When I was growing up we never, ever had broccoli to eat. I had never even heard of the stuff. My dad would only ever eat a few vegetables . . . peas, beans, carrots, swede, potatoes and once in a while corn, and so my mom never cooked anything else.

And more often than not . . . they came from a tin. Ugh . . . tinned vegetables.  Not so tasty . . .



We found a big black cricket in a tin of peas one time after we had already eaten half of the tin. It was years before I could bring myself to eat another pea, and then it had to be frozen . . .

To this day I only eat fresh or frozen peas. But . . . I digress . . . sorry about that!



Broccoli. The first time I ever had broccoli it was in Chinese food. I fell in love immediately! Both with the Chinese food (which I had never had growing up either) and with the broccoli. What were these tasty little green tree like vegetables???

It didn't take me long to find out, and I have been conducting a love affair with it ever since. Another one of the cruciferous family or Brassicacaea, the word broccoli is the plural of the Italian word Broccolo, referring to the flowering top of a cabbage. It's been around for several thousand years, although not eaten widely except in Europe until the past hundred or so . . . there are several different delicious kinds . . . ordinary, tender stem and my absolute favourite "purple sprouting"  to name just a few.



Here's a tasty way that I like to use it. Adapted from a recipe that I found on the BHG site. You can use frozen broccoli florets if you wish, but when fresh broccoli is so readily available and inexpensive . . . why?

Use fresh . . . it's a good thing.

This soup is sooooo tasty!



*Creamy Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Soup*
Serves 4 to 6 depending on how hungry you are
Printable Recipe

A wonderfully creamy soup filled with the lovely flavours of chicken, broccoli and cheese. This is a deliciously wonderful way to warm up on these cooler autumnal days. The cheesy croutons are the perfect capper!

Soup:
4 bone in chicken breasts, skin discarded
1 litre of chicken broth (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 head of broccoli, chopped (about 4 cups)
(stems and florets)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 425g tin of creamed style corn (about 2 cups)
8 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
125ml  milk (1/2 cup)
125ml  heavy cream (1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

For the croutons:
1 small baguette
softened butter
2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese



Place the chicken breasts in a large saucepan and cover with the chicken broth. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is cooked and separates easily from the bones. Scoop out with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and set aside. Add the broccoli, onion, celery and garlic. Once again bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. While your vegetables are cooking, remove all the meat from the chicken bones and cut into bite sized pieces. Once your vegetables are tender, using a stick blender, blitz it a few times. You don't want it completely pureed, so keep a few of the broccoli florets intact. Add the chopped chicken, cheese, corn, milk and cream. Heat through gently, stirring to melt the cheese. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

To make the croutons, slice your baguette into 1 inch thick slices. Butter each slice lightly on each side. Heat your grill to high. Place the slices onto a baking sheet and toast under the grill, flipping over to toast them on both sides lightly. Remove from the grill and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Pop back under the grill until the cheese is melted.

To serve, ladle the soup into hot soup bowls and float several croutons on top. Delicious!

I just adore all the fresh local produce that we find in the shops at this time of year . . . lovely cabbages, red, white and savoy . . . beautiful carrots, and onions . . . potatoes, beetroot, parsnips, beans, cauliflower, leeks, etc.  There is no end to it all . . . that makes me a very happy camper.  I love to eat seasonally and everything tastes so very delicious when it's fresh and local.



I love to showcase these fabulous fresh ingredients in any way that I can and incorporate them into our meals on a regular basis.  I have to confess that you cannot get a much nicer bake . . . than a vegetable gratin . . .



This one that I am sharing with you today is especially nice . . . using  not only potatoes and onions . . . but cabbage and bacon as well . . .  and not one . . . but TWO lovely cheeses.

 

First a nice freshly  grated chunk of wonderful Parmesan cheese.  True Parmigiano-Reggiano has a beautiful complex flavor that goes very nicely in dishes like this.  It brings to the table a slightly nutty/fruity flavor along with a strong savory undertone . . . a wonderful addition.



