30/12/2009 by D.

3 tbsp blue cheese, rind removed (Stilton, Danish blue, Gorgonzola etc)
1 tbsp butter
1 mug milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 red pepper
500g spaghetti

Add the cheese, butter, milk and nutmeg to a pan and heat gently to a simmer.  Wash and dice the red pepper then add to milk mixture.  Cook pasta until al dente.

Drain the pasta and mix into the sauce.  Leave to infuse for 5 mins, then mix again.  Season to taste.

Serve with toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, black pepper, and a fresh green salad.

Posted in Milk, Butter, Cheese, Spaghetti, Red Pepper, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Vegetarian, Nutmeg, Pasta, Pepper, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

30/12/2009 by D.

fruit: bananas, mixed nuts, Gala apples, pomegranite, oranges, Conference pears, lemon
veg: a jar  of apple chutney, dried sage, shallots, red cabbage, squash, Swiss chard, mushrooms, sprouts, Savoy cabbage, leeks, carrots, parsnips, onions, Cosmos potatoes

A bumper bag for Christmas.  Pretty much all of it went into the Chrismas feast.  We had the sprouts with some chestnuts from the nut bag, we roasted the carrots and parsnips together in lemon, honey and oil, and the potatoes were done in the traditional way.  The sage, shallots, leeks and hazlenuts went into the stuffing, together with an apple and an orange, and the red cabbage was cooked in the German way, with a bit of sugar, cloves and vinegar.

So now, that part of the feasting is over and we’ve been living off leftovers.  One of my favourite Christmas leftover meals is blue cheese pasta, which takes care of a big wadge of leftover Stilton (perfect if you want your fridge to smell nice again).  Mushroom barley bake also featured on this week’s menu, as well as Tunisian orange salad, apple fritters and puy lentil Cottage pie.

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22/12/2009 by D.

Congratulations to HenryS for sending in this winning entry of the Chicken liver Pâté he made for their family Christmas drinks.

I’m really glad you are enjoying the blog Henry and that it is inspiring you to use all the box items every week.  There are some lovely handmade chocolate truffles winging their way to you.

Hopefully I’ll find some time tomorrow to write up the Christmas bumper box, but in case I don’t…

Merry Christmas to you all

D

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20/12/2009 by D.

300g purple sprouting broccoli (or asparagus)
500g spaghetti or tagliatelle

Sauce:
1 egg yolk
3 tblsp lemon juice
3 heaped tblsp salted butter
pinch salt

Bring a two pans of salted water to boil.  Cut the broccoli into 1cm length and rinse well, discarding any tough stalk ends or yellow leaves.  Add the sauce ingredients to a glass, metal or ceramic bowl large enough to sit over one of the boiling water pots (but with the bottom of the bowl not touching the boiling water).  I use a big salad bowl and serve the dish straight from it.

Put the pasta and broccoli on to boil.  Fit your sauce ingredients bowl over the top of the boiling pan and whisk gently.  Keep whisking as the butter melts and everything starts to incorporate.  Give the pasta and broccoli a stir (watch out, the bowl will be hot), then return the bowl to the top of the pan and keep whisking the sauce until it becomes custard-like in texture.  As soon as this happens, remove from the heat.  Add a couple of spoonfuls of the broccoli water to loosen it a bit.

After 8-10 minutes the pasta and broccoli will be done.  If the sauce, pasta or broccoli are ready early, remove from the heat until the other components have cooked.  If you need to check the broccoli or pasta, make sure you take the sauce off the heat while you aren’t whisking.  Drain the broccoli and pasta and add both to the warm sauce bowl and stir through.

Season to taste.  Serve with parmesan and black pepper.

This easy dish makes a lovely, moreish lemony pasta with chunks of sweet broccoli, perfect for a quick supper or winter lunch. 

If you use green broccoli, use chunky pasta and cook pasta and broccoli together in the same water: ideal for camping suppers!

Posted in Spaghetti, Butter, Tagliatelle, Purple sprouting broccoli, Asparagus, Hollandaise, Eggs, Broccoli, Recipe, Toddler, Vegetarian, Pasta, Lemon, Weaning | Print | No Comments »