This recipe is one that I have had flagged for a while now. It comes from a little salad book that I have had for eons called, Food Made Fast, salad. It's a great little book, chock full of tasty salads that are really quick and easy to knock together.
I always have tuna in my larder and tins of all sorts of beans. This recipe calls for tuna packed in oil, which I did use. I like to buy good quality tuna in oil. You may pay a bit more, but it's well worth it in flavour and taste.
When you are making something such as this salad where the flavour of the tuna will shine, you want a really good tuna.
The original recipe called for frying the bread crumbs in olive oil, but I thought where the tuna had already been packed in oil, I just didn't want the extra calories and so I simply roasted them, with a spritz of oil. It worked out really well in my opinion and I save a bit of fat in the process.
It's hearty and flavourful, perhaps not really colourful, but that was ok with me. The taste more than made up for any lack in that area!
It made a very tasty and filling lunch! (And I didn't really have to heat up the kitchen much!)
*Tuna and White Bean Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
A deliciously hearty salad with tuna and white beans, in a fresh lemon vinaigrette served on top of salad greens and crowned with homemade toasted bread crumbs!
3 fluid ounces of olive oil, plus 1 TBS
1.5 ounces of fresh bread crumbs
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
the juice of one lemon
2 tsp whole grain mustard
a small handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 can (470g/15 oz) cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped
1/2 small red onion, peeled and slivered lengthwise
2 tins (185g/6 oz) tuna packed in olive oil, drained and flaked
4 cups of mixed salad greens
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F, gas mark 7. Spread the bread crumbs out onto a baking sheet. Place the 1 TBS of olive oil into a spritzer bottle and spritz the crumbs with some oil. Season lightly with salt and black pepper, and stir in the garlic. Roast for about 10 to15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Whisk the lemon juice, mustard, 1/4 tsp of salt and a pinch of black pepper together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining olive oil until smooth.
Add the parsley, beans, tuna, celery and onion to the vinaigrette, tossing to coat all evenly.
Divide the salad greens between 4 chilled plates. Top with the tuna and bean mixture. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs and serve immediately. Delicious!
Well, here we are in the Dog Days of Summer and the temperatures are soaring and not a lot of cooking is going on in the kitchen. We are opting for cool and quick . . . summery flavours and textures, refreshing and healthy and quick to prepare, leaving us with more time to be out in the garden enjoying the sunshine!
I thought it would be fun today to show you some of my favourites that I like to prepare in the summer months. Here are my top ten! I hope you enjoy. If you click on the title of each it will take you to the original post and the recipes! Happy August Everyone!
(All my salad recipes that I have ever posted can be found HERE.)
Summer Fruit Salad
A tasty bowl of stone fruits and summer berries, lightly dresssed with mint, honey and fresh orange juice. Can you say REFRESHING?
Beetroot Summer Salad Bowl
A delicious supper salad of baby peas, little gems, cooked beetroot and ham with a tangy yoghurt and horseradish dressing!
Three Grain Salad
A hearty side dish salad filled with all the goodness of chopped apple, raisins, toasted walnuts, wheatberries, barley and rice with a warmy spiced honey dressing. Deliciously different!
Broccoli Delight Salad
Everyone's favourite, with broccoli, red onion, toasted nuts, and raisins in a delish sweet and sour buttermilk dressing!
Turkey Cobb Salad
A tasty combination of roasted turkey bits, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, bacon and blue cheese in a tangy and flavourful dressing. A meal in a bowl.
Corn and Bean Salad
A little bit different than your usual bean salad, with chickpeas, cannelini beans, tomatoes, corn, courgettes, spring onions and peppers in a deliciously tangy Yoghurt, Lime and Coriander Dressing!
Chicken Salad
A tasty version of chicken salad with mostarda di fruitta, spring onions, toasted pecans, celery and chicken! (Of course!)
A Salad of Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Cherry tomatoes, green and black olives in an herby Balsamic Dressing. Oh so delicious!
Warm Potato, Olive and Green Bean Salad
Baby new potatoes, plum tomatoes, olives, fresh green beans, red onions and rocket in a tangy Balsamic dressing and topped with grated Parmesan!
Moroccan Carrot Salad with Green Olives and Mint
A real winner with the fresh Middle Eastern Flavours of mint, harissa, coriander, cumin . . . warm and inviting and deliciously different!
I've been collecting the Waitrose Recipe Cards for years now. Every month they used to put new ones out and I would dutifully collect the ones that looked delicious to me. Sadly, since I moved up to Chester I've not been able to collect any more, but every once in a while I go through the ones I have and make one of them.
