Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

Well apologies for my absence in the blogosphere. Things have been a bit hectic here. My partner and I are in the process of signing the papers on a new flat and it’s been a nightmare trying to get guarantors and communicate with the awful credit checking agency. I mean honestly I wonder if they just get bored and fail people because they cannot be bothered doing their job. It certainly seems that way.

Then of course university is getting busy again. After spending the past few weeks in pleasantly ignoring the amount of work I knew I had due, it has been a mad dash to get through everything with enough time spare to start revision for my wonderful exams. Ah, the life of a student, ‘so easy’ they say.

In between revision and coursework I have to find time to get the house in tip top condition to be inspected by our landlord before we move out, it’s going to be tricky.

Needless to say I’ve been a little stressed.

And what do I do when I’m stressed? Where do I turn to wash away the worries and bring back a feeling of calm?

To the kitchen of course!

Soup to me is like a big hug in a bowl. It’s warm and comforting, flavourful and inviting.

So here we are. My recipe for Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup.

• 6 rashers of Smoky Bacon
• One medium to large sized Red Onion
• 50g Butter
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 2 thick or 3 thin Leeks, chopped
• 4-5 medium sized floury Potatoes, quartered (I leave the skins on)
• Parmesan Rind (Adds an extra savoury dimension to the soup)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tbsp Mixed Herbs
• 1.2 litres of Chicken Stock

Start by dicing the bacon and onion and gently fry in the butter and olive oil. I like to make sure the bits of fat on the bacon are rendered down or crisp so that I don’t get chewy fat in my soup.

Next, finely dice or mince the garlic and add it to the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

Tumble in the leeks and potatoes followed by the rest of the ingredients. There should be enough liquid to cover the potatoes so add some hot water if you need more.

Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The soup is good to go as soon as the potatoes are cooked but like so many things this soup gets better with time. I usually have it simmering away for an hour or so. Just before serving remove the parmesan rind and season with salt and a generous grind of fresh black pepper.

Because I’m lazy I just mash this with a potato masher before serving. The starch from the potatoes helps to thicken the soup and so you end up with a consistency that is not too smooth and not to lumpy. Though if you would like to serve this cold as vichyssoise I would suggest leaving out the bacon and blitzing the soup until totally smooth. You can add the cooked bacon after, though I’m not sure it would work as well in a cold soup.

My perfect de-stressor. What do you do to unwind?

Easter: Chocolate Raisin Cornflake Cakes

Easter is almost here so I thought I would show you my Easter cornflake cakes. I’m sure many people will have fond memories of making Chocolate Easter nests and I wanted to show you a little twist which I think adds a fruity dimension. The inspiration for these comes from Cadbury’s Clusters which are so moreish and delicious. These are essentially the same but in a cake form with little eggs on top. They’re just as moreish and didn’t last very long in our house.

I hardly think anyone needs a recipe for these because they’re so simple and the left overs are easily used up for other things. I didn’t measure my ingredients but the rough measurements look a bit like this:

200-250g milk chocolate
a square or two of dark chocolate (not essential but makes them less sickly in my opinion)
1 tablespoon of Butter
100g Cornflakes
75g Raisins
Pack of Mini Eggs

Basically just melt the chocolate and butter then combine with the cornflakes and raisins until you have the desired proportion of chocolate to raisins and cornflakes. Then put the mixture into cupcake cases and decorate with mini eggs. Allow to set in the fridge for at least ten minutes.

Happy Easter!

Versatile Blogger and Inspiring Blogger award

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! I feel so honoured to be nominated for not just one award but two by the same person. I must say a huge thank you to the wonderful Tasha (great name by the way ) over at foodashion.com who was kind enough to nominate me for both the Versatile Blogger and Inspiring Blogger awards! Tasha is a vegetarian and so, for me, it’s a good source of recipes when I need a tasty vegetarian meal. Check out the recipe for the Perfect Portabello Mushroom Sandwich, it’s so delicious!

Now comes the hard part. I have to share seven things about myself. So here goes.

1. I don’t like seafood. It’s something about the fishy taste and mostly the look of it that puts me off. I can eat meaty types of fish like salmon and haddock but anything that tastes a bit fishy is off the menu for me.
2. I eat chocolate fingers by biting off each end then sucking up hot chocolate using the finger like a straw. If you like dunking biscuits you must try this!
3. I have a recipe addiction. I honestly think it may be becoming a problem. If I’m not stumbling through food blogs then I’m re-reading my well thumbed cookbooks and food magazines. I sometimes buy a new cookbook twice a month. We’re running out of space on the bookshelf!
4. Beer is my alcohol of choice though I barely ever drink. I like wine and other drinks sometimes but I love the savoury taste of a good beer.
5. I study Psychology but I can’t read your mind you wouldn’t believe how many people ask
6. The farthest I’ve travelled is Paris. It was for a school trip and my friends and I blew bubbles off the top of the Eiffel Tower
7. I want to open a café in the highlands some day.