Then there is an abundant amount of taleggio cheese, which is a washed rind and smear ripened Italian cheese with a strong aroma, but fruity mild taste.  It's beautiful melting qualities are perfectly showcased in this lovely dish.



Let's not forget the back bacon . . . which lends a light smokey flavor, which is quite delightful when enjoyed along side of the cheeses and those tender vegetables.

 

Mind you . . . there's not much that can't be beautifully enhanced with the addition of bacon and cheese don't you think???  Nom Nom!  A simple supper with complex and robust flavors.  I like that very much.



*Cheesy Bacon, Potato & Cabbage Gratin*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Wholesome, hearty and delicious autumn fare.  A novel way of using autumn produce that will please the whole family.

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
185g back bacon, diced (6.5 ounces)
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
675g of savoy cabbage, trimmed, quartered and cut into a chunky dice (1 1/2 pounds)
55g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
butter for buttering the  pan
225g of taleggio cheese, diced (8 ounces)

 

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add the potato and bring back to the boil.  Cover and cook for exactly 5 minutes, or until just barely tender.  Drain well and then place in a large bowl.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the bacon and fry until the bacon begins to color.  Lower the heat and add the onions, garlic, thyme and chili flakes.  Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.

Wash the cabbage pieces.  Tip a third of it into the pan while it is still wet.  Cook, stirring and adding more cabbage as it wilts in the pan, until you have added all of the cabbage and adding a bit of water as necessary to help keep the cabbage from sticking to the pan.  Once the cabbage is completely wilted, remove the pan from the heat and dump this mixture into the bowl with the potatoes.  Toss gently together.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Tip in half of the Parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter a 9 inch square glass baking dish, at least 2 inches deep.

Layer half of the cabbage and potato mixture into the pan.  Dot with half of the taleggio cheese.  Cover with the remaining cabbage and potato mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and dot with the remaining taleggio.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are piping hot and the cheese is bubbling and flecked golden brown.

A little pickle on the side and some buttered bread and we were in heaven . . . 

 

One of the things I like most about the autumn it the cooler temperatures which call for heartier meals.  One doesn't mind heating up the kitchen when the temperatures outside are dropping and indeed, something hearty and warming is more than welcome at this time of year.

 

The nights are drawing in, and there's a definitely crisp feeling to the air.  It's time to get back to real cooking, comfort food . . . food which fills the belly, warms the heart and helps to hold warm up those chilled bones.

 

This is my favourite time of year.  It is a time when there is wonderful seasonal food in abundance . . . ham, broad beans, apples, pears, potatoes, onions, leeks, cabbages, cauliflowers, corn, pumpkins, squashes and tomatoes  . . . it's all good.

Bonfire night is looming in just a few weeks now as is Halloween.  It doesn't seem possible that the year is that far gone already . . . but that nip in the air tells me it is so.

 

This is the perfect time for this hearty casserole . . . a store cupboard favourite which uses simple ingredients, combined in a simple way . . . and simply baked, with  fabulously delicious results.

Todd has always said he doesn't like butter beans, but when I do them this way, he always comes back for seconds.  I love it when that happens . . . aside from Pasta nights, I really do want him to be happy with what I put in front of him at supper time.

 

Most of the time he is, and when I make him happy, I make me happy as well.  I do hope you will give this tasty and easy casserole a go.  I just know you will like it.  Delicious.  Easy.  Economical.

What more could you want?  I like to serve it with my own homemade Brown Batter Bread.  You can find the recipe for that over on my Recipes From the Big Blue Binder Blog.  (Bet you didn't know I also cooked over there too.  Well, now you do.  I don't cook as often over there as I do here, but I believe that it's worth a visit when I do.)

 

*Baked Butter Beans*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

If you thought you didn't like butter beans, think again.  These are fabulous.

60g of butter, melted (1/4 cup)
110g of sour cream (1/2 cup)
100g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup)
2 TBS light molasses
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
pinch salt
4 (400g) tins of butter beans, drained (15 ounce tins)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.   Butter a 3 liter baking dish.  Set aside.

