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Try something new this month! Recipes kindly provided by Pat Breakwell |
posted 30 Jul 2012 04:38 by Bernie Jones
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 large, ripe nectarines
4 almond macaroons , crushed
50g (2oz) mixed glace fruits, finely shredded
½ egg, beaten
25g (1oz) butter
150ml (1/4 pt) sweet white wine or sweet sherry
You will need a
shallow baking dish large enough to hold the 12 nectarine halves in a single
layer.
METHOD
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6
Wash the nectarines and halve them. Remove the stones. Using a teaspoon,
scrape and slightly enlarge the cavity.
Put the extra pulp into a bowl and mix together with the
crushed macaroons, glace fruits and the beaten egg. Fill the nectarine cavities with the mixture.
Using 15g (1/2 oz) of the butter, lightly grease the dish
and place the nectarine halves in it, stuffing side up. Dot each one with a little of the
remaining butter and sprinkle with the wine.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until tender and serve hot with whipped cream, crème fraiche or
ice cream.
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posted 2 Jul 2012 02:12 by Bernie Jones
These delicious biscuits are perfect to serve with many of
the summer fruit recipes.
Makes 18-24
Ingredients:
60g/2½oz softened butter 25g/1oz
ground almonds
75ml/5tbsp plain flour 1.5ml/¼tsp
vanilla essence
15ml/1tbsp cornflour 2-3
drops almond essence
2 medium sized egg whites 50g/2oz
flaked almonds
1.5ml/¼tsp finely grated orange zest Pinch
of salt
75g/30z caster sugar
Method:
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Use 30ml/2tbsp each of butter and flour
to grease and lightly dust two baking sheets.
Sift the remaining flour with the cornflour 3 times. Mix the egg whites lightly with a fork
to break down the gelatinous threads.
Beat 40g/1½oz butter with the grated orange zest, sugar and
salt until fluffy and light coloured.
Add the egg whites gradually, beating vigorously. Fold in the sifted flour, followed by
the ground almonds. Flavour with
vanilla essence and almond essence.
Drop half the mixture onto one baking sheet – 1 tsp each for
very small thin tuiles, 1 tbsp for larger tuiles, spacing them 10cm/4in
apart. With a damp knife blade,
spread each mound out into a very thin disc – 4cm/1½in. in diameter for small
tuiles, 7.5cm/3in. for larger tuiles.
Make sure the discs are evenly thin throughout; if they are slightly thicker in the
centre, the tuiles will be spongy instead of crisp. Sprinkle each disc with flaked almonds.
Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the tuiles are golden, with a
fine brown fringe. Have a rolling
pin (or any other metal, glass or wooden round object with a similarly curved
surface) ready to shape the hot biscuits.
As soon as the tuiles come out of the oven, quickly remove
each one from the baking tray with a palette knife and arrange it on the rolling pin, almond-side up. Leave for a minute or two to harden and
to take the curved shape. Then
transfer the wafer to a cooling rack.
Bake and shape the remaining tuiles in the same way. DO NOT PUT BOTH TRAYS IN THE OVEN AST
THE SAME TIME AS THE TUILES WILL COOL AND HARDEN BEFORE THEY CAN BE SHAPED.,
Keep tuiles crisp in an air-tight tin until served.
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posted 3 Jun 2012 07:55 by Nick Maton-Williams
Ingredients:
1 red onion
Drizzle of olive oil
1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
A handful of quartered cherry tomatoes
½ tsp paprika – smoked if you have it
4 medium eggs
4 thick slices of bread Method: Chop the red onion and fry it in the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan for 5-10 minutes.
Add the red pepper, tomatoes and paprika, cover with a lid and continue to cook until the pepper and tomatoes have softened.
Take the lid off the pan and use a wooden spoon to make gaps in the vegetables in four places, evenly spaced apart. Break an egg into each one.
Continue to cook over a medium heat, covered with a lid, until the eggs are cooked.
Toast four thick slices of bread and top with the egg and vegetables.
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posted 1 Feb 2012 09:36 by Bernie Jones
[
updated 2 May 2012 06:24
]
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 lamb shoulder,
about 3½ – 4½ lb (1.6-2 Kg)
1 bunch each of
oregano, thyme and rosemary
1 bulb garlic
7 fl oz (200ml) hot
chicken or lamb stock
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp harissa*
Juice of 1 lemon
METHOD:
Heat the oven to
150C, 130C fan, 300F, gas mark 2.
Lightly oil a roasting tin and place half the herbs in the centre. Season the lamb shoulder all over, sit
it on top of the herbs, then scatter the remaining herbs on top of the
lamb. Drizzle over a little olive
oil.
Slice the garlic bulb in half through the middle and place
in the roasting tin. Pour in the
stock, then make a tent out of a piece of foil and secure it to
the sides of the tin, making sure that air can circulate over the top of the
lamb. Cook in the oven for 5 hours
30 minutes.
Turn the oven up to 170C, 150C fan, 325F, gas mark 3. Remove the foil from the lamb, mix the
honey, harissa and lemon juice together, take the herbs off the lamb and leave
the lamb in the roasting tin.
