All That I'm Eating

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

Peach and Cherry Crumble

By 20 Comments

Whenever peaches are in season I always plan to cook something with them. More often than not though I just end up eating the peaches from the fruit bowl because they’re irresistible. Not this time! My peach and cherry crumble is so deliciously summery and the colour of the fruit once it’s baked is divine. I’m so glad some of the peaches survived to make this crumble.

The delicate white flesh of the peaches combines so well with the vibrant red of the cherries. As the fruit was really ripe I only added a small amount of honey as that’s all it needed. Don’t skimp on the lemon, it brings a much needed sharpness to the crumble. We enjoyed this as it is but it would be even better with a dribble of double cream. read more

Green Summer Vegetable Lasagne

By 19 Comments

It is important to note that this recipe is not shy on calories. There’s cheese, double cream, lashings of olive oil, layers of pasta and plenty of veg. My green summer vegetable lasagne is quicker to make than a traditional lasagne (there’s no baking) and you can use the sauce with any pasta if you so choose. I like to think that all that green veg negates the calories and I happily ploughed through a whole plate of this. Bear in mind, I am very greedy and although the recipe below says it’s for two, it would definitely stretch to three or four! read more

Simple BBQ Sides

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Simple BBQ Sides

We bought our first ever BBQ this year. Not knowing how much it might get used we went for a basic entry level one which has been great, and it’s getting used at least once a week at the moment. When the BBQ is on I like to be outside, nice cold drink in hand, to watch everything cooking. That’s why these simple BBQ sides are my go to recipes whenever we’re cooking al fresco. I can make them quickly in the kitchen so they are ready to go once the hot food is ready.

Mustard Pickled Cucumber

You will need (for two as a side):

  • 1 small or half a large cucumber
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 generous tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Black pepper

Peel the cucumber into strips using a vegetable peeler and put to one side. You could salt the cucumber if you wanted to, I have tried salting it and leaving it to drain then squeezing the water out but I don’t think it really makes much difference for this.

Put the vinegar, salt and sugar into a small bowl and whisk together. Add the mustard and give it another quick mix.

Pour in the oil and whisk until all the ingredients are combined; a big whisk and a small bowl are helpful for this.

Check the seasoning, add a little black pepper and then pour the dressing over the cucumber.

Variation

If you add a little dill to this mix with some very thinly sliced onion is makes a great Scandi inspired side.

Balsamic and Herb Tomatoes

You will need (for two as a side):

  • Large handful really ripe cherry tomatoes
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Black pepper

Start by halving all the tomatoes and putting them into a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt, mix it all together well and then leave for 10-15 minutes.

Add all the other ingredients and mix together well.

The reason I add the salt first is because it takes a little of the excess water out of the tomatoes which is delicious for two reasons: firstly it helps intensify the tomato flavour and secondly, you’re left with the tomato juice, oil, herbs and vinegar at the bottom of the bowl which is just asking to be mopped up with some bread.

Variation

I love adding avocado, torn mozzarella and loads of fresh basil to this. It’s also great if you roast this mix in the oven for 20 minutes if you want something hot.

Classic Potato Salad

You will need (for two as a side):

  • 400-500g potatoes, any will do but new potatoes (especially Jersey Royals) are best
  • 4-5 spring onions, ends removed and finely sliced
  • 3-4 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper

    • read more

    Aubergine and Ricotta Gnocchi Bake

    By 10 Comments

    aubergine and ricotta gnocchi bake

    What’s that? More aubergines? Yes actually, and I make no apologies because this Aubergine and Ricotta Gnocchi Bake is so good that I think we can all forgive if I’ve been a little heavy on the aubergine recipes of late. The key to this dish comes down to two things. Firstly, the aubergine has to be fried beautifully to make sure it’s soft, silky and golden brown. Secondly, adding a handful of cherry tomatoes really transforms the tomato base as it adds a wonderful freshness and sweetness. This is such a delicious vegetarian dish and one that feels at home as much now, in the summer, as it would in the autumn.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 2 medium aubergines, cut into length slices, then halved and chopped into finger sized pieces
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped
    • Olive oil for cooking
    • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
    • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
    • Handful really ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 200g ricotta cheese
    • Pinch sugar
    • Few sprigs fresh basil and oregano, roughly chopped
    • Salt and pepper
    • Parmesan cheese

