Wild garlic and walnut pesto

That time of year! First batch of pesto will be going back with second born to Uni. Will make more later this week.

Dry fry (toast) 50g Walnut pieces until golden. When cool put in food processor with 75g wild garlic (aka ransoms) - roughly chopped if large leaves - and 35g grated Parmesan cheese. Process and, whilst processing, drizzle in 150ml extra virgin olive oil.

Season to taste with good splash of lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Put in a jar unless using straight away. In theory it last a number of days in the fridge.

Now to go make some wild garlic butter (I store small pats of this in the freezer. Lovely melted on new potatoes to accompany ham/gammon)

Cypriot Roast Chicken and Tahini sauce

I must look up the lady who cooked this on a TV programme (was along with cumin potatoes)  as would like to try out some of her other recipes. The roast chicken adapted from her original. The tahini sauce used with left over chicken in pitta bread and lettuce.

Put chicken onto a bed of sliced onions (1 or 2 medium). Slice a large buffalo tomato, or two medium tomatoes, and layer on top of chicken breasts and legs. Sprinkle over a tsp of dried oregano and tsp of cinnamon. Drizzle with olive oil and roast according to weight of chicken.

Tahini sauce
Whisk together 2 tbsp tahini paste, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, juice of 2 lemons and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Thin with some water and season with salt.

Stuffed turkey leg

Preparation of turkey leg is a bit fiddly but worth it and also cheap depending on stuffing.
This stuffing not so cheap

Combine one finely chopped medium onion with 150g fresh breadcrumbs, 75g chopped dried apricots, 45g chopped pistachios along with 350g sausagemeat (skin some good quality sausages), 1tbsp thyme leaves, zest of a lemon and a handful of chopped parsley.

Bone and remove sinews from large turkey leg. Bash with rolling pin to about 1cm thick (try and keep skin intact). Stuff, roll and secure with string. Oil. Cook covered in foil at 160C for approx 2 hours.

Spiced Chicken with Apricot Rice

Based on recipe from Sunday Times. Mr B made this yesterday using two third of quantities  which made plenty for three.

Prep:
Remove fat from 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs and rub with 2tsp garam masala
Cook 175g puy lentils according to the packet. Drain.
Thinly slice 1 large onion
Roughly chop 90g 'ready-to-eat' dried apricots
Rinse 250g brown basmati rice
Have to hand 750ml hot chicken stock
Toast 100g flaked almonds
Make a raita by mixing 300g natural yoghurt, half a cucumber finely chopped, 2tbsp mint leaves finely chopped

The Cooking part:
In a heavy based pan/flame proof shallow casserole soften the onions in 1tbsp olive oil over a medium heat (5-10 mins). Add 2 crushed cloves of garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add 1 tsp ground cumin, 1tsp ground cinnamon and the apricots. Cook for another minute and then stir in the rice, lentils and stock. Bring to the boil then add the chicken bits on top. Lower heat. Cover and gently simmer for 40 minutes until the chicken and rice is cooked.
Season.

The eating part:
Serve with the raita and toasted flaked almonds.

Bircher Muesli

Writing up one of our healthy breakfast options especially for Claire T!
Variations limited by imagination only!

The night before mix equal quantities of porridge oats, apple juice and natural yoghurt in a bowl. Put in the fridge. We use half a cup of each for two of us

The following morning mix in fruit, spoon into bowls  and scatter over some toasted nuts. Enjoy!

Our favourite combination is an eating apple grated and toasted flaked almonds.

Balckberries and hazlenuts worked well. Will update when we have other combinations!

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Finally typing up pumpkin soup recipe my friend Kate sent me many years ago :)
Yes pumpkin carving did happen here last night

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6 - 8

 

900g pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and cut into cubes (about half a standard sized pumpkin)

175 g onion, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

25 g butter

1 sprig thyme

400g tin tomatoes deseeded and chopped

1 tablsp tomato puree

1.2 litres chicken stock (I have used just water and got good results)

salt and freshly ground pepper

pinch of nutmeg

35g butter

1/3 teasp cumin seeds

1/3 teasp coriander seeds

1/3 teasp black peppercorns

1 teasp white mustard seeds

5cm piece of cinnamon stick

 

Put the pumpkin into a pan with the onion, garlic, butter and thyme.  Cover and sweat over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring once or twice.  Add the chopped tomatoes and 1/2 teasp of sugar and tomato puree and cook until dissolved into a thick sauce.  Stir in the stock, s&p, and a little nutmeg and simmer until the pumpkin is tender.   Discard the thyme stalk, then liquidise and return to pan.  Taste and adjust seasoning.     Just before serving, heat the coriander, cumin and peppercorns and crush coarsely.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan and when foaming add the crushed spices, mustard seeds and cinnamon.  Stir for a few seconds until the mustard seeds start to pop.   Remove the cinnamon and pour over the soup.  Serve each bowl with a drizzle of the spiced butter stirred in.

Gluten free seed loaf

Nicknamed 'pigeon bread' by daughter!

Based onJamie Oliver recipe in Sunday Times magazine

Gluten free seed bread

Heat oven to 190C, line large loaf tin with greaseproof paper

Mix a 7g sachet of dried yeast into 375ml of lukewarm water and 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. 

In a large bowl combine:

250g gram flour

100g ground almonds

50g linseeds

25g each of poppy, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. (ie 100g of other seeds)

finely chopped leaves of a sprig rosemary

Pinch sea salt

Make a well in the middle. Beat 4 large eggs and pour into the well. Start combining with the flour mixture and continue whilst adding the yeast mixture.

It looks like a thick batter mix rather than a dough.

Pour it into the tin. Bake for 45 minutes until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and leave for 20 minutes before eating.

This is very rich. Jamie has many toppings suggested as a post 'gym' snack. Half a slice with marmite (or gluten free alternative) does for me.