Guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the most chicken pox-ridden small child.
You'll need:
a banana
2/3 of a tin of coconut cream/milk (here's the recipe that used the other third)
about 80g sugar
You'll also need the foresight to put the bowl for the ice cream maker in the freezer the day before...
Stick all the ingredients in a blender. Blitz until they're well mixed. Pour into your freezing cold bowl and churn for however long it takes (it's about an hour in our very aged ice cream maker - and inevitably it still needs a brief spell in the freezer after that).
You could also make this in container in the freezer - you'll need to remember to take it out occasionally and mix.
28 February 2009
26 February 2009
Coconut rice with peas
We made this as a sneaky treat because your Dad was out (he's an inveterate pea hater).
Makes enough for 1 adult and 1 small child.
You'll need:
coconut milk (I used about a third of a tin)
a handful of peas (defrosted)
basmati rice (about half a mug)
Chuck the rice in a pan. Pour the coconut milk into the measuring mug, and top it up with water until it reaches the top (you need twice as much liquid as rice!). Tip into the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is tender. You might need to add a little extra water - keep an eye on it.
The rice will take about 8-10 minutes to cook - so you need to add your peas in the last couple of minutes, so that they heat through.
If you want to be fancy, you could also add some chopped coriander before serving.
We ate this with some chicken and red pepper kebabs. The wooden skewers caught fire, so they weren't exactly a success...
Makes enough for 1 adult and 1 small child.
You'll need:
coconut milk (I used about a third of a tin)
a handful of peas (defrosted)
basmati rice (about half a mug)
Chuck the rice in a pan. Pour the coconut milk into the measuring mug, and top it up with water until it reaches the top (you need twice as much liquid as rice!). Tip into the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is tender. You might need to add a little extra water - keep an eye on it.
The rice will take about 8-10 minutes to cook - so you need to add your peas in the last couple of minutes, so that they heat through.
If you want to be fancy, you could also add some chopped coriander before serving.
We ate this with some chicken and red pepper kebabs. The wooden skewers caught fire, so they weren't exactly a success...
25 February 2009
Sausage, tomato and red wine pappardelle
Today was so beautifully warm that I spent the afternoon tidying up the garden. All the bulbs you helped me plant are just starting to poke through.
You helped me pick the recipe for tea too (you love looking through the food pictures in magazines, especially the cakes). It's based on one from Olive, but changed about a bit as I don't particularly like fennel.
You'll need:
some sausages (I used tiny chipolatas, which I chopped into small pieces)
a clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped (I also added a leek, because we're overrun with the things at the moment)
a glass of red wine
a tin of chopped tomatoes
pappardelle (these are big fat ribbons - oversized tagliatelle)
Fry the pieces of sausage until they're browned. You probably don't have to add any extra oil here, but keep an eye on them just in case. Add the onion (and leek) and garlic, and fry until they've softened.
Pour in the red wine, and let it bubble away furiously for a couple of minutes. Chuck in the tomatoes, and leave the whole lot to simmer for 15-20 minutes. You probably want to add some black pepper here too.
Cook your pappardelle in a large pan with lots of boiling water until it's al dente (shouldn't take long - maybe 8-10 minutes). Drain, and then tip it into the tomato and sausage sauce. Swish round, and serve with some curls of parmesan cheese.
You helped me pick the recipe for tea too (you love looking through the food pictures in magazines, especially the cakes). It's based on one from Olive, but changed about a bit as I don't particularly like fennel.
You'll need:
some sausages (I used tiny chipolatas, which I chopped into small pieces)
a clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped (I also added a leek, because we're overrun with the things at the moment)
a glass of red wine
a tin of chopped tomatoes
pappardelle (these are big fat ribbons - oversized tagliatelle)
Fry the pieces of sausage until they're browned. You probably don't have to add any extra oil here, but keep an eye on them just in case. Add the onion (and leek) and garlic, and fry until they've softened.
Pour in the red wine, and let it bubble away furiously for a couple of minutes. Chuck in the tomatoes, and leave the whole lot to simmer for 15-20 minutes. You probably want to add some black pepper here too.
