Recipe News Flash - Chicken Stew with Parsnips, Sage & Cream

NEWS FLASH - I must, as promised update you on the long lost recipe of five years, yes it was worth looking for, yes it was easier to cook with five more years of experience under my belt and yes it was yummy.

I must add at this point, and as also pointed out by my friend Michelle that its hardly a seasonal dish and I must admit to feeling like poor Julia Child in her small garret style Parisian kitchen or Julie Powell in her unglamorous apartment above a pizza cafe in dreary Queens (you would have to of seen the film or read the book to get where I am going with this) as I slaved over a hot stove, pots and pans every where in this blistering heat, but was it worth it, yes it was.

I shouldn't moan, my gorgeous kitchen is like neither of the above, but after a hard day at home, cleaning, rushing around, two hours of writing html for a drop down on my blog, cooking this sort of dish should of been the furthest thing from my thoughts, but sat at the table it was confirmed as a good idea by the many compliments by the family tonight.

I will be definitely cooking this again, but in the autumn.

http://dianastaveley.blogspot.com/2010/06/chicken-stew-with-parsnips-sage-and.html

PS : I would just like to say a big THANK YOU to a fellow Blogger (Cherrapeno) who very kindly helped me out today with the html for my contents drop-down. It is now much easier to find the recipe you are looking for and I hope it helps.

Blog envy & obsession.

Oh my god, what has happened to me, what have I become ????

I have decided that there must be some sort of help out there for people with this problem, but I am taking the first step, as admitting a problem is the first step to recovery, but I have an obsession with my blog and I am suffering with blog envy. Thank goodness, its out there, I've admitted it.

I started this blog for my Children so that family recipes could be passed down as one by one they left home, it has also become a great place to store all the recipes that I use and don't want to lose, but also its a treasure chest of our life and photo's and memories.

BUT... I now find myself spending every waking moment thinking about my blog, what I can blog next, when I cook I automatically have the camera waiting to take photos. I am even getting my food to pose, you may laugh, but I am putting it outside to get the best light, dressing it up with mint leaves, next I will be telling it to smile or even say cheese!!!

Next is the blog ENVY, I can't help it but everyone seems to have a better blog than mine, better photography, better lay out, oh what is a blogger to do.

Is it all worth it I ask myself and its a definite BIG yes, I love doing it, I love to cook, I love to feed people and I want to share this love of cooking and family values with my Children, but what is also fantastic has been the feed-back from my Friends and finding out that I have people looking at my blog in other countries that I have never met. People are enjoying the blog and cooking the recipes on it, that makes me a very happy girl and thank you all so much.

Buon appetito XXXXX

PS Also big thank you to my Hubby who came up with the idea and my Children for letting me plaster the blog with their photos and for most of all waiting for there dinner to arrive slightly cold as I have had to take a photo or two of it.

Fried custard squares

I am a very lucky girl, as I am married to the most amazing man, he is intelligent, loving, supportive, Ok I'll stop, I know, I am always banging on about how great he is, but I am lucky and I would never take that for granted, but to add to my Husbands list of amazingness, he is also an amazing cook, a bloody natural, because he is good at everything he does.

Anyway enough said about wonderful Hubby, and yes I did hear you all sigh with relief, but I just wanted to tell you about the yummy breakfast he has made for me. It all started with French Toast and Strawberries, then on to Nigella's Doughnut French Toast, all amazingly good, but now he has surpassed himself and cooked me Tessa Kiros's Fried Custard Squares. I hate to think about the calories, but served with fresh raspberries you can at least try and convince yourself that you are being good by getting one of your five a day. They are out of this World.

It's a fiddly dish and he was so sweet by making the custard the night before and leaving it to set in the fridge overnight, next morning I sat on the decking with a fresh espresso and enjoyed them immensely. Sod the calories, thats what I say !!!!!!! Thanks Hubby, your the best XXXX

Buon appetito

Makes 15

750ml milk

1 long strip of lemon rind

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

60g sugar

150g plain flour, sifted

extra plain flour to coat

80g butter

caster sugar to serve

Put the milk in a heavy-based saucepan and add the lemon rind and vanilla. Bring just to the boil.

Meanwhile whip 2 eggs in abowl until they are creamy, then whisk in the sugar.

Add the flour and whisk to a smooth cream.