    Method

    Get a large frying pan on a medium heat and add a little oil, you need enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Add the aubergine and fry until golden brown and soft. You may need to do this in batches depending on how much aubergine you have and how big your pan is. Once the aubergine is done place it on some kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.

    Add a little more oil to the pan and add the onion. Fry for around 10 minutes before adding the garlic. Continue to fry for a few more minutes then tip in the chopped and cherry tomatoes.

    Bring the tomato mixture to a simmer and continue to simmer until it’s reduced by around a third then add the sugar, salt and pepper, basil and oregano.

    Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi according to pack instructions; but drain them around 30 seconds before the pack says to. The gnocchi will continue to cook in the oven.

    Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and stir in the ricotta and aubergine.

    Drain the gnocchi and add to the tomato and aubergine mix, stir everything together well and then put into an oven proof dish. Grate over a little Parmesan.

    Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for around 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.

    You could definitely try using any shape of pasta rather than gnocchi if you wanted to.  I know you shouldn’t really cook with basil but I actually like the way the leaves wilt and give their subtle flavour over to the sauce once they are cooked. It’s great to dive into this dish and get a forkful of everything: sticky gnocchi, soft aubergine, creamy ricotta, a chunk of tomato, a bit of basil and a bit of punch from the Parmesan. I don’t think a few slices of fried courgette would go amiss either.

    Strawberry, Basil and Shortbread Mess

    By 11 Comments

    strawberry and basil mess

    When there’s strawberries in the house that’s how I know it’s summer. I never eat them out of season; I feel like it’s worth the wait to abstain from eating strawberries for nine or ten months of the year and then gorge on them from late May until they disappear again. Mostly I just eat them as they are but sometimes I like to make something a little more interesting. This Strawberry, Basil and Shortbread Mess is exactly that. Something that doesn’t take long to make but turns a weekday evening into something a little more special. And it does look rather lovely if I do say so myself.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two small puddings):

    • 1 shortbread wedge – see recipe below
    • Handful very ripe strawberries
    • 100ml double cream
    • Few sprigs fresh basil

    For the shortbread:

    • 225g salted butter
    • 100g sugar
    • 275g plain flour
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Method

    There are two ways of making this. The first, and the best in my opinion, is to make your own shortbread. The second is to use some shop bought shortbread or other biscuits.

    To make the shortbread grease a 20cm tin with a little butter. I used a round one for this but I have used a square one for the same recipe, it just needs a slightly shorter cooking time.

    Beat the butter until pale and creamy then add the sugar and vanilla and beat again until very pale, smooth and creamy.

    Add the flour to the bowl and gently mix it in.

    Tip the dough into the tin and then press it down with the back of a spoon. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork and mark into wedges.

    Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for an hour or so or until the shortbread is golden brown.

    Leave to cool and then re-mark the lines for the wedges before leaving to cool completely and then removing from the tin.

    Marking and then re-marking the wedges will make it much easier to cut into pieces when you take it out of the tin.

    Whip the cream until you have soft peaks. Finely chop three or four big strawberries and some of the basil leaves and then stir this through the whipped cream.

    Divide the cream into two glasses or bowls then add some slices strawberries, crumbled shortbread and a little more basil.

    Strawberry and basil is one of my favourite flavour combinations; I love the sweetness of the berries with the aromatic flavour of the soft basil. There’s just a small amount of cream in this, it would be a little heavy otherwise. The buttery, crumbly shortbread adds a fantastic texture to this little pudding and it would work really well with other summer fruits too. Trying different biscuits is certainly something I’ll be trying too! And if you’re after some more really easy strawberry recipes you can find some here!

