Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 26

When we invited the neighbours round for a meal it was supposed to have been gloriously sunny, but instead it was blowing a gale and we felt more like hibernating than sitting in the garden. Obviously the idea of a BBQ soon went out of the window, but I was still determined that we should have a very summery meal – which we did. I chose something fairly simple for the main course, something that I’ve made many times before so that way I could enjoy several glasses of Pimm’s with our guests. For dessert I made the Chocolate & Raspberry Pavlova from Nigella’s Forever Summer. Having made the meringue the night before all I had to do that evening was whip the cream and pile it on top, followed by heaps of beautiful raspberries (I also added some blueberries to the mix as they needed using up). My only problem came when it was time to serve, as the dessert was such a behemoth that I couldn’t find a serving plate big enough – I had to make do with a large glass cheeseboard instead. The pudding was a great success, the meringue was rich and speckled with flecks of chocolate which complemented the cream and fruit topping wonderfully. Due to the size of the dessert our neighbours very kindly took some off our hands, which they may or may not have eaten for breakfast the following morning!

As I was using so many egg whites for the pavlova I wanted to make use of the leftover egg yolks, so I figured that the best way would be to make some ice cream – it must be the sweltering hot summer we’re experiencing! Flicking through The Icecreamists I settled on the fairly simple Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, I doubled the recipe to get maximum use from the eggs and to make it worth my while getting the ice-cream maker out. With the pavlova in the oven I made the custard base, added the chocolate and then left the whole thing to cool before refrigerating overnight. I was pleased the following morning to see that it practically filled the ice cream maker, and then when I tasted the custard it actually tasted like melted ice-cream – things were looking good. Now the ice-cream wasn’t meant as an accompaniment to the pavlova, it was simply a by-product, but since I’d made it I thought I’d offer it anyway. I’m glad that I did, it was gorgeous and rich, and someone did say that it was better than Ben & Jerry’s – I’d say that was a success!

Dhal Keema from Cook in Boots was next on the agenda, and it did not get off to the greatest of starts when I opened the book to find that I had to soak the lentils in water for two hours first…luckily I had at least started the prep as soon as I got home so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Apart from that setback the rest of the cooking went without incident and, slightly later than planned, we sat down to a very tasty dinner. I think the only criticism I have about this is that I like my keema curries to be strewn with peas, and this was therefore slightly lacking in that department – the lentils were nice, don’t get me wrong, but I do love peas. Still, there are a couple of portions to go in the freezer and I won’t complain next time I need an easy option!

And finally, I made Moroccan Style Pasta from Fantastico!, although I did take the liberty of using bucatini in lieu of the pappardelle, because that’s what I had in the cupboard. I think in principle the recipe is lovely, all the elements work really well together but I found the flavour lacking somewhat, so I think next time I would add some ras-el-hanout in place of the other spices, and possibly even a bit of chilli or harissa to give it a much needed kick. And when I have time to make some of my own pasta I will have to try it with the pappardelle because I think the wider pasta would work really well here. Incidentally, hubby and I have decided that we prefer spaghetti because due to the hole down the middle of bucatini it is impossible to suck that last little bit into your mouth.

Recipe Count: 83
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 25

Continuing my predilection for Friday night baking I whipped up the Dark Chocolate & Amaretto Cake from The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook when I returned home from work. My thinking was that if I made it early we could enjoy it all weekend, and so we did! Though I did make the mistake of having a piece later that night when it was still slightly warm and the chocolate was still gooey - I should have waited as it was much nicer the following morning. The crunch of the chocolate and the biscuits was delicious with the soft texture of the sponge; this was a very easy cake to make and made for one very happy weekend!

When it comes to special occasions I always like to bake something, to find something that I know the other person likes, and knowing my Dad’s fondness for the chocolate orange I baked the Chocolate Orange Brownies from Cook in Boots by Ravinder Bhogal for a special Father’s Day treat. Although I used the size tin specified in the recipe they came out a lot bigger than the picture indicated, and took a lot longer to cook – but what finally came out were some proper man-size brownies that smelt wonderfully orangey. Following a very enjoyable afternoon in the pub with my lovely Dad we headed home for beer and brownies (though I just shared one as they were fairly substantial, and for testing purposes only you understand).

