I have never been to Italy, but I have long loved Italian Food.  The Toddster, he's not so fussed.  He, as you all know, is not fussed about pasta or pizza and so he says he doesn't think he would enjoy visiting Italy.  I always tell him though, they eat a lot more than pasta and pizza in Italy!     I could quite happily live on just those two things alone, but I really do hope that one day I will have the opportunity to find out for myself.

 

Yesterday I took a boo in the refrigerator and decided to make myself a dish that used up some of the bits and bobs that I had hanging in there . . . some spinach, a few TBS of sun-dried tomato pesto, a handful of button mushrooms, some leftover seasoned tinned chopped tomatoes and a rather tired looking banana shallot in the vegetable drawer.  I felt a little bit like an Italian Grandmother when I was doing it . . . or as how I perceive that an Italian Grandmother would cook . . . kinda like my grandmother, but with more exotic ingredients!

 

This is the type of cooking that I really like to do most of all . . . being inventive with what I have on hand.   When I first moved over here to the UK there used to be a show on every afternoon at about 4 pm called Ready Steady Cook.

 

There would be two guests and two celebrity chef's,  a moderator/presenter and a studio audience.  Each of the guests would give their chef a bag filled with a few ingredients and the chef would then have to live up to the challenge of creating as many tasty dishes as they could with these ingredients in 20 minutes of cooking time.

 

Oh how I loved that show.  I was always so amazed at what the chef's came up with and in such a short time.  Truth be told, they probably had somewhat of an inkling ahead of time what was going to be in the bag . . . but it made for interesting viewing at any rate!

 

Anyways, that is what I like to do here at home.  Take what I have and then try to create something tasty out of it.   I also like it to look good.  Sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I am not.

 

Today I think I was.   I loved all of the colours and flavours of this dish.   It was simple and yet it tasted divine . . . and I got to indulge in a a tasty rare treat of pasta.  I called it Kitchen Sink Pasta because it has a bit of everything in it . . . all but the kitchen sink!

 

*Kitchen Sink Pasta*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

One of those quick and easy meals for when you are short on ingredients, except for little dabs of this and little dabs of that.  Quick, simple and delicious.

130g (6 ounces) dry pasta (1 1/3 cup)
1 TBS olive oil
1 banana shallot, peeled and chopped
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 handful of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 TBS sun dried tomato pesto
370g of chopped tomatoes with oregano and basil (a generous cup ful)
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Finely grated Parmesan Cheese to serve



Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add your pasta and cook as per package directions.  (Today I used a cup shaped pasta that would hold the sauce well.)  Drain well. Rinse with hot water.  Drain again and keep warm

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring until golden brown.  Add the mushrooms and garlic,  Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the pesto, tinned tomatoes and vinegar.  Bring to the boil and cook rapidly until the sauce reduces substantially.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the spinach leaves allowing them to just wilt.  Add the cooked pasta and toss together.   Divide amongst two serving bowls, topping each with a grating of cheese.

I have decided to enter this recipe into a fab contest going on at the moment over at the Tuscany Now Blog.   They are offering some really nice prizes and I think this recipe is contest worthy! #TuscanyNowCookOff  What have I got to lose?  Nada, or as the Italians would say  . . . Non un diamine de molto!  MWHA!

When I worked at the Manor one of the hors d'ouvres I made frequently for the luncheons was these delicious little cherry tomatoes which were stuffed with a mixture of bacon, spring onions and mayonnaise.  All of the ladies loved them.

 

They were very popular and I liked making them because they were not as fiddly to create as some of the other hors d'ouvres I had to make were.  In comparison they were a doddle, the fiddliest bit being hollowing out all of those littl cherry tomatoes!



I decided to create a pasta salad using some of these same flavours.  I had been sent some delicious Newman's Own Blue Cheese Salad Dressing and I felt it would be the perfect match!  I was not wrong.



