Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Potato Pie

I made this for my parents a couple of weeks ago. I liked it but the sauce split. I'm not sure why. It was pretty tasty though, I like potatoes as the pie crust.

Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Potato Pie (from Let The Baking Begin)
(Serves 4)

1.35kg potatoes, sliced thinly
2 chicken breasts
300g button mushrooms, quartered
4 strips thick cut bacon, cut into ⅓ inch pieces
½ large onion, chopped
30g grated cheese
125ml stock
60ml single cream
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the chopped bacon and render the bacon until it crisps up. Add the chopped onions to the bacon and continue cooking until the onion is golden in colour. Tilt the frying pan to the side allow the fat to drip to the bottom and remove the onion and bacon to a separate bowl.

Heat the frying pan on high with the bacon fat in it, add the mushrooms and brown them over high heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder, mix to coat.

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Add the salt, black pepper and garlic powder and toss to coat.

Layer the ingredients in the following order: chicken, half of bacon and onion mixture, light sprinkling of cheese, mushrooms, bacon and onion mixture, a little bit of salt and pepper to season the mushrooms, light sprinkling of cheese and lastly arrange most of the potatoes on top.

Mix the chicken stock and cream and pour on top. Cover the baking dish with foil or lid. Place into preheated to 220C oven and bake for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 180C and bake for another 40 mins. Remove the foil or the lid and cook for additional 20-30 mins or until the top is golden brown. Serve.

Creamy Parmesan Mushroom and Spinach Tortellini Soup

This was a delicious creamy soup. Perfect for these cold winter evenings.

Creamy Parmesan Mushroom and Spinach Tortellini Soup (from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 4)

2 tbsp butter or oil
225g mushrooms, quartered or sliced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp thyme, chopped
30g plain flour
125ml white wine
1.5l vegetable broth or chicken broth
225g cheese tortellini
40g parmesan, grated
280g baby spinach, coarsely chopped
125ml cream or milk
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and onion and cook until they start to go golden, about 10-15 mins.

Mix in the garlic, thyme and flour and cook, stirring, until the flour starts to turn a light golden brown, about 2-3 mins. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.

Add the broth and tortellini, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the tortellini is tender, about 10 mins. Add the parmesan, let it melt, add the spinach, let it wilt, add the cream, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Serve.

Cream of Asparagus End Soup

I had a lot of woody ends of asparagus leftover and I hate waste so I looked around for things I could do with them. Soup seemed to be what google suggested so I set about making some. This is a bit of a faff as you have to boil the ends for ages and then blitz and then pass through a sieve or you end up with lots of stringy bits in your soup. This recipe produced a really lovely flavourful creamy soup.

Cream of Asparagus End Soup
(Serves 4-6)

25-60 asparagus ends
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
juice 1/2 lemon
60ml cream to taste
salt and pepper

Place the asparagus ends in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 mins until the asparagus is very mushy.

Blend the asparagus and blitz it using a hand blender. Tip the asparagus into a sieve over a bowl and squash to get as much liquid out as possible. Reserve the liquid.

Heat the oil in the large saucepan and add the onion and potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 mins.

Add the reserved asparagus stock and simmer on medium low for 20-30 mins until vegetables are very soft. Using a hand blender blitz. Add lemon juice, cream and salt and pepper. Serve.

Secret Recipe Club: Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake

It's time for Secret Recipe Club! This month I had Jessie, from Jessie Weaver: The Vanderbilt Wife. She is a stay at home mum to 3 kids in Chattanooga and she also works as a freelance writer. She says that she is an awful housewife but her blog is full of useful information and delicious recipes.

I decided to make her Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake. I made a few tweaks adding in asparagus as it's in season and using mozzarella instead of parmesan. The dish was delicious and I have never cooked rice this way before, so it was new and fun experience for me and it came out perfectly. Yum!

Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake (from Jessie Weaver)

(Serves 4-6)

830ml chicken stock, divided 

280g uncooked brown rice 

450g chicken, cooked and shredded or cubed 

1 tbsp butter 

1 onion, diced 

450g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 

4-5 stems fresh thyme, leaves stripped 

salt and pepper 

100g spinach leaves 

2 tbsp cornflour

250ml cream or creme fraiche

1 ball mozzarella, sliced 

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

Spread the uncooked rice in the bottom of a 23 x 33 cm pan. 

Bring 580ml of stock to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop; pour over the rice. Cover the dish tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 30 mins. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook for five mins, until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook a few more mins, until golden brown. Then add the salt, pepper, and thyme leaves and stir to combine. Add the spinach leaves to the mushroom mix and cook until they are wilted. Pour in the remaining 250ml of stock and add the chicken to the frying pan and simmer for a few mins. 

In a small bowl, mix together the cornflour and 1 tbsp of cream. Add the remaining cream to the frying pan, stirring well, then add in the cornflour slurry. Bring to a low boil and let it cook for a few mins until the sauce is thickened. 

Pour the mushroom mixture evenly over the rice and lay over the mozzarella. Recover with the foil and cook for another 30 mins, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Remove the foil for the last 10 mins of cooking time to allow the cheese to go golden. Serve.

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Eaton Mess

This is a really simple dessert fit for a summer dinner party. It works with any summer berries.

Eaton Mess
(Serves 4)

500g strawberries, hulls removed
400ml double cream
4 meringues, crushed

Purée half the strawberries in a blender and chop the remaining strawberries.

Whip the double cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the strawberry purée and crushed meringue. Fold in the chopped strawberries.

Divide the mixture between 4 large wine or sundae glasses. Serve.

Broccoli Casserole

This was the side dish I made to take to Thanksgiving but it would be just as lovely as a vegetarian meal in it's own right with a bit of green salad.

I was originally going to make a Paula Deen recipe which used a jar of mayonnaise and a tin of cream of mushroom soup, but given that my "thing" is to make food from scratch, it didn't sit quite right. So I started researching broccoli casserole recipes from scratch and there are a fair few out there. I finally settled on this one.

Broccoli Casserole (from Kristine's Kitchen)

(Serves 8)

1kg broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces 

5 tbsp butter, divided

100g finely chopped mushrooms

4 tbsp flour

250ml milk

125ml single cream

salt and pepper

125g Greek yogurt

1 large onion, chopped

150g cheddar cheese, grated

115g breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease an ovenproof dish.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 mins. Drain, run under the cold tap and drain again well. Place broccoli in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4 mins, stirring occasionally. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the broccoli.

In the same saucepan, melt 4 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth; cook, whisking constantly for 30 secs. Whisk in the milk and cream. Bring to a low simmer and continue to whisk until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt.

Pour the sauce over the broccoli and mushrooms. Add the onion, 100g of the cheddar, and 50g of the breadcrumbs. Stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared ovenproof dish.

Sprinkle the rest of the breadcrumbs and cheddar over the casserole.

Bake for 45 mins, until the filling is hot and bubbly. Check after 30 mins and cover with foil if topping is browning too quickly.

Blackberry and Apple Tray Cake

The Community Centre down the road from me were having a Halloween day and as part of that they had a cake sale. This is what I baked for it. I cut the cake into squares and apparently it was the first cake to sell out :) So I'm very pleased! It was delicious, I saved a small slice for me and it was so crammed full of fruit and moist. The apples of course came from my Mum's garden and the blackberries I picked on Walthamstow Marshes back in August.

Blackberry and Apple Tray Cake (from Good Food Magazine October 2006)
(Serves 12)

175g butter, plus extra for greasing
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
4 Bramley apples, (approx 800g/1lb 12oz)
squeeze lemon juice
284ml carton whipping cream
225g golden caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
3 eggs 300g blackberries

Heat oven to 200C. Grease a roasting tin (30x20cm) with butter, dust with a little flour, then set aside. Peel, core and slice the apples into rings, then toss in a little lemon juice to stop them going brown.

