Forgive Me. Pretty Peas?

Before even beginning to write about this dish (gasp), I must apologise for the 'extreme' lack of posts and can only present this pretty, plate of pea & mint risotto, as a flag of forgiveness. I can only hope that this will not happen again... (fingers crossed!) But, lets not dwell any longer. Here- is a healthy, heavenly, herbalicious, lunch/dinner dish that will surely send your sensations in to a supreme sanctuary of... mmmmmmmm's. For this, you must first make a risotto bianco (white): using risotto rice, ladles of good quality chicken stock (or vegetable), a splash of white wine, chopped onions, pinch of salt and pepper. Then, the fun part! You can add a mixture of things to give your bianco a boom. I used garden peas, boiled with mint, chili, and pepper. Which I then strained and blended to a smooth paste. Fold this mix into your bianco, for a great, colour and taste combo. Then garnish with Parmesan, olive oil and a sprig of mint. Vuala!!

D.I.Y. Bread.

At my home we had run out of one of those necessity type things, bread. I didn't like the idea of going to the shops and buying some, especially when I knew we had all the ingredients to make our own. So I did. This is just like any other bread dough recipe. (In fact, I split this batch into thirds, and made three different breads.) Mix together strong bread flour, with a sachet of yeast, some salt and a sprinkle of sugar. Make a well, and gradually pour in some tepid water. Fold the edges of your flour mix into the water, and work it. Keep adding more water, until it forms into a a good shape. (A ball.) Then place it onto a floured work surface and knead it. Leave it to rise in a dry place, for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Knock the air out of it and knead again for not as long. Then make it in to any shape you wish and add any flavourings. I put mine in an oiled bread tin. Leave it to rise again for about 20 minutes. Then bake in the oven at 230, for about 15-30 minutes depending on your shape. Break it open, butter it, hold it, smell it, love it.

Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes.

At some point in June, it rained. Rather a lot. = No outdoor fun. Perhaps we should bake cakes...! (Yes.) (I'm not in anyway encouraging it to rain, in fact I prefer sunshine.) These were like any other cupcake recipe, this one used self-raising flour, so no need for baking powder or soda. I added a tiny splash of raspberry jus from some jam to the mix and then baked the little darlings in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile I made a butter cream icing, adding some red food colouring and some raspberry jam! If the mixture is too thick add a splash of milk or if not thick enough either more icing sugar (but be careful, taste before) or more butter. Decorate them how you wish- I did mine all differently using chocolate sprinkles and raspberries! Lovely.

Street Party Scotch Eggs.

Quite simply put, this has oddly been one of my most desirably, desperate, do's of the last two years! - I have wanted to make homemade scotch egg's for so long, but have never found the time or occasion. Drum roll... Jubilee street party. (Of course!) These were, honestly, the talk of the party (kind of). My Mum and I made these together. We hard boiled about 8 eggs (bare in mind, we halved ours on serving), we removed sausage meat from some pork sausages, and then seasoned it with pepper and sage. We then coated our eggs in the meat mixture and then dipped them in... more egg, then finally covered these beauties in a breadcrumb mixture. We also double coated ours, for extra crunch. We then shallow fried them in some oil, and left them to drain, before cutting them to serve and giving them a final sprinkle of pepper. God bless scotch eggs! (... alright, and the Queen.)

Afternoon Tea at Harrods.



Firstly, my apologies about the alignment and sizing of these photos. But, I really did not want to post them separately. These are two snippets from the most excellent afternoon tea at Harrods, London. The occasion- my sister's 22nd Birthday, 1st of June. I had to show you these photos, because, it was quite honestly the best tea and cakes I have ever had. (I have had, a lot of tea and cake...) The image at the top was this marvellous lollipop of a hard white chocolate shell (coloured pale green), coated in we think silvery coca puffs... (still good), and then, inside... the most amazing, melting, rich, chocolate. Ohhh. What a delight! Then below you can see a selection of pastries, cakes, scones etc. The best thing, was the green coloured mousse sitting between some choux pastry. It was a pistachio cream! And it was good!

Milkshake Madness.

