Auntie Evelyn used to make Ginger Plum square, Jon's favourite but I've improved it a little...
Tarte tatin
115 gr/4 oz butter, chilled; 225 gr/8 oz plain flour [I only keep self-raising in the house]
pinch salt; 50 gr/2 oz caster sugar or 1/3 cup Splenda;
1 or 2 Tbls GINGER [don't forget the ginger... I always do!]
1/2 x 5 ml tsp vanilla essence - ± - I like vanilla; 3 x 15 ml Tbl crème fraiche or fromage frais
Mix ingredients in Magimix, roll into a ball and put in fridge whilst you prepare the plums, preferably 1/2 hours.
Filling
3/4lb plums [about 6 or 7, depending on the dish you're using;
Marmalade, preferably Jon's; Castor sugar
Grease a baking dish;
Halve and stone plums, preferably Victoria;
Arrange plums in tin and fill holes with marmalade.
Roll out pastry to fit baking dish and press onto plums, tucking ends in.
Bake 1/2 hr at 375ºF/190ºC/gas mark 5.
When cooked, turn out and sprinkle with castor sugar.
This gives you nice shiny plums. I prefer to serve it pastry side up so it depends who's serving it as to which way up it goes!!
Very lekker, even if you don't like plums [which I don't]!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Agrodolce or Chocolate Venison Stew
The following recipe is for me, unless you or Quorn come up with an alternative to Venison. I need this recipe and want to store it somewhere safe so I don't have to spend weeks looking for it again!!
Agrodolce or Chocolate Venison Stew
1.5kg venison, cubed or cut into long strips
Marinade
400 ml/14 fl oz red wine; 3 Tbl red wine vinegar; 3 Tbl olive oil; 1 carrot, chopped;
1 lg onion, sliced; 1 celery stalk including leaves, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed;
sprig rosemary, thyme; 4 sage leaves; 3 bay leaves; 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed;
1/2 (!) tsp black peppercorns, crushed
Casserole
3 Tbl olive oil; 100 gr/3 1/2 oz pancetta or streaky bacon, diced; 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced; 1 Tbl plain flour; 1 Tbl raisins; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg;
salt & pepper; 1-2 Tbl pine nuts; 2-3 sq dark chocolate, min 60% cocoa
Put all the Marinade ingredients into a large bowl and stir well. Add the prepared venison, stir and leave in a cool place overnight, PREFERABLY TWO NIGHTS!
Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Strain the marinade and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/gas mark 3.
Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish and gently fry the pancetta until the fat runs and it browns a little. Remove and set aside. In the same oil, brown the venison in batches to avoid overcrowding. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, season lightly and cook until soft. Sprinkle in the flour until it absorbs some of the fat, scrapoing up the caramelised bits. Add the reserved marinade and the raisins, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and stir until the sauce thickens and no longer smells of alcohol.
Return the pancetta and venison to the casserole, leave it to bubble up, then add the spices, the salt and pepper.
Cover and cook in the over for 1 hr 30 mins, until the meat is soft enough to cut with a spoon. Add a little hot water every now and then if it looks as though it is drying out.
Toss the pine nuts in a dry pan over a low heat to toast.
When the meat is tender, stir in the dark chocolate and leave it to bubble up again until the sauce is thick and shiny.
Agrodolce or Chocolate Venison Stew
1.5kg venison, cubed or cut into long strips
Marinade
400 ml/14 fl oz red wine; 3 Tbl red wine vinegar; 3 Tbl olive oil; 1 carrot, chopped;
1 lg onion, sliced; 1 celery stalk including leaves, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed;
sprig rosemary, thyme; 4 sage leaves; 3 bay leaves; 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed;
1/2 (!) tsp black peppercorns, crushed
Casserole
3 Tbl olive oil; 100 gr/3 1/2 oz pancetta or streaky bacon, diced; 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced; 1 Tbl plain flour; 1 Tbl raisins; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg;
salt & pepper; 1-2 Tbl pine nuts; 2-3 sq dark chocolate, min 60% cocoa
Put all the Marinade ingredients into a large bowl and stir well. Add the prepared venison, stir and leave in a cool place overnight, PREFERABLY TWO NIGHTS!
Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Strain the marinade and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/gas mark 3.
Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish and gently fry the pancetta until the fat runs and it browns a little. Remove and set aside. In the same oil, brown the venison in batches to avoid overcrowding. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, season lightly and cook until soft. Sprinkle in the flour until it absorbs some of the fat, scrapoing up the caramelised bits. Add the reserved marinade and the raisins, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and stir until the sauce thickens and no longer smells of alcohol.
Return the pancetta and venison to the casserole, leave it to bubble up, then add the spices, the salt and pepper.
Cover and cook in the over for 1 hr 30 mins, until the meat is soft enough to cut with a spoon. Add a little hot water every now and then if it looks as though it is drying out.
Toss the pine nuts in a dry pan over a low heat to toast.
When the meat is tender, stir in the dark chocolate and leave it to bubble up again until the sauce is thick and shiny.
