Lately I have had a hankering for a lamb stew. Lamb was not something I had really eaten until I moved over here to the UK. My one and only experience with it had been one time when my mother cooked lamb chops.
They smelled like burning mittens when they were cooking. None of us liked them. My ex also was not fond of lamb, so it wasn't anything I had much experience in tasting or cooking.
For our wedding meal, the members of our church congregation took us out to a pub for supper and we could order anything we wanted from the menu.
There was Roasted Saddle of Lamb on the menu and so I decided to throw caution to the wind and I ordered it.
It could have gone so badly, but happily it didn't. I fell in love with lamb right then and there and I have been enjoying a loving relationship with it ever since!
This stew that I am showing you here today is a very simple one, but when you think about it, traditional Irish food is really very simple. There is a great history of poverty in Ireland for its people.
They would not have had meat very often, and in fact, the potato was their main form of sustenance through the years. They learned to cook simple foods and make them taste really good.
This is a simple stew that uses simple ingredients and I don't mind telling you, it is the most delicious stew I make. We both love it.
I used diced leg of lamb for this the other day. I picked it up at the local butchers and had them trim all of the fat from it that they could. This is then quite simply browned in a bit of oil. I put the lamb on to brown while I am prepping the vegetables.
That way I tend to forget about it, which means it gets nicely browned without me worrying it every few minutes and stirring it about. (One of the secrets to any good stew made with red meat, is in a good and proper browning. The meat won't brown nicely if you keep moving it about.)
The vegetables used are simple. Carrots. Celery. Onion. Potatoes. That's it. Nothing more and nothing less. I used lamb stock cubes to make the stock.
Lamb stock is not normally something I keep in the freezer. If you can't get lamb stock, feel free to use chicken stock.
You will want to brown the meat really well . . . so you get all of those caramelized lamb juices to flavour the stew with.
There is really no other flavourings, save salt and pepper. I add a couple of sprigs of thyme, but traditionally there would have been no herbs added.
Once you get the meat nicely browned, you add the chopped vegetables and you sweat them for a bit in the drippings from having cooked the lamb. More flavour.
Don't discard any of those drippings. They are what's going to give your stew it's flavour and colour.
Once you have sweated and lightly caramelized the vegetables, throw in the sprigs of thyme and return the lamb to the pot, along with its juices.
Again . . . flavour, and every little bit counts. This gets covered in stock.
At the last you cover the top of the stew with thick
slices of potato. You can keep the potato in rounds if they are small, or cut them into half moons if your potatoes are larger.
A light seasoning with salt and black pepper, and dotting with butter is all you have left to do. Just tightly cover it and then bake it in a slow oven.
Your oven will do the work, and you will be rewarded at the end with probably one of the tastiest stews you would ever want to eat! Crusty bread is a must to soak up all those lovely juices!
2 TBS light olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
(cut into half moons if the potatoes are largish)
600ml lamb stock
Heat a medium, heavy bottomed flame proof casserole (with a lid) over medium heat. Add half of the oil and heat. Once the oil is heated, add the lamb and brown, over medium heat until well browned. Working in batches if necessary. Remove the lamb from the casserole and set aside. Add the vegetables and the remaining oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium low heat, until they have begun to soften a bit. Return the lamb to the pot along with any juices. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sprigs of thyme. Pour over the lamb stock. Lay the potatoes on top covering and pushing them down a bit into the stock. Dot with butter.
Cover tightly. Bake in the heated oven for 2 hours, until the meat is beautifully tender and all of the vegetables are cooked, uncovering the casserole for the last fifteen minutes to lightly brown the potatoes. Spoon out into heated bowls to serve. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Crusty bread goes well.
Because there are only two of us we had plenty of leftovers to enjoy the day afterwards. There is a special magic that happens with soups and stews in that . . . after being left overnight in the refrigerator, they always taste even better.
Its a delicious alchemy that I don't comprehend, I only know is that it always happens. This would be the perfect dish for you to cook to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.
It would go down really well with some crusty soda bread for the main dish, and finishing off with a nice slice of my Irish Apple Cake along with some custard for dessert. That's Saint Paddy's well sorted! Ithe sásta!! Sláinte!!
One thing I really love about European Culture and visiting the Continent is the "Cafe Culture." Cities and towns all over Europe are peppered with small cafes which spill out onto the streets with small tables and stools, filled with people enjoying the sunshine and their favourite drinks.
We have adopted it somewhat here in the UK, in the major cities and urban centres, but to be honest, we don't get enough sunshine for it to be a perpetual thing. I have fond memories of enjoying a lovely hot chocolate in Germany, piled high with whipped cream in a tall glass, sitting on a plate with a crisp biscuit sitting at the edge.
