Now I have never been to Greece, but it is a place I have always wanted to go . . . since I was about 10 years old and saw Haley Mills in the Moon Spinners. It looked like a fabulous country to visit and it is still my dream to one day visit. I am sorry they are having so many problems at the moment. I hope that they are able to work their way through this hard time they are having.



I have had a kebab though . . . a kebab is a very popular takeaway dish here in the UK. (Especially when all the pubs and bars start to empty out on a Friday and Saturday night!)You see them in all of the takeaways . . . big slabs of mystery meat, on a huge skewer, rotating in front of a heat lamp thingie. They slice the meat off onto a pita bread and cover it with salad and sauce. They sell tons of them . . . I have had a chicken one before and it was quite good. I have never had a mystery meat one though . . . and I somehow don't think I ever will . . .



And really . . . after having watched The Food Inspector the other week . . . I doubt that I ever will have a chicken one again either. UGH!!



These tasty Souvlaki are so much nicer . . . and healthier too. Plus you know exactly what is in them.



You are supposed to zip open the pita bread and pile all the fillings inside . . . but in all truth that has never worked for me . . . they always fall apart. I would rather just put the warm pita bread on a plate and pile everything on top of it and eat it with a knife and fork.



I know. Me = party pooper! Nevermind . . . it doesn't matter how you eat it. It's delicious. End of.



*Souvlaki in Pita*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is considered to be the Greek Equivalent of the Kebab! We sell enough Kebab's in this country on Friday night. I reckon this is a much healthier option and a lot tastier as well!

4 large pita breads
water and olive oil to moisten
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 medium onion, peeled and coarsely grated
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
500g lean pork or lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes (1 1/4 pound)

For the Salad Bits:
lettuce thinly sliced
cucumber, sliced
red pepper, sliced
tomatoes, cut into wedges
radishes, sliced
1 small red onion, tpeeled and thinly sliced
flat leaf parsley leaves, torn

For the Garlic Dressing:
100ml of thick, strained Greek Yoghurt (about 3/4 cup)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3 inches of cucumber, coarselyated and then squeezed dry
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Metal skewers for grilling



Sprinkle the pita breads with water and olive oil. Either grill them, or bake them at 180*C/350*C/ gas 4 for 3 to 5 minutes, just long enough to soften them, but not dry them out. Place them in a warm place and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

Put the oregano, lemon juice, grated onion and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the meat cubes and mix them into coat them completely. Allow to sit and marinate for at least 20 minutes. Drain and then thread onto metal skewers. Cook on a preheated barbeque, or on a stove top grill pan, turning occasionally until golden outside and cooked through. (5 to 8 minutes)

While they are grilling toss together your salad choices in a bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together the yoghurt, garlic, cucumber and salt in a bowl.

Add a dollop of this to each warmed pita bread. Top with some salad and push the meat off of the skewers on top. Drizzle with a bit more of the garlic dressing if you want. Serve immediately, while the bread and meat are hot, but the dressing and salad are cool.

PS - I don't want a lot of Greeks messaging me and telling me this isn't authentic. It's not supposed to be. This is The ENGLISH kitchen. 'Nuff said.

I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to try out some recipes which have been created by the acclaimed TV Chef Sophie Michell, to promote the new Blue Nun wines. (She is noted for Chanel 4's program, "Cook Yourself Thin.")

I was sent several recipes. There was one called Gold Leaf Sparkling Jellies with Iced Frozen Grapes and Creme Chantilly (using Blue Nun Sparkling Gold), as well as another one called, Cumin, Coriander and Ginger Marinated Lamb Cutlets with Saffron Rice and Pistachio Crumbs to be served with the Reisling. There wsa also a delicious looking Reisling Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Shallots and a Barbequed Sticky King Pao Chicken with Cashew, Carrot, Radish, Cucumber and Spring Onion Salad.

I chose the oriental recipe . . . the Barbequed Sticky Kung Pao Chicken. It looked tasty and we like a good Chinese dish. The recipe was missing the amount of radish to use, or how to use it, so I just sliced a few radishes into the mix.



This is a YouTube video that you can watch to see how she did it.

This is how mine turned out! Delicious!!



*Barbequed Sticky Kung Pao Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A beautiful chicken dish, spicy and finger lickin sticky good!

8 boneless & skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

For the Marinade:
2 TBS dark soy sauce
1 TBS Sherry, or for a lower sugar marinade use Blue Nun River Riesling
1 tsp honey
1 tsp hot chili flakes

For the Salad:
1/2 head of Chinese white cabbage
3 spring onions
1 carrot
1 red chili, depending on how much heat you like
50g of roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped

For the Dressing:
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil



Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a deep tray or dish. Add the chicken thighs. Open them up and turn them around to coat and cover them in the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for as long as possible. (Up to 24 hours and no less than 1 hour.)

