Shepard's pie with sweet potato

Shepard's pie is one of my favourite dishes that I've been introduced to since moving to England. I love the simplicity of the dish, but also how versatile it can be if you feel adventures. This is a crowed pleaser that spans over generations, the ultimate comfort food!
I like to make mine with some chunky vegetables and sweet potato mash. Scrumptious!

Shepard's pie with sweet potato (serves 6)

• lamb mince
• 1onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1carrot
• 1 medium sized courgette
• 2 tomatoes
• app. 6 medium sized potatoes (eg King Edward, not new potatoes)
• 2 orange fleshed sweet potatoes
• a splash of Worcestershire sauce
• a tablespoon of tomato puree
• parsley
• oregano, salt and pepper to taste

I begin by chopping the onion finely and sweating them of on a low heat in a little bit of olive oil (not the extra virgin kind). When the onion is soft, turn up the heat and add the mince. Fry until gently browned. Give it a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a table spoon of tomato puree, finely chop the garlic and add to your pan. At this point I prefer to add a cup of water, put a lid on and simmer gently in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, but if you are short of time just go ahead to the next step.
Chop the carrot, the tomatoes and the courgette into chunks. Add the vegetables to the mince and season with dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and a small pinch of sugar (makes all the flavours come together better, trust me. Cook for a further 20 min.
For the mash, just boil the potatoes and the sweet potatoes for app. 25 min, or until soft enough for mashing. Add a knob of of butter , and if needed a splash of milk. The sweet potato will often make the mash loose enough. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the the pie by putting the mince in the bottom of an oven proof dish and top with the mash. For a golden glistening finish, brush with a beaten egg.
Cook in a pre-heated oven 225C for about 30 min, or 20 min if you slow-cooked the mince earlier.
Scatter a hand full of parsley over the finished pie.
Serve with a fresh green salad.
Enjoy!

Red onion marmalade

I think most of us have that "back up dish", that when you don't fancy anything else (but you know you have to eat) "that" dish will Always work. A savour, that does the trick, no matter the weather or the mood. The safe bet dish.
Mine is a bacon buttie.
It all started when I was pregnant with our youngest daugther Maya. I had morning sickness for about a week in the first trimester (lucky, I know..) and the only thing I could eat was lemons and bacon butties, made with baguette (not sliced bread) and lots of ketchup.
This is still something i have a weak spot for. How ever, a couple of months ago when I was recovering from a weeks illness,and hadn't eaten for days. I had a vision of a posher, more decadent bacon buttie, and so the gourmet version was born. Ciabatta with crispy bacon, brie and red onion marmalade. Yum, yum!!

Red onion marmalade

• 1kg red onions
• 50g butter
• 50g brown sugar
• 100ml sherry vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

Cut the onions in half, and slice thinly.
Melt the butter in a pan and add the onions and the sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer on a low heat for about 40 min.
Add the vinegar and simmer for a further 30 min.
Set aside to cool, store in glass jars for up to 3 months.

The marmalade is also delicious dolloped over piping hot sausages. And for a "Christmassy" twist, I add a couple of cloves to simmer with the rest of the ingredients.

Enjoy!

My garden is coming to life

"A person will be just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." 

(Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865)

I love this quote, but I have to say that I strongly believe that it's easier said than done.How ever if you really put some effort to it i sure it's the way to go. Happiness is defiantly a state of mind.

And talking about about happiness, something that made me very happy the other morning was when I had a look in my kitchen garden and found that the dark soil was covered with lots of tiny  green and purple shoots. beetroot, carrot, spinach, radishes etc. What a great feeling!

I can't wait to start cooking with our home grown vegetables.

 

Chocolate chip cookies

I believe that no matter what age you are, there is something extremely comforting about cookies. Milk and cookies.. who could turn their nose up at that? It's not even possible to eat them with out feeling a calm, slowly spread in your body. Maybe the world would be a better place if more milk and cookies were being served? The eternal optimist in me daydreaming.... Well, all I know is that I keep a lot of  friends and neighbours happy when I bake them these cookies. They are easy to make, and will guarantee you smiles all around.