Having neglected the mighty aubergine recently my next recipe of the week was Baked Aubergines with Spinach & Pecorino from Fantastico! by Gino D’acampo (recently donated to me by a friend, I love friends like that!). The aubergines took a bit longer to cook than was specified, but that simply gave me longer to complete my ironing (multi-tasking at its best!). They were stuffed with tomatoes, spinach, pine nuts, cooked aubergine flesh then topped with mozzarella and baked. While the dish was very nice there seemed to be something lacking in the flavour, if I make it again I would probably add a pinch of chilli (big surprise there!) or some more herbs. I have only been satisfied with one stuffed aubergine dish that I’ve made and that was from the master himself, Ottolenghi – why did I think that could be topped?

 

Another cracking recipe this week was the Creamy Pea and Chive Risotto from BBC Good Food, and while I may have fudged it by using risotto rice instead of pearl barley it was still absolutely delicious – I do love peas in a risotto! And I know the addition of the cream cheese was to make up from the lack of creaminess of the barley, but what the hell I threw it in anyway…and it was scrummy. I haven’t cooked a risotto for a while (there was a time when we’d have one every other week) and I’d forgotten how much I like the soothing stirring action, it gets quite hypnotic after a while. A nice and simple recipe for the midweek dinner table, you can’t ask for more than that. 

 

Rigatoni con Asparagi Piselli e Funghi was my final recipe of the week, from Gino’s Pasta, though obviously I omitted the mushrooms – my intolerance to them is too painful to ignore. I loved the combination of peas and asparagus, coated in a creamy sauce spiked with smoked paprika, but I have to say that I could have done without the leeks. I mean I like leeks but I’m not sure they added anything here and if I were to make it again I may just leave them out too. A nice simple evening meal, especially after whipping up pavlova and chocolate ice cream…but that will have to wait until next week’s write-up!

Recipe Count: 79
New Target: 104

 

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 24

I’d been eyeing up the Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake in the latest issue of BBC Good Food magazine for the past few weeks but couldn’t really justify making it for the two of us, so when I was asked to bring a pudding to a BBQ there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation as to what I’d be taking. As it was a baked cheesecake I made it the night before because I wanted it to chill overnight, though it did prove a risky venture as the temptation to dig-in every time I went into the fridge was immense. Still, I managed to resist, and it survived the journey up the M40 (still snuggled in its tin). Although the weather was not as hot as predicted, there’s nothing like sitting outside enjoying good company, good food and a few drinks – many thanks to our hosts for a very enjoyable and meaty BBQ (I’m sorry if we ruined the two-tone effect…but personally I blame Jamie Oliver!). I think we must have all engaged our ‘pudding tummy’ later in the evening when we decided we probably could squeeze in a small piece of cheesecake, and rather pathetically we only managed to consume about a third of it – but there were only good noises coming from around the room so it seemed to go down well. I was really pleased with how it turned out as I realised that I’d never made a baked cheesecake before, but definitely will be doing so again!

Given that tartiflette is an indulgent French dish usually saved for a post-ski meal, it may sound slightly bizarre that I cooked up Rachel Khoo’s Nids de Tartiflette, from The Little Paris Kitchen, on a swelteringly hot June day…nevertheless that’s exactly what I did. Though I did serve them with a freshly-dressed green salad to compensate, because I believe that does make a ton of potato and cheese the healthy option! They were really easy to make, mainly because I used the food processor to shred the potatoes nice and finely, and then sat back with a chilled glass of wine while they continued to cook in the oven. I must have added more potato that strictly necessary because we ended up with more than the recipe stated, but hubby wasn’t complaining when he took the leftovers to work the next day (nuke them in the microwave and they’re just as tasty…apparently).

Wanting to feel a bit more virtuous after consuming my own weight in cheesecake I opted for Green Sindhi Fish Curry from I Love Curry for the following day, it looked nice and light and just the thing for a quick mid-week dinner. It was very easy to prepare but I needed to cook the sauce down for a lot longer as it was still very watery towards the end, I removed the fish and continued to reduce it down even further as I didn’t want it to be overcooked and flaking into the sauce. I think that next time I won’t add so much liquid as it did dilute the flavour somewhat. I served it with naan bread but I think rice might be a better idea in future.

