Ultimate Vegetable Soup

With both Gary and I both having been struck down somewhat in the prime of life recently (90's F.R.I.E.N.D.S reference there) this weekend was all about the sofa, the duvet, and great big bowlfuls of this soup, whilst we tried to nurse ourselves back to health. This is the way my Mum used to make soup, packed full of veggies, thick enough to stand your spoon up in, and seasoned to perfection. It is my ultimate vegetable soup, easy to make, and with nothing but goodness in every spoonful. The recipe is loose, feel free to substitute some of the vegetables to suit, or use vegetable stock instead of chicken. To paraphrase Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean films...

Ingredients 

(makes enough for approx 6 portions)

2 litres Chicken Stock

2 small onions

3 cloves garlic

5 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 medium potatoes

1/2 butternut squash

1/2 medium swede

3 carrots

1 small broccoli head

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Peel and roughly chop all the vegetables...

Place in a large pan with the chicken stock, and simmer for around 1 hour, until all the vegetables are soft...

Using a handheld blender, whizz the vegetables until smooth (make sure there are no chunks of veg hiding at the bottom...

Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste - don't be stingy with the seasoning. Then serve in big bowls, with plenty of bread and butter for dunking. Perfect!

As a healthy, inexpensive, and definitely tasty meal, I am linking this into this month's Feel Good Food...

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Throughout the winter months, one of my favourite things is a Sunday roast. When the warm weather comes around, we trade in our roasts for barbecues, fresh salads and and lazy afternoons in pub gardens, but the first waft of cool air in autumn, and my roasting pans come back out, and it's meat-and-two-veg all the way. 

As like most people I expect, our routines have been slightly out of sync over Christmas, at one point I was convinced that every day was Sunday. Fortunately the days have just about organised themselves again, and yesterday we were happily back into the Sunday roast routine once more. 

This is my recipe for two wonderfully succulent, melt-in-the-mouth lamb shanks, just multiply the ingredients for 4 or 6 as needed...

Ingredients

2 lamb shanks
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 sprigs rosemary
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
rock salt to taste
200ml red wine
300ml chicken stock
2 tsp cornflour

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees
• Use the flour to coat the lamb shanks, and knock off any excess
• Heat the oil in a casserole dish on the hob, then sear the meat on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside
• Add the leek, onion, carrots and garlic to the pan, and cook for around 5 minutes until softened
• Add the rosemary sprigs and peppercorns and stir, add sea salt to taste

• Pour in the red wine and chicken stock
• Bring to a simmer, then return the lamb shanks to the pan

• Take the casserole dish and cover with foil, or the pan lid
• Place in the oven and slow cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and falls away from the bone
• Remove from the oven, take the lamb shanks out and put onto serving plates
• Return the casserole dish containing the sauce to the hob on a low heat, mix the cornflour with a little water, then stir into the sauce to thicken
• Pour the sauce over the shanks, and serve with creamy mash and fresh vegetables

As this dish is full of good things, I am linking it up with this month's Feel Good Food - it made us feel very good!

I'm also linking into a new challenge hosted by Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy called Extra Veg, as not only did this dish have leeks, onions and carrots in, but we served it up with some very al dente broccoli!

A Totally Versatile and Foolproof Flapjack Recipe

This post is a little late in coming, but worth the wait I promise! A while ago, I was contacted to take part in a BakingMad.com campaign about summer recipes. For those of you who aren't aware, BakingMad.com is a great site created from a collaboration of Allinson Flour, Billington's Sugar, Silver Spoon, Askey's and Neilson Massey (makers of the greatest vanilla extract in my opinion). It is a great place to go for ideas, tips, recipes, offers and competitions, a real hub for the nations bakers, and worth an hour of your time to go and browse all they have to share. 

The brief for this challenge was to share my favourite summer-time recipe, and believe it or not, this is it. Not only are flapjacks a great picnic treat, and perfect for taking on a summer-time adventure, but for a person who works from the driver's seat of their car, the summer months prove difficult to take a lunch that doesn't melt, curdle, dry out or just generally turn warm and mushy, flapjack are a great, versatile and filling treat to have in my bag that won't spoil in the warmth. Plus, this recipe is so easy to adapt, I can add all kinds of great flavours and make really tasty, nutritious variations. 

