Gnocchi with squash,spinach and prociutto

No more turkey for me.....we've done turkey curry, turkey stir fry,turkey pie.....really fancied something a bit different,yet not too taxing time wise.....So here we are...I'm using the vacuum packed gnocchi and precut butternut squash cubes - it doesn't get any easier my friends.

4 tbsp butter
6 slices deli prosciutto,cut into 1/4 inch strips....or use bacon
2 peeled and halved butternut squash halves,cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 lb vacuum packed gnocchi
salt and pepper
4 oz baby spinach

melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a frying pan and cook the prosciutto until crisp,about 3 minutes.If you are using bacon that will take a bit longer. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.  As you can see in the picture ,I was using bacon.
Add the squash and remaining butter to the pan and cook until lightly browned,about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for another minute.

Stir in the wine and cook  until reduced by half,about 3 minutes,then add the stock and again cook until slightly thickened,about 4 minutes. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the gnocchi until they start floating to the surface. I used wholegrain gnocchi,they look like little fat grubs, but taste great. Reserving half a cup of the cooking water,add the gnocchi to the squash mixture,stir in the spinach until its starting to wilt,and the cooked prosciutto/ bacon. Throw in the reserved cooking water if its looking too dry and season with salt and pepper.

I'm right about my description of these yes??

  Since The Teenager is a cheese freak I sprinkled some Parmesan on top to make him feel at home.....yum.

This is great for these cold dark night....got a big thumbs up from my turkied -out  family. (Is that even a word??)

Gingerbread reindeer

Normally at this time of year I am up to my oxters in baking mince pies.....listening to Carol's from Kings as I go. This is only our second  Christmas we've spent in the States....we've been back to England a couple of times to spend time with our families. So since this year is an American style Christmas I'm not going to do the mince pies ( traveling man does not know this yet..we may have a revolt.......) and I have been making Gingerbread reindeer instead. The teenager helped- well for a while- and I still had the carols playing,not the Kings College ones though....

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter,softened
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 3/4 cups flour
2 teasp ground ginger
11/2 teasp baking soda
1/2 teap ground cinnamon
1/2 teasp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teasp salt

Using an electric mixer on low speed,cream the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix again until combined. Sift the flour,ginger,baking soda,cinnamon ,nutmeg and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap,then place it in the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes.
  Line cookie sheets with baking parchment,and take small amounts of dough at a time,to roll on a floured surface. Roll til about 1/8 inch thick,then cut our our shapes.

Bake for 10 minutes until the edges are just beginning to brown. Cool and decorate - I used the ready made icing pens for quickness.

Don't they look festive!! A few of them need to go to the Gingerbread Hospital as they have broken legs.... Or we could just put them out of their misery straight away and eat them now,as the Teenager told me in no uncertain terms..

    I'll do the mince pies next year,traveling man,I promise!!

Venison Casserole

It  took me a while to find venison here in Oregon. It was always very easy in Cambridgeshire,I just needed to have a word with my butcher on the farm and he'd have it fresh the next day. Needless to say he had deer on his farm so he didn't have far to go to find the meat....but I don't want to think about that part......! I  managed to "special order " this meat ...turns out it came all the way from California....where are the Oregon deer I wonder as I'm all for eating locally....Anyway this casserole is made with venison,shallots,mushrooms,red wine and stock . Like all casseroles its best made the day before to allow the flavours to mingle . Oh and it makes alot....this is for 10 people ,but it freezes beautifully.


3 1/2 lb venison stew meat
1 pint red wine
2 springs fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 1/4 lb shallots
10 rashers bacon,chopped into small pieces
2 oz butter
4 tbsp veg oil
6 level tbsp flour
3/4 pint chicken stock
2 tbsp redcurrent jelly
1 lb mushrooms

Put the venison in a bowl with the wine,2 rosemary sprigs and garlic and marinate for 2 -24 hours. Put the shallots in a bowl and cover with boiling water, leave for 10 mins then peel.

