Category Archives: Recipes

Pumpkin Paprika Puree

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  • Prepare the pumpkin by cutting it in half and scooping out all the seeds.
  • Cut pumpkin into large chunks and put on large baking tray skin down. Pour over some olive oil and freshly ground rock salt.
  • Roast for approximately 40 minutes until fork tender.
  • Scrape pumpkin flesh away from the skin and onto food processor and puree until smooth.
  • Add 1 or 2 tsp of smoked paprika depending on how much puree you have to desired taste and salt and pepper to taste.
  • If it’s too dry add small amount of water to your desired consistency
  • If too wet leave the puree on a sieve and the water will drip out.

American Style Pancakes

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Ingredients

1 mug self raising flour
1 mug of milk
1 egg
4 tsp Sugar
1.5 tsp Baking powder
4 Tbs Oil
1 Capful of Vanilla Extract

Method

Whisk everything together to form a smooth batter. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In a non stick frying pan add a ladle full of batter to form a disc about CD size.
When it starts to bubble on top flip over.
Cook and pile them up with butter and syrup or jam and lashings of butter.

Tortilla Española

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Ingredients

500 gr of Potatoes
6 Free Range Eggs
150 ml of Olive Oil
2 Onions (optional)
Salt

Method

Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes or thin slices, and the onions if you have decided to include them.

Fry the potatoes in a non-stick frying pan with oil and a little sale and after a few minutes add the onions. When they start to go golden brown, take them off the heat, drain them and set aside.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a little salt and add the potaoes (and onions) and mix very well.

Put the frying pan on with a little oil and add the mixutre from the bowl. Reduce the heat and stir from times to time with backward and forward movements so that it doesn’t stick.

When it is cokked on one side, turn it over by putting a plate on top of the frying pan. Turn the frying pan over and put the tortilla back into it with the uncooked side down, leave in on the heat for between 3-5 mintes.

Salt Fish Tortilla

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Ingredients

8 Eggs
100 gr of Salt Fish (Cod)
400 gr of Green Peppers
8 Tinned Piquillo Peppers
1 Onion
4 Cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil

Method

Steep the cod for at least twelve hours, changing the water three times. Break it up into flakes and put aside

Clean and deseed the green peppers and the onion and cut them up very small pieces.

Fry the onion with some of the oil and sauté it on a low heat. When it is lightly fried add the garlic and the green peppers, saute until the pepper is tender.

Add the piquillo peppers and the code and sauté for 5 minutes. turning it over so it’s well mixed, season with salt to taste.

Beat the eggs with a little salt and add the sauted vegetables and the cod, mix very well.

Then put everything in to the Frying-Pan with very hot oil. Cook the tortilla and turn it over with the help of a plate.

Award Winning Scones

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1 kg Self Raising Flour
250g Butter (unsalted)
1/2 tsp Salt
15g Baking Powder
175g Sultanas

375ml Milk (Full-Cream)
175g Caster Sugar
1 Egg
A Capful of Vanilla Extract

180C,
17 Min, turn halfway

Sieve the flour, and baking powder into the butter and rub into fine bread crumbs. Add the salt and the sultanas.

Mix the Milk, Sugar, Egg and Vanilla and mix throughly.

Add almost all of this liquid to the dry ingredients – keep some back for Egg Wash.

Mix with a spatular until it comes together, do not over work it.

Pour out onto a lightly floured table and roll 1 inch thick.

Cut into Scone rounds and put on baking sheet, brush with the remaining liquid left over from above.


Pop into a pre-heated over at 180c for 8 and a half minutes, rotate the tray so that back is at the front etc and bake for a further 8 and a half minutes.

Leave to cool and serve with Jam and Cream and a Pot of Tea.

HM The Queen’s, Victoria Sponge Cake.

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INGREDIENTS  

  • 3 eggs
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 150g sieved self-raising flour
  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
  • 100g jam (strawberry or raspberry)
  • 150g softened unsalted butter
  • 220g sieved icing sugar
  • 1/3 vanilla pod or vanilla essence

METHOD 

 1. Preheat the oven to 180C (375F, gas mark 4) 

2. Grease and line two 8 inch cake tins (if you only own one tin, you can bake the sponge and slice in half)

3. Cream the caster sugar, vanilla essence and softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy

4. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs

5. Gradually add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, to avoid the mixture curdling

6. Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture

7. Divide the cake mix between the two cake tins and smooth

 8. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the cake appears golden brown

9. Insert a skewer and ensure it comes out clean

10. Remove the sponges from their tins and leave to cool 

11. Cream the softened butter with the sieved icing sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod (or vanilla essence) 

12. Ensure that both sponges are completely cold before spreading a layer of jam onto the surface of one sponge

13. Spread a thick layer of buttercream on top of the jam ( if you prefer this can be done first)

14. Gently place the second sponge on top and gently press down

15. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with a pot of fresh English tea!

