Indulgent spinach, bacon, cheese and potato frittata recipe
Frittata. The word used to freeze me to the core. It meant nasty, yellow rubbery slabs. Now the suggestion is welcomed with open arms since we were introduced to Anna’s brilliant potato frittata. We’ve guzzled them every week since then. A great way of using up a glut of eggs as well as being true instant comfort food. If you are prepared, a tasty frittata will be on the table in 20 minutes. (If Someone Else lays the table, polishes the glasses, prepares the salad and opens the wine). Last week I was determined to use up the last...
read moreLow Fat Cooking: Baked tomatoes stuffed with Soya mince and tantalising flavours
My mum tried Soya mince once and never again. I can still remember the shriek. Danny’s mum also tried it once. Perhaps they read they same article. About a month ago I was tootling around the Daily Bread Cooperative with my mum. I spotted a shelf of Soya products and was about to accelerate past when I thought I’d stop and investigate. Soya is gluten free and packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. It’s a high yield product, so it’s cheap. They were offering Soya mince and chunks (these seemed to look a bit like dog...
read moreSimple baked egg recipe
My Mother prefers to eat a proper lunch rather than a big meal in the evening. Always one to watch her figure, she knew the dangers of eating too much late in the day. So in the school holidays we ate a ‘Proper Lunch’. Quite often this was forced down within an hour of getting out of bed. The culinary highlight of the day for me was supper. Everyone prepared their own meal. The fridge was bursting with good things. Perhaps this is why I prefer snacky food to proper meals all these years down the line. A constant, comforting staple...
read moreThe ultimate soft pork meatballs recipe
Years ago when so called witches were awaiting trial, they were fed mouldy bread and water. Mouldy bread, in excess, causes hallucinations. And in the case of the witches probably sealed their fate. So I tend to avoid mouldy bread. We have been working on the ultimate pork meatball recipe. We now have a recipe for the softest melt in the mouth meatballs with the addition of a beaten egg. I decided to give Magimix her first run chez Cottage Smallholder. I oohed and aahed so much that Danny rushed into the kitchen to check what was going on....
read moreSimple and delicious lamb cutlets with fresh figs recipe
I love fresh figs. As a child, I watched my mother occasionally savour these exotic and expensive fruit. When she shared her delight and passed me a fragment to taste, I just couldn’t understand the passion. How she could like the pinky flesh, the seeds, the thick skin? Years later, wanting to impress, I picked a fig and gently took a bite. It was both surprising and sensuous. I fell instantly in love with the fruit. Suddenly I realised that it is the disparate combination of deep purple skin, blushing flesh, texture and sweet juice that...
read moreQuick and delicious lamb meatballs in a creamy tomato sauce
I’m quite particular about meatballs. They have to melt in the mouth. And they need a good, mellow sauce. I am not keen on fried meatballs, so often a chewy exterior extends to the interior. And I checked out other meat ball recipes on the internet this evening. What a palaver – make the meatballs, transfer to the fridge for 2 hours. If you are really gentle with your meatballs you can be snatching a pack of mince one moment and within half an hour, or so, serving this meal. Danny was back late from London this evening. I planned...
read moreMushroomy Chestnut mushrooms recipe
Danny loves mushrooms, particularly Chestnut ones. To make up for supper running really late last night I decided to give him a surprise treat. I warmed some butter, chopped up a pack of chestnut mushrooms and was just about to reach for the garlic when I thought I’d try something new and made the most mushroomy mushrooms that we had ever tasted. It’s hard to believe that the two new ingredients that I chose (was I unhinged when I grabbed them from the fridge?) could transform five day old mushrooms into delicious, deep mellow...
read moreEasy rack of lamb baked in a tasty sweet savoury sauce recipe
Fred’s racks of lamb are always chubby, tender and a real treat. Yesterday I drove back from Essex to find Danny creating a new sauce for a chunky rack. We like to make our sauces in the same pan as the roasting meat. If we get the ingredients right it’s a lazy way to make a sauce and sometimes the sauce also tenderises the meat. This sauce has soul. It was a treat at the end of a long day. Combined with spinach and creamed potatoes (champ) it was superb. If you prefer a thick sauce, a little corn flour or potato flour could be...
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