recipe of the week: coriander and cashew pesto

lydia provided a great link in a recent post for ideas about what to do with left over fresh herbs. this coincides nicely with my lastest cooking triumph as idea number 8 is to make your own pesto. i saw this recipe on a cooking show the other day. you don't need a blender to make pesto, although it quickens the process. you just need a large shrap knife and my pestle and mortar did come in handy for the nuts.

large bunch of coriander
large handful of cashews
goodly grating of hard italian cheese (i used romano)
splash of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

chop the coriander as finely as you can stand.
crush or chop the cahsews quite finely but leaving some chunky texture.
mix the chopped coriander, cashews, cheese and salt and pepper.
stir in enough olive oil to loosen the mixture without making it soupy.
serve with pasta or grilled fish or meat.

earth hour

earth hour, i almost forgot! luckily i read this article about 60 things to do during earth hour with 20 minutes to go...

alex and i think we'll start out with a number 16, followed by number 24...which will lead nicely into number 26 and then we'll finish the evening with number 19.

what are you going to do?

have fun!

recipe of the week: coronation chicken

if you ever come to england and see coronation chicken sandwich advertised in a greasy spoon, i'd recommend passing it over in favour of a bacon or chip butty. but if you have some spare curry paste at home that you don't know what to do with then i would suggest making new age coronation chicken. this whole meal took me less than an hour from getting everything out of the fridge to sitting and eating. it's ridiculously flavourful and a meal that will impress anyone you make it for as it seems so much more difficult than it is.

1T medium curry paste (i used a beautiful thai green curry paste)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
enough rice for everyone you're cooking for
2T double cream (or mayonaise or sour cream or creme fresh)
1 to 5 spoonfuls of mango chutney (or as much as you like depending on how sweet you want the sauce)
150g pot of natural yogurt
12 dried apricots, chopped
1/2 apple, cored, chopped
handful of coriander, chopped

preheat the oven to 230C/445F. i know that's hot...but it works.
mix half the curry paste with the lemon juice and toss with the chicken, rubbing in well.
roast chicken, skin side up, for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
cook the rice according to the package.
mix remaining curry paste in a bowl with double cream, chutney and yogurt.
mix cooked rice with lemon zest, apricot, apple and coriander.
serve chicken, drizzled with sauce, and a heap of rice.

this recipe will not disappoint you.

easter appetizer: apricots wrapped in bacon

on easter sunday the final episode of the bbc drama 'the passion' was on and i got a little wrapped up in it (jesus did resurrect after all) and forgot about the things in the oven...so some of it got a little over cooked. nothing was burned to in-edible...just pleasantly charred. let that be a lesson to you all.

5 dried apricots per person
bacon rashers cut in half, one rasher per 2 apricots
sprinkling of dried oregano

preheat oven to 165C/325F.
sprinkle the oregano over the apricots.
wrap each apricot in a bacon rasher.
slow roast them in the oven for the last 30-45 minutes of the lamb's cooking time.
crank up the oven to 200C/395F and finish roasting the bacon and apricots for 10 minutes or until crispy.

easter dinner: beans, basil and cashews

this can mostly be made well in advance and finished at the last minute.

handful of green beans per person, trimmed
handful of fresh basil, chopped
handful of salted cashews, chopped
knob of butter for frying

steam the beans until tender.
melt the butter in a fry pan, take off the heat.
add the beans, basil and cashews to the pan and reheat for a few minutes when everything else is just about ready.

easter dinner: courgette and potato fritters

once again, i got a little distracted while these were in the oven...

1 large courgette, grated
2-3 large potatoes, grated
handful of fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper
lemon. zested and juiced
splash of oil for frying

place grated potato and courgette in a tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
mix courgette, potato, basil, lemon, salt and pepper.
form into palm sized patties and fry on both sides until browned.
place on a baking tray and bake for the last 30-45 minutes of the lamb's time.
crank the oven up to 200C/395F to crisp up the fritters for 10 minutes while the lamb rests.

easter dinner: roasted leg of lamb

vegetarians look away now. i will admit that i gagged a little when handling the raw leg. it was all too overwhelming to be holding a dead lamb's leg. but the carnivore in me really enjoyed eating the tender and succulent meat.

