Alison sent this to me. Not mind-blowing but it mentioned that it's a good recipe for it your avocados are too ripe!

Sounds interesting enough to give a go. Takes about 30 seconds to make.

Oh yes, "rotini pasta" is, as I suspected, fusilli. Why don't they just say so??

COCONUT POACHED FISH

 This recipe is from a website called HoneyKitchen, but in order to see it, 

you have to accept all cookies, which I always refuse.

This is a very easy and fast recipe but tastes lovely!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can 400ml coconut cream

1 T fish sauce

1T brown sugar

2 tsp (!) sambal oelek

1 (!) clove garlic

4 fish fllets (I used half the coconut cream with the same amount of ingredients for two fillets )

1 cup spinach leaves

Boiled rice and chopped Spring onions to garnish

 

1. Bring first 6 ingredients to the boil
2. Add fish and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes ('til fish flakes easily)
3. Place fish on your beds of rice
4. Stir spinach through poaching liquid and simmer for 1 min
5. Drizzle fish with poaching liquid 
6. Top with inividual spinach leaves, spring onions and slices of chili (as desired) to serve.

Bon appétit!

Scones

Below is a BBC Food recipe which I plan to make when

 Emile and Céline come to Belgium. 

Will try to get a practice run in first! 

Scones

Preparation time

less than 30 mins

Cooking time

10 to 30 mins

Serves

Makes 8-12 scones

Dietary

 

Vegetarian

Scones are the easiest English teatime treat. There’s scope to customise these sweet ones with dried fruit or cinnamon.

 

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Ingredients

• 225g/8oz self raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 55g/2oz butter
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz milk
• 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze (alternatively use a little milk)

 How-to-videos

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.
3. Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough.
4. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.
5. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.
6. Cool on a wire rack and serve with butter and good jam and maybe some clotted cream.

Julie's Witlof Tatin

based on a recipe by Phillippe Exertiec

(Will add photo next time Julie or I make one!)

For 4 people – Preparation time: 30 min – Cooking time: 30-40 min at 200ºC

4 Belgian endives; 4 rounds of Chavignol/goat’s cheese; 8 walnuts*; olive oil; caster sugar [Julie used brown]; salt; pepper; 1 rol of puff pastry

* Julie used toasted whole pine nuts which were even nicer.

1. Remove leaves of the endive one by one to leave the centre core for another use
2. Colour the leaves in a pan of olive oil and a pinch of sugar on each side
3. Set aside whilst buttering the tart forms then add the leaves one by one with the tips of the leaves pointing to the centre in a star form. We found two layers of endives more effective.
4. Add crumbled goat’s cheese and chopped nuts.
5. Salt and pepper
6. Cut puff pastry in rounds to cover forms [or use a single form – easier!]  and prick with a fork
7. Bake at 200ºC for 30-40 mins and turn over on to a platter to serve.

 You may find one not enough!

Oma Ferguson's Pound Cake

Basic Pound Cake Recipe as taught to me by Oma Ferguson:
Ingredients:
150 gr sugar
150 gr butter
150 gr flour (I use self-raising for everything)
3 eggs

plus a packet of vanille-suiker which they don't sell here so I usually use vanilla extract; however I didn't have any this time so used almond extract instead - just as lekker!

Combine sugar and butter and beat 'til creamy.
Add vanilla extract.
Beat eggs one by one into the mixture.
On a lower speed, add flour so as not to knock the 'wind' out of the mixture.

I couldn't remember at what temperature to bake it, so I consulted Irma Thingey's Joy of Cooking whose own "Basic Pound Cake" is anything but, including all kinds of spices and peels. But the temperature she gave was 325ºF  (which is officially 162.78ºC!! so say 170) for 1 hr - 1 hr 10 mns. One hour was enough. I did make sure not to place the tin too high in the oven.

Looks o.k. doesn't it? Tastes quite o.k. too. And you can do so much with this 'basic' recipe: add anything you like, I should think, as long as say, the fruit you add isn't too wet. 
I'm serving it as a base to pop 'ice cream' on top of.
Good luck!!

Raymond Blanc’s Burnt aubergine salad

I watched Raymond Blanc (famous "English" chef) make this the other day on telly and thought I'd serve it to my friends last night... they went mad. They loved it...

 So easy!

