If you follow this blog than you will know that my absolute favourite cookbook this year (or maybe even ever) is River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and here is another from it. In the book it's called Macaroni Peas, but my friend H. quickly renamed it cheesy peas and it is her favourite comfort food at the moment.
It's delicious, it's so easy and quick to make and best of all, it's one of those recipes for which I always have all the ingredients in the house. As a result it has become part of my regular meal rotation and the go to recipe when I want something quick. I have made it so many times I don't measure the ingredients any more and to be honest there is no need to be all that exact anyways.
I have tried it with both Parmesan and goat's cheese and have to say that I prefer it made with Parmesan. I think the saltiness of it works better with the sweetness of the peas. But why don't you see for yourself?If you want to see the recipe as it is printed in the book, you'll find it here.
The reason I haven't blogged it about it before is that in all the times I have made it, I have never taken a proper picture of it. Ever. Just this mobile phone picture, but it'll just have to do.........
Macaroni Peas or Cheesy Peasy Pasta (serves 4)
500g peas or petit pois (fresh or frozen)
300g small macaroni or other small pasta shapes
50g butter
1 garlic clove, chopped
25g Parmesan or hard goat's cheese, coarsely grated, plus extra to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
shredded basil, to serve (optional
Bring a large pan of salt water to the boil for your pasta.
Simmer the peas for a few minutes until tender. If you are using older fresh peas this will take a little longer.
Whilst the peas are on, cook your pasta in the large pan of salt water until al dente.
Whilst the peas and pasta are cooking away, melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the chopped garlic just for a minute or two. You don't want it to brown as that would make it bitter.
Take off the heat.
When the peas are cooked, drain them, but keep the cooking water.
Put about half the peas, the melted garlic butter and the grated cheese in a blender together with about 6tbsp of the pea cooking water and blitz until you have a smooth and loose puree. You can add more water if needed.
Add the remaining whole peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta and mix with the hot pea sauce straight away.
Serve topped with extra grated cheese and shredded basil if desired.
Enjoy!
Friday, 7 September 2012
Macaroni Peas by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (aka Cheesy Peas or Cheesy Peasy Pasta)
Monday, 3 September 2012
Rounding up the summer
I just realised to my horror that it has been over two months since I last posted, but I really did need a break from everything to recharge and ensure my continued sanity!
It's been a lovely summer, despite the more than miserable weather here in the UK. I was lucky enough to go the Olympics to witness Usain Bolt do his thing (Thanks again, R.!), I spend ten surprisingly sunny days traveling up the west coast of beautiful Scotland with my lovely sister (who would have thought that that's where summer had been hiding all along) and I followed that with more sun and fun in Catalonia with H.
Now, however, it's time to get back to normal life. Work starts back tomorrow, even though we have another two weeks before our old students return and the new ones arrive. I will also endeavor to get cooking and trying out new recipes in my little kitchen to share on here. I hope you're still with me and haven't completely given up on A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit yet!
For now here are some pictures from the last couple of months.....See you soon!
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Asparagus Pizza with Ham and Goat's Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Unfortunately I have to say, that so far this summer has disappointed. Instead of BBQs and ice cream it's been all about waterproofs, woolly jumpers and even hot water bottles here in the UK. I hope you're faring better elsewhere in the world and the last couple of days have looked a little more promising here also, dare I say?!
At least some of my favourite seasonal late spring/early summer produce has been as good as always. One of the things I always look forward to, apart from riding my bike in the sunshine, having picnics in the garden or the park and getting all my dresses out of their winter storage place under the bed, is the arrival of asparagus season in May.
I know, I know I'm a little late as it's nearly July and the season is pretty much over, but I didn't want to wait a whole year to share this amazing recipe for Asparagus Pizza with Ham and Goat's Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It was published in the Guardian a few weeks ago and as I had friends round that day I tried it straight away.
I adjusted the recipe, especially the amounts of ingredients in the topping as I ran out after topping 1 1/2 of the pizzas, which wasn't a problem as I just topped the rest with tomato, ham, peppers and mature cheddar, but if you want to go for all the same this should work:
Asparagus Pizza with Ham and Goat's Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
For the dough
250g plain white flour
250g strong white flour
1½ level tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
For the topping
4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for trickling
4 large onions, peeled and sliced finely
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bunches slender green asparagus spears (about 800g)
200g air dried ham like parma or serrano
plenty of hard mature goat's cheese or parmesan (or a mix of both, or some soft goat's cheese)
To
make the pizza dough, in a large bowl mix the the flours with the salt and yeast.
