December « 2009 « Cyder with Eloise

December 31, 2009

Lime Pickle

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: Curry, Preserving — tamara @ 5:08 pm

Ingredients
4 Limes (Select limes with a yellow tinge to the skin as they tend to be juicer)
2 tsp Salt (Use a good quality salt such as Maldon)
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 inch Root ginger, sliced
1 tbsp White vinegar
10 Red chillies
2 tbsp Granulated sugar
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Garlic cloves

Method
Sterilise two 8oz jars in boiling water and dry in a hot oven.
Chop the limes in to quarters length ways and then each quarter into half. Place in a large jar with 1 tsp of salt and seal. You can pack the limes in quite tight as when they start to release their juices they will settle.
Shake the jars to mix in the salt, and place the jar in a sunny spot on a windowsill for 3 days. Add the rest of the salt and shake well. Return to the sunny spot for at least 1 month. Regularly shake the jar.
Be prepared for some odd looks and questions from visitors when they inspect this new windowsill ornament!
Once the limes have matured, heat the oil in a pan and cook the ginger till golden. Carefully add the vinegar a little at a time. If your’re too quick it will spit as it hits the hot oil. Next, add the limes and lime juice from the jar. Mix well and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the spices, garlic & chillies, cook for a further 3 minutes, then transfer to the sterilised jars and seal.
Once opened use within one month and store in the fridge.

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December 30, 2009

Turkey Curry with Basmati Rice

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: Curry, Left-Overs, Turkey — tamara @ 4:45 pm

Turkey: Yes there is still some left and I’m not bored of it yet! That’s got to be the best £50 I have ever spent. We normally have Goose for Christmas, but I’ve never made it stretch this far.

The spices used in this recipe are a good basic mix that I use over and over again in quick curries. You may like to use less turmeric and chilli powder then I do, you can always add more if you like the strength.

For the vegetables I have used parsnips, parboiled and chopped into 1 inch cubes, but I also like to use chick peas, which if dried, I cook in chicken stock for 1 hour first. This works very well with chicken.
Other suggestions are green beans or okra.

Ingredients
350g Turkey, left-over meat both brown & white.
1 Large onion, peeled and chopped
3 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 Red chillies, chopped
15 Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
3/4 tsp Turmeric
3/4 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Garam masala
150g Vegetables or Pulses of your choice.
300ml Stock (Turkey, chicken or vegetable will do)

Method
Parboil or prepare the vegetables or pulses and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and lightly brown the onions. Add the garlic, chilli and tomatoes and 50ml of the stock. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes to let the tomatoes soften.
Add all the spices and stir for 1 minute to let the flavours infuse, then add the vegetables or pulses and 200ml of the stock and cover again. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the meat. Fold in the meat to coat in the spices and heat through, adding more stock if required.
Meanwhile, rinse the rice before boiling in water with two crushed cardamom pods and a stick of cinnamon.
Serve with poppadoms and some homemade lime pickle.

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December 29, 2009

Sausage & Bean Casserole

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: Left-Overs, Sausage, Slow Cooker — tamara @ 3:41 pm

I find that I can never follow a recipe to the letter. I always deviate even from my own recipes! In this one I have included some mushrooms, purely as they needed using, so I recommend you do the same – have a rummage through the fridge and see what needs to be used up and throw it in, every meal is an adventure!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
250g Cannellini beans
If using dried beans, first soak over night and then boil for 1 hour or until soft in a large pan with 1 tsp smoky paprika, 1 spring of rosemary, 1 bay leaf.
6 Sausages, grilled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped
3 Cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 Red pepper, sliced
100g Mushrooms, sliced
400g Tinned tomatoes
200ml Stock
I have used turkey stock as I had some left over, but you could use chicken or vegetable.
1 tsp Smoked paprika
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Sage
Salt & Black Pepper

Method
Pre heat the oven to gas mark 4.
In an oven proof pan, heat the olive oil and soften the onion and celery. Add the garlic, pepper, mushrooms and pre cooked sausages. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes. Swill out the tin with some of the stock and add all of that, then the drained beans and the seasoning’s.
Bring to the boil on the stove and simmer for 5 minutes with the pan lid off and then put the lid on and move to the oven. Leave to cook for 1 hour. If you feel you need to reduce the sauce then remove the lid for the last 1/2 hour, but keep and eye on it. You don’t want it to go dry. Likewise, if you think the dish is too dry, add some more stock or water. Taste for seasoning and serve with a hearty chunk of bread to wipe the plate clean.

