Minestrone Soup

I’m a big soup fan, I love soup. It’s become a staple in our house, mainly due to my ridiculous working hours as it’s quick and easy to make. I occasionaly use a slow cooker, but I prefer to make it fresh on the stove.

So this is one of the familys favourite recipes, it’s a very hearty soup and very filling so be warned.
If I’m making this properly, I use proper Ham stock after I’ve boiled a ham, however stock cubes do the job just fine too. You can freeze this up to the point before you add the pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves slice
• 75g streak bacon rashers or pancetta
• 2 sticks of celery thinly sliced
• 1 carrot diced
• 2 potatoes diced
• 500ml ham stock
• 15g tomato puree
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 handful of fresh parsley
• 75g tin of cannelini beans
• pinch of slt
• 6 plum tomatoes chopped
• 1 450g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 50g small pasta shapes (farfallini I like, little bows)

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, bacon, celery and carrot. Cook for 2 minutes

Stir in the diced potato and cook for another 2 minutes

Add the stock and bring to the boil

Add tomato puree, bay leaf, thyme, parsley and beans

Season well with sea salt and black pepper

Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes

Add tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes

Add pasta and cook depending on pasta’s cooking time. Baby pasta takes about 6 minutes, spaghetti around 10 minutes.

Serve with torn fresh basil and some creme fraiche if desired.

 

Cranberry and red onion relish

Amazing with turkey, roast ham or my pork/duck terrine or ham hock persilliade (recipes to follow)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 red onions peeled and sliced
• grated rind and juice of 1 large orange
• 8 ozs fresh cranberries
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp red wine (rioja or pinot noir is good, needs a good full bodied red)
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• pinch of cinnamon

Melt butter in a saucepan and fry the onions gently until softened (about 10 minutes on a low heat).

Do not allow the onions to caramilise yet.

Add orange rind and juice and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add rest of the incredients, heat until boiled and then reduce to a simmer

Simmer until sauce is syrupy (about 15 minutes(

Make this 2-3 weeks before Christmas to allow it to settle and mature. Store in sterlised kilner jars and cover the top with greaseproof paper.

 

Christmas Cake

Well the festive season is upon us so thought I’d restart the blog with some Festive recipes

This cake can be made without soaking the fruit due to the moist brown sugar used (and the copious amounts of brandy). Given the date, you don’t really have time to soak the fruit in brandy for a few weeks now, but if you’re making it next year I’d recommend it if you like your cake with a mighty kick.

Ingredients

• 12ozs raisins
• 1lbs currants
• 12ozs sultanas
• 4oz flaked almonds – finely chopped
• 6ozs mixed peel
• 4ozs glace cherries
• Grated rind o f 1/2 lemon + juice of 1 lemon
• 2oz crystillised ginger
• 2oz dried figs
• 2oz dates
• 12oz unsalted butter
• 12oz moist brown sugar
• 6 medium eggs
• 12 oz plain four (sifted)
• `1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 all spice
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 3 tbsp brandy + more to feed the cake.

Cream the butter, sugar and grated lemon ride together until it’s light and fluffy

Beat in the eggs one at a time, taking care not to let them curdle

Mix all the dry ingredients together in another bowl.

Add slowly to the creamed butter, sugar and eggs. Add the black treacle and mix throughly.

Mix in brady and lemon juice to form a dropping consistancy.

Turn into a lined 20″ cake tin, (which has been lined with the grease proof paper about 2 inches over the top of the tin).

Ensure there are no air bubbles in the mix

Cook at 160 C for 2 hours.

Reduce heat to 150c and cook for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Cake should be firm but springy when fully cooked, and check with a skewer that the cake is cooked through.  If top starts to burn, cover with greaseproof paper.

Turn out on the cake rack and allow to cool.
Once cooled, wrap tightly in cooking foil and once a week feed with 2 tbsp’s of brandy until icing time.

I’ll cover icing the cake later with pictures.

 

Turkey and tarragon crepes

For all your left overs…..

this makes around 12 crepes.

Ingredients

For the crepes

• 60 g all-purpose flour
• 1 eggs
• 60 ml milk
• 60 ml water
• 0.8 g salt
• 15 g butter, melted

55 g butter

20 g finely chopped onion

30 g all-purpose flour

235 ml milk

180 ml chicken broth

60 ml dry white wine

 2g chopped dried tarragon or 1g freshly chopped tarragon

2 egg yolks

280 g diced cooked chicken

salt to taste

60 ml milk

 

Prepare a basic crepe recipe in advance. Crepes can be made and frozen up to several weeks ahead of time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Mix in broth, wine, and tarragon; stir over medium-low heat until thickened (about 4 minutes).

In a small bowl, gradually stir 3 tablespoons of the hot milk and broth sauce into the egg yolks; then pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking briskly. Cook 1 minute more, then remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, mix together half of the sauce with the chicken. Season with salt to taste.

Fill each crepe with 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture. Roll crepes, and place seam-side down in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Thin the remaining sauce with 1/4 cup milk, and pour over crepes.

Bake in a preheated oven 20 minutes, or until sauce begins to bubble.

This also works with dill, sage or more spicy spices such as paprika and cumin.