My final new recipe of the week was Broad Bean, Pea & New Potato Quesadillas from Wahaca: Mexican Food at Home. This one takes a bit of prep, and a few saucepans (although I waited until the potatoes were done and then used the same pan for the beans and peas, don’t want hubby complaining about the washing up!) but is definitely worth the effort. I prepared the filling and then sat down with a cup of tea before continuing with the griddling a bit later on, with all the windows open naturally – my griddle pan does have a tendency to set all the smoke alarms off! Once griddled, I kept each quesadilla warm in the oven while I completed the batch. These were exceptionally tasty, nice and crispy on the outside, though I might add an extra chilli next time for a slightly bigger kick, I served them with just a dressed salad and it was the perfect dinner.

Recipe Count: 74
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 23

Following a very frantic Friday evening, I awoke on Saturday feeling quite pleased that I’d made the effort as now the whole weekend stretched ahead of me and the most effort I had to put in from that point was to whip some cream. I had, the night before, baked the Amaretto Cream Cake from The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook and now had to simply whip the cream, add the amaretto and sandwich the cake together. I dusted the top liberally with cocoa powder and tried not to eat it right then and there! I loved this cake, the amaretto in the cream was not in the least bit over powering and neither was it too sweet. The perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea of a Saturday morning! I did have to reign myself in from snacking on the leftover amaretto biscuits though, there are just enough left to make another cake from the same book, so no leftovers for me.

A pattern has begun to emerge over the past few weeks in that I don’t seem to do any cooking at the weekends, it’s not through choice per se, just that we’ve been very busy and away from home. With that in mind we spent a very enjoyable afternoon and evening out with friends, sampling the delights of several pubs in the Thame area – catching the train to the pub is definitely the way forward. Our dinner that night consisted of a hog roast sandwich, and some lovely snacks procured by my friend from the local farmers market that morning…and possibly a sneaky portion of chips on the way home!


In an attempt to get back to the post-holiday detox my other new recipe for the week was Salmon & Lentils with Chorizo, Asparagus and Balsamic Dressing from Lorraine Pascale’s Fast Fresh & Easy. Now I didn’t have a tin of green lentils so before I started the rest of the prep I quickly popped some dried ones on to cook while I got everything else ready. Believe it or not this is the first time I’ve cooked asparagus so far this year, I’ve only actually eaten it on a handful of occasions too – the weather has delayed it for too long! This was an absolute delight of a dish, the salmon was lovely and moist, the chorizo and asparagus really adding flavour to the lentils and the dressing was a nice touch of sweetness. It might have been slightly on the expensive side, but we all deserve a splurge now and then!

Recipe Count: 70
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 22

After a week of feasting on cheese and beer I figured that the health drive should start as soon as we got home, therefore the week involved plenty of fish and vegetables, and since I missed the butchers on Saturday – it would also be meatless. On the bank holiday I spent the day churning out washing by the bucket load, and racing through the ironing while watching Les Misérables (how apt!) so when it came to the evening meal I was grateful for something quick and easy. I chose Seabass Fillet Parcels with Lemon Couscous from Woman & Home's current issue of Feel Good Food magazine, it was a lovely delicate dish with a zingy couscous which was deliciously strewn with peas. Exactly the kind of detox we needed after our holiday!


My only other new dish of the week was put off several times but we did just manage to squeeze it in, so on Friday night we tucked into Pasta with Mackerel, Marsala & Pine Nuts from Nigellissima. It was a particularly busy evening as it turned out and I was quite impressed that I managed to get it on the table at a decent hour, my husband seemed fairly impressed that I was whipping up three different dishes all at the same time (and fortuitously for me he turned up in time for the washing up – sorry!). I did feel like I was spinning on the spot at times though, chopping something quickly, flinging it in the pan and then turning back to do three other things/dodge the husband trying to make a cup of tea (this is not how I usually roll!). For some reason when I had originally seen this recipe it didn’t really appeal to me, so why make it at all you might ask? I guess I just felt it deserved a fair crack, and my husband does like a bit of mackerel. I was actually pleasantly surprised, I’m not sure if it was the dish or the fact that after a hectic day I was finally sitting down, but nevertheless it was a very tasty dish and, for me the pine nuts were the star here, adding a much needed bit of crunch

Recipe Count: 68
New Target: 104