All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Caramelised Fennel and Salami Pizza

By 14 Comments

caramelised fennel and salami pizza
Does it get much better than homemade pizza? If you can get the base crispy enough that is. I have been working on my dough and tomato sauce recipe for some time and I think I have finally cracked it. I make the dough fresh then divide it up and freeze in individual bags so I can have pizza whenever. The tomato sauce is made from obscenely ripe tomatoes for richness and sweetness. Caramelised fennel and salami pizza is the best pizza topping I have tried so far!

Ingredients

You will need:

For the dough (makes enough for four pizza bases):

  • 400g strong white flour
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 sachet fast action yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 250ml warm water

For the tomato sauce (makes enough for one pizza):

  • 4 large, very ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Toppings (per pizza):

  • 1 ball mozzarella, sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb, sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • Salami

Method

Make the dough by mixing together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Pour in the olive oil then add the warm water.
Knead for 10 minutes then leave for an hour or so until doubled in size. Divide into four, you can freeze what you don’t use.

Next make the tomato sauce. Add the onion with a little olive oil to a frying pan over a low to medium heat and leave to soften for around 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more then stir in the diced tomatoes. Put a lid on the pan and leave to cook for about 10 minutes then remove the lid, turn the heat up and continue cooking until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste then blend the sauce.

Add the fennel with a good glug of olive oil to a small lidded pan and leave over a low heat for at least 30 minutes or until well softened. Stir occasionally. Remove the lid from the pan and stir in the sugar. Continue to stir until evenly coated and caramelised.

Preheat an oven to 240C. Roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface so that it fits a large baking tray. Lightly flour the baking tray and put the dough on top. read more

Pulled Pork Ribs with Carrot & Ginger Slaw

By 1 Comment

I’m often a bit slow on the uptake. Pulled food, more specifically pulled pork, has been doing the rounds for some time now and it’s not something that I had attempted. Yet. I wanted to make an Asian coleslaw that used some spring carrots (I demoed this at Eat Reading Live) but wasn’t too sure what to serve it with. It seemed an ideal time to attempt some sort of pulled pork. If, like me, you can’t be bothered with pulling anything I think this would be fantastic with some leftover roast pork or chicken in a nice soft roll. read more

Ultimate Cheese on Toast with Lea & Perrins

By 14 Comments

Cheese on toast with caramelised onions

I can’t have cheese on toast without a dribble of Worcestershire Sauce. I’ve added it to countless different meals; cottage pie, risotto and spaghetti bolognese to name a few. Lea and Perrins are working with the guys from Sorted to show different dishes you can add your Worcestershire Sauce to and I was asked to see what I could come up with.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 3-4 medium onions, finely sliced
  • 3 tbsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • Oil for cooking
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 150g strong Cheddar cheese
  • 2 thick slices bread

Method

Make the caramelised onions by getting a heavy based frying pan on a low heat and adding a drizzle of oil. 

Tip in the onions, Worcestershire Sauce, a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Leave to soften for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until sticky. read more

A Belgian Croque

By 21 Comments

belgian croque allthatimeating (1 of 2)
When I was in Bruges last year there were a few foods that cropped up on almost all of the menus: moules, frites, waffles and croques. There was one café which we went to more than once because their croques (monsieur, madame and various takes on these) were so good. It was something like €8 for one croque and salad but €10 for two croques and salad; a no brainer really. One of the croques they served was full of ham, cheese and tomato then served with a gargantuan amount of bolognaise on the top. Very handy when you want to be full for an afternoon of taking in the culture, or more accurately, beer tasting. Apparently.

ingredients

You will need (per croque):

  • 2 slices thick white bread
  • 2 slices Emmental cheese
  • 2 slices smoked ham (not wafer thin)
  • A few slices tomato
  • Cream cheese with herbs

method

Preheat a grill and toast the bread. Spread a nice thick layer of cream cheese on one slice.

Put the Emmental on the other slice. 

Top the cream cheese with the ham then the tomatoes and place both slices under the grill.

Keep the toast under the grill until the tomatoes are hot and the cheese has melted and started to bubble. 

Stick the slices together, cut up and serve.

