A friend of mine on Instagram posted a ham and cheese panini on her feed the other day and it looked amazingly delicious. I thought it was bacon, but she said no, ham . . . it looked sooooooo good! I have been thinking about it ever since . . . except in my mind it was bacon, not ham . . . I do so love the occasional bacon sandwich.
Back in my early days here in the UK, Todd and I worked together at a BP service station that had a cafe attached. They sold tons of bacon, sausage, as well as bacon & sausage baguettes every morning. You would see the same guys buying them every day.
I was always mystified by the draw of them. They used the cheapest nastiest bacon and sausages. You should have seen the grease in the bottom of the warming cabinet that would have to be cleaned out at the end of every day. Blech! Blech! Blech!
I only like to use a good quality bacon in my sandwiches . . . and I am not fond of sausage in sandwiches at all. (I am not sure why.)
There has been a lot on the news lately about the higher incidence of bowel cancer in people who eat processed meats every day. I often wonder about those builders that were coming in every day and filling up on that cheap and nasty stuff. I recently discovered Finnebrogue Naked Bacon, which is made without any nitrites and artificial additives. This is what I have been buying. It costs a bit more than regular bacon, but I reckon for the few times we might have bacon, it is worth every penny.
I haven't seen it as streaky bacon, just the back bacon. But you can get it smoked and unsmoked. It is air dried and it is lovely, and no . . . I have not been paid or given any free bacon to say that. I just plain like it and think you might too.
Especially if you are like me and a bit concerned about the use of nitrates and preservatives in our food.
This is not low fat by any stretch, which makes it a real treat . . . all butter croissants . . . Jarlsberg cheese . . . back bacon . . .
I grilled the back bacon under my oven grill/broiler. If you slash the fatty edge first, it won't curl up.
Lightly buttered and pressed in a Panini press until the croissant is golden brown and has nice crispy bits . . . and the cheese is melted.
I like mine with a bit of brown sauce, or what is called HP sauce or steak sauce in North America. Its really good. Just spicy enough . . .
Todd likes his with tomato sauce/ketchup. There is no accounting for taste, lol. Seriously I have never liked tomato ketchup on anything with bread. Again, I have no idea why.
Yield: 2
Bacon & Cheese Panini
A once in a blue-moon treat. I enjoy mine with brown sauce. Todd prefers ketchup! Quick, easy and delicious!
ingredients:
- 2 all butter quality French Croissants
- 4 rashers of back bacon
- 4 slices of good melty cheese (I used Jarlsberg)
- softened butter
instructions:
- Preheat the grill/broiler to high. Clip the fatty edge of your back bacon and lay it out in a single layer on a foil lined grill tray. Grill for approximately 4 minutes per side, or until it is done to your desired taste. Allow to drain on some paper kitchen toweling.
- Preheat your Panini press is using, or skillet. Slice your croissants in half through the middle. Butter lightly on both the top and the bottom outer bits. Place the buttered bottom down on the panini press/skillet. Top with one slice of cheese, torn in half and laid out to cover it. Top with two slices of back bacon, and another slice of cheese in the same way. Place the croissant tops, buttered side up, on top of everything.
- Cook in your Panini press until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Alternately cook in a heated skillet, pressing down with a spatula, top first, and flipping over when golden brown, to brown the other side.
- Serve immediately with your favourite sauce.
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I was really pleased to see this Naked Bacon in my local grocery store and bought it right away to try. I just love trying new things. Especially if they promise to be healthier. I have been buying it ever since, which is not every week, by the way . . . maybe only once a month. I hope they come out with a streaky version! Yum!!
I have a really delicious recipe to share with you today. It is a Mexican barbacoa recipe for some beef barbacoa tacos made with leftover cooked roast beef.
I tried doing a pot roast in my Instant Pot/Electric Pressure Cooker at the weekend. It was okay, but I had to cook it twice as long as the recipe suggested. I think maybe it was because I used a rolled brisket.
Perhaps I will try it again another time, but with a different cut of beef I might also cut it into smaller pieces instead of leaving it whole. It was tender but not as tender as I wanted it to be.
I found myself with a fair quantity of leftover cooked roast that I needed to use up. More often than no I will make a hash of it, but to be honest we didn't really feel like hash or a pie, etc.
This recipe is a combination of several recipes which I discovered online. The Beef filling is an adaptation of one I found on the Betty Crocker site.
I don't really have a difficult time adapting recipes for my own use. I am fairly knowledgeable in the art of switching out ingredients, substituting, etc. That's probably because I have been cooking now for a very long time.
Their recipe was for a beef taco filling created in an Instant Pot using stewing beef. I adapted it for cooking in a saucepan or large skillet, using leftover cooked beef.
If you don't have leftover roast beef, you could also use ground beef in its place, browning it along with the onions.
The Pickled Onions are adapted from a recipe I found on David Lebovitz, which he adapted from Ms Glaze and Simply Recipes.
This wealth of sharing is one thing I love about the online cooking community. We learn from and inspire each other. Its a beautiful thing.