Chocolate chip cookies (approx. 30)

• 200g soft butter
• 3/4 cup (2 dl) caster sugar
• 2 table spoons golden syrup
• 2 heaped cups (5dl) plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup  toasted hazel nuts (chopped)
• 3/4 cup chopped chocolate

Toast the chopped hazel nuts in a dry frying pan until golden.

Beat the soft butter, sugar and syrup until light and fluffy.

Mix the flour with the baking powder, and add to the butter mixture, nuts and chocolate goes in as well. I prefer to cut a slap of chocolate into smaller pieces, rather than getting the chips. The random sized pieces of goodness is much more fun!
Work it all into to a dough.

Shape the dough into 2 logs, and cover with cling film. set aside in the fridge for about an hour.

Heat the oven to 175C.
Cut 5mm thick slices from the logs, and place them on a greased baking tray.
Bake in the oven for about 8-10 min, or until golden.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean style quiche

Quiche must be one of the most versatile of foods. Great for parties, picnics, packed lunch or dinner. And the best thing is that only your imagination can limit the range of ingredients you can use.
This is a quiche I made the other day, with was in my store cupboard, and it turned out to be a great success.
Hope you'll enjoy it too!!

Mediterranean style quiche

Pastry

• 200g butter (fridge cold)
• 3,5 dl plain flour
• 2 table spoons cold water
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 2 red peppers (bell peppers)
• 1 red onion
• a hand full of small broccoli bouquets
• 100g pancetta
• 2 dl mature cheese
• 5 slices of  brie
• 3 eggs
• 2dl milk
• salt and pepper

Start by making the pastry; pinching together all the ingredients (or use food processor quickly) and set a side in the fridge  for an hour. Then blind bake for about 15 min.
Next, you cut the peppers and the onion in half and place on a baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil and roast in the oven on a high degree until the skin of the peppers have blackened. Put them in a plastic bag for a while, and the skin will peel of easily.
Fry the pancetta (no oil needed) until slightly golden.
Roughly chop the peppers and onion. The broccoli can go in to the quiche raw when in small "bouquets".
Now for the custard, whisk together the eggs and the milk, season to taste.
Arrange your vegetables and the pancetta onto the pre-baked pastry and pour over the custard.
Gently place the brie slices on top  and give the quiche a generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan and bake for 35-40 min, or until custard is set and the quiche has a golden colour.
Other ingredients that would go well with this dish includes sun dried tomatoes, olives and basil. But if you don't want to put them in the quiche, you could always use them in a side salad.

Enjoy!

Potato salad

The last thing you want to do on a hot summers afternoon is to be stuck in the kitchen for any longer than you need to. This is an easy potato salad, that if you have the possibility is even tastier if you make it a day in advance. Start up the barbecue, throw on what ever takes your fancy, a steak, succulent sausages, pork chops?  And serve with  cool potato salad, straight from the fridge and a green salad on the side. Yum yum!

Jen's potato salad (serves 4)

• 
  
  600g baby new potatoes
• 
  
  150ml sour cream
• 
  
  2 table spoons mustard (not french)
• 1 table spoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 red onion
• a hand full of broad beans
• chives
• salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes, making sure they are still slightly firm. And blanche the broad beans.
Mix together sour cream, mustard and vinegar. Add finely sliced red onion.
Cut the boiled potatoes into bite sized chunks, and pour over the dressing (while potatoes are still warm).
Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Decorate with a scattering of finely chopped chives.

Enjoy!

Mimosa salad

This is my favourite time of the year. When we still don't know if we can call it summer yet, but some days are just to warm and wonderful to be called spring. Those days, when you step outside and are welcomed by a beautiful warm hug by nature. Everybody seems to light up, and life just seems so much easier. That's what I call bonus days!
Something my Mum used to make when I grew up, on a warm sunny day, when you just fancy something cool and fresh is a recipe that was handed down from her Auntie Dagny. It is the most refreshing cold salad you could ever imagine, served with some cold nice ham or a couple of chicken drumsticks.

This is how you make it!

Mimosa salad

• 4 apples, Golden delicious
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 tin of crushed pineapple
• 300 ml sour cream
• 150 ml mayonnaise
• salt and pepper

Peel the apples and the cucumber and dice them.
Drain the juice from the pineapple and pat dry with kitchen towel.
Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise together thoroughly and add the rest of the ingredients.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!