“What are you eating?” The person asked me, leaning over with interest.
The man, a performer at the arts centre where I work, had just walked by as I was about to delve into lunch, which was leftovers from the previous night’s supper.
“It’s lamb patties, served over naan bread, with hummus, fresh mint and cherry tomatoes,” I said.
As it spilled out of my mouth, his eyes grew bigger and bigger. It did sound rather impressive, I must say.
One of the rewards of cooking a good supper at night is the leftovers you can enjoy at lunch the next day and even beyond. There’s nothing quite like eating something magnificent while at work to perk up the day.
In this case, I was eating Greek-Inspired Lamb Meatballs (click for the recipe), a recipe developed by Australia’s Donna Hay and featured on her new BBC Good Food channel show, Fast, Fresh, Simple.
The meatballs were fresh and fantastic. Paired with the naan bread, hummus, mint and cherry tomatoes, it was a wonderful supper, then lunch.
The meatballs are actually small patties, and the recipe even says to shape the lamb mixture into “flat patties” before cooking.
Beware that the recipe's list of ingredients does not include the food items suggested for serving with the finished lamb patties. The flatbread, hummus, spinach, mint and cherry tomatoes aren’t mentioned until step 3 of the recipe. (We used store-bought hummus and naan bread and skipped the spinach.)
The patties are easy to make.
Couscous is placed in a bowl, then hot chicken stock (we used store-bought chicken broth) is poured on top. The couscous and stock are covered and left to stand until the stock has been absorbed – this took about 15 minutes.
The couscous, ground lamb (minced lamb in the recipe means ground lamb), honey, finely-grated lemon rind (lemon peel) and chopped fresh rosemary are combined in a bowl (I used my hands), then crumbled feta cheese is added and mixed in (I used my hands again!)
In a frying pan, the patties are cooked for four to five minutes each side.
The patties are served on top of flatbreads spread with hummus, and topped with options of spinach, mint and halved-cherry tomatoes.
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Showing posts with label GoodFood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GoodFood. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Zucchini and Corn Tacos, and a
cocktail to serve with them
I decided to try the recipe for Zucchini and Corn Tacos (click for the recipe) because it looked like a great way to use two fresh veggies that are in season exactly now.
And, as I am lucky to find to with many recipes I pick this way, they were delicious.
But they were delicious in a sort of nondescript way – the tacos are mild in flavor, with all the ingredients complimenting each together and nothing standing out.
The lack of meat is not at all disappointing. The vegetables and beans provide a “meaty” filling that is very satisfying.
I have a suggestion for an ideal drink to serve with the tacos (if only adults are present): Michelada, a Mexican beer cocktail.
I used a recipe from BBC Good Food magazine as a guide for the micheladas I made.
I followed the direction of dipping the rims of the glasses into lime juice, then into sea salt.
Ice and lime juice are put into glasses, then topped with Mexican lager beer (we used Corona).
I liked a lot of lime juice in my cocktail; my husband, much less. This is a good recipe to leave a bit of room at the top of each glass to add more lime juice if people want it.
The Zucchini and Corn Tacos, from the July 2009 issue of SELF magazine, are very easy to make.
To get the corn ready for the recipe, I used our tried-and-true method for de-corning cobs. After the husk is pulled off, a cob is stood upright, nose down, into the opening in the tube in the middle of an angel cake pan. Using a sharp knife, the kernels are scraped off, from top to bottom, into the pan.
The corn kernels are toasted in a skillet, then set aside. Onion, garlic, tomatoes, and zucchini are added to the skillet at different points and the mixture cooked until tender.
The corn, canned black beans, epazote (I used the fresh oregano substitution) and pepper are added to the tomato and zucchini mixture and it is cooked a bit longer.
The finished filling is put into corn tortillas (if you can’t find corn, flour tortillas can be substituted), then topped with tomatillo salsa (use tomato salsa if you can’t find tomatillo), and grated Monterey Jack or crumbled queso fresco cheese.
We put our assembled tacos in the microwave for 15 seconds just to warm up the tortillas a bit.
Then we gobbled them up.
And, as I am lucky to find to with many recipes I pick this way, they were delicious.
