Coming soon....

I've kindly been given some sourdough starter. I fed it for the first time today. Very excited and also a wee bit scared. I've made plenty of yeast breads, but have never tried sourdough.

So watch this space!

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Cambodian Wedding Day Dip

My friend H. was given Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Veg Everyday cookbook for Christmas and is planning to try every single recipe from it. Lucky for us, because it means that she is cooking a lot and like at last week's Girls' World night we're the ones profiting from her 'project'.

H. brought a bowl of Cambodian Wedding Day Dip along and after trying it, I now want to buy the book and try all the recipes, too. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has always been one of my favourite celebrity chef's, his Rivercottage Meat cookbook is really informative and I like his promotion of eating seasonably and responsible animal rearing, and of course then there also is Hugh's Fish Fight and Chicken Out Campaign, which are commendable and so important.

Publishing a cookbook full of vegetarian recipes has come as quite a surprise to many, as he's so well known for having been a meat-lover, but if all the recipes are as good as the Cambodian Wedding Day Dip, than it'll be an investment worth every penny!



This can be eaten hot or cold, as part of a buffet, as a dip with pita bread or crisps or you can serve it hot with some rice to turn it into a proper meal.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Cambodian Wedding Day Dip (serves 8)

3 tbsp rapeseed oil
600g chestnut mushrooms, very finely chopped (3-4 mm pieces)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ red chilli, finely chopped
1tbsp medium curry powder
2 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
400ml coconut milk
½ lime, juice off
1tsp soy sauce
fresh coriander leaves (optional, for garnish)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chopped mushrooms over high heat until the moisture has evaporated.

Add the garlic and chilli and fry for another minute or so.

Add the curry powder and peanut butter and mix in well.

Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook over a medium heat until thickened, stirring regularly to avoid it sticking.

Add the lime juice and soy sauce and combine.

Top with some fresh coriander leaves if you like.

Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie

Well, maybe I should just call it Ordinary Lime Pie, because obviously I am unable to get key limes here in Manchester, but that doesn't make the pie any less good, so I'll just stick with the better known and let's face it better sounding name.

When I was 16 I went on a three week road trip around Florida with my sister. That's when I discovered Key Lime Pie. I fell in love straight away. Key Lime Pie is not all that common here in the UK, so on the rare occassion that I do see it somewhere I'll order it. Why it has taken me 18 years to try and make my own, I have no idea.

All I can say is now that I have made it, I won't wait another 18 years to make it again. It's really easy, fresh, tangy and sweet at the same time and best of all it takes me right back! Not that I really want to be 16 all over again. I definitely prefer 34!

Oh and if you don't know what to do with the left over egg whites, try making Coconut Macaroons.

I have no idea where the recipe came from. I wrote it down on a piece of paper years ago.



Key Lime Pie

90g butter
225g digestive biscuits (or Graham Cracker if you live in the US)
zest of three limes
150ml lime juice (4-5 limes)
3 large egg yolks
400g condensed milk

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

While it's melting, place the biscuits in a large food bag and bash them or roll them with a rolling pin until you have fine, fairly even crumbs.

When completely melted, take the butter of the heat, add the biscuit crumbs and stir until well mixed.

Place the crumb mixture into a 26cm pie dish and press firmly down and up the sides with your fingers, until you have an even thickness. If like me you don't have a pie dish, you can use a springform pan and just press the crumbs about 1 1/2 to 2 fingers width up the sides.

Bake on the middle shelf for 10 minutes, until golden.

While the biscuit base is baking you can make the filling.

Place the egg yolks and lime zest in a large bowl and whisk for about two minutes with an electric whisk. The yolks should start to thicken a bit.

Add the condensed milk and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes.

Finally add the lime juice and give it one final quick whisk to combine.

Remove the crust from the oven and carefully pour the egg mix into the middle, making sure it spreads out evenly.

Place back in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until set but still springy.

Remove and allow to cool. Once cooled completely wrap in cling film and refridgerate until you're ready to serve it.

Enjoy!



It went down rather well at our bring-a-dish dinner party, or potluck dinner as it's known in America. I was hoping for a left-over slice to take a nice daylight picture of today, but all I got the chance to photograph was the empty plate instead. I guess that's better in a way though, isn't it?!