Just as the milk comes to a rolling boil, whisk a ladleful into the eggs. Whisking constantly, add another ladelful or two of milk. Spoon it all back into the milk pan and put over the lowest heat, whisking all the time.

It will thicken quickly so you may have to remove the pan for a minute and whisk vigorously until its smooth. Put back on the heat for a few minutes to cook the flour, whisking until it's completely smooth and very thick.

Lightly grease a 17 x 27 cm sandwich tin ( a brownie tin would be just perfect). Spoon the custard into the tin, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Let it cool and set completely, then turn out and cut into 5 cm squares.

Break the last egg into a small flat bowl and scatter some flour on a plate. Melt 2 - 3 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium - low heat. Working in batches, dip the squares of custard first in the egg and then in the flour to coat lightly. Fry in the butter until golden on both sides, turning them gently. Add blobs of butter along the way to prevent burning.

Lift the squares onto kitchen paper to drain and then serve warm, sprinkled with some caster sugar. Enjoy and don't think about the calories.

Peppermint Creams

Hubby and I have had a weekend alone, every third weekend we have time just to ourselves and its amazing, time to be just us and to be a couple. Normally this includes lots of lazing around, recovering from our hectic week, lots of booze and lots of naughty food and rich food.

This weekend however has been different as Hubby is on a diet and has already lost a stone and I am very proud of him, but weekends, especially weekends alone are usually our downfall and we always put weight on.

So this weekend we decided to be good, we stocked up on piles of fruit, only one bottle of Prosecco, drank loads of water and went for a marathon of a walk and its looking good, weight has so far stayed the same. Hey its better than putting any on and we will make up for it in the week.

So down to the reason why I made Hubby the peppermint creams, not to tempt him, not to be cruel, but we ALWAYS at some point fancy something sweet, so I thought I would make us something that filled that criteria. They are sweet, not full of chemicals and I used the best Green & Blacks chocolate with a high cocoa count, so all good and boy they were good. Trying to restrict ourselves to only a couple and saving some for the Kids when they get back has been extremely hard and a test of our fairly usually weak will-power, but I think there are a few left for them, I hope !!!

I am so proud of how these have worked out, that I will be definitely making them next time we have people round for dinner, they will be just great served at the end of the meal with an espresso.

(Photo taken on my iPhone after wonderful Hubby did a software update and improved the camera, loving it, thanks Gorgeous Hubby)

Boun appetito.

Makes about 25

500g icing sugar

2 egg whites, beaten till frothy

1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence

100g dark chocolate, melted

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add enough beaten egg white to form a stiff dough. Add a few drops of peppermint essence to taste. Knead the paste lightly, and then roll out into small balls on a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roughly all the same size, press the back of a fork gently down onto each ball to form a patterned small disc shape.

Leave to dry for a day. I put mine in the fridge as it was an extremely hot day when I made them and it speeded the process up.

When dry, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and submerge each peppermint disc into the chocolate. Place on a piece of Bake-O-Glide or oiled foil to dry.

You can make many variations and making them with Children would be lots of fun. You may wish to add a few drops of green colouring to half of the paste, or even just dip half of the disc into the chocolate, what ever you decide I am sure they will be yummy.

I am going to try and make some variations, rose water with pink food colouring and orange water in a milk chocolate. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Joint a chicken into 8 pieces.

I realised after I posted the last recipe that it requires you to joint a chicken, so I hope the instructions below help. If not cheat and use chicken legs and thighs ready done from the supermarket, it will taste just as lovely.

First, there is a special little piece of meat – the ‘oyster’ – that you can rescue for the stock pot. Turn the chicken over so that the breast is underneath. Take a small, sharp knife and, where the thigh joint joins the backbone, cut part-way around the small nodule of flesh lying in its own bony dip.

Now turn the bird back over and ease the legs gently away from the body. Cut through the skin between the thigh and the body as far around the leg as possible, keeping the knife as close to the body as you can.

Pull the leg away from the body more vigorously and bend it back on itself, so you expose the thigh joint and the ball breaks free of the socket. Cut between the ball and socket to release the leg, and cut through any flesh still attached to the carcass. The ‘oyster’ should still be attached to the thigh.

Place legs skin-side up on a board and cut off the knuckle joint at the end of the drumstick. Feel and bend the joint joining the thigh to the drumstick to locate the gap in the bone. Cut through to split the leg into two. Repeat with the other leg and thigh.

