Classic Lemon Drizzle Loaf

Moist and sticky lemon drizzle cake - perfect with a nice cup of tea!

Sometimes you just need a piece of cake, don't you? What I love about this recipe is that the almonds and lemon make the cake really light - not stodgy - which basically means you can fit more slices into your tummy!

I also hate faffing around lining loaf tins with parchment paper, so by giving the tin a very light grease and a thin dusting of flour you save yourself a lot of time and effort!

Ingredients:

280g plain Flour

250g butter/cooking margarine

200g sugar (preferably light sugar)

4 eggs

2 lemons

1 tsp baking powder

50g ground almonds

150g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

OVEN on at GM4 or 190 Celsius

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then slowly - one by one - add in the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Add the vanilla, juice of 1 lemon and zest of 2 lemons and keep mixing.

Weigh together the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt and then fold the entire dry ingredients into the wet.

Spoon the mixture into a medium sized loaf tin and place the oven. Bake for 45 minutes and then check the loaf with a skewer. If it's done remove from the oven, and if not, pop it back in and check every 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and wait until it is cool to ice/drizzle it!

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the juice of the remaining lemon and the icing sugar. Make tiny holes in the cooled cake with cocktail sticks and pour on the icing, making sure it drips into all the holes!

Serve with a lovely pot of tea and some friends to chat with!

Aubergine Involtini Stuffed with Goats Cheese, Raisins and Pine Nuts

This recipe does take a bit of time as there are many different parts needing to be prepared, but believe me it's worth the effort!

This meal was a bit of a treat, but with PB coming to my parent's home and my Dad finishing work late and wanting something tasty to nibble on before bed, I felt that making these aubergine parcels was definitely worth the time and careful attention! I know there is a long ingredients list, but most of them can be found in cupboards/vegetable & fruit baskets!

I always make my tomato sauce in the same way - it was the way my mother taught me as a child and I have never changed the recipe. The joy of it is, if you happen to run out of something it's not the end of the world, you just adapt - that is, except you've run out of tinned tomatoes!

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce: 

1 x tin chopped tomatoes (you can also use passata - just use whatever you have)

2 x cloves of garlic diced finely

1 x small onion diced finely

Glug of olive oil

Glug of red wine

Fresh basil

2 x bay leaves

Any dried herbs you have in the cupboard

2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar

Salt & Pepper

Involtini:

2 x aubergines

2 x cloves garlic

1 tblsp olive oil

1 tblsp breadcrumbs

200g or so of soft goats cheese

Handful of fresh basil

Handful of fresh parsley

Zest of half a lemon (be careful not to over-lemon, as it is surprising how much the flavour comes through all the other lovely flavours!)

1 tblsp raisins soaked in hot water

1 egg to bind

Method:

Place the onion and garlic in the glug of olive oil on a low heat and leave to soften gently. Once soft, add the tinned tomatoes/passata and leave to bubble for a minute or so. At this point I add all of the other ingredients, mix well, and place in the bottom oven of the Aga (which is the equivalent of about 110 centigrade) so that the sauce richens, reduces and increases in flavour. You can leave this and forget about the sauce for up to 3 hours - it only gets better with time!

Meanwhile, slice the aubergines about half a centimetre thick, brush lightly in olive oil and fry on a griddle pan until soft. I love the criss-crossed pattern it makes in a griddle pan and they don't need very much oil - but baking the slices in the oven or frying them in a non stick frying pan can also do the trick - just vary the amount of oil you use. The aubergines take a couple of minutes each side, so whilst they are cooking, prepare your ingredients for the 'stuffing' of the involtini. The raisins add such a delicious 'ping' of sweetness and the herbs and lemon add a really delicious flavour. Before you add the egg, taste the mixture (it's really scrummy even when raw) and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Finally add the egg to bind, and you're ready to assemble your little parcels.

Add a couple of teaspoons of mixture into the centre of each length of aubergine. Fold up the two ends and then turn the parcel over so that the 'join' is underneath. Slot the stuffed aubergines into a roasting tin, and top with the tomato sauce which is already piping hot from the oven.

This can then be sprinkled with some parmesan or even some slices of mozzerella for a gloriously melty finish, or you can leave it topped with your delicious fresh tomato sauce - whatever you fancy.

25 minutes in the oven, and you have an absolutely stunning dinner - perfect for deserving house guests or loved ones alike. You can always try your own twists on this dish with varying the cheese stuffing or the herbs you use, or even making courgette involtini. I have to say, it was a real hit - let me know what YOU think!

