We are having another week of gorgeous weather here in the UK, which is great as the children are all off on half term, well in England and Wales at any rate. I have been taking advantage of the warmer temps and preparing lots of lovely salad type of meals for us. This is a salad I had not made in a number of years, and all of a sudden I got a craving for it. Fried Halloumi Cheese, with a Lime and Caper Dressing. Fried cheese??? Yes!! Why not!
I can take no credit for this recipe. It has been adapted from one by one of my favourite cookery writers here in the UK, Delia Smith. You might not be familiar with her in North America, but over here she is at least as popular, if not more than is Mary Berry, who I know you will be familiar with due to the GBBO. In fact, Delia is so popular here that she has what might be called the "Oprah" effect on products, both in the way of food ingredients, and in cooking utensils! She was one of the first cooks over here on the Television that I watched. She is very, very good and so are her recipes. In fact, they are pretty fail proof.
What she does is take simple quality ingredients and shows you how to make the best and most of them, with foolproof methods. She has been a great example to me in that way. If Delia can cook them, then just about anyone can! I like that.
I think it can be a pretty pricey cheese in North America, however, but as a treat, well worth the price. Over here it is quite affordable, at least pre-Brexit, we will see about afterwards. It has a texture which is quite similar to a good Mozzarella or a string cheese. Its salty and tangy and quite similar in flavour to Feta I would say, but it really comes into its own when you fry it.
You end up with a cheese which has a crisp and golden crust and a semi firm centre with just a touch of goo. In short, it is unbelievably gorgeous! I just love it. This beautiful Lime and Caper Vinagrette Dressing is the perfect way to show it off.
Once again, simple ingredients done well . . . lime (both the zest and the juice), white wine vinegar, capers, good fruity extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), grainy Dijon, some seasoning and, ta da! Bob's your Uncle!! I like to add a touch of sugar myself, but that is just me. It takes off some of the edge from the tartness of the lime and the capers. I have also used Chinese Rice Wine Vinegar in the past with most delicious results. Make sure you have plenty of crusty bread to serve with it as well, so you can sop up all of that lovely dressing!
What you have here is a very enjoyable salad that works beautifully as a light lunch for two, or as a starter course for more people when you are entertaining. I really hope you will try it. It's fabulous!
*Lime & Caper Dressed Halloumi Cheese*
Serves 2 as a light lunch
I have done a bit of research and found that in America at least you could consider some of the Mexican cheeses which don't melt when heated, such as Queso Blanco or Asadero if you find it impossible to get Halloumi Cheese. Bon Appetit!
I love scones and am always looking for a delicious recipe to try. I spied a recipe the other day on a blog called Seasonly Creations for Irish Coffee Cake Scones.
Flaky sweet scones studded with plenty of dried currants and topped with a coffee cake streusal crumb topping.
For the scones:
340g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
50g soft dark brown sugar (1/4 cup)
45g white sugar (1/4 cup)
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
115g of dried currants (3/4 cup)
120g cold unsalted butter (1/2 cup) cut into cubes
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
120ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
2 tsp almond extract
To glaze:
2 TBS milk
1 large free range egg, beaten
For the streusel:
73g of white vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
40g chopped toasted pecans (1/3 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar plus 2 TBS (1/4 cup, plus 2 TBS)
2 TBS white sugar
3 TBS plain flour
pinch salt
To
make the streusel, rub the flour and both sugars together with the salt
to combine and work out any lumps in the sugar. Drop in the shortening
and rub all together with a fork to completely incorporate. Stir in
the chopped nuts. Set aside.
For the Scones sift the flour
into the bowl Stir in both sugars, the baking powder, the nutmeg and
the salt. Rub all together to make sure any lumps from the sugar are
broken up. Drop in the butter, rub it in with your fingertips until you
have a mixture which resembles fine bread crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. LIne a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Beat the egg and milk together for the glaze and set aside.
Whisk
together the buttermilk, eggs and almond extract for the scones. Make a
well in the middle of the scone mixture and dump in the wet
ingredients. Stir together with a fork until the mixture begins to come
together into a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured board and
knead lightly for a few turns. Divide the dough in half and shape each
half gently into a circle which is 5 inches across and 1 inch tall. Cut
each into six wedges. Place onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of
space in between for rising, spreading. Brush the tops with the glaze
and then spring a heaped TBS of the streusel on top of each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Serve warm with your favourite hot drink!
They looked really good so I thought I would give them a go! What a tasty way to end the month of May!