    Creamy Bacon, Spinach and Pea Pasta

    By 11 Comments

    pea, bacon and spinach pasta

    This is a recipe I have actually made and eaten in a few different guises. Once I added the same ingredients but made it into a macaroni cheese, another time I added similar ingredients and had a cold pasta salad. My creamy bacon, spinach and pea pasta is a real favourite in our house for two reasons: we almost always have all the ingredients, and it’s cheap and quick to make. I don’t know what it is about peas and pasta but I love the combination of silky, smooth pasta and squeaky peas. With so many things going on at the moment, the World Cup, Wimbledon about to start, this excellent weather and doing up the house anything that takes less than half an hour to make is my best friend.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two people):

    • Olive oil for cooking
    • 1/2 mug frozen peas
    • 2 nuggets frozen chopped spinach
    • 100g (ish) smoked bacon lardons or pancetta
    • 300g crème fraîche
    • 150g pasta
    • Salt and pepper
    • Parmesan to serve

    Method

    Add a little olive oil into a frying pan and add the bacon. Fry over a low heat until the fat starts to melt out of the bacon.

    While the bacon is frying bring a large pan of salted water up to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions.

    Turn the heat up on the bacon so it turns brown and crispy then add the peas and spinach. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes and break the spinach down with a wooden spoon. Stir the crème fraîche into the pea mixture then bring to a gentle simmer.

    Drain the pasta reserving a small amount of cooking water.

    Add a little salt and plenty of pepper to the peas and bacon before mixing with the pasta and cooking water to make a smooth sauce.

    Top with grated Parmesan before serving.

    If you haven’t tried frozen spinach it is such a great ingredient. I chuck it in everything from sauces to soups and pestos. Fresh spinach would be delicious to use and if any arrives in the veg box I would definitely use that instead; just wilt it first, squeeze out the moisture and roughly chop before adding in. Salty, smoky bacon with sweet peas, earthy spinach, pasta and a sharp creamy sauce is such a great combination. I think I’ll try stirring this mixture, without the crème fraîche, through a risotto soon too.

    Moroccan Style Fish and Chips with Young’s

    By 17 Comments

    Moroccan Style Fish and Chips with Young's

    Who doesn’t love fish and chips? That classic British seaside dish, everyone has their favourite sauce or side to go with it; curry sauce, mushy peas, simple salt and vinegar or a good spoonful of tartare sauce. I’m a mushy peas and tartare sauce person I have to admit. When I started thinking about this recipe I wanted to make sure I kept the elements I love about those two sides but add in some influences from somewhere else. For my Moroccan Style Fish and Chips I’m using Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets, did you know they are the Nation’s favourite? This recipe is perfect for adding a bit of spice to a classic dish and it’s so easy to cook.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two people):

    1 pack of Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets (these are made from sustainably sourced 100% white flaky cod fillets)

    For the chips

    • 800g potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
    • 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
    • 1 ½ tbsp ras-el-hanout
    • Salt and pepper

    For the mushy peas

    • 400g frozen peas
    • 1 tbsp butter
    • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
    • Small handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
    • 1 small preserved lemon, finely chopped

    For the harissa mayo

    • 3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
    • 1 tbsp harissa paste

    Method

    Put the potatoes into a pan and cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes and then drain well.

    Preheat an oven to 200C.

    Drizzle the oil over the potatoes then add the ras-el-hanout and some salt and pepper and mix everything together well. Tip onto a baking tray and roast for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

    Add the Young’s Chip Shop fillets to the oven 15 minutes after the chips. Place the fillets on a wire rack over a deep baking tray and then pop in the oven for 22 minutes.

    While the wedges are cooking make the mushy peas. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and tip the peas in. Bring the pan back to the boil and cook the peas for 2-3 minutes then drain.