If you have a sandwich toaster you can of course use that but sadly I don’t have one of these handy contraptions. A Corby trouser press would work equally well. read more

Luxury Leek and Potato Soup with Homemade Soda Bread

By 18 Comments

leek and potato soup topped with chives
When I was younger I didn’t much care for vegetables. The one exception to this was my regular request for ‘Mummy’s Vegetable Soup’. I had tried soup in tins, in restaurants or at other people’s houses but nothing else came close. I think the thing that fascinated me about it was that no matter what amount or combination of vegetables went in (never potato) it would always come out somewhere between green and orange and it would be just right. No stock, no cream, no cheese it was just vegetables and water. It was my Mum’s way of clearing out the fridge, feeding me vegetables (willingly!) and it was even better after a snowball fight.

Ingredients

You will need (for two big bowls of soup):
1 medium onion, sliced
£ 0.10
2 large leeks
£ 0.90
Large knob of butter
£ 0.15
2 large potatoes (around 500g)
£ 0.50
100ml double cream
£ 0.40
850ml vegetable stock
 £ 0.10
Small handful chives
 £ 0.25
Salt and pepper
£ 0.02
For the soda bread:
300g spelt flour
 £ 0.66
10g baking powder
£ 0.06
5g salt
 £ 0.01
230ml buttermilk
 £ 0.75
Total
£  3.90

method

Wash the leeks and then slice them thinly. Heat the butter in a saucepan on a low to medium heat and fry the onion and leeks for around 15 minutes until softened but not brown. Peel and dice the potato then add this to the leeks and put the lid on the pan. Leave the potatoes to soften for around 10 minutes.

Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Boil with the lid on until the potatoes are tender then add the cream and some salt and pepper. Let the soup cool down before blending the soup until smooth. Return to the pan to warm through and then chop up the chives and use them to top the soup. read more

Baked Vacherin Mont D’or with Rosemary Flatbreads

By 15 Comments

garlic baked camembert with rosemary flatbreads allthatimeating (1 of 3)
I do like a bit of cheese. Sometimes it’s best with crackers and pickles, sometimes it’s best melted onto or into something but then there are those times where you bake a whole cheese and then spoon it all out, all runny and lovely, mostly into your mouth and somewhat on the table. I’m not sure why I associate a Vacherin Mont D’or with Christmas but it doesn’t get much better than warm, melted, faintly garlicky cheese scooped out with delicious homemade (and quick) bread.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):
1 Vacherin Mont D’or (or Camembert)
1 clove garlic

250g strong white bread flour
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
60ml extra virgin olive oil
100ml water

Method

Mix together the flour, salt and rosemary. Mix in the olive oil and water. Using your hands, bring it all together into a ball then knead on a floured surface for a few minutes. Set it to one side for a few minutes more.

Preheat an oven to 200C. Slice the garlic and then cut slits in the top of the cheese. Put the slices of garlic into the cheese and then put into the oven for around 10 minutes. read more

Caribbean Spicy Bean Burgers with Pineapple Chilli Sauce

By 22 Comments

caribbean spicy bean burger
I have been thinking for a while about posting some ‘themed’ recipes on here. The food I eat at home is rarely expensive so I know that almost everything I cook is reasonably priced. This means I can then buy the organic or free range versions of ingredients without breaking the bank. Most of the reason I eat cheaply is because I mostly cook vegetable based meals. If I do have meat I use cheap cuts, or less of it, but I do very occasionally have a fillet steak blowout. A new outlook for me recently is that humble doesn’t have to be hum drum. Hence the first in a new series of blog posts which coincide with my new Saturday morning radio slot on BBC Radio Berkshire (very excited!) where I will create tasty, easy recipes to feed 4 people for £6 or less. First up, these Caribbean spicy bean burgers.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):

For the burgers –
2x 400g cans of mixed beans, drained £1.58
50g breadcrumbs £0.30
2 tsp ground allspice £0.10
Few sprigs thyme, leaves only £0.10
1 egg £0.35
3 spring onions, sliced £0.35
Salt and pepper £0.02
For the pinepple sauce –
1x 227g canned, chopped pineapple in juice £0.43
125g caster sugar £0.19
175ml water £0.00
4 tbsp white wine vinegar £0.18
2 garlic cloves, crushed £0.05
1/2 scotch bonnet chilli, roughly chopped £0.08
2 tsp cornflour £0.03
Salt and pepper £0.02
4 crusty white rolls £1.20
Total £4.98

Method

Put the drained beans into a large bowl and roughly crush them with a masher or the back of a spoon.
Add all the remaining burger ingredients, except the egg, and thoroughly mix together.
Taste the mixture to check the seasoning and when you are happy crack in the egg, mix well and then form into burger shapes.
Put to one side while you make the pineapple sauce.

