Parsnip, Chorizo and Chestnut Soup

I make no secret about the fact that I just love parsnips. Boiled, roasted, fried, mashed . . . I'll take em any way that I can get em!!

It's been so cold here. In fact today we had our first frost of the year, which seems a bit early to me, but then . . . it is December and that is to be expected. At least the rain held off today. I'm afraid that one does get quite, quite sick of rain over here . . . I'd ruther have snow.



Along with the cooler temperatures, comes the desire to eat warm and comforting foods. . . foods like this tasty soup.

It's thick and rich, and oh-so-delicious! Full of the sweet flavour of parsnip, carrot, and chestnut, and the lovely smokey flavours of spanish chorizo sausage. It's also very filling, so it makes a meal in and of itself.



All you need to go with it, is a crusty loaf, warm from the oven . . . with sweet butter to gild it's crusty edges.



The chorizo and the hot pepper flakes give it a tasty bite, that warms the cockles of the heart.



This be comfort food, plain and simple.



*Parsnip, Chorizo and Chestnut Soup*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This is a rich and full flavoured soup. Just perfect after a chilly winter walk. It's quite heavy and rich so a little goes a long way. Serve hot with some crusty bread for the perfect
light supper.

125g raw chorizo, peeled and chopped
1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
200g peeled, cooked chestnuts
(fresh or vaccum packed)
1 litre of hot vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the chorizo into a large saucepan and heat gently for several minutes, until the oil is released from the chorizo and it becomes slightly crispy. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep warm. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and parsnips to the pan, stirring to coat them with the oil. Cover and let sweat over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the chili flakes and cumin. Stir and cook until quite fragrant. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Add the hot stock and the chestnuts. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables and chestnuts are very tender. Puree with a stick blender until smooth, or in a regular blender. (with care) Ladle into warmed soup bowls and scatter some of the crispy chorizo over top of each to serve.

Lemon Scented Blueberry Swiss Roll

There is no doubt in my mind that blueberries and lemons go together like . . . well, peas and carrots!!

I grew up in rural Nova Scotia, a very small province in Canada with a distinctly maritime climate . . . and ditches and fields just chock full of wild blueberries in late summer and early autumn. Wild blueberries were always something I had taken very much for granted when I was a child, and even as an adult . . .



Flicker
until I couldn't get them anymore. That is when we seem to miss things the most . . . when they are seemingly out of our reach.

It is my dream to visit home again one summer . . . when the corn is ripe for the picking and eating . . . and when the wild blueberries once again are deep purple and growing profusely in the brush along the bye ways and highways of my beautiful home province.



We do have cultivated berries here, and they are quite tasty . . . but nothing ever comes quite up to that beautiful taste of the wild berry, all that fruity flavour concentrated into a small juicy berry no larger than the tip of my baby finger . . . ahh . . . bliss.



We do get wild blueberry preserves over here though, and they are quite tasty in a pinch! I love them on my toast in the morning and spread onto fluffy buttermilk pancakes . . . all warm and stodgy good, with melted butter gilding and soaking into their lace like crisp edges.



Sometimes for a treat on a Sunday afternoon, I make us a lovely jelly roll, or Swiss roll as it is called over here in the UK . . . and I spread it through the middle with sweet and tasty wild blueberry preserves . . .



I like to eat it with my fingers, and while I eat . . . I dream of August days when the air is dry and hot . . . and filled with the sounds of humming insects . . .



of ice cream buckets filled to over flowing with wild blueberries . . . the smell of wild brush in the heat of the sun . . . fingers and teeth stained blue from our exertions . . . aching backs after hours spent hunched over in this glorious labour of love . . . and . . . well . . .

of home . . .



*Lemon Scented Blueberry Swiss Roll*
Makes one 12 inch roll
Printable Recipe

This swiss roll has to be one of the easiest and quickest cakes in the world! You can have the cake mixed together, baked and cooling on the countertop in less than 15 minutes!

