A few months ago Kellogg's contacted me to see if I was interested in trying out a new muesli that they are launching in April. Always up for trying new things of course I said yes. Then I forgot about it for a while and was completely stumped when I came home from work a good few week's later to be greeted by a huge box waiting for me outside the door of my flat.
I couldn't remember ordering anything on the internet and only when I opened the cardboard box to reveal another wooden box with the Kellogg's logo on it did start making sense. Inside the second box I found a wooden cereal bowl a spoon and four boxes of muesli.
The muesli is called Kellogg's Nature's Pleasure and comes in four flavours. Apple & Blackcurrant, Almond Pecan & Cashew, Almond Pecan & Raisin and Rasperry & Cherry.
Not being the most patient of all people, I tried the first flavour (Apple & Blackcurrant) straight away, and I have to say I liked what I tasted and tasting my way through the other boxes didn't disappoint either. The muesli is nice and crunchy because it is baked, full of grains, oates, nuts and/or dried fruit, it has no weird stuff added and because it is sweetened it does actually taste like a treat, unlike some of the other more 'worthy' type mueslis that don't contain sugar and sometimes taste a bit like cardboard.
I have to say that the Apple and Blackcurrant flavour is definitely my favourite, probably because of the hint of cinnamon and it generally just has a really good balance of flavours, but I wouldn't say no to a bowl of any of them to start the day.
I never really took a picture, so I've borrowed one from Kellog's.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Something new
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Maybe I can blame it on spring
Time is just running like sand (and money) through my fingers at the moment. I can't believe it is nearly April and I have only written one post so far this month. The days just seem to be over before they really start.
I'm so busy and when I'm not busy, I'm sleepy.
But it has not been all work and no play, just not much playing in the kitchen. I've been enjoying spring. Laughing, walking and talking with friends.
The Easter holidays start next week and with them come visitors that want to be cooked for, which means pictures and recipes to share. Please be patient with me until then.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Aubergine Dip)
Not one of the prettiest dips you'll ever see, but certainly one of the best, or at least that's what I think.
I'm not in much of a mood to write loads today. I was looking forward to get back into it, but I've spend all day speaking to the police and insurance companies, as my bike has been stolen again. I only just replaced the one that was stolen in November and now it's gone again. Swines.
Oh well, as I said it's kind of put a bit of a damper on my mood and I can't think of anything witty or interesting to write. Therefore I'll just leave you with this great recipe for one of my favourite dips, perfect with warm pita.
Baba Ghanoush
3 medium aubergines (eggplants)
2 tbsp tahini
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 210C/425F/Gas 7.
Place the aubergines in the oven and roast for 45-60 minutes. The skin should be brown and they should be soft to the touch.
When done, cut them in half and scoop the flesh into a sieve. Squeeze out any of the excess moisture.
Place everything into a blender and puree until smooth.
Taste and add more lemon juice if needed.
If you want an extra creamy dip stir in about 1/3 cup of yoghurt.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Monday, 16 February 2009
Potato and Bean Enchilada
Some people are of the (misguided) opinion that potatoes are boring, but they are so not. I love them, they are filling and versatile and go with with just about anything.
Since moving into a flat on my own last summer I have found that I eat less and less meat. I guess there are two reasons for that. Firstly, good meat is expensive and I refuse to buy cheap reconstituted, saline injected or poorly-treated-whilst-alive meat and secondly a lot of my favourite meat dishes, such as roasts, stews, and pies are obviously not really that single friendly, especially since I only have a minute freezer.
So, that's were this recipe comes in. I love Mexican/Tex-Mex food, but of course many of the popular dishes contain, beef, minced beef or chicken, which I don't always have around. Kidney beans, potatoes, onions, passata, fresh coriander and flour tortillas however are usually to be found somewhere in my store cupboards and they make this great dish. I promise that even the biggest carnivore won't really miss the meat in this one. I scale the recipe down of course, but I have posted the original, which serves four people.
Potato and Bean Enchilada (serves 4)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 cups passata
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 large tomato, cubed
1 (14 ounce) can red beans, drained
4 large potatoes, boiled, skin on, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
8-12 flour tortillas
In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and fry the onion, until beginning to soften.
Add the garlic, cayenne pepper and cumin and fry for a further two minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and passata,and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the cornflour with a bit of cold water and add to the sauce while stirring. Continue to simmer for a minute or so and allow to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a bowl, mix the tomato, beans, potatoes, coriander and cheese.