It went beautifully in this salad.    This is a lovely salad, with the heartiness of pasta  being combined with the crunch of celery, the snappiness of spring onions and the sweetness of cherry tomatoes . . .



With a hefty addition of crisp smokey bacon bits, it's a winner/winner I believe!  Save some of the bacon to sprinkle on top of the salad when you serve it.  I guarantee that everyone will love this.   If they don't  . . .  then they just ain't human!  That's all I got to say!

 

*Bacon and Tomato Pasta Salad*


June 2014 will see the launch of two brand new salad dressings from family favourite Newman’s Own. Both new sauces; the Blue Cheese and Santa Cruz Chilli and Lime Dressing will add extra flavour and add depth to any light summer salad. Available from early June 2014, the American-inspired Blue Cheese Dressing is perfect for recreating a taste of the States for your own summer BBQ. The creamy sauce works amazingly well with a simple salad of iceberg lettuce and bacon lardons, or on the side served with chicken wings or crudités. The Santa Cruz Chilli & Lime Dressing has a hot and fruity flavour, offering a fresh and well balanced addition to any meal, great for dishes of fish and chicken, or with a pasta salad.

Authentic, traditional and full of American flavour, the new sauces bring the USA to UK supermarkets ahead of the summer season. Perfect for family BBQs and get-together’s, the new sauces are a great accompaniment for a food fuelled summertime. The new dressings will join the recently launched Pasta Sauces and new sauce range which includes All Star BBQ Sauce, Hot Pepper Sauce and Smokin’ Hot Dog Sauce. Founded by Hollywood actor Paul Newman, Newman’s Own already has a popular range of salad dressings, BBQ sauces and marinades available. What’s more, Newman’s Own Foundation donates all post-tax profits to charity, with over £1million already being donated to a wide range of charities in the UK alone and over £250 million donated around the world.

They will be widely available at ASDA nation wide at a suggested retail price of £1.79

I really like their hot dog sauce and the barbeque sauce and was already a bit fan of the Caesar Salad Dressing.  Needless to say I have fallen in love with this Blue Cheese Dressing as well.  It has a lovely rich flavour and texture.   It's quite moreish really.   I also love that I am supporting charities when I use the Newman's Own products.

As you know we had the missionaries over for supper the other night.  I made them a chicken pot pie and then we had mash with it, along with some salad and coleslaw.  Yes, I do feed them well. 

On a side note, as I have a lot of new readers, I wanted to let you know that not only do I cook, but I am also an artist in my spare time. This is something which I have been doing since I was a little girl and wanted a Clue-do game of my own but didn't have any money to buy one.  The solution was simple.  I made my own.  Twas the same with my paper dolls, etc.  I was always drawing and coloring in new clothes for them.   This is an interested which continued on through my childhood, high school and for  a time after.   I always wanted to go to Art school, but never did have the chance, so I am largely self taught.

I experiment and I learn. It is an on-going process.    I have an art page where you can see most of my work here.  (Just click on the here.  It will take you there.)



During the years I was bringing up the children and then working full time, I didn't really have much time to do a lot of artwork, but this is a joy that retirement has been bringing to my table and which I have combined with my other love in life, that of food and cooking!  Over the last couple of years I have created five separate Cook-booklets which combine both of those loves for me.  Each contains lots of delicious recipes (most not on the blog) combined with hints and tips from my kitchen and experience, interspersed with lots of bits of my artwork.   Some of it is printable, and some of it is suitable for framing "Kitchen Art!"    I have had lots of really nice positive feedback from them all, which makes me happy.  I am now working on a sixth one which I hope will be even better than the others.



All of the measurements are in both British and North American measures.  All of the recipes are tried and triple tried, and some of my favourites.  The four titles include:

A Royal Tea Party
The Great British Picnic
Christmas in The English Kitchen
Recipes to Keep
Spring into Summer

All sell individually at £5 for a downloadable and printable PDF file which is e-mailed within 24 hours directly to your very own e-mail.  The smallest one is 35 pages, but most are around the 40 to 45 page mark.   All are filled with lovely illustrations, and a multitude of tips, hints and recipes which do not appear on my blog. In total, there are over a hundred and sixty recipes, along with many printables, etc. suitable for framing.  



