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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
On Wednesday nights I usually go out to supper with my father and his friends, so I don't actually cook much around here. I do have lunch however, and I try to keep that light. Today I fancied a salad and so I decided to small batch my favorite Greek Salad.
I can enjoy one serving of it today, and then tomorrow I can enjoy it again, although in all truth it will be more like a pickle by then, but that's okay. I like pickles!
Greek Salad is actually something I make all year round, not just in the summer months. I love all of the elements of it. The crisp cucumber, the sweet cherry tomatoes.
Then you have the sharpness of the red onion, not quite as sharp as regular onion, but still making its presence known.
I love the meaty tang of the kalamata olives and don't get me started on that salty creamy Feta cheese! Oh my, just those ingredients alone get my taste buds tingling.
Add in a zippy red vinegar, olive oil, lemon and oregano vinaigrette dressing, and I am in salad heaven! This makes a lovely lunch with some crisp crackers or bread sticks on the side. I can't get enough of this stuff!
What's lovely about it as well is that there are no lettuce leaves to wilt. It is completely portable, which makes it a great salad to tote along to work, school or for taking on intimate picnics for two people.
Of course I would pack any dressing on the side so as to keep the vegetables nice and lovely and crisp. But that is just me.
You could also turn it into a full meal by adding some chopped cooked chicken, lamb or salami, or even tinned salmon or tuna, and then serving it spooned over a bed of lettuce, but trust me when I say, it is completely delicious on its own.
This is a recipe that I adapted to make only two servings that I found on Delish.com a while back What I liked about it was that it was simple and not artsy fartsy. There is no pretense here. Simple ingredients put together simply and in a delicious way.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A SMALL BATCH GREEK SALAD
The same as what you need to make a large batch, just in smaller quantities.
- 1/2 English Cucumber, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- 3/4 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup (90g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 3 ounces (85g) feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For the dressing:
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
You could totally use a regular cucumber in this, but I would peel it and remove the seeds. The one thing I really love about English Cucumbers is that there is no need for that. Just wash, trim and slice.
You could also use regular sized tomatoes. Just cut them into 1 inch chunks. I would remove the seeds in that case.
I buy the feta cheese in brine and cube it myself. It does tend to crumble more than cube, but it tastes delicious. Nice, tangy and a bit salty. Made from sheep's milk.
I love Kalamata olives. They are beautifully tangy and yes salty as well. They are real Greek olives, deep purple in color, some of them almost black. I would not use any other kind.
Also don't be tempted to substitute regular onion for the red onion. Regular onion has too harsh a flavor.
Red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil are a must for the dressing and dried oregano is perfectly ample. If you do have fresh oregano, you will need roughly twice the amount. Be judicious with the salt as both the olives and the cheese are salty.
HOW TO MAKE A SMALL BATCH GREEK SALAD
This is really a delicious doddle.
Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and olives in a medium sized bowl. Fold in the feta cheese with a gentle hand.
Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
This is really a fabulous combination of textures and flavors. I wonder if they really eat this salad in Greece? Greece has been on my bucket list of places to go since I saw Haley Mills in the Disney film, The Moon Spinners when I was about 10 years old. I doubt that I will ever get there now, but hope springs eternal!
Some other salads here in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
BACON AND EGG SALAD - This is a real favorite of mine. Crisp Baby Gem Lettuce leaves broken into a bowl (you can use Romaine) and topped with sliced boiled egg, salty crisp bacon and sweet roasted baby plum tomatoes. A creamy Parmesan Dressing is drizzled over top and then you top the salad with some crisp and buttery homemade croutons. This is a fabulous combination of textures and flavors.
CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD PLATTER - The perfect meal salad for a warm summer night. With roasted sliced chicken, cooked string beans, boiled egg, salty feta cheese and a mix of black and green olives. You could add some sliced roasted potato wedges for the carb lover. I added some steamed asparagus and topped it all off with a tangy lemon vinaigrette. You can either make this carb free, or add carbs depending on your preference! Delicious either way.
Greek Salad (small batch)
Yield: Serves 2
Prep time: 20 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Crunchy, rich, creamy, salty, tangy and moreish. One of my all time favorite salads, downsized to feed only two people.
