The Basil is going mad in my garden at the moment. I can't use it up fast enough. It's the perfect time to make Pesto!
We love pesto in this house and it's so much nicer when you can make your own.
It's not really practical to make it during the winter months because it's so expensive to buy the fresh leaves and you really need a lot to make a really good pesto.
I will use the jarred kind in a pinch, but I much prefer the fresh if I can get it.
Basil isn't something that winters at all in a garden, so you need to plant it every year. We plant ours from seed in pots outside the kitchen door.
It's really prolific and I like to make great use of it while I can! It comes in ever so handy for all sorts, but making your own pesto is the greatest use of all!
Ready to use in a Summer Pea, New Potato and Pesto Tart! Delicious!
Tomato Pesto Tartlettes, simple and quick to make.
You can spread it onto chicken breasts, top with some fresh mozzarella cheese and and roast them with some baby plum tomatoes. Easy Peasy.
A delicious Spinach, Pea and Gruyere Tart!
You can use it as a simple sauce on top of fish. Just spread it onto the top, sprinkle on some buttered bread crumbs and roast. Also easy.
It's such a versatile ingredient. We like it on sandwiches and all sorts. It's lovely stirred into hot pasta!
It's super easy to make, especially if you have a food processor.
Don't fret if you don't though . . . it is possible to do it in a mortar and pestle, although it is a lot harder work! You need a lot of ooomph!
Just remember air is your enemy when it comes to pesto and make sure you keep a thin layer of olive oil over the top of it, or keep it tightly covered with plastic wrap. It also freezes very well.
I do hope you'll try it. It's just so simple to make, and once you have made your own . . . you'll never be satisfied with it from a jar again.
*A Simple Basil Pesto*
Makes about 2 cupsa small handful of toasted pine nuts
4 peeled and chopped cloves of garlic
3 cups of basil leaves, lightly packedYour pesto is now ready
to use. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer
storage freeze. You can freeze this in ice cube trays. Just divide
amongst the little cups, add a thin layer of olive oil on top and
freeze. Pop out into a zip lock baggie and return to the freezer. You
can take out as many as you want to use then, whenever you need them.
I don't do it very often, and my waistline shows it, but occasionally I do like to try to eat something healthy, and by that I mean low fat and filled with fibre. I do eat healthy for the most part . . . just not low fat, which I suppose means unhealthy. I can't win!
The other day I had some cabbage that needed using up and so I decided to make something for our lunch with that. It's amazing what you can do with just a few simple ingredients and a bit of ingenuity.
One potato, a small cabbage, a large shallot and a tin of beans. That's all this is . . .oh and a smattering of Parmesan on the top. So simple and so tasty.
You cut the potato into small cubes and brown them slowly in ajust a touch of of olive oil. Once they have begun to brown you add some thinly sliced shallot, and then a well drained tin of cannellini beans . . .
You let them brown too, or as much as you can do . . . beans are not something which are easily browned. Then you toss in the cabbage and some fresh thyme leaves . . .
Continue to cook until the cabbage is nice and tender and then serve up. If you cut the cabbage really thin, that shouldn't take too long. Of course if you are impatient you can parboil the cabbage first . . . just drain it really well.
Then again, you may enjoy a bit of crunch. I do enjoy the crunch . . . but my tummy doesn't. I'm afraid my cabbage has to be a bit well done . . . getting old is a pain in the pattootie in a lot of ways . . . and the way that things like this affect my innards is just one of them. (I know! TMI!)
Any ways, this was economical, simple, hearty, delicious and quick.
*White Beans and Cabbage*
Serves 4
This is hearty and satisfying and not altogether unhealthy. I love this.
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium floury potato, unpeeled and cut into small dice
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large Eschalon Shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 425g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed and drained again (15 ounce)
1/2 of a small cabbage shredded finely, about 3 cups
the leaves from one sprig of fresh thyme
freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Toss in the potato cubes once it is hot and stir fry, seasoning with some salt and black pepper, once the potatoes are tender and have begun to brown, add the shallots. Cook and stir for a few minutes, then scoot them to one side with the potatoes. Add the beans in one layer and allow them to brown slightly, scrape them up and allow them to brown some more. Toss in the cabbage and season again lightly, adding the leaves from the thyme. Cook for another few minutes, until the cabbage is limp, but still maintains it's colour.