But they were delicious in a sort of nondescript way – the tacos are mild in flavor, with all the ingredients complimenting each together and nothing standing out.
The lack of meat is not at all disappointing. The vegetables and beans provide a “meaty” filling that is very satisfying.
I have a suggestion for an ideal drink to serve with the tacos (if only adults are present): Michelada, a Mexican beer cocktail.
I used a recipe from BBC Good Food magazine as a guide for the micheladas I made.
I followed the direction of dipping the rims of the glasses into lime juice, then into sea salt.
Ice and lime juice are put into glasses, then topped with Mexican lager beer (we used Corona).
I liked a lot of lime juice in my cocktail; my husband, much less. This is a good recipe to leave a bit of room at the top of each glass to add more lime juice if people want it.
The Zucchini and Corn Tacos, from the July 2009 issue of SELF magazine, are very easy to make.
To get the corn ready for the recipe, I used our tried-and-true method for de-corning cobs. After the husk is pulled off, a cob is stood upright, nose down, into the opening in the tube in the middle of an angel cake pan. Using a sharp knife, the kernels are scraped off, from top to bottom, into the pan.
The corn kernels are toasted in a skillet, then set aside. Onion, garlic, tomatoes, and zucchini are added to the skillet at different points and the mixture cooked until tender.
The corn, canned black beans, epazote (I used the fresh oregano substitution) and pepper are added to the tomato and zucchini mixture and it is cooked a bit longer.
The finished filling is put into corn tortillas (if you can’t find corn, flour tortillas can be substituted), then topped with tomatillo salsa (use tomato salsa if you can’t find tomatillo), and grated Monterey Jack or crumbled queso fresco cheese.
We put our assembled tacos in the microwave for 15 seconds just to warm up the tortillas a bit.
Then we gobbled them up.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Make-it-by-yourself-without-stress
Portobello & Blue Cheese Melts
My husband and I usually make supper together, but occasionally there’s a recipe that’s so easy and quick to make that it’s almost silly for two sets of hands to get involved.
This week I made Portobello & Blue Cheese Melts (click for the recipe) from BBC GoodFood magazine on my own while my husband took a well-deserved break from making supper (although he did wash the dishes afterward.)
The delicious melts took about half an hour to make, start to finish, without a single bit of hurry or worry on my part.
“So easy, even your wife can make it!” My husband joked later on. He thought the melts were “awesome.”
With its quick and easy prep, this recipe is obviously ideal for a weeknight supper.
The portobello mushrooms provide a meaty middle to the melts, with the sticky red onions and blue cheese perfect toppings. Ciabatta buns are the perfect recommendation for the melts.
The recipe makes just one serving. Obviously, with two people we needed to make more. For the one serving, the recipe asks for two portobello mushrooms.
I doubled the number of mushrooms to four, and increased the number of ciabatta buns to four from one. I suspected, rightly as it turned out, that one large portobello mushroom would comfortably fit into one ciabatta bun.
I also doubled the amount of thyme leaves required, and the amount of blue cheese.
I stuck to the same amount of red onion though – just one was called for in the recipe, although it wouldn’t have hurt to have baked two along with the increase in ingredients of the rest of the recipe.
The recipe calls for rocket leaves, which is the British term for arugula. I used prepared mixed salad greens instead, which are also sometimes labelled “mesclun” or “spring mix.”
The recipe directs bake the onions and mushrooms in an oven heated to 220 C – this is nearly 430 F.
A red onion, cut into wedges, is mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and spread on a baking sheet. Portobello mushrooms are put on top of the onions, stem-side up. Fresh thyme leaves are scattered on top, and the onions and mushrooms are baked in the oven for 15 minutes.
Blue cheese is crumbled onto each of the mushrooms, which are then baked five minutes more.
To serve, mixed greens are put on the bottom half of a lightly-toasted ciabatta bun, then some sticky onions and a portobello mushroom follow. The top half of the bun crowns this gorgeous melt.
This week I made Portobello & Blue Cheese Melts (click for the recipe) from BBC GoodFood magazine on my own while my husband took a well-deserved break from making supper (although he did wash the dishes afterward.)