Ingredients
- 1/2 English Cucumber, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- 3/4 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup (90g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 3 ounces (85g) feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For the dressing:
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and olives in a medium sized bowl. Fold in the feta cheese with a gentle hand.
- Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
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There is nothing us Brits love more than a good old-fashioned BBQ. Whatever the weather, nothing beats gathering friends and family together to enjoy tasty grilled treats. This year’s BBQ Week runs from 23rd – 29th May, coinciding with the Bank Holiday in May and Memorial Day in the US, providing the perfect opportunity to experiment with a variety of recipes, and lucky for you, Newman’s Own is here to lend a helping hand.
With a selection of sauces, rubs, marinades and dressings from Newman’s Own, you won’t want to BBQ without them. Get to the grill this BBQ Week and impress your guests with a selection of mouth-watering recipes ranging from honey turkey burgers to fiery bourbon chicken wings. (All the post-tax profits from Newman’s Own products go to the Newman’s Own Foundation, with over £1 million already being donated to a wide range of charities in the UK alone and over £250 million donated worldwide.)
Let's start off with Fiery Bourbon Chicken Wings served with a cooling Blue Cheese Dip! I adore chicken wings. If chicken wings are on the appetiser menu, they are my choice every time!
Any of us who are keen cooks will recognize that our journey as a cook goes through several evolutions. I began my journey as a young girl with a few tentative opportunities in my mother's kitchen.
Not a lot then as mom was not a cook who tolerated children in the kitchen. I was mostly relegated to stirring. This gradually led to being allowed to help peel vegetables.
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
As a Brownie and a Girl Guide, I cooked to earn merit badges. This also afforded me the opportunity to "practice" things in my mother's kitchen. Making pudding, peeling vegetables, simple things really.
When I got to grade 8 at school I was finally allowed to take Home Economics. By that time my mother had gone back to work and I was already getting supper ready at home, but at that point it was mostly reheating things my mother had prepared ahead of time.
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
As I got more proficient my mother actually let me cook a few things, but not many as she had a very strict food budget and manner in which she wanted things to go, but I was allowed to make gravy and spaghetti and things like that.
One of my first jobs was as the pastry chef at a hotel here in Nova Scotia. I was responsible for all of the appetizers, first courses and desserts. I love LOVED that job! It didn't really require a lot of skill really. There was a baker who came in and baked the cakes. I had to assemble them, etc. and of course put them out for service.
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
As a young Bride my skills evolved even further and I went to cooking for two to eventually cooking for a family of seven as well as their friends and our extended family members. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed those years.
I have always had a reputation as being a great and a competent cook. People have always enjoyed sitting at my table.
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
Once my children grew up and I moved over to the UK I trained as a chef, which was something I always wanted to do. I then worked as a personal chef for many years prior to retiring. I went from cooking silver service dinner parties for 25 people down to cooking for two people again.
And now, after a further transition two years ago, and except for very occasionally, I now cook for mainly for one. I have to say cooking for one has been the most difficult transition. Especially as I am a person who loves food and who loves to cook! Another learning curve!
This recipe I am sharing today is for a delicious moist and well flavored chicken breast which marinades for a time in a delicious tenderizing marinade and then is simply roasted to perfection in a moderate oven. As simple as it is this marinated lemon garlic chicken breast is truly delicious!
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN FOR ONE
Not a lot really. Make sure you get yourself the best chicken that you can afford. Free range if possible and anti-biotics free.
- 1 fat clove garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
I kept my garlic fairly chunky for this. I was lucky enough to have some fresh local garlic to use in this recipe and I really wanted to taste it.
Italian seasoning is a seasoning blend of a variety of herbs, notably marjoram, rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano. Sometimes a few other things are added. You can easily make your own. I have an extensive list of make your own herb blends here.
I really like making my own as then I know how old the herbs are that I have used and exactly what is in each blend.
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
HOW TO MAKE LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN FOR ONE
Nothing really could be easier and if you stick to my timings and instructions you can be assured of perfectly cooked, tender and moist chicken each and every time.
Whisk the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper together in a bowl.
Prick the chicken all over with a fork and then add it to the bowl, turning to coat it in the marinade, and pushing it down to cover. Seal with some plastic cling film and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 20 minutes. (Pricking the chicken really helps to get the flavors of the marinade into the chicken.)