Friday, November 30, 2012
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
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Super delicious fruitcake
We have so many plums we can't keep up. I searched on google images to see which plumcake looked tastiest, and this is the one I chose. It turned out to be the best cake I have ever made!
The key to this cake is:
1) Don't use a mixer, but mix by hand (literally), or by spoon or by spatula.
2) Use the freshest of fruit. I used plums picked straight from the garden! But I am sure any other (fresh, sweet) fruit would work just as well.
3) Because it is made with 'kwark' (umm... fromage frais?) it is nice and light.
Ingrediënten
The key to this cake is:
1) Don't use a mixer, but mix by hand (literally), or by spoon or by spatula.
2) Use the freshest of fruit. I used plums picked straight from the garden! But I am sure any other (fresh, sweet) fruit would work just as well.
3) Because it is made with 'kwark' (umm... fromage frais?) it is nice and light.
Wilde snel iets lekker bij de koffie hebben. Ik had nog
kwetsen (kleine stevige blauwe pruimen ) liggen. Op internet gezocht en dit
heerlijke recept gevonden. Smaakte voortreffelijk. Wij hebben de taart lauw
gegeten, maar de is taart ook na een paar dagen nog lekker. In
plaats van pruimen kun je ook appels gebruiken.
Bereidingstijd: 30-60
minuten
Ingrediënten
Deeg:
125 g boter + wat boter voor de vorm -
150 g suiker -
1 zakje vanillesuiker -
3 eieren -
1 theelepeltje gemalen kaneel -
200 g bloem + wat voor de vorm -
50 g maïzena -
2 tl bakpoeder ( je kunt ook zelfrijzend bakmeel gebruiken dan geen bakpoeder)-
150 gram kwark -
mespunt zout -
500 g pruimen of 4 - 5 appels
125 g boter + wat boter voor de vorm -
150 g suiker -
1 zakje vanillesuiker -
3 eieren -
1 theelepeltje gemalen kaneel -
200 g bloem + wat voor de vorm -
50 g maïzena -
2 tl bakpoeder ( je kunt ook zelfrijzend bakmeel gebruiken dan geen bakpoeder)-
150 gram kwark -
mespunt zout -
500 g pruimen of 4 - 5 appels
Hulpmiddelen
Voorbereiding
Oven voorverwarmen op 200 graden. Springvorm met boter
invetten en met wat bloem bestrooien.
Pruimen in tweeën snijden en pit verwijderen. Of appels schillen, klokhuis verwijderen en in vieren snijden.
Pruimen in tweeën snijden en pit verwijderen. Of appels schillen, klokhuis verwijderen en in vieren snijden.
Bereidingswijze
Ingrediënten voor het deeg in een kom door elkaar mengen.
Deeg in de vorm doen. Halve pruimen of appels over het deeg verdelen. Plm. 50 minuten bakken net onder het midden in de oven tot de taart mooi
goudbruin is.
Serveertips
Bestrooi
de taart met wat poedersuiker en geef er slagroom bij.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Vegan "Tuna" Spread
I made up this sandwich spread as an healthier alternative to canned tuna. Surprisingly, it tastes like the sea and a bit like fish thanks to the addition of seaweed.
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained. Or 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tbs of roasted, shredded seaweed (nori)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1 tbs of soy mayonnaise
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Run until the mixture has the consistency of a thick paste. Spread generous amount on a sandwich just like you would tuna salad. Makes 3-4 servings.
According to Nicki, each serving is 180 calories (for those of you watching your weight).
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained. Or 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tbs of roasted, shredded seaweed (nori)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1 tbs of soy mayonnaise
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Run until the mixture has the consistency of a thick paste. Spread generous amount on a sandwich just like you would tuna salad. Makes 3-4 servings.
According to Nicki, each serving is 180 calories (for those of you watching your weight).
Felix's Lasagna
Felix couldn't get enough of this, had it for dinner last night, and more for lunch and dinner today. Don't tell him, but it has a lot of veggies in it! Use a deep lasagna pan if you can.
2 medium onions
2 medium carrots
2 medium zucchini
(Optional: 1-2 cups frozen chopped spinach; I forgot to add it this time and the pan wasn't big enough anyway)
8 fat garlic cloves
1 large can (28 oz/794g) chopped tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp vegetable bouillon powder or 2 cubes
1 Tbsp dried basil
Fresh rosemary, a few leaves
1 package Yves ground round (vegetarian ground beef)
2 cups non fat cottage cheese
1 8-oz package soy mozzarella, grated
1 or 2 eggs
Grated Parmesan (the stuff in the green container is fine, or the "real" stuff if that abhors you)
PREP:
In Cuisinart fine-chop 1 onion, Sauté with 1 Tbsp olive oil, add 2 of the garlic cloves, pressed.
Add tomato paste & 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon/1 cube.
In Cuisinart blend tomatoes, add to pan. Lid & simmer.