Now take the breast and wing off the carcass in one piece. To do this, make a cut through the skin and flesh running along either side of the cartilaginous ridge of the breast bone. Cut the breast meat back, from the cavity end of the chicken down towards and under the wing joint, keeping the knife as close to the carcass as possible. Finish by cutting through the joint where the wing is attached, giving you a breast with its wing attached. Repeat with the other breast and wing.

Lay each of the breast-wing pieces skin-side up on the board and cut slightly on the diagonal into two, leaving about one-third of the breast meat attached to the wing.

Have fun !

Chicken Stew with parsnips, sage and cream.

Have you ever had the problem of knowing that somewhere is a recipe you once cooked and know it was just so delicious, but have no clue where the recipe is, well the above recipe is one of those.

I first cooked this meal over five years ago, my memories of it were, it was quite fiddly but well worth the effort. I have told my Hubby about it many times, made attempts at looking for it and never had any luck. This week I have been on a mission to find it and hey presto, I've finally found it. Hubby said, get it on the Blog quick before you lose it again, so here I am typing away, doing just that.

It may well be, that when I re-cook this dish, it may not seem as fiddly, I do have five years of experience under my belt now, or even more disappointing would be, that in fact the dish wasn't actually all that good after all !!!! So time, cooking and tasting will tell and I will report back with a verdict.

Buon appetito.

1. 250g small leeks, washed
2. 450g parsnips, peeled
3. 300g carrots, peeled
4. 1 tbsp sunflower oil
5. 1.5kg organic free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
6. 225g shallots or baby onions, peeled and halved if large
7. 10 fresh sage leaves, plus 1 tbsp finely chopped sage
8. 3 large sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
9. 3 fresh bay leaves
10. 600ml fresh chicken stock
11. 1 tsp salt
12. 1 tbsp butter, softened
13. 1 tbsp plain flour
14. 4 tbsp double cream

1. 1. Slice the leeks into 5cm rounds. Cut the parsnips across into 2, then halve the narrow end lengthways and chop the fatter end into 4. Halve the carrots lengthways, then cut each piece across into 2.
2. 2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Season the chicken pieces and fry in batches over a medium-high heat until browned all over. Transfer to a plate. Add the shallots or baby onions to the casserole and fry until lightly browned. Return the chicken to the casserole and scatter with the herbs, leeks, parsnips and carrots. Pour the stock in and season with the salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
3. 3. Uncover the casserole, remove the chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase the heat slightly and continue to cook for 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a little.
4. 4. Mix the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manié). Reduce the heat slightly, then whisk the beurre manié into the liquid and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the cream and chopped sage and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Return the chicken and vegetables to the casserole and reheat if needed. Serve with steamed Swiss chard, tossed in butter with seasoning, and some buttery mashed potatoes.
5. Looks pretty simple now, amazing what five years can do to a girls confidence.

Garganelli con verdure di stagione - Pasta with spring vegtables

On reflection, taking a close look at the Blog, taking into consideration my Boss's comment about the bias towards cakes and desserts, I have also realised that I am ignoring my vegetarian friends & family. After Stephen decided to cook a vegetarian meal for Lizzy last week, I thought I would help him out and post this recipe. So Stephen, this one is for you and I hope you will make it for Lizzy when she gets back from her holiday.

Buon appetito.

(Photo of Stephen & Luca taken at Easter in Tuscany)

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium carrots, scraped & diced

1 celery stick, scraped & diced

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 small red onion, peeled and chopped

2 small courgettes, diced

100g freshly shelled peas

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

a handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

a handful of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

375g garganelli (ridged pointed tubes) or penne rigate

2 tablespoons double cream

freshly grated Parmesan to serve

Ok that may seem a lot of ingredients, actually it is a lot of ingredients, but once they are all prepared, its so simple.

Heat the oil in a deep saute pan and saute the carrot, celery, garlic, onion, courgette and peas over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender.

Add the tomato and cover. Cook over a low heat for about six minutes, then add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the garganelli in rolling boiling salted water for about seven to ten minutes, according to the packet instructions.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss the pasta in the vegetable sauce, adding the cream and cheese to taste. Serve immediately.

I love this, its light, fresh & delicate, what I would class as feel good meal. You know when you are eating it, that with all those vegetables it must be doing you good, unless you are also enjoying it with a large glass of vino bianco like I do. Hey we can't all be perfect, all of the time.