That never happened back home. Free cookie with a drink? Fat chance! If you wanted a cookie (in my experience) you would have to pay for one, except in perhaps the most solubrious of establishments!
Even here in the UK if you order a drink in all but the cheapest tawdry establishments, you will get a free biscuit when you order a hot drink. Its usually one of those Lotus biscuits (I love them) wrapped in plastic, just waiting for you to upwrap and dunk.
These shortbread biscuits I am showing you here today would be perfectly at home with a hot drink, or being dunked. They are buttery and crisp and have a lovely short texture!
Quick and easy to make, once you make the dough and have it chilled. Just slice and bake like the slice and bake cookie rolls you can get in the shops.
The original recipe contained only three ingredients . . . butter, sugar and plain flour. It comes from a book entitled My Grandmother's Kitchen, by contributing Editor Catherine Best.
In looking at it I thought that it would be lovely flavoured with coffee and coated in coffee sugar/demerara sugar that comes in the little packets of sugar you see in the coffee shops.
So I adapted the recipe to use a strong coffee essence that I created using instant coffee crystals and hot water. You simply mix all the ingredients together, shape into a log and then roll the log in demerara sugar crystals.
I believe it is called turbinado sugar in North America, or raw sugar. In any case it has large granules and is brown in colour.
That is then wrapped tightly and chilled for at least half an hour, but longer is okay. I dare say you could keep the whole roll tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for days, slicing off and baking only as needed.
Or even in the freezer, ready to take out and slice as needed. Have a guest coming for coffee? Not a problem, just grab a ready made roll and start baking.
You could also shape the log into a triangle. I have never been able to accomplish that myself. A square is as best as I can do.
One of these days I shall master it however. I am determined.
Once it is well chilled, you cut the sugar covered log into thick slices and then bake them in a slow oven until they are moreishly crisp throughout. Try to leave a bit of space between them so that they don't touch each other.
They spread a tiny tiny bit when they are baking. If they touch each other the edges won't be as crisp when done.
The end result is a crisp, buttery, short, beautifully flavoured biscuit/cookie with crisp sugar gilded edges that you would be proud to serve with any drink . . . even milk!
Especially milk! I am a cookies and milk afficionado myself! Love the combination!
*Slice & Bake Coffee Shortbreads*
Makes 25 - 30
1 tsp strong coffee essence (see below)
90g caster sugar (1/2 cup, superfine)
Spread an abundant
amount of the demerara sugar onto a piece of baking paper. Press each
side of the dough log into the sugar to coat. Wrap and chill for half an
hour or longer, until very firm.
Preheat the oven to
160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Line a couple of baking sheets with baking
paper. Cut the log into thick slices and place slightly apart on the
prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until beginning to turn
brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight
container.
To make the coffee essence:
Stir together 2 tsp dry coffee granules and 1 tsp boiling water to give you a thick essence of almost syrup consistency.
I have fallen in love with these cookies, even though I know I really shouldn't be. They are irresistably incredibly moreishly tasty!!! I think adding coffee flavour to them was genius. (Sorry if it sounds like I am bragging. I really am not. I just want you to bake them!)
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!
There is just something really special about a bundt cake don't you think? Every one of them looks like a celebration just waiting to happen . . . I have three bundt pans. Two Nordic ware pans (Cathedral Window, Fleur de Lis) and a regular ordinary bundt pan. These special pans have the ability to lift what is an ordinary cake up to the greatest heights, simply by virtue of their beauty! This Zesty Lemon Pound Cake is anything but an ordinary cake however! Lemon and bundt are a beautiful combination. No question about it.
Yes . . . admittedly it is a bit of a cheat as it uses a cake mix. I used a Betty Crocker Zesty Lemon cake mix as the base.
This gets beaten together in a bowl along with some milk and eggs (which you would expect) . . . it uses 3 large free-range eggs. I only ever use free-range eggs and I use RSPCA approved. It is one of my quirks of conscience . . .
There is no oil or butter involved . . . just a small pack of cream cheese. I used the full fat because that is what I had in the house. I cannot say how it would work with the low fat one. Probably alright, but that's only a guess on my part . . . the cream cheese makes for a lovely dense and moist cake.
The zesty lemon flavour comes from the use of the finely grated zest of two large lemons. I use unwaxed lemons myself, but if you are using regular lemons, just wash them really well and then dry them off before zesting.
Even more flavour comes from the addition of fresh lemon juice . . . you can never have too much lemon flavour in my opinion . . .