Hello Fresh

If you regularly visit this blog you will have read that I am currently on a bit of a drive to bring down the amount I spend on food every month. That doesn't mean I eat less well or boring food, if anything I think it has had the opposite affect and I have been inspired to look for more new recipes to try and cook.

One of the key things I have found to help me with this, is sitting down and making a weekly meal plan and shopping list. It stops me from doing loads of little trips to the shops that end up costing more, from ordering take aways because I can't be bothered coming up with something made from the random ingredients left in my fridge and pantry and from spending loads of money every week on over-cooked and over-priced food in the canteen at work because I have not thought of lunches. The other great thing of course is that it also stops food waste and means I'm also doing just a little bit more for the environment.

I usually sit down for an hour or so on Sundays to browse the web and flick through my collection of cookbooks to come up with a plan for the week. I then spend some time checking what I have already in and what I need to add to my shopping list for Monday's big shop. Now you might say that you don't have the time to do this and also find it difficult to decide what to cook because you might either be very indecisive and find that there is far too much choice or you feel you lack the confidence and experience in the kitchen. This is where Hello Fresh come in and help!




They are a great new company here in the UK who will take over the meal planning AND the shopping for you. This is how it works:

1. You select the number of meals you'd like delivered and the amount of people in your household.

2. Your recipes and groceries will be delivered on Monday evenings between 5pm and 9pm.

3. You can get stuck in and discover the joy of easy to cook, quick and well-balanced meals at home. You won't need any fancy kitchen equipment, masterchef skills or loads of time. The recipes have been put together by chefs and nutritionists and should not take you more than 30 minutes to make.

Isn't that brilliant?! It also is really good value, costing as little as £49 per week for five meals for two people, or even less if you order for four or six. All that plus locally sourced products and optimised delivery routes also means a reduced carbon footprint. What's not to like?

Warm Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

I love sweet vegetables, butternut squash being one of my favourites. So when I saw a recipe for Squash, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad on We Don't Eat Anything With A Face a couple of weeks ago I bookmarked it straight away. Sweet vegetables, warm spices, earthy lentils and salty cheese, what more could I want?

Lucy and Yuri liked it, too.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it fits in perfectly with my focus on keeping the budget in check by concentrating on frugal but not boring food. Not only are non of the ingredients overly pricy, but it's a perfect meal for left-over lunches, as it can be served warm for dinner and cold for lunch the next day.

The salad leaves start wilting when you top them with the warm squash, sweet potatoes and lentils. So if you are not planning on eating it all and do want to save some left-overs for the next day, just take some out and set it aside before serving the rest on a bed of salad leaves. You can then add more greens the next day to avoid wilted, limp salad leaves spoiling your meal. Or like me serve the salad leaves in a seperate bowl and let everyone assemble it on their plates at the table.



Here is my slightly adapted version...

Warm Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad (serves 4 as a main/8 as a side)

400g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
400g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
50g dried puy lentils, brown lentils, green lentils or beluga lentils
1/2tsp fennel seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp smoked paprika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
3tbsp olive oil
1 1/2tbsp balsamic vinegar
100g soft goats cheese, crumbled.
rocket, spinach and watercress leaves to serve

Preheat your oven to 190C/Gas 5.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large baking dish.

Add the spices, butternut squash and sweet potato and stir to mix well, making sure the squash and potatoes are properly coated with the oil and spices.

Roast for 35-40 minutes, turning once, until soft and and beginning to caramelise.

Whilst the veg is in the oven, boil your lentils in salted water. Timings vary depending on which lentils you use. Check the packaging for timings.

Drain and set aside to cool a little. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir.

Allow the vegetables to cool for 10 minutes or so as well, before adding the lentils.

Serve warm (or cold) on a bed of salad leaves.

Top with crumbled soft goats cheese.

Enjoy!

Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Sandwich

Smoked Mackerel is one of those things that I regularly put on my shopping list even if I have nothing specific to make with it in mind. I just like having some in the fridge as it's not only healthy, but also delicious and a great additin to a salad, or what my friend H. calls a deli dinner (the kind of dinner where you just have little bits of loads of different stuff, kind of buffet style) and it is also quilckly turned into a pate.