To make the salad, peel and cut the carrot into very thin strips. Add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the spring onions thinly on a sharp diagonal. Add these to the bowl as well. Cut the Chinese Cabbage down the middle, core and then slice thinly. Add to the mix. Deseed the cucumber and thinly slice as well. Add this to the bowl and mix all of the ingredients together well.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

When you are ready to eat, heat up a grill to very hot. Take the chicken out of the marinade. Discard any marinade left in the dish. Place the chicken onto the hot grill tray and cook for 8 minutes per side, until cooked throughout and nicely caramelized.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss all together. Divide the salad amongst 4 plates and top each with the grilled chicken, and a sprinkle of the chopped nuts. (She used peanuts in the video)

A glass of Rivaner Reisling (Fresh, Crisp and Fruity) is recommended as a good wine to serve with this dish.

Of course as a Mormon, I really can't give an opinion on how this wine is as a drink, but here is what Sophie had to say:

The Rivaner Riesling is really a super match for most types of Asian and oriental style dishes, which I find can be really hard to match a wine with and a glug of this fresh, fruity wine is great in the marinade too.

There is a big trend for lower alcohol drinks at the moment, but some that I've tried are rather watery. However, the Blue Nun Delicate drinks (5.5% alcohol) however are packed with flavour and taste. They're ideal for the lazy summer days, picnics and bbq's. Or to serve as an aperitif when you want something refreshing and light to serve to guests.

They are made with full bodied aromatic wine and delicious fruit flavours such as white peach, mango, raspberry and lychee which taste delicious.



*Gold Leaf Sparkling Jellies with Iced Frozen Red Grapes and Creme Chantilly*
Makes 6

Ingredients:
600ml of Blue Nun Sparkling Gold White Wine
50ml of Elderflower cordial
1 TBS sugar
6 sheets gelatine
200g of red or green seedless grapes
200ml of double cream
2 tsp icing sugar

Firstly take the grapes and cut into little branches with 3 grapes per set, then place on a tray and pop into the freezer.

Soak the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes until softened. Meanwhile, put 100ml of the Blue Nun Sparkling Gold and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Squeeze the gelatin sheets to remove any excess water and stir into the wine mixture until dissolved.

Then mix the heated wine mix in with the rest of the wine (500ml), pour into a large bowl and place into the fridge. Leave for at least an hour, then check and stir. Basically you keep doing this until the mix has thickened enough for the gold flakes to not sink to the bottom.

When ready pour into four individual metal pudding moulds, about 200ml/7 fl oz/ generous 3/4 cup capacity if you want to turn the panna cotta out onto dessert plates, or into four pretty serving bowls. Put into the fridge to set for at least 2 more hours, or overnight. Then pour the cream and icing sugar into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

If the Panna Cottas are in metal molds, pour boiling water into a bowl and quickly dip the moulds into the water before turning them upside down on to dessert plates. Then add a dollop of the cream and some of the frozen grapes.

Serve with a glass of sparkling gold.

Sophie says: The Gold Flecks were such a talking point for my girl friends and I. I just adore the way the bubbles rise the gold flakes to the surface. Very Glam!

You can check out her other videos on YouTube as well. The Lamb one looks delicious as well.

Many thanks to Megan for sending me this lovely wine to cook with and to Blue Nun Wines.

Make sure you check out their page online, there's a lot of information there on the wines and stockists, etc. Also be sure to check out their Facebook Page!

Blue Nun Rivaner Riesling is available to buy in most UK supermarkets including Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Nisa and Tesco with an RRP of around £5.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Blue Nun Medium White is available in Tesco and J Sainsbury.

Blue Nun Medium Red, White and Rose are all available in Nisa.

Blue Nun Sparkling Gold edition is available to buy at £9.59 on-line from www.drinksdirect.co.uk

Blue Nun Delicate Stills have a recommended retail price of £3.99 and the Blue Nun Delicate Sparkling have a recommended price of £5.99, both for a 750ml bottle. All of the Blue Nun Delicates are currently available to buy from Home Bargain stores across the UK only www.homebargains.co.uk

Please do remember that if you are going to drink, you should so so responsibly.

Since my kitchen is still not quite in working order, I thought it would be fun today to talk about some of the more traditional Savoury Dishes that I have cooked here in The English Kitchen. In some cases I have taken the traditional and added a slight twist, which I love to do. The essence remains the same and all are quite delicious, if I don't say so myself!



Toad in the Hole

This is my meat and potatoes loving husband's favourite meal, and who wouldn't like it. With it's delicious Yorkshire Batter Pudding Base and Thick English Bangers, it is a family pleaser all round. Especially when served up with mash and lots of onion gravy!