Tip the cream and butter into a saucepan, bring up to the boil, then set aside. Whisk the sugar with the eggs until they thicken and turn pale, about 3 mins. Whisk the buttery cream into the eggs, then fold in the flour until completely smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and arrange the apple slices over the top. Scatter over the blackberries, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until golden and beginning to pull away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin and serve cut into squares.

Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta

This is one of the dishes I made with some of the salsa verde I made. This was really simple to make. I added in a head of broccoli to up the veggies but it was a lovely way to use up some of my salsa.

Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta (from Kevin and Amanda)
(Serves 5)

450g chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 tbsp oil
500ml chicken stock
250ml salsa verde
250ml single cream
300g penne pasta
salt and pepper
100g Montery jack cheese, shredded

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken. Cook for 5 mins, until golden brown, flipping once halfway through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the stock, salsa verde, cream, pasta, salt and pepper to the frying pan. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 mins.

Turn off the heat, then add the chicken and 75g of the cheese to the pan. Stir until smooth and creamy. Top with remaining 25g cheese and put under the grill for about 3 mins until golden brown and bubbly. Serve.

Scrigno or Jewel Box Pasta

I had some friends over for lunch a couple of weeks ago and I made this lovely pasta bake which feels and tastes very sumptuous. I served it with garlic bread and a green salad and then made apple and blackberry crumble for pudding.

Scrigno or Jewel Box Pasta (from The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed)

(Serves 4-6)

To make the tomato sauce

1 tbsp oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 400g tins plum tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

200ml double cream

150g Parmesan cheese, grated

6 thin slices ham, cut into 6 pieces

300g mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly

Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic until softened. add the tomatoes with their juice, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and cook on a high flame, uncovered for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. When the sauce is reduced and thick, check the seasoning, then blitz with a hand blender.

Set aside 6 tbsp of the tomato sauce. Stir the cream into the rest of the tomato sauce together with one large spoonful of the Parmesan. Simmer for 10 mins.

Cook the pasta for half the time given in the packet instructions. Drain and add to the tomato and cream sauce, stirring thoroughly.

Put the pasta and sauce into a large ovenproof dish, cover with the ham in a single layer and then top with the mozzarella slices. Put the reserved tomato sauce on top and then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Cook in a hot oven at 220C for 20 mins.

Caramelised Red Onion and Rocket Tartlets

I had some friends over for lunch a couple of weeks ago and I made these lovely quiches along with a variety of salads. They were a bit of a faff to make with layering up the filo but they were well worth it. Very tasty.

Caramelised Red Onion and Rocket Tartlets (from The Times)
(Serves 4)

1 large red onion
20g butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 large egg
150ml double cream
salt and pepper
15g rocket leaves
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
25g cheddar cheese, grated

For the pastry cases
25g butter, melted
2-3 large sheets shop bought filo
4 tsp thyme leaves

Finely slice the onion. Heat the butter and oil in a large, non-stick frying pan until the butter has melted. Add the onion slices and fry over a medium-low heat for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelised. Remove the onion, drain on kitchen towel and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 190C.

Prepare the filo pastry cases: brush a little of the melted butter in the hollows of a Yorkshire pudding tin. Using a sharp knife, cut 16 squares, measuring 11cm x 11cm, from the filo sheets. Layer 4 filo squares per hole, each at an angle to the previous squares, brushing melted butter and sprinkling thyme over each layer. Scrunch up the pastry edges to add a bit of height.

In a small bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the cream and salt and pepper. Roughly chop the rocket, setting aside a few leaves for garnish. In a separate bowl, combine the two cheeses.

Carefully spoon the onion into the pastry cases. Scatter over half the cheese and the chopped rocket. Pour in the egg mixtuire, then top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 15-20 mins or until the filling is just set and starting to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove from the tin and serve warm.

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals: Swedish Meatballs with Celeriac and Spinach

I tried another Jamie Meal, I really am whopping though this cookbook, I made a major change to this recipe and left out the rice because I ate so much chocolate during the day that I decided I didn't need the rice too! Nevertheless and despite using 3 pans this was a really tasty meal. My meatballs actually stayed together and resemble meatballs and that must be the first time that's ever happened! Also much cheaper than the crab/smoked trout recipes.