Its also a great way to use any left over vegetables that may be lurking in your fridge and you can adapt it to use what's in season or to what ever you may have growing in your garden.

Ragu alla toscana (meat sauce)

I love this picture of Luca & Hubby in Tuscany, you can see the beautiful landscape behind them and they look so relaxed and happy, they are a funny pair together and love each other to bits, bless them.

And so to the reason that I have decided to add this recipe to the Blog, I must admit, nothing to do with Luca or Hubby but last night whilst having a drink in The Bell with my Boss (Prosecco of course) he advised me that the Blog was a little on the biased side, and he's right, there is a lot of sugar and very little spice, so I thought following on with my Italian theme today I would add this gorgeous ragu recipe.

I wish I could say that this is a family recipe past down by Simon & Stephen's Nonna, as she made the most amazing ragu and we always had it for lunch on a Saturday, but I am afraid I don't have it, but I am hoping that Simon may be able to get it for me and at some point post it on the Blog, so please watch this space.

So anyway, this one is for you David and I will try in future to balance the Blog, but I'm not promising anything with my sweet tooth.

Buon appetito.

Makes over 1 litre (I always use half & freeze half for another day)

10g dried mushrooms (I sometimes use fresh & they work just as well)

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

a small bunch of fresh parsley, leaves chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, trimmed and finely chopped

500g minced ground beef

2 Italian sausages, about 80g, skinned & crumbled, if you have any problems getting them, just use pancetta cubes.

750ml red wine

100g tomato passata (all being well, if my tomatoes do well I will be making my own passata this year and of course will be posting the recipe).

2 tablespoons tomato paste (puree)

Soak the mushrooms in a cup of warm water for about 10 minutes to reconstitute them, if using the dried ones. Squeeze out the water and finely chop the mushrooms. Strain the water to use in the ragu. If using fresh just chop finely.

Heat the olive oil in a wide saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, carrot and celery. Saute for about 10 minutes, mixing with a wooden spoon until softened and lightly golden.

Add the meat and the sausage meat (pancetta cubes) and saute on a medium heat until all the moisture from the meat has evaporated and the meat begins to brown. Add the red wine and cook until a lot of it has evaporated. Add the tomato passata and the paste, the mushrooms and the strained mushroom water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 - 2 1/2 hours on a low heat. Add a little water when necessary to prevent the sauce from sticking and to maintain a good sauce consistency. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking.

The ragu can be used for lasagne, and spooned over pasta and gnocchi, which ever way you enjoy it I can highly recommend having a large glass of vino rosso with it, an espresso after and of course a sneaky, naughty little limoncello.

A tribute to Prosecco & Limoncello

I love all things Italian, sometimes to my detriment, especially during the World Cup ! As you can imagine living with all these England fans, loving the Italian football team and wanting them to win does not go down well, but hey its not as agonising as being an England supporter.

My love of Italy, the food, the culture, the people, also include my passion for Limoncello & Prosecco. I have had some of the best times of my life, with some of the people I love most, while enjoying a glass or two, or maybe three, Ok we lost count, of both of the above mentioned yummy drinks. So with that in mind I would like to tribute this post to the gorgeous Juliet & of course my lovely Daughter-in-law Alex (Alex & Juliet love a glass or two, or three, Ok, we did definitely lose count) of both of the above. I fear that in Alex's case I am a terrible influence, but in my defence I do feel that I have been led astray by Juliet, and before you say bloody cheek Mrs S, you know its true and I love you for it.

So here's to a great recipe that combines both these lovely drinks.

Salute XXXX

Per person :

2 tablespoons Limoncello

Prosecco

ice

1 lemon slice

a sprig of fresh mint

Pour the Limoncello into a large wine glass and top with Prosecco.

Add the ice, lemon slice and mint, serve at once.

How easy is that, so easy that I reckon you could still manage to make them perfectly after quite a few glasses.

I have found many recipes for homemade Limoncello and I will get round to trying them at some point, if I find a good one I will of course be posting it on the Blog, in the meantime, Sainsburys actually do a very nice one, that does compare quite favorably with those that I have tried in Italy.

