Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
I am just loving summer with all of it's fresh fruit and vegetables! It is by far and away the best time of year for fruit and veg just packed with flavour!
The supermarket shelves (not to mention my garden) are a dancing parade of delicious colour and taste, and I am love, love, lovin' every moment of it!
I was recently asked if I would like to try some Basaljo Black Garlic. I quite like garlic and I was immediately intrigued . . . black garlic. It sounded quite interesting! I was game to try it! I like to try new things (within reason) and from what I had read about black garlic, it sounded like something we would enjoy.
From Wikepedia: Black garlic is a type of "caramelized" garlic (in reality, browned by the Maillard reaction rather than truly caramelized) first used as a food ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves.
The garlic came, already peeled in a plastic pot. It looked a bit like garlic clove shaped black jelly babies. It was soft and slightly sticky. I tasted a small one just to see what it tasted like. It was only slightly garlicky, very mellow with an almost fruity balsamic quality. I could not wait to use it.
One of my first thoughts was that it would be fabulous in a vinaigrette salad dressing. Possibly a salad with earthy baby greens and some beetroot, and so that is what I used for the salad. I added some leftover roast chicken and green peas.
I left the dressing pretty basic as I wanted to highlight the flavour of the garlic. It was basically just a good olive oil, along with a touch of Dijon mustard and some good balsamic vinegar and seasonings, which I felt would go well together with the garlic. I blitzed it in my small food processor and was well pleased with the resulting almost amber coloured silky dressing.
It was slightly pungent, but not in a bad way. We really, really liked it. I think this dressing would be beautiful drizzled over some grilled salmon, or even brushed on the salmon prior to grilling, or even some good cod. I think it would also serve as a great marinade for beef or pork, or even lamb. I am going to try that in the summer for BBQ season!
*Black Garlic Vinaigrette*
Makes 225ml (1 cup)
The next thing I did was to use it in some mash. We love our mash and are very fond of roasted garlic mash. (We are fond of roasted garlic anything!)
My primary concern was about the colour. I was a bit worried that it might tint the potatoes a funny colour, the idea of really black potatoes did not appeal to me.
I wanted to make sure that the garlic was really smooth before I stirred it in, so I did what I do with normal garlic. I mashed it together with some sea salt. The sea salt helps to break it down really fine and also adds flavour to your potatoes. You won't need to add anymore salt.
We have really good new potatoes coming out now. They are sweet, but waxy in texture so not really great for mashed potatoes, but work great for smashed potatoes! You can peel or not as you wish. I chose to peel this time around.
I used quite a few cloves of the black garlic, six altogether, and I added some grated strong cheddar. We got some really great cave aged cheddar the other day and the two were begging me to use them together. What a fabulous result! I could have easily sat down and eaten a bowl of this Black Garlic and Cheesy Smash all on its own with nothing else at all. It was fabulously delicious! A new favourite!
*Black Garlic and Cheesy Smash*
Serves 4 - 6
Black garlic is sweet meets savory, a perfect mix of molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones. It has a tender, almost jelly-like texture with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency similar to a soft dried fruit. Hard to believe, but true. It’s as delicious as it is unique. This is sure to become a pantry staple.
To find out more about Balsajo Black Garlic, be sure to check out their website.
Balsajo Black Garlic is available from www.balsajo.com and any good independent farm shops, fine food shops and delicatessens.
Balsajo
Black Garlic One Large Bulb - £2.99 from Sainsbury’s
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Balsajo
Black Garlic Peeled pots 50g (£4.49) or 150g (£11.99)
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Balsajo
Black Garlic Black Garlic Paste for 100g jar - £6
Many thanks to the people at Balsajo for affording me this opportunity to try something new! This has become a new favourite item in my kitchen! I can't wait to see what I can use it in next. There are plenty of recipes and tips on their site. That Black Garlic and Parsley Potato Salad is calling my name!
Note - Athough I was sent some black garlic for free to try out, I was not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are my own.
I was recently sent a selection of Cookery books to review. As you know I just love cookbooks and have a vast collection . . . Todd moans whenever a new one comes through the letter box . . . but, alas that is just something he has to live with. I am of the opinion that one can never have too many cookbooks . . . Marriage is a give and take, besides . . . he reaps the rewards of my fetish every night when he sits down to tea.
The first one is a bit of a novelty book, entitled "Beer, a cookbook." Recipes by Kimberley Willis. It's a fun little book, not too large or hefty, but there's a lot packed into it's pages. There are 40+ recipes in this book, which is roughly about the size of a clutch handbag, each of them accompanied by a tasty looking photo.
There are recipes for starters, mains, sides and amazingly even desserts, each one containing detailed instructions and a tasty looking photo, not to mention some bartenders advice near the bottom and a heads-up rating . . . easy, medium or hard . . . so that you can pick according to your skills or desire.
