Occasionally I like to spice things up here a bit in my kitchen. I am trying to empty my freezer right now, in preparation for moving in just TWO weeks, (Yikes!) and I ended up today with a couple packages of ground lamb that I wanted to use up.



I didn't really feel like making a Shepherd's Pie . . . I wanted something to tantalize our tastebuds.



I initially thought of Koftas, but then I settled on Kibbee. We love Kibbee. They are a delicious middle Eastern appetizer composed of ground lamb and spices. Cut into small diamonds, or shaped into little football shapes, they are delicious served warm with sour cream for dipping.



We had them as an entree, along with some garlic rice and steamed carrots.



mmmm . . . they may not be much to look at, but they be mighty tasty!



Try to imagine yourself sitting in a Bedoin tent in the middle of the desert as you are eating these . . . a gentle breeze stirring the leaves of the date palms on your little oasis, and camels softly snorting and shuffling in the sand nearby . . .

No, this is not typical English Food, but it's my kitchen and I can cook what I like in it. They do say that variety is the spice of life!!



*Baked Spiced Kibbee*
serves 8
Printable Recipe

A delicious middle eastern spiced meat dish, typically served as an appetizer. You can shape it into small shapes, or just bake it iin a square pan like I have. Scored before baking it very easily separates into small diamonds. We have it as a main course.

200g bulgar wheat
1 1/2 pounds lean ground lamb
1 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 TBS olive oil
90g pine nuts
4 medium onions, peeled and minced
3 TBS butter, melted
Sour cream to serve (optional)

Cover the wheat with boiling water and let sit for about an hour soaking. Squeeze as much water out of it as you can and then put it into a clean bowl. Add the meat and seasonings. Knead and mix together for about 10 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and pine nuts. Cook and stir over medium low heat until golden brown. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F.

Divide the meat mixture in half. Press half of it into a buttered 8 inch square baking dish. Top with the onion/pinenut mixture, spreading it evenly over top. Spread the remaining meat over top, pressing it down evenly and smoothing it out. Run a spatula around the edges to form a bit of a gap between the meat and the edges. Dip the spatula in cold water and start making cuts lengthwise in the meat, evenly spaced about an inch apart. Go back over it crosswise, cutting it into diamond shaped pieces. Brush the melted butter evenly over top.

Bake the kibbee in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven, and separate into diamonds. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Well, here we are at the end of another year! I don't know how it happened. This year has just flown by with amazing speed! It's been a wonderful year though . . . with lots of good cooking and happy times shared with loved ones, friends and YOU!

Food shared with friends is the best food ever and I have really enjoyed sharing my culinary repasts with each of you over the past twelve months. I thought it would be a fun exercise today to go back over some of the most popular recipes posted in 2011, and so . . . without further adieu I bring you the deliciousness that was 2011!!

January . . .



One of my favourite posts in the month of January was the one where I did a proper English High Tea for the Toddster . . . just to break the monotony of a boring month! Oh we did have a very tasty repast with Finger Sandwiches, Jam Tarts, little Cake Fancies, Florentines and a glorious Victorian Sponge. It was great fun and something we both really enjoyed. I may do it again this year. It sure pepped up what is usually a pretty dull month!!

February . . .



Aside from the usual Valentines treats in February, I treated us to a delicious Lamb Stew with Feather Dumplings. We're both big stew nuts in this house, and this lamb stew was most delicious with it's rich gravy, tender lamb and those feather dumplings which are to die for! You can never go wrong with a delicious stew. It's my husband's favourite dish . . . next to a hearty meat pie that is!

March . . .



March brought with it the tease of spring on the horizon and with it some sunnier and brighter days. My favourite recipe that I made that month, hands down had to be the Apple and Blackberry Crumble Pavlova! Oh my but it was scrumdiddlyumptious and oh so pretty! Apple and Blackberries together, plus Crumble has to be one of my favourite combinations and to have them all together in a delicious Pavlova, well that was pure genius, if I don't say so myself!

April . . .



April brought with it some very mild temperatures and a fabulous Royal Wedding. I don't know who wasn't glued to the telly on the day that Prince William and Kate got married! It was a great day of celebration the world over and I think they are just the sweetest couple ever . . . and the sweetest recipe that month had to be The World's Best Gingerbread Cake with a Spiced Lemon Sauce. In fact I do believe that it is one of the most popular recipes on my site, getting the most hits on average. And to tell the truth, it is indeed very scrummy!! I am not in the habit of calling something the World's Best unless I actually think it is the world's best!!

May . . .



Spring had truly arrived and we were in the midst of busily planting the garden out and enjoying the warmer sunnier days. I do believe spring is one of my favourite seasons and we celebrated it deliciously with these scrummy Cranberry, Pecan and White Chocolate Flapjacks. Flapjacks are not something I had ever run across before moving over to the UK, but I have to say that I have totally embraced them with all of my heart. They are indeed such a wonderful treat, and these Cranberry, Pecan and White chocolate ones are the best!

