All That I'm Eating

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

Salmon Nicoise Quiche

By 6 Comments

This quiche is full of vegetables and that is a great way to disguise the fact it’s actually got double carbs in. Potatoes AND pastry; who doesn’t love that? My salmon nicoise quiche is a great way to take leftovers to another level. I made the nicoise salad, so everything was prepped and cooked, and then assembled the quiche the next day. Served alongside some mustard flecked dressed lettuce, this is a perfect lunch for me.

Delicious served warm from the oven you can slice this nicoise quiche into portions and freeze them individually, ready to be defrosted and warmed up another day. read more

Smoked Salmon and Broccoli Quiche

By 29 Comments

I used to think of quiche as a dull, beige pastry which got wheeled out from old cookery books from time to time and no one was particularly fussed about it. Turns out I was wrong. It’s a most excellent pastry. I cooked my smoked salmon and broccoli quiche a few weeks ago, divided it up and froze it in wedges. Now I’m working from home I love to have something interesting for lunch. When it’s quiche day, it’s the best day of the week.

The freshness of the broccoli and spinach combined with the flavourful smoked salmon is a winning combination. It feels rather luxurious to have it for lunch. read more

Rainbow Carrot Tart with Summer Herbs and Goat’s Cheese

By 26 Comments

I often get left with carrots at the bottom of the fridge. They play an overlooked, but important, base in so many meals: part of a mirepoix, in casseroles and in pies to name a few. Rarely, in my kitchen anyway, do the carrots get to be the star of the dish. So when some beautiful rainbow carrots arrived in the veg box it would have been rude to simply chuck them into various dinners. This time, I wanted to celebrate this lovely root in a rainbow carrot tart with summer herbs and goat’s cheese. A seasonal halfway tart if you will; one that is both full of summer flavours and the anticipation of autumn. read more

Mini Toffee Pear Pies

By 15 Comments

pears for making pies

I think pears are annoying. Lovely, but annoying. They sit around in the fruit bowl looking all delicious and they’re never ripe. Then, when one is ready to eat the rest immediately go ripe too and then you have to eat them all at once. Well I’m not standing for it any longer, I decided that I would use the pears while they are under ripe so I can enjoy them while waiting for the others to ripen. The word ripe has lost all meaning. These mini toffee pear pies are made from surprisingly few ingredients (if you buy readymade pastry) and are just perfect for celebrating the pear in all its I’m-never-quite-ready-ok-now-I’m-too-ready glory.

Ingredients

You will need (for 12 mini pies):

  • 6-7 medium pears, just under ripe is ideal (alternatively you could use some sharp apples)
  • 75g salted butter
  • 2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
  • Zest 1 lemon
  • 1 sheet readymade and rolled shortcrust pastry
  • Milk for brushing
  • Caster sugar

Method

Start by making the pie filling. Chop the pears up into small chunks and get a frying pan on a low/medium heat.

Add the butter and the sugar to the frying pan and leave to soften and mix together. Once you have a lovely, dark brown, smooth sauce tip the pears in and continue to cook for a few minutes so that the pears get well covered and the sauce thickens. Add the lemon zest. Put to one side to cool.

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to make it around half as big again. You will need two fluted pastry cutters: one 8.5cm and one 6cm.

Lightly grease a 12 hole cupcake tin.

Cut out 12 circles of pastry with the larger cutter and put these into the holes in the cupcake tin. Re-roll the pastry and cut out 12 circles with the 6cm cutter.

Preheat an oven to 180C.

Spoon the cooled pear mixture into each pastry case, top up each mini pie with any leftover caramel sauce.

Brush the edge of the pastry cases lightly with milk and then put the smaller pastry circles on top. Seal with your fingers or a fork. Brush the tops of the pies with a little more milk, add a small steam hole in the top of each pie with a sharp knife, then sprinkle with a little caster sugar.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

I served a few of them warm, straight from the oven with a drizzle of double cream. What a little piece of loveliness that was. The fruit inside is soft and slightly sharp, the toffee sauce has bubbled up onto the pastry and made a sticky, sweet edge and the pastry is warm and crisp. Adding the lemon prevents the pie from being overly sweet. These would be perfect to take on a picnic or to nibble on for bonfire night. Alternatively, and this is quite a niche suggestion, if you have a log burner, pop a couple of pies on a piece of foil on top of the burner and wait for them to get warmed through before serving with ice cream.