Honey, Tropical Fruit and Nut Flapjacks - recipe here

The Basic Recipe

100g salted butter

100g clear honey

100g golden caster sugar

200g rolled oats

Combine the butter, honey and sugar in a pan, and place over a low heat until the butter and sugar have melted. Remove from the heat and pour over the rolled oats in a mixing bowl. Mix well until all the oats are coated. Transfer to an 8 inch lined tin, and press the mixture down evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake at 170 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown all over. Remove from the oven, and take a knife immediately and mark where you want to cut slices. Allow to cool completely in the tin. Turn out, and cut into slices.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can add just about anything to the basic ingredients, dried fruits, flavours, nuts, chocolate chips, between 100 - 150 grams of additional ingredients to the above recipe will work. 

Almond and Cherry Flapjacks

This is my latest favourite flavour combination, with the hint of a Bakewell Tart in a portable oat-y form! Using the above recipe, just add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/2 tablespoon cherry brandy to the melted butter mixture, and 50g ground almonds and 100g chopped glace cherries to the oats. Simples! 

Almond and Cherry Flapjacks

Check out more great picnic recipes over at BakingMad.

July's Feel Good Food Round Up: Maple Syrup

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting July's Feel Good Food to be quite so controversial as it was, but there did seem to be some resistance in terms of cost and availability. That being said, there are some really fantastic recipes here that just go to show the range and versatility of maple syrup in all types of cooking, from baking, to sauces, glazes and marinades. There are five recipes here, and we have a cookie, a cake, a veggie dish, a meat dish, and a versatile sauce - varied indeed!

Banana, Maple Syrup, Bacon and Whiskey Cookies

The lovely Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes was first in, with a Heston inspired Banana, Maple Syrup, Bacon and Whisky Cookie recipe. Nothing controversial there then! Personally the sound of these cookies gets my tastebuds tingling, plus, the mashed banana in the cookie dough cuts out a lot of the butter content, and similarly, the sweetness comes from the maple syrup, so a great healthy alternative cookie recipe - thanks Jen! 

Quick and Easy Chinese Style BBQ Sauce

Next up I experimented with using maple syrup in a Chinese Style BBQ Sauce. This was a quick and easy blend of maple syrup, teriyaki sauce and some spices to create a quick marinade, which could also be reduced down to make a sticky sauce. Perfect quick and easy mid-week food. 

Baked Butternut

Our next entry came from Angela over at My Golden Pear, in the form of this glorious Baked Butternut, glazed with maple syrup, cinnamon and paprika. This was a South African inspired dish, and looks just divine, definitely one I will be trying myself at home. 

You could use maple syrup as a glaze to replace sugar or honey in other vegetable dishes similar to this to get the same result, with all those added antioxidants and health benefits. 

Banana, Almond and Maple Syrup Cake

A beautiful looking cake now from Ness at Jibber Jabber. Ness found some bananas that needed using up, and put then to incredibly good use in this Banana, Almond and Maple Syrup Cake. Perfect for accompanying an afternoon cup of tea methinks!

Maple and Lemon Chicken with Sunshine Rice

The last entry was another of my recipes, this time Maple and Lemon Chicken with Sunshine Rice. This time, I used lemon juice and maple syrup to marinade chicken, which was then grilled, with the remaining marinade used to flavour a tomato cooked rice side dish. It was absolutely delicious I promise! 

Thank you to everyone who took the time out of their sunshine soaked July to create a maple syrup dish this month, the ingredient for August will be posted shortly! 

July's Forever Nigella Round Up: Party Party!

Boy would I like to go to the party where all these lovely dishes were served! Again, the hot weather has kept a lot of us busy, but these five dishes are all delicious and perfect for any party situation you may find yourself in this summer.

Grilled or Barbecued Halloumi with Chilli

Caroline from Caroline Makes must have been the guest of honour when she arrived at a family BBQ with this tasty dish of halloumi marinaded in lemon and chilli. Simple and yet very effective.