French Fries Soup

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This soup is the creamy, hearty solution to leftover french fries that don’t reheat well, and it can use up what’s left in cartons of cream or broth, too.

To create even more body, add a few dabs of cream cheese or handfuls of your favorite grated cheese; to add tang, stir in a little yogurt or sour cream.

Tested size: 2-3 servings.

NGREDIENTS
  • About 3 1/2 portions of cooked french fries eg McDonalds
  • 3 1/2 cups store-bought or homemade no-salt-added vegetable broth (see related recipe; may substitute no-salt-added chicken broth), or more as needed
  • Splash white wine (may substitute malt vinegar)
  • Splash double cream or milk (optional)
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • A few dashes malt vinegar
DIRECTIONS

Put the french fries in a medium saucepan and pour the broth over them. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the french fries are quite soft. Remove from the heat.

Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree until smooth. Stir in the wine and the cream or milk, if using. Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed (the amounts depend on how the fries were originally seasoned). If the consistency is too thick, stir in more broth.

If desired, stir together the ketchup (to taste) and enough malt vinegar to thin it out to the desired consistency.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Dot or drizzle each portion with the thinned ketchup; serve hot.

Gin and Tonic Cake

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Great for afternoon tea or a summer celebration, and perhaps the only time it’s acceptable to have gin and tonic for elevenses.

For the gin and tonic syrup
150ml tonic water
100g sugar and 30 juniper berries, crushed
30ml gin

For the sponge
300g soft butter
300g golden caster sugar
approx 40 juniper berries, crushed finely
grated zest of one lemon and one lime
6 medium free-range eggs
300g self-raising flour with a teaspoon of baking powder sifted in

For the gin and tonic lemon curd:

40ml gin
250g of good quality shop bought lemon curd

For the lemon and lime butter cream
200g soft butter
Zest of one lemon and one limes, 1 tablespoon of each juice
450g icing sugar

Edible flowers are available from Sainsbury’s in the fresh herb section

Method

Line two 8 inch round cake tins with baking parchment and preheat the oven to 170 degrees fan.

Make your gin and tonic syrup ready for the cake once baked;

Bring the tonic water, sugar and juniper berries to the boil, and then allow the liquid to reduce to about half of the original volume. Leave to cool, strain out the berries and add the gin to the syrup.

For the sponge: Cream the butter, sugar, crushed juniper berries and lemon and lime zest together until very pale and fluffy.

Slowly beat in the eggs until combined.

Gently mix or fold in the flour gently until just incorporated.

Spoon into the cake tins, half the batter in each and bake for approximately 25-35 minutes, to test a skewer or knife should come out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes then turn out and remove the paper.

Pierce some holes over the cake with a skewer or cocktail stick and generously douse in the gin and tonic syrup by brushing over liberally with a pastry brush. Leave to cool completely.

For the gin and tonic lemon curd: stir the gin into the shop bought lemon curd.

For the butter cream: Beat the soft butter, zests and juice of the lemon and limes with the icing sugar. A hand whisk or free-standing mixer is easiest to do this or if not, lots of elbow grease!

To assemble the cake, slice each cake in half again through the centre to create two layers per sponge, so you have 4 layers in total.

Layer up with a spread of the curd over each layer and a spread of the buttercream between each of the sponges.

Top with a little more buttercream and decorate as you wish. I used crystallised edible flowers and candied lemon and lime pieces. If you prefer keep it simple and add a little more fresh lemon and lime zest.

Optional for decoration:

For the candied lemon and limes:

Slice a lemon and a lime into slices, roughly 4-5mm thick.

Gently bring to the boil 100ml water with 100g of caster sugar. When simmering, lay the slices into the sugar syrup and simmer gently for xx minutes.

Recipe for the Edible crystalised flowers:

Beat one egg white until foamy and paint the petals of your flowers carefully making sure you get in between all the nooks and crannies.

Dust over with fine white caster sugar and leave to set for at least 24 hours on a piece of parchment, so they set hard and dry. These should last for up to two weeks. Alternatively use fresh edible flowers as they are.

 

Better than Baked Beans

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Ingredients:
2 tsp Oil
2 Onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 Rashers of streaky bacons cut into largish pieces
2 tsp Brown Sugar
2 x 400g cans Chopped Tomatoes
200ml stock from a cube
2 x 410g cans Cannellini, Butter or Haricot Beans in water drained and rinsed

Method:
Heat the slow cooker (if required).
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and bacon until the onions soften and just starting to turn golden, stir in the sugar, tomatoes and stock and some seasoning.
Put all into the Slow Cooker and stir in the beans.

Cook on low for 9-10 hours

Serve on hot buttered toast.

 

Caipirinha

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1 Lime

2 and Half Measures of Cachaça

1 and half tea spoons of sugar.
Cut lime into 8 pieces.

Put lime and sugar in glass and muddle until sugar is disolved.

Add Cachaça and muddle some more. Add ice and muddle more.