Ok so I’m changing the rules a little bit. I’m going to nominate 5 bloggers for both of these awards as I feel they deserve both as well. In no particular order these are the 5 blogs I think deserve both these awards

Versatile blogger and Inspiring blogger award

Bish’s Dishes -Some excellent recipes as well as food and tales from her travels

Just a Smidgen -Beautiful recipes, pictures and writing

A Frog at Large – I love this blog, her posts are always thoughtful and amusing

The Smart Cookie Cook – Wonderful recipes and pictures as well as a few videos. This is a great site for when you’re stuck for ideas on what to have but you know you want something indulgent and yummy!

Mama’s Gotta Bake – Great pictures and recipes. Check her recipe for Chocolate Brioche Loaf. I’m off to make some now!

The Basic Rules

1. Thank the person that nominated you
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Choose your nominees (at least 5). (It’s up to you whether you wish to give both awards or just one or the other)
4. Comment on your nominees blogs to let them know they’ve been nominated

Once again thank you to Tasha at Foodashion.com

No Knead Bread

I feel like this recipe is a bit of a rite of passage as a food blogger. It’s one of those recipes that keeps popping up via StumbleUpon. Everyone seems to have their own opinions on it and so I decided it was time I gave it a go too.

Out of all the things I make, bread is probably what I make most frequently. I love the process and the magic of turning such simple ingredients into a satisfying loaf of bread. I especially love cutting into it while it is still warm then slathering a piece in butter, devouring and savouring every crumb. I often have to stop myself eating the whole loaf at once as it is so moreish. But enough about my bread addiction.

One of the reasons I’ve avoided this recipe is because I was convinced that the long rise time would cause the bread to taste very yeasty and this is not a characteristic I like my bread to have. However, I realised the other day that the basic recipe for no knead bread requires only a quarter of a teaspoon of yeast. A usual bread recipe includes about a teaspoon and a half of yeast so I figured that this reduction would lessen the chance of getting a yeasty loaf.

This is such an easy bread to make and it’s great if you like seeing the process of the yeast working its magic. However, I do have to say that though its probably a more fun recipe for making bread the taste was lacking a little and next time I make it I will be tempted to add a little sugar and butter to add a bit of the richness that this bread was lacking.

The basic recipe that I used can be found here. I did change the method a little so I’ll post that along with the pictures below.

Just before I get to those.
While I was snapping the bread pictures I had the back door open for a bit more light and noticed this little guy tugging at a bit of fluff to take back to his nest. He was finding it pretty hard and even sat down to get better leverage. I didn’t even know blue tits could sit like this!

Blue Tit

Having a wee sit down

Okay, now onto the bread!

Begin by putting the flour into a bowl with the yeast on one side and the salt on the other. Mix these in separately then mix the whole lot together. This will stop the yeast coming into direct contact with the salt which could kill the yeast.

 

 

Next, make a well in the centre and pour in the water.

 

 

 

Take a wooden spoon and mix the flour and water to the consistency of a ‘shaggy mess’. This is the technical term. There shouldn’t be any dry flour in the bowl but you don’t need to worry about shaping it into a bowl or the fact that it’s very wet. It’s supposed to be.

Now cover with cling film and leave for 12-20 hours. I left mine for 18 hours.

The next day you should be greeted by something that looks like this.

 

 

 

Tip the dough out onto a very well floured surface and have more flour on standby. (The recipe I was following suggests using wet hands to balance out the extra flour but I found this too messy, so I switched back to just flouring my hands and used a scraper so I didn’t have to touch the dough too much.) Fold the edges into the middle and then turn the whole ball over and continue to tuck the dough under so you get a nice taut surface on top.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get as taut a surface as I would usually be happy with but it didn’t seem to matter.

As I didn’t have a tea towel that was appropriate for leaving my dough to rest in I just left it on my pastry mat with a tea towel over the top. This seemed to work fine. I left it for 2 hours. During the last 30 minutes of this time put your baking vessel into the oven to warm up. The temperature should be 230C. You need something that is oven safe to 230C and has a lid. I greased mine because I was paranoid about the bread sticking.