Linguine with Courgettes, Pine Nuts and Balsamic Vinegar

A delicious weekday meal with only a few ingredients...

This week you will notice that my photos have not been taken in my little kitchen but instead are from my parents' home, formally my home. Cooking here reminds me of all the times I used to help stir the bechamel or grate the cheddar cheese for whatever dinner we were served as children and that fills me with a lot of warmth.

With the help of my Mama I made a pasta dish which we used to have as a family when I was growing up.  If you have the cupboard staples of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, parmesan and garlic then the only ingredients left to buy are an onion and some courgettes - you then have a tasty midweek meal in under half an hour.

Ingredients:

3 courgettes

1 white onion

1 tblsp pine nuts

2 tblsp balsamic vinegar

Enough linguine for 3 people (Mum, Dad and me!)

A handful of fresh herbs - preferably basil

A handful of parmesan

Drizzle of olive oil

Method:

In a dry pan (no oil!) toast the pine nuts being careful not to let them burn. (The light browning of the kernels happens all of a sudden, so keep them moving around the pan so they don't catch).

Remove the pine nuts from the pan and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Soften the finely chopped onion and garlic keeping the heat low.

Add the matchsticks of courgette and stir. Make sure they don't stick and become brown - just let them soften.

After a few minutes add the lid to the pan so the courgettes cook through. Check every couple of minutes to ensure the mixture doesn't catch.

Heat a kettle and cook the pasta in well-salted water. When the linguine is nearly cooked, add the balsamic vinegar to the  courgette mixture, and keep the lid off the pan to boil off some of the acidity.

Add ripped herbs, pine nuts, the drained linguine, and mix well. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan, and dinner is served!

Raspberry and White Chocolate Clafoutis

A delicious twist on this classic French dish

I have to say that I've really been inspired by Rachel Khoo's 'The Little Paris Kitchen', and PB believes it is his right to choose whatever he fancies from it for me to make him because he bought it me as a gift! Naturally I give in, as all of the recipes look so delicious.

The pictures of the soft fruit bleeding into crisp but moist, almondy batter were more than PB could resist, and he requested his own personal recipe. With raspberries and white chocolate bought from the market, I was ready to make PB's take on this traditional dessert.

Having buttered and floured my dish, I made neat little rows of raspberry and small chunks of white chocolate to ensure an even distribution in the final bake. The recipe specifies 350g of soft fruit/chocolate for the filling, however, with 250g of raspberries and 50g of chocolate, there was physically no more room left in my dish, and it certainly did not lack a fruity punch when we came to eat it last night!

After aligning my fruit in military fashion, I whisked up Rachel Khoo's recipe for the clafoutis batter which includes ground almonds for added lightness and creme fraiche for a little more 'tang'.

In a similar fashion to 'Toad in the Hole', the silky batter is poured over the fruit and chocolate mixture and placed straight into a preheated oven until golden and relatively firm to the touch, to ensure that the batter is cooked all the way through. Rachel Khoo suggests between 30 and 40 minutes in the oven, and, having checked at 30 minutes and found the top a little too gelatinous, I added 4 minutes to the timer, and it was perfect.  The batter had domed beautifully and I called PB up to take a look at my creation. He wanted to dive straight in, but I knew that it would taste all the better for a few minutes standing.

After about 10 minutes, the dome had deflated slightly and I served up two generous portions. With the raspberries being very early in the season they had a delicious sharpness which cut through the batter and sweetness of the white chocolate. The white chocolate had melted and gave bursts of sugary sweetness without overpowering the fruit flavour. I know that the purists amongst you will disapprove of the straying from tradition (including my mother, no doubt!) but, if you fancy something a little different why don't you give it a go? It's super easy to make and you can have fun thinking up your own take on this tasty treat.

Cheese and Ham Stuffed Pancakes...and Presents!

Soft, stuffed pancakes - A 10 minute lunch without having to leave the flat.

Now, one of PB's favourite foods is savoury pancakes, and thus far, I have never made them for him. Cruel you may say, but he is the shape of a bean pole, and I am not so lucky!

I decided that today was the day, but didn't want to go over the top and ruin the beautiful simplicity of a thin crepe, let alone leave the house with the weather looking so grey so I snooped around the fridge looking for possible fillings. I settled on extra mature cheddar cheese and honey roasted ham for two reasons:

i) It couldn't be more classic and ii) It couldn't be more easy.

With a quick grate of cheese (on a fine grater for increased melty-ness) and a quick shred of ham I was already halfway to the finish line. I filled a cup with plain flour, whisked in 2 eggs, a pinch of salt and filled up a jug with two thirds milk, one third water and poured in, until I got a loose but still sticky texture.

