Eggs and bacon
We take turns to make each other breakfast in bed at the weekend. It seems to be Danny’s turn a bit more than mine. Yesterday he was served Craster kippers and hot buttered toast with a mug of coffee. This morning I was presented with Fred Fitzpatrick’s home cured bacon, eggs from our own chickens and a fresh mug of tea. I never tire of a good cooked breakfast. Whenever I see a plate of bacon and eggs I think of a memorable meal that we had in Lisbon. We had flown to Lisbon, on the cheap, for a long weekend. One evening we decided...
read moreChunky chicken medallions filled with goats’ cheese, pesto and herbs on a warm Bulghur Wheat salad recipe
“How would you cook a couple of fat, free range organic chicken breasts?” Anna put down her brush and gazed into the middle distance. “I always marinade chicken breasts in lemon, garlic and olive oil. Have they got skin?” I didn’t know. I had just discovered them in the freezer this morning. “If they have skin you can tuck something under the skin. Such as Brie or Pesto and grill them. Or why not sun dried tomatoes? Or just slice the breast and slip something succulent. . “. Anna’s suggestions...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: pot roast Pheasant and mushroom pie with cider recipe
A nibble of cold pheasant, straight from the fridge, is good if a little dry when one is grazing at lunchtime. But I never fancy a proper meal of cold game remnants.This is a hot pie that we made using up the Gypsy style pot roast pheasant leftovers (about half a pheasant) including the remains of the delicious gooey sauce from the base of the casserole (2 tablespoonfuls). You have to make the first dish to get the essential elements of the second. We love this pot roast pheasant but love the sauce more. I was surprised at how much meat was...
read moreLazy mini roast potatoes. A crisp, slow cooked roast potato recipe at low temperature.
I was introduced to the Penultimate Paramour’s elderly parents thirteen years ago on a classic “come down for the weekend” invitation. They were charming and we offered to cook supper. They had bought a chicken so roasting was the easy option. We grinned. Roast chicken is easy. We could shine. Looking back now, I appreciate that going to the pub before we started cooking the bird was a bad idea. Half an hour into the cooking process we realised that we had forgotten the roast potatoes. “They are essential.” The PP...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: roast pork
Danny and I tend to buy decent sized joints these days. A bigger joint is tastier and easier to roast, and the leftovers take care of another meal or two. The problem is that I never fancy leftovers. I want to cook from scratch. D “What are you cooking for supper tonight?” F “Sausages with Anna’s onion gravy.” I know that Danny loves this gravy so will be deflected from the joint that’s lurking in the fridge. The distraction is only momentary. “What are we going to do with the pork?” “Why...
read moreMashed potatoes with olive oil, goats’ cheddar and chives recipe
Last night someone came to the blog looking for the answer to a fundamental question, “Who invented vegetables?” Whoever invented potatoes was onto a good thing. They are included in 80% of dishes in the Northern hemisphere and Danny adores them. Occasionally I cook rice or cous cous but when he cooks, potatoes are always included. They are his touchstone. Until I met D I just bought “white potatoes”. Apart from Jersey Royals in the Spring. Danny knows all the names (even the ones from his childhood when he was forced...
read moreCauliflower cheese with smoky bacon recipe
I love cauliflower cheese but for years battled unsuccessfully to create the best sauce. I thought that it should be a simple béchamel sauce with cheese. Wrong. My sauce was so thin that you could almost see the dish beneath due to the volume of liquid (water) produced by the cauli. So, after a few years, I gave up. My cauliflower cheese making enthusiasm was packed away. When we miraculously brought Fred’s dying cauliflower back to life, I decided to have one final go. Miracles tend to spawn more miracles and I had a thought. If I made...
read moreChamp = the king of best creamed potatoes recipe
We were given this recipe years ago in the middle of negotiations for a foolish purchase. It is consequently the most expensive recipe in our book but one of the best. The secret is not to use too much spring onion. You can increase the amount of butter and cream for a richer dish as per your own personal taste. Champ recipe Ingredients: 1 kilo of firm potatoes (such as Maris Piper) peeled and chopped into 2.5cm chunks 50g of butter 2 tablespoons of single cream 1 medium spring onion (chopped fine including 2.5cm of the green stalk) 0.5...
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