The delicious melts took about half an hour to make, start to finish, without a single bit of hurry or worry on my part.
“So easy, even your wife can make it!” My husband joked later on. He thought the melts were “awesome.”
With its quick and easy prep, this recipe is obviously ideal for a weeknight supper.
The portobello mushrooms provide a meaty middle to the melts, with the sticky red onions and blue cheese perfect toppings. Ciabatta buns are the perfect recommendation for the melts.
The recipe makes just one serving. Obviously, with two people we needed to make more. For the one serving, the recipe asks for two portobello mushrooms.
I doubled the number of mushrooms to four, and increased the number of ciabatta buns to four from one. I suspected, rightly as it turned out, that one large portobello mushroom would comfortably fit into one ciabatta bun.
I also doubled the amount of thyme leaves required, and the amount of blue cheese.
I stuck to the same amount of red onion though – just one was called for in the recipe, although it wouldn’t have hurt to have baked two along with the increase in ingredients of the rest of the recipe.
The recipe calls for rocket leaves, which is the British term for arugula. I used prepared mixed salad greens instead, which are also sometimes labelled “mesclun” or “spring mix.”
The recipe directs bake the onions and mushrooms in an oven heated to 220 C – this is nearly 430 F.
A red onion, cut into wedges, is mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and spread on a baking sheet. Portobello mushrooms are put on top of the onions, stem-side up. Fresh thyme leaves are scattered on top, and the onions and mushrooms are baked in the oven for 15 minutes.
Blue cheese is crumbled onto each of the mushrooms, which are then baked five minutes more.
To serve, mixed greens are put on the bottom half of a lightly-toasted ciabatta bun, then some sticky onions and a portobello mushroom follow. The top half of the bun crowns this gorgeous melt.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Get rash with Lemon & Thyme Turkey Burgers
The recipe called for four thin rashers.
This scared me when I first read the ingredients for Lemon & Thyme Turkey Burgers (click for the recipe) in BBC GoodFood magazine.
What – put a rash in food?
I blinked my eyes, read again, and saw: Four thin rashers streaky bacon.
It turns out when the Brits say rashers, they mean strips of bacon.
I breathed a sigh of relief upon double-checking this online. Bacon – I can do that.
The strips of bacon, wrapped around each burger patty, add an unexpected but welcome crunch and flavor to these delicious burgers.
Thyme is the star, though. Its flavor lights up every bite of the moist patties. The recipe says you can use fresh or dried thyme leaves, but I highly recommend using fresh.
The recipe suggests serving the burgers with sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves. These are definitely good choices, but instead of the suggested tomato sauce, we used mayonnaise. Spread on the bun, it was a perfect condiment for the turkey burgers.
The burgers are very easy to make.
Minced turkey (ground turkey) is combined with lemon zest (finely-grated lemon peel), thyme, parsley and cooked onion. The mixture is shaped into four patties and a “rasher” of bacon is wrapped around each of them.
The patties are baked in a roasting tin (a shallow roasting pan) for 20 to 25 minutes, then pan-fried for a few minutes on each side to crisp up the bacon.
The burgers are served on a bun with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise.
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This scared me when I first read the ingredients for Lemon & Thyme Turkey Burgers (click for the recipe) in BBC GoodFood magazine.
What – put a rash in food?
I blinked my eyes, read again, and saw: Four thin rashers streaky bacon.
It turns out when the Brits say rashers, they mean strips of bacon.
I breathed a sigh of relief upon double-checking this online. Bacon – I can do that.
The strips of bacon, wrapped around each burger patty, add an unexpected but welcome crunch and flavor to these delicious burgers.
Thyme is the star, though. Its flavor lights up every bite of the moist patties. The recipe says you can use fresh or dried thyme leaves, but I highly recommend using fresh.
The recipe suggests serving the burgers with sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves. These are definitely good choices, but instead of the suggested tomato sauce, we used mayonnaise. Spread on the bun, it was a perfect condiment for the turkey burgers.
The burgers are very easy to make.
Minced turkey (ground turkey) is combined with lemon zest (finely-grated lemon peel), thyme, parsley and cooked onion. The mixture is shaped into four patties and a “rasher” of bacon is wrapped around each of them.