Spread the honey mix over the lamb. Cook for a further 30 minutes until the skin of the lamb is
crisp and dark. Allow to rest out
of the oven for 20 minutes before serving.
*Any left over harissa can be stirred into yogurt as a
Middle Eastern salad dressing or as a marinade for chicken thighs before
barbecuing.
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posted 29 Jul 2011 04:09 by Sarah Maton-Williams
[
updated 30 Oct 2011 05:29 by Bernie Jones
]
This recipe can be
made up well in advance and cooked when it is needed.
Ingredients:
12oz (350g) Penne or
Macaroni
3 small leaks, cleaned
& chopped
6oz (175g) streaky bacon,
de-rinded & chopped
Olive oil
2oz (50g) butter
For the topping:
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
cheese
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 pinches cayenne
pepper For the sauce:
2oz (50g) butter
2oz (50g) plain flour
1½pt (850ml) milk
6oz(175g) Cheddar cheese,
grated
3 fl oz (75ml) double cream
Salt, freshly milled pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
You will need a 3 pt (1.75 litre) pie-dish, well-
buttered. Pre-heat the
oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Bring a large
saucepan of water to boiling point, add some salt, a few drops of olive oil and
the pasta, then bring back to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the pasta into a colander and
rinse it under the cold tap to prevent it cooking any further.
While the pasta’s
cooking, melt the butter in a pan and soften the leeks and bacon over a low
heat. In another pan, make the
white sauce with the butter, flour and milk and leave it to simmer very gently.
Turn the pasta, leeks
and bacon into the prepared pie-dish and mix them well together. Next stir the grated Cheddar cheese
into the sauce, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg and, finally, add
the cream. Pour the sauce over the
ingredients in the pie dish and sprinkle the top with the Parmesan, breadcrumbs
and cayenne papper.
Put the dish into the
oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling.
This dish can be
varied by using sliced courgettes instead of leeks or by adding 4oz (110g) of
sautéed sliced mushrooms and using less bacon.
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posted 1 Jul 2011 06:27 by Bernie Jones
[
updated 29 Jul 2011 04:05 by Sarah Maton-Williams
]
This is a quick,
no-cook recipe for a really decadent treat! It’s the kind of thing you can produce in an emergency as no
last minute shopping is required. Serves 4
Ingredients:
500g tub good quality vanilla ice cream such as Green &
Blacks, softened slightly
24 Bonne Maman fine biscuit galettes
Golden icing sugar to dust
Caramel sauce to serve
Method:
Scoop a ball of ice cream out of the tub and use to sandwich
two biscuits together. Continue
until you have 12 sandwiches. Put
on a baking sheet for 24 hours in the freezer.
Divide the ice cream sandwiches among four plates, dust with
icing sugar and drizzle with the caramel sauce to serve.
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posted 18 Jun 2011 01:16 by Nick Maton-Williams
Thanks to Pat Breakwell for providing this recipe. Serves 4
Ingredients
Pack of ready made puff pastry (or make your own)
14oz (400g) sausage meat *
2 tbsp olive oil
5 sprigs sage
2 shallots, chopped
1 onion, grated
5 field mushrooms, chopped
2 grated apples
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 egg
3 sprigs thyme
12 slices air dried ham
1 egg yolk, beaten
Salt and pepper
Method
Wash the sage and thyme, then remove the leaves and chop them, keeping them separate.
Put the sausage meat in a bowl and add the chopped sage leaves, onion, apple, egg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Shape it into a giant sausage about 20cm long and 8cm thick then refrigerate.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and fry for 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and chopped thyme leaves. Remove from the heat to cool.
Lay the ham on a large sheet of cling film, overlapping slightly to make a square big enough to be rolled round the sausage. Spread the mushroom mixture all over the ham, then place the giant sausage on top. With the help of the cling film, roll the sausage in the ham so the ham is wrapped around the sausage. Wrap the cling film round and roll it as tight as you can, tying the ends. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Dust the kitchen surface with flour. Roll out a rectangle of pastry 40cm x 30cm. Place the sausage on the pastry and roll up. Tuck the pastry under the roll to enclose the sausage. Brush beaten egg yolk all over the pastry then bake for 35 minutes until golden crisp. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
* In an article in the May edition of Shropshire magazine, Sheila Tuskan-Sager of Shrewsbury Bakehouse recommends Radford’s Meats in Shrewsbury Market Hall who do a sausagemeat mix without any added rusk. Most packaged sausagemeat is 50% rusk, a wheat based filler. |
posted 4 May 2011 11:59 by Nick Maton-Williams
[
updated 4 May 2011 12:09
]
Thanks to Pat Breakwell for providing this receipe
Ingredients
5 tbsp olive oil
220g diced loin of pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
220g chicken pieces
1 lge green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 lge red bell pepper, cut into strips
200g whole clams (in shell)
4 cups fresh chicken stock
2 cups fresh fish stock
2 cups uncooked Paella rice
2 pinches saffron
12 mussels in shell
2 squid tubes, sliced into rings
12 large prawns, unpeeled
8 ripe tomatoes pureed
Salt & pepper to taste
12 thick lemon wedges
Method
 Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic. Add chicken and pork and cook until browned. Remove and set aside. Add peppers and pureed tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add clams.