1 (5 pound) bone-in lamb leg
14 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried sage
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine (plus a little extra)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lemon for roasting
pinch of salt and pepper

rinse and dry lamb well.
grate 8 cloves garlic and place in a sturdy plastic bag large enough to hold the lamb.
add 4t each of oregano and sage, 1/4 cup of oil, wine, zest and lemon juice.
place lamb in marinade, turning to coat well on all sides; cover and refrigerate overnight, give it a squeeze and turn every few hours.

preheat oven to 165C/325F.
grate remaining 6 cloves of garlic and stir together with remaining 2t of each oregano and sage.
remove lamb from marinade and pierce in several places with the tip of a sharp knife.
rub garlic-herb mixture over lamb, pressing into incisions.
coat with remaining oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
pour some of the marinade, splash of wine and more lemon juice into the bottom of the pan...add water if it gets dry during cooking.
roast, uncovered, for 2 hours (25-30 minutes per pound for medium, 30-35 minutes per pound for well done) i went for medium and it was more like medium rare so you may want to try a different time/temperature.
cover loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

the whole meal. remember, don't get distracted by easter tv while cooking as things can get a little charred...

easter dessert: meringue nests

meringue is so easy to make! you just need some muscles in your whipping arm. i found this website useful.

5 egg whites at room temperature
spoonful of cream of tartar
pinch of salt
caster sugar to taste (at least 2T per egg white but no more than 1/4C per egg white) i used about 3/4C and they were a little sweet

preheat the oven to 165C/325F and line a baking tray (or 2) with parchment paper (parchment is VERY important), lightly oil the parchment.
whip egg whites until slightly frothy and fluffy.
add the salt and cream of tartar and continue whipping until soft peaks begin to emerge.
add the sugar a couple spoonfuls at a time and continue to whisk vigorously; ensure each addition of sugar has dissolved before adding the next. you can tell if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a touch of egg white between your fingers, if it feels gritty then the sugar has not yet dissolved.
whip like your life depends on it until you get as hard a peak as you can bear. my peaks were still floppy but my arms were so tired that i gave up.
scoop piles of meringue onto the greased parchment and create a little divet in the middle for the 'nest effect'. there won't be much spreading while baking so you can place the piles a little closer together than you would with cookies. i got 8 good sized meringue blobs out of this recipe. make sure you fluff and ruffle the surface of the blobs, this gives you a variety of crunchy and chewy and soft textures.
bake for 1 and a half to 3 hours, watching the brown-ness factor.
cool on a wire rack and then peel from the parchment.
serve somewhat immediately and fill the nest with mini eggs.

merry christmas?

i'm all confused about which catholic feast it is, what with all the snow that's falling. the snow isn't settling in many places but it's surely falling quite thickly.





snow is falling









but not really settling










happy easter anyways.




today truly will be a feast day....it all starts with egg and soldiers...check back for more feasty details.

note to self

when grating the ginger for a yummy thai pork burger...keep your fingers clear of the sharp, sharp, metal teeth because grating part of your finger into the mix is not only painful but pretty gross for everyone who is eating your recipe. luckily i was just cooking for alex and i and alex will eat anything, although i didn't tell him i had grated my finger into the burger until after dinner.


don't be fooled by these apparently small cuts. they go deep. my god how they sting!

recipe of the week: thai pork burgers

this is the yummiest, quickest and easiest thing i've made in a while.

relish

cucumber, seeded and small dice
avacado, small dice
half a lemon, zested and juiced
small bit of the grated ginger you'll be using in the burgers

mix everything together and allow to sit while you make the burgers.

thai pork burger

400g ground pork
small bunch of corrinader, chopped
1 egg yolk
1T thai green curry paste
other half of the lemon, zested and juiced
thumb sized chuck of ginger, grated
small splash of oil for frying

mix everything (but the oil) together with your hands until well combined.
form into 4 patties.
fry on a medium/high heat in a pan with a small splash of oil, 5 minutes a side or until cooked through.
rest cooked burgers for a minute on paper towel before assembling

i served the burgers with some corn chips and salsa. it was yum.

food loop

everyone should order some of these food loops. i use them quite regularly for a variety of purposes; tying together a bouquet garni, holding a stuffed trout closed, keeping a stuffed pork roll rolled...the list is long.

unfortunately the picture of my roast pork from last night somehow disappeared from my camera but didn't appear on my computer, so you cannot see the food loop in action - or the stellar crackling i cooked.

swanage: part 2 - the meal

our valentine's meal at ocean bay restaurant was not as good as it could have been but the atmosphere and occassion were perfect. an evening stroll along the beach, me wearing a new dress....alex looking smart in his suit. the restaurant was beautiful and cosy and romantic. the tables were dressed simply with a single red rose and cupid confetti. everything was wonderful...until they showed us the special valentine's menu. i guess it was foolish of me to check out ocean bay's website in advance as i was then anticipating their regular menu, which sounds fantastic!

tuna sushami - pickled beetroot, cucumber & peppers – soy & honey dressing - yes please.

