AVOCADO & BACON SALAD, HUGHS POLENTA AND OTHER NON POTATO DISHES!

Mealtimes over the past few weeks have been quite a challenge, particularly lunches as Marie, my wife, is avoiding potato's and bread.  I hadn't realised how much we rely on these day to day but we've managed to find some tasty alternatives and have been enjoying various salad, bean and polenta dishes. 
Here's just a few...

Avocado and bacon salad which literally takes 5 minutes to make

and is surprisingly filling.

Mixed leaves, spinach and sliced avocado topped with pan fried bacon and chorizo

and a free range poached egg

I have never made polenta before and was unsure what to do with it.  Having trawled all my cookery books, I eventually found this recipe on line from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Hugh's polenta fingers (olive oil, chilli, garlic & rosemary) with garlic & tomato sauce

and a fresh green salad.

Recommend you try this!

Click here for Hughs recipe

Sausages with lentils, cream,wilted spinach and roasted tomato's

Utterly delicious!

Swede, carrot and parsnip rosti topped with thick shredded ham and 

a poached free range egg or two! 

There's no shortage of eggs in our house, as you know, so they do turn up in many

of my dishes at the moment.

Fortunately the salad and beans counteract the eggs, if you know what I mean.

QUICK SPONGE PUDDING

A super fast desert that you will almost definitely have the ingredients for in the store cupboard! The topping can be anything you like from syrup, treacle, jam or lemon curd.  Add slices of lemon to the golden syrup or coco powder to the sponge for a chocolate pudding.

This is a regular weekend treat in the Baker household when the kids are craving something sweet after the Sunday roast! A satisfying pud that literally takes 10 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients
 120g self raising flour
120g sugar
4 tbsp milk
120g soft butter
4 tbsp golden syrup treacle (or topping of your choice)
2 free range eggs

Cream the butter and sugar together with the back of a wooden spoon smooth and then beat until a fluffy smooth paste. Beat in one egg until fully combined and beat in the second egg.  Mix in the flour until combined and then stir in the milk.  Put the golden syrup (or your choice topping) into the pudding bowl and pour over the sponge mix.  Microwave for 3 minutes, check with a skewer and if still sticky, give the sponge another minute or so.  Don't over cook though as the sponge will go hard and dry!

Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then turn out onto a plate. 

Serve with custard, ice-cream or cream. 

SUNDAY BEST

We all love Sundays  and no matter what the plans are, roast dinner is almost always on the menu. 

This good old English classic is the ultimate in our house and plates are piled high. 

 Everyone pitches in preparing veg, making Yorkshire's, sauces and stuffing's and tending the meat! 

This weekend it was an organic, free range loin of pork.

Moist and tasty with the perfect crackling top which can only be found in good quality meat.

Buy from your local butcher or farm shop as most supermarket meat is mass produced, dry, course and flavourless. Pay a little more and enjoy more knowing you supported free range farming and happier pigs.  

                    A lovely selection of local veg including leek gratin

My legendary yorkys - not an Aunt Bessys in sight, thankfully.

The Sunday roast in many houses, is the one meal of the week when everyone comes together and spends some well needed family time.  

Its also the one meal of the week that we are truly justified to way over indulge on and spend the rest of the day motionless on the sofa! Happy days :)

DAD BLOG ROUND UP!

Chuffed to be mentioned on the very successful  Brit Mums parenting blog!

'One Man and His Hob is relatively new on my radar – but, oh, what a discovery. The busy dad lives for food and showcases his efforts pretty much every day, whether it be a foodie find at a farm shop or a brilliant moreish meal with super-clear step-by-step pictures. I could pick out a load of his recipes for you, but I’ll direct you to his most recent and you can go off and explore yourself. Try Spinach and Ricotta Canneloni  or Homemade Mini-Scotch Eggs'

Privileged - Thank you Brit Mums!

WILL'S GRANOLA BARS

And whilst we were hard grafting in the garden, Will was busy making Granola Bars.

A much needed tea break!

Ingredients

170g light brown soft sugar

75g golden syrup

75ml apple juice

130g unsalted butter

380g rolled oats

95g sultanas

50g dried cranberries

50g pumpkin seeds

50g sunflower seeds

6 blanched almonds (roughly chopped)

Makes 10-12 bars

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (350°C) Gas 4

Put the sugar, syrup butter and apple juice in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients until mixed well and coated with syrup.

Line a 20x30cm baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour the granola mix into it, spreading evenly and gently pressing down.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Lift out the greaseproof paper and lay on a chopping board.

Cut into bars approx 1.5" thick.
Store for up to a week.

BACK ON THE VEG PATCH

What a glorious day it's been and have loved every minute in the garden. Apart from tidying and shifting a load of debris from the winter, have finished preparing the ground and planted a few things out.

Oi! Off!

The chickens were making the most of the worms but not for long!

Garlic in.....

Onions, white and red

And three raspberry bushes

Very rewarding when you get the first crops in :)

Bean frame next weekend and some indoor seed planting.

NATIONAL PIE WEEK 5th-11th MARCH 2012

I made this pie just after Christmas using leftover turkey and ham but thought I'd share the recipe with you in celebration of National Pie Week.   I'll be making a similiar one this week using chicken. 

Soften the leeks in some butter, add the chopped turkey and ham and plenty of it as you need a nice big filling. Heat through for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and add two tablespoons of flour and stir in around 600 ml of turkey stock (or any other stock).  Add a teaspoon of dijon mustard and 125 ml double cream and then pop back on the heat for a few mins more.  Season if required but I found the ham and dijon were enough. 

Line your pie dish with the rough puff or flaky pastry. I made ours fresh but you can use ready rolled for quickness.  Add the filling and then cover with the pastry top.  Crimp the edges, decorate and glaze with egg. 

Into the over for 35-40 mins at 180 degrees.  And wait......

We served ours with home-made fat oven chips and peas. 

There was enough for seconds and and next days lunch!

Now that's what I call a deep filled pie!