We made this for Grandma and Grandad while your Dad was in Sweden. I've never seen a pudding disappear so fast.
Makes six small puddings (they're quite heavy duty...). You'll need:
140g dates, chopped
105ml water
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
60g butter
60g sugar (I used light muscovado)
1 egg
60g self-raising flour
For the sauce you'll need:
100ml cream
90g dark muscovado sugar
70g butter
Stick the oven on at about 190 degrees C, and fish out a muffin tin (large) which you'll need to grease.
Sling the dates in a small saucepan with some water, and bring to the boil. Add the baking powder (which froths, to great amusement), and then leave this very odd mixture to cool down for a bit.
In the meantime, cream together the butter and sugar, and beat in the egg. Stir in the flour, and then the brown, odd-looking date mixture. It'll look like a right old mess - but mix it together, and then spoon into your muffin tins.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so. To make the (butterscotch) sauce, you'll need to put the sugar, butter and cream in a small saucepan, and bring to the boil very slowly (you'll need to stir this). Simmer for 3 minutes or so, until it thickens and goes glossy.
You can just pour this over the pudding, and eat straightaway, or if you want to be fancy about it, pour a little over each of the puddings and stick them back in the oven for a couple of minutes, to make a sticky glaze. Needless to say, ours didn't get that far...
26 October 2009
Butternut squash and feta tart
Your Dad and I ate this in front of the telly after you'd gone to bed, indulging in a little West Wing season 3.
Makes enough for 2. You'll need:
puff pastry, about 200g (I bought this - life's too short to make it)
1 onion, finely sliced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into small cubes
a good slug of olive oil
50-100g feta cheese, cubed
dried thyme, lots of black pepper
Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C, and fish out a baking tray.
Sling the cubed squash into a pan with a good splosh of olive oil, and gently fry until it softens. Add the onion, and fry for another 5 minutes or so, until it turns translucent.
Roll out the pastry into whatever fancy shape you like (I'm rather boring, and usually go for a rectangle). About 1cm in from the edge, draw a border round the whole piece of pastry using the point of a knife. Carefully place the pastry on a greased baking tray.
Tip the squash/onion onto the pastry, and even it out. Scatter over the feta cheese (if I was Nigella I would say tumble, but that's wrong wrong wrong) thyme and black pepper.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry has turned crisp and golden.
Makes enough for 2. You'll need:
puff pastry, about 200g (I bought this - life's too short to make it)
1 onion, finely sliced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into small cubes
a good slug of olive oil
50-100g feta cheese, cubed
dried thyme, lots of black pepper
Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C, and fish out a baking tray.
Sling the cubed squash into a pan with a good splosh of olive oil, and gently fry until it softens. Add the onion, and fry for another 5 minutes or so, until it turns translucent.
Roll out the pastry into whatever fancy shape you like (I'm rather boring, and usually go for a rectangle). About 1cm in from the edge, draw a border round the whole piece of pastry using the point of a knife. Carefully place the pastry on a greased baking tray.
Tip the squash/onion onto the pastry, and even it out. Scatter over the feta cheese (if I was Nigella I would say tumble, but that's wrong wrong wrong) thyme and black pepper.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry has turned crisp and golden.
22 October 2009
Lamb hotpot
We spent the afternoon at the library today, and returned home in desperate need of a cup of tea (me, after an hour of reading aloud), and something warming to eat. Lamb hotpot hit the spot.
Makes enough for 3. You'll need:
4 or 5 medium-sized pieces of lamb (we had a right old rag-bag of pieces on the bone)
an onion, sliced
3-4 sticks of celery, chopped
a large carrot, chopped
the remains of a bottle of red wine that wasn't quite at its best (probably a glass)
dried thyme and lots of black pepper
5 or 6 large potatoes
Stick the oven on at about 160 degrees C.
Brown the pieces of lamb in a casserole dish (you may need to add a little olive oil so that they don't stick). Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add whatever wine you've got left and some boiling water, until everything's completely covered and there's no bits of lamb poking out the top.
Season with thyme and black pepper, bring to the boil, sling a lid on and shove in the oven for 2-3 hours. Check it occasionally, just to make it has enough liquid.
After 2-3 hours, start on the potatoes. Peel them, then boil for 15 minutes. Drain, slice and then place in a pretty pattern on top of your stew. Dot with butter, turn the heat up on the oven to 200 degrees, and sling the casserole dish back in for another 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are crispy.
Eat with something green - you can't beat a few frozen peas. Cooked, obviously.
Makes enough for 3. You'll need:
4 or 5 medium-sized pieces of lamb (we had a right old rag-bag of pieces on the bone)
an onion, sliced
3-4 sticks of celery, chopped
a large carrot, chopped
the remains of a bottle of red wine that wasn't quite at its best (probably a glass)
dried thyme and lots of black pepper
5 or 6 large potatoes
Stick the oven on at about 160 degrees C.