This cake itself packs a triple whammy of lemon flavour . . . with the cake mix itself being a lemon cake, and then the abundance of the lemon zest and the lemon juice. YUMMO! I adore lemon . . . but that is not all . . .
Once the cake has baked and cooled, you whisk together a simple glaze of icing sugar and yes . . . more fresh lemon juice!!!
This gets spooned over the finished cake so that it can sink into every golden crevice of the finished cake, gilding and enhancing all the swirls and definitions of your chosen bundt pan, making them even more gorgeously beautiful. I don't think this cake could get any better.
*Zesty Lemon Cake*
Makes one bundt cake (12 servings)
Moist and delicious with a lovely deep lemon flavour.
Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Generously spray
a large fluted non-stick cake tin with some low fat cooking spray. Set
aside.
To make the glaze whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together adding first 1 TBS of juice and then only the rest as you need it to give you a smooth thick glaze. Pour or spoon evenly over the cake and allow it to set. Store the cake loosely covered.
We have enjoyed it plain as it is, but I do think it would be lovely with some fresh berries and perhaps a dollop of softly whipped cream. I garnished it with some pastel green and yellow cake sprinkles. This cake shouts SPRING to me! I am not even sorry I used a cake mix for it . . . this cake is excellent just as is, mix and all. Bon Appetit!
Parma Chicken & Vegetable Bake. This recipe for a chicken and vegetable bake is destined to become a tried and true recipe favourite!
We eat a lot of chicken in this house. That's because it is fairly
inexpensive . . . and, in all truth, we like it.
We don't eat a lot of
red meat actually, or processed meats . . . mostly just fish and
chicken (not together), and if it's chicken . . . it's usually chicken
breasts.
That can get old pretty quickly, unless you are prepared and
armed with a lot of different ideas on how to prepare it.
These days I tend to use free range organic, corn fed chicken. I can do this because there are only two of us. If I had a larger family I might have to reconsider my choice.
I like the flavour of the free-range organic corn-fed chicken. To me, it does taste better than regular chicken. Ordinary chicken has had the flavour bred right out of it in my opinion.
I think I could write a cook book based just cooking chicken breasts.
They are like a beautiful canvas just waiting to be painted on. You can
do soooo very much with them. They easily adapts to most
other flavors, and . . . as long as you don't over-cook them . . . they are
really quite delicious. Over-cooked chicken breasts are about as
palatable as eating an old boot . . . and probably just as tasty.
I think people are afraid of getting salmonella, and so they cook them to death. The only thing you need to be concerned with when cooking chicken, is that the juices run clear . . . as long as the juices run clear . . . your chicken is cooked.
Thighs and legs . . . they take to
longer cooking times, and in fact the longer you cook them, the more
succulent they are. Breasts however . . . you want to cook them at a
high temperature and fairly quickly.
Long and slow cooking just isn't
well suited to chicken breast meat . . . it dries it out and makes it
tough.
Today I wrapped them in some thinly sliced proscuitto. I then baked them in a hot oven with some potato wedges, celery and leeks . . . a splash of white wine, some cream . . . and lovely fresh herbs.
The proscuitto protected the chicken breast meat, and kept
it from over browning on the outside before they were cooked on the
inside . . . keeping them moist and succulent.
The potatoes got a nice brown crust, almost like roasted potatoes. And the leeks and celery almost melted into the cream and wine, creating
a luscious and flavorful sauce . . . especially with the added touch of
thyme and marjoram.
Just look at that moist chicken . . . and those deliciously tender
vegetables . . . why . . . they look almost good enough to eat!
*Parma Chicken and Vegetable Bake*
Serves 4
Serves 4
A delicious all in one pan recipe that will have them coming back for more. I often double this.
2 TBS olive oil
6 large baking potatoes
1 large leek, washed, trimmed, and most of the tough dark green leaves discarded
3 celery stalks, washed and trimmed
4 large free range boneless, skinless chicken breasts
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 to 8 thin slices of Proscuitto ham
a few sprigs each of fresh thyme and marjoram
a splash of white wine
240ml of double cream (1 cup, whipping cream)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Pour the olive oil into a large baking dish or roasting pan. Set aside.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large wedges. Place them into a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil and then boil them for about 3 minutes, no longer. While the potatoes are cooking bang the pan with the olive oil into the oven. Drain the potatoes well. Tip them into the hot oil in the baking dish and shake them to coat them with the oil. Put the pan in the oven while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Carefully slit, clean and rinse the leek. Cut it into slices. Do the same to the celery. Season each chicken breast with some salt and black pepper and wrap each piece with some of the proscuitto. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Tip in the celery and leek, give it all a good stir. Season the vegetables lightly with some salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the sprigs of herbs over all. Tuck the chicken breasts in amongst the vegetables. Pour in a splash of white wine. You will only need about half a cup or so. Pour the cream around the chicken in the dish.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are meltingly tender.
