Loseley Halloween Recipe August 18, 2009

Punpkin Soup with loseley butter

Pumpkin soup is a traditional favourite for Bonfire Night, particularly when served in mugs – ideal for warming cold hands!

“Based on the recipe from Year Round Dairy Cookbook available at www.dairydiary.co.uk”

INGREDIENTS

Loseley Butter 25g (1oz)
Onion 1, peeled and chopped
Carrot 1, peeled and chopped
Peeled Pumpkin 350g (12oz), roughly chopped
Milk 750ml (1 ¼ pints)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Natural Yogurt 150g (5oz)
Dried Pumpkin Seeds to garnish (optional)

METHOD

1. Melt the Loseley butter in a large, lidded saucepan and add the onion and carrot. Cook gently to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft but not brown.

2. Add the pumpkin, milk and seasoning and bring gently to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.

3. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, in batches if necessary. Return to the saucepan, reheat gently and serve swirled with yogurt and garnished with pumpkin seeds. Accompany with hunks of warmed bread.

10 minutes preparation time
40 minutes cooking time
183 Kcal per portion
8.8g fat per portion of which
5.4g is saturated
4 servings
Suitable for freezing
Suitable for vegetarians.

Loseley’s Naturally Softer Butter is available in a 250g tub £1.29. Available from leading super markets such as Morrisons and large independents.

For latest information check the website at www.loseley.com

Feast on St George’s Day with Alan Coxon’s Historic Recipes! April 5, 2009

 

St George’s Day has been celebrated across the world for many centuries and Alan Coxon, TV chef and Food Archaeologist, thinks that we should celebrate this day whole-heartedly!

Alan tells us “St George was a brave Roman soldier that lived in the 3rd century and who protested against the Romans’ torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. In 1222, the Council of Oxford declared 23rd April to be St George’s Day and he replaced Edward the Confessor as England’s patron saint in the 14th century. In 1415, 23rd April was made a national feast day”.

To help people celebrate this national day, Alan has cooked up some fabulous recipes for the perfect English feast!

Shin Beef in Ale, Stout and Honey

Servings: 4
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 8-12 hours marinating
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients
• 200g shin beef, trimmed, but left in one piece on the bone
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300ml light ale
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 100g clear honey

For the marinade
• 4 onions, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
• 100ml stout
• 50ml Alan Coxon’s Mediaeval Ale-Gar
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 3 sprigs of oregano
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 2 bay Leaves
• 6 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 1tsp ground mace
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1tsp sea salt
• 1tsp English mustard
• 1tsp black peppercorns, crushed

To serve
• Crushed herb new potatoes
• Baby carrots

Method:
1. First, prepare the marinade. In a large bowl, place the onions, stout, Mediaeval Ale-Gar, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, mace, cloves, turmeric, sea salt, mustard and peppercorns, mixing well.

2. Add the shin of beef to the marinade, making sure that it is completely covered by the marinade.

3. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours, turning occasionally.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

5. Remove the beef from the bowl, reserving the marinade for later.

6. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based roasting tray on the hob until very hot. Add in the beef and cook until golden on all sides.

7. Pour the reserved marinade into the hot pan, add the tomato puree and the light ale and cover with kitchen foil.

8. Place in the oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes, basting occasionally.

9. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, uncover the beef, drizzle over the honey and return to oven to continue cooking uncovered.

10. Remove from the over and allow to rest before carving.

11. Serve with crushed, herb potatoes and baby carrots.

Medieval Lamb and Pear Pie

Servings: 4
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
Preparation Time: 40 minutes, plus 3-4 hours soaking
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
• 90g currants
• 60g unsalted butter
• 240g leek, or onion sliced
• ½ tsp thyme, chopped
• ½ tsp rosemary, chopped
• 450g minced lamb
• 50ml Alan Coxon’s Mediaeval Ale-Gar
• 30g brown sugar, or 30g candied or dried pears, finely chopped
• 25g flour
• 2 pears, cored and chopped
• 1tsp tomato purée
• 350g puff pastry
• 1 egg wash, made up of 1 egg yolk with 1tbsp milk
• 1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method
1. Soak the currants in the red wine and Ale-Gar for 3-4 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

3. Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan.

4. Add the sliced leeks then cover the pan and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the thyme, rosemary, minced lamb and sugar then stir well.

6. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes.

7. Add the flour and stir well, cooking for 2 minutes.

8. Add the soaked currants, with the wine and the chopped pears, then the tomato puree. Mix well, turn off the heat and leave to cool.

9. Meanwhile, roll out the pastry, and use around two-thirds of it to line a lightly greased 30cm flan ring.

10. Roll out the pastry lid from the remaining pastry and set aside.

11. Brush the rim of the pastry case with a little egg wash.

12. Fill the lined flan ring with the mincemeat mixture, level and cover with the pastry lid, sticking the sides and lid together.

13. Crimp the sides, brush with egg wash and make a decorative pattern on the lid.

14. Bake the pie for 22-25 minutes until golden.

15. Remove, then leave to cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve with cooked vegetables and mustard mash.