The patties are baked in a roasting tin (a shallow roasting pan) for 20 to 25 minutes, then pan-fried for a few minutes on each side to crisp up the bacon.
The burgers are served on a bun with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise.
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Pancetta packs flavor into Italian meatloaf
Meatloaf -- it’s a dish and a singer.
Today I’m writing about the ubiquitous comfort food and a version we tried recently that was quite amazing.
Italian meatloaf from BBC GoodFood magazine transformed what can be humdrum dinner into something remarkably tasty.
I think the secret ingredient is pancetta, salt-cured pork belly that is similar to bacon. It added moisture and depth of flavor to the meatloaf.
If you can’t find pancetta, bacon can be substituted, but most large, well-stocked supermarkets should have it.
The recipe’s instruction to line a loaf pan with two layers of parchment paper is a good one.
The paper soaks up all the oil coming out of the ground beef, and makes it easy to remove from the pan – all you need to do is lift out the meatloaf using the overhang of the parchment.
Instead of making the fresh white breadcrumbs that the recipe asks for, we used panko instead, a type of ready-made fine Japanese breadcrumb that can be found in the bakery or Asian foods section of many supermarkets.
The recipe also calls for tomato puree. As I understand it, the Brits mean tomato paste when they say tomato puree, so that is what we used.
The recipe is very easy to make.
Lean ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely-grated Parmesan cheese, onion, pancetta, garlic, egg and tomato paste are mixed together in a large bowl, then pressed into a loaf pan and sprinkled with a topping of breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
The meatloaf is baked for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden and crunchy. It’s cooled in the pan for five minutes before serving.
Today I’m writing about the ubiquitous comfort food and a version we tried recently that was quite amazing.
Italian meatloaf from BBC GoodFood magazine transformed what can be humdrum dinner into something remarkably tasty.
I think the secret ingredient is pancetta, salt-cured pork belly that is similar to bacon. It added moisture and depth of flavor to the meatloaf.
If you can’t find pancetta, bacon can be substituted, but most large, well-stocked supermarkets should have it.
The recipe’s instruction to line a loaf pan with two layers of parchment paper is a good one.
The paper soaks up all the oil coming out of the ground beef, and makes it easy to remove from the pan – all you need to do is lift out the meatloaf using the overhang of the parchment.
Instead of making the fresh white breadcrumbs that the recipe asks for, we used panko instead, a type of ready-made fine Japanese breadcrumb that can be found in the bakery or Asian foods section of many supermarkets.
The recipe also calls for tomato puree. As I understand it, the Brits mean tomato paste when they say tomato puree, so that is what we used.
The recipe is very easy to make.
Lean ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely-grated Parmesan cheese, onion, pancetta, garlic, egg and tomato paste are mixed together in a large bowl, then pressed into a loaf pan and sprinkled with a topping of breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
The meatloaf is baked for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden and crunchy. It’s cooled in the pan for five minutes before serving.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Pork + red cabbage = amazing burgers!
A juicy burger, lightly seasoned, with a crunchy homemade topping: That’s the dream that’s realized when Pork & Apple Burgers with Pickled Red Cabbage (click for the recipe) from BBC GoodFood magazine is made.
My husband and I were impressed with how moist the burgers were. The fresh sage that’s in them was perfect with the ground pork, although we did use a bit more than recommended in the recipe – about 1 ½ tablespoons instead of one.
The pickling of the red cabbage softened it just enough so it wasn’t like eating cardboard, but also left it pleasantly crunchy. The resulting topping is not at all overwhelming in taste; it was like eating something as mild as a bread-and-butter pickle.
You won’t need to haul out any condiments or other toppings for this burger – it stands up brilliantly on its own.
The recipe calls for eight good-quality pork sausages, and instructs to squeeze the meat out of them. We used ground pork instead, and it worked well.
We skipped the called-for red onion in the cabbage topping, as my husband and I aren’t a fan of raw red onions.
The recipe calls for bread rolls, and we used whole wheat hamburger buns.
The burgers are incredibly easy to make.