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December 28, 2009

Turkey Enchiladas

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: Left-Overs, Mexican, Tomatoes, Turkey — tamara @ 4:18 pm

In this recipe I make both the filling sauce and topping sauce in one go. It’s quicker and it means you get an even flavour though the dish, which for me is preferable.

Of course, this recipe can be done with other meats such as chicken.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
500g Left over Turkey, both brown & white meat, sliced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
1 Celery stick, halved and sliced
1 Red Pepper, sliced
3 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
400g Can of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp Tomato Purée
100 ml Turkey stock
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Chilli seeds
1/2 tsp Coco powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
150g Grated cheese (Mild: Monterey Jack or Spicy: Mexicana Cheddar )
8 Corn Tortillas (If your not making your own the I recommend Old El Paso)

Method:
Pre heat the oven to (180°C) gas mark 4.
In a heavy based pan soften the onions and celery in the olive oil.
Add the red pepper, garlic, tinned tomatoes, 1 tbsp of tomato purée and the stock, then bring to a simmer.
Add the spices and taste for seasoning. Add extra chilli if your feeling brave, and to help ward off a winter cold.
Simmer to let the flavours develop for about 10 minutes.
Next, you need to separate approximately 200ml of the sauce with as little of the vegetables as possible. The easiest way to do this is to strain the sauce through a colander, or something similar with large holes. (A sieve would be too fine.)
Put the thicker of the two sauces (filling sauce) back in the pan and add the turkey and 1/2 of the cheese. Stir in well.
Spoon the filling onto the middle of each corn tortilla and wrap, then place them folded side down into a lightly greased baking dish.
Stir in 1 tbsp of tomatoes purée to the topping sauce and pour over the dish then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is browning and the sauce is bubbling.

NB:
Schwartz do a blend of Chilli & Cocoa Bean which works quite well inplace of the individual spices.

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December 27, 2009

Potted Turkey

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: Christmas, Left-Overs, Preserving, Turkey — tamara @ 1:18 pm

You can modify this recipe to suit other cold meats. I have used pink peppercorns with turkey, but you might like to add some thyme with chicken, or cloves with ham, but be careful not to over do the seasonings.

Potted meats are great served with sour dough bread (from Hambleton Hall, if your lucky), pickles and cheeses.

Ingredients:
200g Left over cold turkey, mixture of both brown and white meat
60g Salted butter, softened
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Pink peppercorns
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1/4 Lemon, juice only

For sealing:
50g Unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
Pinch of grated nutmeg

Method:
Blitz all the potting ingredients in a food mixer until quite fine.
Pack into ramekins or kilner jars, pressing the meat mixture down firmly.
Melt the remaining butter and seasoning’s in a pan and pour over the meat to seal.
Store in the fridge to set but remember to remove at least an hour before serving.

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December 22, 2009

La Sella, Kimbolton.

Filed under: Blog,Resturants — tamara @ 1:56 pm

About 6 months ago The Saddle Pub in Kimbolton re-opened as an Italian restaurant. I was keeping an eye out for some reviews or mention of it in the local press, but not having heard anything about it I decided we should give it a go ourselves for my Mothers birthday. At this time of year when celebrating a birthday, it’s nice to find somewhere to eat that is not too festive. A huge thank you to Fraiser for driving us there on the very icy roads that night.

I have known the Saddle as a pub for 15 years. It has changed hands a few times and recently had a face lift, but being in a small village (Kimbolton was once a small market town part of the main A45 trunk road from the Midlands to the East and used to boast over 100 pubs, there are now 3) the basic feel of the place has always been maintained, whether the pub has been hosting live bands or providing pub grub. The name ‘La Sella’ means ‘Saddle’ in Italian, and I’m glad it has kept this even if in a different language as the building has been known as this since 1747.