Swedish Meatballs with Celeriac and Spinach (from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals)
(Serves 4)

1 celeriac
olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme
200g baby spinach

Meatballs
200g lean beef mince
200g lean pork mince
1/2 bunch of fresh dill
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 swig of vodka
4 tsp cranberry jam
4 tbsp single cream
4 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt, to serve 

Carefully trim the knobbly end of the celeriac, remove the skin, then dice it into 1cm pieces. Put into the casserole pan with 1 tbsp of oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, the thyme leaves and a splash of boiling water. Put the lid on, turn the heat to high and cook, stirring regularly. 

Put all the mince into a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, finely chop and add most of the dill, then mix and scrunch together with clean hands. Divide the mixture into 4, then pinch and quickly roll out 5 balls from each piece with wet hands. Pour 1 tbsp of oil into the hot frying pan, add the meatballs and caraway seeds, turn the heat up to high and toss regularly until the meatballs are golden. 

Stir the spinach into the casserole pan, then season to taste. Add a good swig of vodka to the meatballs, carefully light it with a match (if you want), let the flames subside, then add the jam, cream and a few good splashes of water, and simmer. Season and serve with the rice, scatter with the remaining dill leaves and yoghurt. 

Green Bean Casserole

So my contribution to our delicious Thanksgiving meal was a Green Bean Casserole and Amy's Apple Pie which I made again as it's just so good. I managed to over spice it though\! So next time I'll be a bit more gentle! Pictured below to the lefthand side is my green bean casserole I hasd to transport it in two parts and we cooked it in take away tins! But it worked perfectly and was really tasty. Pictured below is also my friend Daniela who hosted thanksgiving. As I said before it was a lovely day with lots of merriment and food! Here's to next year ;)

Green Bean Casserole (adapted from Food Network)

(Serves 4-6)

450g green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tbsp butter

1 onion, sliced
340g mushrooms, sliced

salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml chicken stock
250ml single cream

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the beans and blanch for 3-4 mins. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 mins. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 mins. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 min. Add the stock and simmer for 1 min. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the cream. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 mins.

Remove from the heat and top with the breadcrumbs. Place into the oven and bake for 15 mins or until golden and bubbly. Remove and serve immediately.

Pig's Cheeks with Barley and Wholegrain Mustard Lentils

Another old fashioned comfort food dish. Well the meat is old fashioned, the barley and lentils less so. It really was delicious and a bit of a change from serving slow cooked cuts with mash and veg.

Pig's Cheeks with Barley and Wholegrain Mustard Lentils

(Serves 4)

12 pig's cheeks

seasoned plain flour

1 tbsp oil

100ml white wine

275ml beef or chicken stock

200g pearl barley

100ml olive oil

salt and pepper

30g butter

225g puy lentils

1 bay leaf

100ml double cream

2 1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

70ml lemon juice

2 onions, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp chopped parsley

grated zest 1/2 lemon

Flour the pig's cheeks well. Heat the oil I'm a frying pan over a medium high heat and fry the cheeks until coloured. Add the wine and 250ml stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook gently for about 2 hours. If the cheeks start to dry out add a bit more liquid.

Bring an of water to the boil and add the barley, cook according to packet instructions. Drain, stir in 80ml oil, salt and pepper, and 2 tbsp lemon juice while the barley is still warm.

Put the remaining olive oil and half the butter into a saucepan over a medium heat and gently sauté the remaining onion and celery until soft but not coloured. Add the lentils, bay leaf and 450ml water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 mins or until tender. Drain and remove the bay leaf.

Put the cream in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the mustard, the remaining lemon juice and seasoning. Add the lentils and stir everything together.

Plate the barley and lentils. Top with the pig's cheeks drizzled with the cooking juices. Serve.