Rinse the butter beans and then put them into a bowl.  Mix together the melted butter, sour cream, brown sugar, molasses and dry mustard.  Pour this over the butter beans and toss gently together to mix.  Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Cover tightly.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 30 to 50 minutes longer, until the liquid begins to cook away but not until they are dry.  Serve hot.

Note:  you can make this a day or so ahead and then reheat gently just prior to serving.  They are also delicious with cubes  of ham, bits of bacon or pancetta,  or sliced smoked frankfurters added prior to baking.

There have been times when I have toyed with the idea of becoming a Vegetarian . . . I do love my vegetables . . . but, I also love some good beef once in a while.  And nothing beats a tasty roasted chicken, a succulent piece of lamb . . . or a lovely pork chop now and again.  I could never kill an animal to eat it.  I'll be the first to confess that.  I like to find my meat at the shop or the butchers . . . without eyes, or anything of the like, in a tidy package . . .  so I don't have to think about it having once been cute . . .  

It's what works for me.  I do try to buy responsibly sourced, free range and organic protein whenever and wherever I can.   I know it costs more . . . but I feel better about it and to be perfectly honest, we don't eat much red meat, it's only ever a rate treat. We eat mostly chicken or fish and that is only a couple of times a week.  The rest of the time we do veg.



The other week I pick up some really nice free range organic Hereford Stewing Beef at a very good price. Hereford is known for being juicy, flavourful and tender.  If there's one thing my Todd really loves, it's a good beef stew . . .  him being the meat and potato man that he is and all.  (Another reason I can't possibly go totally veg.)



I decided to make a Beef Daube with it.  A daube is a southern French Stew, traditionally cooked for several hours in an earthenware dish.  Normally they would never include parsnips in their daube, but I had a bag that needed to be used up and . . .  since this is THE English Kitchen . . .  and parsnips are a really English ingredient, I threw them in towards the end of the baking time.



Delicious . . . truly delicious.

We had this with creamy mashed potatoes.  Todd was a happy man.  It more than made up for the Pasta torture of the other night.  ☺



*Daube of Beef*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe


This stew is delicious on the day, but if you can possibly wait, leave it to ripen overnight and it will taste even better the next day!

3 1/2 pounds of good quality stewing beef, cut into large chunks
2 ounces seasoned flour
3 TBS olive oil
8 ounces of bacon lardons
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stick of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp dried thyme
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 strips of dried orange peel *
3 TBS tomato puree
1 bottle of good red wine
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into fingers
salt and black pepper

Toss the beef with the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.  Heat 2 TBS of the oil in a large pan.  Add the meat and brown well, doing it in batches if necessary.  Don't let it burn.  Scoop into a large casserole dish.

Pre-heat the  oven to 150*C/300*F.

Heat the last TBS of the oil in the pan you browned the meat in.  Add the bacon, onion, carrot and celery.  Cook, stirring from time to time until it all begins to colour.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two.  Pour in the red wine and bring it up to the boil.  Add the herbs, the orange peel and the tomato puree.  Pour this over the meat in the casserole dish.  Cover and cook in the heated oven for about 2 hours, until the meat is very tender.  Check it from time to time and give it a stir, making sure it doesn't go dry.  Once the meat is tender, stir in the parsnips and continue to cook for another 40 to 50 minutes, uncovered, until the parsnips are tender.  Tast and adjust the seasonings as desired.

*Note - I make my own dried orange peel.  Whenever we have oranges I cut the peel off in large strips, avoiding as much white pith on the peels as possible.  I string them up on a string and hang them in the laundry room until they are quite dry and leathery in texture.  Then I store them in a clean, airtight jar.  They will keep quite a while and add a wonderful flavour to stews and tagines.