Ground pork is combined with a grated apple (we used Macintosh) and fresh sage, shaped into patties and cooked on a baking sheet in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
While the burgers are baking, finely-sliced red cabbage (and a red onion, if desired) is combined with red wine vinegar, sugar and wholegrain mustard (also called “grainy mustard” at the supermarket).
To serve, place a burger on each bun (we toasted our buns) and top with some pickled cabbage.
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My husband and I were impressed with how moist the burgers were. The fresh sage that’s in them was perfect with the ground pork, although we did use a bit more than recommended in the recipe – about 1 ½ tablespoons instead of one.
The pickling of the red cabbage softened it just enough so it wasn’t like eating cardboard, but also left it pleasantly crunchy. The resulting topping is not at all overwhelming in taste; it was like eating something as mild as a bread-and-butter pickle.
You won’t need to haul out any condiments or other toppings for this burger – it stands up brilliantly on its own.
The recipe calls for eight good-quality pork sausages, and instructs to squeeze the meat out of them. We used ground pork instead, and it worked well.
We skipped the called-for red onion in the cabbage topping, as my husband and I aren’t a fan of raw red onions.
The recipe calls for bread rolls, and we used whole wheat hamburger buns.
The burgers are incredibly easy to make.
Ground pork is combined with a grated apple (we used Macintosh) and fresh sage, shaped into patties and cooked on a baking sheet in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
While the burgers are baking, finely-sliced red cabbage (and a red onion, if desired) is combined with red wine vinegar, sugar and wholegrain mustard (also called “grainy mustard” at the supermarket).
To serve, place a burger on each bun (we toasted our buns) and top with some pickled cabbage.
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Thursday, January 6, 2011
A quick supper to enjoy on the sofa:
Noodles with Turkey, Green Beans & Hoisin
I like the catchline of Noodles with Turkey, Green Beans & Hoisin (click for the recipe) on the BBC GoodFood magazine website: “Long day at work? Whip up this substantial yet low-fat supper and enjoy on the sofa.”
That’s exactly the right way to enjoy this dish.
It’s super-easy to make, and fills the stomach with a happy satisfied feeling.
Those whose only culinary accomplishment is boiling ramen noodles might find the courage to branch out when they find the noodles are the basis of the dish.
Making it is a good way to get some beans into your diet. The green beans called for in the recipe are definitely must-haves. They add a welcome, crunchy texture.
Leftovers warm up beautifully in the microwave.
The recipe makes enough for two people, so if you’re making it for a family, make sure to at least double it.
The recipe calls for chilli sauce. We used chili-garlic sauce, which most often found in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.
Ramen noodles are boiled according to package directions, and halved green beans are added to the boiling noodles for the final two minutes. (I also clipped the ends off the green beans).
Hoisin sauce, fresh lime juice and chili-garlic sauce are combined. Turkey mince (ground turkey) and chopped garlic cloves are browned, and the hoisin mixture added. The combination is cooked.
The noodles, beans and some sliced spring onions (green onions) are stirred into the turkey mixture. When the dish is served, more sliced spring onions are scattered on top.
Hit that sofa and enjoy!
Another quick-dinner dish: Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
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That’s exactly the right way to enjoy this dish.
It’s super-easy to make, and fills the stomach with a happy satisfied feeling.
Those whose only culinary accomplishment is boiling ramen noodles might find the courage to branch out when they find the noodles are the basis of the dish.
Making it is a good way to get some beans into your diet. The green beans called for in the recipe are definitely must-haves. They add a welcome, crunchy texture.
Leftovers warm up beautifully in the microwave.
The recipe makes enough for two people, so if you’re making it for a family, make sure to at least double it.
The recipe calls for chilli sauce. We used chili-garlic sauce, which most often found in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.
Ramen noodles are boiled according to package directions, and halved green beans are added to the boiling noodles for the final two minutes. (I also clipped the ends off the green beans).
Hoisin sauce, fresh lime juice and chili-garlic sauce are combined. Turkey mince (ground turkey) and chopped garlic cloves are browned, and the hoisin mixture added. The combination is cooked.
The noodles, beans and some sliced spring onions (green onions) are stirred into the turkey mixture. When the dish is served, more sliced spring onions are scattered on top.
