New Kenco Millicano

Kenco Millicano

Okay, so I was drawn in by the novelty value of coffee-in-a-can and the fact that it was on special offer; £3.00 for 55 cups.. or five and a half pence a cup.
It's Kenco's first wholebean Instant Coffee, using both instant coffee and finely-milled beans.
The bonus is that it's really nice! Not whishy-washy like freeze dried and not as intense as a proper filtered coffee, but sitting somewhere nicely between the two.
Prices range from £2.25 to £3.99 a tin, plus you can buy refills by the bag. So, let's see what happens to the price once the introductory offers are gone!

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

A super creamy classic I could eat all day! It's not the length of time it takes to make, but the constancy in stirring which stops you getting on with other things. Put aside an uninterrupted hour and your palate will be rewarded.

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients
500g Chicken Breast
250g Arborio Risotto Rice
250g Chestnut, Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms
2x Echalion Shallots
750ml Good quality Vegetable Stock
250g Mascarpone
100g Buffalo Mozzarella
40g Unsalted Butter
50g Fresh Rocket
50g Parmesan Shavings
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
Sea Salt and White Pepper
Olive Oil

Method
Add a splash of Olive Oil to a non-stick pan, then the chopped Chicken Breast. Lower the heat and stir until cooked through; add the roughly chopped mushrooms. Pop a lid on top. Cook on a low heat for about five minutes then set aside.

Finely chop the Shallots and add with the butter to a non-stick pan. When the butter is foaming and the Shallots have softened add the Rice, stiring well until the Rice is fully coated.
Now add the wine and keep stiring until most of it has cooked off and evaporated.
Add a ladle of stock and stir frequently until most of the stock has evaporated; repeat this process until all of the stock is gone.
Now add the chicken and mushroom to the rice. Spoon in the Mascarpone and then shred in the Rocket and Mozzarella. Fold it all together and serve with a squeeze of Lemon Juice and Parmesan shavings.

Creamy Venison Tagliatelle

In need of some comfort food, full of flavour, I discovered these finest Venison sausages with orange zest, garlic, ginger, juniper berries and Merlot.The other ingredients add loads of flavour; the cream and cheese softens the dish, adding a healthy amount of indulgence.

Creamy Venison Tagliatelle

Ingredients
6x Venison Sausages
200g Bacon Lardons or Pancetta
4x Echalion Shallots
2x Portobello Mushrooms
150g Curly Kale
40g Wild Rocket
150g Buffalo Mozzarella
500g Fresh Tagliatelle
50g Unsalted Butter
300ml Crème Fraiche
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Method
Grill the sausages for 15-20 mins then slice longways. Set aside.
Boil the pasta with some salt and oil until a little al dente, drain and set aside.
Chop the shallots, mushrooms, kale and rocket.
Add some oil and the butter to a large pan and then the shallots, as the last of the butter is melting. Cook the onions on a low heat until softened, then add the lardons. After a couple if minutes, add the mushrooms. As they start to soften, add the kale. Mix well and cook for about five minutes.
Now add the pasta and the mozzarella. When the cheese has melted through, throw in the sausage, rocket and Crème Fraiché and fold it all together.

Cost
Serves 4 for about £10

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

My first attempt at this festive classic.
Ingredients
400g Pumpkin Flesh (from 2x medium Pumpkins, seeds removed)
275ml Double Cream
1x 9in Shortcrust Pastry Case
75g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
1x tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
2x Large Eggs, plus 1x Yoke
Method
Steam the Pumpkin flesh and sieve out excess water. 
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. 
Using a pestle and mortar, grind the spices. 
Simmer the cream, sugar and spices in a milk pan, then pour over the eggs. Add the Pumpkin flesh and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the pastry case and cook at 180c for 35-40mins

Toffee Apples

I'd always wanted to make these, even though I don't know anyone who likes them! In the spirit of Halloween, these are dead easy.
Ingredients

Toffee Apples

250g Demerara Sugar
110ml Water
1/2 tsp Malt Vinegar
2x tsp Golden Syrup
Method
Scrub the apples using boiling water, then remove the stalks; dry well, then push wooden skewers in to the stalk end.
Heat the water and sugar until dissolved, then add the vinegar and syrup.
Boil the mixture until thick and syrupy, then dip each apple in, turning to fully coat, letting any excess toffee run off before placing the apple on some baking parchment to set.
Take care not to burn the toffee, as you can see in the image, the darker apples were dipped last when the toffee had started to burn.