It's a very sturdy book, each page being composed of heavy card, which has a glossy wipe proof surface. (I guess that's in case you sample too much of the beer while you are cooking and get sloppy??)
Interspersed between the recipes are fun quotes like this one from Frank Zappa:
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline . . . it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least, you need a beer."
It's a cute little book, and would make the perfect Birthday Gift, or even Christmas Gift, for the beer connoisseur on your gift list. I haven't actually cooked anything from the book, so can't really say how good the recipes are, but purely from a novelty point of view, this book gets an "7" from me. It's colourful, sturdy and there were a few things in it that I have bookmarked for a later date to try.
The first one probably being these really delicious looking Chocolate Stout Lava Cakes ! There's also a pot roast that looks really tasty and tender as well.
Beer, a cookbook
Published by Adams Media
ISBN 10: 1-4405-3370-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-3370-9
copyright 2012 by F+W Media, inc.
The second book is also a bit of a Novelty book, based loosely on the popular Hunger Games novels and film. I was a great fan of the books and loved the movie, so I was quite interested in this book. From the back cover:
When it comes to the Hunger Games, staying alive means finding food any way possible. Katniss and Gale hunt live game, Peeta's family survives on the bread they make, and the inhabitants of the Seam work twelve-hour days for a few handfuls of grain . . . all while the residents of the Capitol gorge themselves on delicacies and desserts to the heart's desire.
For the first time, you will be able to create delicious recipes from the humble District 12 to the extravagant Capitol, including:
- French bread from the Mellark Family Bakery
- Katniss's favourite Lamb Stew with Dried Plums
- Rue's Roasted Parsnips
- Gale's Bone-Picking Big Game Soup
- Capital Grade Dark Chocolate Cake
Hard covered and 241 pages containing more than 150 recipes inspired by the Hunger Games Trilogy and written by Emily Ansara Baines. (It is unofficial and unauthorized, approved, liscensed, or endorsed by Susanne Collins, her publishes, or lionsgate entertainment corp.) Emily Ansara Baines is a writer who has worked as a professional baker and caterer throughout the East Coast of American, most recently New York City.
Each recipe seems to be well written, with great instructions and tips included from your "Sponsor." The downside is that there are no photographs at all, and I do love my cookbooks to have at least a few scrummy pictures. But, aside from a few recipes I would probably never cook, like "Fightin' Fried Squirrel . . . there are also a great number of really delicious sounding ones like Mixed Messages Mixed Berry Jam, Apocalyptic Eggs Benedict, Katniss's Craved Cheese Buns, Harvest Heirloom Apple Cake and Thick and Gooey Double Chocolate Banquet Brownies. Again, I haven't cooked anything from this book . . . but I probably will. It's been hard these past three weeks getting in any cooking time with all the renovations going on. I am giving this one an "8". Pictures would be nice, but most of the recipes sound quite delicious and it has great novelty factor. It would make a perfect gift for the Hunger Games fan!
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, by Emily Ansara Baines
Published by Adams Media
ISBN-13: 978-1-4405-2658-9
ISBN-10: 1-4405-2658-3
$19.95 (CAN $20.99)
Here in the UK you can get it from Amazon for £14.44
The final book, and my favourite of the three, was Not-So-Humble Pies by Kelly Jaggers, also published by Adams Media. 150 delicious, decadent and savory recipes for one of my favourite foods of all . . . Pie!
The book is split into three parts.
Part 1 - Not so Humble beginnings
Chapter 1 Pastry and cookie crusts
The first chapter, pie crusts, offers tons of options. Pastry type crusts like the perfect flaky crust, butter crusts and options like a buttery, spicy cheese crust. Cookie type crusts include gingersnaps, pretzels. There are also shortbread type crusts which fall right between the two using a cookie type recipe to make a crust for a pie.
Chapter 2 - Toppings
The second chapter covers toppings, classic crumb toppings, meringue, stabilized whipped cream, and sauces.
Part 2 - Sweet as Can Be
Chapter 3 Creams, Custards, and Chiffons
Creams, Custards and Chiffons.-Nothing as simple as a chocolate cream pie, these are things like cantaloupe cream, vanilla rum meringue and for people who prefer a more traditional flavor profile, white chocolate chiffon.
Chapter 4 Fruits, Nuts and Berries
Based on classic recipes, these up the gourmet and wow factor, an apple pie gets a savory cheddar crust to contrast the sweetness of the apples, peach and ginger combine in a hand pie perfect for picnics.
Chapter 5 Tarts, Tartlets, and Rustic Pies
These are the "dressed up for guests" dessert pies. Fine ingredients, flavors and textures like apple rose, white chocolate ganache and praline cream.