Rhubarb and Rose Polenta Cake

Next up is a serious centrepiece for any party, this Rhubarb and Rose Polenta Cake from Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog, which contains the addition of yummy white chocolate, and her homemade rose syrup.

Mini Cheesecakes

Inspired by Nigella's No Bake Cherry Cheesecake, It's A Fine Life created these beautiful fruit topped Mini Cheesecakes for a charity bake sale. I think you'll agree that they would be perfect on any party table too.

Chocolate and Pistachio Macarons

Katharine from Leeks and Limoni created a sensational recipe mash-up with these Chocolate and Pistachio Macarons, using two Nigella recipes for the Chocolate shells and Pistachio filling.

Irish Cream Tiramisu

Last up was my entry of Irish Cream Tiramisu. The full recipe for this dish would make a substantial party dessert, I halved the quantities and still had enough to last us 3 nights! 

Forever Nigella is run by Sarah at Maison Cupcake, head over to her site to find the theme and host for August. 

Croissants: A Beginner's Guide

Croissants were always going to be my entry for this month's Breakfast Club challenge - hence the 'Continental' theme choice. I have always wanted to try and make them, but the lengthy process I have read about does nothing for the part of me that always wants instant gratification from my baking efforts. None-the-less, hosting the Breakfast Club this month gave me the kick I needed (albeit I cut it a little fine by waiting until this weekend) and I hereby present the efforts of my first ever attempt at making croissants... 

I researched several recipes before I set out on this challenge, and tweaked a few things to come up with this version. I actually found that the method for making croissants is relatively simple; knead dough, rest, roll and fold, rest, repeat, then shape and bake. It's the resting periods between each section that make it a time-consuming process. They are however needed to make sure that the pastry remains laminated (layered with butter) as if you work the dough to quickly or too much, the butter will melt into the pastry dough and you will lose the structural integrity of the croissant. Figuring out the timing was something of a pain, so I've tried to do the hard work for you (assuming you would like your croissants sometime around breakfast time!)

Ingredients (makes 8 large croissants)

300 grams strong bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon fast action yeast
35 grams golden caster sugar
100 ml water
250 grams salted butter, cold
1 egg

Method

Day One

5 hours before bedtime: Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, yeast and salt. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add the water gradually until the mixture comes together as a dough. You may not need all of the water. Turn the dough out and knead for around 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return the kneaded dough to the bowl, cover with clingfilm, and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

4 hours before bedtime: Take the risen dough, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangular shape, and set to one side. Take the cold butter from the fridge and remove the packaging. Place the butter block on a sheet of clingfilm, and fold the clingfilm over the top. Using a rolling pin, bash the butter to flatten it, then roll it to around a third of the size of the rolled dough. Unwrapped the flattened butter, and place it in the centre of the rolled dough.

Fold the two halves of the dough over the butter to create a parcel. Wrap the parcel in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour.

3 hours before bedtime: Roll out the dough into a long rectangle shape. Fold one third into the centre, then the opposite third over the top. Wrap in clingfilm and return to the fridge to prove

2 hours before bedtime: Repeat roll out and fold. Wrap in clingfilm and return to fridge to prove

1 hour before bedtime: Repeat roll out and fold. Wrap in clingfilm and return to fridge to prove overnight (around 8 hours)

Day Two

Take the rested dough from the fridge, remove the clingfilm and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to around 3-4 mm thick, aiming for a squarish shape.

Cut the rolled dough into 4 even squares, then cut each square diagonally to make 8 triangles.

Taking each triangle, and stretch one point towards you. Roll from the short edge towards you, to create a fatter middle section.

Twist the ends of the rolled croissant in towards each other to create the classic crescent shape.

Place the rolled croissants on a baking tray, with plenty of space between as they will double in size. Cover with a clean tea towel, and set aside to prove for 90 minutes (1 1/2 hours).

Finally, your croissants are ready to bake. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Beat the egg, and brush the tops of each croissant with the egg wash. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm, and enjoy the freshest, tastiest croissants you have ever experienced!

This is my entry for Breakfast Club, which I am hosting this month, but is run and maintained by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours.

I am also linking up to Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior.