Hit that sofa and enjoy!
Another quick-dinner dish: Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
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Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Ready-made polenta finds a delicious home
baked with spinach and goat cheese
Although I fully intend to make polenta in my lifetime, I haven’t yet.
Until this point, I’ve only used tubes of ready-made polenta that can be found in the pasta aisle of well-stocked supermarkets.
I’ve found a wonderful dish in which to use the ready-made variety: Baked Polenta with Spinach & Goat's Cheese (click for the recipe) from BBC’s GoodFood magazine.
It’s absolutely delicious, and, better yet, it takes mere minutes to prepare and get to the oven.
It’s an ideal dish for a weeknight when exhaustion has set in but the desire for a homemade dinner is still alive and kicking.
Three chopped garlic cloves are mixed with two 400 g cans of chopped tomatoes (a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes is what the recipe wants), and the mixture is spread into the bottom of a large baking dish. I used a glass 13” x 9” inch baking dish.
Boiling water, then cold water, is poured over fresh spinach, and then excess water is squeezed out. The now-wilted spinach is roughly chopped and scattered on top of the tomatoes.
Ready-made polenta in a tube is sliced and the pieces overlapped on top of the spinach. Some olive oil is drizzled over, and the dish baked is in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
The recipe then says to scatter goat’s cheese with rind, broken into chunks, on top of the polenta. I scattered plain soft goat cheese crumbled into small pieces on top.
The dish is returned to the oven for five minutes more. Don’t worry about the cheese getting golden or bubbling as the recipe directs – the dish will be ready after the last five-minute cooking time.
More delicious quick and easy dinners
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Until this point, I’ve only used tubes of ready-made polenta that can be found in the pasta aisle of well-stocked supermarkets.
I’ve found a wonderful dish in which to use the ready-made variety: Baked Polenta with Spinach & Goat's Cheese (click for the recipe) from BBC’s GoodFood magazine.
It’s absolutely delicious, and, better yet, it takes mere minutes to prepare and get to the oven.
It’s an ideal dish for a weeknight when exhaustion has set in but the desire for a homemade dinner is still alive and kicking.
Three chopped garlic cloves are mixed with two 400 g cans of chopped tomatoes (a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes is what the recipe wants), and the mixture is spread into the bottom of a large baking dish. I used a glass 13” x 9” inch baking dish.
Boiling water, then cold water, is poured over fresh spinach, and then excess water is squeezed out. The now-wilted spinach is roughly chopped and scattered on top of the tomatoes.
Ready-made polenta in a tube is sliced and the pieces overlapped on top of the spinach. Some olive oil is drizzled over, and the dish baked is in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
The recipe then says to scatter goat’s cheese with rind, broken into chunks, on top of the polenta. I scattered plain soft goat cheese crumbled into small pieces on top.
The dish is returned to the oven for five minutes more. Don’t worry about the cheese getting golden or bubbling as the recipe directs – the dish will be ready after the last five-minute cooking time.
More delicious quick and easy dinners
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Monday, July 26, 2010
Paprika and cherries, all in one day
My husband and I made two recipes from the July 2010 issue of BBC GoodFood magazine today, and both were terrific. They were Paprika Chicken Ciabattas and Baked Cherry Cheesecake.
Paprika Chicken Ciabattas were an absolute cinch to put together (or so my husband tells me – he made them!)
The results, for such little time and effort required, were amazing: The chicken was juicy and went well with the toasted buns and lettuce.
The secret ingredient of the recipe, though, is the spread that’s put on the toasted buns – mayonnaise mixed with some crushed garlic. Don’t skip this!
The recipe calls for a ciabatta loaf. When I couldn’t find this, I bought some wide whole-wheat submarine buns, and they worked well.
It seems the recipe doesn't ask for putting another ciabatta half on top to make a sandwich -- that's what my husband and I did.
The recipe also calls for smoked paprika, not to be confused with regular paprika. In Canada, the McCormick line of spices has smoked paprika, and it is also found in gourmet food stores.
The ciabattas is generally family-friendly. I could see most people over the age of 10 going for them.
They would work for an informal backyard get-together – you could make a platter of these and put them out for the gang.