I am never disappointed. Never. They always live up to their promise and we are always delighted with the results.
Today I had some blueberries I wanted to use. I had picked this card out of my Waitrose File a week or so ago, and put it in my to make soon file. It's from May 2004, but is just the perfect dessert for August!!
Back home the wild blueberries would be ripening in August and August is when I get to craving those little blue beauties. This recipe is a glorious blue variation along the traditions of Eaton Mess . . . except it used blueberries, and lemon curd yoghurt.
♥ S-C-R-U-M-M-Y ♥ doesn't even begin to describe how wonderful this is!! You truly MUST make it and soon! You won't be sorry you did. It's light and lemony and blueberry-ee and just wonderful!
Oh, and did I forget to mention it's easy peasy lemon squeasy??? Well, it is! Welcome to August!!
*Blueberry Bliss*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
A blueberry version of a traditional Eaton Mess, using blueberries, lemon curd yoghurt, whipped cream and meringues. Oh yes . . . some good!
250g of blueberries, washed (2 cups)
1 TBS sugar
4 TBS cold water
142ml of double cream (1/3 cup whipping cream)
2 X 150g pots of Lemon Curd Yoghurt dessert (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 TBS icing sugar, sifted
2 meringue nests roughly broken into chunks
Place half of the blueberries into a saucepan with the sugar and cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until the berries begin to break down. Remove from the heat and press through a sieve into a bowl to make a glossy blueberry coulis. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cream in a bowl until it JUST begins to thicken. (Don't overwhip please.) Carefully fold in the lemon yoghurts, icing sugar and meringues along with the whole blueberries that are left., reserving a couple for a garnish.
Spoon a third of the cream mixture into a large serving dish, or 4 individual serving dishes. Drizzle with a TBS of the coulis. Repeat this twice, finishing with a final layer of the cream Decorate with the reserved berries and some more coulis. Serve immediately.
We took advantage of the warm sunny weather on Saturday morning and decided to take a trip with our Mitzie in tow to Llangollen in Wales. Llangollen (pronounced Clang-gock-lyn) is one of my very favourite places on earth to visit. It has a rough rustic beauty that is quite breathtaking to say the least. With more sun than Cornwall and less rain than the Lake District, it is no wonder that this beautiful little gateway to Wales is one of the most popular Welsh destinations in the North West.
It hosts the the famous International Music Eisteddfod where singers and dancers congregate from every corner of the earth each year amongst a multitude of other activites . . . but we go just to walk around and take in it's beauty.
As we are going up to Cumbria for a week in September and bringing Mitzie with us, we thought it would be a good experience for her to come along with us today, and she didn't mind a bit. It is probably less than an hour's drive from us here in Chester and is always very busy and we thought it would get her used to being around crowds and to travelling in the car for more than just to the dog groomers and the vets!
We always like to take a nice walk along the river in Llangollen. It is so pretty and filled with mini white water rapids, flat rocks you can walk on and lots of birds and other wildlife. Our friend Colin swears he saw a Kingfisher there last summer when we took him and Jo (his wife) there, but . . . he was the only one.
Mitzie enjoyed it very much, even if her nose was to the ground for most of the time. (she is such a sniffer!) She didn't even bother to chase the ducks, which I was happy about. I have come to realize that she is a bit timid of other animals, especially cats and large birds and of course dogs that are larger than herself. I don't think the sheep in Cumbria will be a problem.
WE always like to visit the old railway platform. There is an old Steam Engine there and you can take a trip on the old Steam Railway if you want.
Today there was a 1960's event going on with lots of old cars and vehicles, people dressed up in pschcadelic clothing and all sorts.
The classic cars were beautiful.
And there were quite a few of them. I was particularly fond of this old Mini. One of my first cars ever was an old green Austin Mini Station Wagon, that I never really did learn to drive properly . . . but I had a lot of good laughs in it anyways, with it slipping out of gear, etc.
Of course we must stop for refreshments when we are there. This is our favourite tearoom. It's very quaint inside, and of course you can also choose to sit outside on a nice day, as we did today. It's so pretty. We feasted on
Cheese on Toast on Brown Bread
And Todd enjoyed some Bara Brith, which is a traditional Welsh Teabread, and really scrummy.
Mitzie just enjoyed laying next to our table and watching all the people having fun. She did also get to enjoy the odd crumb which fell her way. I think she charmed a lot of people today, which was nice. I would hate to have an obnoxious dog.