Drain the pineapple and then put into a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients except the cornflour.
Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for around five minutes.
Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a paste and then mix this into the sauce.
Bring the mixture back to the boil then remove from the heat.
Blend the pineapple sauce until mostly smooth but with some pineapple chunks still left.
Put to one side to cool down. read more

Beetroot Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Goat’s Cheese Giant Crostini

By 22 Comments

beetroot gratin
I was first introduced to beetroot in its pickled form. This was many years ago and I still enjoy a well vinegared beetroot very much. The first time I tried fresh beetroot I didn’t like it; it was too earthy and nowhere near as acidic enough as I was used to. However my feelings towards this most purple of roots have changed over time and now it’s one of my favourite vegetables. I like to think of this beetroot gratin as a celebration of beetroot; an impressive purple plate of pleasure.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 500g beetroot
  • Butter, for greasing
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 head garlic
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Ciabatta
  • 150g soft goat’s cheese
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by peeling and thinly slicing the beetroot. In my experience it’s not a good idea to wear anything that you don’t want turning pink. Preheat an oven to 180C.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and layer up the beetroot adding a little chopped garlic, salt and pepper between each layer. Finish with a layer of beetroot. 

Mix together the cream and the milk, pour this over the beetroot then place in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

While the gratin is cooking take the head of garlic and slice off about the top fifth so that the inside cloves are exposed. Peel off any excess papery skin but leave enough to hold the head together. Place the head on some foil and drizzle over a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Wrap the head up in the foil and roast for around 30 minutes in the oven. Check that the garlic is cooked by trying to squeeze the cloves out of their skins; they should pop out easily. Wait for the garlic to cool down a little before squeezing out all of the cloves and mashing with some more olive oil and salt and pepper to form a paste. read more

Banoffee and Chocolate Chelsea Buns

By 23 Comments

Banoffee and chocolate Chelsea buns
Have you ever had one of those days where a banana keeps looking at you? You keep seeing it out of the corner of your eye knowing it’s getting riper by the second but you just don’t feel like eating it. Everyone likes their bananas differently; some like them green and leaving that funny feeling in your mouth and others like them bruised and brown. I am on the green team; as soon as there’s a speck of brown on the banana skin I can’t stand it. But what do you do with that slightly brown banana that keeps winking at you? I hate to waste food and so I devised these Banoffee and Chocolate Chelsea buns, or as I like to call them: Chanoffee Buns. You will need: 500g strong white bread flour 50g caster sugar 1 x 7g sachet fast action yeast 200ml milk, warmed 50g unsalted butter, very soft and in cubes 1 egg 1 can dulce de leche (you won’t need the whole can) 1 ripe banana 50g dark chocolate chips

I have wanted to try making an enriched dough for a while so this was a perfect excuse. Mix together the flour, caster sugar and yeast in a bowl or mixer. Make a well in the centre and add the warm milk, egg and butter. Turn the mixer on or start to mix with your hands. Once mixed, knead the dough until it is nice and stretchy. Cover and leave in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knock some of the air out. Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out into a long rectangle. As you can see from the above picture an actual rectangle was hard for me to achieve but a bit of a jaunty angle here and there never harmed anyone. Spread a few spoons of the dulche de leche along the bottom two thirds of the long edge of the dough. Take half the banana and squeeze this onto the caramel towards the bottom edge of the dough. Top with half the chocolate chips.  read more

Ploughman’s; is there a better luncheon?

By 29 Comments

On a cold winter’s day after having the wind whip around your face for a few hours it is essential to come back to a fantastic lunch. Perhaps a bowl of warm soup and crusty bread, maybe a lovely pasty or pie. For me, there is no better lunch than a ploughman’s. I’m not sure why it’s called as such but I’m guessing it’s something to do with ploughing. Which, incidentally I have tried my hand at before and it’s safe to say I won’t be quitting my day job. read more


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