The restaurant is a light and airy space with about 10 tables. There is a back garden that I remember from Summers past, which I am sure will come into good use in 2010. It was a bit too cold and icy this evening to have a look. In the small bar area you could stand or sit, if you did still want to pop in for a pint, although it’s mainly Peroni. No cask ales.

The menu was basic Italian, Pizza & Pasta.

To start, I had the mussels which were served in a cream sauce. My Mother commented that she thought it was a bit salty but I thought it carried the mussels well. Lenny’s starter of antipasti meats and cheeses was very well presented and quite a generous portion, and the bruschetta was reported as quite delicious. Crispy bread, but softened nicely by the tomatoes.

For main course I had gnocchi, served with pesto and prawns, and the distribution of prawns was quite favourable. The calzone and pizzas were thin based, but big on flavour. We all agreed much tastier then our local pizza chain, and worth the treacherous drive.

Someone happened to mention they had a birthday to celebrate, so when we declined dessert we were brought out a large chocolate mousse with a candle in the top. Sometimes this can be a bit cheesy, but it was the end of the evening and it was a nice touch. This was followed by a limoncello each, on the house.

We had two bottles of Montepulciano, and the total bill came to approximately £100 for 5 people. Very reasonable prices, really good food and a relaxed atmosphere. I hope to go back soon.

La Sella, 26 High Street, Kimbolton, Huntingdon, PE28 0HA, 01480 860 408

Comments (4)

December 14, 2009

Ginger Pigs

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: Christmas — tamara @ 11:20 pm

These ginger biscuits will keep well for up to three weeks if well dried out and stored in an airtight container. Ideal for making ahead of time for Christmas gifts.

Ingredients
350g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
100g butter
175g soft brown sugar
50g finely chopped stem ginger (Opies do a really nice ginger in syrup, use about 5 balls)
1 egg
4 tbsp golden syrup (or if your using ginger in syrup substitute some syrup to give an extra gingery kick)

Method
Preheat the oven to Gas 4. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ground ginger and mixed spice together. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar and stem ginger.
Beat the eggs and syrup together and pour into the flour mixture to make a smooth dough. The dough should be quite dry but if the dough is not pliable enough to roll out then add a drop of milk.
Roll the dough out on a floured work surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
Line baking trays with greased baking paper and lay out the biscuits well spaced.
Bake the biscuits in the oven for 10 minutes, gently turn the biscuits over and reduce the oven temperature to minimum. Cook the biscuits for a further 10 minutes, until completely dried out. You can turn off the oven at this point and leave the biscuits in there to dry out of you wish.
Cool the biscuits on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

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December 13, 2009

When in the face of adversity – Cook.

Filed under: Blog,Recipies — Tags: Apples, Blackberries, Christmas, From the Garden, Fruit, Left-Overs, Preserving, Sweets — tamara @ 2:11 pm

Our fridge freezer has broken down. I’ve not started to panic yet, luckily my mother has some room in her freezer for storage but there is still a lot of food that I need to save. I’m just praying when they come to fix it next week I will not hear the words “we’ll not be able to get the part before Christmas”.

When we lived in Canada I remember at this time of year we could open the back door and use the wall of snow as a deep freeze.

All the beautiful fruit I had stored to see me through to next summer I’m going to have to find a new way to eat up or preserve for the next few weeks.

Fruit leathers are essentially dried fruit puree’s. Cut into strips and rolled up, these thin, pliable sheets of fruit make tasty and relatively healthy sweets, they will keep in the fridge for up to a month or can be frozen – if you have a freezer!

This recipe is taken directly from the book preserves by Pam Corbin
. She calls it a fruit leather but we have been making beef jerky this week so I’m following a theme.