Add the oil and 325ml warm water, using your hands mix everything until you have a rough dough.
Tip out the dough on to a clean and floured work surface.
Flour your hands and knead rhythmically for five to 10 minutes, until smooth.
Coat a large bowl with a fine layer of olive oil.
Put the dough into the bowl and cover loosely with a clean tea towel.
Place in in
a warm place to rise until doubled in size – at least one hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 240C/465F/gas mark 9, if it goes that high, or at least 220C/425F/gas mark 7, and put in a baking sheet or even better a pizza stone to warm up.
While the oven is getting hot, prepare the topping.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add
the sliced onions and a pinch of salt.
Reduce the heat to low and cook them gently.
Stir regularly to stop them from colouring. I also often cover them loosely with a bit of parchment paper which means they sweat as well as fry, which turns them nice and soft.
Fry for 20-30 minutes until really soft.
Returning to your dough, tip it out of the bowl on to a
lightly floured surface and deflate with your fingers.
Leave it to rest
for a few minutes, then divide it into three equal portions.
Roll out one piece as thinly as
you can.
Remove the hot baking sheet or pizza stone from from the oven, scatter over a little fine cornmeal or flour and lay the pizza base on it.
Spread a
third of the onions over the dough and arrange a third of the asparagus
on top. If your asparagus spears are thick, cut them in half lengthways.
Tear the ham into shreds and lay a third of it over the
asparagus.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and finish with a generous trickle of good quality olive oil.
Bake the pizza for
10-12 minutes, until the base is crisp, the edges browned and the
asparagus tender.
Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.
Top with finely grated goat's cheese and/or parmesan as soon as it comes out of the oven and drizzle with a little more good quality olive oil. If you're using soft goat's cheese instead of the hard variety, put it on before the pizza goes in the oven.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Lucious Lemon Drizzle Cake
I have written about this cake before in this post and in this one, but it is so good I think it deserves another post.
It's funny, when I look at my blog stats the most popular post of all times is Tana Ramsey's Lemon Drizzle Cake, but this one is so much better and it is easier to make also. No creaming the butter and sugar, no heating lemon juice and sugar for a glaze and yet a perfect moist and lemony cake as a result. How can you go wrong?! Whenever I make this I get loads of compliments and requests for the recipe. So if you have come here after googling "lemon drizzle cake recipe" look no further! The recipe originally came from my friend Karen who writes Lavender and Lovage.
This one is for my students who are graduating this year. Well done to you all!
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezie All-In-One Lemon Drizzle Cake
CAKE
5
oz
self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4
oz
butter, softened
4 oz
golden caster sugar
2 tbsp good quality
lemon curd
1 large
lemon, rind of, grated
2
eggs, whisked
1 tbsp
water or
lemon juice
SYRUP
1
juice of
large lemon
4 oz granulated sugar
Preheat your oven to 175 C/Gas 3-4
Grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin or round cake tin.
Put
all the cake ingredients together into a large bowl & mix
thoroughly with a wooden spoon and then a hand held mixer for a maximum
of 3 minutes.
Pour into the prepared loaf or cake tin & bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the syrup, by mixing the lemon juice and sugar together.
On removing the cake from the oven, pierce all over the top with a fine skewer or fork - keeping the cake in the tin.
Whilst the cake is still hot, pour the syrup over the top of the cake. Leave it in the tin to cool.
The syrup will leave a crunchy residue of sugar and be sticky to touch.
The quantity above can be easily doubled for a larger family cake.
The cake can also be split and have lemon curd spread between the two layers - it is then called a Luscious Lemon Drizzle Cake.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Prolonging the absence...
a little longer. Sorry.
Work-wise this is the busiest time of the year for me. My final year students have just put up their work for this year Manchester School of Art Degree Show and I'm in the middle of assessing it. It's all very exciting, but means long and tiring days at the same time.
Will be back shortly....
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Danish Pastries
I'm just about to jump in a taxi to get to the airport for a short work/research trip to Denmark, but I've got a recipe for Asparagus and Parma Ham Pizza for when I get back next week!