A basic scone recipe is created and then topped with a brown sugar and nut streusel before baking. It does use a mix of dark brown and white sugars, and plenty of nutmeg which was a bit different.
I thought I would give you an action shot of them ready to go into the oven! Yes, I do end up having to use my table as a preparation surface most of the time as I have almost nil counter space in the kitchen.
There really is only an area about 3 feet in length and by the time you put a toaster, a kettle and a knife block on it, prep surface is minimal at best.
Now back to the scones.
The dough was really easy to put together, most scone doughs are. You can't go wrong so long as you use a light hand.
The original recipe said to cut the fat into the flour, but I have always found that rubbing it in with your finger tips works much better.
It uses buttermilk, which usually makes for great scones. I was a bit nervous about this recipe however, as it did not call for any baking soda, just baking powder.
I always understood that you needed to use some soda with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk in order to get a good rise.
I crossed my fingers and went with the recipe however and hoped that they would turn out like they should.
Hers certainly looked alright!
As you can see however, my worry was for naught as I got a really nice rise! I used some currants that I had in the cupboard from Whitworths, seedless ones, and really tiny.
They worked beautifully and the end result in the finished scones was lovely.
I confess I probably added an addition handful because I like lots of fruit. The only thing I wasn't totally fond of was the use of white vegetable shortening in the crumble topping, and to be honest, it kind of melted a bit.
I had been thinking it would stand up like the crumble on a coffee cake, but it didn't. I am not sure how you could get around that.
And I am not sure butter instead of shortening would make any difference. I checked back at hers on the other blog and they looked the same.
I think if just a bit more flour was added it might make a difference, but I will try that the next time around. Maybe bake one and let you know. They were really very good however and I will be making them again!
*Irish Coffee Cake Scones*
Makes 12
Other than changing a few things about the way I put these together, I basically followed the recipe as per written and I found them to be quite, quite delicious. Even the day after. I do have to say that next time I would leave out the almond extract. I am not sure that it added anything at all to the flavour of the scones, and to be honest it wasn't a very "Irish" addition. Using the dark brown sugar however gave them a beautiful colour. Warm out of the oven, split and buttered, they were utterly devine! Bon Appetit!
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.
We really like potato pancakes in this house and I made some at the weekend for Todd to enjoy for breakfast with his bacon and eggs.
One thing I really miss over here in the UK are the loose frozen hashbrown potatoes. They always came in handy for weekend breakfasts. You can buy hashbrown patties here, but they are not quite the same thing in my opinion!
Cheesy Potato Pancakes are almost like a mashed potato fritter and are excellent served with a fried egg on top and a side of grilled bacon!
You make the mashed potatoes for these the night before and put it in the refrigerator to get really cold.
Then when you get up you simply add in the remaining ingredients, shape and fry. You might think that they aren't going to stay together, but trust me, they will and once you brown the first side, they hold together well and it is easy to flip them over and brown the second side.
Just make sure your oil is nicely heated before you add the pancakes. Not too hot, but not too cold either. You don't want the potatoes soaking it up like a sponge. These are so tasty!
*Cheesy Potato Pancakes*
Makes about 123 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
120g of grated strong cheddar cheese (1 cup)
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely minced
3 TBS finely minced red peppers
1 medium free range egg, beaten
45g of grated Parmesan Cheese (1/4 cup)
3 TBS plain flour (plus more for coating)
vegetable oil for frying
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmegPlace the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water to cover. Bring to the boil. Cook until tender. Drain well and then return them to the pot, shaking them over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out well. Mash them well or put them through a potato ricer. Scrape them into a bowl and set aside to cool. Once cool, cover and chill in the refrigerator until really cold, preferably overnight.
When you are ready to cook them, stir together the cooked potato, the grated cheddar, spring onions, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste and beaten egg. You may not need all of the egg. You just want a mixture which will hold together well without being gloopy. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions. Roll each into a ball. Flatten into a pancake shape about 1/2 inch thick. Coat each fritter well in plain flour.
Heat several tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large shallow frying pan. Add the potato fritters a few at a time, cooking them on one side until they are crisp and brown before flipping them over to the other side and browning them on that side too. Remove to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Keep any cooked ones warm in a slow oven until you finish cooking them all.
Once again, it is the simple things in life which bring us the most pleasure. These also make a great supper dish, again with eggs and bacon. (We usually like to do this type of thing for supper rather than breakfast!) Bon Appetit!
Its my oldest son's birthday today. He is 42. I know . . . its hard for me to believe that I have a son that old also! Wasn't he just a babe in arms yesterday? I was only 19 when he was born. I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world. He made my dreams come true! Happy Birthday son! So what has that got to do with salad? Nothing really, except that he is a brilliant cook in his own right! That acorn did not fall far from this tree!