For more information on Alan and his fantastic products visit www.alancoxon.com

Make The Most Of Mothers Day With Two Tantalising Recipes From Primula March 18, 2009

It’s the one day of the year where we celebrate our wonderful mums and say thank you for the love and hard work they have devoted to us over the years.

When funds are low or time is of the essence and you really want to give her a day to remember, preparing a delicious dinner and dessert with Primula’s quick, easy and very tasty recipes will ensure she gets spoilt, just as she deserves.

Banning your mum from the kitchen and giving her a break can be a lot more rewarding than just buying a bunch of flowers, and you get to enjoy a great meal too. Simply pop to your local supermarket, pick up your Primula and get preparing.

For a mouth watering main course, the Easy Fisherman’s Pie made with Primula’s brand new Smokey Cheese is sure to impress and you don’t have to be a Jamie or a Gordon to get this right!

Fisherman’s Pie

Shopping List

Skinned and boned salmon (200g), cod (200g) and prawns (50g) can be fresh or defrosted

Two tubes of Primula smokey cheese

Parsley (2tsp) fresh or(1/2 tsp) dried

4 large potatoes

Butter (2oz)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
2. Peel & chop the potatoes into small pieces, put into a large pan, cover with cold water, bring to boil and simmer on a low/ medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are soft in the middle.
3. Drain well, add the butter and mash, add seasoning to taste.
4. Cut the fish into 1-2 inch chunks and place in a large, ovenproof casserole dish.
5. Squeeze out 2 tubes of Primula Smokey Cheese directly onto the fish.
6. Add the freshly chopped parsley (or dried), gently mix in and flatten down as well as possible.
7. Carefully spread or pipe the mashed potato over the top of the fish.
8. Place into a pre-heated oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 for 45-50 minutes. Ensure the pie is piping hot throughout and serve.
For a delicious dessert, complete your Mothers Day treat and try our Chocolate Almond Cheesecake.

 
Chocolate Almond Cheesecake

Shopping List

Primula Cheese (200g)

Ameretti Biscuits (75g)

Butter (175g)

Plain Chocolate (100g)

Milk

Double Cream (150ml)

Castor Sugar

Toasted Almonds

Gelatine (2 sheets)

Method:

1. To make the base, melt butter in a small pan, crush the digestive biscuits and 50g of the ameretti biscuits, then mix with the melted butter. Press into a greased, loose based cake tin (20.5 cm / 8” diameter) and chill.
2. Melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Ensure that the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool a little. Mix in 3 tablespoons of milk.
3. Whisk the tub of Primula cheese and the sugar into the chocolate mixture.
4. In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Stir in the chocolate mixture and then the crushed amoretti biscuits.
5. Make up the gelatine as per pack instructions with the 2 tbsp of water and then stir into the chocolate mixture.
6. Pour into the cake tin. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds and chill until set.
7. Once the cheesecake has set remove from the tin and serve (flowers are optional but you can skip the box of chocolates!)

So that’s it! Everything you need for the perfect Mothering Sunday. For more tasty recipes be sure to visit the Primula website www.primula.co.uk

Chop, Chop – It’s Time To Make Some Sweet Pepper Chutney March 10, 2009

Sweet Pepper Chutney by Fruisana

While we tend to think of Autumn as ‘chutney season’, at any time of the year we can find ourselves faced with a bargain, one which cries out to be preserved for enjoyment long after its normal usage period. Many market stalls and greengrocers will offer excellent deals of produce, such as peppers. Sometimes it is the end of the day and they are trying to shift stock which won’t keep…this is your perfect opportunity to strike a bargain and start preserving! This recipe, from Fruisana Fruit Sugar, is for Sweet Pepper Chutney and is simple to make. By using Fruisana rather than conventional sugar, the flavours are all intensified. What’s more, Fruisana can be used by Type 2 diabetics so this chutney can be safely enjoyed by all the family.

Sweet Pepper Chutney
450g red, green & orange sweet peppers
900g bramley apples
675g onions
900g tomatoes
2tsp paprika
1tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp ground black pepper
1 litre pickling vinegar
250g Fruisana fruit sugar

1. Wash the peppers and cut in half. Then remove the stalk and any seeds and then chop the peppers finely. Peel, core and dice the apples, then finely dice the onions. Wash and dice the tomatoes and place in a large preserving pan.
2. Stir in the paprika, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper and then stir in the vinegar and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes.
3. Stir in the Fruisana, stir until dissolved and continue to simmer until desired consistency is reached.
4. Pour into warmed jars, cover and label. Store in a cool dark place for at least 3 months before using.

Fruit sugar (fructose) is found naturally in most fruits and honey, and it complements and enriches the flavours of other ingredients, especially fruits. Also, fruit sugar is sweeter than ordinary sugar, so you only need to use two-thirds of the amount one would usually use with sugar. What’s more, Fruisana has a low GI* – only 19 – which means it releases energy slowly and minimises those energy peaks and troughs to help sustain energy for those darling little rascals during the busy Easter holidays! Fruisana is ideal for all those following a low GI diet and also for Type II diabetics, so baking with fruit sugar makes sense for all the family.

 www.fruisana.com