 

Eggnog -not typically British, but my current guilty pleasure

Ingredients

1. 2 pints milk
2. 5 whole cloves 
3. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4.  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 12 egg yolks
6. 12ozs caster sugar
7. 1 and 1/4 pints light rum
8. 2pints single cream
9. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10.  1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  Directions

1.  Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes.
2.  Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
3. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy.
4. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil.
5. Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about an hour.
6. Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg.
7. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

 

I’m back…..

Life got in the way…but my cooking has improved in my absence.

New recipes on the way…

Happy holidays

 

Coconut Ice

This is a good recipe for uncooked coconut ice. Perfect for Halloween candy or as a Christmas treat.

 

• 10oz Icing sugar
• 4 tbsps condensed milk
• 6 tbsps dessicated coconut
• a few drops of natural food colouring (pink)
• a few drops of strawberry flavouring

Mix together the condensed milk and the icing sugar, then add the dessicated coconut.

When mixture becomes stiff divide into two parts.

Colour and flavour one half of the mixture with the food colouring and flavouring.

On a brownie baking tray shape out the white mixture then shape out the pink mixture beside it, into two identical sized bars.

Press bars firmly together. Dust with sifted icing sugar and leave to firm.

 

 

Crispy Chilli Beef with broccoli

Serves 2, not suitable for freezing.

This is a nice fresh difference to the Chilli Beef you buy in from takeaways. However, you must cut the steak really thin if you want it to crisp up.

• 300g minute steak (thin cut sirloin sliced into strips)
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tsp chinese five spice powder
• 500ml vegetable oil for deep frying
• 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
• 5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli  – deseeded and finely chopped
• 5 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• juice of two limes
• 1/2 bunch spring onions – diagonally sliced.
• small head of broccoli – cut into florets

Put the cornflour onto a plate and mix in the chinese five spice.

Toss the steak into the cornflour and ensure you have an even coverage

Heat 2cm depth of oil in a wok and until very hot.

Fry the steak in batches until dark and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Pour off most of the oil and stir fry the broccoli, garlic, ginger and chilli for 1 minute. Mix together the soy sauce and caster sugar, then add to the vegetables along with the lime juice.

Cook for two minutes.

Toss in the beef and spring onions and warm. Serve with rice or noodles.

 

 

Two tone fudge

This is a lovely creamy two tone fudge that is chocolate and vanilla combined.

Dark brown layer.

• 24ozs Granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 11/2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp butter
• 12 fl ozs double cream

Combine sugar, syrup, cocoa and cream in large pan. Stir and boil to 234F (Soft ball stage) stirring continuously.

At soft ball stage remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.

Beat until creamy but still of pouring consistancy.

Sugar thermometer in fudge at soft ball stage (234F)

Pour into a buttered dish to set.

Light brown layer

• 24ozs granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
• 12 fl ozs double cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp butter

Combine sugar, syrup and cream in large pan and mix. Boil to 234F (soft ball stage) stirring continuously.

Add butter and vanilla. Beat until creamy but still of pouring consistancy.

Pour on top of dark layer, they will not run into each other.

Allow to set.

 

Note: A sugar thermometer is the easiest way to achieve the soft ball stage, however you can do the soft ball test (see HELP ME page).

You can also add a vanilla pod seeds to the light layer for extra vanilla flavour.

Two tone fudge

 

Pancetta wrapped pork fillet withh Hasselback potatoes.

This can be prepared and even browned a few hours ahead, leaving just the final 25 minutes for baking.

Pork fillet is also known as tenderloin.

Ingredients

• 2kg pork fillet trimmed of fat and sinew
• a handful of mixed green herbs – tarragon, parsley, chives, thyme finely chopped
• about 20 thin slices of pancetta
• ground nut or vegetable oil

Fold the tail end of each fillet back over itself to make a barrel shape. Season the fillets, then cut each of them into individual portions of around 200g each. Roll each barrel fillet in the herbs so they are well covered.

Make a line of overlapping slices of pancetta, then place the pork fillet crossways on top and wrap up, smoothing the joins with your hands, the fat will hold everything in place.

Take a heavy frying pan and heat it over a medium flame. Add a little oil and when its very hot, fry the fillets in one or two batches, turning to colour them on all sides and seal the pancetta wrapper. Transfer the fillets to a wire rack set in a roasting tin.

Preheat oven to gas mark 7

Roast the pork for 10-12 minutes, then turn the fillets and cook for a further 10-12 minutes. Leave them to to rest for 5-10 minutes wrapped in foil.

Just before serving, cut each fillet in half at a wide angle.

Hasselback potatoes.

• sixteen medium size potatoes
• 55g buter
• olive oil
• finely grated parmesan
• white breadcrumbs

Peel the potatoes and leave them in cold salted water. Put the potato in the bowl of a big spoon and make crossways cuts at 1cm intervals, the rim of the spoon will control the depth of the cut.  Blot them with kitchen towel.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 7. Heat the butter and four tablespoons of oliveoil in a roasting pan.

Put the potatoes, cut side up and brush generously with the hot fat. Season and then roast for 45 minutes.

Take them out, brush with more fat and then sprinkle with parmesan and breadcrumbs,

Roast for a further 15 minutes or a bit longer if you didn’t put the parmesan on.

Remove when they are brown, crusty and tender.

 

Pancetta wrapped pork fillet,with hasselback potatoes.