For the cake:
3 large free range eggs
5 ounces caster sugar
2 TBS milk
the finely grated zest of one un-waxed lemon
5 ounces plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a handful of slivered almonds
caster sugar for rolling
1/2 pint of blueberry preserves



Pre-heat the oven to 230*C/450*F. Line a swiss roll pan (8 by 12 inches) with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Break the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar. Beat together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the milk and the lemon zest. Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Fold this into the egg mixture, making sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top.

Bake for about 5 minutes in the centre of the oven. Cake is done when lightly browned and when it springs back when lightly touched.

Have a sheet of grease proof paper ready on which you have sprinkled more caster sugar. Remove the cake from the oven and turn out immediately onto the sugar coated paper. Carefully peel off the greaseproof from the baked cake. Roll up the cake in the caster sugar covered paper, from one long side towards the other, tucking in the first long side tightly. Set aside and allow to cool completely before proceeding.

Once the cake is cooled, unroll and spread with the blueberry preserves. Reroll. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices to serve.

hmmm . . . the thought just occurs to me that this would be lovely in a lemon trifle . . . stay tuned!!

Perfect Oatmeal

When I was growing up my mother couldn't get us to eat oatmeal, not for love or money. None of us would. It reminded us too much of wallpaper paste, or glue . . .

I know . . . we were spoilt . . . we were reared on tasty breakfast cereals such as Cap'n Crunch, Fruit Loops and Puffa Puffa Rice . . .

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/MarieAlice/The%20English%20Kitchen/cookingoatmeal008.jpg

As an adult I have come to love my oats in the morning. There is nothing tastier, nutritious or more filling to start off your day.

They're good for your heart, and help to lower blood cholesterol. Loaded with healthy fibre and vitamins, and well known for being one of the best foods for those who are seeking to lose fat and stay healthy.



I love Scottish Pinhead oats, or steel cut oats as they are also known. They have more texture and a real nutty flavour that we here in Oak Cottage just love.



This is my perfected way of cooking them. I could eat this every morning and would choose it over anything else in a heartbeat!!



If you would have told me that when I was ten, I would have thought you quite insane . . . although . . . being the perfectly well behaved child that I was, I would never have told you so . . . ☺



*Perfect Oatmeal*
serves 3 to 4
Printable Recipe

Also known as Scotch oats, Irish oatmeal and pinhead oats, Steel cut oats are whole oats that have been cut into thirds instead of rolled and flattened into flakes. Yummo! (Psst!! Use a wooden spoon for stirring and cooking them! Don't ask me why, but they taste better! )

1 1/2 pints water
1/2 pint of whole milk
25g unsalted butter
6 ounces of steel cut oats
pinch salt

Place the water and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering on medium low heat while you toast the oats. (you do NOT want it to boil)

Heat a medium heavy based skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until the butter starts to foam. Add the oats and toast, stirring constantly until golden and fragrant and having an almost butterscotch aroma. This should take several minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk the toasted oats into the simmering water/milk mixture. Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Stir in the salt and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the oatmeal is thick and creamy like a custard pudding. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for about 5 minutes, undisturbed before serving. Serve immediately with your choice of additions. I personally like cream and a bit of golden syrup, but you may like something else. Maple syrup is good as are raisins and other dried fruits, and brown sugar. Enjoy!!

Marie's Burger Delight

By heck!!! We've sure had a miserable week here in the UK weatherwise these past few days. All's there has been is rain, wind and . . . well . . . more rain. It's been cold and windy and downright horrible.



It's all a body can do to keep warm and dry . . . and comfortable. Where, just a few short weeks ago, we were complaining about the AGA being far too warm and wondering if we had turned it on too soon . . .

Our chattering teeth and cold damp tootsies now convince us that it was a wise move altogether . . . and we pat each other on the back in congratulations for having had so much forethought.



We are thankful though . . . Our little cottage is warm and dry, and it is not under eight feet of water . . . our hearts, prayers and thoughts go out to those whose homes are . . .