Budino di semolino (Semolina Pudding)

I know that many of us have horrific memories of semolina from our childhoods, the thought of it conjures up school dinners and all that was so disgusting about them, but please trust me when I tell you that this delicious Tuscan pudding is so far removed from any horrid school dinner that you will forget why you ever hated semolina. If you like bread & butter pudding, you will love this, it's my absolute favourite dessert, my comfort food and I must admit I eat the whole lot to myself. What a piggy I am.

(Photo was taken by Hubby in Tuscany, Easter 2010)

Buon appetito.

Serves 10 - 12

100g sultanas

4 tablespoons Marsala

1 litre milk

250ml water

150g fine semolina

150g caster sugar

50g butter, plus extra for greasing

grate zest of 1 lemon

4 eggs, separated

fine breadcrumbs for lining the cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180c, 350f, gas 4.

Soak the sultanas in the Marsala in a small bowl.

Put the milk with the water into a saucepan to boil. Just as it comes to the boil, add the semolina in a thin steady stream, mixing continuously with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps forming. Add the sugar, the butter and lemon zest, and cook on a medium heat stirring regularly.

When the semolina has absorbed most of the liquid and has the consistency of not-too-stiff porridge (sorry if at this point you are back to thinking about school dinners, trust me, it gets better), remove it from the heat. This should take less than 10 minutes. Mix in a pinch of salt and the sultanas and Marsala. Leave to cool slightly.

Whip the egg yolks lightly and add to the semolina, mixing in quickly to avoid scalding them. Whisk the whites to soft peaks and fold thoroughly into the semolina.

Butter a 28 x 5 cm (11 x 2in) round or square cake tin. I always use a square tin, as I like mine cut into squares when cooked.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs to line the tin, shaking away any excess.

Pour in the semolina mix. Bake in a bain-marie for 30 - 40 minutes, until the top is lightly crusty and golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before turning out and flipping over again onto a plate.

Now at this point, I just eat it, I love it hot or cold, but at this point my Guru Tessa Kiros would make a chocolate sauce, so here's the recipe if you fancy it.

200g good quality dark chocolate

125ml cream

Cut chocolate into slivers and add to the cream in a small saucepan set over a larger saucepan of simmering water, mixing with a wooden spoon to melt. Working quickly, spoon the melted chocolate over the surface of the cooled cake, spreading it evenly over the top and slightly down the sides.

Just in case you don't know :

bain-marie |ˌban məˈrē|noun ( pl. bains-marie pronunc. same) a container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow cooking.• chiefly Brit. a double boiler.

ORIGIN early 18th cent.: French, translation of medieval Latin balneum Mariae ‘bath of Maria,’ translating Greek kaminos Marias ‘furnace ofMaria,’ said to be a Jewish alchemist.

Italian Apple Cake

My eldest Son Simon loves his puddings and this is one of his favourites. I miss having him at home so much as he like's the same desserts as I do and if I make them for myself I just end up eating the lot and then moaning that I have put on weight, so when he comes home for a visit it is always a good excuse to make him something yummy.

This we would always have hot with a good vanilla ice cream, my ice cream of choice always being Haagen-dazs.

Buon appetito.

Serves 6

125g unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest 1 lemon

3 medium eggs

200g plain flour

1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons milk

3 dessert apples

cinnamon to dust

salt

Grease and lightly dust with plain flour a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin.

Preheat the oven to 180c, 350f, gas mark 4.

Beat the butter, 150g of the sugar, the vanilla extract and lemon zest until light. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time - an electric mixer will do this job well.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and 1 level teaspoon of salt together. Fold this into the batter, then add the milk. Mix until completely blended, then set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and core the apples, then cut each into 16 slices and toss them in the remaining 50g caster sugar. Spoon the batter into a buttered and floured cake tin, then arrange the apple slices, close together and overlapping, on top of the batter. Dust with the cinnamon.

Place the cake tin on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake until the cake feels firm to the touch - this will take 50 - 60 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing the cake from the tin.

Greek Salad

Greek salad I know is not really a recipe as such, every Greek family have their own version, but the basics are fairly the same all over Greece & Cyprus. We fell in love with this salad whilst on holiday in Skopelos last year with Rosie & Olly and again this time of year, like the panzanella that is also on this Blog, it appears on our table a least a couple of times a week. It is by far Rosie's favourite salad and the one recipe that I am sure that she will want one day on this Blog.