Raymond Blanc’s Burnt aubergine salad

·       Nick in either end of aubergine to allow steam to escape

·       Place on pre-heated griddle over flame (must be searing hot)

·       Char on all sides

·       flesh must be translucent, press down and cool

·       slice through, scrape flesh whilst still warm from sides and roll it towards centre, then lift flesh into a bowl

·       add olive oil, a bit of lemon juice (¹/₈ wedge); season a little with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar; at this point you can serve it on toast or, to make a salad:

·       add chopped dates, (pre-cooked) chick peas, fresh mint and coriander, chopped chilli, very little garlic;

·       plate up and decorate with a little feta cheese and flaked almonds

·       a drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar around it and a sprinkle of chilli and crispy croutons (very thin rounds of French bread toasted)

I omitted the extra chilli on top as the tiny bit of chilli I used in the salad was very hot indeed! Also, the dates I had in the house weren't very moist so I used chopped apricots instead. Perfectly acceptable alternative. Oh yes, I also didn't have any feta but I did have some Wensleydale in house which was getting quite old so had just the right sourness for using as a substitute for feta.

Lentils with Squash and Feta

I took this recipe from the BBC's "Olive" magazine, which for the first time, has some useful recipes, especially vegetarian, some of which I hope to use at Christmas...

we tried this one last night and liked it very much, although we found the portions a bit skimpy. Recipe for 2:

100 g Puy lentils (I only had green lentils in my cupboard and they were very nice); 400 ml vegetable stock; olive oil;Butternut squash 200g;Red onion ½ finely sliced;Chili flakes a pinch; Ground cumin 1 tsp; Feta 50g crumbled; Parsley ½ small bunch

• Cook the lentils in the stock until tender about 15-20 min, then drain.
• Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the squash and some seasoning, then cook gently for 5 mins.
• Add the onions and chili and keep cooking until squash is golden and tender, about another 5 mins.
• Add the cumin and stir through.
• Add the lentils and stir until combined.
• Stir in the parsley.
• Divide between two plates and scatter over the crumbled feta.

Per serving: 327 kcals, protein 18.1g, carbs 37g, fat 12.9, sat fat 4g, fibre 6.7g, salt 2.74g

Gorgonzola mushrooms

We made this for our 25th wedding anniversary party - it is so easy and people love it.

In fact, it's so easy, there's not much to change on it.... read on.

Gino D'Acampo's combination of strong, blue cheese with sweet honey is a very sexy one and these mushrooms are great as a starter or light supper.

Serves: 2

Cooking time: short

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 large button mushrooms

• 50g runny honey

• 200g Gorgonzola cheese (at room temperature)

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, cut in half

• Salt and pepper

• Rocket to serve

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

• Carefully remove the stalk from each mushroom and discard to create a cavity ready to be stuffed.

• Rub a little honey on the inside of the mushrooms with the tip of your finger then stuff each one with 1–2 tsp of Gorgonzola.

• Place the mushrooms on a baking tray, season and drizzle with the oil along with some more honey.

• Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes. Arrange the stuffed mushrooms on a large serving plate with a rocket salad.

Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Adapted from Epicurious to what I had available today. Ella ate half of mine and then a plate of her own. She said, "It's the best food you've ever made!" I made it without the banana peppers but will be adding them when I have it for lunch tomorrow.

1 1/2 cups red quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned (1 can)
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (1 medium)
2 pickled banana peppers, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
finely chopped fresh coriander (ie cilantro which I hate so I used a little fresh basil and fresh parsley instead)


Dressing:
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
1-2 tsp fresh ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp avocado honey
1/3 cup olive oil

Put quinoa with 3 cups water in saucepan. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer 15 mins until all water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, make dressing: whisk together lime juice, salt, honey, coriander seeds and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Add beans, corn, bell pepper and herbs and toss well. Add quinoa and toss some more. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

The result:


Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245#ixzz0wAJMpbFf

Easy Gazpacho

I made this for dinner last night, and Nicki asked me to post the recipe. Works great when it's hot like it has been here, because it's nice and cold and doesn't require any cooking in a hot kitchen.

Gazpacho

16 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 medium sized bell or sweet Italian pepper
1 large red onion
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup of olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh if available)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (ditto)
salt to taste

Finely chop the onion, garlic, cucumber and pepper (works best if you mince them in a food processor). Combine the finely chopped ingredients in a blender with the tomatoes and the olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, vinegar, herbs and salt. Blend until smooth.

Chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold with tabasco sauce, if desired.