June . . .



The warm days of June brought with it more light foods, salads and the like. We were enjoying harvesting young beans and peas from the garden. I created this deliciously delightful Summer Pea, New Potato and Pesto Tart which was one of my absolute favourites, because not only was it different, but it was beautiful to behold and oh so delicious as well!

July . . .



July brought a delightful trip down to Ipswich and Jimmy's Farm along with my friend Julie. What a fabulous couple of days we had together, touring the farm, meeting Jimmy, taking a lovely butcher class and eating some fab food. I was ever so impressed with his animal husbandry and farm and restaurant. It was just a wonderful experience altogether, and of course we all were able to bring home some fabulous meat. The Toddster is a real pork chop afficionado and he absolutely delighted in these wonderful Grilled Chops with a Hoisin Marinade and Glaze that I made with some of that lovely pork I brought back from the farm.

August . . .



We really didn't have much of a summer weather wise really. It was cold and wet and gloomy. I think we actually had our summer back in April . . . but shhhh . . . I'm not complaining. If it wasn't for the bad weather we'd never be able to truly appreciate the good! One of the favourite things I cooked in August had to be this Apple and Blackberry In and Out dessert that I got from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's mom's cookery book, The Great Granny Cookbook. It's one of my favourite cookbooks, and for good reason . . . it's filled with a lot of fantastically tasty recipes! This was the perfect dessert in which to make good use of the early season apples and those blackberries which ripened early due to having had such an early spring!

September . . .



We were away to Cumbria on our holidays with Mitzie in September . . . a holiday which just happened to co-incide with Katrina the hurricanes visit to our beautiful Sceptred Isle. It was a holiday filled to overflowing with rain, wind, rain, wind and ever more rain and wind. We still managed to enjoy ourselves anyways, even if we did arrive back home here a few days earlier than planned. (There is only so much you can occupy yourself with in a cottage in the middle of nowhere when you have an antsy cocker spaniel with you and you have left your warm coat and boots back home!) In any case we did enjoy some fab food, which is always a plus. Something that I did cook that we really enjoyed back home though was this delicious Gratin of Chard, created with some fabulous Rainbow Swiss Chard I received in my bi-weekly Vegetable box at the end of the month. My but it was some good!

October . . .



October brought us lots of deliciousness with Blue Cheese and Cheddar Stovies and the like. My favourite recipe of the month though had to be the Apple Pie Roll Ups with Custard! It was so easy and soooooo delicious! I always welcome the cooler months and the heartier recipes that come with them, don't you? I like salads too . . . but I am a glutton for autumn and winter food!

Oh please, I must show you two . . . as these were real winners as well . . .



Baked Hot Dogs Cooked one week for some hungry missionaries who really enjoyed!!

November . . .



November was full of delicious things as well, not the least of which was this fabulous Chocolate Cola Cake. The Toddster is not a real fan of chocolate cakes, but I tortured him anways because I just adore Chocolate Cake and I had some cola that I needed to road test. Oh my but this has to be the creme de la creme of chocolate cakes. SOOOOO fabulous!

It wasn't all about cake and chocolate though . . .



This Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagne also went down really well . . . ahem . . . rich, delicious and very, very addictive!

Which brings us to

December . . .



There was plenty of deliciousness in December too, with all of the holiday foods and treats, but I think the Rumpled Pizza Buns deserve an honorable mention . . . coz . . . one, I love Pizza . . . two, they were easy to make . . . and three, most important of all . . . THEY WERE DELICIOUS!

So that was 2011 . . . 372 recipes . . . each one delicious in it's own right. I do hope that you enjoyed the journey through the year right along with me. Here's to 2012 and even more deliciousness!!

Happy New Year one and all!



Over in The Cottage today, the Perfect Lemon Tart!

 

I thought it would be fun to share with you all of the meals that I have enjoyed eating over this past week.  When you are a person that lives on their own there can be a tendency to eat out of tins, or to eat frozen meals.  I don't want that to be my life and if I can inspire one person to also want to cook for themselves, then I think that's a great thing.

My late mother lived all on her own from the age of 54 to 81 when my sister and her partner Dan moved in with mom. By that point mom needed someone to take care of her as she had dementia and was no longer to really care for herself. 

While my mother was able to she always cooked for herself.  Every day she had a meal that she prepared and that she enjoyed. The odd time it might have been a tv dinner or something from the freezer. She loved Big Macs and when they put them on offer, she would buy four or five, have one for her tea and then freeze the other four to have as a treat on another occasion.

She did love to shop at M&M meats and would pick up boxes of chicken breasts and fish from there.  She might have a chicken breast for her supper but she always cooked potatoes or rice to go with it and a vegetable. 

