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Creamy Leek and Potato soup, with bacon
This heartwarming soup is lovely anytime but especially comforting during winter. The mild sweetness of the Leek and the fulfilling combination of potato and bacon is sure to bring a smile to your heart. Cream of Leek and Potato soup is a classic combination, and I add Bacon because I think the dish simply screams for it. Along with a generous amount of black pepper the flavours are delightful. Leek soup is traditionally associated with Wales, and is an important item of Welsh cuisine. In Romania, this soup is popular and known as Ciorbă de praz, and in France it is called Soupe aux poireaux. One variant of leek soup…
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German potato salad – potatoes with a zing
German potato salad is widely believed to actually have originated in Germany, although it could have started in many countries it almost certainly began in Europe. It differs from American potato salad in that it is served warm and doesn’t contain mayonnaise or mustard. American potato salad is served cold and most likely originated from recipes brought to the U.S. by way of German and other European immigrants during the nineteenth century A Japanese version is called potesara. It traditionally consists of mashed boiled potatoes, cucumber, onion, carrot, boiled eggs, and ham mixed with Kewpie mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and karashi mustard. This potato salad is…
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Hot summer salad – zucchini features in a side treat
Zucchini (courgette) features in this delicious hot salad. Fresh garden vegetables combine for a wonderful side dish or feature salad. This dish grew out of my need to use up a lot of garden vegetables at once. I had a large garden and the zucchini and tomatoes would all come in at the same time and I struggled using them up. So I decided to combine them and created something that soon became a hit with the entire family. With all the fresh vegetables this is health plus – zucchini is healthier than you may think! I show it here along with Rice and Orzo pilaf and roasted chicken. Serves…
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Rice and Orzo Pilaf – Delicious side dish
Rice and Orzo Pilaf. A delightful side dish for virtually any meal Orzo is not as common as other forms of pasta but it is very versatile and easy to work with. What I like doing with it is combining it with rice for a lovely pilaf. Another name you may see instead of Orzo is Rosmarino. If you can’t find either you can break up any thin spaghetti such as Vermicelli. Browning the orzo in butter results in a creamy texture and taste and adds a nice color. 1/2 cup long grain rice 1/2 cup orzo 1 Tbl butter 1 cup chicken stock 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black…
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Risotto – a delicious rice dish and perfect as a side or a main
Risotto – delicious rice dish with abundant options for flavor and ad-ins I have heard some people intimidated by the idea of making Risotto. It’s quite simple and a nice alternative to plain rice or other sides. You can flavor it in many ways. The most popular (and what I featured in this post) is mushroom. I served it with a grilled pork chop and grilled courgette (zucchini). Risotto isn’t a recipe as much as it is a method. Once you follow the method it all falls into place very easily. Most importantly, you must use Arborio rice. Nothing else will do – it’s the nature of the short grain/high starch…
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Homemade Hummus – delightful & with countless options
Making your own Hummus is quite easy and there are countless ways you can flavor it. All you need is some Tahini, Chickpeas (which have many nutritional benefits), neutral flavor oil (such as canola), lemon juice and seasonings. A food processor will also be required. The trick to making good hummus is the order you add the ingredients. Drain a 425 g (15 oz) can of chickpeas and rinse well. Add 1/4 cup tahini and 1/4 cup lemon juice along with salt and pepper to taste into your food processor (I recommend 1/2 to 1 tsp of seasoned salt). Puree for a minute. Then add your main flavorings (see ideas below)…
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Homemade Tahini – easy, healthy and practical
You can buy Tahini but doing it yourself is quite simple and more cost effective. Tahini is a necessary part of Hummus but can also be used to mix into salad, drizzled over vegetables (I find a mixture of olive oil and tahini poured over cauliflower especially nice) so it has multiple uses. Make as much as you want but remember it’s only good for a week or so in the fridge. For Tahini all you need is raw sesame seeds and some mild flavor oil (such as canola oil). Brown the sesame seeds lightly in a pan over medium heat. Stir frequently. When they just begin to smoke…
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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes – mashed potatoes plus
I’m sure once you try this roasted garlic mashed potato recipe you won’t be satisfied with plain mashed potatoes again. There’s no fixed recipe for mashed potatoes, it’s simply a method best described. My normal quantities for 2-4 people is as follows: 4-5 medium sized potatoes cut into quarters (or whatever is necessary to get approximately the same size pieces so they cook evenly) Cook the potatoes in salted water until quite tender (you can do this ahead of time if desired and leave the potatoes in the water removed from heat until you are ready to serve. Nobody likes cold mashed potatoes. Drain all the water from the pan and…
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Green Beans with Almonds – green beans with a flare
Adding toasted almonds to green beans give them a special flare. The precooking of the beans also helps timing a meal by reducing one thing that needs to be done simultaneously. Green Beans with Toasted Almonds Serves 2 2 cups fresh green beans, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2 cup sliced almonds Toast sliced almonds in a skillet over medium heat stirring frequently. Watch for them to slightly brown and you will become aware of the roasted scent. They will start to smoke a bit and that is the sign they are about done. Be careful – they will go from nicely brown to burned in seconds once they reach…