Mushroom, Tarragon and Taleggio Mac and Cheese

I made this for my family for dinner one evening. I got the cookbook when I went to Corbridge in the summer and bought some taleggio and then couldn't remember what I'd bought it for. I found the book again and thought it would make a lovely dinner party dish. Everyone loved it with lots of second helpings asked for! The book has all sorts of different mac and cheese recipes, loads of which I want to try so look out for them. I served it with a green salad and some garlic bread.

 

 

Mushroom, Tarragon and Taleggio Mac and Cheese

(from Mac and Cheese - Laura Washburn)

(Serves 6-8)

500g macaroni

300g portobello mushrooms

2-3 tbsp oil

handful parsley leaves, chopped

handful tarragon leaves, chopped

600ml double cream

100g cheddar cheese, grated

50g Parmesan, grated

250g taleggio, thinly sliced 

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet, stems up, brush with the oil. Season lightly with salt and roast for 15-20 mins until tender. Remove and let cool slightly, slice the mushrooms and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Put the cream into a large saucepan and bring just to the boil, stirring occasionally, the reduce the heat and ass the cheddar, Parmesan and halve the taleggio, stir well to melt. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Add the cooked macaroni and the mushrooms to the cream and mix well. Season. Transfer the pasta mushroom mixture to an oven-proof dish and spread evenly. Top with the remaining taleggio and some black pepper. Bake in the oven for 25- 30 mins. Serve.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

I had some very sad looking cauliflower in the fridge and was looking for ways to use it up. I tend to eat soup about once a week, those WeightWatchers habits are hard to break! So soup it was. This soup is fantastically flavourful and creamy, lovely served with some crusty bread.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup (from BBC Food)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
800g cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
1l vegetable stock
150ml single cream

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 mins, or until just softened.

Add the ground cumin and ground coriander and fry for a further 1-2 mins, or until fragrant.

Add the cauliflower and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-12 mins, or until the cauliflower is tender. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender.

Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and warm through for 1-2 mins. Serve.

Mushroom and Kale Rice Casserole

I got a huge load of kale cheap last weekend and so I was looking around for something to do with it. Rice casseroles are a bit of a foreign concept to me, it was only when I started reading American food blogs that I came across them and I am now a total convert! I love them, I love the combinations and there is just something yummy and comforting about baked rice!

Mushroom and Kale Rice Casserole (from The Kitchen Paper)
(Serves 4)

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, sliced into thin rings

225g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp oregano, chopped

¼ tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 large bunch kale, leaves torn and stems removed

2 tbsp plain flour

125 ml milk

125ml vegetable stock

2 tbsp single cream

250g basmati and wild rice

100g cheddar, grated

 

Preheat the oven to 180C and  grease a large ovenproof dish.

 

Melt half the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onions. Stir to coat the onions with butter. Continue to cook the onions while you do everything else in the recipe, stirring every 5 mins or so, turning down the heat to keep the onions from burning and drying out.

 

In another large pan, melt the remaining butter over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms, spreading to cover the entire bottom of the pot, and do not stir for about 3 mins. Stir to get a new layer of mushrooms on the bottom, and cook for another 3 mins without stirring.

 

Add the oil, along with the garlic, oregano, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Stir to combine, and cook for 30 secs before adding the kale. Cook until the kale is wilted.

 

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stir well, then add the milk and veg stock. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens, about 3 mins after boiling. Add the cream, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

 

Stir the rice into the mushroom mixture, along with half of the cheese. The onions should be caramelised and golden, if not, cook them until they are, and then add to the mushroom mixture.

 

Pour the mixture into the dish, and top with the remaining cheese.

 

Bake for 20-25 mins, or until the cheese is golden and the casserole is bubbling. Serve.

Swede, Leek and Potato Gratin

I served this as a side dish to my casserole but there is definitely enough veggies there to make it a main dish with some salad. This was lovely, I actually used creme fraiche rather than double cream but I think you'd get a better texture using cream as the creme fraiche split.