Bobotie from South Africa

Bobotie pronounced [bɒˈboʊti]

Babotie

As a lover of Cottage and Shepherd's Pie, this instantly caught my eye. There's no mash involved but instead, custard!
I've omitted from my version some of the original ingredients; almonds, apricots, sultanas/raisins and chutney, as I found the dish quite sweet enough without these.
Ingredients:
400g Lean Ground Beef Mince
400g Lean Ground Lamb Mince
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil
2 Large Diced Onions
2 Allspice Berries
2 tbsp Malt Vinegar
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Splash of Light Soy Sauce
2 Slices of White Bread
1 Cup of Full Fat Milk
1 tbsp Madras-style Curry Powder
1 tsp Tumeric Powder
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Sea Salt
A liberal grinding of freshly grated Black Pepper
3 Eggs
4 Bay Leaves
Method: Pan fry the oil and onions until softened and transparent. Add the ground meat and continue cooking until the meat starts to brown.

While the meat is cooking, soak the bread in the milk. Once the meat is nicely browned, squeeze most of the milk from the bread and crumble it into the frying pan. Reserve the milk for the custard topping.
Now add the Soy Sauce and Malt and Balsamic Vinegars to the pan. Using a large pestle and mortar grind all of the remaining ingredients (except the Eggs and Bay Leaves) and add to the pan. Stir through for a minute and then remove from heat. Transfer to a greased baking dish large enough so that the mixture sits about one to one and a half inches thick. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon so that it is flat and without gaps. Whisk three eggs in a bowl with the milk and then pour over the meat mixture. Top with bay leaves and bake at 180°C for about an hour until the top of the Bobotie is golden brown.  Serve with some potato-based products and vegetables

Cost: Most of the ingredients come from the store cupboard, with the only real outlay being for the mince - the above recipe serves four at a cost of about £2.50 per person, including accompaniments. 

Potted Salmon

Potted Salmon with Melba Toast

This is simply delicious!

Ingredients

‎300g Skinless Salmon Fillets
1 x Small Unwaxed Lemon
1 x Bay Leaf
50g Butter
100g Smoked Salmon Slices
100g Full-Fat Soft Cheese
A handful of fresh Dill, feathery leaves stripped from the stalks
2 x pinches freshly ground Black Pepper
1 x pinch snipped Chives to garnish

Some Melba Toast

Method

Put one of the salmon fillets in a small saucepan and pour over enough water to cover. Peel a wide strip of lemon zest using a vegetable peeler and add it to the pan. Drop the bay leaf into the pan and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 6 minutes. Drain the salmon, transfer it to a plate and leave to cool.
Cut the second salmon fillet into small cubes, each roughly 1.5cm square – about the size of a dice. Put the cubes in a clean pan with the butter and set over a low heat. When the butter has melted, cook the salmon cubes for 2–3 minutes or until just cooked through, turning once. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Flake the poached salmon into chunky pieces and put in a food processor with the smoked salmon, soft cheese and dill sprigs. Finely grate the zest of half the lemon onto a board and scrape it into the food processor. Add plenty of black pepper.
Blend the fish mixture until almost smooth, removing the lid and pushing down once or twice with a rubber spatula. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked salmon cubes, reserving the melted butter, and fold them in very gently.
Spoon the salmon mixture into a preserving jar or small ceramic dish. Pour over the melted butter (used to cook the salmon cubes), leaving any sediment at the bottom of the pan. Garnish with tiny bay leaves, snipped chives or sprigs of dill, cover and leave to set in the fridge. Eat within 2 days.

Meeting The Hairy Bikers

I was lucky enough to meet Si and Dave, The Hairy Bikers, at their book signing in Welwyn Garden City. Nice blokes; asked me how the Argonauts were!
The book, 'Mum Still Knows Best', is a follow-up to 'Mum Knows Best' and contains a great selection of recipes gleaned by touring the country in the quest for ordinary Mums and their families' favourite recipes. This book will keep me busy as there are so many recipes I want to try. Watch this space!

You can follow Si and Dave on their website.. http://www.hairybikers.com/