    Mash the peas with the coriander, mint, butter, preserved lemons and a little black pepper. Keep mashing if you want it really smooth, or leave it a little chunky.

    Simply stir the harissa paste through the mayonnaise and serve.

    I really liked the method for cooking the cod; it means that it goes crispy on both sides so you get a proper crunch from Young’s unique, crisp, bubbly batter. The cod inside flakes apart really nicely and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets are only 243 calories per fillet. If you’d like to recreate the authentic taste of the chippy at home, take a look at the video above, Young’s have partnered with Ruth Langsford to create some recipes to try at home. The flavours in my Moroccan Style Fish and Chips are really vibrant and the different textures from all the elements of the dish bring everything together perfectly.

    The preserved lemons in the mushy peas have a very similar salty piquancy to capers so the mushy peas take pride of place where tartare sauce normally would; adding the mint and coriander too brings a fantastic freshness. The ras-el-hanout gives the wedges a wonderful warmth and when they’re cooking in the oven the smell is amazing. Mixing up the harissa mayonnaise is so simple and so full of flavour, just add a bit less harissa if you don’t want it as hot. Load up your fork with crispy coated cod, sweet and savoury mushy peas and a good dollop of spicy harissa mayo, it is such a delicious combination.

    This is a featured post and I was reimbursed by Young’s for my time and ingredients. All opinions and words are (as always) my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

    Rosemary and Garlic Butter Halloumi

    By 20 Comments

    rosemary and garlic halloumi with roasted veg

    Say the word halloumi around other people and pretty much all of them will say, “I love halloumi” and then lick their lips. Well, I count myself as one of those people and I’ve got news for you. Rosemary and garlic butter halloumi takes your squeaky cheese to a whole other glorious level. Let’s be frank, shove some garlic butter on anything and it’s instantly better. Note – ‘anything’ does not include bruises or grazes, missing wall or floor grout or use as shampoo and face cream; shoving garlic butter in any of those places will be of no help to you whatsoever. Delicious, full fat, dripping in butter, full of flavour is what we’re looking for here, those of a healthy disposition look away now.

    Ingredients

    You will need for two (yes, I am that greedy):

    • A big knob of salted butter
    • 2 large garlic cloves
    • 1 halloumi block, sliced
    • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

    Method

    Put the butter into a small bowl and crush the garlic in. Beat the garlic into the butter so it’s evenly distributed; I find this helps the garlic flavour to be more consistent.

    Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle on a medium heat and add the halloumi and rosemary. Dry fry until lightly golden on one side then flip the halloumi over.

    Once the halloumi is lightly golden on the other side add the garlic butter and mix everything together so all the cheese gets well coated. Don’t worry if the cheese breaks up a bit at this stage.

    Serve with salad, or as I did, with some rosemary roasted vegetables.

    Adding the rosemary to the halloumi while it fries means the rosemary flavour infuses really well but stays quite subtle. The salty halloumi and salted butter make for quite a sodium heavy meal so you won’t need to add any salt to whatever you serve it with. The roasted veg mix I served it with (courgette, onion and pepper) was a really lovely sweet flavour to have alongside the garlicky buttery halloumi. If you thought halloumi couldn’t get any better, just wait until you try this.

    Batch Cooking Pizzas

    By 20 Comments

    pizza dough ready for freezer

    When I make pizza there are no shortcuts. Making it all from scratch from fresh ingredients does take a little longer but it is so worth it, and, good news, batch cooking pizzas is so easy and they freeze really well. Most of the pizza preparation time is waiting for the dough to prove or the sauce to reduce so you can mostly leave it to itself and then reap the rewards in the weeks to come. Coming home and knowing that dinner will be ready in 20 minutes is even better when you know it’s a fantastic homemade pizza.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for 6-8 pizzas worth):

    For the pizza dough:

    1kg strong white bread flour
    14g fast action yeast
    2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    600ml warm water
    1 tbsp sugar
    2 tsp salt

    For the tomato sauce:

    1 kg fresh tomatoes
    1 small onion, finely diced
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    Olive oil
    Salt and pepper
    Small handful fresh basil, roughly chopped

    Toppings of your choice

    Method

    Part of the reason this is so easy is because I chuck everything into my mixer and leave it to do the hard work for me, but, if you’re so inclined you can make it by hand.

