Revisiting Meatballs for my Sister
Slave Sis surprised me this morning,“It’s half term so I thought I’d come up for a week to tackle the garden.”“Great! When are you coming?”“Tomorrow. Is that OK?”Long pause…..“Yes. Of course.It would be great to see you and the pugs.”“I can come at the weekend.”“No tomorrow is fine!”And I was being honest. I’ve missed her. What Slave Sis never sees is the hysterical house cleaning and sorting that happens before her visits! Never mind. I had taken...
read moreMarinara Sauce and why I subscribe to the NYTimes
I subscribe to the New York Times – food and recipes section. “Why on earth would you do that?” I suspect some are thinking. “You don’t even live in America!” Well apart from the recipes – that are generally very good – it’s the food ie comments that attracted me initially and have kept me subscribing for a few years now. In the UK most of the leading newspapers publish recipes, with comments. More often than not the commentators come out with clever quips, get into tussles with other...
read moreRed Pepper and Chilli Jam Recipe
Image – Red Pepper Garlic and Chilli Jam When I visit Seraphina on the Isle of Wight I always fit in a trip to The Garlic Farm. They have a good restaurant and a wonderful little shop packed full of foodie delights, and of course garlic in all its forms. This is where I had my first taste of their Red Pepper, Garlic and Chilli Jam. I put two jars straight in my basket. My Red Pepper, Garlic and Chilli Jam is inspired by their delicious savoury jam. It is such a versatile preserve – spread on oatcakes with a little cheese on...
read moreThe Best Ever Veggie Burger
Image: Best Ever Veggie Burger I have yet to meet a true carnivore that doesn’t love these burgers. Initially their faces fall politely but within a munch they are grinning with relief. And that’s the point -meat eaters often think that veggie stuff will be bland and just too ‘vegetable -y’. They also worry that veggie food will not give them enough protein to sustain them. Actually these burgers pack a protein punch. They also combine a significant amount of the veg for the day. Apart from this, they are absolutely...
read moreEasy cod baked with cheddar cheese and crispy breadcrumb topping recipe
This recipe is so simple and delicious. The melted cheddar cheese and crisp topping keep the fish moist and the combination is true comfort food. Fish can be a bit tricky to cook. If you grill/broil or fry it the window for the fish to be perfectly cooked is very small. However, if you bake your fish that tiny window often extends to a vast 30 minutes. Two or three minutes will not ruin your supper either way. If oven baked fish takes 30 mins it means that you can have oven baked chips too! The problem with developing our own recipes is that...
read moreFresh tomato salsa recipe. How to turn your party leftovers into treats
This is my second recipe in the series of how to turn your party leftovers into something delicious that you’d actually like to eat. This is a fun challenge and everything has been great so far. I was faced with a small bowl of sliced tomatoes left over from the party. There were loads of whole tomatoes too but they can easily be incorporated into other dishes or even frozen in bags – no need to blanch – to pop into stews during the winter when no home grown toms are available. Normally a bowl of sliced tomatoes that could be turned into...
read moreLettuce soup recipe. How to turn your party leftovers into treats
This recipe is for a light, fresh tasting summery soup that is delicious either served hot on a chilly day or chilled on a warm summer’s night. This is the first in a series of recipes that are designed to use up the food that’s left over after a party. Of course if you are faced with a glut of lettuces this would be a perfect recipe for those too. If you think about lettuces for a moment it’s surprising that a vegetable with such a large range of varieties, textures and flavours is generally just served as a salad or bunged into...
read moreRedcurrant jelly recipe to add a sparkle to your meals
Who needs to wear rubies when you can decorate your table with jewels such as these? Redcurrant jelly is the king of jellies. All jellies shine but redcurrant jelly glitters. It enhances the food that it’s served with. If you’re only going to make one jelly in your life, make redcurrant. You’ll never regret it. I’m pretty sure that my mother used make this when I was growing up. I remember that redcurrant jelly was the star turn of Sunday roast lamb. I’ve loved it since I can remember Mum hauling out the heavy roasting pan from the...
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