Cook your pappardelle in a large pan with lots of boiling water until it's al dente (shouldn't take long - maybe 8-10 minutes). Drain, and then tip it into the tomato and sausage sauce. Swish round, and serve with some curls of parmesan cheese.
23 February 2009
Chocolate and beetroot brownies
This wouldn't have happened, apart from the fact that we had pile of beetroot in the veg box last week, and I can't stand the stuff. It made some very pink brownies, which pleased you no end.
It's adapted from a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe, as I wasn't brave enough to come up with my own.
You'll need:
125g butter
125g chocolate (plain would be best, I ended up melting down all the rest of the Christmas tree decorations, which weren't)
125g sugar
2 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon cocoa powder
75g self-raising flour
125g cooked/peeled beetroot, whizzed in the food processor
Stick the oven on at about 170 degrees C. You'll need to line a baking tin (I used a square one, about 20cm across) with some greaseproof paper.
Stick the butter and chocolate in a bowl, and put in the microwave in short bursts (15-20 seconds at a time), until its all melted. (You could also do this by balancing a bowl over a pan of hot water, but that takes a lot longer).
Whisk the sugar and eggs together, until they're smooth. Pour in the chocolate/butter, and mix it all together. Add the flour, and fold in the beetroot. Mix - you should now have a bizarrely pink/brown mixture.
Tip into your tin. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until it starts to look slightly less pink. Leave to cool in the tin. Tastes mostly of chocolate...
It's adapted from a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe, as I wasn't brave enough to come up with my own.
You'll need:
125g butter
125g chocolate (plain would be best, I ended up melting down all the rest of the Christmas tree decorations, which weren't)
125g sugar
2 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon cocoa powder
75g self-raising flour
125g cooked/peeled beetroot, whizzed in the food processor
Stick the oven on at about 170 degrees C. You'll need to line a baking tin (I used a square one, about 20cm across) with some greaseproof paper.
Stick the butter and chocolate in a bowl, and put in the microwave in short bursts (15-20 seconds at a time), until its all melted. (You could also do this by balancing a bowl over a pan of hot water, but that takes a lot longer).
Whisk the sugar and eggs together, until they're smooth. Pour in the chocolate/butter, and mix it all together. Add the flour, and fold in the beetroot. Mix - you should now have a bizarrely pink/brown mixture.
Tip into your tin. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until it starts to look slightly less pink. Leave to cool in the tin. Tastes mostly of chocolate...
Roasted beetroot soup
Bizarre, I know. But one way to use up the multitude of beetroot. You wouldn't touch the stuff, which was probably sensible, although the chocolate and beetroot brownies have been going down without a fuss.
You'll need:
beetroot (lots - around 5 or 6)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
500ml stock (mine was vegetable, but I suspect chicken would be good here)
1 teaspoon sugar
lots of salt and black pepper
plain Greek yoghurt
Wrap the beetroot in foil, and roast in a hot oven (about 180 degrees C) for an hour or so - until they're tender. Let them cool down, then peel, and blitz in a food processor.
Fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil, until they're soft. Add the beetroot, stock and sugar, and bring to the boil. Simmer for as long as you've got - 20-30 minutes would be good.
Leave to cool, and then blend in the food processor. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and maybe a little lemon juice.
Serve chilled with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some crusty bread. You'll be surprised - it's actually not bad!
You'll need:
beetroot (lots - around 5 or 6)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
500ml stock (mine was vegetable, but I suspect chicken would be good here)
1 teaspoon sugar
lots of salt and black pepper
plain Greek yoghurt
Wrap the beetroot in foil, and roast in a hot oven (about 180 degrees C) for an hour or so - until they're tender. Let them cool down, then peel, and blitz in a food processor.
Fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil, until they're soft. Add the beetroot, stock and sugar, and bring to the boil. Simmer for as long as you've got - 20-30 minutes would be good.
Leave to cool, and then blend in the food processor. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and maybe a little lemon juice.
Serve chilled with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some crusty bread. You'll be surprised - it's actually not bad!
20 February 2009
Cannelloni with squash, feta and tomato
You've spent most of the afternoon racing cars down the loop the loop track. We've discovered (a) the lighter they are the better and (b) when you hang the track off the door, they fairly zip down.