Baked Cherry Cheesecake is a recipe submitted to GoodFood magazine by one of its readers, who said she had made it more than 100 times because it was such a favorite among friends and family.
It’s a lot like a dessert my mother makes, with a cream cheese middle and berry topping.
Don’t let the word “cheesecake” scare you off. There’s absolutely nothing complicated about this recipe. I was actually a little shocked by how incredibly easy it is!
The recipe calls for “light soft cheese” – that’s cream cheese here in North America. It also calls for “caster sugar” – that’s superfine sugar, sometimes labelled berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar. The “springform tin” – that’s a springform pan.
I was able to find the called-for digestive biscuits in the cookie aisle of the supermarket.
Don't worry about pressing up the cookie crust all the way up the sides of the springform pan. I could only push it up a little way. The cheesecake stays together nicely regardless of the height of the crust on the sides.
Although the recipe doesn’t have an instruction to do this, I thought it might make things even easier, if it was possible, to use a food processor while making the crust.
The recipe says to combine 12 crushed digestive biscuits with melted butter and caster sugar. I placed these ingredients together and whizzed them up in a food processor, and that made easy work of creating the crumb crust.
Paprika Chicken Ciabattas were an absolute cinch to put together (or so my husband tells me – he made them!)
The results, for such little time and effort required, were amazing: The chicken was juicy and went well with the toasted buns and lettuce.
The secret ingredient of the recipe, though, is the spread that’s put on the toasted buns – mayonnaise mixed with some crushed garlic. Don’t skip this!
The recipe calls for a ciabatta loaf. When I couldn’t find this, I bought some wide whole-wheat submarine buns, and they worked well.
It seems the recipe doesn't ask for putting another ciabatta half on top to make a sandwich -- that's what my husband and I did.
The recipe also calls for smoked paprika, not to be confused with regular paprika. In Canada, the McCormick line of spices has smoked paprika, and it is also found in gourmet food stores.
The ciabattas is generally family-friendly. I could see most people over the age of 10 going for them.
They would work for an informal backyard get-together – you could make a platter of these and put them out for the gang.
Baked Cherry Cheesecake is a recipe submitted to GoodFood magazine by one of its readers, who said she had made it more than 100 times because it was such a favorite among friends and family.
It’s a lot like a dessert my mother makes, with a cream cheese middle and berry topping.
Don’t let the word “cheesecake” scare you off. There’s absolutely nothing complicated about this recipe. I was actually a little shocked by how incredibly easy it is!
The recipe calls for “light soft cheese” – that’s cream cheese here in North America. It also calls for “caster sugar” – that’s superfine sugar, sometimes labelled berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar. The “springform tin” – that’s a springform pan.
I was able to find the called-for digestive biscuits in the cookie aisle of the supermarket.
Don't worry about pressing up the cookie crust all the way up the sides of the springform pan. I could only push it up a little way. The cheesecake stays together nicely regardless of the height of the crust on the sides.
Although the recipe doesn’t have an instruction to do this, I thought it might make things even easier, if it was possible, to use a food processor while making the crust.
The recipe says to combine 12 crushed digestive biscuits with melted butter and caster sugar. I placed these ingredients together and whizzed them up in a food processor, and that made easy work of creating the crumb crust.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A recipe that has really worked - our marriage
Today my husband and I have been married for 10 years.
It sounds very cliché, but it absolutely feels like yesterday when we said our vows in my hometown of Esterhazy, Saskatchewan.
My husband is responsible for a lot of content here on Recipes That Worked.
I worked an evening shift for several years before I started writing this blog, and he made supper for us several times a week.
He was often the first to try out a new recipe that I had picked out, and he always did it without complaint.
On this occasion of my wedding anniversary, I’m featuring a couple of recipes my husband and I recently tried that he really liked (I liked them, too.)
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes (click here for the recipe at the BBC GoodFood website) have an apt name – they were very easy to make.
The icing is the real treat, but the recipe produces a lot. I only used about half of it. You might consider making a second batch of cupcakes and using up the icing.
Here’s my official make-it-better tip: Although people will be clamoring to try these cupcakes on the day they’re made, if you can keep them in a sealed container until the next day, they will have more moisture and the flavor will be deeper.