He had served them with Carnitas. I loved the look and sound of them.
I thought they would go well with these tacos. I was right. They were fabulous.
They are incredibly tasty with an eye-popping pink colour that is oh so, so, so pretty!
The filling is very tasty also. Not too spicy, just enough to wake up your tasty buds and say "¡Arriba, Arriba! ¡Ándale, Ándale!"
I like to heat my tortillas over the open flame of a gas burner. I read about doing that a year or so ago and it was a life-changer for me.
I have never done them any other way since. They end up wow! I just love them!
Lightly toasted, charred a bit, and beautifully soft for folding in something like tacos. Seriously if you have never done this before, you need to try it!
Just take a pair of tongs and hold them over the open flame, first on one side and then the other. It only takes about 10 seconds per side.
Once you have done this, you will never want to enjoy them any other way. Trust me on this.
In addition to the filling, pickled onions and tortillas I served grated cheese, salsa and sour cream.
These were totally fabulous! We both ate three! I thought I would only eat two, but I just could not resist one more!
Yield: 4 - 6
Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Sweet Pickled Onions
Something I came up with to use up leftover cooked roast beef. These are delicious to say the least! You can make the onions up the day before if you wish. They will keep for quite a while. If you don't have any leftover roast beef, you can use ground beef and just cook as below.
ingredients:
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 pound leftover roast beef, cut into cubes
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 240ml beef stock (1 cup)
- 1 TBS minced Chipotle chiles in adobe sauce
- 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 packet of taco seasoning mix
- pinch salt
For the pickled onions:
- 180ml white vinegar (3/4 cup)
- 3 TBS caster sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half
- 5 whole allspice berries, bruised
- 5 whole cloves, bruised
- a pinch of dried chili flakes
- 1 large red onion, peeled, cut in half
- and then into half moons
To serve:
- 6-inch plain tortillas
- Dairy sour cream
- grated cheese (cheddar or jack)
- tomato salsa or picante sauce
instructions:
- First make the pickled onions. Place the vinegar, salt, sugar, spices, bay leaf and chili into a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Add the onion slices. Stir to completely submerge. Remove from the heat and set aside. Allow to cool completely before transferring all to a jar and refrigerating until ready to use.
- To make the taco filling, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped beef and onion. Cook and stir until the beef has begun to brown and the onions have softened without colouring. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Shred the meat with two forks.
- Heat the tortillas according to your favourite method. Serve immediately with the hot meat filling, pickled onions and any accompaniments you enjoy.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I really hope that you will give these a go the next time you have leftover roast beef that you are wanting to use up. If you are a fan of Tex Mex, you will quite simply adore these. I love using up leftovers in an interesting and delicious way. Its a good thing, not to coin a phrase from Martha or anything. Delicious, colourful and no waste here!
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!
One thing that children really enjoy for their suppers in the UK are Fish Fingers, Chips and Beans. Its a simple meal and quick to throw together, making it a firm favorite with mums as well. You don't always have the time or the energy to put together a big meal.
I confess that from time to time, I also enjoy it. It can be as simple as opening frozen packets and tins, popping the fish and chips into the oven and the beans into a saucepan to heat up. I, however, always like to add a little twist to my baked beans which I am sharing with you today.
My secret recipe for dealing with a tin of baked beans to dress them up a bit and make them taste just like New England Baked Beans, is to treat them like baked beans!
I don't think I am the first person to admit that tinned baked beans can be a little bit lack luster in comparison to the real thing! I was really spoilt as a child. Mom always used to bake our beans from scratch.
Every Saturday without fail we could count on them for most of my growing up years. Occasionally she would open a tin, but more often than not we had the real deal.
Baked long and slow in a low oven, all day. She would soak the beans the night before and then get them into her bean crock early in the morning. The smell of them baking would tantalize us all day.
By the time supper rolled around we were more than ready to tuck in with delight. And there was always plenty extra that she would freeze in containers for us to enjoy at future dates.
My sister bakes her own beans from scratch nowadays as well, but she uses her crock pot/slow cooker. They may not get quite as dark as mom's but the flavor is there, and we love them.
You don't always have time to bake your own beans however. And you don't always want to resort to opening a tin, wanting to feed your family something a bit more tastier than that.
Thankfully, I do know how to fix tinned beans up to taste very close to my mother's home baked beans with the addition of a few simple ingredients.
Its not very hard to do at all and this method works with any type of canned baked bean. All you need are a few simple ingredients . . . apple cider vinegar, molasses, soft light brown sugar, and tomato ketchup . . .
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FAUX BAKED BEANS
- 1 400g tin of baked beans in tomato sauce (14 oz)
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS mild molasses
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp hot mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
.jpg "frozen fish fingers")
To complete the meal you will also need a quantity of frozen fish fingers/sticks, and I am not promoting any one kind in particular. You know what your family like and enjoy. Personally I prefer cod fish fingers. But you pick whatever you like.
You also need a four serving size bag of frozen French fries, or in the UK a chippie that is close by where you can buy ready made chips/fries. Again, you know what it is that is available to you and what your family enjoys.