These are comfort food days . . . *stick to your ribs* food days . . .



Home . . . warmth . . . comfort . . . food . . . love. Funny how all those words make your toes curl with pleasure, and your heart feel all warm inside.

Is love . . . food for the soul . . . or is food . . . love for the soul . . .

You decide.



*Marie's Burger Delight*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Yes, this is an unusual list of ingredients, but trust me when I tell you that this is fabulously delicious. Everyone loves this. You will too.

2 TBS sunflower oil
750g of extra lean minced beef
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 OXO beef cube
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
salt and black pepper to taste
418g tin of creamed corn
295g tin of condensed tomato soup
1/2 jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce
300g spaghetti noodles, broken in to bits (I'll tell you how to do
this easily and quickly)
200g of grated strong cheddar cheese, or an Italian cheese mix

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet. Add the beef, onion, garlic, crumbled oxo cube and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook, and stir until the meat is nicely browned and the vegetables are softened. Stir in the corn, tomato soup and the spaghetti sauce. Mix together well, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Take your spaghetti out of the packet and roll it up in a clean tea towel, like a salami. Holding tightly onto both ends of the roll run it down the edge of the countertop from top to bottom several times. This will break your spaghetti into 1 to 2 inch bits. Drop these into the boiling water. Cook until al dente, according to your package directions. Drain well and then stir the cooked spaghetti into the meat mixture.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F.

Stir half of the cheese into the spaghetti mixture. Lightly grease a 3.5 litre casserole dish. Pour the spaghetti mixture into this and then cover with the remaining cheese. Cover with a lid and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until nicely browned on top. Remove from the oven and serve.

Meatballs and Gravy

When I was a child, I hated minced beef. I think it was because my mother used to buy the cheapest mince she could find and there was always lots of bits of bone and gristle in it . . .



and the bone and gristle always found it's way to my plate . . . and into my mouth. I couldn't stand the feeling of it or the texture . . . it made me gag, to be perfectly blunt. I would be forced to sit there for what seemed like hours, long after the rest of my family had finished and left . . . with a plate of congealing mince in front of me . . . not allowed to leave the table until I had eaten my dinner . . .



As a result . . . I became an expert at routing out every piece of it . . . and hiding it, if I possibly could.

At first I tried hiding it under my plate. That only worked once . . . for obvious reasons. As soon as my mother lifted my plate to take it away . . . there was the minced beef sitting there . . . sigh . . . a better way had to be found.



Next I tried hiding it under the edge of the carpet. That worked several times . . . until my mother hoovered the room and found it all lurking there. Foiled again . . .

Finally, I discovered the perfect spot. Down the heating duct in the corner of the dining room. That worked for a long time. I don't think my mother discovered that hiding place until she went to do a heavy spring clean or summat like that.



At that point . . . my mother gave up trying to feed it to me, and it was a very long, long time before I tried to eat it as an adult. I have since come to quite like it. I always only buy the extra lean mince and so far (fingers crossed) I have been lucky enough that I've never come across any gristle or bone in it. Whew!

Our local butcher only stocks free range hereford beef, and it's very, very good. This is one of my favourite ways to cook it, amongst many. Todd really likes these with a nice big pile of mash, but sometimes he gets chips. He doesn't mind, as long as it's potato in one way, shape or form. He is truly a meat and potatoes kind of a guy.




*Meatballs and Gravy*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

My Todd is a real meat and potatoes man. He loves these tasty meatballs that I make, similar to Swedish ones, but not, if you know what I mean.

