Afternoon tea - Platinum Jubilee Weekend

 Sandwiches:

- Salmon, Cucumber, cream cheese in white bread

- Egg and cress mayonnaise in wholemeal bread

- Humous, avocado, tomato and rocket in multigrain bread

Coronation chicken / Coronation chickpea in little gem lettuce leaves

- the sauce: 1tbsp mango chutney, 3tbsp  mayonnaise, 1tbsp crème fraiche (replace with an extra tbsp of mayo if you don’t happen to have an open pot), 1tsp medium curry powder

- I added chopped blanched french beans in the chickpea variant and sultanas in each.

Pineapple and cheese on cocktail sticks.

Cheese straws made from pre rolled puff pastry with cheddar and sprinkling of cayenne rolled in centre and extra cheese on top. Needed a sprinkling of salt.

Lemon shortbread: https://www.theenglishkitchen.co/2020/10/marys-perfect-shortbread.html adding lemon zest to go with lemon posset, and to replace the shortbread recipe in

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemonpossetwithlemon_85812 

Coconut macaroons https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/baking-and-desserts/coconut-macaroons/

Peanut butter cups https://tasty.co/recipe/3-ingredient-peanut-butter-cups (Really must put into mini cupcake paper cases next time).

Scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Breakfast / Brunch recipes

 

American Pancakes

Feta and Beetroot with poached egg

Hueovos Rancheros

Tomatoes and Eggs - Shakshuka

Shakshuka - tomatoes and eggs

 

• From BBC Good Food - serves 4

  The sauce - as in before you add the eggs - can be frozen for 1 month.
  
  
  Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a frying pan that has a lid, then soften the 2 chopped red onions, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1 sliced garlic clove and chopped stalks from a small bunch of coriander for 5 mins until soft. Stir in two cans of chopped tomatoes (cherry if possible) and 1tsp caster sugar, then bubble for 8-10 mins until thick.
  

  
  

  Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 dips in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one. Put a lid on the pan, then cook over a low heat for 6-8 mins, until the eggs are done to your liking. Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve with crusty bread.

Gammon Recipes

Slow Cooked Treacle Gammon

Orange and Pomegranate Gammon

 Slow Cooker Gammon recipes:

• Orange juice, ginger paste and soy sauce
• Orange juice and balsamic glaze

Pineapple Sauce to go with Gammon

Slow cooker - glazed gammon

Only make if around to turn the gammon as this is much needed step. 

Works just fine with unsmoked gammon. If larger than 750g then no need to increase the amount of liquid and sugar (although review that next time I cook it). Possibly don't need more than the 8 hours neither. Note to self for next time - use the brown crockpot

For 750g smoked gammon joint, mix 70g dark brown sugar, 70ml balsamic vinegar and 70 ml of orange juice in the slow cooker and coat the joint. Cook on low for 8+ hours turning every two hours OR on high for 4 hours turning every hour.

Leftovers from Christmas 2021

As well as the turkey we had a beef rib (2 ribs) roast on 30th Jan. 

Turkey: either eaten in sandwiches / with bubble and squeak or in the freezer.  In the freezer there are two lots of turkey with gravy for eating with roast potatoes etc, chunks for a curry and some large bits of the breast for use in yet to be determined leftover dish(es).

To use up some of the double cream and stilton a new recipe below - Stilton, Mushroom and Leek Pasta Bake.

A favourite which it appears I haven't typed up as yet, so rectifying that now - Beef Marikoff

Stilton, Mushroom and Leek Pasta Bake

The quantities are for four. If only two eating then freeze half of the mixture before baking.

Preheat oven to 180C

Cook 500g of dried pasta (penne is good) until al dente. 

In a saucepan on a low heat melt a knob of butter with a tbsp olive oil then add 1 sliced leek . Cook for about 5 minutes then add 125g sliced chestnut mushrooms. Put lid on and cook for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms are golden brown. Then add a good splash of white wine, simmer for a couple of minutes then add 75ml double cream. Crumble in 125g blue cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Season.

Add the cooked pasta and combine. Put into an ovenproof dish and either crumble over a further 30g of blue cheese OR top with a breadcrumb and parmesan mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes, covering with foil if it starts getting too brown.

Beef Marikoff

Quantities are for 2. You can substitute creme fraiche or soured cream for the double cream and lemon juice.

Using the rarest bit of your leftover beef joint, cut 225g into thin strips about 2.5cm long. Thinly slice half a large onion into half moons.

Melt a knob of butter with a tbsp olive oil and cook the onion rings until they are soft and transparent. Add the beef, 1tbsp tomato puree, 75ml double cream and half tsp lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of paprika. Simmer gently for a few minutes.

Serve with boiled rice.

Christmas Lunch 2021

The turkey was 8kg. The crown from it would have happily fed the 6 planned. With just 3 of us (Covid related reasons for the other 3 not being with us) we had loads left over for sandwiches, two lots of ready made roast meals in the freezer, soup and other left over recipes.

Similar to last year:

Turkey crown, neck stuffed with apricot and sausage meat (legs boned and stuffed and in freezer for roasting later in the years). 

Stir fried sprouts and chestnuts

Carrots braised with butter

Leeks and peas

And roast potatoes and parsnips of course.

I also made the Jamie Oliver Simple vegetarian stuffing which was due to go with a vegetarian wellington. As the vegetarian wasn't with us we have lots of the stuffing left over. Probably wouldn't make again, as in look for a different one for next year.