During that hot bit in May, myself and my boyfriend decided to make a couple of refreshing milkshakes. We each came up with our own, and sort of made them up as we went along. As you can see, I went with a delicious but incredibly thick, Oreo milkshake, which was amazing- It tasted like cake! But I must admit, it was so thick and so filling, I couldn't finish it. (Rubbish.) However, my boyfriend made a light and refreshing strawberry milkshake, with a clever sneaky hint of lemon (which works, his idea!). I confess, his was the better one, but I will be making them both again, I just need to improve my ingredients. If you want to have ago, just use about 3 scoops of good quality ice cream (any flavour you like), a tiny splash of milk, some ice (make it nice and cool), and any ingredients you wish- be it, pineapple, peach, peanut M&M's or even pistachio... (Err...) :)

Two Scoops of Ice Cream for Two!

You may remember, back in May, we had something that we like to call, 'Summer'. During this 'summery' time, myself and my best friend decided to pay a visit to our beach, and take a gander at all the sunny, sea gull-tastic, sun cream submerged, Southerners and others... My kind friend treated us both to a delightful New Forest Ice Cream, two scoops, of which they were, mint choc-chip (our shared personal favourite), and honey-comb crunch. (Our new almost over taking favourite). We have a small little kiosk at our beach that sells these marvellous ice creams, and other things like coke and ginger beer floats! (Don't you just love summer.) (That time it was hot in May.) :)

Seasonal Cooking.

Having your own vegetable patch in your garden is quite remarkably satisfying and rewarding. (Even if you do get over loaded with veg!) For a simple, tasty supper, I made this enjoyable pasta dish. I cooked some herby, pork sausages in the oven until perfectly golden and sizzling. Meanwhile I boiled this delightful pasta, called 'Conchiglioni', it is curled and rounded, so that it can scoop up all of the lovely pasta sauce! YUM, well done. Once my pasta was almost cooked I plonked in my purple sprouting broccoli from our very own garden. (Don't be scared if the water seems like it's turning purple, it'll change!) I don't like to cook this for too long, it's nice with just a little bite and crunch to it. (Equally you could steam it.) I then in a separate pan made a delicious creamy tomato sauce, using passata, soft cream cheese, and Parmesan. I then sliced up my sausages, and combined all the ingredients together once cooked. Lastly I gave the whole thing a few scattered shavings of Parmesan and a crack of black pepper. Done!

Tuna Steak with Griddled Pineapple.

First of all, I cannot stress how much this was quite literally, the best meal, I have ever made, unfor'tuna'tely, for myself! It was too good! Restaurant quality if you will... This was grilled tuna steak, with simple, yet spicy Asian noodles, topped with a piece of mouth watering griddled pineapple. The combination of the juicy tuna steak and the mouth watering pineapple, just cleansed your pallet over and over again, the whole trio in this dish was like the trinity of good food. I would highly recommend doing this. (I'm definitely doing it again, and I NEED someone to try it, just to know HOW great it is!)

The Simple Things.

After having returned from Germany, I came to appreciate the satisfaction received from simple, good quality food. (A similar ideal to the Italians...) However, whilst there I enjoyed things like a hot roll, with just butter and a pinch of salt. Sounds dull perhaps, but my word, there is nothing quite like it on a cold Northern German afternoon, with a cup of Earl Grey. Another thing I came to learn, was that German's, much like many Europeans, love cheese! I luckily enough got to visit a local cheese makers, directly across from the dairy in the North of Germany, and purchased a selection of lovely Cheese's. - This was my English meets German breakfast interpretation of simply, a hot piece of roll, with some butter, a sprinkle of salt, a piece of German cheese, and a beautifully soft boiled egg. Simplistic perfection!

Family Recipe- Paella!

Proper Paella. This is my Dad's recipe. This can be called a Paella, because my Dad has a rather lovely, large, paella dish pan. (Although we do use it for other dishes too) Anyway, in this recipe, we have included, fried onions, peppers, mushrooms, peas, prawns, mussels, and chicken thighs on the bone. Our seasonings are turmeric (for the yellow factor), paprika, pinch of chili powder, salt and pepper, that is about it! (OH WAIT.) I must add- we cheekily do not use proper Paella rice... Confession! We use Arborio Risotto rice, which is fairly similar, you want a nice absorbent rice. Alas, that is that! Give it a try! Olé, Olé, Olé!

Certainly Not Paella.

This was my quick and tasty one pan dinner. Now, it has lots of similar ingredients to a paella, but I simply cannot call it one, because firstly I didn't add any turmeric or saffron to the rice, and I didn't cook it in an awesome paella pan. Which you must do if your making a paella! Anyway, I boiled some long grain rice, and once it was almost soft I removed it from the pan, in to a bowl. I then fried some onions and bacon. Once softened I added prawns and chorizo. Then when cooked through, some frozen peas and loads of parsley. I then added the rice back to the pan and mixed it through. Was really nice and oddly refreshing. :)

Catch of the Day- Fresh Whole Trout.