    Put all of the dough ingredients, apart from the water, into the mixer bowl and give everything a quick stir together. Get the mixer on a low speed and slowly add the water. Keep mixing until combined then increase the speed to knead the dough for five minutes.

    Leave the dough in the bowl covered with a damp tea towel and put aside for an hour until risen.

    While you are waiting for the dough start making the tomato sauce. Add the onion and a splash of oil to a saucepan on a low heat and leave the onion to soften, stirring from time to time, for 15 minutes.

    Chop the tomatoes roughly and remove as many seeds as you can, don’t worry if a few slip through.

    Add the garlic to the pan and leave to cook for a few minutes then tip in the tomatoes. Stir everything together well then leave the pan, lid partly on, to simmer for half an hour. Stir occasionally.

    Once the sauce has reduced by about a third, add the salt, pepper and basil and then leave the lid off for the sauce to cool.

    Turn the pizza dough out onto a floured surface and knock it back. Divide into six or eight, depending on how big you would like your finished pizzas.

    Put the dough into freezer bags and divide the tomato sauce up into bags or pots too and pop into the freezer.

    I always leave some dough and sauce out so I can make a pizza straight away; it smells too good not to.

    Pre-heat an oven to 220C. Lightly oil a large baking tray.

    Roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface until it’s the right size for your baking tray. Square, rectangle, round, they all taste the same!

    Put the dough onto the baking tray, spread over the tomato sauce and then add your toppings. My most recent topping was mozzarella, speck and mushrooms and you can add whatever you like.

    Put the pizza on a high shelf in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden and the cheese is bubbling.

    I made this most recent batch of tomato sauce using red and orange tomatoes; the orange ones added such a sweetness to the sauce and the red ones a real depth of flavour. This tomato sauce also makes excellent sauce for pasta too and I’ve used it for Bolognese in the past. Proper homemade pizzas do take some beating, I love that I know exactly what’s in them and you can add as much or as little of the toppings as you like. The dough is best defrosted in the fridge the morning before you want to eat it in the evening and once the dough and sauce are done it takes no time at all to throw it together.

    Tomato Baked Feta

    By 17 Comments

    chilli and tomato baked feta

    Feta’s not just for salads you know. I enjoyed something similar to this tomato baked feta while in Greece a few years ago; I needed to try and make it at home. I have previously posted about some Greek inspired feta and tomato spaghetti (which is delicious by the way) and the key to both of those dishes is using the best tomatoes and feta you can get your hands on. In this case it’s also about baking the tomatoes perfectly; not too hot so that they dry out and not too cool so that they turn into mush.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for the cheesiest sharing dinner for two):

    • 250g ripe tomatoes, halved
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 block feta cheese
    • 1/2 green chilli, sliced
    • 1 tsp dried oregano (if you have fresh, all the better)

    Method

    Preheat an oven to 200C.

    Put the tomatoes into a baking dish in a single layer so that they fit snugly but there are a few gaps. Drizzle over the olive oil and add a little salt and pepper.

    Bake for 20 minutes.

    Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add the sliced chillies and feta (try and keep the feta in one block if you can). Sprinkle over the oregano and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

    Serve on the table with some crusty bread and get dunking or serve with a herby pasta salad.

    If you’ve not tried baking feta before I urge you to give it a go; the edges catch and turn golden brown but the middle turns gooey and soft. If you don’t fancy adding the chilli you can leave it out, it adds a lovely fresh chilli flavour but you could use a few thin strips of pepper. There are loads of variations of this you could try; roast on top of mixed veg, add a few olives or peppers or if you can get hold of some use kefalotyri instead of feta.


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