Slowly swishing around a small knob of butter and ladling in the first portion of batter, it wasn't long before I had a plate piled high with delicious, steaming pancakes. Using a bit of origami, my pancake pockets were ready to go. Keeping warm in the oven for PB's return from work, the pancakes remained crisp but began melting in the middle. When he finally arrived, his arms were full with bags which he stretched out for me to take.

Inside were two little tomato plants wrapped in newspaper, to help me come to terms with our recent tomato loss, and in the other bag were two books: 1) 'Little Paris Kitchen' by Rachel Khoo, which I'd been going on about for weeks & 2) Niki Segnit's 'The Flavour Thesaurus' which I had flicked through and then coveted at a friend's house. As he tucked into his pancakes, I tucked into my cookery books - making notes of what I want to make first...I can't wait to get started!

Refreshing Open Sandwich

A deliciously quick and easy lunch

It's funny to think that when considering what to enjoy for lunch that my mind wondered onto the tomato. Indeed, the idea of delving into a delicious yet simple open tomato sandwich had been on my mind since approximately 10.30 this morning, and when 12.30 finally came around, I believed I'd held off the craving for long enough and it was now time to enjoy my meal.

Heading upstairs to my little kitchen I began my preparations with love and attention:

2 slices of fresh sourdough bread

1 small banana shallot finely diced

1 small clove of garlic finely diced

4 spicy olives

2 beautiful, shiny tomatoes

A spoonful of homemade pesto

Olive oil
Salt & Pepper



I chose not to toast or grill my sourdough, as I wanted the pesto and tomato juices to seep into the bread. The characteristic holes in the sourdough structure give the perfect base on which to smear pesto, so that throughout the sandwich you get bursts of basil flavour. Layer up the rest of the ingredients as you wish, topping it all off with a drizzle of pesto, a swirl of olive oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper.

Although the initial purpose of this post was to satisfy my tomato urges, it has coincided with another tomato incident, and thus turned into an ode for my own little tomato plant.  It began its life as a tiny 10cm cutting from the Grainger Market, and with constant encouragement and support, it had grown to a gigantic 4ft - with lush greenery, promising buds and pretty yellow flowers. Whilst preparing my lunch, Mr Tomato was pushed to his death from our little 3rd floor window sill by a very large and careless pigeon. His long and elegant stem had been snapped clean in two, and, in my completely predictable, emotional way, a little tear came into my eye.


In an attempt to salvage even a memory from this beautiful plant I have taken small cuttings and replanted them, as well as placed a couple in water in order to develop roots.  It's a long shot, but it's worth a go, especially for a plant that gave so much joy.

Twit twoo! Get inspired with a bit of stitching!

Who doesn't want an owl as a doorstop?

Don't ask me where I got the idea from to make an owl into a doorstop, but nevermind, the project got underway a good few months ago now.  Owls seem to be all over the place at the moment: on jewellery, T-Shirts, tea cosies - you name it - and what could be cuter than a stout little owl perched by your door waiting for you to enter?

First off, I have to say that most of my 'stitching' work is done by eye, and I don't usually make up any plans in order to have perfectly interlocking edges or pristine 1.5cm seams, so please bare with my slightly eccentric approach! Believe me, the results are still adorable and make the final outcome look properly homemade and rustic. I also don't use a sewing machine which means that projects like little owl (or Buppy, as my sister has named hers!) can take a little longer than if you ran it off on a machine. Feel free to use whichever method suits you!

First off you will need:

1) A couple of sheets out of an old magazine (to make rough plans on).

2) 2 x pieces of fabric of any colour which are big enough to do the front and back of an owl (remember you can make him as big/small as you wish). 2 x 30cm squared pieces are more than enough for the size of owl I made.

3) 2 x pieces of fabric running down the owl's sides (these can be in the same fabric or different to his main body). Two pieces of 20cm x 5cm pieces will do the trick.

4) 1 x piece of fabric for the base (this has to be relatively thick as it has to take the weight of the rice that will fill the owl - I used the fabric from no.3) and doubled it up so it was twice the thickness)

5) 2 x scraps of either fabric to do little triangular feet at the base.

6) 1 x reel of simple thread in a colour that goes with your fabric.

7) Felt in two different colours (only enough for an eye surround eyes and triangle beak - I picked up 2 colours for 20p in my local fabric shop)

8)2 x buttons in colours similar to your owl

9) Plastic bag (any supermarket bag if there are no holes, or a large sandwich bag which don't have any holes in!)