In a large casserole dish fry the bacon until crisp,then fry the shallots in 1 oz butter - or in the bacon fat if there is lots. I halved the shallots to cook them,as they looked quite big boys,but I've also left them whole and that works too.Preheat oven to 300. Drain the venison,reserving the marinade,and using 2 tbsp oil and  the other 1 0z butter,fry the meat in batches until chestnut brown . Its important not to crowd the pan or the meat will steam rather than colour....Set the meat to the side and add the flour, cook 1 minute. Stir in the reserved marinade and stock,bring to the boil ,then add the bacon,shallots and venison. Add the redcurrant jelly and mushrooms,season ,cover the casserole with a lid and cook for 21/2 to 3 hours...the meat will be fall apart tender by then. Remove the rosemary sprigs before serving.

I like to serve this with a mash of potato and parsnip flavoured with sour cream and Dijon mustard....soaks up all of the lovely juices fantastically.

Special jewelled stuffing

There's got to be lots of stuffing in my house over Christmas....its what makes a good turkey sandwich great. We also go big on bacon ....and this bacon wrapped stuffing  roll  fits the bill perfectly...and you can prepare it in advance ,freeze it and cross one more thing off your list of Christmas preparations!! How cool is that.
What is essential when you make this is to have some festive music blaring and sing your little heart out as you cook....

I recommend this Delia Smith cookery book..the guru of English cooking  -that I have used for ever and get most of my Christmas ideas from.....

 Chestnut and cranberry roll - makes 2 rolls ,each cuts into 8 slices.



1 tbsp olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 apples,peeled and finely chopped
3 lb pork sausage meat
12 oz vacuum packed or jarred chestnuts
small bunch parsley ,roughly chopped
small bunch sage and thyme,finely chopped
1 egg
4 oz breadcrumbs-i used gluten free bread to allow one of my Christmas guests with an intolerance to be able to partake.....
6 oz fresh cranberries
24 -yes 24- rashers bacon
butter for greasing

I'm realising as I'm writing this that this is a very English recipe,and I bet the American audience don't recognise the word rasher...we'll see.......

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients apart from the cranberries and bacon ,get your hands in and mix it all up. Season well. Keep a couple of handfuls of the stuffing mixture separate and add a few cranberries to this. This can be used to stuff the neck of the turkey. To assemble, butter and season a large sheet of foil. Stretch the bacon rashers slightly with a kitchen knife to make them longer,then overlap 12  rashers on the foil.

Spoon half of the stuffing mix over the bacon,leaving about an inch around the edge. Scatter with half of the cranberries.

Using the foil to help, roll the stuffing up to make a log shape. Repeat to make a second roll.

You can either freeze your two rolls now,or cook.....With the oven at375, place the foil wrapped rolls on a backing sheet and roast for 45 mins. Unwrap,draining off any juice,and finish roasting for 15 mins until the bacon is crisp.

Travelling Man's favourite tart.....

This is travelling man's fav dessert.....he isn't really a dessert kind of a guy...unfortunately  the opposite to me....I love desserts..... so I was so excited when I cooked this...years ago and he actually enthused  about it !
 French pear Tart....french tarts are always the best n'est pas??!

2 tins pear halves in natural juice
4 tbsp apricot jam
 For the almond filling.. 3 1/2 oz ground almonds
2 oz sugar
5 tbsp butter
1 egg plus 1 egg white
few drops of vanilla essence

For the pastry..
7 oz -3 2/4 cups plain flour
pinch salt
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter,cubed
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp cold water

First make the pastry (or cheat and buy ready made...) Sift the flour with the salt and sugar. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolks and water and sprinkle over the dry ingredients,then mix to a dough. I've also done this all in a food processor.... Knead for a few seconds and then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll out the pastry and line a 9 inch flan tin ,and chill again whist you make the filling.
    Pulse the almonds and sugar together in a processor,add the butter and process until creamy. Mix in the egg plus extra yolk and the vanilla essence.
   Place a baking sheet in an oven and preheat to 375. Pour the almond cream filling into the tart shell. Drain the pear halves and arrange over the almond mixture.  Cook for 50 minutes until the filling is set and well browned.  Meanwhile  warm the jam in a small saucepan and brush over the warm tart when its cooked.

