Garlic Mushroom and Spinach Lasagne; bbqs

Used the Quark I had to top a tasty vegetarian lasagne. The carnivores in the family were mildly impressed (as in they would have preferred some meat somewhere).

For the base layers:
Slice 500g of mushrooms, ideally including some chestnut or similar mushrooms
Cook in 1tbsp oil with a crushed fat clove of garlic
When the mushrooms turn soft, add at least 250g washed spinach leaves. Put lid on pan and shake every 30 seconds until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat.

In parallel fry a sliced large onion in 1tbsp oil until transparent. Add a tin of tomatoes and simmer for approx 20 minutes.

To make up lasagne:
Drain the mushroom/spinach mixture reserving the liquid. Spread half of the mushroom/spinach mixture in base of large lasagne dish. Place 3-4 sheets of dried lasagne on top. Spread layer of tomato and onion mixture on top of this followed by another layer of lasagne. Repeat. Pour the reserved liquid over the dish. Finally spread 500g Quark or Fromage Frais on top and grate Parmesan on top (amount depends on taste or how low fat you are looking to make this meal).

Cook in 180C oven for 40 minutes until top is golden brown.

Menu for this week
With the hot weather looking to continue it's going to be an attempt to add some balance to the meat cooked on the bbq. As in no specific menu plans just some creative thinking.

Yesterday evening as a case in point: Mr B had bought some Thai marinated Chicken Thighs to cook on the bbq. I made a variant of the marinade from Bill Granger but using oyster sauce (with dash of water to get to right consistency) and no mint - as in forgot that part - to make dressing for noodles etc.

Kumquat or Calamondin chutney

I bought Mr B a 'Calamondin' baby tree a few weeks ago. It came with some already formed fruit - these are slightly bigger than Kumquats. Although quite sweet in taste, there isn't much to them so searched around for a marmalade recipe. Based on this recipe from James Martin, I now have a jar of this 'marmalade' which goes nicely with gammon or ham as we discovered with the large gammon joint I cooked last night.

Calamondin fruit (quartered) and lemon (finely chopped) to make 250g
1 tbsp oil
1 small red onion sliced
2cm stick cinnamon snapped in half
40g soft brown sugar (preferably light brown)
60ml sherry vinegar

Fry the onion in the oil until softened (about 2 minutes).
Add the cinnamon and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the fruit and cook until just beginning to soften.
Add the brown sugar and vinegar.
Cover and simmer until the fruit is fully softened and have lost their shape.
Put into a clean, hot jam jar. Leave to cool and then seal.
An aside - the difference between a marmalade and a chutney these days is just the word. See this article. I prefer chutney for the above and keep marmalade to a citrus jam!

Menu for w/c 21st June
M BBQ - including chicken breast marinated in Jerk paste, and turkey burgers for me
T Stir Fry
W Quark based - one idea, as have ham, http://www.quarkmaker.com/Quark_Recipes/Main_Dishes/quark_cheese_overbake.html
Th Turkey steaks - probably on bbq looking at the weather forecast
F Cold gammon with new potatoes, summer vegetables and Calamondin chutney

Lunches
Pitta filled with ham and salad
Lentil soup
Cottage Cheese and pine nut salad
Visiting universities with eldest on other two days.

Elderflower cordial and Menu for w/c 14th June 2010

With the recent rain the elderflowers in the hedgerows, which are just reaching their prime, have been naturally washed for me. Time for some home made elderflower cordial.

Elderflower Cordial (1)

Pick 20 large heads of elderflower (try and avoid those that are growing by a road)
1.2 litres boiling water
1.8kg white sugar
2 large lemons (scrub well if waxed)
75g citric acid (you can buy this at a chemist)

Gently wash the elderflowers to remove any dust and insects
Place in a large pan and pour over the boiling water. This kills the natural yeast in the flowers.
Stir in the sugar
With a vegetable peeler peel large strips of skin from the lemons. Slice the rest of the fruit and put slices and strips into the pan.
Stir in the citric acid and leave for 24 hours stirring occasionally.
Strain and bottle.
To serve - dilute to taste.


Elderflower Cordial (2)
A variant that was given to me some years ago which uses oranges as well as lemons. Some subtle differences in the method.

30 elderflower heads
6 pints boiling water
2lb castor sugar
1 packet of citric acid
2 oranges
3 lemons

Gently rinse elderflowers
Pour boiling water over sugar, stir well and leave to cool
Add citric acid, sliced fruit and flowers.
Leave for 24 hours stirring occasionally.
Strain and bottle.
To serve - dilute to taste.



Menu for this week
M Tuna Pasta Bake
T Philly steak sandwich
W Duck and Chips
Th Meal from Freezer
F Cheese Pudding

Honey Bread

The end of exams is in sight! E finished hers this week (and moved back home over the half term holiday). M has two next week and then one the week after. What with a hectic time work wise as well, weekly menu planning hasn't happened over the last few weeks. So here I am on a sunny afternoon baking rather than gardening. Various reasons - as not a frequent activity for me - and this must be the first batch of cake baking that has happened with the new oven as they are taking longer to cook than in my old oven.
M normally bakes sponge cakes - he is the one who eats the majority of the cake after all - but couldn't be persuaded to do so. Something to do with his girlfriend being around?
Now the sponge cakes are out (more on them another time) the honey bread is now baking.

Honey Bread
Haven't made this for ages. Great one to make with small children and I do remember making this with my mother when I was younger. Low fat but only if you don't spread the slices with butter prior to eating!

8 fl oz milk
2 tbsp honey
4 oz sugar
9 oz Self Raising Flour - sifted

Heat oven to 150C
Grease and flour a bread tin. Line base with greaseproof paper
Put milk, honey and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently heat until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and stir in flour (some lumps is fine)
Pour into loaf tin and bake for 30-45 minutes until skewer/knife comes out clean (note to self - 45 minutes in new oven)