Lancashire Hot Pot. Lancashire hotpot is a culinary dish consisting essentially of meat, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire in the north west of England, it requires a minimum of effort to prepare.



Beer Battered Fish and Chips Moist and flakey fish encased in a traditional crisp beer batter, fried until golden brown. Oh so delicious, especially when served up with fat chips and mushy peas, or minted peas if you have no mushy peas to hand! (I love it both ways!)



Perfect Egg and Chips A perfectly fried egg, served with crisp chips and slices of buttered bread in the traditional way. All the better to make a hot chip buttie with! (Yes that's hot chips wrapped up in a buttered slice of white bread. The butter melts and the whole thing is just fabulously tasty.) Simple and filling and oh so wonderfully comforting.



Welsh Cheese Pudding A bread and butter pudding of sorts filled with lovely leeks, welsh cheese, eggs and milk. A simple and comfortingly filling dish.



Bangers and Mash
and not just any Bangers and Mash, but Sticky Bangers with a Chive and Buttermilk Mash! Scrummo!!



Spam Fritters, surprisingly tasty! Don 't knock them or turn your nose up til you try them. They are oddly addictive!


Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder. Oh, this is a gorgeous Sunday Lunch Treat! With lovely crisp roast potatoes, and vegetables, lotsa gravy. Oh yum...



The Great Cornish Pasty. A beautiful thing, filled with steak, potatoes, onions and swede. Oh, and that pastry. So delectable!



Posh Beans on Toast. Dressed up tinned beans served on cheese and onion toasties.



Lamb Stew with Feather Dumplings. So called feather dumpling because they are made with potato and light as a feather!



Cauliflower and Cheese. The ultimate in comfort and tradition, and not boring in the least.



Cottage Pie with Potato Cobbles. Oh so delicious with the surprise of a sliced potato and cheese topping over a rich beef, vegetable and gravy base.



Macaroni Shepherds Pie. A delicious Shepherds Pie with a twise . . . delicious lamb filling, topped with a scrummy Macaroni and Cheese topping!



Baked Corned Beef Hash. The traditional with a little twist, baked and topped with cheese. Delicious!



Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings. We are great stew lovers in this house, and dumplings make a fabulous dish every fabulous-er! (yes, I know, not a real word.)



Perfect Roast Chicken. Deliciously flavoured with carrot, leek, onion and butter. Moistly delectable.



A Mild Lamb Curry. Creamy and mild, with tender chunks of lamb in a well flavoured curry sauce. In short, delicious.



Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Crusty Dumplings. Tender bites of chicken, with savoury mushrooms in a rich sauce, topped with crusty dumplings. Need I say more???

Of course there are many, many more traditional recipes on my site, but I've made myself rather hungry now. I think I'll have to go and make myself some bread and marmite and dream about a day in the not too soon future when my kitchen is again workable. Buttered Bread and Marmite . . . another tasty tradition, which you either loathe or love, or both.



Don't lose faith in me, there will be some new scrumminess soon, I promise!!

It may be almost spring, but there's still a chill in the air up here in the North. There have been no double digit temps here like they have been enjoying in the south, although it has been sunny. Not quite barbeque weather . . . but close. I'm still hankering for comfort food . . . something to take the chill out . . . we won't be able to enjoy these dishes for much longer . . .



It will soon be time to put these recipes away, like our woolie socks and mufflers . . . Spring is definitely in the air, and will soon be here to stay . . . but not just yet.



I love this simple lamb stew with it's simple ingredients . . . wholesome barley, deliciously tender lamb, leeks, earthy root vegetables . . .



Warming . . . comforting . . . wholesome and homey . . . yes, tis a bit old fashioned, but I'm an old fashioned girl at heart.



A delicious stew that bubbles away on the back of the stove all afternoon, tantalizing you with it's fragrance, and tasting better and better as the
minutes slowly tick by . . .



A tasty and simple stew that screams "home sweet home" from that very first deliciously moreish mouthful. .

I believe this is the cadillac of all stews. Thick . . . rich . . . and just stogged full of tasty pearl barley, winter root vegetables, tender lamb and aromatic herbs . . .



*A Simple Stew of Lamb*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Simple, tasty, hearty and filling. Comfort food at it's very best.

A knob of butter
100g pearl barley (a generous half cup)
1 large onion, peel and chop
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 leeks, the white and light green part only, cleaned well and sliced
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 of a medium swede, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
400g of diced lamb (about 1 pound)
(I use leg of lamb)
a few spring of thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
lamb stock to cover
a small bunch of parsley, chopped



Place the barley into a pot of unsalted water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes. Drain well and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the lamb and brown slowly on all sides. When browned, add all of the chopped vegetables, stir to coat and then let sweat over medium low heat for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place all the lamb and vegetables in a deep casserole dish. (make sure it is a dish that has a lid) Stir in the barley and all a spring of thyme and the bayleaves. Pour stock over to completely cover with about a half inch over. Cut a round of greaseproof paper large enough to cover. Cut a hole in the centre of it. (This is called a cartouche) Place on top of the stew and then cover with the lid of the casserole dish.