For the meatballs:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 slice white bread, soaked in a bit of milk and then squeezed dry
1 small onion, peeled and grated
2 tsp dried parsley
1 medium egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
a bit of oil for frying
For the Gravy:
the freshly grated zest of half a lemon
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 TBS drippings
2 TBS flour
8 ounces beef stock
8 ounces milk
1 TBS creamed horseradish

Combine all the meatball ingredients and mix together well. Shape into walnut sized balls, wetting hands as needed. Heat some oil in a large skillet. Add the meatballs and brown them all over. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm until they are all done. Reserve 2 TBS of the pan drippings, disposing of the rest. Heat the pan drippings in the same pan, Whisk in the flour for the gravy. Cook and stir one minute, then slowly stir in the stock, milk, lemon zest, thyme and creamed horseradish. Cook and stir until the gravy is smooth and thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning adding salt and or pepper if needed.

pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Place the meatballs into a shallow casserole dish. Pour the gravy over top. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling and browned. Serve hot and spooned over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or steamed white rice. Delicious!

Spicy Parsnip and Leek Soup

It's just bucketing it down today. I don't think I've seen it rain so hard in a long time. When I walked home from the big house for my dinner break today, I was completely soaked through by the time I got to our cottage . . .



The wind was blowing so hard the rain was drifting horizontally . . .



Desperate weather, calls for desperate measures . . .



Yes . . . this is a soup day.



Soup, the perfect food for a wet and dismal day when you are chilled right through to the bone.
Nothing warms you up better, don't you think?



*Spicy Parsnip and Leek Soup*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

This soup is sweet and spicy. Adding toasted cumin and black onion seed at the end gives it a delicious twist!

2 TBS butter
1 large spanish onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock
2 medium leeks, the white and light green parts, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch thick thick coins
750g bag of parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick coins
750g of floury potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black onion seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until softened and lightly browned. Add the leeks, parsnips and potatoes. Cook and stir to coat with the butter. Cook, and sweat for 10 to 15 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the chicken stock, tumeric and cayenne pepper. Season to taset with some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until very soft. Using a stick blender, puree the soup, then pass through a sieve if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the cumin, onion and mustard seeds. Cook and stir in the oil until the seeds begin to pop. Carefully stir the hot oil/seed mixture into the soup. Taste and add more cayenne if desired. Serve hot.

Not Your Mama's Spag Bol!

There's a bit of an ongoing battle in our house about Italian Food. Todd says he hates Italian Food, but what he really means is . . . he hates pasta, but then again . . . in another breath he is saying he loves tinned spaghetti on toast . . .

Does that make sense???



I thought not!!

Anyways, I am a pasta loving carbaholic, and I can only go so long without it. Every once in a while I just have to torture him with some. I can't help myself . . .



When I was growing up my mom used to make what she called "Italian Spaghetti" at least once every couple of weeks. That was as close to foreign cooking as she ever got . . . browning a pound of ground beef and adding a tin of Catelli Spaghetti Sauce. I hated it. I used to just eat the spaghetti plain, with a healthy shake of smelly sock. (That's what we called Parmesan cheese in my family. I know . . . TMI!!)

Once we got older, she discovered chili powder and oregano, and once a week (usually Saturday nights) she would treat us to her version of chili, which was ok, but . . . quite plain, although my dad loved it. The recipe came from the back of a tin of Tomato Soup . . . need I say more???



I love chili, and I love Spaghetti Bolognese. I think the British have quite adopted Spaghetti Bolognese, or Spag Bol as it is affectionately dubbed over here, as their own, and I think everyone here in the UK has their own secret recipe.

I don't believe in keeping secrets when it comes to cooking . . . I like to share!! This here is my version of Spag Bol . . . It combines two of my great loves . . . Spaghetti Bolognese and Chili. I guarantee, it's not anything like your mama's version!



*Not Your Mama's Spag Bol*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is a different sort of a twist that I put on good old Spaghetti Bolognaise. In truth, I love this even more than regular Spag Bol! I just can't get enough of it!