It was a bit of an experiment for tea. You hated it, and had a banana, followed by bread and marmite. At least you tried a couple of mouthfuls...
Makes enough for 4.
You'll need:
a squash, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
half a small(ish) pack of feta cheese (you could also try ricotta)
a tomato sauce or passata (I made my own from half an onion and a tin of tomatoes)
an onion, finely chopped
dried thyme, black pepper
grated cheese
cannelloni (or lasagne sheets)
First of all you'll need the oven on, at about 200 degrees C. Chuck your squash into a roasting tin, and splosh some olive oil over it. Bung in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the squash is tender. (Keep the oven on when the squash are done - you'll need it later on.)
In the meantime, make a tomato sauce (saute some onion in a frying pan until it softens, then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some black pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and leave to simmer for half an hour).
Fry the onion in a little olive oil, until it goes translucent. Put it into a blender with the feta cheese, some thyme and lots of black pepper. Once the squash is tender, take it out of the oven and stick it into the blender too. Smash the lot together, until it forms a thick paste.
You then have the delightful task of filling the cannelloni, which is a right pain. There's probably a technique to it - Jamie Oliver does it by cutting off the corner of a bag, and squashing the stuff in, or an icing bag would also be a good plan. I shoved it in with a small teaspoon, which was a bit messy. If you hate the idea of all this, you could just sandwich the squash mixture between some layers of lasagne.
Once your cannelloni are filled, place them in a roasting dish (the one you did the squash in would be a good move), and pour the tomato sauce over the top. Liberally sprinkle your grated cheese over the top, and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or so, until everything is bubbling furiously and the cheese on the top is golden.
It was a bit of an experiment for tea. You hated it, and had a banana, followed by bread and marmite. At least you tried a couple of mouthfuls...
Makes enough for 4.
You'll need:
a squash, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
half a small(ish) pack of feta cheese (you could also try ricotta)
a tomato sauce or passata (I made my own from half an onion and a tin of tomatoes)
an onion, finely chopped
dried thyme, black pepper
grated cheese
cannelloni (or lasagne sheets)
First of all you'll need the oven on, at about 200 degrees C. Chuck your squash into a roasting tin, and splosh some olive oil over it. Bung in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the squash is tender. (Keep the oven on when the squash are done - you'll need it later on.)
In the meantime, make a tomato sauce (saute some onion in a frying pan until it softens, then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some black pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and leave to simmer for half an hour).
Fry the onion in a little olive oil, until it goes translucent. Put it into a blender with the feta cheese, some thyme and lots of black pepper. Once the squash is tender, take it out of the oven and stick it into the blender too. Smash the lot together, until it forms a thick paste.
You then have the delightful task of filling the cannelloni, which is a right pain. There's probably a technique to it - Jamie Oliver does it by cutting off the corner of a bag, and squashing the stuff in, or an icing bag would also be a good plan. I shoved it in with a small teaspoon, which was a bit messy. If you hate the idea of all this, you could just sandwich the squash mixture between some layers of lasagne.
Once your cannelloni are filled, place them in a roasting dish (the one you did the squash in would be a good move), and pour the tomato sauce over the top. Liberally sprinkle your grated cheese over the top, and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or so, until everything is bubbling furiously and the cheese on the top is golden.
Cheesy feet
Because you were given some foot-shaped cutters for Christmas, and were so tickled by the idea.
You'll need:
150g cheddar cheese, grated
100g plain flour
100g butter
1 egg yolk
Stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C.
Mix together the cheese and flour in a large bowl. Rub in the butter (it's probably easiest if you cut it into smallish cubes first).
Add the egg yolk, and mix everything together - it should come together into a stiff-ish dough.
Tip out onto a floured worktop. Roll out the pastry to 1cm deep or so, and get cutting. We've got three sizes of foot, which is very pleasing. Place them on a baking sheet, which has been lined with greaseproof paper or a silicon sheet.
Bake in the oven for 8 minutes or so - they really don't take long so keep an eye on them. Whip the feet out when they're a light golden brown colour. You might want to leave them on the tray for a few minutes before decanting them onto a cooling rack - they're rather fragile.
Eat as soon as possible - they're gorgeous when warm.
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