Divide this mixture between the tortillas, cover with a large tablespoon of the sauce and roll up.
Place the enchiladas, seam side down in a lightly oiled large square oven dish.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas (if you want you can add a little more cheese too) and cook in the oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 20 minutes.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
French Pear and Almond Tart
It was my friend J's birthday on Monday and for a while now I seem to have been established in the role of the birthday cake baker at work. So of course I baked a cake for J. I wanted to try something different and new, which can be a bit risky if you're baking for somebody else, especially for somebody who loves baking themselves, and who is very good at it. I didn't let that put me off though.
Trawling my cookbooks and the web for inspiration I came across Dorie Greenspan's recipe for French Pear and Almond Tart, which had gotten rave reviews from all the Tuesday with Dorie Bakers, so I figured that I couldn't really go wrong with it. I didn't (go wrong with it, that is).
I like pears and I like almonds and as far as I knew so did J., so combining them in a tart seemed like a clever idea. The result was really good. Sweet but not overly so. Moist from the frangipane filling. Crumbly around the outside, because of the rich buttery pastry. But why don't you try it for yourself. You can find the recipe here.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Spicy Bean and Potato Soup
Today is my research day, which in today's case meant some cooking and baking to fill the morning, before burying my head in some books this afternoon.
I know I said in my last post that I was going to cook something that wasn't orange, but it turns out that by cleaning my fridge out and cooking with the things that need using, I ended up with another orange coloured meal. Well, at least this time it has specks of colour in it, and it is certainly bordering on red.
There isn't really a recipe for this, as I just threw ingredients into a pot that I thought would go well together. They did indeed, and the result was a very thick slightly spicy bean and potato soup. If I thickened it with some cornflour I could probably call it a stew.
I used some dried mixed beans that I had soaked overnight, boiled them until tender and then added one chopped potato, half a red onion, some red and yellow pepper, one Mettendchen*, 2 minced cloves of garlic, covered the whole lot with water and brought it to a simmer. For further flavouring I added some vegetable stock powder, plenty of sweet paprika, some chili powder, cumin, corriander, a bayleaf, some tomato puree, salt and freshly ground black pepper. I gave it a good stir and let it simmer until the potatoes were done.
*Mettendchen are a German smoked sausage that is great in stews. I had some that I brought back from my Berlin trip, but you could just leave them out or use smoked Polish sausage.
If you really don't want to cook without a recipe and need measurements, you can have a look at a very similar recipe that I have posted here.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Orzotto con Zucca (Pumkin and Barley Risotto)
The cold weather continues, so does the need for comfort (food).
Orzotto is a risotto made with barley instead of rice, it is also a lot easier as there is no need for constant watching, stirring and adding stock. It all just goes in at once and then cooks until done, with only the occassional peek and stir. Zucca is Italian for pumpkin, but I usually use butternut squash at it is more widely available. You don't even need to peel it, just clean it and remove the seeds cook it and eat it, skin and all. If you need meat with your meal to be fully satisfied, just add some shreeded chicken or beef at the end. It's also good with added mushrooms.
My friend J. made a similar and delicious recipe from the Nigella Christmas Cookbook when she invited me round a few weeks ago. Nigellas version is very rich, due to having loads of mascarpone cheese added. This one is far more low-fat, with only some parmesan stirred in at the end. One thing I really did like about Nigella's recipe though (don't get me wrong it was all good, but just a little too rich for everyday use), is that she keeps some of the butternut squash in chunks, rather than pureeing all of it. So, that's what I did this time round, I just kept some of the roasted butternut squash aside, and pureed the rest. However, below you find the original recipe by Matthew Fort, as I found it Guardian Weekend magazine quite a few years ago, without the chunks.
I just realised, whilst uploading the pictures, that I have been eating a lot of orange food lately. I better go and make something a little more colourful next.
Orzotto con Zucca (serves 2-3 as a main or 4 as a side)
140 g barley
2 liters vegetable stock or chicken stock or game stock
600 g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into chunks
30 g butter
30 g grated parmesan cheese
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
In a large pan bring the stock to a boil, add the barley and simmer until done. It should take about 40 minutes. Drain.
If you want you can add some chopped mushrooms to this for the last 5-10 minutes.
Microwave, boil or roast the pumpkin until soft. (Roasting is my favourite method.)
Put the cooked pumpkin and the butter into a blender and puree.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the puree to the barley and season again with salt and pepper.
Just before serving mix the parmesan into the 'risotto'.
Serve hot with fresh crusty bread.