The recipe calls for light muscovado sugar. I found demerara sugar at the supermarket and used it as a substitute, but I found several mentions online that dark brown sugar would also be an effective substitute.
To make the cupcakes, dark chocolate is whizzed into small pieces in a food processor, and some of the pieces are mixed together with soured cream (a.k.a sour cream), cocoa powder, self-raising flour, sunflower oil, eggs, vanilla and water using electric beaters.
The batter is divided among the holes in a muffin tin that have been lined with paper cups. The cupcakes are baked and cooled.
The icing is made by melting the remaining chocolate bits with sour cream and sugar in a small saucepan. It’s put in the fridge until it is cool enough to spread on the waiting muffins.
Vietnamese Prawn Salad (click here for the recipe on the BBC GoodFood website) is a fresh dish that’s great to make if you’re craving something with noodles but don’t want anything steaming hot.
It’s quite easy to put together. Boiling water is poured over thin rice noodles (also called vermicelli; found in the Asian foods section of the supermarket), and they’re left to stand for 10 minutes. Then they’re drained.
Mashed garlic, a small red chilli (we used a half of a jalapeno pepper), golden caster sugar (we used superfine sugar, sometimes labelled berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar), and the juice of two limes comprise the dressing.
Cooked tiger prawns (we used cooked shrimp), cucumber, carrot, spring onions (green onions or scallions) are tossed together.
The salad is served by putting noodles on a plate, topping it with the prawn and vegetable mixture and scattering mint or cilantro (we used mint) and chopped peanuts on top.
Two of my husband's other favorites:
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Red Wine-Raspberry Sorbet
It sounds very cliché, but it absolutely feels like yesterday when we said our vows in my hometown of Esterhazy, Saskatchewan.
My husband is responsible for a lot of content here on Recipes That Worked.
I worked an evening shift for several years before I started writing this blog, and he made supper for us several times a week.
He was often the first to try out a new recipe that I had picked out, and he always did it without complaint.
On this occasion of my wedding anniversary, I’m featuring a couple of recipes my husband and I recently tried that he really liked (I liked them, too.)
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes (click here for the recipe at the BBC GoodFood website) have an apt name – they were very easy to make.
The icing is the real treat, but the recipe produces a lot. I only used about half of it. You might consider making a second batch of cupcakes and using up the icing.
Here’s my official make-it-better tip: Although people will be clamoring to try these cupcakes on the day they’re made, if you can keep them in a sealed container until the next day, they will have more moisture and the flavor will be deeper.
The recipe calls for light muscovado sugar. I found demerara sugar at the supermarket and used it as a substitute, but I found several mentions online that dark brown sugar would also be an effective substitute.
To make the cupcakes, dark chocolate is whizzed into small pieces in a food processor, and some of the pieces are mixed together with soured cream (a.k.a sour cream), cocoa powder, self-raising flour, sunflower oil, eggs, vanilla and water using electric beaters.
The batter is divided among the holes in a muffin tin that have been lined with paper cups. The cupcakes are baked and cooled.
The icing is made by melting the remaining chocolate bits with sour cream and sugar in a small saucepan. It’s put in the fridge until it is cool enough to spread on the waiting muffins.
Vietnamese Prawn Salad (click here for the recipe on the BBC GoodFood website) is a fresh dish that’s great to make if you’re craving something with noodles but don’t want anything steaming hot.
It’s quite easy to put together. Boiling water is poured over thin rice noodles (also called vermicelli; found in the Asian foods section of the supermarket), and they’re left to stand for 10 minutes. Then they’re drained.
Mashed garlic, a small red chilli (we used a half of a jalapeno pepper), golden caster sugar (we used superfine sugar, sometimes labelled berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar), and the juice of two limes comprise the dressing.
Cooked tiger prawns (we used cooked shrimp), cucumber, carrot, spring onions (green onions or scallions) are tossed together.
The salad is served by putting noodles on a plate, topping it with the prawn and vegetable mixture and scattering mint or cilantro (we used mint) and chopped peanuts on top.
Two of my husband's other favorites:
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Red Wine-Raspberry Sorbet
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