Apple & Blackberry Jerky

Ingredients
500g blackberries
500g apples, peel cored & chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
150g wild flower honey

Method
Preheat the oven to a very low setting – I use 60C. Line two baking sheets, measuring about 24 x 30cm, with baking parchment.
Put the blackberries, apples and lemon juice into a pan. Cook gently until soft and pulpy, about 20 minutes. Rub the mixture through a sieve or mouli into a bowl; you should have about 700g smooth fruit puree. Add the honey and mix well.
Divide the puree between the two baking sheets. Spread it out lightly with the back of a spoon until the puree covers the sheets in a thin, even layer.
Put the baking sheets in the oven and leave for 12-18 hours, until the fruit puree is completely dry and peels off the parchment easily. Roll up the leather in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. Use within 5 months.

Variations
There is no end to the possible variations here – you can turn any fruit into a leather. All you need do is create a smooth thick puree with your chosen fruit before drying it out. Try plums, spicing the puree with a little cinnamon; or peaches, infusing them with a few honeysuckle blossoms as they cook. For a savory leather use half and half apples and tomatoes seasoned with celery salt.

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December 9, 2009

Some improvements can be made:

Filed under: Blog — tamara @ 10:46 pm

Sharing my recipes on-line is all new to me so I am learning something new everyday, which means all my mistakes are also public.

I recently read an article about what makes a good cookbook. I have been focused on trying to make my recipes on my blog as light hearted as possible, and not to fluff out the articles with unnecessary detail. “Everyone knows how to make a bechelmel sauce – don’t they?”. Well actually “no” quite a lot of people may not and that is why they are looking for a recipe to tell them how.
So now I aim to be more critical of my own articles as I would be if I was reviewing a cookbook. I personally use most cookbooks as a guidance and inspiration for my own cooking but if your new to the sport then you will probably want some direction to produce a dish that will encourage you to go back and do it again and not a long list of ingredients and no idea what to do with them. A confident cook writing a recipe can be blasé with instructions, the recipe can be casual but still needs to cover all the steps; missing out a vital instruction can lead to frustration. I want my recipes to be accessible to everyone, if your not used to cooking then I want you to have faith in the step by step process, but if your looking for inspiration I hope you get something from these recipes too.

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December 1, 2009

Autumn Almanac 2009

Filed under: Almanac — tamara @ 5:06 pm

This post is inspired by the Kinks song of the same name and this is the first post in a new feature; reviewing the best of the recipes and foodie blogs I have read over the past 3 months, with a selection of Flickr favourites to set the mood.

14th September 2009 saw the passing of a true British icon Keith Floyd. Julia from ‘A Slice of Cherry Pie’ and James from ‘Back to the Chopping Board’ arranged a Farewell to Floyd Food Blogging Event. My entry was ‘Chuck Wagon Pork & Beans’.

September was also my first go at a Daring Bakers challenge, and currently my last. I may have failed at the first hurdle, but I have enjoyed reading posts about the other challenges, including Nora the Kitchen ‘Splora’s Macaroons, and Moonberry Juices Vietnamese Chicken Pho.

The summer has drawn to a close but it doesn’t stop me dreaming of camping. Check out the Flickr group camping under canvas for some great bell tent shots.

In October I was in Cornwall and staying just up the road from the Camel Valley Vineyard. Unfortunately it was too late in the year for us to do a tour, so I had to make do with a glass of their Bacchus and reading a post from ‘Around Britain with a Paunch’.

I grew sweetcorn for the first time this year. I gave it a go after I read it was almost impossible to mess it up. Not being particularly green fingered that is just what I needed. We only grew enough for a few corn on the cobs, but next year I hope to grow more and then I can make corn fritters – recipe from Cupcakes and Cornwall.

Oxtail is a cut of meat that makes me think of thick gravy’s and warming stews, just the thing to cook up as the nights draw in. When combined with Rioja and Chorizo I don’t think you can go wrong as in this recipe from Essex Eating.

I love the autumnal images of Pumpkins in this post by Amanda at Mocking Bird. I think pumpkin goes very well with cumin and coriander so I made a spicy pumpkin soup, but I may try this recipe from The Hungriest Hippo next time which includes apples – Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup.

French Onion soup can be enjoyed at any time of year but I like this recipe from Molly Watson of The Dinner Files as she has used cider to make this soup a particularly autumn inspired recipe.

Shameless Plug Alert!
In November my site was listed on the Dorset Cereals Little Blog Awards. Now I just need a few more votes, so don’t be shy