Smoked Cheddar and Pickled Onion Turnovers

By 15 Comments

Smoked Cheddar and Pickled Onion Turnovers

There’s something you need to know about these turnovers. Although they are most excellent for using up leftovers they are more than worth baking up in their own right. Am I the only one who couldn’t say no if offered Smoked Cheddar and Pickled Onion Turnovers? Didn’t think so. Perfect for using up roast or mashed potatoes, pickled onions or chutneys and whatever hunk of cheese you have lying around. Completely versatile and a little bit too tasty to believe you can knock them up out of some odds and ends.

Ingredients

You will need (for four turnovers):

For the pastry

  • 100g butter, frozen
  • 200g plain flour
  • Few tbsp cold water
  • Salt
  • 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)

For the filling

  • 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
  • 4 small/medium pickled onions, sliced
  • 125g smoked cheddar, grated
  • Salt and pepper
  • 50ml double cream

Method

The recipe below is as if you were making them completely from scratch. You can of course skip the potato cooking part if you have leftover potatoes.

This method for pastry is such a quick and easy way of making some delicate flaky pastry. Well worth a try.

Grate the butter into the flour then work the butter through the flour until you have breadcrumbs. This will be quite quick to do thanks to grating the butter in.

Add a few spoons of cold water to the flour mix to bring the pastry together. Knead the dough quickly then refrigerate for around half an hour.

While the pastry is chilling cook the potato in salted boiling water for 5-7 minutes until cooked. Drain the potatoes then leave to cool.

Mix the potatoes, sliced onions, cheese and cream with a little salt and plenty of pepper.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and divide into four. Roll each piece out on a floured surface until roughly the size of a side plate.

Divide the cheese mix between the pastry and pile it up across the middle. Brush a little egg onto one side of the pastry then fold the pastry over to encase the filling and press the two sides together.

Place the turnovers onto greaseproof paper and brush with extra egg. Make a little hole in the top of each one.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 40-45 minutes.

I would go so far as to say I achieved some layers in that pastry and there wasn’t a soggy bottom in sight. This is all of my favourite things wrapped up in pastry: sweet and sharp pickled onions, smoky and salty Cheddar and the potato and cream marry everything together like a little parcel of perfection. I love how rustic they look after baking with bits of cheese bubbling out all over the top. I made just four of these; you’d be wise to make at least double that.

Spinach and Cheese Vegetarian Sausage Rolls with The Laughing Cow

By 11 Comments

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls finished

Hang on, a sausage roll that doesn’t have any sausage in it? Correct. I absolutely love a proper sausage roll; when the juices run out of it and caramelise under the flaky pastry. To pack a picnic with a couple of sausage rolls and a flask of tea is to pack a fine picnic as far as I’m concerned. So what’s with this vegetarian creation? My reasons are threefold: firstly, at this time of year I need pastry; secondly, I love spinach and particularly spanakopita and thirdly I wondered what a vegetable ‘sausage’ roll would be like.

Turns out they’re rather excellent. I used Laughing Cow Extra Light cheese for this recipe as it’s really good to cook with and gives a nice creamy texture and flavour to the finished rolls.

You will need (for 16 mini rolls):

  • 200g bag spinach
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed (or 1 tsp ready chopped)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 pack (140g) Laughing Cow Extra Light Cheese Triangles
  • 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • Nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp Parmesan, grated
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
  • Milk for brushing

Get a large frying pan on a medium heat (I find a wok works a treat) and add the spinach with a splash of water. Cook the spinach until wilted then remove and squeeze as much water out as possible. Put to one side to cool.

While the spinach cools return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and fry for around 10 minutes until softened, add the garlic for the last two minutes of cooking. Once soft add to the spinach.

Remove the cheese triangles from their packaging (surprisingly satisfying) and add to the spinach with the coriander, breadcrumbs, egg and Parmesan. Grate in a little nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Mix it all together well.

Preheat an oven to 200C and line a baking tray (or two) with baking paper.

Cut the pastry sheet in half lengthways and then spread half the spinach mix along one length leaving a gap all the way along. Pull one side of the pastry tightly over the spinach mix, press down onto the other side and squeeze the pastry together with your fingers.

Repeat for the other length of pastry then cut each length into eight. Place onto the lined baking tray and brush each one with milk.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from the oven and baking paper and leave to cool.

I made these on a Sunday, using up a few bits and bobs from the kitchen as I went, and took them to work for lunch over the next few days. What a nice change to a sandwich. I devised this recipe to use a whole bag of spinach because having half a bag of spinach in the fridge is downright annoying and I wanted to use up a few other things I had; an end of Parmesan, some coriander, breadcrumbs and nutmeg. They’re certainly not traditional spanakopita, I like to think of them as bitesize spinach-and-cheese treats, but they’re tasty, filling and great for lunch slightly warm and served with a tomato salad.