I am a little bit more adventurous myself, but them I cooked for a living for years and am quite used to cooking for a larger family.  Food excites me.  I love to cook. Mom ate to live whereas I live to eat!  That does make a difference in what you choose to eat.

Anyways, I thought I would share with you the main meals that I enjoyed over this past week.  Usually on Sundays I have supper at my sisters with the family and every Wednesday night I go out to dinner with my father and his friends at a local eatery.  Other than that, I cook everything myself.  Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good. I like to eat a wide variety of things, although looking at the photographs for this week, I did have a very "red" week!

Oh well, some weeks are bound to be like that! Wherever possible I have given links to the recipes!

 

SUNDAY MARCH 19TH - Supper at  my sisters

Cindy had prepared Roasted Spareribs in the Instant Pot, her Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Homemade Baked Beans and oven roasted tender stem broccoli. Everything was fabulously delicious.  I love being included in these Sunday Suppers with my family.

MONDAY, MARCH 20TH - Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme, served with pan fried potatoes and oven roasted tender stem cauliflower.  I had the opportunity to pick up some fresh Nova Scotia lamb and cooked it simply, not wanting to detract from its delicate flavor. This made a beautiful supper for the first day of spring. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST - Small Batch Spaghetti and Meatballs

This gave me enough to enjoy on the day and some to pop into the freezer for another time.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22ND -  On Wednesday nights I always go out to supper with my father and his friends to a local eatery called The Big Scoop.  The food is always hit and miss. I go for the company and to please my father.  This weeks special was a Hot Turkey Poutine. I decided to have that. It was so/so. My own version is a lot tastier. Hot Turkey Poutine.  Hot chips, covered in chunks of cooked turkey, turkey gravy, stuffing and cheese with a side of cranberry sauce. 

THURSDAY MARCH 23RD - Herbed Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes

Crispy buttery garlic potatoes are shingled on a sheet pan and cooked alongside  a fillet of breaded herbed cod fish. The cod is transferred to the potatoes at the end and the whole thing is popped under a grill and crisped up. I served it with a grilled half a tomato and some green beans.

FRIDAY MARCH 24TH - Stone Soup

I found it really chilly on Friday and so thought a bowl of soup would go down well. This is one of my favorites because it uses a bit of this and a bit of that. Its a delicious way to make your budget stretch and fill your tummy up with something hearty and warming at the same time.  Chopped cabbage, onions,  tomatoes, rice, stock, and a few seasonings combined together in a most delicious way!  I enjoyed a lovely bowl of this along with some crackers on the side and a sprinkle of cheese on top.

And just in case you are wondering, here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  It is gorgeous in strawberry season, but in the winter time its a great way to use some of those mediocre strawberries they put out at the shops at a decent price that are often disappointing when you eat them raw. Cooking them helps to bring out their flavor. Combine that with rhubarb and you have a dessert made in heaven!

And those were my meals of the week for March 19th to 25th!  Let me know in the comments section below if you enjoyed this post or not. I may make it a regular thing if you do!

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com 

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.  Cover and chill until needed.  Place into a serving bowl.  Drlzzle the top with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves.  



I also made these lovely little Lamb Kofta Meatballs.  Spicy and just wonderful served with some pita breads and Tzatziki for dipping.    You could fry them if you wanted to, but I just bake them in the oven because they brown nicely, evenly and as lamb is a rather fatty meat anyways it helps to cut down on some of that extra fat.



Crumble the meat into a bowl.   Add the chopped onion, parsley and cooled spices.   Season with salt and pepper.  (If you wish you may cook a small bit of this in the frying pan and taste it to see if you have seasoned it correctly.)   Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place them evenly spaced on the baking trays.  Bake in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through.  Serve warm or at room temperature with sauce for dipping if desired.  

Note: These are also nice served hot and tucked into warm Pita Breads with some lettuce and sauce. 

Happy New Year!  Have fun and stay safe!

I did us some lovely Lamb Chops for our New Years Eve Supper last night.  I simply rubbed them with a mixture of rosemary, thyme, garlic, sea salt, white pepper, olive oil and a bit of  good balsamic vinegar that I mashed together with my mortar and pestle.   I let them macerate for a good hour or more while these delicious potatoes were baking and then I quickly grilled them in a hot skillet with a bit of butter for about a minute and a half per side.   They were done perfectly!

British Sandwich week is running this year from the 11th to the 17th May.  To help celebrate the occasion and make the humble British sandwich just that but more special,  The English Provender Co, has come up with a few lunchtime tips and tricks.

With a number of classic chutneys including Caramelized Red Onion, Ploughman's Plum, Sweet tomato & Chilli and Moroccan Spiced Chutney. the English Provender Co. has the perfect filling for the perfect British sandwich!