Butterscotch Cream Cheese Dip

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (lo-fat ok)

1/4 cup butterscotch ice cream topping

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; mix with wooden spoon until smooth OR combine ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Chill. Serve with fresh fruit - Granny Smith apples cut into wedges are particularly delicious.

cook to impress! - 3 super easy recipes

Okay, the flan can be a bit of work if you really want it to be. But the others are definitely super easy and so compensate, thus the title is justified. These recipes really work the pure taste of good, simple ingredients - and they all look great. You can also use all three of these to make a healthy, light meal. Well, except for the dessert, depending on how much you eat ;)

First: zuppa di zucchini e salmone
Second: torta tricolore
Third: dessert piu facile del mondo ;)

Courgette soup
This has got to be the easiest soup in the world. But it is really tasty and again, with a teeny extra effort, you are sure to impress people with your extraordinary culinary creativity!

- 3 or 4 courgettes
(you can also use more courgettes and less water)
- vegetable bouillon cube
- spring onion or small leek (optional)
- salt and (white) pepper
- smoked salmon
- saté stokjes (sorry, don't know what these are called in English!)
- optional: light cooking cream

Sautee spring onion in a pan in olive oil until translucent. Chop courgette into course pieces, add to pan. Cover. After 10 mins or so, add bouillon cube and water (depending on how much soup you want, but don't add too much to allow for optimal courgette taste; I guess no more than about 1 liter (?)). Taste - if it is too bland add another vegetable bouillon cube. Add white pepper. Puree with staafmixer, add cooking cream if you want. Serve in bowls. Then, as a somewhat pretentious but fun finishing touch: 'thread' a strip of smoked salmon (approx 3 or 4 cm wide) on a saté stokje in a zigzag pattern. Lay one stokje diagonally on each bowl of soup. A tiny dollop of cream in the middle of the soup - and again: so simple, so tasty, and looks great!

Torta tricolore
I am not a big fan of pastry products so I transformed this quiche into a 'flan'. But you can also use filo dough or something to line it, and you can use 1 less egg (maybe). The taste and the color of this flan will definitely impress anyone, it looks really, really great, it's light and very tasty! Apart from the peppers (and even then, see my footnote...), it is super easy to make.

- 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper (paprika)
- 2 pieces of soft goat cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk* (approx.)
- 1 cup light slagroom (or just do a bit more milk if you don't want to use this)
- Italian herbs or herbes de provence (of course)
- optional: lightly roasted pine nuts

• Roast and peel paprika's. Cut into very thin, narrow slices and mix colors.**
• Crumble goat cheese into a large mixing bowl, add milk, cream, herbs and eggs, and whip lightly with a fork.
  
• Pour into a greased baking dish. Drop the paprika slices onto flan to get a nice colorful mixed up pattern.
  
• Bake in pre-heated oven on about 180-200 degrees for about 25 mins until it is set (check frequently to make sure it doesn't color too brown as this will ruin the colorful effect - if it is coloring too brown cover with foil). Serve luke warm.
• You can also throw in some lightly roasted pine nuts but make sure not to burn them while roasting (I always, always do!)

Served with for instance a salad of blanched haricot verts, sundried tomatoes (optional: artichoke hearts and pine nuts if you haven't already used the latter in the quiche) and a light dressing of yoghurt-mayonnaise, walnut oil, olive oil, salt and pepper, this makes for a nice light dinner or elegant lunch.

* (literally 1 cup, not the American size because I have no idea how much that is. I kind of just add some milk etc. to get a nice consistency and amount.)
** now that I have kids, I skip this, because it's too much work! Either buy preroasted, or just sautee narrow slices in olive oil until soft. It really doesn't make that much difference.

source: Marielle (this is, of course, a variation of the original)

The easiest dessert in the world
This is a great summer dessert.

1. Buy profiterolles or 'soesjes' (or make them yourself. Yeah right!)
2. Buy strawberries, cherries, blueberries - whatever tasty fruit there is available
3. Put profiterolles on a nice dish
4. Add fruits to dish among the profiterolles, arrange them to look nice together
5. Sprinkle a bit of icing sugar over the top.

This is so tasty, and looks very gezellig. So tell me, is this not the easiest dessert in the world..?

Ramen Coleslaw

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, crushed, seasoning packet reserved (whatever flavor you like - Nissin Top Ramen brand Oriental flavor is vegetarian)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced/slivered almonds
1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded (or buy the bagged shredded cabbage/carrot mix)
5 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar,
sugar, ramen noodle spice mix, salt and pepper to
create a dressing.

Place sesame seeds and almonds in a single layer on
a medium baking sheet and the ramen on another
baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes,
or until lightly brown.

In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, green
onions and crushed ramen noodles. Pour dressing over
the cabbage, and toss to coat evenly. Top with
toasted sesame seeds and almonds.

Original recipe yield: 4 servings