The timing of this depends on the kind of cabbage you use. A savoy is not as sturdy as a white cabbage, so will not take as long. Give it all a good toss and then slide the whole bunch into a large flat bowl to serve. Dust with a good dusting of Parmesan Cheese and serve, passing more Parmesan at the table.
The weather has been a lot cooler these past few days, and not so stifling . . . Todd was so happy, even though he really loved the heat. He was getting a bit tired of salads though . . . he was craving some meat and potatoes.
So what's a gal to do? Well, I love my man a lot, and so I cooked him up a real man-pleasing meat and potatoes meal. He loves bangers and mash most of all . . . so that's what I did . . .
But not just any bangers and mash, no. Oven Barbequed Bangers and Mash. This is the best of the best. I do confess to having a certain fondness for it myself.
The sausages are par-boiled on top of the stove in some water, along with some onions to help render out some of that fat. They you lightly brown them in a nonstick pan. The softened onions are put into the bottom of a shallow baking dish. A delicious home made barbeque sauce is poured over top and then you drop in the browned sausages.
The whole thing then gets banged into the oven. The sauce, which appears quite liquidy when you first put it into the dish, thickens into a glossy rich sauce . . . filled with lovely bits of soft onion, coating and glazing the sausages.
The sausages are meltingly tender and in that sauce . . . wowsa, just heavenly . . . and with a side of mash, you just can't go wrong. Winner/winner chicken dinner!
Except it's not. Chicken that is . . . it's Banger's and Mash, but not as you know it. ☺
Try them for yourself. I think you'll agree that this dinner is quite scrumptious indeed! There is nothing that could make this any tastier than it already is. Guaranteed!
*Oven Barbequed Sausages*
Serve 4 to 6
These are plump, juicy and flavourful. Baked in the oven and delicious with mashed potatoes, peas and some crusty bread for mopping up all of that delicious sauce. Simple, easy and economical. This is one of Todd's favourite dinners and it's not surprising that it is These are just wonderful.
8 plump good quality dinner sized pork sausages
(I like Cumberland)
2 medium onions, peeled, halved and sliced in half moons
250ml of tomato ketchup (1 cup)
250ml of water (1 cup)
30ml of cider vinegar (about 1/8 cup)
4 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Bring a pot of plain water to the boil. Add the sausages and onions. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Scoop out the sausages and brown them lightly in a frying pan you have coated with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. While they are browning, strain the onions out of the water and put them in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture over top of the onions. Add the sausages to the baking dish, turning them to coat them in the sauce.
Bake the sausages for 30 to 40 minutes in the heated oven, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the sausages are tender and glazed somewhat. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, peas and some crusty bread!
Tuesday is my birthday. I'm not going to tell you how old I am going to be, well . . . you probably know that already, so there's really no point, and for those of you who don't . . . let me just say one word . . . old.
I can't think of any better way to celebrate it than by baking myself a delicious cake. A traditional butter cake is my choice of cakes when it comes to an occasion like this. You just cannot beat an old fashioned butter cake!
They do say that you are only as old as you feel. There are some days I feel sixteen, and there are some days I feel eighty. I aim for somewhere in the middle most of the time!
And sometimes I actually succeed! I do feel somewhere in the middle. Its that first look in the mirror in the morning that knocks me back! haha
You might be tempted to think that my choice of a Birthday Celebration Cake would be something decadently fudgy and chocolatey. I do love chocolate, but you would be wrong.
Ever since I was a little girl my celebratory cakes have never been chocolate cakes . . . I do love them but . . . I have cakes that I love much more than that. When I am wanting a cake I long for something moist and buttery, and flavoured with vanilla.
When I am celebrating I want something simple and delicious, like this traditional butter cake I am showing you here today.
If I am going to have to bake my own Birthday Cake (and I am coz my husband . . . he doesn't bake!), then I don't want it to take me oodles of time and ingredients. Nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen on their birthday.
By the time you bake a cake that takes oodles of time and ingredients you don't feel like eating cake any more, and that's not my idea of a celebration!
Is it yours??? I'm sorry if it is. I love to bake but that has its limits. I also LOVE to be baked for.
On a day like this, I just want quick, easy, simple and . . . delicious. This cake fits the bill on all of those counts.
No kidding. Would I like to you? I think not!
This has got to be one of the tastiest and simplest cakes ever going. A simple Butter cake.
You just dump everything into the bowl and beat it up. Pop it into a slow oven and . . . *Presto Chango* . . . one hour later . . . Bob's your uncle!
Even the icing isn't complicated. It's just icing sugar and water, or lemon juice, or orange juice . . . you decide.