In Cuisinart fine-chop second onion with rosemary. Sauté with 2 Tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven, add the 6 garlic cloves, pressed.
In Cuisinart grate carrots & zucchini, add to onions. Sauté til softened a bit. Add dried basil, rest of vegetable bouillon, ground round, a bit of water for moisture.
In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, 2/3 of the mozzarella and some Parmesan.
Set aside 2 cups of the tomato sauce, add the rest to veggies.
Boil lasagna noodles about 5 mins to soften & speed up baking time.
ASSEMBLE:
In this order: 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 layer of noodles, half of veggie mixture, half of cheese sauce, layer of noodles, other half of veggie mixture, rest of cheese sauce, last layer of noodles, rest of tomato sauce, rest of grated mozzarella and a bit more Parmesan. Bake @ 350 F for about 40 mins.
2 medium onions
2 medium carrots
2 medium zucchini
(Optional: 1-2 cups frozen chopped spinach; I forgot to add it this time and the pan wasn't big enough anyway)
8 fat garlic cloves
1 large can (28 oz/794g) chopped tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp vegetable bouillon powder or 2 cubes
1 Tbsp dried basil
Fresh rosemary, a few leaves
1 package Yves ground round (vegetarian ground beef)
2 cups non fat cottage cheese
1 8-oz package soy mozzarella, grated
1 or 2 eggs
Grated Parmesan (the stuff in the green container is fine, or the "real" stuff if that abhors you)
PREP:
In Cuisinart fine-chop 1 onion, Sauté with 1 Tbsp olive oil, add 2 of the garlic cloves, pressed.
Add tomato paste & 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon/1 cube.
In Cuisinart blend tomatoes, add to pan. Lid & simmer.
In Cuisinart fine-chop second onion with rosemary. Sauté with 2 Tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven, add the 6 garlic cloves, pressed.
In Cuisinart grate carrots & zucchini, add to onions. Sauté til softened a bit. Add dried basil, rest of vegetable bouillon, ground round, a bit of water for moisture.
In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, 2/3 of the mozzarella and some Parmesan.
Set aside 2 cups of the tomato sauce, add the rest to veggies.
Boil lasagna noodles about 5 mins to soften & speed up baking time.
ASSEMBLE:
In this order: 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 layer of noodles, half of veggie mixture, half of cheese sauce, layer of noodles, other half of veggie mixture, rest of cheese sauce, last layer of noodles, rest of tomato sauce, rest of grated mozzarella and a bit more Parmesan. Bake @ 350 F for about 40 mins.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Mediterranean eggplant ratatouille
I made the recipe you sent me from The Meat Free Monday Cookbook but didn't have some of the ingredients so it changed considerably into this; very delicious! I'll definitely be making it again soon.
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped (or 3 small)
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
1 eggplant, cubed
1 - 1.5 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend (a mixture of Israeli/pearl couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans, and red quinoa). Substitute with whatever grains you can find, or potatoes.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large (28 oz/800g) can/2 medium (14.5oz/400g) cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups/400g vegetable stock (or a bouillon cube and boiled water)
10-12 mushrooms, chopped
1 large apple, chopped (or 3 small)
1-2 Tbsp capers
2 oz/125g feta, crumbled
Heat some of the oil in a large soup pot, add the chopped onion and celery and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover with a lid (this helps them sweat but not brown). While the onion is cooking, chop the eggplant. Add the remaining oil and the eggplant and cook 4-5 more minutes, until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock/water, grains, oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 25-30 mins until all the vegetables are tender and the grains are cooked (check halfway through to stir and add more water if necessary). At the end, it should be thick & chewy, not soupy.
Add the capers and heat through, and salt & pepper to taste. Serve with the feta.
Optional: additional vegetables like zucchini and red bell pepper, olives, and sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts (or more affordable: sunflower seeds). You can definitely make this ahead and let it sit, it will improve.
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped (or 3 small)
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
1 eggplant, cubed
1 - 1.5 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend (a mixture of Israeli/pearl couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans, and red quinoa). Substitute with whatever grains you can find, or potatoes.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large (28 oz/800g) can/2 medium (14.5oz/400g) cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups/400g vegetable stock (or a bouillon cube and boiled water)
10-12 mushrooms, chopped
1 large apple, chopped (or 3 small)
1-2 Tbsp capers
2 oz/125g feta, crumbled
Heat some of the oil in a large soup pot, add the chopped onion and celery and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover with a lid (this helps them sweat but not brown). While the onion is cooking, chop the eggplant. Add the remaining oil and the eggplant and cook 4-5 more minutes, until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock/water, grains, oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 25-30 mins until all the vegetables are tender and the grains are cooked (check halfway through to stir and add more water if necessary). At the end, it should be thick & chewy, not soupy.
Add the capers and heat through, and salt & pepper to taste. Serve with the feta.
Optional: additional vegetables like zucchini and red bell pepper, olives, and sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts (or more affordable: sunflower seeds). You can definitely make this ahead and let it sit, it will improve.
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