The picture above is of Rosie at our villa in Skopelos, enjoying the view and reading. It was our first holiday away as a family with Ben and it was truly magical, the memories will last forever.

Καλή όρεξη (Enjoy your meal).

Serves 4 - quantities are very approximate as you can make it to taste, we use loads of tomatoes in our as we love them.

1 Cucumber (I often peel the cucumber, as cucumbers here are not as sweet as those in Greece) - cut into chunks

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 orange pepper - cored & cut into chunkc

200g feta

Oregano

For the dressing :

1/2 teaspoon oregano

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 lemons, juiced

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Roughly chop all the salad ingredients and place in a nice salad bowl. Add the finely chopped onion and mix through, leave to stand whilst you make the dressing.

Put all of the dressing ingredients into a small jug and whisk together, season to taste and when you are happy with the mix, pour over your prepared salad, toss through with your hands. Add as little or as much dressing as you desire, we add a fair amount as Ben loves it and always likes to mop up any left over dressing with a piece of crusty bread.

Take the whole piece of feta (you may think this rather odd as my friend Michelle did when I took this salad to her house, if you prefer you can crumble, but this is how the Greeks do it) and coat both sides with a sprinkle of dried oregano and place on top of the salad. Simple, now just serve and enjoy.

I know, I hear you cry, where are the olives, a Greek salad is not a Greek salad without olives, I apologise but we all hate the little things in this house, but please add them if you love them.

Rocket Pesto - homemade by Hubby

My Hubby loves his job, boy does my Hubby love his job, sometimes I think that's all he lives for, but I jest, as I know that he works as hard as he does, not just because he loves his job but because he loves us and he wants us to be happy and to give us the best, and thank him from the bottom of my heart for that.

As he works hard, he also likes to relax and one of the things that helps him to relax is to cook, being amazingly good at everything he does (jammy sod), he not only cooks as well as any top chef he also likes to grow his own produce. I should add here, that what I mean is, he starts off with lot's of enthusiasm, but it always ends up with me taking care of anything that he has decided to grow. So far this year we have grown garlic, tomatoes, strawberries, rocket, peppers and of course our well tended and much loved herb garden.

We have had so much rocket, more than we could keep up with, that at the weekend Ben decided to make batches of rocket pesto and its amazing. Its so fresh and clean tasting. I can't wait to try it later in the week on some lovely fresh pasta, thank you Ben, really looking forward to it.

Boun appetito.

Makes 200ml; serves 4

1 small garlic clove

Pinch of sea salt

25g pine nuts, very slightly toasted

50g rocket

25g Parmesan, finely grated

Juice of 1/2 lemon

125ml extra-virgin olive oil

Put the garlic and salt into the bowl of a small food processor and pulse.

Add the pine nuts and pulse until roughly chopped (be careful not to over-process).

Add the rocket and pulse carefully until it is well mixed, but still very textured.

Turn into a bowl and stir through Parmesan and lemon juice.

Pour in the olive oil and mix well until you have a juicy paste, seasoning to taste as you go.

Store in sterilised jars and cover the surface of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

When ready to use, warm and serve stirred through your favourite pasta, we love ours over gnocchi, with crusty bread to wipe up any left over pesto, the best quick meal you can ever have.

Beef and Marsala Stew with Horseradish Dumplings

Now you may be thinking what a strange choice of picture to go with this recipe, well what can I say, apart from I don't have a photo of this dish and there is a reason behind my choice, that does I hope make a little sense, once explained.

So far on this Blog I have introduced you to the people I love most in the World, my Hubby, my Children and I have introduced you to some of my closest friends, including my artisan, so felt that I would introduce you to the place that I call home, the place we all come together and one of my favourite places to be in the whole World, as I love this house so much.

This is the sort of house, that no matter what time of the year makes you feel at home, its a comforting home, one that embraces you and makes you feel safe and protected and I hope that everyone that comes here feels at home and welcome.

So onto the recipe, this is one of my all time favourites, I have lost count the times that I have made this for special occasions, for family, for friends. I must admit that whilst building up my confidence as a domestic goddess I did pull this old classic out of the bag on many occasion as I know it always impresses and it always works.

Buon appetito.