Place into the oven and bake slowly, without touching, for about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and take off the lid. Stir in the chopped parsley, adjust seasoning and serve. If you find most of the liquid has evaporated, you may add some hot lamb stock to thin.

You just know that the leftovers are going to taste even better after having sat in the fridge overnight . . . and you are not disappointed. They do.

Wahhh . . . gas works are still ongoing here at Casa de Rayner, and so once again no cooking going on. Sigh . . . sad but true. We did have a tasty fry up at a cafe this morning . . . but other than that we've only eaten fruit and cereal today. I think it will be toast and jam for tea, but that's always good and something we both like. After the fry up, something simple and non-fattening is in order!

I thought it would be fun to do a round up of my top of the pop's main dish recipes. These are the dishes that I cook again and again. I can see that comfort food plays a very big part . . . hmmm . . . I wonder what that says about me??? Sometimes it's nice to do a review of things . . . I think so at any rate. ☺



Beer Battered Fish & Chips

What can I say. I've always been a big fan of Fish & Chips. I think they taste better in the North West as compared to the ones we used to get in the South, and you can't go to the seaside without having them. Preferably eaten on the pier, looking out to sea and doused in salt and malt vinegar. Of course, making them at home is best of all.



Cottage Pie with Potato Cobbles

Cottage Pie is a real favourite with my meat and potatoes loving husband and he especially loved this version I made using extra lean beef mince . . . lots of onions, leeks and tasty carrots, swede and peas, all in a rich gravy and topped with lovely potato cobbles and cheese.



Sticky Bangers with Buttermilk and Chive Mash

There is nothing tastier or more beautiful than a good Butcher's pork Banger . . . and when you combine them with a sticky fruity glaze and some rich buttermilk and chive mashed spuds you have something that is very special indeed!



Macaroni Shepherd's Pie

Double the pleasure and comfort with your favourite lamb and veg filling topped with luciously rich macaroni and cheese. What more could anyone want! Different, easy and oh so tasty!



Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef

We have some of the best beef in the world here in the UK, and with my foolproof way to cook it, you are guarenteed to have a delicious roast beef dinner every single time. Tasty, tender and succulent. I like a standing rib roast best of all, but this method will work with any roasting cut. I guarantee!



Simple Pot Roasted Chicken

A deliciously moist pot roasted chicken served with plenty of veg and a tasty au jus. Heartily approved by my "Mr Darcy!" It may not look like much but it is really tender and moist. We like it with roasted potatoes, sprouts and mashed carrots and parsnips. Who doesn't love a tasty roast chicken and this, in my humble opinion, is one of the very best recipes ever!



Cod Fish Cakes and Tartar Sauce

Moist fish cakes, crisp on the outside and with no fillers, flavoured with fresh tarragon and served with a delicious homemade horseradish tartar sauce. This is one of our all time favourites, and so much tastier than those frozen fish cakes you buy in the shops.



Lancashire Hot Pot

British Tradition at it's very best. This is the good, old fashioned, stodge which never fails to please. Simple flavours, beautifully put together. This is what the UK is all about.



Not Your Mama's Spag Bol

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of the UK's most beloved dishes and makes weekly appearances in a lot of homes over here. My husband hates pasta . . . he's very old fashioned in that way, having been brought up during the war. Pasta is foreign food to him and he really prefers traditional dishes. He does like this though . . . as long as I spoon it over mash. I think everyone over here has their own "secret" recipe for Spag Bol. This is mine. It's a cross between Spag Bol and Chili, and quite, quite delicious if I don't say so myself!!



Chicken Curry with Rice

You just can't beat a good curry and I do believe that curry has overtaken just about every dish as Britain's favourite dish, even Roast Beef. (Although I do have to say we do love our Roast Dinners with a passion!) I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to curry . . . preferring mine a bit on the milder side, but loving it all the same. Chicken or lamb . . . fish or vegetable. Curry is one of our favourites. This is a lovely low fat one with a beautiful addition of spinach for added colour, texture and flavour. (We like Green Thai Curry as well!




Pssstt!! We also love a really good Lamb Curry as well. This particular recipe is very good indeed.

I just noticed something is glaringly absent here . . . a Tasty Fish Pie. Time to remedy that. Look for one soon!!!

On Monday I'll post my round up of my top ten favourite British Puds! (Am hoping I have gas for the weekend!)



In The Cottage today, Tex Mex Taters . . . cooked in the microwave and with the aid of an electric skillet!