Sorry I am late getting to this today.  I had a lot on.  I hope you don't mind.  I am not very technically minded when it comes to computers.  Anything that I know how to do on them, I learned by mistake.  I haven't been able to figure out these number pickers and such . . . and I am not fond of making people jump through hoops either.  In fact if I am faced with entering a giveaway and am asked to this that or the other thing, I'd just ruther not bother!  So, all I simply required for this Giveaway was your comment. Plain and simple.  Half an hour ago, I printed them all out, cut them into strips, folded them up and then got the Toddster to pick two out.



There they are, all 25 of them sitting in one of  my Green Gate cereal bowls just waiting for Todd to get with the program.



Unfortunately he is watching a film, and couldn't be arsked to get out of his chair and so, you know what they say.  When the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.  The flash went off though and I got this with the first draw . . .

 

And this with the second.   And so . . .

I took both pieces of paper over to the table and took a picture of them there.



 Mary McAndrew and Gram please contact me with your personal details so that I can pass them on.  You're both winners!  You can find my e-mail address up in the right hand corner. 

Congratulations!  I hope you enjoy the books.  I wish that everyone could have won one!  Unfortunately I am still waiting to win the lottery, but if I ever do . . . watch out!

 

 Do you know what today was?  (Sunday as I write this.)  Torture Todd with pasta day!  Yes . . . every once in a while, I have a day  in my kitchen, where I play Torture the Toddster with Pasta.  He hates pasta.  I love pasta.  Now and again I just have to have my fix.  He doth protest somewhat . . . but meh . . . you can't have things your own way all of the time can you?



I had some chicken I wanted to use up and I had found this delicious sounding recipe in a book I have entitled, "The Gathering of Friends, volume 2."  I have had this book for a few years now and hardly cooked from it, so I decided that come hell or high water I was finding something in it to cook . . . and this was it.

 

I had most of the ingredients in the house so why not??  I adapted it where I needed to and the end result was indeed quite scrumptious.  (Shut up Todd!!  He begs to differ.)

 

The original recipe called for all Monterrey Jack Cheese as well as frozen chicken tenders.  I used half cheddar and half jack cheese . . . and chicken breasts, cut into strips.  I shortened the simmering time of the chicken and it worked out great.  I dare say it would even work well with leftover cooked chicken, disposing of one of the steps.

 

It tasted quite a bit like the original version, which of course . . . was loaded with cream.  This one is just loaded with cheese.  I don't know which is worse for you . . . the cream or the cheese??  The bacon's probably not all that good for you either . . . but you have to admit . . . anything loaded with bacon, cheese and pasta just has to be delish!



I also added the chicken stock to the pasta, boiling hot,  and before I slid the casserole, covered tightly, into the oven for the first baking time.  I covered it with a sheet of foil which I had sprayed with non-stick cooking spray so that none of the cheese or pasta would stick to the foil.  (A little tip for you guys, that works a charm.)  Then I just popped off the foil for the final ten minutes.  It turned out perfectly delicious.  It wasn't dry at all.



Todd was annoyed when he saw it.  He said . . ."what did you do, think to yourself I know what I'll do today cook the old man pasta and chocolate???"  I just gave him that coy smile of mine and said . . . "You know you love it when I am a bit of a rebel darling, and I don't see any chocolate here."  His reply . . . "Hmmph."

 

For an old pasta hater . . . he had two servings.  That speaks for itself.  Methinks the old man doth protest too much.



*Baked Chicken Tetrazzini*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

An old favourite, easy, updated and delicious.

2 1/2 pounds chicken breast meat
6 slices of streaky bacon
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 pound of dry fusilli pasta
8 ounces grated medium cheddar cheese
8 ounces grated Monterrey jack cheese
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 TBS granulated chicken bouillon
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Spray a large nonstick pan with low fat cooking spray.  Cut the chicken into strips.  Add to the pot, cover  and cook over low heat until the chicken is tender.  Gently shred with a fork.  Remove and set aside.  Add the bacon to the pan and cook until crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towels, reserving the pan drippings.  Chop the bacon and set aside.  Saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms in the drippings until the onions and peppers are softened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the chicken pieces.  Cook the fusilli pasta according to the package directions until al dente, adding the chicken bouillon to the water.  Once cooked, drain and rinse in a strainer.  Stir into the pan with the cooked vegetables and chicken.  Toss in half of the bacon pieces and the cheese.  Place in a buttered 9 by 13 inch pan and sprinkle with the rest of the bacon pieces.  cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add the chicken broth, stirring it all together.  Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered.  Sprinkle with  the chives (I forgot these!) and serve immediately.