I guess though, that one of my favourite ways to have it is as a filling for a sandwich. When I know that I have a mackerel sandwich in my lunchbox, I spend all morning looking forward to my lunch break. The other night I made a Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Sandwich to go with the Pea, Mint and Lettuce Soup and together they made a delicious and filling dinner.



This is not so much a recipe, more an idea, but here you go:

Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Sandwhich (serves 1)

2 slices of good quality bread or your favourite bread roll
butter
1-2 smoked mackerel fillets (depending on size), skin removed and flaked
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 cherry or baby plum tomatoes, sliced
a handfull of watercress or rocket (arugula) salad leaves
freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Butter your bread or roll.

Top with flaked mackerel, acocado slices, sliced tomatoes and salad leaves.

Season with freshly ground balck pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

Pea, Mint and Lettuce Soup

Okay I admit, the words lettuce and soup together might sound strange. For most of us lettuce is there to be eaten raw in salads, but sometimes it actually works really well cooked. You should try it sometime.

This recipe is based on one from an Avoca Cookbook, but I have changed it quite a bit, as I felt the original lacked flavour. Do you sometimes find that you really like the food served in a cafe or restaurant, but then when you buy their cookbook the recipes don't work quite as well?!

If you're Irish or you have been to Ireland you probably know about Avoca. Not the small town in Co. Wicklow, but the shops. They sell nice stuff and most of the stores have a really nice cafe/bistro attached to them. Everything I ate there, especially the soup and cakes I really enjoyed, but I have now tried soup twice from the cookbook I bought and had to doctor both recipes quite a bit to stop them from being bland.

Well the my 'doctored' version not only looked great (that's if you like bright green) it also tasted really good, was pretty quick to make and just hit the right spot on a cold January day.



Pea and Lettuce Soup (serves 4)

50g butter
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 baby gem lettuces, core removed and shredded
500g frozen garden peas
750ml good quality vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
150ml creme fraiche
a small bunch of mint, chopped fine

In a heavy based saucepan melt the butter over medium heat togther with the olive oil.

Sautee the onion until soft and translucent stirring regularly. You want to sautee them slowly, as they are not supposed to go crispy and brown.

Add the shredded lettuce and saute for a couple of minutes before adding the peas.

Continue to cook for 5 minutes or so.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer.

Remove from the heat and liquidise with a stick blender or by carefully puring it into a liquidiser.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return to the heat and warm through.

Remove from the heat before finally stirring in the creme fraiche.

Sprinkle with mint and serve with your favourite crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Poached Egg and Avocado Toast

Most weekday mornings I just have a bowl of cereal, porridge or a buttered crumpet with a cup of Earl Grey tea for breakfast. Today though, the combination of working from home and having planned soup for dinner, meant that I felt like having something a little more substantial and exciting to start the day off with.

When I checked my fridge this morning I found some small avocados that I bought last week and that were getting quite ripe, so I decided to have them on toast with a poached egg to top it all. Delicious.

I guess this isn't really a recipe, but I'll share my method of making poached eggs with you. I have been given some silicon egg poachers for my birthday, but in case you don't have any don't worry it isn't really that difficult to poach eggs without them.



Poached Egg and Avocado Toast (serves 1-2)

2 fresh eggs
a dash of white wine or cider vinegar
1 liter of water
1 avocado (2 if they are really small), sliced
2 slices of your favourite bread, toasted
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the water with a dash of vinegar in a frying pan until just simmering.

Crack one eggs into a small cup, being careful not to damage the yolk. The eggs should be really fresh, old eggs don't poach well.

Now take a spoon into one hand and the cup containing the egg in your other. Swirl the water in the frying pan, so that you create a bit of a whirl pool effect and bring the cup close to the surface of the water before you pour the egg from the cup into the middle of of the whirling water. That way the whites get 'swirled' around your yolk and it stops your egg from spreading out too much.

Your pan should be big enough so that you can poach two eggs at the same time. Just repeat the previous step adding the second egg, making sure it is not too close to the first one.

Keep the eggs on a very low simmer for around three minutes. If you like your yolks a bit firmer, you might want to give them four minutes.

Remove from the pan carefully with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to drain.

Arrange the sliced avocado on top of your hot buttered toast and top with a poached egg.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper as desired.

Enjoy!