1 TBS olive oil
16 ounces extra lean beef mince
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1 fat clove of garlic, peened and crushed
2 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 envelope of Taco seasoning mix
(I use Discovery)
1 (420g) tin of chopped tomatoes
14 ounces of beef stock
6 ounces tomato puree
1 (420g) tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces of uncooked spaghetti
Toppings:
Sour cream, Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped or finely sliced red onion

Place the olive oil into a large saucepan and heat. Once it is hot add the beef mince. Cook and stir until it is completely browned. Add the onion, garlic, chilies, salt, cumin and taco seasoning mix and continue to cook and stir until the onion, garlic and peppers are soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Gently stir in the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

In the meantime bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well and divide amongst hot serving plates. Top each with a portion of the sauce and pass the toppings!!

And . . . just in case you were wondering . . . this is how the Toddster ate his . . .



That's right! On top of a huge pile of fluffy mash. Well . . . to each his own I always say!

Note - Waitrose is stocking this new grated cheese mixture by Simply Inspired. I used the spicy Mexican one here, it has cheddar and mozzarella mixed with red, green and jalapeno peppers and crushed chillies. Delicious!!! It was just perfect!

Tomato Lasagne

Sometimes you are in the mood for something simple and uncomplicated. Something that you can just throw together using bits and bobs from your larder and your fridge.

A tasty lasagne is just the ticket for days like that.



Simple and clean flavours. It needn't be too involved, or a work of art.



Just a tasty tomato sauce, some rich bechamel and layers of cheese.



You can throw in whatever you wish. If you want to add a layer of browned minced beef, then do so . . . or a layer of browned spicy flavoured Italian sausage . . .



Or some grilled vegetables and a mixture of a variety of cheeses. It can be as fancy or as simple as you are in the mood for. There are no firm and fast rules about what is needed, as long as you have the three basic barebones ingredients . . . a tasty tomato sauce, some lovely bechamel and lasagne noodles of course. I like to use the fresh ones, but you can use dried ones that you need to boil first. The rest is all up to you . . .



Sometimes it's the uncomplicated things that are the most comforting of all. All you need here is a tossed salad and perhaps some garlic toast on the side.

If mama's happy . . . everybody's happy.



*Tomato Lasagne*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

This is simple, uncomplicated, straightforward and delicious. A delicious tomato sauce, with some cheese, lasagna sheets and a good bechamel. You can dress it up by adding some different cheeses, such as goat's cheese, or a few dollops of pesto, or some grilled vegetables between the layers. What you have here is a canvas to write your own story upon . . .

For the Tomato Sauce:
4 ounces olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed slightly
3 14-oz tins of chopped tomatoes in their own juice
(I like to use a good Italian brand)
about a dozen or so torn basil leaves
salt and black pepper to taste

For the Bechamel:
4 1/2 ounces butter
a scant 3 ounces flour
2 pints of whole milk, warmed
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste

Also:
12 ounces of fresh lasagne sheets
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
6 ounces grated mozarella or a mixture of mozarella, cheddar, fontina, etc.
(In other words which cheese you are in the mood to eat, or what you have on hand)
butter



For the sauce, place the oil in a saucepan and heat it til fairly warm. Add the garlic and cook until it becomes quite fragrant. Add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes or so until it resembled a sauce. Add the basil and 1 cup of hot water towards the end of the cooking time. Puree until smooth with a stick blender, or very carefully in a regular blender. (You can either leave the garlic in, or remove it as you wish.) Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and some pepper if required.

To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for several minutes over low heat and then slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens and is smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so on low heat, until you have a very thick and smooth sauce. Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a deep 8 1/2 by 12 inch baking dish. Drizzle the bottom with some of the bechamel. Put a slightly overlapping layer of the lasagne sheets over the bechamel. Dollop with some of the tomato sauce, spreading it out. Dollop another two hefty spoonfuls of bechamel over top and then a layer of the cheeses. Add another layer of lasagne, and then repeat with the tomato, bechamel and cheese as before, and then again, repeating the layers one more time, finishing with a final layer of lasagne and a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good portion of bechamel. You can sprinkle with some additional parmesan cheese if you desire, or dot with some butter. Place in the heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until it is bubbling and golden brown on top. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.