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Line a small baking sheet with some aluminum foil and butter the foil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place onto the baking sheet. (I like to spoon some of the marinade over top, especially the garlic bits.)
Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. (Chicken temperature will read 165*F/74*C.)
Remove from the oven and tent with a piece of foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with rice or orzo and your favorite vegetable or a salad on the side.
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
I served mine with some hot buttered orzo and a microwave steamed cob of sweet local corn. (I am enjoying that corn as long as I can!) This was really delicious!
It would go well with any kind of pasta or rice, or even potatoes. I really hope that you will be inspired to want to give it a go! Tender and juicy delicious!
.JPG "Lemon Garlic Chicken")
If you are in the same situation as myself and cooking for only one or two people you might also enjoy the following recipes. Smaller families deserve to eat well also! And from scratch too!
LAMB WITH LEMON, MINT & POTATOES - Tender lamb chops, perfectly seasoned and then pan-grilled to perfection along with some crushed new potatoes. A most delicious combination!
CLASSIC POT ROAST FOR TWO - All of the delicious flavors of a full sized pot roast without all the leftovers. There is nothing much more satisfying than a fall-apart tender meaty pot roast to feed the soul and tummy on a cool autumnal day. This scaled down version of an old family favourite delivers on all levels!
GARLIC BUTTER SALMON & BROCCOLI FOR TWO - Salmon and broccoli are perfect partners. So are salmon and garlic! Put the three together and you have a really delicious entrée that everyone will love. It is perfectly sized for two but you can very easily multiply the amounts to serve more!
Lemon Garlic Chicken for One
Yield: One
Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 50 Min
Tender, juicy and filled with flavor. This is an excellent dinner for one which cooks in less than half an hour. Serve with rice or hot buttered orzo. A vegetable or salad on the side is very nice. Plan ahead as the chicken need to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 fat clove garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast
Instructions
- Whisk the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper together in a bowl.
- Prick the chicken all over with a fork and then add it to the bowl, turning to coat it in the marinade, and pushing it down to cover. Seal with some plastic cling film and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
- Line a small baking sheet with some aluminum foil and butter the foil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place onto the baking sheet. (I like to spoon some of the marinade over top, especially the garlic bits.)
- Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. (Chicken temperature will read 165*F/74*C)
- Remove from the oven and tent with a piece of foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice or orzo and your favorite vegetable or a salad on the side.
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I love October . . . it is in October that my taste palate turns to the colour orange and I just want to eat my fill of winter squash and pumpkins, carrots and sweet potatoes. I don't crave these things in July and August, or even September . . . but once the calendar page flips over to October, I can't seem to get enough of them and I start incorporating them into whatever I can.
This is something which I cooked as a dessert on a few occasions when I worked at the Manor. I often had to cater to silver service 5 course meals and my boss usually liked me to have at least two desserts for her guests to choose from.
Normally she liked everything to be overly complicated. I always tried to temper the complicated dishes with a few simple ones and dishes that I could do a lot of pre-prep for were what I preferred.
After all I was all on my own in the kitchen. When you are talking about shopping and prepping for a huge dinner party that is a lot of work.
They would start with canapes to be served with drinks. You would think canapes would be simple, but actually they are quite fiddly. I would have to serve no less than 4 or 5 different canapes.
A favorite with me was Quail's eggs with seasoning salt. The hardest part was the peeling of the cooked eggs, but depending on how many guests there were, this was something that went rather quickly for me.
They were always served on a huge platter atop a bed of shredded lettuce, a bird's nest holding a dish of seasoning salt in the center. Another favorite was smoked salmon on brown bread. Also very easy.
Other canapes would be parmesan crisps, easy . . . I used to make these Indian shortbreads that were gorgeous. The recipe is on here. I liked doing those because they could be baked ahead of time and then just put together on the night.
I had a few other favorites I liked to do as well. Lets just say, easy was key for me, as much as possible.
The first course all depended on what the main course was going to be. I liked it when she wanted a soup of some kind because I could also do that ahead of time and just reheat it on the night.
The main course would be major work, always. I didn't mind however. I got to use the finest ingredients and really stretch my culinary abilities. I got to cook things I would never have been able to afford to cook at home.