I am offering all five of my cookbooklets together with one low price for a limited time only. I normally charge £5 each, but for one week only you can get all five for only £15, which means essentially you are getting two for free. This is a time limited offer. (It will end on the 1st of July 2014)To check out more details on what is in them, etc. check out my Recipe Booklet page (Link below. If you scroll down to the end of the cookbooklets page, you will find the link for purchase.) 

To find out more CLICK HERE. 

 

I am at present working on number six of the series, so do look for that one soon.  Thanks so much for your time and for reading this post.   You're all very special to me.   It's much appreciated!

When my kids were growing up I often cooked them chicken wings.   At that time they were quite a cheap way to feed a family of seven!  You could pick up a huge pack of them for not very much and the children loved them.   Nowadays they are quite in vogue and so they aren't as economical as they used to be.



We had the missionaries over for their tea the other night.  We have two elders at the moment (and two sisters) and this time it was the elders. One is from Russia and one is from Thailand.   I had made a chicken pot pie which they both really enjoyed.



The Thai Elder was saying he loved chicken wings the most of all the chicken bits, and I had to concur.  I do love chicken wings.  They have to be one of the most succulent bits of the bird.  I expect that is because their wings don't really get a lot of use, but I am most likely wrong about that.



The "whys" don't really matter in the scheme of things though, it only matters that they are tasty little bits of chicken deliciousness.   Especially when they are done this way.   The wings, each beingsplit into two pieces, are first marinated in a mix of peppery spices . . .



After an hour or so you  dip them into spiced and beaten eggs, and then roll them in some seasoned flour. Once coated, they are fried in a bit of oil until they are nicely crisped.   So naughty but so nice.



A lot of wing recipes recommend serving the finished wings with either a ranch or a blue cheese dressing.   On that day I opted for serving them with a delicious sweet chili dip, which was very simple to put together, by simply whisking some sweet chili sauce into sour cream, so you had a hint of sweet, a touch of hot and a measure of cool.



They went down a real treat, and made the perfect munch for watching the footy with.  Lets face it . . .  if I'm going to have to watch the footy, there better be some tasty snacks involved!  I hope you'll give these a go.  I think you'll agree that they be scrumdiddlyumptious!

 

*Crispy Spiced Chicken Wings*

I recently received a lovely carton of Shallots from UK Shallot Growers.  These are seriously the nicest looking shallots I have ever seen.

With their sweet piquant flavour, shallots are a real favourite of chef's the world over, however statistics have shown that a large number of UK households just don't buy them.  (A staggering 56%!)    I want to prove to you just how delicious these little babies are and how very versatile!    I am never without these in my larder, and I have been so enjoying these fine ones I have been sent!

Related to the onion (as opposed to being a younger version of it), shallots grow in clusters at the leaf base. Most varieties are smaller than onions, have finer layers and contain less water. The flavour of a shallot is much milder and sweeter than that of an onion, so if a recipe specifies shallots, substituting onions won't give the same results. Their lower water content means they need to be cooked more gently than onions.




HOW TO CHOOSE - Look for firm shallots, with no soft spots, damp or mouldy patches. Brown shallots are the most commonly available. Small, with a light brown skin, they have a mild flavour, and, on occasion, have more than one bulb inside. Banana shallots are the largest variety and are named for their shape and size. They have a smooth elongated shape, with a tan-coloured skin and are slightly milder than the other types. As they're larger, they're swifter to prepare than the same volume of smaller shallots. Pink shallots have a pink skin and a crisp texture and their flavour is pungent, but not harsh.  