CHUTNEY PAIRINGS

Match up The English Provender Co's chutneys with the following suggestions to experience them all at their best:

• Caramelized Red onion - Cheddar cheese, ham and ciabatta
• Ploughman's Plum - Mature cheddar cheese and ciabatta
• Sweet Tomato & Chilli - Goat's cheese, beef and smoked ham
• Moroccan Spiced - Mild cheddar cheese and various cold meats, including roast chicken or lamb
• Apple, Pear & Fig -  Blue Cheese and unsmoked ham  

CONDIMENT PAIRINGS

And if chutney isn't your thing - The English Provender Co. has a selection of tasty condiments, which can be added for flavoursome meat pairings:

• Bramley Apple Sauce with Calvados - A delicious sauce made from the finest apples with a hint of apple brandy.  The ultimate accompaniment for roast pork, sausages, duck or game.
• English Mint Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar - An aromatic sauce with freshly picked mint and the subtle flavour of balsamic vinegar.  A natural choice for roast lamb.
• Grated Hot Horseradish - Add kick to your roast beef with this hot sauce.  Alternatively add to crème fraiche for a hot and fiery dip.  If you're partial to a Bloody Mary add some horseradish sauce for a bit of a kick!  
• Redcurrant Sauce with Rosemary - A deliciously rich sauce with a touch of tasty rosemary.  Pair with duck or lamb.
• Seafood Sauce with Sunblush Tomatoes - A tangy sauce to add flavour to fish, prawns or crab.
• Tartare Sauce - The perfect accompaniment for a wide range of fish dishes including salmon.
• Wild Cranberry Sauce - The classic and traditional choice for turkey. 

Note:  Why not try something different instead of brown sauce.  The Caramelized Red Onion Chutney would be the perfect pairing with this!

 

And of course all of the chutneys would be perfect with the Traditional Ploughman's Lunch.   Seriously and tradtionally scrummy!  In particular I would recommend their Plum & Bramley Apple as the perfect pairing!

I am a big fan of The English Provender Co's products.  (Love LOVE their lemon curd and ginger lemon curd!)  To find out more about them and what is available do check out their home page here.  

Follow them on Facebook.
Follow them on Twitter.

For the last fortnight over here in the UK , we've been celebrating all that is good about British Food in an annual event called British Food Fortnight! It is a time when we, as a nation, have been encouraged to buy and cook British produce and meat, poultry, fish, etc. Supermarkets all over the country have been promoting British Goods. Food Festivals have been held all over the nation. Schools have been celebrating and promoting it and there have even been contests where you can win big PRIZES, like £1000 in cold hard cash.



I like to think that I promote British Food and Cookery most of the time. After all, this is The English Kitchen. Each month I talk about which foods are in season here in the UK and I try to cook with those foods as much as possible. I try to use only free range British produced meats and poultry, and organic wherever possible, and I also use local produce whenever I can.



It only makes sense to source, support and use products that have been produced locally. Not only is it better for the environment, by lessening our carbon footprint, but I am a firm believer that strawberries only really taste good during Strawberry Season, and none are better than Kent Strawberries, eaten whilst the summer sun is still warm on them with straw still clinging to their leaves. A hard cold strawberry imported from another country at another time of the year just doesn't come close. And so it goes with most things.

Can anything taste any better than real British Asparagus picked in the spring right here in our own Country? How can any lamb but British lamb taste any better? Lamb that has gone right from the local farm, into the butchers and onto our plates. Does it make sense to bring it halfway around the world?



I know I am a bit late in getting the news out there. I mean . . . the event actually ends tomorrow, but then again . . . I like to think that it is British Food Fortnight here at Oak Cottage and in my English kitchen, every night of the year.

And so it goes . . .



If you're looking for a traditionally tasty, easy and economically typically British supper dish look no further. Welsh Rarebit it is. There is only one question that begs to be answered . . .

is it RAREbit . . . or is it RABbit???

I vote for the rabbit. (I used a rich and creamy Davidstow Cheddar for this, along with some tasty Poachers Ale . . . yum, yum good!!)



*Welsh Rarebit*
Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a starter
Printable Recipe

Moreishly cheesey and very, very tasty!

4 large thick slices of white sandwich bread
1 heaped tablespoon of finely chopped sage leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
6 ounces Mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 rounded teaspoon of mustard powder
4 TBS brown ale
1 large egg, beaten
few drops Tabasco sauce
pinch cayenne pepper



Pre-heat your grill to high. Place the bread onto a grill pan and toast under the heated grill on both sides, until crisp and golden brown.

Mix the cheese, sage, onion, mustard powder, ale, beaten egg and tabasco sauce together in a bowl, until very well mixed. Divide equally amongst the 4 slices of toast, spreading the mixture completely to the edges of each silce. Sprinkle each with a light dusting of cayenne pepper. Place under the heated grill again, grilling until the cheese is melted, and golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately along with some salad on the side.