Serve with some crusty bread and mashed swede on the side.
This tastes almost like a chicken and ham pot pie . . . except without the
crust. Aside from the cream, it was also fairy healthy . . . and quite
colorful too. A most delicious way to get in some of your five a day! I also loved that I was able to cook it all in one dish, which saved on the washing up. Delicious, easy peasy, and only one cooking dish to clean. You can't lose! Bon appetit!
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I think one of my favourite pasta dishes of all has to be macaroni and cheese. When I was growing up I cannot recall my mother ever making it from scratch. We did do the blue box stuff and we were quite happy with that.
In fact it was a real treat for us. And of course in my Uni years, I ate plenty of the blue boxed stuff also as it was cheap, cheap, cheap. You could buy 10 boxes for a dollar if I recall correctly! Sometimes we would stir some ketchup into it to make it taste better. UGH! College kids eh?
I don't think I had proper Macaroni and Cheese until I was married. I tried out a recipe in one of my BHG cookbooks and I thought it was quite nice.
Then one time my sister shared a recipe with me for a stove top mac and cheese and that was also very tasty. It was something we all loved.
I also used to make it like my friend Leona taught me, which was to cook macaroni (al Dente)and add chunks of cheese, salt and pepper and cover it with some milk and then buttered crumbs.
That was also really good, because you got large gooey chunks of cheese in it. The more cheese you put into it the better it was.
That was kind of like a Scalloped Mac and Cheese. No worries about calories and fat in those days and I was a skinny minny too!
I have been on a quest to lower the fat and carb content and increase the fibre content of my favourite mac and cheese without compromising on flavour.
I adore Cauliflower Cheese too . . . and I thought to myself, cauliflower is very low carb . . . why not combine macaroni and cauliflower. And if you use whole wheat pasta then you are also increasing the fibre.
Carbs are where we get our energy from, so they are not totally bad for you.
In using whole wheat pasta and then cutting down the amount by replacing some of it with cauliflower, I am using good carbs and increasing the protein and fibre in the dish in a good way.
The sauce uses low fat evaporated milk, instead of cream or full fat milk, which means that is is rich. The addition of some low fat cream cheese also adds to the richness.
A bit of Parmesan cheese, which really has a lot of flavour, means that you don't have to use as much cheddar as you normally would.
I also chose to use a strong low fat cheddar, which meant I was still getting plenty of flavour but less fat. This sauce was rich and well flavoured.
I always like to use some hot pepper sauce and dry mustard powder to give my cheese sauces more of a kick. And I also used onion and garlic powders for additional flavour.
I had some leftover ham and added some of that, but you don't need to if you don't have it. We did and it was an excellent way to use it up.
It also meant that my husband (the pasta hater) didn't feel as deprived as he normally would have done.
A final smattering of cheese on top and some sliced tomato, add colour and plenty of eye appeal. Altogether this made for a really tasty dish. Good news also, you can easily cut the recipe in half for fewer people.
I did that today and we each had plenty, with some leftovers for me to enjoy tomorrow, while I feed him something he likes that I can't eat. Everybody wins!
*Skinny Mac & Cheese*
Serves 6
Lower
in fat and calories, high in fibre and protein, but not compromised in
flavour in any way. This is, hands down, my new FAVOURITE mac and
cheese!
150g baked ham, cut into cubes (1 cup)
2 medium tomatoes sliced
Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly spray a
rectangular casserole dish with low fat cooking spray. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder, onion and garlic powders. Cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk. Cook whisking until it begins to thicken and bubble.
Whisk in the cream cheese, hot sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir to melt
the cheeses. Add half of the cheddar and again stir to melt. Season
to taste with salt and black pepper. If you think the sauce is too
thick, you can thin it with a bit more milk as needed.
Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower florets the last 3 minutes of cook time. Drain well. Stir into the cheese sauce, along with the ham. Pour the whole mixture into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over top. Place the tomato slices evenly over top and sprinkle them lightly with some salt and black pepper.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through, bubbling and golden brown. Let stand for five minutes before serving. A mixed green salad goes very well with this.
I served this with a green winter salad. It was just chopped romaine, rocket leaves, thawed baby peas, spring onions, cucumber and my favourite homemade dill vinaigrette. (1 TBS low fat mayo, 60 ml each olive oil and cider vinegar(1/4 cup each), salt, pepper, dry mustard powder, chopped dill and a pinch of sugar). This (to me) was a great meal. My husband didn't complain overly much, lol. Bon Appetit!
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