(Waiting to go into the oven.)

The Toddster and I discovered a 99p store the other day at our local trading estate. I am sure it's been there for a few months, but we had never been in it until the other day.   Everything in the shop is only 99pence, and not a penny more, and in some cases, even less.  There is a lot of tat in there admittedly,  but there's also lots of name brand stuff in there too.  It's quite amazing.  We ended up going twice this week.

I picked up packages of waffles the other day, with 8 in a pack for . . . you guessed it, 99p a pack.  I couldn't resist, so I bought several packs . . . and then when I got them home, I thought . . . what am I going to do with all these waffles???

 
(Fresh out of the oven.)

It's crazy what you find yourself buying when it's a bargain.  The number of times I've purchased all the buy one get one free deals at the grocery store is nobody's business . . . things I wasn't even shopping for, but . . . meh . . . it's free!  I'm trying to do better with that now, truly I am.  It's not really a bargain if it's something you weren't going to buy in the first place!!

 
(Dusted with Icing Sugar)

So anyways, I found myself with several packs of the waffles and we can only eat so many . . . and so I sat there and tried to think of something I could make with some of them that wasn't "waffle-ee!"  They are kind of like a cross between cake and bread . . . and pancakes . . . perfect dessert material, and so . . .

 

I made a type of bread pudding with them.  Not just any bread pudding though.  You know me . . . I like things to be a bit different, kind up charged up if I can.



Last month I bought a HUGE bag of dried cranberries at Costco . . . another one of those deals I couldn't resist . . . we love cranberries and I like the dried ones in my morning oats from time to time.  So I decided that I would try to incorporate some of them into this pudding.



Cranberries and white chocolate go really well together, and so I decided to use some white chocolate as well . . . and well . . . my favourite type of sweet loaf is Cranberry and orange, and so I used this flavor as well.  I macerated the cranberries in Orange Liqueur and orange juice to plump them up a bit.  Fabulous!

 

Altogether this worked very, very well.  Almost too well.  I haven't been able to keep my fork out of it ever since it came out of the oven.  I keep digging in for . . . just one more bite.  It seriously needs to be locked up!

 

In other words . . . to die for.   I think you'll find I'm right when I say it is pretty near impossible to resist.  This may be the best "bread" pudding I've ever made!!



But don't just take my word for it.  Try it out for yourself . . . just  remember . . . you've been warned!



*Cranberry and White Chocolate Waffle Pudding*
serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

This may be the best pudding you have ever baked or eaten.  You have been warned.  This is very hard to resist.

450g of waffles (about 14)
150g of dried sweetened cranberries (1 cup)
1 TBS orange flavored liqueur
200g of good quality white chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
55g of golden caster sugar (1/4 cup)
1 heaped TBS of plain flour
3 large free range eggs
the juice and finely grated zest of one orange
500ml of double cream (2 cups)
sifted icing sugar to dust

Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Butter a medium sized glass oven dish.  Set aside.

Put the cranberries into a microwave proof bowl, along with the orange liqueur and orange juice.  Heat on high for one minute.  Stir and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.  Drain the cranberries, reserving the juices.

Cut the waffles into 1 inch cubes.  Place half of the waffle cubes in the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with half of the  infused cranberries and the chopped chocolate.  Top with the remaining waffle cubes.  Sprinkle with the remaining chopped chocolate and cranberries.  Drizzle the juices over all.

Whisk together the flour, orange zest and sugar in a bowl to combine.  Whisk in the eggs and cream until thoroughly combined.  Pour this mixture evenly over the waffles.  Gently press the waffles down to help absorption.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

Bake in the heated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, spooned out into bowls along with cream or ice cream.