I am very familiar with the flavour of bergamot, being an avid Earl Grey fan, but I had never seen or tasted the bergamot lemon itself. A mystical fruit that I thought was confined to tea makers and lucky Mediterranean gardens. Then I found I could order some beautiful organic ones along with my veg box; it would be rude not to. My first thought when I got them was to add a slice to some hot water, just to smell and taste them. But then I remembered I had some gin, and, you know, why not? Hello bergamot gin and tonic.
Coconut, Sesame and Chocolate Shortbread
When something just works it’s the best. It could be a combination of flavours you tried by accident or using something perfectly for a different purpose than it was designed for. I made this Coconut, Sesame and Chocolate Shortbread for both of the aforementioned reasons. Recently I was enjoying my chocolate dessert when another coconut and sesame pudding was on the table, and as I like to try everything, I took a scoop of the coconut and sesame and gobbled it down. The flavours were so good together I thought it was well worth a try recreating it at home. Also, I always make shortbread in a cake ‘tin’ rather than on a tray. I have a silicone mould for cakes which I once used for shortbread when I couldn’t find anything else and it works perfectly every time.
Aubergine, Butterbean, Pesto and Gnocchi Bake with Sacla
Pasta bake has got to be one of the best comfort dishes going. Plenty of carbs smothered in tomato, cheese or cream sauce with all sorts of lovely other bits in there; bacon or mushrooms being my favourite. For me a pasta bake is normally a weekend dish as it takes a bit of time to make, however, this recipe using gnocchi takes only 45 minutes from start to table and is mighty tasty and super simple too. Not only that, if you serve it with salad you’ve got five different vegetables (fruit if we’re being picky about the tomatoes and aubergine) all in one meal. Say hello to my Aubergine, Butterbean, Pesto and Gnocchi Bake.
Mini Cheesecake Mess with The Laughing Cow
I love cheesecake. This recipe for mini cheesecake mess is a great way of using up almost anything sweet you’ve got hanging around and, if I do say so myself, look pretty cute too. A lovely little sweet treat for lunch or after dinner. Have you ever tried to make cheesecake (or cream cheese icing) with low fat soft cheese? It never seems to work for me and just ends up all runny and no good at all. I thought I’d give it a try with some Laughing Cow Extra Light to see if that would work, and use up some leftover festive food in the cupboards, and I was so pleased with how they turned out!
My Favourite Recipes of 2015
There have been many new recipes in the All That I’m Eating kitchen this year and this post is all about my favourites from 2015. That’s not to say that all the others aren’t worth a perusal but these are my most favourite; those which have become regulars on the kitchen table since I first made them, those that I remember simply for being indulgent and some which came about as a healthy (but delicious) take on a classic.
First up, and what a way to start the year, is my Blood Orange Tart with Caramelised Blood Oranges. A blood orange juice and zest infused custard topped with glazed sliced blood oranges is not only a welcome burst of colour in a grey January but a fabulous burst of citrus flavour in what can seem like a never ending month of cabbages. Full post here.
Ultimate Hot Chocolate Gifts
I love a good hot chocolate; not too sweet, not too bitter but full of chocolate flavour and I have been working on perfecting my recipe for the ultimate hot chocolate. This recipe is too good not to share, and what nicer way to share it than making some (ever so pretty) make-your-own hot chocolate gifts. You need only four ingredients, a few empty jars, some string, paper and your very neatest handwriting. A word of warning: make sure you make enough to keep one for yourself.
Below are the amounts to make enough mixture for one person so double, triple, quadruple and all sorts depending on who you are making for.
Homemade Easy Granola
Why bother making your own granola? I mean, the stuff that comes in a nice box all full of stuff can’t really be that different and making your own sounds like such a hassle right? Nope. As it turns out making your own is not only ridiculously easy but it’s so much tastier than anything I’ve tried pre-bought. I find the readymade ones are far too sweet and you spend every morning searching for the elusive hazelnuts you’re pretty sure are meant to be in there. With my homemade easy granola you make up your mind and decide exactly what goes in your breakfast.
Slojito
I have been so busy this year that I have run out of time to make my own sloe gin. It’s not the end of the world though as I have some of last year’s stash left and once that’s gone there are some delicious ready steeped and drained sloe gins around. As much as I enjoy a classic sloe gin and tonic there’s much enjoyment to be had mixing up something different.
One place you can find some inspiration for new drinks to try is thebar. I found their recipe for a slojito and just had to give it a try!
Spaghetti with Balsamic Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Olives
Sometimes you end up with all sorts of bits and pieces in your fridge; half a bit of something there, a few nibbly bits leftover here and I find these little pieces a great source of inspiration. This recipe is a speedy one which makes use of a few ingredients I can find in my fridge more often than not. Lovingly referred to as ‘pasta with fridge bits’ this particular version was a delicious Spaghetti with Balsamic Tomatoes, Olives and Mozzarella.
Ingredients
You will need (for two):
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 175g spaghetti
- 1 ball mozzarella, torn into smaller pieces
- Small handful olives, roughly chopped
- Small handful fresh basil, large stalks removed, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Preheat an oven to 200C. Put the cherry tomatoes into an oven proof dish in a single layer. Drizzle over the vinegar, olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Put the tomatoes into the oven for 20 minutes.
Easy Meatballs with Herby Tomato Sauce
I often get left with a collection of fresh herbs. I don’t have a freezer so can’t freeze them for future use and even if they come in a pot, they always seem to die on me. This recipe is a great one for using up almost any fresh herbs you have hanging around (except maybe mint, keep that for the gin). As if this recipe wasn’t useful enough already it also contains super easy meatballs, made from sausages, for minimum fuss and maximum taste.
You will need (for four):
- 4 large herby sausages
- 350g tagliatelle (you can use any other pasta)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped, most of the seeds removed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Small handful fresh basil and parsley, large stalks removed, roughly chopped
- Oil for cooking
- Salt and pepper
Get a large frying pan onto a low heat and add a little oil. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10-15 minutes.
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