Turn out your dough into the pot (remembering that it will be very hot). The tucked in parts of the dough should now be facing up and this will make a nice pattern on top of the bread. Replace the lid and bake for 20-30 minutes (mine only needed 20). Then take off the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes. This is to ensure a nice crispy crust.

 

The finished bread. It should be deep golden brown all over and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

This bread is extremely photogenic and it sounds just as beautiful, crackling as it cools.

I would definitely urge anyone to give this a go because it’s really fun to make. However I think I’ll add a tablespoon of butter and teaspoon of sugar next time and see if that takes the flavour to the next level.

Pancake Day!

So tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday or as it’s more commonly referred to- Pancake Day. The origin of Shrove Tuesday is that it’s the day all the perishable, rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, fat and sugar are used up before lent begins.

I love pancakes. They’re yummy, quick and you can experiment with all kinds of different toppings. It’s a shame we only really make them once a year but then again maybe that’s what keeps them special and interesting.

I should probably mention that my idea of Pancakes are actually what many people would call Crêpes. These are thin, flat and reasonably large unlike their smaller slightly risen American cousins. But I grew up calling this version a pancake and habits like that are hard to break.

Here’s my Pancake recipe followed by a few of my favourite toppings.

Pancakes
Makes 9

• 100g Plain Flour
• Pinch of Salt (or a teaspoon of Sugar though I find that this can cause the pancake to burn more easily)
• 1 Egg
• 320ml Warm Milk (not to be hot enough to cook the egg)
• 1 tbsp melted Butter

Sift the Flour and Salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre.

Add the Egg and half the Milk into the centre and beat until a smooth batter is formed.

Gradually add the rest of the Milk and stir in the melted Butter.

Melt a tiny bit of butter in a large frying pan. If you use too much butter the pancake will be soggy.

Heat the pan until it just begins to smoke and add a small ladle (about 3-4 tablespoons) of batter. Swirl the pan to coat  evenly and turn the heat down to medium low.

Cook the pancake until it moves freely from the bottom of the pan. Lift the edge with a spatula to check if it has begun to brown, if so flip it over, if not leave it for another minute, perhaps increasing the heat a little.
[I recently read that if you can flip the pancake in the air then this means it's tough so I am quite proud to be a spatula flipper!]

Check the other side after a couple of minutes and remove to a plate once it has cooked. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter.

Now comes the fun bit- Fill and top your pancakes!

These are some of my favourites:

Lemon and Sugar

A classic and probably my favourite. I like it best with brown sugar rather than white.

Filled with Cream and Berries, topped with a Raspberry Sauce. Yum!

Not only does this taste amazing but it is so easy to present. This would have been a rather good Valentines dessert now I come to think about it!

Nutella and toasted Hazelnuts

A shamefully recent discovery. I feel like I’ve missed out on many years of this delicious combination. Smooth Nutella and crunchy nuts, all wrapped up in a pancake, delicious!

Got any favourite toppings you wanna share?

Puff Pesto Pizzas

I always have leftovers. I suppose it’s what comes from only needing to cook for two people- Myself and Matt. Often we only need half an onion here or half a can of tomatoes there. Of course I don’t mind making extra for a rainy day but then when those rainy days never come you end up with a freezer full of leftovers and no motivation to eat it. Just now we have a serving each of bolognese, sausage casserole and chicken pie. Though I suppose they will get eaten eventually and it is reassuring to know there is always a quick meal to hand.

The chicken pie was the last leftover producing meal I made. It was lovely and creamy and may end up on here sometime soon but it did leave me with some left over puff pastry.

Puff pastry is one of those ingredients that can be turned into a range of food items. It’s a great base for hors d’oeuvres. It makes baked brie that little bit more indulgent and as we’ll see below it can turn a mis-mash of ingredients into a flaky filling snack.

I was sitting in my kitchen. Trying to work out how I could make the puff pastry into something that didn’t require more ingredients. I didn’t have any brie and I wasn’t planning on throwing any parties that required hors d’oeuvres anytime soon, so what was it to be? Checking the cupboards I found some pinenuts (bought to make pesto which I still hadn’t got round to). I then went to the fridge and found a few cherry tomatoes, parmesan, olives and a solitary slice of ham.

I then had a vision of topped puff pastry that could be a bit like pizza. Perfect! I decided to try my hand at making pesto as that would make a pretty good base for the pizzas. It turned out wonderfully and was such a beautiful, vibrant green. Very unlike the stuff you buy in a jar. At first I wasn’t too keen on the flavour. I thought it may have been missing something but couldn’t work out what. However, when I tasted it a few hours later it was perfect, it obviously just needed time for the flavours to develop.

