All That I'm Eating

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

Chicken and Vegetable Pie

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Chicken and Vegetable Pie mix

This is a perfect recipe for the long Easter weekend break. It’s a celebration of Spring vegetables in the best wrapping of all…pastry. This chicken and vegetable pie is extremely versatile as you can change the vegetables depending on what is in season. It is also great for using up leftovers.

Ingredients

You will need (for one large pie to serve 4-6):

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • Knob of butter
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • Handful kale, stalks removed and leaves sliced
  • 1 small glass white wine
  • 300ml double cream
  • 1/2 chicken stock cube
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Readymade shortcrust pastry
  • 1 egg, for brushing

First of all, roast the chicken at 180C for an hour and a half or until cooked through. If you like, you can stuff half a lemon and half an onion inside the chicken before you cook it to give it extra flavour.  When the chicken is done and cooled down a little remove all the meat and set aside. I had never de-boned a chicken before and I can tell you that once you’ve done it, you’ll never look back. From now on I will always buy a whole chicken and divide it up – it’s so much cheaper. The meat just fell off and I was left with a clean pile of bones and a huge pile of chicken. Chop up the vegetables as the chicken is cooling. 

Start by frying the onion and leek in some butter until softened in a large pan. Add the chicken and fry for a few more minutes. Add the glass of wine and cook until almost completely gone and then add the cream and the chicken stock cube. Add the carrots, kale and bay leaves and season. If it is looking a little dry add some water. Leave the mixture simmering for 10 minutes or until it is as thin or thick as you like it. read more

Granny’s Millionaires Shortbread

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Melting chocolate for shortbread
When I was younger and there was a school holiday I would be with my Granny in her kitchen. We made everything together and it was almost always successful. We still make things together now and my Grandad still sits in the lounge wondering what on earth we will come out of the kitchen with next. He seems happy to be taste tester! We had decided to make millionaires shortbread because I loved it so much and still do. The shortbread went in the oven and the waiting game began as the house filled with delicious smells. We were all licking our lips. The caramel was made all golden and creamy and got spread on top of the shortbread like a blanket. We waited some more. The chocolate was melted and spooned generously out over the top. Some more waiting took place.

With the chocolate set, the kettle was on. The tea was in the pot and the milk in the cups. My Granny had had the foresight to cut the shortbread into pieces before the caramel and chocolate had set and three glorious pieces were put on a plate. 

It is a good thing that neither of my grandparents have false teeth. The hardness of that caramel would have ensured we were finding bits of false enamel in the lounge for months to come. I was at the age where loose teeth were commonplace and I’m surprised I didn’t lose them all with the first bite. We all looked at each other, somewhat relieved at the lack of shattering teeth noises and decided we would give our best efforts to the birds. Who knows how many beaks got broken.  As far as I’m concerned, if my Granny had had a caramel failure then there was no way I could be successful. She has culinary bravery that I know not. However, despite all my concerns I tried it again. 

Ingredients

You will need (for 8 pieces of Millionaire’s Shortbread):
  • 125g margarine or butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 50g cornflour
  • 150g plain flour

For the caramel

  • 100g margarine or butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1/4 small can evaporated milk

For the topping

  • 150g dark chocolate

Method 

If you want to play toffee roulette, then here’s how.  You’ll need to beat together the margarine with the caster sugar. When fluffy, sieve in the cornflour and plain flour. Bring it together how you want your shortbread to be. I like mine crumbly so I leave it like big breadcrumbs. Press into a greased tin and bake at 150C for 30-40 minutes. For the dreaded caramel, put the margarine, sugar, golden syrup and evaporated milk into a pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil, (it smells like everything good is happening in the pan) boil it for 10 minutes and do not abandon it. Stir it continuously. It doesn’t matter if the doorbell rings or the dog wants to go out because you’ll feel far worse regret from abandoning your caramel. Be careful as the mixture tends to gain volume with alarming ferociousness. After 7-8 minutes it will darken in colour and you really need to make sure it doesn’t catch at the bottom. 

Perhaps I’m taking the caramel part a little seriously but I wasn’t risking losing my precious gnashers. Spoon the caramel out onto the shortbread base and spread out with the back of the spoon.