While you are heating up your fish fingers and or chips in the oven, you can get on with cooking your beans. They are so simple.
You just stir all of the additional ingredients into the beans and let them simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat. This will infuse them with that delicious home baked bean flavor we all love and enjoy.
I like to buy the best fish fingers and frozen oven chips that my money can buy, and only very occasionally, will I pick up ready made deep fried chips. It was much easier to do so in the UK.
This combination really does make for a tasty and quick occasional supper from time to time, and it not all that hard on the budget. For larger families it can be a real boost to the food bill!
If I am using deep fried chips from the local chippy I will also add a slice of cheap buttered white bread. Not only does it go well with the baked beans, but until you have tasted a chip butty (sandwich made from a slice of buttered white bread wrapped around hot chips) you really haven't lived
A true carboholic's dream!
Yield: 4
Fish Fingers, Chips & Beans
Quick and easy this is often a child's favourite supper. This special touch on the beans takes them over the top to delicious! Another store-cupboard meal.
ingredients:
- 1 package of your favourite frozen fish fingers
- (4 serving size)
- 1 package of your favourite frozen oven chips
- (4 serving size)
- 1 400g tin of baked beans in tomato sauce (14 oz)
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS mild molasses
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp hot mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
instructions:
- Preheat your oven and cook your fish fingers and chips according to the package directions. While they are cooking, open your beans and pour into a pot. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave on low heat simmering, stirring occasionally, until your fish fingers and chips are done.
- To serve divide the fish fingers, chips and beans between four heated dinner plates and serve immediately.
Created using The Recipes Generator
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!
When I had a growing family, I made oodles and scads of jams, preserves, jellies and pickles every year. I spent hours putting up fruit and veg from our garden for the winter and all of it got eaten.
Now that there are only two of us, it just isn't practical anymore as it never gets eaten. The only kind of preserving I do now, is small batch preserving. That is what suits the size of our family most of all.
I love rhubarb preserves however and was recently inspired by the influx of early rhubarb in our shops to make a small batch for my husband and myself to enjoy, but with a twist.
This is Rhubarb, Vanilla & Cardamom Jam . . . this is a delicious trinity of very good taste!
See how lovely and pink the rhubarb is? It comes from an area in the UK known as the "Rhubarb Triangle."
This covers a 9 square mile area in West Yorkshire which is famous for producing early season Forced Rhubarb.
This rhubarb has a Protected Designation of Origin status. (PDO)
Rhubarb which is a native plant species of Siberia actually thrives in
the soil and wet and cold winters of this area of the UK.
Forced
rhubarb grown in sheds has a beautiful pink colour and is a quite a bit more
tender that that which is grown outdoors in the summer months.
I used some to make an upside down cake one day and I had just enough left over to make this lovely jam.
This jam comes from a recipe I adapted from a site called Lovely Greens.
The addition of the vanilla and cardamom are my own additions. I love the three flavours together.
The rhubarb is tart, and the addition of lemon juice helps to preserve the pink colour and integrity of the tartness of the fruit.
The vanilla adds a beautiful aroma and flavour which goes very well with the flavour of the fruit . . . I think it actually enhances it.
Cardamom adds an additional flavour. There is just a small amount . . . just enough to give a hint of warmth and additional fragrance . . . it lends a gentle almost citrus-like flavour which goes so very well with the fruit.
Just a hint which is not over-powering in any way. You can leave it out altogether if you wish. I, personally, quite like it.
I had a fresh Parisian loaf from the bakery . . . I cut it into thin slices and lightly buttered it with some softened Danish butter . . .
I almost could not wait for the jam to cool down entirely before I was wanting to dig my spoon into it . . .
I know we were going to be in for a real taste treat!
I was right. This was pure and utter early Spring bliss . . .
Yield: Makes 2 (340g/12 ounce) jars
Rhubarb, Vanilla & Cardamom Jam
The taste of spring, flavoured lightly with vanilla and ground cardamom. Rhubarb, vanilla and cardamom are a trinity of great taste. This is another small batch recipe.
ingredients:
- 500g early rhubarb (1 pound)
- 475g jam sugar (has pectin in it) (2 1/2 cups)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
instructions:
- Wash the rhubarb and cut it into 1/2 inch pieces. Place into a reaction free container/saucepan along with the sugar. Cover and place on the side overnight.
- When you are ready to make the jam. Place on the stove, over medium heat, and bring to the boil. Add the cardamom and lemon juice and continue to boil, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for five minutes. Stir in the Vanilla paste. Ladle into hot clean and sterile jars. Seal tightly while still hot. Once cooled, if the lids have popped down you can store in a dry dark place. Otherwise store in the refrigerator. Delicious.
- Note - Jam sugar is granulated sugar which has the pectin already added.
Created using The Recipes Generator
What a wonderfully European combination . . . soft chewy bread from France . . . pink rhubarb from England . . . and creamy lightly salted butter from Denmark. How very cosmopolitan! Bon Appetit!
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