Brown the pieces of lamb in a casserole dish (you may need to add a little olive oil so that they don't stick). Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add whatever wine you've got left and some boiling water, until everything's completely covered and there's no bits of lamb poking out the top.
Season with thyme and black pepper, bring to the boil, sling a lid on and shove in the oven for 2-3 hours. Check it occasionally, just to make it has enough liquid.
After 2-3 hours, start on the potatoes. Peel them, then boil for 15 minutes. Drain, slice and then place in a pretty pattern on top of your stew. Dot with butter, turn the heat up on the oven to 200 degrees, and sling the casserole dish back in for another 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are crispy.
Eat with something green - you can't beat a few frozen peas. Cooked, obviously.
13 October 2009
Lamb and olive stew
It was a proper autumn day today - warmish, but drizzly and grey. There were soggy leaves everywhere on the way back from nursery - which weren't much fun to swish through. So we left the lamb and olive stew to cook in the oven, and went for a swim.
You'll need:
a few lamb pieces, preferably on the bone (we had about 400g of large bits of lamb in some very odd cuts)
one onion, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced
1/2 a jar of green olives
a tin of tomatoes
dried thyme, oregano and black pepper
Stick the oven on at about 160 degrees C.
Brown the pieces of lamb in a large ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish - you may need to add a little olive oil so it doesn't stick. Chuck in the onion and green peppers, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Tip in the green olives, tomatoes, and some water (about a can-ful). Season liberally with thyme, oregano and black pepper. You probably won't need much salt, especially if your olives were packed in brine.
Stick the lid on, and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone, and the tomatoes have cooked down to a beautiful red sludge. Check on it every now and again- you may have to add a little more water half an hour before the end.
We ate this with couscous and a spinach salad.
You'll need:
a few lamb pieces, preferably on the bone (we had about 400g of large bits of lamb in some very odd cuts)
one onion, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced
1/2 a jar of green olives
a tin of tomatoes
dried thyme, oregano and black pepper
Stick the oven on at about 160 degrees C.
Brown the pieces of lamb in a large ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish - you may need to add a little olive oil so it doesn't stick. Chuck in the onion and green peppers, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Tip in the green olives, tomatoes, and some water (about a can-ful). Season liberally with thyme, oregano and black pepper. You probably won't need much salt, especially if your olives were packed in brine.
Stick the lid on, and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone, and the tomatoes have cooked down to a beautiful red sludge. Check on it every now and again- you may have to add a little more water half an hour before the end.
We ate this with couscous and a spinach salad.
12 October 2009
Smoked haddock, potato and sweetcorn chowder
Not many posts recently, as there haven't been many new recipes - when I'm snowed under with work tea tends to head towards the family classics.
This one was new though, and inspired by the lovely Nigel's suppers on BBC1.
Makes enough for 4 greedy adults. You'll need:
a large fillet or two of smoked haddock (undyed is probably nicer, but day-glo yellow means it looks pretty...)
a large onion, finely chopped
a large tin of sweetcorn, or a mugful of frozen sweetcorn (defrosted)
lots of potatoes - 4 or 5 large ones, peeled and diced
milk - about a pint
First of all, poach the fish in the milk. Bung both into a large pan, and gently heat the milk until it's almost boiling. Turn down, and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Drain the fish (keep the milk!), and flake into large chunks (removing any bones, and discarding the skin).
Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're translucent. Add the potatoes, and swish round in the oil. Add a mugful of boiling water to the potato/onion mixture and the rest of the fishy milk. Season with lots of black pepper, and simmer until the potato chunks are cooked.
Add the sweetcorn/fish, and warm through.
Serve with lots of fresh crusty bread, maybe topped with a little cream cheese.
This one was new though, and inspired by the lovely Nigel's suppers on BBC1.
Makes enough for 4 greedy adults. You'll need:
a large fillet or two of smoked haddock (undyed is probably nicer, but day-glo yellow means it looks pretty...)
a large onion, finely chopped
a large tin of sweetcorn, or a mugful of frozen sweetcorn (defrosted)
lots of potatoes - 4 or 5 large ones, peeled and diced
milk - about a pint
First of all, poach the fish in the milk. Bung both into a large pan, and gently heat the milk until it's almost boiling. Turn down, and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Drain the fish (keep the milk!), and flake into large chunks (removing any bones, and discarding the skin).
Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're translucent. Add the potatoes, and swish round in the oil. Add a mugful of boiling water to the potato/onion mixture and the rest of the fishy milk. Season with lots of black pepper, and simmer until the potato chunks are cooked.
Add the sweetcorn/fish, and warm through.
Serve with lots of fresh crusty bread, maybe topped with a little cream cheese.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)