Melt yourself some chocolate in a small bowl over some gently simmering water; I went for dark but whatever is your favourite, and pour this on top of the caramel.  read more

Smoked Trout and Potato Salad

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Local smoked trout
I have been doing many things recently that I have not done before. I recently de-boned a chicken, which I was pretty apprehensive about because it was new to me, but I am pleased to confirm it couldn’t have gone better. This recipe is another example of trying to do something I was thoroughly convinced was complicated and time consuming.  I had never previously bought a whole fish and so I bought two strikingly golden smoked trout from the farmers’ market. I wanted something light and filling and so I made a potato salad where the dressing (I suppose you’d call it) was more trout orientated. 

Ingredients

You will need (for one large bowl of salad):
  • 2 smoked trout
  • 500g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 250g crème fraîche
  • Wholegrain mustard
  • Fresh tarragon, dill and parsley
  • 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Method

I got home and I unwrapped the trout. I looked at it somewhat diffidently and with remarkable concentration. I lopped the heads off and was relieved that it was at least half complete. How do I take the skin off? By now there was a faint glisten of moisture about my brow. Due to its being gutted my life was made awfully easy. I took the bottom fin and gave it a pull. It was like peeling an orange.

I can’t tell you how simple it was. What I thought would be a right kerfuffle turned out to be one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. Once the skin was off, the meat just fell off the bone and I was left with a pile of meat and a complete pile of bones. There were a few strays that I found amidst the pile but I got the blighters. 

During my adventures with the trout, a pan full of potatoes had been merrily bubbling away in the background. Once cooked they were drained and left to cool while the dressing was made.  read more

Lamb Neck Stew

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This was so easy and really what you need when you want warming comfort food.

Ingredients

What you will need, to feed four:

2 lamb neck chops, cut in half
Plain flour
Olive oil
3 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into four or six depending on the size
6 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Fresh rosemary
6-8 small potatoes, cut in half
Stock – I used vegetable

Method

Firstly, when I bought my lamb neck it turned out that getting British lamb from the meat counter was cheaper than pre-packed New Zealand lamb. No bad thing. I did try to trim as much fat and gristle off as I could but that’s just personal preference. read more

Chocolate and Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

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I have had a request for this recipe but unfortunately I haven’t made it since I started blogging so I have no pictures to go with it! My apologies. 

Ingredients

What you will need:

220g Brioche
Butter for spreading
50g dark chocolate chips
1 egg
2 egg yolks
3 tbsp caster sugar
410g can light evaporated milk

Method

Firstly, cut the brioche into thin slices and butter each slice on one side. Place a layer of brioche (butter side down) into an ovenproof dish. Throw a few chocolate chips on the top. Carry on layering the brioche and chocolate chips and then finish with a layer of brioche.

Put the evaporated milk in a saucepan on a low heat until it just starts to simmer. While this is heating, whisk together the egg, egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture whisking all the time.

Pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread and leave it to soak in for five minutes. Press the brioche down into the milk.

Make a bain-marie for the pudding. (Get a roasting tray and put the pudding dish in. Then fill the tray with boiling water until it is halfway up the side of the dish). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas 4 for about 30 minutes or until the custard has set.

This is such a nice variation on the standard Bread and Butter pudding. It’s so satisfying to make and eat.

Enjoy!

All That I’m Eating

This recipe came from a book my Granny got me ages ago called Chocolate, it’s a great book which I use all the time! read more

Anzac Biscuits and Chocolate Nut Biscuits

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What a week! I felt like I’d earned a good baking session. The following two recipes are really easy and truly yummy.

Anzac Biscuits

Yes perhaps I am a bit premature for Anzac day but nonetheless, they are a deliciously oaty crunchy cookie.

Ingredients – makes 12-15 biscuits

What you will need: 100g rolled oats 140g plain flour 100g unrefined light brown sugar 45g flaked coconut 110g unsalted butter 2tbsp golden syrup ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1tbsp hot water

Method

Preheat your oven to 175⁰C/350⁰F/Gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with some parchment. Firstly, mix the dry ingredients together – not the bicarb.

Melt the butter and golden syrup together on a low heat. Dissolve the bicarb in the hot water and then stir this into the butter and golden syrup mixture. Mix the hot butter mix into the rest of the dry ingredients.

Put dollops of the dough onto the parchment – make sure there is room between them because these fellows expand like the foam used for house insulation. Flatten them slightly on top. read more

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