10) Cheap rice/sand for the filling

Method:

Now, for projects like making Mr. Owl, patience is always the best policy. I adore stitching along when enjoying a cup of tea on the sofa chatting with family and friends, or when watching Newsnight with the PB and that way, the work goes by very fast.

1) Take a stray magazine (thanks to PB, the New Statesman is my magazine of choice today). Don't use newspaper as sadly the ink will transfer onto your fabric. Draw a rough outline of your owl onto the page.  Here you can already start to personalise your owl: is he fat or thin? Long pointy eared or sadly lacking? Tall or short? Once you are happy with your shape, draw around the image again just a rough 1cm larger all over. Cut out the larger owl.

You now have a body.

2) Fold the piece of fabric you want as the main bulk of your owl so that it is double thickness. Place your magazine owl on a the fabric and cut around it.  You now have 2 owl shaped pieces of cloth, making the front and back of your owl identical.

3) On a new piece of magazine cut a shape for the sides of the owl. These need to be the same length as your owl, however make sure the ends are slimmer than the middle so they match the contours of your owl's shape. This isn't an exact science so don't worry - it's better to cut out too much rather than too little. Trust your creative instincts! Again, double over the fabric you had in mind for the sides and base of your owl, pin the magazine guide on top, and cut out. 

You now have two identical sides.

4) Finally cut a base out of the magazine paper. This has to be a good inch longer than the base of your owl looks currently. Once you've cut the shape out of the magazine, double over your fabric and cut out your base. Remove the pins and magazine paper, leaving the two bases still 'stuck' together. Re-pin the fabric so that it doesn't shift it's alignment and thread your needle.  Quickly stitch around the edge of your base (leaving a 0.5cm gap from the edge).

You should now have a very sturdy base.

5)You are now ready to start stitching your owl together. I like to attach both sides to the front piece of the owl first, then add the back of the owl, and then the base. I use a simple, narrow backstitch in order to make all of the joins very secure.

On all of your fabric there will be a brighter side (which we want on the outside of our owl and a more dull side (which we want to be facing inwards). Therefore take a central owl piece and a side piece and place them 'bright side to bright side' so that the contours of each piece are aligned. Now sew together, leaving 0.5cm seam. Once finished, you can pull apart both sides and see a very clean join, without seeing each stitch.

6) Use this method to join the other 'side' piece then twice more to add the 'back' of your owl and you will have a hollow tube, with no bottom  and no join at the top of the owl near the ears.

7) Make sure your owl is turned the right way around, with the brighter fabric on the outside. It is now time to take the two pieces of felt and on one, draw the 'mask-like' eye surround (pink in my photo), and on the other draw two circles and a small triangle nose (grey). Cut out the shapes.

Pin the eyes onto the eye surround and loop stitch into place. Repeat for the triangle nose. Take the two buttons and simply loop stitch both centrally into place. To me, this stage is where you realise how cute and characterful this doorstop is. Attach the face in the same loop stitch to the front piece of fabric of your owl making sure you don't stitch through into the back of the owl.

8)Turn your owl inside out once more as it is time to stitch on your final piece of your owl. This final piece has to be really tightly attached as it takes most of the strain from the rice you're about to add in.  Pull the fabric tight, and pin onto the main body of the owl. In the same way as before, stitch the two pieces together leaving any un-needed fabric hanging over the join. Once stitched all the way around you can turn your owl the right way around for the final time. The overhanging fabric from the base is now concealed inside.

9)Place the plastic bag inside the owl and open it wide. Slowly poor in the rice/sand until generously filled. Leave enough space to tie the bag up securely.

Hand stitch up the owl's head in a loop stitch nice and tight.

10) And finally, from your cuttings of the owl body, you will have many spare pieces of fabric. Cut out two rough triangles (again, this doesn't have to be perfect, and you can design your own feet if you prefer), and simply stitch to the base of your owl.

Handy tip:

If, unlike me you don't have a lot of coloured and patterned fabrics lying around your house which you can use for your owl, simply go to your local charity shop and pick out 2 pieces of clothing with contrasting patterns and voila: you have your starting fabric. I have picked up bargains for 20p and less, and you get a lot of fabric which can simply be saved up for another project! Furthermore, with your charity shop bargain, snip off the buttons and save them in a button box. They might not be suitable for your owl, but they may be suitable for customising a cardigan or decorating a homemade lavender heart - the list is endless!

Any questions or problems with your owl? Then please leave a comment and I'll try to help!