Quick Vs Long Lockdown Recipes: Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam Vs Rice Pudding

I've got two sweet recipes that complement each other nicely this week; A spoonful of gooseberry jam tastes delicious stirred into a steaming bowl of home-made rice pudding! Give them both a try this week...

Short Recipe: Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam

To make the jam you'll need equal quanities of gooseberries, granulated sugar and water. (E.g 500ml or grams of each will make 1 large jam jar full).

Cut the tops and bottoms off the gooseberries and place in a saucepan. Add the boiling water, 4 elderflower heads and a generous squeeze of lemon juice, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat down a bit, remove the elderflower heads and add the sugar. Cook for a further 10 minutes (don't let it boil!) whilst gently stirring. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, then you can crank up the heat and boil for a further 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the bottom catching. Watch the mixture turn pink as it cooks! Skim the collected residue off the top.

Spoon into sterilised jars and store in the fridge. Yum!

Inspiration taken from BBC Good Food and River Cottage.

Longer Recipe: Rice Pudding (makes 4 servings)

Although it takes longer, this is SO EASY. Just pile the ingredients together, place in the oven and be greeted a few hours later with a simple but wholesome dessert.

Mix together in a greased ovenproof dish 100g rinsed shortgrain rice (paella or risotto rice work well), 50g white sugar, 500ml semi-skimmed milk and 200ml water. Grate over a generous pinch of nutmeg and add a bay leaf.

Cook without a lid for 2 hours in an oven at 120-130C (fan). Serve with a dollop of your homemade jam or some chopped fresh fruit. Wonderfully warming!

Recipe adapted from BBC good food.

Happy cooking! x

Quick Vs Long Lockdown Recipes: Hummus Vs Smoky Black-Eyed Bean Dip

Now that summer has arrived, I'm looking for finger food that is fun to eat on a summer's evening. I find hummus is great for picnics; fresh and tasty for dipping all those summer veggies into (perhaps vegetables from your own garden if you're green fingered). If you've got more time to spend, try making my gorgeously rich and smoky black-eyed bean dip - not only a great dip, but also fantastically versatile, to be enjoyed as a main course with rice or crusty bread.

Quick Recipe - Hummus (serves 2-4)

My secret ingredient? I like to use peanut butter instead of tahini!

Whizz up in a food processor 1 can of chickpeas, 1 garlic clove, 3 tbsp peanut butter, juice of 1 lemon and 4tbsp olive oil. Check the consistency. You will likely need to add a couple more tbsp of oil so it's nice and smooth; pulse to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Done! So much tastier than shop bought. Dip your favourite crudites into it, or cook your own tortilla chips (see below).

Recipe adpated from Fit&Well Magazine July 2020 issue.

Longer Recipe - Smoky Black-Eyed Bean Dip (serves 4)

This recipe is fantastically rich and deep in smoky flavour, and even includes chocolate! It's fantastically adaptable too; I like to eat it as a hot dip with tortilla chips, but it works equally well eaten like a 'chilli con carne' with rice, or as a stew with crusty bread.

First, prepare your black-eyed beans. Measure out 2 cups of beans and rinse them well under cold running water. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain the water. Add 3 times the volume of water to the beans again, and simmer for approximately 90 minutes until tender (follow the instructions on the packet). Or cheat to save time and buy a tin of ready cooked black-eyed beans. Set aside for later.

In a large frying pan on a medium heat with a dollop of oil, soften 1/2 roughly chopped red pepper and 1large finely chopped flat top mushroom for approximately 10 minutes, stirring to prevent catching.

Next, add 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped and stir for 2 minutes. Then add your spices and coat everything to mix for a minute : 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 tsp. smoked paprika.

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a small handful of roughly chopped fresh tomatoes and a handful of finely chopped ham and salami. Add 1 tbsp. sugar and a small handful of finely chopped fresh green herbs (coriander, marjoram and basil all work well). Turn the heat up to encourage the sauce to reduce and thicken for 10-15 minutes, stirring occassionally to prevent it from burning.

Now the fun bit - add 2 large squares of dark chocolate and stir to mix as it melts. Watch your dish deepen into a rich dark red-brown colour. This will add a gorgeous richness to the dish, and really bring out the smoky flavour. Turn the heat down slightly, and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir through the black-eyed beans, then leave to stand and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

10 minutes before the end of cooking time, take some tortilla wraps and chop evenly into 8 triangles using scissors. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Ta-da, you've got some crunchy tortilla chips for dipping!

Spice inspiration taken from The Telegraph Online.

Happy cooking x

Quick Vs Long Lockdown Recipes: Scones Vs Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

This week I've got a couple of sweet treat recipes to share with you. First up are some sweet scones, which rise like a dream. If you have a bit more time, try making this special chocolate and pear dessert with delicious infused flavours of vanilla and cardamom.

Sweet scones (makes 6 large)

Mix together self raising flour 350g, salt 1/4 tsp and baking powder 1 generous tsp. Add cubed butter 85g and rub together with fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in caster sugar 3 tbsp. Add warm milk 175ml which has had a squeeze of lemon juice added to it, and stir to bring together to a dough.

Fold the dough over a dozen times on a floured surface to bring it together, then spread out using your hands until it is approx 4cm deep. Use the top of a glass to cut out your scones. 

Paint beaten egg over the top of the scones, then bake on a greased baking tray at 220C/200C fan for 10 minutes until risen and golden. Tasty served still warm with jam and cream; In which order do you layer them on?

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food 

Vanilla infused Pears with Cardamom Chocolate Sauce (serves 4)

Peel 4 pears, keeping the stalk intact for decoration. Dissolve sugar 150g into a pan of water 1.5L by heating gently. Cut a vanilla pod in half lengthways and add to the pan. Simmer the pears for 30 minutes. Leave the pears to cool and infuse in the water overnight.

Drain the pears from the water and set aside. Next, carefully melt in a small pan a large bar of dark chocolate 100g together with single cream 100ml and 4 crushed cardamom pods. Serve the pears with a generous helping of chocolate sauce poured over them, a delectable chocolate avalanche!

Recipe adapted from Rachel Khoo's cook book The Little Paris Kitchen.

Happy cooking! x