When we got home I surprised Todd with another treat that I picked up for him while we were there. A good old fashioned Bread Pudding, which would differ quite about from some people's ideas of bread pudding. This is a very old recipe which was originally devised to help to use up the stale bread way back in the day. Todd's mum apparently made wonderful bread puddings . . . all stodgy and spicy and chock full of fruit and spices. Todd has very fond memories of his mum's puddings, so he was well pleased when I set this little gem down in front of him today. (The recipe is from the National Trust Complete Traditional Recipe Book, by Sarah Edington, another gem!)
*Bread Pudding*
Serves 6
A thrifty recipe devised by old bakeries to use up yesterday's bread. You can create your own mix of dried fruit. (candied peel, crystallized ginger, chopped prunes and dates, candied cherries, chopped dried apricots, sultanas, currants etc.)
425ml of milk (1 1/2 cups)
150ml of cold strong tea (1/2 cup)
4 ounces butter, melted (1/2 cup)
1 TBS mixed spice**
3 large free range eggs, beaten
350g of mixed dried fruit (3/4 pound)
450g of fresh bread crumbs (1 pound)
Combine the milk, tea, melted butter, beaten eggs, mixed spice and dried fruit. Combine together well. Stir in the breadcrumbs and leave to soak for an your or overnight if you wish.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 by 11 (2 inch deep) pan and line with baking paper. Butter the baking paper. Spread the soaked mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Cool and serve cut into squares.
And if you so fancy it, here's a look of a short film I took of some fit kayakers that came down the river whilst I was standing there enjoying . . .
And another short film of Todd and Mitzie down on the rocks. If yoy listen very carefully you can hear the water, so nice to listen to.
It may or may not come as a surprise to you but Anchor Butter is celebrating it's 125th Anniversary this year! Originating in New Zealand, Anchor butter has been around since 1886 – longer, I believe, than most of its major rivals. Arla, who make Anchor in the UK, also make Lurpak and all the other associated variants – the spreadables.
In spite of their New Zealand origins, Anchor also supply butter for one of the greatest of British institutions, by the way: Wimbledon. We often use Anchor butter in this house, I do confess . . . we love it!
Not only does it taste really good, but they do such cute commercials.
To commemorate their anniversary, they are unveiling a stunning range of collectible memorabilia ranging from a really lovely double oven mitt, to a really cute little Corgi toy butter van. There's also cake tins, tea towels, egg cups, butter dishes and cake stands, all featuring the Anchor Queen and Princess cow's along with the commemorative Anchor Crest. I was sent several items and I can attest first hand to the fact that they are adorable and very collectible. I love them all.
For more details you can check out their FACEBOOK PAGE. They are offeringa variety of prizes there and all sorts! You can also check out more information re their products etc. on the Arla Foods Homepage.
I especially love using it in my baked goods, and you know how much I bake. Yesterday we were having the missionaries over for supper again and I wanted to make them a really special dessert.
I had picked up some really tasty looking plums at our local shops the other day and had in mind to do something for the lads with them. Don't they look fabulous, all juicy and red!
I just love a crumble . . . or what we called a "Crisp" back where I was born. Over here they don't often add oats to the crumble topping, but we always had oats in it when I was growing up. I love the moreish wholesome texture and flavour that they add to this lovely dessert!
Just look at all that buttery and crunchy goodness!!! And this particular recipe gives you double the pleasure, because that delicious fruit filling is sandwiched between not one, but two layers of the oaty crumble! I couldn't think of a better way to use some of that delicious Anchor Butter, can you???
Just look at that delicious fruit filling . . . that crunchy buttery oaty crustiness . . . and that rich gilding of pouring cream . . . ahhh . . . mama mia!!!
I'll have you know it is Elder approved!! Elder D'Oppido from Italy really enjoyed tucking in to his, and even hammed it up for the camera . . . he's such an Italian! Very charming to say the least, but a good lad doing a good job. I am sure he's his mama's pride and joy!
*Double Crusted Plum Crisp*
Serves 8 to 10
Printable Recipe
Double the oaty buttery pleasure!
For the crumble:
7 ounces plain flour (1 1/3 cups)
3 1/2 ounces rolled oats (old fashioned not quick) (1 cup)
5 3/4 ounces soft light brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
10 TBS unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)
pinch of fine sea salt
6 cups sliced fresh plums (about 16)
the juice of one lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt for the crumble. Stir in the melted butter, combining all together well. Press a little more than half of this into a 9 inch square baking dish. Set aside and reserve the rest for a bit later on.