roast fillet of salmon - lobster & shallot potatoes – lobster bisque - tempura tiger prawn - house salad - bring it to me.

rhubarb crème brulee - coconut & papaya shortbread - yum-o.

but none of that was to be.

the menu started out well....complimentary cocktails and hor d'oeurves.

some sort of mouse/pate on heart shaped toast topped with a red current. roast vegetables in a won ton cup. smoked salmon topped with creme fresh and cavier on a cracker. my cocktail was champange and orange juice. it was all very tasty.





alex and i both started with seared scallops on a bed of pureed cauliflower with a balsamic and bacon reduction. balsamic, bacon and scallops? a stroke of genuis. the bitter and too smooth cauliflower puree? blech. the scallops were perfectly cooked, and almost melted in your mouth and the bacon was every so slightly crispy, it was a great contrast. i suppose the bitter flavour of the cauliflower is the contrast to sweet and salty of everything else, but i would have much preferred either no bed or a different bed for my scallops. maybe something with a bit of bite or chunk.

next up was a steak with pureed butternut squash, roasted root vegetables and red wine jus. the roasted vegetables were overcooked to mush and the butternut squash was once again pureed until baby food smooth. it was piped onto the plate in a distinctly 'dog crap' shape. how unfortunate. the steak was cooked perfectly but was a little chewy. everything tasted good but felt the same in my mouth...i'm a fan of texture to my food.


alex picked the better dish....oh why must i hate mushrooms? he had a quail (or was it pheasant?) stuffed with wild mushrooms on a bed of sweet chestnut risotto with a sauce of something and some sort of roasted vegetables on top. sorry i don't remember the details. his dish had contrasting flavours and textures. buttery fowl, slightly spongy and firm risotto with crunchy bits of chestnut and squishy vegetables. it was yummy.


i forgot to take pictures of the desserts. and i cannot remember what alex had, there were many components. i do remember fresh strawberries and ice cream in a crunchy waffle basket. i had the local cheese platter and it was very enjoyable. a sharp cheddar, creamy bree, a stinky blue, and a hard and soft goat's cheese. there was a local ale apple chutney the likes i've never tasted before along with a variety of interesting biscuits. the cheese plate was really the highlight of the whole meal.

it was valentine's day and i was with the man i enjoy most and i can't ask for more than that but the meal was just not as good as it could have been.

swanage: part 1

i'm all behind and out of touch with the world of blogging. i want to tell you all about my valentine's on the jurassic coast of england so step into my time machine and let's take a little trip back to the year 2008, february 2008. .:*{""}*:.
alex arranged for us to go to swanage for a few days. it is a beautiful seaside town on the south coast of england. the sun was shining, the wind was not too fierce, the temperate was unseasonably warm, everything was wonderful. can you guess why it's called the jurassic coast?



because of all the fossils! alex and i each found an ammonite in the soft, sandy beach. how exciting!










well we thought it was pretty exciting until we saw bowls of them in the shops on sale for 50p. that's how common they are.




coming tomorrow....the valentine's meal....

recipe of the week: hot chocolate

it's cold outside and the weatherman is predicting snow for the 5th of march. what do you do? make hot chocolate. you really don't need me to type out a recipe....but i'm gonna anyways.

enough milk to fill a mug
4 squares of good quality chocolate (i used lindt, with a hint of mint for extra zing)
mini marshmallows or some honey to sweeten

slowly heat the milk on the stove.
break in the chocolate and whisk until melted and heated through.
add the honey if using and continue to whisk.
serve in a mug with marshmallows floating on top.



bundle up in your fluffiest dressing gown and enjoy the hot chocolatey goodness!








spoon the hot chocolate into your mouth if it's too hot.

recipe of the week: roasted vegetables and salmon

this is my favourite meal at the moment. one pot, quick, healthy, and oh so yummy.

handful of new potatoes per person, halved
1 courgette, sliced thin-ish
1 salmon fillet per person
1 lime, sliced thin-ish, leaving a small wedge for squeezing
handful of various seeds ( i get a great 7 seed mix that has pumpkin, hemp, fennel, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and caraway...i can recommend one or all of those)
splash olive oil
sprinkling of salt and pepper

preheat your oven to quite high. 190/200C or 375/390F.
toss the potatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper in a large roasting tray.
roast potatoes for 20-25 minutes.
flip around the partially cooked potatoes and then cover with a layer of courgette. place the salmon fillets on top of that, lay the lime over the salmon and sprinkle the seeds over everything.
roast for another 20-25 minutes.
serve with a squeeze of fresh lime.