About to go in the oven......

The finished tart..!!

Make ahead chicken and chorizo paella

Although you don't normally think of paella as a make ahead dish, you can prepare this recipe up to the point of adding the liquid....as I did and finished it off the next day...


I made this for some friends who came to dinner this week....they are going to the Galapagos Islands for Christmas.....how exotic is that....can't give such globe trotters something like spag bol...oh no ,I had to think of something,well ,Continental..!! This was about as continental as I could manage on a cold grey winters day....but it was GOOD!!

14 o z fresh chorizo cut into 1 inch thick slices0
14 oz chicken breast cut into quarters
2 red  onions finely chopped
6 garlic gloves finely chopped
2 teasp smoked hot paprika
1 teasp saffron threads soaked in 1 tbsp boiling water for 1 minute
7 oz jar marinated artichokes,drained
9 oz calasparra or arborio rice
1/3 cup dry sherry
28 oz chicken stock
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 large handful flat leaf parsley,chopped

Heat a large paella pan,or heavy based skillet over a medium heat and cook the sliced chorizo for 2-3 minutes each side until browned. Drain the sausage on kitchen paper,and add the chicken to the pan where you will fry it until golden- maybe 3 - 4  minutes each side ,in the leftover oil that the chorizo "exuded".

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside with the chorizo.Now add the onion and garlic,season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until golden and softened. Add the paprika,saffron mixture and artichokes and mix in. I stopped cooking at this point and keep everything in the fridge to carry on with the next day.....

About 25 minutes before serving, return the onion mixture to the pan and heat through. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains. Add the sherry and simmer until reduced by half, then add the stock and  tomatoes, and bring to the boil.   Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, reduce the heat to low,and simmer ,without stirring for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.Add the peas,remove from the heat and cover with foil and let it stand for 10 minutes. Scatter with the parsley...

There it is , the finished dish. Enough for  about 8!!   I served mine with a spinach and feta salad with pistachios.

OLE!!

Flourless chocolate torte

This is one of those recipes that look -  and taste - like you have just popped out to the French Patisserie . I don't know why I'm telling you all this recipe really,as my secret is now out....its not that difficult to make!! I know you are all probably feeling withdrawal symptoms from Thanksgiving cooking, so,  my friends,  its time to get back in the kitchen and whip up a little oh la la !

I'm posting a picture of this little beauty first so you can see how nice it turns out...

Don't you just want to eat it right now???


11/4 cups butter- 21/2 sticks
3/4 cup cocoa
6 eggs separated
2 cups sugar, divided
1 teasp vanilla extract
 1 cup ground almonds - Trader Joes has nice packets of them
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Melt the butter ,add the cocoa powder and 11/2 cups of the sugar, and stir until smooth. Cool a little.  Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl until thick. Gradually add the chocolate mixture,stir in the water and vanilla, and then add the ground almonds and breadcrumbs.
  Beat the egg whites until foamy, the gradually add the remaining cup of sugar,beating until soft peaks form. Fold about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate,then fold all of the chocolate into the remaining egg whites.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake 50 -60 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

The melted butter and chocolate.....

The egg yolks getting nice and thick....

The egg whites doing what they are supposed to do.....

And its into the oven.

 Another good thing is that this torte freezes really well....


Enjoy !!

Tomato-y-bacon soup with red peppers and goats cheese

This is seriously warming. Our Thanksgiving build up this year has been a chilly one...snow, ice and frigid temperatures. Sometimes you just need to stay home and enjoy cooking and  crank up the heating....worrying high heating bills hear we come.....! This soup is a good one to have up your sleeve for these chilly days, when the kids have a  "snow day"  and you want to feed them something nutritious!!