The finished pizzas were delicious and didn’t last very long. They’re extremely moreish. I must admit I did have pesto leftover which perhaps defies the point of making a dish to use up leftovers, however, I felt justified by its versatility and the fact that it lasts a long time in the fridge. We mostly used it on sandwiches over the next few days.

Get creative with your toppings, obviously the ones I used were made up of items I had lying about but there really is no end to the combinations that would work well here. Caramelised onion and goats cheese would be interesting. Tomato and mozzarella would compliment the pesto very well.
I’ve just noticed that Vered over at http://eatnowtalklater.wordpress.com has posted some great puff pastry ideas recently such as these Aubergine and Feta Tarts.

I’d love to hear the toppings you come up with or your ideas on using up left over puff pastry. Drop me a line below.

Pesto
makes about half a ramekin full

• 25g Basil Leaves
• 1 peeled clove of garlic
• 25g grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp Pinenuts
• About 100ml Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to season

Put the basil, pinenuts, parmesan and garlic in the food processor and blitz until combined. Slowly add the olive oil until the right consistency is achieved. Season to taste.

Cover and leave in the fridge for an hour or two.

Puff Pesto Pizzas

• Left over puff pastry
• Pesto (or you could substitute leftover tomato pasta/pizza sauce)
• A range of different toppings, go crazy!
• Try and include some cheese to go over the top (I went for cheddar)
• A dash of milk or a beaten egg for brushing the sides of the pastry

Cut your pastry into desired size and shape. I had enough for three squares and seeing as it’s valentines day soon I cut out a heart shaped one too.

Now cut a line halfway through the pastry about a centimetre in from the side. This will help the sides rise without being pulled down by the topping.

Next, spread the pesto over the centre of the pastry and add your chosen toppings.

Sprinkle cheese over the toppings to protect them and stop them drying out.
Finally, brush the sides of the pastry with milk or egg to give a nice golden edge.

 

Pop the pizzas in the oven at 200 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until the sides are puffed and golden brown and the cheese has melted nicely.

Devour in minutes!

Caponata: Sicilian pasta sauce with aubergines, olives and capers

Well, well, well exams are finally out the way for another semester and I can get back to cooking properly again! For the past few weeks my kitchen activity has mainly consisted of making a big pot of something at the start of the week (usually bolognese) and the freezing it in batches to be reheated throughout the week with some pasta or toast. Safe to say bolognese got pretty boring.

Come the end of my last exam I was itching to get back in the kitchen and try a new recipe.
One thing I’ve been wanting to try for a while now is a take on the Caponata with Butternut Squash ravioli that I’d had at the Edinburgh Foodie Festival last summer.

My wonderful mum came up last weekend and brought along some Pumpkin Ravioli. What a great opportunity to try out  Caponata!
It’s a rather odd recipe for me because it contains so many things that I actually don’t think I like such as aubergine, capers and butternut squash.

However, the combination is just fantastic!
It’s got the salty taste from the olives and capers, the sharp sour taste from the red wine vinegar, the sweet taste from the sugar and peppers. Finally the aubergine and tomato provides an excellent base for these flavours to come together. The sweet filling of the butternut squash contrasts brilliantly with this savoury, tangy sauce. It’s actually very similar to ratatouille and can be enjoyed warm or cold; as a sauce or with cold meats and cheese as antipasto.

We improvised this recipe from a number of online sources as well as what we could remember from the festival.

Caponata
The recipe given is to serve 2 people but can be doubled up to serve 4 etc or make more to save for later.

• 1/2 an Aubergine, diced
• 1/2 an Onion, diced
• 1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped
• Half a Red Pepper, diced
• Handful of pitted Green Olives, halved
• 1/2 a can (400g) of chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of Capers
• 2 tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 tsp of Sugar or to your taste
• 2 tsp or dried Parsley or a small handful if you have fresh

Fry the aubergine in olive oil until it begins to brown, about 5-8 minutes, then transfer to kitchen towel to drain.

Fry the onions for 3-4 minutes until they are beginning to golden then add the peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and aubergine and cook for 2 minutes.

Next, add the tomatoes and capers to the pan and cook with the lid on for 5 minutes.

After 10 minutes stir in the parsley, red wine vinegar and sugar until dissolved, allow this to be absorbed, usually 5 minutes and then taste to decide if you need more sugar or vinegar.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly before serving as it should be served warm rather than hot.

Serve with butternut squash or pumpkin ravioli and garnish with rocket.

Have you tried any new recipes lately? Drop me a line and let me know how they went!