If you find yourself in Doverodde at the Book Arts Festival stop by and say hello!
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Chana Dal
I love dal. It's simple, it's comforting, it's filling, it's budget friendly.
The mistake I often make though is to over-complicate it, and whereas I really do like Makhani Dhal and Lentil, Cabbage and Tomato Dal (which I can't believe I haven't shared on here), I always really enjoy it when friends cook a really simple dal or on the rare occasion that I get an Indian take away.
When choosing things to cook for last week's curry night my mission was to try and keep the dal simple. So, I picked Chana Dal or Dal of Bengal Gram from Camille Panjabi's 50 Great Curries of India cookbook, a book which I've had for ages and which is full of really good recipes from various different regions.
The Dal is nice and creamy in texture. I photographed it cold the next morning,
so it appears somewhat drier and grainier in the image.
Chana Dal (serves 4)
250g Bengal gram (chana dal)
vegetable oil or ghee
salt
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 cm piece of fresh ginger, chopped finely
2 green chillies, chopped finely
1 bay leaf
1/2tsp cumin seeds
3/4tsp red chilli powder
1/2tsp tumeric
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
a pinch of asafoetida
fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Wash the dal well and put it in a pan covered with water to soak for 15-20 minutes.
Drain and top with 500ml of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so until soft.
Add about a teaspoon of salt and remove from heat.
Heat some oil in a small frying pan and saute the garlic, ginger, chillies and bay leaf for two minutes.
Add the cumin, red chilli and tumeric and stir well, then add the chopped tomato and continue to stir for two more minutes.
Add this spice mixture, the sugar and the asafoetida to the dal and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer until the dal is very soft, but still semi-separate.
Top with fresh coriander leaves before serving with rice or roti.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Aubergine and Green Bean Curry
If you follow this blog then you will have noticed that I have been trying quite a few recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Everyday cookbook. The Aubergine and Green Bean Curry is the latest one I have tried and once again it confirms to me what a great cookbook this is.
I had seven friends round for dinner on Monday and rather than just making one huge curry I made three different ones, a Chana Dhal, Muttar Paneer and the Aubergine and Green Bean one. I think they all went down equally well and different people had different favourites.
Now the original recipe can be found here, but below is my adaptation. I stuck with the ingredients and measurement, but only made one portion of curry paste (rather than making double and freezing half). The more important change I made though was the aubergine prep. The thought of frying five large aubergines in batches, as suggested in the original recipe, filled me with dread. I knew I'd be bored before I even got into the real cooking, so after chopping them I simply put them in the oven and roasted them instead. Easy-peasy, little effort and I'm sure just as good.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Aubergine and Green Bean Curry (serves 6-8)
5 large aubergines (eggplants)
olive oil for drizzling
400ml coconut milk
300ml good quality tomato passata
300g green beans, topped and tailed
For the curry paste:
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 shallots, roughly chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
2 hearts of lemongrass, chopped
2-3 green chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
For the raita:
3 tsp mango chutney
8 tbsp plain yogurt
fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish
Optional: Some crushed toasted cashew nuts or almonds to serve.
Preheat your oven to 190C/Gas 5/375F.
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and divide each half into four again. Then cut all the long strips in half, so that you get 16 wedges from each aubergine.
Spread them out into a single layer on a large baking tray (I had two trays full), drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast for 30 minute, until starting to brown.
Whilst the aubergines are roasting, put the garlic, shallots, ginger, lemon grass, chillies, ground coriander, ground cumin and turmeric in a food processor. Add a tablespoon or so of water and blitz until you have a smooth paste.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a large saucepan and fry the curry paste for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously.
Add the roast aubergines and stir until they are well covered with the paste.
Add the
coconut milk and tomato passata, stir until well combined and bring to a simmer.
Add the green
beans and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or so. You want the beans to be tender but still have a little bit. The aubergines will break apart a bit, but it just adds to the richness and texture of the sauce.
Serve with rice and/or chapatis.
If you like top with some toasted cashew nuts or almonds. It adds a lovely bit of sweetness and crunch.
Combine the mango chutney and yoghurt in a small serving bowl. Sprinkle with some chopped coriander and serve alongside the curry.
Enjoy!