This is a sponsored post and I was reimbursed for my time and ingredients. All opinions and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

Blood Orange Tart with Caramelised Blood Oranges

By 11 Comments

Blood Orange Tart topped with caramelised blood orange slices

I absolutely love blood oranges for several reasons: firstly they are just so pretty it’s hard not to like them, secondly as they are in season in January they are a welcome citrusy start to the year and thirdly I love squeezing a big bowl full to make my own pink juice. I wanted to make something to show off blood oranges at their best and I’ve fancied my hand at a tart au citron for a while. So I thought a sort of blood orange tart (or tart au blood orange) topped with caramelised blood oranges would be pretty tasty.

You will need (for a 20cm tart):

For the pastry –

  • 220g plain flour
  • 120g butter (I used salted)
  • Cold water

For the filling –

  • 5 eggs
  • 150ml double cream
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 100ml blood orange juice (no bits)
  • Zest 1 blood orange

For the caramelised oranges –

  • 1 blood orange, sliced, pips removed
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 4tbsp water

Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb texture then bring the mixture together into a dough using a little cold water.

Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface then roll out and line a 20cm tart tin.

Cut or roll off the excess and prick the base with a fork.

Line the pastry with some greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans.

Place into a preheated oven at 160C onto a hot baking tray. Bake for around 15 minutes or until almost dry then remove the baking beans and put back into the oven for another 10 minutes or until the case is golden brown and dry.

Make the filling by whisking together the orange juice, cream, sugar, eggs and zest together.

Pour the filling mix into the tart case then return to the oven for 30-35 minutes or until there’s just a little wobble left in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

When the tart is cool, make the caramelised blood oranges. Add the water and sugar to a large frying pan on a low heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat until the syrup is simmering then add the blood orange slices and simmer for around 10 minutes or until softened and glazed. Use to top the tart.

I made this on a Saturday evening to have after a pretty healthy dinner (I have to make up for the calories somehow) and it was just right. The blood oranges give such a lovely delicate flavour to the filling, the slight saltiness from the pastry and the sweet, sharp, citrus oranges on top made for a pretty perfect pudding. It also lasted quite well and the pastry stayed crisp even after being in the fridge overnight. I find the flavour of orange can get a bit lost in some cooking, but with this, it’s all about the orange.

Leek, Cheese and Potato Pie

By 16 Comments

cheese potato and leek pie ready to serve

I like pastry. I also like cheese and I would happily barge anyone out of the way to get my hands on a cheese, onion and potato pasty. The perfect combination of cheese, potato, onion and pastry can be hard to find and I like chunks of potato and onion not a mush; so I thought I’d best go about making my own version so I can make it just right. It’s also British Pie Week next week so the timing of my pie baking is ideal.

Ingredients

 You will need (for a pie for four):
1 medium potato, peeled and in small cubes
 £0.20
1 large leek, finely sliced
 £0.50
1 tbsp plain flour
 £0.02
75ml milk
 £0.05
125g strong cheddar cheese, grated
 £1.00
Small handful chopped chives
 £0.20
Salt and pepper
 £0.02
Small knob of butter plus extra for greasing
 £0.10
Milk for brushing
 £0.02
Readymade and rolled shortcrust pastry
 £1.50
Total
 £3.61

Method

Boil the potatoes and cook for 7-10 minutes or until tender then drain and put to one side. read more

Granny’s Sage, Chestnut, Apple and Onion Stuffing for Sausage Rolls

By 16 Comments

A few years ago a friend of mine bought me one of those blank cookery books that you write up your recipes in over time. I had always cooked with my Granny and this seemed the perfect place for her to store some of her recipes for me to refer to in the future. One of the recipes she included was one for Sage, Chestnut, Apple and Onion stuffing which had a rather festive feel to it. She had also included a recipe for sausage rolls a few pages along so it seemed right to merge these two recipes together and create ‘Granny’s Sage, Chestnut, Apple and Onion Stuffing for Sausage Rolls’. read more

Outrageously Orange Mince Pies

By 14 Comments

Confession time. I’m not a great fan of mincemeat. It’s just a bit too strong for me. Having said that I am a big fan of the mince pie; so long as there’s more pastry than mince. To mellow the minciness of these mince pies I have mixed the mincemeat half and half with marmalade. There’s also some orange zest in the pastry to give them a real citrus zing. I think if someone had given me this less intense mince pie as a child I would have been more inclined to eat the whole thing rather than just the pastry. read more

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