8 -yes 8 -yippee! slices of bacon,chopped
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic,chopped
1 tbsp chopped thyme
3 stalks celery.diced
3 carrots,diced
1 14 oz tin tomatoes
8 oz roasted red peppers ,drained and chopped (mine were from a jar)
15 oz can pinto beans ,drained
4 -5 cups chicken stock
3 oz goats cheese,crumbled
2 tbsp chopped chives
 salt and pepper

 In a large soup sized saucepan, cook the chopped bacon until the fat has rendered and its nice and crisp. Remove and discard all but 2 tbsp of the fat, and  put the bacon on a plate whilst you get the other veggies going. Add the diced onion, garlic and thyme to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes,until softened. Add the celery and carrots,and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Then  you can pour in the tin of tomatoes, mine were the already chopped variety, and peppers  and lastly the beans.

Add  4 cups of chicken stock to the pan ,and leave to bubble gently for another 10 minutes. The vegetables should be nice and soft at this point.  Puree the soup in a blender or with a hand held blender, and add the goats cheese,stir until melted. The addition of the goats cheese really makes a difference to the taste...yummy. Season . If your soup looks too thick ,you can add the other 1 cup of stock...I like my soups thick!  Add the bacon bits you cooked earlier ,and serve ...garnish  with the chopped chives, makes it look pretty.

BACON!


Happy Thansgiving!

eggplant and bell pepper dip

I'm really pleased I found this recipe...its low fat and super tasty and by jove its quick to rustle up! I think it could be used in all sorts of different ways.... a dip, topping for bruschetta ,even a filling for a jacket potato... I made some toasted pita chips to go with it, and a few veggie sticks, and it was really well received..... especially by me.....I love eggplant ,or aubergine as I'd normally say.....!
  Here goes....


1 peeled eggplant -they look very odd "naked"!
2 red bell peppers ,seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
11/2  teasp kosher salt
1/2 teasp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste


Preheat the oven to 400
Cut the eggplant ,bell pepper ,and onion into 1 inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet, and roast until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft,tossing once during cooking. Mine took 30 minutes. Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor fitted with a steel blade ,add the tomato paste and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Chocolate Banana Crepes

This takes me back to holidays we've had in France ......having a gorgeous paper thin crepe filled with anything from goats cheese and shrimp  ,to nutella, made in front of you ,and  boy are they lipsmaking good.....! My version I tried last night , and it seems that making a paper thin crepe is an art which I do not have -yet- but  still ,my -thicker - pancakes went down really well with the Teenager ...he probably can't remember our real deal French versions....so try them out and see if you can get more than 4 pancakes /crepes out of this recipe - which is supposed to make 6 or 7 !

For the crepes..
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1 teasp vanilla
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 bananas

For the chocolate sauce..
11/2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp powdered sugar


Crepes~
Stir the melted butter,egg and vanilla together ,whisk in the cocoa until completely incorporated,then add the powdered sugar. When you have a smooth batter,add the flour and whisk again .Heat a nonstick frying pan with a small amount of butter . Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and swirl to form a very thin disk....easier said than done for me.....Cook for about 2 minutes then flip onto the other side and cook for another minute. Place the crepe on a plate and add some sliced banana,fold the crepe over and drizzle with some chocolate sauce.

Chocolate sauce~ Melt the butter over a low heat ,then stir in the milk,cocoa powder and powdered sugar . Heat very gently until its the right consistency to "drizzle".

Note ...its really difficult to take a picture as you are trying to flip a pancake.....

But this looks pretty good right??!

 Bon appetite mes amies!!

Spicy Thai fried rice with shrimp.

This is such an easy,hunt around the larder /fridge sort of a meal....perfect for one of those days when you either don't have much inspiration to cook, or you are too busy to go to the supermarket and spend hours in the kitchen. I haven't put many pictures in this time as  there really is nothing to photograph....

