simple, yet flavorful recipe – thank you Janet.

2. Anna from Anna May, Everyday, made some vibrant Wild Garlic Pesto – such a pretty photograph.

3. Michelle at Utterly Scrummy made some utterly scrummy Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam with their glut of rhubarb- I’ll be trying that this week.

4. Next, we had some delicious Sesame Green Beans (one of my favourite veggies) from Dancing Veggies.

5. A lovely recipe from Delicieux, this time, Crispy Asparagus and Camembert Parcels – yum!

6. More asparagus, this entry is from clever chef Laura at How to Cook Good Food – Roasted asparagus, spring onion, chorizo and butter bean salad with a lime chipotle dressing.

7. A stunning Rhubarb Tart from Lousia at Chez Foti came along next – thank you

8. Followed by a spot of baking with the children at Chez Foti and some tasty Rhubarb Crumble Muffins – great photo!

9. Next came a superb seasonal summer dessert, Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen shared her Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote – perfect for Wimbledon watching at home!

10. Sarah from The Garden Deli write a beautiful post about Borage and Beans whilst snacking on some homemade Pesto Bread made with her spring leaf pesto and pizza dough – also bookmarked!

11. A gorgeous post from Shabby Chic Andrea showing us all how to make Wild Garlic Egg Fried Rice – thank you

12. Rita at Rita Cooks Italian always cooks up something simple and tasty – this month she shared a recipe for Tortiglioni Pasta with a Creamy Asparagus sauce – with great step by step photos.

13. Vanesther at Bangers and Mash is always keen to make delicious family food. She shared two great recipe using seasonal rhubarb called Spiced Rhubarb and Lemon Sorbet with Cinnamon Cookies.

14. More rhubarb, this time a Rhubarb Fool from Dragons and Fairy Dust – many thanks for joining in.

15. The lovely Ceri at newly re-named blog Natural Kitchen Adventures shared her stories of foraged finds with this Wild Garlic Pesto serving it up in some mini quiches at her mini pop up tea and on some salmon for supper.

16. I used some British pears to make a tasty treat for a challenge making my Espresso Caramel Pear Squares.

17. Ness at Jibber Jabber UK made these lovely Rhubarb, Lemon and Ginger Friands – I love the way the pieces of pink rhubarb pop through!

18. This next recipe is a keeper for anyone who loves fresh rhubarb and Greek yoghurt – that’s me, for sure. Thank you Camilla at Fab Food 4 All for sending across your Rhubarb Compote with Vanilla Greek Yoghurt and Meringue.

19. Linzi at Lancashire Food shared my thinking on the rhubarb by making Rhubarb and Maple Syrup Crumble Muffins.

20. English strawberries are just coming into season now so make a note to make these Cheat Strawberry Tartlets by Solange at Pebble Soup.

21. Something very clever again from Laura at How to Cook Good Food – this time a sweet entry – Lavender Poached Rhubarb with Ginger Custard Cream – crushed ginger biscuits, mmm. The perfect treat after a busy afternoon in the allotment.

22. Here is another very beautiful entry from Louisa at Chez Foti who made a Nettle and Wild Garlic Risotto. Looks like a winner to me!

23. Katie Bryson at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter was on a rhubarb roll, too, this month and made these Rhubarb and Orange Mini Loaf Cakes – thank you Katie!

24. Gorgeous Kellie at Food to Glow shared a healthy, seasonal recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Carrot Miso Dressing – such interesting flavours. Thank you Kellie.

25. Bang on the halfway mark, Andrea from Shabby Chic came back to share her Wild Garlic and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Frittata.

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A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Simple and in Season over the last TWO years! I hope to bring it back in September.

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Thank you so much again – I’ll be back tomorrow with Part 2!

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