Quick and Easy Chinese-Style BBQ Sauce

I feel as though I haven't blogged in an absolute age, although it's really only been 10 days or so. I have been merrily cooking and baking away, and have a stack of recipes and pictures to share with you all, but for some reason I have been struggling to put fingers to keyboard. Perhaps it's this gorgeous weather distracting me and drawing me out into the garden, or perhaps, as is more likely, life is just getting in the way. 

If you are suffering from a similar heat/life induced lethargy, this recipe is perfect, as it takes neither time nor effort to make. I think it's perfect for those impromptu BBQ's, or just getting in from a busy day at work, the sauce is simply whacking all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking for a minute, and then you can cook straight away, or marinade meat in it for a couple of hours before slapping it on the barbie...

Ingredients

4 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce (I used the Kikkoman blend)
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
1 tablespoon Tomato Purée

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Marinade your chosen meat in the mixture and refrigerate until needed.

I used this mixture and marinated a couple of pork steaks for two hours when I got home from work last night, then transferred the lot to a griddle pan, cooked the pork steaks on both sides for five minutes, then added 100ml water and left to reduce down to make a sticky sauce to serve with the pork and some whole wheat rice.

The marinade would work equally well with chicken, duck or even as a sauce for a vegetable stir-fry!

Because this recipe contains Maple Syrup, I am linking it up to the Feel Good Food challenge this month. Feel Good Food is all about creating recipes that contain ingredients with especially high nutritional contents or health benefits.

A Guest Blog Post from the Maker of the World's Best Omelette

Sometimes, I need to take a duvet day. Today has been one of those days. Simply, I needed a day of doing nothing, no work, no chores, no baking, no blogging. Fortunately, on these days, Gary steps up to the mark, and takes over for me and today that includes taking over the laptop. I'll hand over to him now...

In a change from the regular programming this blog won't be written by the very talented Miss Lee but by her rapidly waistline-expanding fella. While we used to share a lot of the cooking her skills have vastly surpassed mine and with her own recipes and recipes borrowed from her equally talented fellow bloggers (is that the right word?) I've happily taken the role of dishwasher. And while it might seem like a dream come true to wake up in the morning (or early afternoon as I work nights) to the smell of freshly baked bread, cakes, muffins and various other wonderful smells it does come with a few downsides.

The worst is when the cake is for a friend and it although I can smell it and see it, I'm forbidden from eating it. This is a torture for a guy like me. Also I've had to get used to the fact that I can't eat my dinner without pictures being taken of it from various angles. I do not wish to sound ungrateful however as I've been thoroughly spoilt and I love my role as chief tester and look forward to each need recipe and idea that comes out of our kitchen.

There is one meal that I still feel that I excel in and that is why I am here today. A meal so easy to do (and in a house usually stocked up with eggs always available) Ladies and Gentlemen may I present to you... the Omelette.

Yes I know what most of you are probably thinking that this simple meal is hardly worthy of its own recipe but I feel that if any meal captures the spirit of "A kick at the pantry door" it is the omelette. The only consistent ingredient is the eggs and even that can vary depending on how many are available and how big an omelette you wish to make. Also as a man I find it very hard to follow or read instructions so please don't be looking for exact measurements.

For my omelette you will need:

Some eggs (2 for a very small, 4 for a large)

All other ingredients are optional

• The first thing to do is to switch on the grill. Fear not dear reader I haven't lost my mind but this is a trick I learnt a long time ago. And as our oven is an electric oven it takes a little time to heat up the grill. Also turn on one of the hobs with a frying pan with a tiny amount of oil (I hear the sigh of relief as normality returns). Its important that the pan is hot when you add you omelette mix.
• Next crack your eggs into a bowl, measuring jug or similar container and whisk thoroughly. Another trick is to get as much air into the eggs as possible. This will make a lighter and fluffier omelette. At this point I like to add cheese. Strength and amount of cheese can vary according to taste but I grate the cheese into the eggs adding anything else I find in the fridge. I try to avoid bacon as its a bit fatty and ham seems to work much better.
• Pour the mixture into the hot frying pan and make sure the mixture is evenly spread. Wait until you can lift the mixture with a fish slice. At this point I like to grate more cheese on top before putting the frying pan under the grill (It all makes sense now).
• Finishing the omelette in this way has a number of advantages. Firstly it means you won't smash your creation to bits attempting to flip it over and cook both sides. Secondly it means the omelette rises more giving it a lighter and fluffier texture.
• Once cooked fold it in half and serve with tomato ketchup or if really trying to impress, salad.
• Feel free to add whatever you like to your creation and I'm sure that you will have much better ideas in this than me.

