It was a real pleasure to be able to re-launch Simple and in Season in January and I have really enjoyed popping over to visit you all as you linked up your seasonal entries. Without further ado, here is January’s round-up – scroll down to the bottom to see who my children chose as the winner of the month!
The February link-up is open HERE.
1. I was first past the post this month, adding my Polish Apple Pancakes to the event, making use of some British Pink Lady apples in a recipe handed down to me by my mother. Bramleys also work well in this recipe, or any sweet (ish) apples. These pancakes are soft and fluffy, and are about the size of American pancakes, spiked with cinnamon. They make the perfect Sunday morning or after-school seasonal treat.
2. Our second recipe came from Kellie over at ‘Food to Glow’ who made a Citrus and Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Pomegranate Dressing. There is no end to Kellie’s culinary creativity and this entry was simply stunning.
3. Linzi joined in with a taste of ‘Lancashire Food’ with her recipe for a simple Lentil and Vegetable Potage, cooked in a slow cooker. This is a comforting soup, based on a medieval staple, using local winter vegetables, including onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, lentils, garlic, fresh garden herbs, stock and brilliantly, lemon rind.
4. Another welcoming winter soup, this time from the lovely Katie over at ‘Feeding Boys and a Firefighter’ who made a Parsnip Soup with Parma Ham Breadsticks – bang on brief for Simple and in Season!
5. Next, another entry from myself with a Farfalle pasta dish incorporating some smoked British pancetta and fresh British spinach, with tomatoes and preserved artichokes.
6. Helen from ‘Fuss Free Flavours’ joined in with her Leftover Turkey Coleslaw with Tahini and Cranberry Sauce Dressing, using up some turkey and for the raw coleslaw a carrot, turnip and some very seasonal purple Brussels sprouts. Delicious, thank you Helen.
7. Sarah joined in from her second blog, ‘Dinner with Crayons’ with a seasonal Quick-a-Leekie Easy Leek & Potato Soup. Leek and potato soup is one of favourites and we loved the addition of some simple croutons, too.
8. Another super-warming soup, this time from Vanesther over at ‘Bangers & Mash’ who made a Roast Cauliflower Cheese Soup – another one of our regulars at home.
9. A wonderful post from Sally over at ‘My Custard Pie’ who this week celebrates her fourth year of blogging. Sally also had a plentiful visit to her local farmer’s market in Dubai, which inspired her post called Ever Changing Seasons of Vegetable Soup, including a seasonal soup recipe. Thank you, Sally!
10. Next, a second entry from Katie at ‘Feeding Boys and a Firefighter’ who made some glowing orange pots of Seville Orange Marmalade with Cointreau with how-to-make instructions. Perfect for a slab of hot buttery toast. Seville oranges are only in season for a very short time – so go and grab some and make a batch of marmalade!
11. An entry from ‘The Spicy Pear’ really made my mouth water. Tina made some Carrot and Courgette Fritters – perfect as a snack or a starter, filled with all sorts of goodness – carrots, courgettes, feta, spring onions, eggs, herbs, cumin and chilli. Go and have a look – they are next on my list of recipes to make.
12. Chocolette from the ‘Chocolate Log Blog’ joined in this month with a really interesting recipe for Paprika and Cocoa Roasted Cauliflower – a really interesting flavour combo to try!
13. Another seasonally-slow-cooked entry from ‘Jibber Jabber UK’ who made a Slow Cooker Carrot and Coriander Soup – gluten-free, vegan and virtuous!
14. Kellie at ‘Food to Glow’ had me licking my lips again with her Turkish-style pastries called Brocolli, Cheese and Sweet Potato Gozleme. Since I’m very partial to broccoli, sweet potato and cheese I’d love to try these.
15. A brilliant entry from ‘Shabby Chick’ blogger Andrea, who aside from making her very own Buffalo milk Mozzarella recently also made her own Kale Seaweed – inspired by her daughter’s love for world food. Baked, I might add, not deep-fried.
16. Next, a recipe that was completely new to me by ‘Tales from the Kitchen Shed’ for a Slow Cooker Guernsey Bean Jar soup – delicious and inspired.
17. And so to the final entry, aside from my final link-up, we had a super tasty return from Katie over at ‘Feeding Boys and a Firefighter’ who made a Leek and Cheddar Quiche with Coleslaw– with seasonal leeks, red cabbage, carrots and apples and lots of extra goodness in the way of seeds.
18. To finish things off, I linked my simple Shredded Chicken Pancakes, served with shredded carrots, cucumber and spring onions – all British and in season.
And the winner is….drum roll please…..
Katie over at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter for her Parsnip Soup with Parma Ham Breadsticks (entry number 4) – the children saw this in the round up and immediately declared that they wanted me to make soup and dippy breadsticks for tea. A copy of River Cottage Veg is on it’s way to Katie.
Entries are now open for February 2014.
Thank you to everyone who joined in with January’s Simple and in Season.