A couple of weeks ago I went for a nice day out to a place called the Meon Springs, in East Meon. Whilst there I was able to try out some fly fishing. Considering my first attempt was quite poor, I bagged a catch in the end. Once home my boyfriend and I gutted our fish, pin boned them and portioned them up. I had mine, that night, topping it with homemade breadcrumbs, grated lemon zest, parsley, pepper, and a squeeze of half a lemon. I baked it in the oven for just over 5 minutes (super quick!). It was amazing. The best trout I've ever had, and I've eaten it in restaurants before! It's such a reward and so fresh. Give it a go, whether you catch your own or by it fresh from the fishmongers. :)

The Best Coffee You'll Find.

Now, in Hamburg and all around the North of Germany actually, there is this great, cute, chain of coffee shops, called: Campus Suite. They always have really friendly staff, great atmosphere, tasty food (hot or cold), fresh juices, and... the most amazing coffee's. I'm not even that big on coffee, I'm more of a tea person (addict), but, this caramel macchiato (my prefered choice), was so good! If ever you are in Germany, I strongly recommend you try this place. Really great. :)

Dauphinoise Potatoes.

These are my home made dauphinoise potatoes. Now, I think I probably didn't do these exactly how you're meant to, however, they were still pretty good. They make a great alternative to the other more common potato variations. Simply boil and slice some potatoes, lay them flat in a tall dish, placing sliced onion, garlic and sprinkles of butter in between each layer, until you get to the top. Then pour cream over the top, more butter, and grated cheese. It all sounds very bad, potato, cream, butter etc. But it's not. It's just good. :) Have a go, and try to perfect it, then let me know! ;)

Beautiful Black Forest Gâteau.

This was possibly the best cake I've ever had. Now considering I was in the country that invented the Black Forest Gâteau at the time, I think it might of slightly enhanced the experience. Regardless, it was simply, incredible. I'm not over exaggerating, I know it's just food, but oh my goodness. Delicate whipped cream, rippled with cherry jus, layered on top of the lightest coco cake, marbled between sweet and sour cherry conserve, with a hint of liquor, all sat bountifully on top of a crumbly, biscuity, cakey base, and more cream and chocolate sprinkles dusted on the back. (Wow.)

German's Know How To Cook A Potato.

Okay, so, it's fairly obvious I didn't cook either of these things. But! It is necessary that I share them with you none the less, because they are too good not to! The  image on the top was an amazing turkey steak, grilled, with a sweet pineapple slice and the most awesome, fruity curry sauce! (They love their curry sauces, and this one was top notch). To serve with meat dishes like this, the German's often have very finely sliced potatoes, fried with onions and bacon. The most amazing things ever. (At the time I gave up pork for Lent.) Can you imagine, being in one of the best sausage nations of the world...Anyway, so I had mine without the bacon. Still good! :)

Herb Crusted Lamb Chops with Bulgar Wheat.

A taste of home and a bit of spring too! This was my Mum's yummy herb crusted lamp chops, with a sneaky bit of crushed pistachio, and Parmesan, griddled along with some sliced courgettes (Mmmm) and the best ever Bulgur wheat salad. With a combination of crunchy spring onions, sweet tomatoes and fresh mint. Such a simple yet satisfying spring dish. Superb!

Awesome Dal Bhat.

This is my version of a dish I've come to love. Sweet potato and carrot vegetable curry, with wild basmati rice, and the best ever lentil dal. In Nepal (which is where I got the recipe from!) they have lentil dal (which is kind of like a lentil soup) with rice, (bhat) all the time. ALL the time. It is really nice though! The secret is to cook your lentils in chicken stock! Makes the best flavour ever. Plus, if you can, steam your rice. The combinations of everything work so well, the heat from the curry, the mild rice, and the savoury dal to add substance- BOOM.

Forgive Me Food.

Firstly... let me just apologise! I'm terribly sorry that I haven't posted for a long while. You see... I had been away in Germany, sampling the cuisine of Deutschland and so on. However, that is for another post! This, was my quick and easy, creamy, mushroom, fusilli pasta, with wholegrain mustard and rosemary! (The reason I added the rosemary was because recently I've discovered I like the taste of mushrooms and good old rose'm together: just don't use too much!) The creamy part of this dish is Philadelphia cheese! YUM.