Part 3 - Savory Situations
Chapter 6 Dinner Pies
The savory flavors that make a main course. There are lots of tarts in this chapter as well that would work well as a side dish like the spinach and artichoke tart. Lots of cheese based tarts and pies as well.
Chapter 7 Spicy, Salty, and Exotic Pies
All of the recipes in this book put some pretty unusual twists on the family classics, but this chapter really pulls out all the stops by adding chilis, spice and salt to classics.
Each part is beautifully photographed as are a lot of the recipes . . .
Lavender Infused Lemon Pie
The recipes all appear to be very well written, although having said that, the crust recipe that I chose to bake did have an inconsistency in it. It called for 1 egg, not specifying the size, or the fact that you only need the yolk, at least I could not find anyplace where the white was called for. I used a large egg and had thrown in the whole egg before I realized that in the directions it said the yolk. It turned out fine though, so no worries.
I chose to bake the Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise recipe from chapter 5, Tarts, Tartlets and Rustic Pies. This is blackberry season here in the UK at the moment and they are something that I have a lot of and that I love to use in the autumn.
The crust was quite forgiving . . . and not all that different from a short bread cookie. Nom! Nom! It was very rustic and not too frou frou . . . this was a plus for me last week with all of the construction work going on.
The filling was very easy to throw together, although I did find that the cornflour didn't dissolve in the alloted standing time so if I make it again, I will add a touch of lemon juice. It will not only help to preserve the colour, but also add a nice little hint of sharpness that I think will go well with both the berries, the sweet crust and that scrummy Creme Anglaise.
*Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise*
makes 8 servings
Creme Anglaise is a slightly thickened custard sauce that is used as a garnish on all sorts of desserts. Here the sauce is spiked with a touch of bourbon and drizzled over slices of warm blackberry tart. If you don't care for bourbon, you can use rum or creme de cassis, or omit altogether.
2 cups fresh blackberries
2 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS sugar
1 short crust for tarts, rolled into a 12 inch circle
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 TBS bourbon
2 egg yolks
3 TBS sugar
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the berries, cornstarch and sugar until well combined. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Place the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread with the blackberry mixture, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Fold the pastry just over the edge of the berries, then dot the top with butter.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the cream and vanilla. Bring just to a simmer. In a large bowl, whisk together the bourbon, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add 1/2 cup of the cream into the egg yolks. Immediately add the egg yolk mixture back into the pot and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes.
Serve the tart slightly warm with the creme anglaise drizzled over the top.
We quite enjoyed this lovely tart and I have no less than 15 other recipes flagged to try out over the next few weeks/months. If they are all as nice as this one . . . well, we have a real winner here!
Not-So-Humble Pies, by Kelly Jaggers
Published by Adams Media
ISBN 10: 1-440503291-5
ISBN 13L 978-1-4405-3291-7
$17.95 (Can $18.99)
Available here in the UK from Amazon for £12.74
I give this book a "9." It lost a point for the inconsistency I found in the crust recipe.
Disclaimer - Please note that although I am given these books free of charge for review, I am under no obligation to give positive reviews. My opinions are honest and my own.
We've had some really cold days this past week or so, with heavy frosts on the ground in the morning and the days haven't warmed up too much either.
Before things get a chance to warm up the sun is setting, and things are chilling up again! Wintry, cold, damp . . . these days call for proper comfort food.
There is nothing we enjoy better on a cold damp night than a hot bowl of soup or stew. My husband's very favourite is a stew.
Stews are lovely. You can make them with beef, or lamb, pork, chicken . . . venison. Almost any kind of meat is good in a stew. Today I used beef.
My vegetables that I use for stew are pretty simple. Onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, swede (rutabaga) . . . humble vegetables, comfort vegetables . . . winter vegetables. I like to cut them into a pretty uniform size.
I find there is something really mindful standing at the counter peeling and chopping. My mind is usually everywhere else and I am channelling my mom, nan, great nan, etc. I also add potatoes, but I cut those into larger chunks so that they don't disintegrate in the long oven braising time.
One secret to a really good stew is to brown your meat really well. You will want to do this in batches.
If you add too much to the pan at a time, it won't brown really well. There is a lot of flavour in the browning . . . so do it in small batches and . . .
brown it really well. Once you have it all browned you can add it back to the pan and add the aromatics . . . (I use a flame proof oven roasting/braising tin with a lid for this.)
By aromatics I mean onions, celery, leek . . . just bung them into the pan with the meat and cook and stir until the oven has softened . . .
I have a few secret ingredients . . . you can see them above. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but they add fab flavours!
The Balsamic adds a hint of red wine and sweet . . . the Worcestershire is a bit sharp and the Ketchup a bit of tomato and spice . . . back home I would add a splash of vinegar from a jar of sweet mixed pickles, but we don't get them over here in the UK.