HOW TO PREPARE -Trim off the top and peel. This is a lot easier if you stand them for a minute or two in boiling water after trimming. Then slice finely or chop as you would an onion. Cut in half from top to bottom. Put the cut side down and make a number of horizontal cuts towards, but not quite reaching, the root. Then make as many vertical cuts through the shallot, again not quite reaching the root. Holding the shallot very firmly and with the knife blade at right angles to the first set of cuts that you made, slice down vertically - the shallot will fall away in small pieces as you go. Continue cutting until you reach the root, which you can then discard.


HOW TO STORE - store shallots in a cool dry and dark space, with plenty of room for the air to circulate around them. I keep mine in a basket underneath the stairs.  Stored properly they will keep well for several weeks.

  

One of the first things I did with them, was to take advantage of the new potatoes that are in the markets at the moment along with the fresh tarragon that is growing in my herb garden. I love fresh tarragon and it goes so very well with the sweetness of shallots.

 

This is a very simple salad . . . you simply need some fresh new potatoes, preferably smaller in size, a bit of fresh tarragon, some seasoning, a pinch of sugar, some white wine vinegar and a bit of mayo, along with the shallots. ;With fresh clean flavours, and simply prepared ingredients, it's a fabulous potato salad! Perfect for those Al Fresco meals we are all enjoying at the moment!

 


*New Potato Salad with Tarragon and Shallots*




*Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Shallots*
makes about 10 servings
Printable Recipe

You don't have to wait for the holidays to enjoy this delicious side dish. Crispy tender brussels sprouts sauteed with crispy bits of pancetta and shallots. Oh so tasty!

2 1/2 pounds of Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and then shredded
into thin slices with a sharp knife
1/4 pound of thick pancetta, cut into bits
a knob of butter
2 shallots, peeled and chopped finely
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

It may seem a bit fiddly to prepare the sprouts for cooking but it really isn't. I trim off the bases and any bad looking leaves and discard. Then I take a sharp knife and just quickly cut them into 1/4 inch slices.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Throw in the pancetta. Cook, stirring until it begins to brown. Add the butter and the shallots. Cook and stir until the shallots are softened. Add the brussels sprouts, stirring to coat, along with half of the thyme leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat, until the sprouts are crispy tender and beginning to brown a bit on the edges. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and the lemon juice if using. Add the remainder of the thyme leaves and serve.  



I was also able to use some of the shallots I had been sent in this delicious hot salad of French Beans and Chorizo sausage.  There are some fabulous flavours going on there.   The green beans, the chorizo,  toasted almonds and a delicious warm dressing.




*French Bean and Chorizo Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is lovely and light and I could eat just a plate of this and nothing else. I love the buttery crunch of the almonds against the mellow crunch of the crispy tender beans, all bathed in a warm chorizo dressing. Delicious!

2 large shallots, peeled and minced
2 TBS white balsamic vinegar
300g french haricot beans, trimmed
100g of blanched almonds
butter
100g of chorizo sausage (the dry kind) peeled and sliced thinly
a hand ful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
freshly ground black pepper to taste



Put the shallots and vinegar into a small bowl and leave to soak while you cook the beans and sausage.

Steam or simmer the beans in some lightly salted water until crispy tender, about 4 minutes. Drain well and rinse under cold water. Leave to drain in the colander.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add a knob of butter. When the butter begins to sizzle, tip in the almonds. Cook and stir until the almonds are nicely browned. Season with a bit of salt. Place the green beans on a platter and tip the browned almonds over top.

Return the pan to the heat and add the chorizo. Cook, stirring, until it begins to brown and gives off some of it's juices. Scoop out the cooked chorizo with a slotted spoon and tip the chorizo onto the beans as well. Add the shallots and vinegar, and the parsley and toss everything together.

Serve.  

And as they say over here in the UK . . .  "That's Sha . . . llot!!!  (That's your lot.  Don't you like how clever that was!  I know!  I even impressed me!)