Add half of chicken stock and half of fish stock, then the rice. Stir and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
Add saffron, remaining seafood and the remainder of the stock. Add the chicken and pork back into the pan. Add a small amount of salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat to low, allow to cook without stirring for about 30 minutes. The rice on the bottom of the pan will brown. This is an integral part of Paella. The browned, not burned, rice on the base of the pan is referred to as socorrat and it is scraped off and eaten as a tasty part of this dish. During this step it is important that the heat is evenly distribute, so rotate the pan occasionally.
Check that the rice is fully cooked. If necessary, add extra stock and cook for a few more minutes.
Remove from heat and leave covered to rest for 5 minutes. Traditionally newspaper is as the cover used for this.
Uncover and place the lemon wedges around the edges as garnish. Enjoy with good Spanish wine. |
posted 30 Mar 2011 00:54 by Sarah Maton-Williams
[
updated 30 Mar 2011 01:00
]
Thanks to Pat Breakwell for providing this receipe
Easy-blend yeast is not suitable for this recipe. Use dried, and make sure that it is well in date.
Makes about 12 buns
Ingredients:
2oz(50g) caster sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
5fl oz (150ml) hand hot water
1 level tbsp dried yeast
1lb (450g) plain flour
1 level teaspoon salt
1 rounded teaspoon ground mixed spice
3oz (75g) currants
2oz (50g) cut mixed peel
1½-2fl oz(40-55ml) warmed milk
1 egg, beaten
2oz (50g) melted butter
Glaze:
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
You will also need a greased baking sheet
Method:
First stir the teaspoon of caster sugar into the hand-hot water, then sprinkle in the dried yeast and leave it until a good frothy “beer” head forms.
Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt and mixed spice into a mixing bowl and add the remaining 2oz (50g) of sugar, the currants and mixed peel. Then make a well in the centre, pour in the yeast mixture plus 1½fl oz (40ml) of milk (again hand-hot), the beaten egg and the melted butter. Now mix it into a dough, starting with a wooden spoon and finishing with your hands (add a spot more milk if it needs it).
Transfer the dough onto a clean surface and knead it until it feels smooth and elastic – about 6 minutes. Now put it back into the bowl, cover the bowl with a lightly oiled plastic bag and leave it in a warm place to rise. It will take about an hour to double its size. Then turn it out and knead it again, back down to its original size.
Divide the mixture into 12 round portions, arrange them on the greased baking sheet, allowing plenty of room for expansion. Make a deep cross on each one with a sharp knife. Leave them to rise once again, covering again with the oiled polythene bag for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7.
Bake the buns for about 15 minutes. Then, while they’re cooking, melt the sugar and water over a gentle heat and brush the buns with it as soon as they come out of the oven to make then nice and sticky. |
posted 28 Feb 2011 04:56 by Sarah Maton-Williams
Recipe kindly provided by Pat Breakwell
This is delicious served with any green vegetables and sauteed sweet potatoes with thyme (recipe included below). You need to make up the spice marinade and coat the pork with it and leave it for 12-24 hours. Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tbsp. black peppercorns
6 garlic cloves
1 tbsp dried oregano
Pinch of salt
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 2 limes
25ml (1fl oz) sherry
2 tbsp olive oil
1.8kg (4lb) shoulder of pork, trimmed
Method:
Heat a small, heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin and peppercorns and stir constantly for 2 minutes, or until fragrant and beginning to brown, then cool. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the toasted spices with the garlic, oregano and salt to make a paste. (You can also do this in a small food processor).
Transfer the spice mixture to a small bowl, and stir in the orange and lime juice, sherry and oil. Pierce the pork all over with a sharp knife and place it in a large resealable pastic bag, then pour the marinade over the meat and seal the bag. Refrigerate for between 12 and 24 hours, turning the bag over occasionally.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Put the pork in a roasting tin, reserving the marinate, and cook for about 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160C/325F/Gas mark 3 and roast for another 2 hours, regularly basting the pork with the pan juices and the leftover marinate, until cooked through.
Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Pour the cooking juices into a saucepan and skim the fat off the top. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Carve the pork and serve with the reduced juices, accompanied by sautéed sweet potatoes with thyme (recipe below) and green vegetables of your choice.
Sauteed Sweet Potatoes with Thyme (Serves 8)
6-8 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm (1¼ in) dice
Salt and black pepper
50g (1oz) butter
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
12 thyme sprigs
Method:
Put the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then drain.
Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a low heat until the butter has melted. Add the sweet potatoes, garlic and thyme. Cook over a medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, turning the potatoes over after 5 minutes or so, and then again after another 5 minutes, until they are crisp and tender.
Season well and serve immediately.
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