I add the potatoes and some herbs and cover everything with beef stock/bullion, just to barely cover and I show a broken bay leaf right down into the mess.
Did you know that breaking a bay leaf in half helps to release its flavours? Now you do . . .
And that's it pretty much, cover it tightly and bang it into the oven to oven braise for 2 or 3 hours. I check it every now and then to make sure its not boiling dry.
You can add a little bit more of stock if it is. The stews done when the beef and vegetables are tender.
The gravy will be nice and thick and beautifully flavoured with all of those browned meat juices and aromatics, herbs, etc.
The vegetables add lots of flavour also . . . yummy.
I like to serve it with plenty of crusty bread to help sop up all of those delicious juices . . . .
If you wanted to you could add a cup of frozen peas to the stew about half an hour before it's finished for colour. Its delicious either way.
Beef Stew
Yield: 6
A satifisfying dish on a cool and wet and wintery evening. Long slow cooking ensures that the meat is melt in the mouth tender.
ingredients:
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 leek, trimmed, washed and sliced
- 1 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled, sliced in half and then cut into half moon chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled, quartered and sliced into 2 inch long bits
- 1/4 of a small swede, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (rutabaga)
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 1/2 pounds good quality beef stew meat, cut into cubes
- 2 TBS plain flour
- 2 pints beef stock (5 cups, or to cover)
- 1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 bay leaf, broken
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish at the end
instructions:
How to cook Beef Stew
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large flame proof casserole. Add the beef cubes, working in batches. Try not to overcrowd the pan. Brown well on all sides. Scoop out to a bowl and continue to brown the meat until all is browned. Add the onions and celery. Cook, stirring until the onion has turned translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute and then the herbs, seasoning and flour. Stir to combine. Cook for about a minute and then add the remaining vegetables and the stock. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Ketchup and Balsamic vinegar. Add the bay leaf and cover tightly. Pop into the preheated oven and oven braise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at which time the vegetables and meat should all be tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Spoon the stew into heated bowls to serve. Crusty bread goes very well!
I confess one thing I have always loved to do with stew, since I was a child is to mashe the potatoes up in that stew gravy . . . and if I am feeling a bit indulgent I will dot a bit of butter on top so it melts down into everything. Yes, I AM naughty like that sometimes!
We had company for supper on Saturday night and I prepared a hearty wholesome meal for us all, Beef Stew and Dumplings. I served it with fluffy and buttery mashed potatoes and it went down a real treat. I made extra so that I could have leftovers, because . . . as everyone knows things like Beef Stew always taste even better a day or two later on. Not sure why that is, I only know it is. Trust me on this.
I am a person that has never minded eating leftovers. I love them. I do know that some people are not too fussed on having leftovers however, but it seems such a waste to throw good food away so I am going to give you some really great ideas today to use a leftover such as Beef Stew. Bear in mind that this would work with any type of leftover stew really, chicken, lamb, etc. They are both really easy.
If you always have a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer, ready to roll and use, you have the makings of a very easy pot pie, depending on how much you have leftover. I had made the full recipe of stew so I had basically four servings leftover, which would make a tasty meal for a family, especially if you add potatoes and veggies or salad on the side. Simply spread your leftover stew into a pie dish. Cover with foil and bake it in a190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5 oven for about 20 minutes until it gets hot and is bubbling. Then unroll your puffpastry and cut it to fit over top of the warmed stew mixture. Brush it with some milk or beaten egg yolk/water and sprinkle with a bit of cracked pepper, sea salt flakes and parsley flakes and then return it to the oven, increasing the temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6 and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Doesn't that look good? I can assure you it was very good indeed!
Note: I always add a bit of stock to loosen up my stew mixture a bit when reheating as the vegetables tend to absorb most of the gravy when you store it. If that isn't a problem then just leave it, but if you want a bit of a gravy you will want to add some stock.
Another good thing to make with leftover stew is a cottage pie. A cottage pie is basically stewed beef, or leftover roast and gravy anyways, so it makes perfect sense to use leftover beef stew. My stew is always chock full of lovely veg such as carrots, parsnips and swede, so it's very tasty. I happened to have leftover mashed potatoes from the other night as well, so that was not a problem, but it's really easy to make fresh mash as well. You can also buy bags of frozen mash in the shops now for about £1, so if you keep one of those in the freezer, you always have mash on tap.
Simply spread your stew into a casserole dish and cover with foil. Heat in a preheated oven (180*C/350*F/ gas mark 3) for about 20 minutes. Take your potato and loosen it up a bit with a beaten egg. Remove your casserole dish of stew from the oven and uncover. Spread the mash over top of the hot stew and score attractively with a fork. Bang it back into the oven and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown.
Doesn't that look tasty? I know! It was really tasty and nobody felt like they were eating leftovers!
And that's the truth. ☺
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