Usually it would involve duck, or lamb, maybe beef, with a sauce. A starch of some kind (either potatoes or rice.) I made a really fabulous Dauphinoise Potatoes. This could also be made ahead of time and then reheated at the last minute.
Usually two or three vegetables to accompany on the side also.
Always, always two desserts, and she liked to go really fancy there. Most people would not choose one or the other, they usually had a tiny slice of each, whatever it was.
One favorite was the frozen Lemon Souffle. One reason I liked that as a dessert was, again, I could make them ahead of time and have them in the freezer waiting to pull out when I needed them. I tried to do that with both desserts if I could.
Another favorite would be this simple French Apple Tart. It looks impressive and complicated, but really it isn't. And lets face it, if you call something a tart, it automatically sounds special.
A simple pastry is made. Its a sweet pastry. You can make it earlier in the day and chill it. Roll it out and then par-bake it. This can all be done ahead. Bonus!
The fiddliest part of this tart is peeling, slicing and arranging the apples. They are mixed with a spice mixture, some lemon zest and lemon juice and then arranged in the tart crust, atop a flour and sugar mixture.
The flour/sugar mixture is there to help absorb some of the juices from the apples, so that the pastry doesn't get all soggy.
And then you just bake it. It bakes for a short time at a higher temperature, and then you reduce the temperature and bake it for a bit longer.
Just until the apples are crispy tender. You don't want them mushy. Once they are just right, you pull it out of the oven and brush it all over with some sieved apricot jam to glaze it a bit.
Its best served at room temperature. They always enjoyed it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Always Hagen Das.
While they were enjoying their dessert, I would be getting the cheese course ready. This was always served on a large silver tray with a silver biscuit barrel to hold the crackers. Usually six cheeses, and some fruit.
And as if that wasn't enough, once they were finished with the cheese course I would serve them coffee and chocolates in the Linen Fold room, which was a special room that had oak walls carved in a special linen-fold pattern. The manor itself dated back to Tudor times and this room and its walls were dated back to that time.
Then while they were enjoying their coffees, etc. I would start with the cleaning up. Usually I had my husband and the housekeeper to help me with that. Even so, it was a HUGE chore and we would be very lucky if we were home by 2 a.m.
All in all though they were pretty wonderful experiences. I look back on them now and I wonder at how I managed to pull it all off. There was only me to do everything, but somehow I managed to sort it every time and do it well. I am rather proud of that.
In any case I hope you enjoy this French Apple Tart! They always did!
Yield: 6
Spiced Apple Tart
A wonderful tart with a crisp and rich dessert pastry base, delectably sweet filling of apples . Serve at room temperature with a hot drink after dinner for a real taste treat!
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 280g plain flour (2 cups)
- 120g cold butter (1/2 cup)
- 56g sifted icing sugar (7 TBS)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 TBS water
For the filling:
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- the finely grated zest and juice of one large lemon
- 50g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 TBS each plain flour and granulated sugar, mixed together
To finish:
- sieved apricot jam
Instructions
- First make the pastry. Sift the pastry into a basin. Add the butter, cut into pieces and rub it into the flour until it resembled fine dry bread crumbs. Add the icing sugar. Whisk in well.
- Make a indentation in the centre of the butter mixture. Beat the egg yolks and water together. Pour into the indentation and then, using a fork, mix together to a rough dough in the basin.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Shape into a ball and then place into a zip lock bag. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, while you make the filling.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6
- Put the apple into a bowl along with the grated lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and spices. Set aside.
- Take the pastry out of the refrigerator. Roll it out onto a floured surface to a round about 14 inches in diameter.
- Line a 10 inch diameter tart tin which has a removeable base with it, being careful not to stretch it. Don't trim off any of the overhang.
- Prick with a fork and line with a piece of baking parchment and fill with baking weights. Place onto a baking sheet and place into the heated oven.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove the baking parchment and the weights and return to the oven for a further 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and run a rolling pin over the edge all around and remove the overhang and discard.
- Sprinkle the base with the flour/sugar mixture. Add the apple slices, placing them into the pastry on top of the flour/sugar mixture in a really decorative manner.
- Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160*C/325*F/gas mark3 and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the top with the sieved apricot jam. Allow to cool to warm.
- Cut into wedges to serve.
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