Thanks very much for reading and please keep sharing ideas. I can honestly say that I am very lucky to get to test out so many wonderful recipes.

Light Summer Style Fruit Cake, and Two Very Special Cakes

If you visit my little blog regularly, you will know by now that I jump between experimenting with recipes and teaching myself cake decorating. I am harbouring a not so secret desire to one day quit the rat race of medical sales, and become a self employed cake decorator, although trust me, at the moment that day seems a long way off in the distance. I have the best family and friends in the world, who are constantly requesting cakes for events to test me, and this month I faced my two biggest and most important challenges yet, as I have baked for two very special events.

Firstly, my grandparents business is celebrating it's 50th year, which is such a fantastic achievement, even without considering the current financial climate. They have built such a wonderfully solid family run business together, and we are all so proud of them. Secondly, Gary's Mum was sworn in as Mayor of Newton Abbot, his hometown in Devon, and we were invited down to the Mayor Making Ceremony, which definitely called for cake! 

Summer Style Fruit Cake

For both occasions, because I was going to be making cakes that would be on display, and would be consumed by a lot of people, I wanted to make a good solid fruit cake, that would be robust enough to be sculptured, transported, and sit in the open air possibly for hours at a time. For me, I always associate fruit cake with Christmas Cake, and brandy soaked fruit, and I really didn't want that flavour for these cakes, what with both events being in May. I had previously made these Honey, Fruit and Nut Flapjacks using tropical fruits, and they tasted so floral and summery I decided to try and get that taste into my cakes. I grabbed my favourite Christmas Cake recipe, and started to chop and change the ingredients, and this is what I came up with...

Ingredients:

330g sultanas

170ml cold green tea

zest and juice from 1 small lemon

85g dried apricots

85g dried tropical fruit (I used a mixed selection that was already partially re-hydrated)

130g cherries

170g salted butter

170g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

zest of 1 lemon

15g honey

170g plain flour

30g roughly chopped pistachio nuts

Method:

(I made three cakes together here, so the images of the fruit portions may look considerably more than the quantities stated. The method remains the same)

• Start by soaking the sultanas to make them extra juicy. Brew the green tea, and leave to cool completely. Once cool, add the green tea to the sultanas and add the juice and zest of one lemon. Leave to soak for at least two hours, or overnight if possible. (I used partially rehydrated apricots and tropical fruits, so didn't need to soak them. If you are using fully dried fruits, add them to the sultanas to soak before use)
• Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees. Prepare a 20cm/8 inch cake tin by lining with greaseproof paper. Prepare a 'lid' for the tin also, by cutting another piece of greaseproof the same size as the tin, and cutting a small cross in the top to allow steam to escape. 
• Prep the remainder of the fruit by chopping it into pieces roughly the same size as the sultanas and halving the cherries.
• In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and cream together.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat in. 
• Add the lemon zest, honey and flour, and fold the mixture together until all the ingredients are fully combined.
• Add the chopped pistachios, and the mixed fruit, and stir through well, so that the fruit is evenly distributed through the cake mixture.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, cover with the lid, and bake for 2 and a half hours, checking after the first 2 hours. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
• Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven, and place on a cooling rack. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing it. 
• Cover and decorate as desired.

Because I was sculpting these cakes into a shape, I had the baker's privilege of sampling the cakes upfront, and my goodness did it taste good! The cake has all the structural integrity of a Christmas cake, but the flavour is light and delicate, and the lemon and green tea flavours sit really well with the tropical fruits and apricots. Soaking the fruit in the green tea makes the final cake wonderfully moist as well, despite not being 'fed' with copious amounts of booze like a traditional fruit cake. I would thoroughly recommend this recipe for a summer wedding or similar event as a great seasonal alternative to traditional fruit cakes. 

And as for what I did with these beautiful cakes once I had baked them... well...