Takes 3 hr 15 min

1 tablespoon olive oil

700g stewing beef, cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

70g pancetta cubes or chopped streaky bacon

2 tablespoons plain flour

1 tablespoon tomato puree

4 tablespoons Marsala wine

600ml red wine

800ml beef stock

2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra for garnishing

Pinch of grated nutmeg

250g baby carrots

For the dumplings :

225g self-raising flour

125g butter

3 tablespoons not horseradish

2 to 3 tablespoons water

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160c, 325f, Gas 3.

Heat the oil in a casserole dish and brown the beef for about 4 minutes in two batches. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and pancetta or bacon and cook for 1 minute.

Return the beef to the dish. Add the flour and tomato puree and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add the rest of the stew ingredients and scrape the bottom of the dish to loosen any sediment. Simmer while you make the dumplings.

In a food processor, blend the flour and the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the horseradish, water and seasoning and blend to a soft dough. Shape into 12 balls and place on top of the stew. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and the dumplings are puffed up. Serve garnished with thyme sprigs.

For Rosie's birthday I of course served it with dauphinoise, but is just as delicious served with mash potato.

Perfect Pavlova

Nigella likes to refer to this recipe as a prodigious pavlova, I like the idea of describing it as this as it means remarkably or impressively great in extent & size and trust me it is. The first time I made this I was a little overwhelmed at just how much meringue you have, but it makes the most dense, fluffy cloud, most marshmallow like meringue I have ever had. It's a true show off and party piece and perfect for any occasion.

I made this at Christmas with passion fruit & a raspberry coulis, as seasonal berries were out of the question, I have also made it with gorgeous fresh English strawberries, you can dress it up how ever and with what ever takes your fancy and I promise you will not be disappointed. Mine of course always comes with a sprinkle of glitter.

Jasmine (Nonna) always had the most remarkable skill with meringue, one I thought I would never have as there is a bit of a myth around meringue that they are hard to make and it's been many years before I had the experience to give meringue a go, but hey they are easy, trust me, give it a go and you may surprise yourself.

Anyway this recipe is perfect for any occasion and will never fail to impress.

Buon appetito.

For the meringue :

8 egg whites

500g caster sugar

4 teaspoons cornflour

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

650ml double cream (I always add a couple of spoons of icing sugar to sweeten when whipping as you know I have a very sweet tooth)

10 passionfruit

300g raspberries (fresh or frozen are fine)

25g icing sugar

Just to remind you that the above topping is just a suggestion, use what ever you like, what ever is in season, or just what ever you can get hold of. I am making a rose water and rose petal one for Rosie's birthday this year and have been thinking about making a tinned pineapple or tinned peach one in the winter when fresh berries are out of the question. Anything goes.

Preheat the oven to 180c/gas 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment and draw a rough 25cm diameter circle on it; round a cake tin or dinner plate works well.

Whisk the egg whites until satiny peaks form, then whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Sprinkle the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract over the egg white, and fold in lightly with a metal spoon. Mound the meringue on to the baking parchment within the circle and, using a spatula, flatten the top and smooth the sides.

Put in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 120c/gas 1/2. Cook for an hour. Then turn off the oven and leave to cool completely. Once it's cool, take the meringue disc out - and you can keep it in an airtight container for a couple of days or freeze for a month.

When you are ready to assemble the pavlova, invert the cool meringue disc onto a large plate or stand you can serve it on, and peel off the baking parchment.

Whip the cream until thickened but still soft, and pile onto the meringue - on the squidgy part that was stuck to the baking parchment - spreading it to the edges in a swirly fashion.

If you are dressing with fruit of your own choice, you just pile it, or arrange it nicely, entirely up to you onto the cream and your done, if however you are following the Nigella recipe, please continue.

Cut the passionfruit in half, and scoop out the seeds, and any pulp and juice, into a bowl. I must add here that Nigella also adds 10 fresh or canned lychees, I'm not sure how many people actually like them, so left them out of mine, but hey its up to you if you love them, add them, after all, cooking is about tinkering with recipes to make them your. Leave the passionfruit sitting in their bowl for a moment, while, you liquidize the raspberries with the icing sugar in a blender.

Dollop the cream-topped pavlova with the passionfruit and lychees (if using), and their juices, then zig-zag some raspberry sauce over top, putting the rest into a small jug for people to add to their slices as they eat.

I have to apologise the the Domestic Goddess (Nigella) here, but I am sorry but it doesn't look as pretty as my strawberry one above, but it does taste truly scrumptious.