My husband doesn't like lemon, but I do. It's my birthday, so this time we are going with lemon.
And a bit of ice cream on the side goes down very well too. Enjoy! I know I will!
In the UK they love lashings of custard with any kind of cake or dessert. On a birthday the North American in me longs for ice cream. Plain and simple, vanilla ice cream.
*A Butter Cake*
Makes one 8 inch round cake
This is a simple, one bowl cake. It's rich and delicious. Easily adaptable to other flavours as well. Nice served plain or spread with a basic icing.Makes one 8 inch round cake
pinch salt
125ml of milk (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 2. Butter an 8 inch round baking tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure all of the ingredients into the bowl, sifting the flour, baking powder and soda in. Add a pinch of salt. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is just smooth. Spread into your prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 5 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. May be served plain or with a basic icing.
Variations:
Coffee Butter Cake: Dissolve 2 TBS instant coffee granules in 1 TBS boiling water and add as above
Orange Butter Cake: Add 1 TBS finely grated orange zest.
Lemon Butter Cake : Add 1 TBS finely grated lemon zest
Spiced Butter Cake: Add 1 tsp either cinnamon or mixed spice.
Basic Icing:
Sift 195g ( 1 1/2 cups) icing sugar into a bowl. Mix through 2 TBS water or 2 TBS lemon juice, plus 1 tsp or lemon zest, or 2 TBS orange juice plus 1 tsp orange zest until you have a smooth mixture. Spoon over cake.
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 Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I freely admit that I can be rather lazy when it comes to cooking. I know, it's hard to believe but it's true. I got enough of fiddle faddle complicated garbage when I worked as a personal chef. Why is it that when people are paying you to cook for them, they try to get their pound of flesh for every penny spent? Never-mind . . . I was the best cook they ever had, and they would tell you so themselves if they had the chance.
I did like being stretched and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't, but on a day to day basis, and at home, unless I am out to impress overly so . . . I much prefer the simple things. Simple doesn't mean that it doesn't taste good, or that it can't be impressive. It just means that it's not a lot of work, and it uses ordinary things that anybody can afford or might keep in the larder most of the time.
Sometimes you can even cheat and it's okay because the end result is amazingly delicious so nobody minds. Dishes such as this fabulous tarte here today with it's crisp puff pastry base and tinned cherry filling . . . okay, so the filling comes from a can . . . but you tell me one person who doesn't like cherry pie filling. They're very rare I'll wager.
So anyway . . . you top the puff pastry with the cherry filling . . that's the simple bit. Next you make an oaty nutty cobbler topping, which you sprinkle over top.
Then you bake it all until the pastry is crisp and puffed . . . the cobbler topping is all buttery crisp too . . . with that sweet cherry layer in the middle, heaven. But . . . that's not all, no . . . that's not all. You melt some dark chocolate and drizzle it decoratively over top. Yeppers! Melted chocolate flicked all over the top of that crisp, crunchy fruity goodness.
But . . . if you really want to make it special . . . serve it up with some clotted cream, or failing that . . . mascarpone cheese. In for a penny in for a pound and all that . . .
Bound to become a favourite of family and guest alike. Easy. Tasty. Beautiful to look at. Winner Winner Winner. Something for the weekend. Scrummo!
*Cherry Cobbler Tarte*
Serves 8 to 10
This is so easy and yet so impressive when it is done. Crisp puff pastry bottom, cherry filling and a oaty cobbler topping, all drizzled with dark chocolate to finish.
1 sheet of ready roll puff pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten with a bit of water
2 tins of cherry pie filling
(I used the dark cherry)
For the cobbler topping:
80g rolled oats (1 cup)
2 TBS dark muscovado sugar, packed
2 TBS butter, softened
pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
a handful of flaked almonds
2 ounces dark chocolate, melted
clotted cream or marscarpone cheese to serve.
Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Unroll your pastry onto the baking parchment. Score a one inch border all the way around the edges. Fold the edges over in half, all the way around and brush with a bit of egg wash. ( If desired, sprinkle with some coarse sugar. ) Prick the centre all over with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and bang the centre down with the heel of a spoon. Don't turn off the oven.
Make the crumble topping by creaming the butter and sugar together with the cinnamon and salt until well combined. Stir in the oats and almonds.