Swede, Leek and Potato Gratin (from a Waitrose Recipe Card)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
350g leeks, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 medium swede, peeled and cut into matchsticks
6–8 bay leaves, torn in half
150ml double cream
150ml milk

Preheat the oven to 190C. Melt the oil and butter together in a frying pan and add the leek and garlic. Cook gently for 5 mins until translucent.

Layer the leek mixture, potatoes, swede and bay leaves in a buttered 1.5 litre ovenproof dish and season. Mix together the cream and milk and pour over the vegetables.

Bake for 1 hour until the vegetables are tender and the top golden. Cover with foil if it get too brown on top. Serve.

Tarragon Pork Steaks with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This is one of my cookbook recipes from the week before last. It's from Lorraine Pascal's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food, which I was given for my birthday last year. It was really tasty and easy to make. She served it with champ but  have lots of little potatoes that need using so I just did boiled potatoes and green veg.

Tarragon Pork Steaks with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
(from Fast, Fresh and Easy Food by Lorraine Pascal)
(Serves 4)

oil
3 sprigs tarragon, leaves finely chopped
4 pork loin steaks
3 shallots, chopped
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
25g butter
100ml white wine/calvados/chicken stock
250ml cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Put a drizzle of oil into a frying pan over a medium high heat. Season the pork on both sides and then rub the tarragon in with your hands. Add the pork steaks to the pan and fry for 4 mins on each side. Remove the pork onto plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt the butter for the sauce in the pork pan and add the shallots, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for about 5 mins, stirring every so often until softened. Stir in the spring onions.

Add the white wine/calvados or chicken stock to the mushroom mixture, then turn up the heat, scrape any bits from the bottom and leave to bubble away for 2 mins. Next stir in the cream, mustard and juices from the resting pork and season with salt and pepper, bubble away for a min or two more. Serve the mushroom cream mixture over the pork steaks.

Mooli or Daikon Au Gratin

With my last remaining mooli from the garden I made a lovely gratin. I would usually make a gratin with potatoes but this is a lighter version of that. You can buy daikon/ mooli at Asian supermarkets and also some Tesco's have now started selling it. It makes a lovely change from potato and it went really well with the duck recipe I posted yesterday.

Daikon au Gratin (from Your Lighter Side)
(Serves 8-10)

1/2 daikon, sliced thinly

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
250ml double cream
100g cheddar, grated
40g Parmesan, grated

Soak sliced daikon radish in cold, salted water for 20 mins. Pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 160C. Arrange the sliced daikon in layers in a casserole dish.

Heat a little oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until transparent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic powder and pepper and stir, just until bubbling. Add the cream and stir occasionally until heated through, about 5 mins. Add in the parsley and chives. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Pour the sauce over the daikon.

Bake, covered, for 45 mins, or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake, uncovered, for another 10-20 mins until golden.

Creamy Chicken and Peppers

This was really delicious, I also found it with perfect timing. After saving lots of money in a shop at Waitrose with reduced food, including a whole load of peppers, I needed something to do with them and this was perfect. I changed the recipe slightly and I used fresh rather than dried herbs and it was lovely.

Creamy Chicken and Peppers (from The English Kitchen)
(Serves 4)

4 chicken breasts

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

3 peppers, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 onion, peeled, halved and cut into half moons
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
125ml cream
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
grating nutmeg
3 tbsp soft cheese
a couple handfuls grated mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 200C. 

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan until the butter begins to foam. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken lightly on both sides and then place it into a prepared baking dish.

Add the onions and peppers to the skillet. Cook, stirring until they begin to soften. Layer them in the casserole with the chicken, placing half beneath the chicken breasts and half on top.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about 30 secs.  Add the tin of tomatoes, herbs, stock cube, balsamic vinegar, sugar, nutmeg and cream. Heat to the boil, then whisk in the soft cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 mins on a low heat and then pour this mixture over the chicken and peppers.

Cover tightly with foil and then bake in the oven for 30 mins. After 30 mins, mix together the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Sprinkle over top of the casserole and return to the oven, baking for an another 15 mins. Serve hot with rice or pasta.