Day old leftover rice gives this dish the best texture, but you can also do it with freshly cooked rice. Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
2 teasp crushed garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 teasp minced seeded jalapeno peppers
3 cups cooked jasmine or long grain white rice - cold
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp each of soy sauce and Thai fish sauce
1 1/4 cups cooked bay shrimp
1 cup each of chopped basil and cilantro
1 teasp toasted sesame oil


Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and add the garlic, onions and chilies ,cook ,stirring frequently until the onions have softened, about 2-4 minutes . Add the rice ,sugar, soy and fish sauce , reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until all the ingredients are hot and well coated....about 5 minutes.Add the shrimp, cilantro and basil, then finally the sesame oil....and cook through, probably about 4 minutes. Yup that's it. How quick was that!! I added some peas into the mix last minute as we all love peas....

Double Mushroom Ragout

Travelling Man's favorite ingredient is mushrooms....something to do with a mispent  youth  hanging around airfields ....but lets not go there.....So I thought I'd try this recipe that is outrageously mushroomy...gotta get me some brownie points right??  This being said, the Teenagers worst nightmare is mushrooms.. so this only serves 2 ...very generously...

2 chopped shallots
2 tbsp olive oil -divided
1 lb assorted mushrooms...crimini,button,shitake for example,quartered .
2 diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup dry sherry or Madeira
2 teasp balsamic vinegar
1 teasp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 teasp fresh minced thyme
salt and pepper to  taste.

Saute the shallots in a large saute pan in 1 tbsp oil,for about 4 minutes, or until softened. Add half of the mushrooms and continue to saute until brown. Remove the mushrooms from the pan ,add the other tbsp oil, and saute the remaining mushrooms.

Return the first batch of mushrooms to the pan,and stir in the tomatoes, broth , sherry ,vinegar and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the ragu with the parsley and thyme just before serving, and season.

I served ours with some cheesy polenta...this again makes enough for 2.

In a saucepan,bring 1 cup vegetable broth ,1 cup milk and 1/4 teasp ground nutmeg to the boil. Whisk in 1/2 cup cornmeal,reduce the heat to low and  simmer for 5 minutes, stirring alot. Fold in 2 tbsp cream cheese , 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, and a little salt, just before you want to  serve.

It was a really satisfying meal...Travelling Man was a happy boy......and it smelt great as it was cooking...attracting the attention of two little friends.....

Here is one of them..... hoping...hoping....

Mahimahi fajitas

Looking to spice up November a touch...?.wanting to relive those Hawaiian evenings.....? look no further than these sweet and mildly spicy fajitas......went down really well in this household, and are really quick to put together for a weeknight meal. Serves 4-6.......

1lb skinned ,boned mahimahi fillets
1 tbsp each  ground cumin and chili powder
2 teasp minced garlic
1/2 teasp salt ,plus more to taste
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 1/2 tbsp veg oil divided
1 onion, slivered lengthwise
1/2 cup mango juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
8 flour tortillas, warmed

Cut the fish fillets into 1 inch wide strips. In a small bowl, mix the  cumin, chili powder ,garlic and salt. Rub the fish all over with the spice mixture. Remove the seeds and ribs from the bell peppers, and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide strips. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute the onion and peppers,stirring  frequently until softened....mine took about 10 minutes.

When your onion/pepper  mix is done, transfer to a plate,add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil,and cook the fish,turning once ,until browned on both sides,,,about 4 mins total.

Add the mango juice and bring to a boil. Cook the fish until it is opaque but still moist looking in the center....2-3 more minutes. Add the pepper mixture and lime juice ,and finally season with salt to taste.  Serve with the warm tortillas.  

Here is The Teenagers tortilla....he added salsa and grated cheese to his.....I did have to remind him that it wasn't a competition  to see how much you you could get into one tortilla.....fell on deaf ears as you may expect.

 So go pour yourself a Margarita , put on the Mexican guitar CD and enjoy your fajitas!!