Growing rhubarb on our allotment this year gave me the opportunity to experiment with a few recipes and this yummy chutney was created. The dates, currants and apples sweeten the chutney into a healthy and delicious accompaniment for cheese and crackers.
Ingredients: Continue reading “Rhurbarb, Date & Apple Chutney (Sugar free)”
I LOVE chillies on just about everything. A spoonful of these red little gems spices up any meal, adds colour to your dish or salad, and gives it that extra bite!
Pickle chillies in Apple Cider Vinegar
Making Brown Baskets is a creative way of serving baked potatoes.
Beware, make more than you expect to eat! They are easy to make, fun to eat and very tasty! They end up looking like little hedgehogs and my son loves pulling each individual piece of potato out and eating it like a potato chip.
Brown Baskets
red potatoes (any amount)
brown potatoes can be used
olive oil
Herbal salt ( optional)
kosher salt
thyme
oregano
Cut each potato in a straight line like this:
llll, all the way down leaving just a little potato
and the skin at the bottom to hold it together.
Then turn it to the side and repeat
so the end result is a grid.
Place in a glass pan and put about
a spoonful of olive oil on each potato.
then sprinkle salt, thyme and oregano on them.
Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F (200 C)
for 1 hour or until crispy.
When I saw this photo of Sarah on facebook with the heading
“Preparing our famous ‘Brown Baskets’ “,
I was most fascinated and asked Sarah how she makes them.
She kindly gave me the recipe.
Thank you Sarah 🙂
Visit their beautiful new website, Rose Campbell’s Cottageworks
When I was growing up we never bought mayonnaise from the shops, my mom always made her own. It was creamy, oh so French and so delicious. My mom used sunflower oil and French mustard, but you could use olive oil or any preferred oil and any mild mustard. Everything tastes better with homemade mayonnaise, whether you are making rice salad, potato salad or coleslaw.
It truly is worth the 15 min spent whisking.
Ingredients:
1 egg yolk ( room temperature)
1 heaped tsp mustard
( Dijon or French)
1 tsp salt
500ml Oil
( sunflower or olive oil)
1-2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Continue reading “Homemade Mayonnaise thick and creamy”
Spinach is such a brilliant vegetable. High in Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Folic acid and super charged with Vitamin A.
500g Baby Spinach leaves washed
a little butter or oil
1 large or 2 small onions chopped
1-2 clove garlic grated or crushed
1 Tbsp tomato puree ( or 1 chopped tomato)
1 flat tsp Herbamare
or Salt & Pepper
Melt butter and cook onion till golden then add garlic. Add wet Spinach leaves, Herbamare or salt and tomato puree. If the Spinach is wet enough you should not need to add water. Cook quickly for 5 min. The Spinach will have reduced in size and will be limp. Using a hand blender blend quickly here and there. The Spinach should still be chunky not runny.
If you like things extra tasty and slightly richer add a little cream about 50ml-100ml and stir.
Serve as a side or as a filling for baked potatoes and top with feta or grated cheese.
This is a nice change to the ordinary jacket potato, coated with a crunchy salted crust
Preheat oven to 180C
Wash potato and scrub if necessary
while still wet sprinkle salt over potato
allow the salt to stick to wet potato
Place potato into the oven
Cook for about 1 hour or until soft
Make a cross on the top of baked potato
press down with 4 finger for potato to split
and pile your favorite topping
Sprinkle with grated cheese,
feta cubes or Mozzarella circles
Place under grill for 5min for cheese to melt
A flavorsome way to eat parsnip is mashed with cream and horseradish sauce.
It is the only way to eat parsnip and ask for seconds. Really good!
Ingredients:
250g parsnip peeled & cut
50ml cream
2 tsp creamed horseradish
salt or herbamare
ground black pepper
Cut parsnip lengthways into quarters and slice.
into shorter pieces ( approx 3cm)
Place parsnip in a pot cover with
a little salted water and bring to the boil.
Simmer for about 10min or until soft.
Drain excess water and mash parsnip.
Add cream and horseradish sauce
continue to mash to a smooth consistency.
Serve with a little ground black pepper.
Absolutely delicious with roast beef
Tip: For Larger family double all the ingredients.
If your family is not keen on horse radish reduce to 1 tsp
Steam 250g Beans and same about amount carrot sticks in a little salted water for 5-10min
They should still be crunchy not limp.
In a small pot melt 25g butter
Add 1 1/2 tsp honey and
2tsp Dijon mustard or similar type.
Mix together.
Pour over cooked vegetables.
Toss gently and serve.
The honey and mustard sauce makes a lovely change.
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My German grandmother used to make these scrumptious potato pancake( Kartoffelpuffer), when I was a child, so they bring back lovely childhood memories. They are served with applesauce and it goes surprisingly well together. My children love these.
Ingredients: 8 Potato Pancakes
500g potatoes ( 3 large) peeled and grated
1 small onion ( or half) peeled & grated
1 egg
20g Self raising flour ( I used gluten free)
1 flat tsp salt
Oil for frying
Grate potatoes and onion in a bowl.
Transfer into a sieve to squeeze out excess liquid.
Put back into the bowl & add egg, flour & salt. Mix together
Make individual patties using about 2 tbsp of potato mixture.
Heat oil and fry for about 7 min each side.
Press with egg lifter to flatted . Fry until nice & crispy on both sides.
Serve with apple sauce ( Apfelmuss)
1 large Apple or 2 small ones peeled and chopped
1 tsp sugar
100ml water
Bring water & sugar to the boil
Add chopped peeled apples.
Use just enough water to steam apples for 10min
Too much water will make apple sauce runny.
When apples are soft blend until smooth. Cool
Serve as a light meal or snack. Fun for your children this mid term break!
Tip : If you prefer a savoury potato pancakes add chopped ham and grated cheese to the mixture before frying and serve with a side salad. Makes a tasty lunch.
JONATHAN’S PANCAKE LUNCH
My 7 year old son Jonathan asked if he could have potato pancake for lunch yesterday. A big one that would fill the whole frying pan. I try as much as possible to keep him from eating gluten. So I was happy with the idea. He grated 1 potato, used 1 egg, 1tsp gluten free flour, a little sea salt and oil for frying.
We spread the mixture and flattened it with a fork as it is not as running as normal pancake batter. He cooked it for about 5 min each side. Using an egg lifter we flipped it over. While the potato pancake was cooking, we peeled an apple & stewed it in a little water adding some cinnamon. Once cooked I helped him blend the apple. He added extra cinnamon on top… and Voila ! He was so proud that he made his very own lunch and ate it all up.
P.S He did grate a little bit of his thumb in the process, but it was worth it. LOL
This delicious home made pesto is so yummy, you’ll struggle to keep it in the fridge.
Ingredients:
56g Fresh Basil leaves
100ml-200ml Olive Oil
50g grated Parmesan
1 tsp Herbamare or sea salt
pinch of pepper ( optional)
2 cloves Garlic
12 pan fried pine nuts (optional)
Wash fresh Basil. Trim off stalks off and place wet leaves
into a small pot & blanch for 
1 min.
This allows the basil to retain its bright green color.
Wait 5 min to cool down.
Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth.
Transfer into well washed glass jar top with a little Olive Oil & Voila ! Pesto !
Store in fridge until needed.
Tip : Personally I make my pesto without pine nuts & it tastes great! However I have heard that pine nuts improve the flavor, so if you have you spare fresh pine nuts in your pantry, dry fry or roast a handful & add to the other ingredients just before blending.
Creative Cooking with Muriel 