Rub the granulated sugar, cornflour and salt together for the filling. Toss together with the fruit, lemon juice and vanilla to combine. Spread this mixture evenly over the bottom layer of the crisp in the baking dish. Crumble the remaining crumble mixture on top evenly.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 60 minutes, or until the crisp is golden brown and the filling is bubbling away through the crumble topping. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Delicious served with pouring cream or warm custard.
Note: Any leftovers will store well at room temperature for up to three days, tightly wrapped in cling film. Reheat in a warm (not hot) oven until heated through to serve.
I was recently contacted by the people representing Quirk Publishers and asked if I would like to review a new cookbook, The Cookiepedia, by Stacy Adimando. I didn't have to be asked twice! I love cookbooks and I love cookbooks that are about baking even more . . . and I love cookie cookbooks MOST of all!!
True to their word it was pushed through my mailbox just a day later. I was surprised! It arrived very quickly. I couldn't wait to get stuck in.
At first glance it's a very attractive little book, with a delightfully whimsical cover. It almost reminded me of the paper bags I used to bring my lunches to school in, except much prettier! I love the colours and the way it feels in my hands. Plus it has a lovely sturdy wire lie flat binding, which I really liked. I hate it when I am using a cookery book and it keeps closing on me.
It's also chockerblock full of beautiful hand-drawn illustrations which spoke to the artist in me, lovely photographs which spoke to the glutton in me, and most important of all . . . very scrummy looking recipes! They've even made provisions for you to add your own notes to the various recipes, enabling you to make them your very own.
It's deliciously divided into sections:
- The ABC's of Cookie Baking
- Buttery Cookies
- Chocolaty Cookies
- Fancy Cookies
- Fruity Cookies
- Spicy Cookies
- Nutty and Seedy Cookies
I finally chose Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies. These were humongous and included . . . well . . . everything but the kitchen sink!! It looked like a fabulously tasty way to use up some little bits and bobs that I had in my larder, that were not enough, in measure, to make anything on their own with, but were just perfect for this recipe! After reading the list of the author's add ins, I was sorely tempted to go out and buy a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos because they sounded, oddly enough, like an incredible addition . . . but I resisted temptation and stuck with what I already had on hand.
I was so very pleased with the results. You can see what I used as my sweet and savoury add ins at the bottom of this post. I ended up with more than one and a half dozen moreishly scrummy cookies that are almost too dangerous to have around.
The author is Stacy Adimando, who is the current deputy lifestyle editor or Everyday with Rachael Ray, and is also a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education and a weekly contributor to Serious Eats. All in all I think she should be very proud of this first book of hers. I, for one, love it and I am sure it will be very popular with anyone who loves baking cookies and is looking for something that is at once familiar and yet at the same time quirkily different. This book has immediately been placed in the section of favourites in my vast cookbook collection.
In short I highly recommend! Many thanks to Mat at PGUK and Quirk Publishers for affording me this wonderful opportunity, and also to Stacy Adimando for having written a beautifully tasty book, full stop!
Available for purchase at most booksellers, both online and off.
*Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies*
Makes a dozen and a half very large cookies
Printable Recipe
What can I say . . . very moreish!!
8 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature (1 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
3 3/4 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
1 large free range egg, plus 1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 1/2 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fine sea salt (1 tsp kosher)
1 cup of your favourite sweet add ins (peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, sultanas, coconut flakes etc.)
1 1/2 cups of your favourite salty snacks (corn chips, tortilla chips, potato chips, pretzels, peanuts, etc.)
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 6. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs and continue to beat until well combined on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as need be.
Whisk together the soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Add to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing well each time to fully incorporate.
Pour your sweet mix ins into the bowl. Break up the salty snacks as necessary and dump those in as well. Use a spatula to mix all together. (It should like quite full of bits, but that is a good thing!)
Drop by 2 heaping tablespoonsful onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each one. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time, for about 16 to 19 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Other tasty add ins:
Honey roasted nuts
whole espresso beans
cupcake sprinkles
white chocolate chips
tortilla chips
cheese puffs
toffee bits
yoghurt raisins
asian snack mix
wasabi peas
chocolate shavings
breakfast cereal
cool ranch doritos
granola
salted corn nuts
chocolate covered peanuts
What I used:
Cinnamon chips
white chocolate chips
dried cranberries
salted potato chips
salted macadamia and cashew nut mix
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