Wet Garlic, Bacon and Broccoli Pappardelle

You know that saying about life giving you lemons? I was given some wet garlic (also called green garlic) in my vegetable box. Lemons can be made into lemonade but I certainly wasn’t about to start making garlic juice. I took some time to ponder its use. It looked like a skinny leek, but much longer, with the very pungent and distinct aroma of garlic.

Firstly I thought it best to try it raw to see what I was up against. I think even now I have a faint whiff of garlic on my breath. Raw wet garlic would, I’m sure, be acceptable to the ultimate garlic aficionado but not for me. Cooking was to be the way forward but I wondered whether to treat it like a leek which needs longer cooking or treat it like garlic which burns in the blink of an eye. 

A Trip to Brighton

I went to Brighton this week for a long weekend; considering the wonderful weather it was very well planned. It was lovely to see the sea and hear the seagulls and was also an excuse to eat plenty of ice cream. I do have some rather bright and embarrassing tan lines now but I had a great time. I'll definitely be going back.

Chicken and Chorizo Tartlets

I’m not very good at anything that requires precision; cutting, gluing, drawing, sewing and the like just aren’t made for me no matter how much I might like them to be. I thought it was time I challenged this, determined to be as perfect as possible I set about making some mini chicken and chorizo tartlets. This of course was not only an excuse to try and achieve the impossible; namely a pastry tart case that didn’t shrink, but also to use up some more of my leftover chicken.

Coronation Chicken: using up leftover chicken

Removing all the meat from a cooked chicken has to be one of the most rewarding things to do; ending up with a plate full of bones and a bowl full of meat opens up a world of possibilities. As I mentioned in the previous post the bones were used to make stock; half of this was used in a bright broccoli, celery and stilton soup. I think the other half will end up in a risotto in the near future. 

Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken and the leftovers

A beautifully roasted chicken is hard to beat; with crispy skin and succulent meat there's nothing quite like it. Having a whole roast chicken is a rare thing for me, indeed this is the first chicken I have roasted in a very long time and I wasn't about to waste a scrap of it. The chicken that was to fulfil my roast chicken dreams was a local, free range, corn fed bird. This post is about my perfect Sunday lunch and making the most of the leftovers.

Vegetable Patch Update

Vegetable seeds started to go in to the soil and under the cloches back in March and now, in May, all sorts of things are happening. Since the first year I started gardening I grow what I know and always something new. This year I'm growing: beans (broad and purple), peas, courgettes (patty-pan, cousa courgette and bent Summer squash), tomatoes and maybe something else I'm yet to decide on. Peas are the newcomers in the patch this year.

Honey and Cinnamon Spelt Biscuits

I like books. I can rarely walk past a charity or second hand book shop without having a little nose around. My affection for literature is not just for old books, I love the smell of new ones.  As a result of my fondness, and subsequent collection of books, it was about time I sorted a few out in order to prevent some sort of hardback avalanche occurring.

So that I didn't get bored I thought it was a good idea to intersperse the organising with some biscuit making. I had bought some spelt flour a while ago to make some soda bread and there was a recipe on the back for these biscuits. They sounded ridiculously quick and simple and I thought it would be rude not to give them a try. 

Carrot and Orange Gazpacho

Apart from the occasional carrot cake or carrot salad I rarely have opportunity to make the carrot the star of the show. Carrots tend to make an appearance in the vegetable box but this time, instead of stored carrots from last year I had the first spring carrots. Thin and still slightly muddy with great green fronds, these carrots couldn't simply be added to a stew.