I love salad season. I love making and eating salads. I have never met a salad that I did not like!
I also love potatoes. They are my favourite vegetable. I have always loved them. I can't do low carb because I can't live without my potatoes!
Tomatoes are another love of mine. Especially vine ripened tomatoes. Fresh and sweet. Some are sweeter than others. I prefer home grown, but when I do have to buy them, I buy the best I can afford and leave them at room temperature. That brings out the best flavours in them.
Bacon . . . who doesn't love bacon. I think my love of bacon (and a good steak) would actually prevent me from becoming a vegetarian!
Baby Rocket, or arugula as it is it is known in North America is another favourite of mine. I really enjoy its peppery, almost earthy flavour!
Goat Cheese . . . as a child I did not even know such a thing existed. (All my cheese came dyed orange and wrapped in plastic.) Soft, spreadable tangy goat cheese with its very distinct flavour is another thing I really, really enjoy!
Finally good Balsamic Vinegar and olive oil, extra virgin, something else which never had a place in my childhood and which I love. A good balsamic is rich and almost sweet and olive oil, peppery and rich. Put all these things together and you have one of the tastiest potato salads you could ever want to eat. This is a salad that I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE and LOVE! Try it. I think you will too!
*Bacon, Potato, Tomato & Rocket Salad*
with Goats Cheese
Serves 6 to 8
Today I want to tell you about a beautifully evocative book that focuses exclusively on sweet inspirations from the Hunza Valley to the Arabian Sea, written by food writer and cookery teacher, Sumayya Usmani, author of ‘Summers Under the Tamarind Tree.’ This is the first book of Asian types of recipes that I have ever seen that it devoted to sweet delights, coming from Sumayya's homeland of Pakistan! What a refreshing look at all that is sweet about the exotic cuisine of this incredible country!
The book itself is divided in 10 chapters containing recipes for childhood delights, celebratory sweets, morning eye openers, etc. beginning with a beautiful introduction and everything you need to know about key ingredients and techiques which you will want a knowledge of in preparing the many beautiful recipes included in this book.
Many of the recipes look very inviting . . . ‘Sohan saffron honey caramels with rose water, pistachio and almonds to Bakar khani (sweet puff pastry biscuits), Mulberry and cherry fruit leather, Nan-e nokhochi (chickpea flour shortbread with cloves).
Rose water, rose petals, saffron threads and pistachio are used frequently in the recipes so it may well be worth stocking up on these.
(I think I will be drying my own rose petals this summer and making my own rosewater.) The ‘mango, thyme and
pink salt with rose water clotted cream’ sounds positively delightful encompassing both a sweet and a salty
aspect.
Pakistan’s food culture is as diverse and varied as its land, terrain and people, and this cookbook brings together a collection of 70 recipes from Sumayya's culinary journey. Each recipe is introduced briefly with her own personal experiences and anecdotes about it. This is food storytelling at its finest.
Interspersed between the recipes are beautiful photographs. They are quite simply visually appealing, and taste tempting visions which tingle the tastebuds and inspire a desire in the keen cook to want to recreate them in the home.
From snacks shared with friends over tea, to sumptuous desserts fit for lavish weddings, Sumayya tempts the reader with beautiful, accessible and easily achieved recipes so that anyone can create an authentic and fresh repertoire of aromatic sweetness in the comforts of their own home.
*Mulberry & Blackberry Stew*
Serves 5 - 6
A simple dish of stewed fruit infused with honey and ginger. Serve with walnuts and whipped cream.
In my opinion, this is a well researched and very well put together book. The recipes are authentic Pakistani dishes with an interesting twist. Its a delight from its very colourful and beautifully embossed cover to the beautiful photography, stories and recipes contained on its pages!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sumayya Usmani grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and moved to London over ten years ago, but has found home in Glasgow, Scotland. A food writer and cookery teacher, Sumayya is passionate about sharing the flavours of her homeland with a view to highlighting Pakistani cuisine as a distinct one. Sumayya advocates cooking by "andaza", (sensory and estimation cooking), which is how she learnt to cook from her mother and grandmothers from a very young age. She appears frequently in many online and print publications, on television, and co-presents BBC Kitchen Cafe weekly on BBC Radio Scotland.
MOUNTAIN BERRIES & DESERT SPICE, by Sumayya Usmani
- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Frances Lincoln (6 April 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0711238529
- ISBN-13: 978-0711238527
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