Spoon the pie filling into the centre of the tart, filling it completely and spreading it to the border but not beyond. Cover with the cobbler topping, sprinkling it evenly over top. Bang the tart back into the heated oven. Turn the heat down to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Bake the tart for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the topping and pastry are nicely crisped and browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Drizzle with the melted chocolate in a decorative manner.
Cut into slabs to serve, topping each portion with a dollop of clotted cream or marscarpone cheese. Delicious!
This isn't a supper dish for the faint of heart . . . it is loaded with calories, but once in a blue moon it's nice to treat yourself to something special like a Croque Madame.
And just what is a Croque Madame? Well . . . it's a Croque Monsieur with a fried egg on top . . .
A Croque Monsieur is a glorified ham and cheese toastie! Only the french could make a ham and cheese toastie more decadent and tastier than it is . . .
They have added a layer of rich bechamel to the top, grated Parmesan over the top and then popped it under the grill. until the bechamel is gilded golden brown . . .
But, it's not even an ordinary cheese toastie . . . there is a smattering of Dijon mustard inside, thinly sliced jam . . . and gooey Gruyère cheese.
You toast that first in a skillet . . . and then you ladle the bechamel over top and pop it under the grill.
But it's not just any bechamel (which happens to be one of the easiest sauces to make and a base for many others) . . . this bechamel is flavoured lightly with thyme, Worcestershire, nutmeg (traditional) and . . . wait for it . . . brandy.
Yep . . . there is just the merest tiniest hint of brandy which will have your eaters wondering just what that elusive flavour is . . .
In France a Croque Monsieur is known as a bar snack . . . a quick bite, the name loosely translating to crunchy mister. hmm . . . tasty no matter the origins . . .
Which brings us to the Croque Madame . . .
Adding the egg is said to help it resemble a ladies hat??? Well, I don't fancy wearing a hat that looks like a fried egg, but . . .
I don't mind eating a Croque Madame, no matter what it is called.
This is a hearty lunch for even the halest of eaters. I can't imagine it being a bar snack or a quick bite for anyone . . . but as a once in a blue moon indulgence . . . it went down a real treat.
*Croque Madame*
serves 4
Printable Recipe
A traditional ham and cheese toastie, topped with béchamel sauce and a fried egg. Delicious!
5 TBSs butter
2 1/2 TBS flour
1 3/4 cup milk
1 TBS brandy
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
pinch thyme
pinch of grated nutmeg
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 slices of sturdy white sandwich type bread
4 tsp Dijon mustard
4 ounces of Gruyere cheese, grated
12 ounces of leftover ham, sliced
1/2 ounce of Parmegiano-Reggiano, finely grated
4 large free range eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
pinch thyme
pinch of grated nutmeg
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 slices of sturdy white sandwich type bread
4 tsp Dijon mustard
4 ounces of Gruyere cheese, grated
12 ounces of leftover ham, sliced
1/2 ounce of Parmegiano-Reggiano, finely grated
4 large free range eggs, at room temperature
Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour, whisking constantly until it begins to turn beige in colour. Slowly whisk in the milk, iin a slow and steady stream. Cook and whisk constantly until it is smooth and thickened and slightly bubbling. Whisk iin the brandy, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside, whisking now and then to help prevent a skin from forming.
Position your broiler rack 4 inches from the heat and heat the broiler to high. Spread 4 slices of the bread on one side each with 1 tsp of Dijon mustard. Top with the slices ham and then the cheese. Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on top.
Melt 1 TBS of the butter in a 12 inch non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook 2 of the sandwiches until brown and crisp, turning once, halfway through the cooking to brown the remaining side. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with another TBS of the butter and the remaining 2 sandwiches.
Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking just until it turns beige, about 20 seconds. Whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream; continue whisking until smooth, thickened, and slightly bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk in the brandy, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Whisk for 30 seconds; then remove from the heat and set aside, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Ladle the bechamel sauce over top of the sandwiches. (It will run down the sides, but that's ok.) Sprinkle with the Parmigiano Reggiano. Broil until bubbling and lightly browned.
Melt the remaining 1 TBS of butter in the skillet over medium heat. Crack in the eggs and fry them sunny side up until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny.
Transfer the sandwiches to serving plates, placing a fried egg on top of each. Sprinkle with salt and a good grinding of black pepper and serve.
I suppose if you were a vegetarian you could leave out the ham altogether and it would still be delicious. But what would you call it then???? Any suggestions??? A Croque Infante??
Oh, and the purpose of the chips??? Why to dip into that gorgeous runny yolk. Oh, I am a naughty girl. ☺
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons