This combination of flavours tastes absolutely gorgeous and compliments many dishes – my husband enjoys it with burgers and I think it adds a new level to a salad. Unfortunately no picture does it justice ..so here goes:
Ingredients:
200 g Feta cheese chopped in to small chunks
150 ml sour cream 2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp honey Handful of chopped mint
Method:
Put all the ingredients in to a bowl and mix thoroughly until smooth.
Place in fridge until serving.
I think the finest meal is one where you have the opportunity to have a multitude of different flavour combinations – probably why I love a roast dinner with all the extra trimmings.
A barbecue is one such opportunity – a plate can be laden with a multitude of little bits of this and that.
This is one such dish.
Ingredients:
1 large white onion – finely chopped Zest and juice of 2 limes
1 large green pepper – finely chopped 600 g of cranberry sauce
Mint – large handful chopped Coriander – large handful chopped
Method:
Put all the ingredients in to a large bowl and combine thoroughly.
This salsa is perfect with meat, fish and salads – an all round great accompaniment.
I put the salsa in to the empty cranberry sauce jars. It will last for at least a week in the fridge (if not devoured beforehand!)
Nothing beats out-door cooked food in my mind. We may have erratic and unpredictable weather in this country (UK) but we need very little persuading to fire up a barbecue at the merest hint of a blue sky.
If my family want to eat a burger when we have a barbecue, I don’t have a problem with this as long as I make them from scratch so I know exactly what is in them.
Makes 9 / 10 burgers
Ingredients:
750 g prime beef mince ideally sourced locally
1 large white onion – chopped finely 2 cloves of garlic – chopped finely
3 slices of green jalapeno pickled pepper – chopped finely
3 slices of red jalapeno pickled pepper – chopped finely
Method:
Put all the ingredients in to a large mixing bowl and combine all the ingredients thoroughly.
Using damp hands form in to burger patties.
Cover and place in the fridge for about 45 minutes. Prior to placing on the barbecue, pan fry to seal both sides.
Serve with a cranberry salsa (recipe on blog)
I don’t have a very large back garden – about a fifth of an acre – but the space is put to good use. Because the house is up for sale, I haven’t planted the vegetable plot this year…probably should have done as we haven’t sold yet!! The garden has a variety of fruit trees – Victoria Plum, Grenadier Apple, Egremont Russet and James Grieve desert apples, Damson, Bartlett and Conference Pear, Gooseberry, Red / Blackcurrant bushes and Rhubarb. Each year these wonderful plants provide a vast quantity of fruit – so much last year that I had to buy another chest freezer! This year, due to the odd weather, the gooseberry bushes have borne little fruit and the plum tree is clearly resting after a bumper crop last year. However, all other trees are covered in ripening fruit.
The chickens indicated this morning that the red and black currants were ready for picking – red and black juice stained beaks were a real give away! So… half an hour later 2 bowls were filled…still masses left to pick off the laden stems 🙂
and so begins the making and baking…pies, cakes, puddings, cassis, flavoured vodkas, jams etc.
Perfect for a light supper on a hot summer’s day 🙂 . The wonderful thing about this dish is that it is delicious both hot and cold.
The number of servings depends upon what is served with the dish – serves 2 if on its own or with a small salad or 4 if served with additional vegetables and new potatoes. Gas mark 5 / 190 c Oven proof pan
Ingredients:
1 spiralised courgette 6 eggs – beaten and seasoned with pepper
2 spring onions finely chopped handful of grated cheese olive oil for frying
Method:
Gently fry the courgetti and onions for a couple of minutes. Add the grated cheese and beaten egg. Put the pan in the oven for 10 – 15 mins until the frittata is just set.
Ingredients:
2 pints of stock – chicken or vegetable
Selection of vegetables peeled and diced – I used 3 potatoes, 3 large carrots, 1 large white onion, handful of frozen peas.
Salt and pepper
Dash of Worcester sauce
1 tsp of dried mixed herbs
Method:
Put everything into a large pan – I use my Prestige Pressure Cooker ( middle weight) to drastically reduce cooking time.
Put on to the heat and stir for a couple of minutes. Lid on and bring to steam for about 10 minutes (in a pan 25 – 30 mins)
Remove from the heat and allow to cool until pressure gone. Blend half of the mixture and recombine with the remaining soup.
Put the carcass and remains of the chicken in to a large pan – I use my Prestige Pressure cooker.
Add a couple of pints of water. Put on the hob – Pressure cooker middle weight and stream for 20 mins once pressure reached – only sufficient heat to cause a gentle steam. (in a pan – simmer for 40 mins.
Sieve the contents to separate the stock from the solids – if the chicken pieces are wnted – sift through the solids.
Serves 4/6
Microwave 2-3 mins on full power 4/6 individual large ramekins e.g. Prestige /souffle dishes
Ingredients:
For the pudding:
100 g gluten-free self-raising flour 100 g butter
100 g light muscovado sugar 3 eggs (2 if not using gf flour
3 tsp ground ginger
For the filling:
6-10 tbsp Greek yoghurt 4 pieces of stem ginger coarsely chopped
Method:
Put all the ingredients in to a bowl and mix well until smooth. Divide equally between the ramekins. Put in the microwave for 2 mins – test with skewer. Cooked when skewer comes out clean.
Mix Greek yoghurt with the chopped stem ginger. Scoop the centre of the pudding out and fill with yoghurt mixture and pop ‘lid’ back on. Serve whilst puddings still hot.
Serves 3 Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 4
Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash deseeded and chopped in to small chunks
plum / cherry tomatoes
3 smoked mackerel fillets torn into large pieces
300 g rice noodles
rocket
tamari (soy sauce if non gf)
Olive oil
Method:
Put butternut squash on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven for about 30 mins until cooked and edges crisping.
Put a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and, once hot, add the rice noodles. Stir for a minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for a further minute. Drizzle with tamari. Add the fish and heat through. Finally add the roasted squash, stir and serve on a bed of rocket.
Oven to tableware dish from Prestige
Such an easy dish to prepare:
Serves 3 Pre heat oven to 180C Gas mark 4
Ingredients
For the cheese sauce:
350 ml Full / semi skimmed milk 80 g Cheddar / Double Gloucester cheese – grated
20 g Butter 30 g gluten-free plain flour
1 tsp English mustard
For the remainder of the dish:
1 cauliflower cut in to 3 chunks 1 skinned fillet of hake 1 handful of mangetout
15 g grated cheese
Method:
Place the hake fillet within a tin foil parcel and bake in the centre of the oven for 10 mins.
Put the cauliflower in a pan of boiling water and cook until for 8- 10 mins.(alternatively steam e.g Prestige pressure cooker 5-8 mins) and boil /steam the mangetout for 3 mins.
For the cheese sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Stir in the flour
Gradually add the milk – stirring continuously.
Simmer gently and add the mustard and then the grated cheese, stirring until all melted and thoroughly combined.
Simply assemble all the ingredients in an oven proof dish, top with grated cheese and put in the oven to heat through thoroughly.
Jo's food bites. 