All That I'm Eating

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

Beetroot Tzatziki, Beef Koftas and Quick Flatbreads

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Beetroot Tzatziki with Quick Flatbreads and Beef Koftas - All That I'm Eating (2 of 2)

Beetroot can be a bit of a pain in my house, other than putting it in a salad or putting it on the side with something I am sometimes at a loss for what to do with it. When I get a bunch I find the easiest thing to do is to cook it all at the same time then peel it and keep it in the fridge for when I need it. Using the beetroot for a beetroot tzatziki was a great discovery and was so good with the beef koftas and super quick homemade flatbreads.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

For the koftas:

  • 200g beef mince
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper

For the beetroot tzatziki: read more

Orange and Poppy Seed Biscuits

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Hello and welcome to my new website; I hope you enjoy it! To kick things off on my new site it was only right that I baked something; I had to have something to keep me motivated during the changeover! These orange and poppy seed biscuits are a recipe from Cathryn Dresser (former Great British Bake Off contestant) author of Let’s Bake and she has teamed up with Pyrex to create a series of baking recipes for National Baking Week from 13th to 19th October. See below for details of the giveaway to win lots of Pyrex baking goodies in time for October 13th. read more

Pulled Duck Ramen with Gressingham Duck

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I really like duck; usually in a pancake with plenty of spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce. If it’s on a menu in a restaurant I will normally order it because I love the flavour. Gressingham (the remarkable duck people) got in touch to see if I’d like to come up with a recipe with some of their duck and I thought it was a great opportunity to have a go at cooking something I enjoy eating but don’t cook that often. Ramen is something that I find both cleansing and filling and love that you can add whatever you like to it. This pulled duck ramen is a great way to use leftover duck and is really quick and easy to make. read more

Sweetcorn Chowder

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Sweetcorn chowder - close up
I always like seeing sweetcorn growing in the fields near where I live; it’s one of my absolute favourite vegetables. The only thing that is a little irritating is the inevitable corn-stuck-in-the-teeth situation which ensues after consuming corn from the cob. Particularly irksome if surrounded by unfamiliar company. Worth it though; especially if you’re lucky enough to have a 50:50 butter to corn ratio. If you’re looking for something different to try with your cobs, this sweetcorn chowder is my most favourite soup ever.

Ingredients

You will need (for two bowls of soup):

1 medium onion, finely chopped  £ 0.10
100g smoked bacon lardons  £  0.65
Large knob of butter  £  0.15
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped  £  0.50
250ml vegetable stock  £  0.10
400ml milk  £  0.35
1 cob sweetcorn, kernels removed  £  0.25
Small handful chives, chopped  £  0.25
1 bay leaf  £  0.05
Salt and pepper  £  0.02
Total  £  2.42

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the bacon and onion together until the onion is soft and the bacon turning brown at the edges.

Add the potatoes, bay leaf, stock, milk and salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are almost soft, around 10 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Check the seasoning, remove the bay leaf and stir in the chives before serving in warmed bowls.

This soup has chunky bits, soft bits, crunchy bits and a full flavoured liquid bit. It’s got sweet, smoky, savoury, salty and soupy. Earthy, fresh, homely and new. What I’m trying to say is that as a bowl of food goes it’s got it all. Not only that but it’s inexpensive too. What more do you need? I think I could eat this for lunch every day and never tire of it. And that’s pretty much what I do as long as the cobs keep coming. Happy days. read more

Basil Lime and Lemonade

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Basil Lime and Lemonade mixed
If I had to choose I reckon I would choose a lime over a lemon anytime. They just seem a bit more special somehow. I’ve seen plenty of recipes for homemade lemonade but not that many for homemade limeade. My basil lemonade with lime is such a refreshing summer drink. I actually ended up using a mixture of lemon and lime juice to make this, mostly because I ran out of limes. If you give your limes a quick blast in the microwave before squeezing them you’ll get much more juice out than if you squeeze them cold. Who knew I gave out useful life tips? You’re welcome.

Ingredients

You will need (for a jug of basil lemonade):

  • Small handful basil leaves
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 750ml sparkling water
  • 125ml freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice (I used three limes and one lemon)
  • Ice to serve

Method

Put the basil and sugar into a jug and bash it together with a rolling pin or muddler until the basil is well bruised and it smells lovely. Add the lime and lemon juice and stir it all together until the sugar is dissolved.  Add some ice to the jug and top up with the sparkling water. Give everything one final mix then pour into glasses and serve.

Trust me on the basil for this, it gives the drink a really interesting flavour; sort of floral and quite earthy. I made this quite strong as I prefer a mouth puckering, not too sweet lemonade but you could add more or less sugar and juice to suit your taste. I have made this with flat water but I do think that the sparkling is slightly better. It’s really refreshing and ideal for a warm evening but I will definitely make it later on in the year as a citrus pick-me-up. read more

White Chocolate and Blackcurrant Blondies

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White Chocolate and Blackcurrant Blondies
It’s been a while since I made anything really indulgent and full of butter. Sometimes you just need to make something you know is ‘bad’ for you although I think anything you make yourself can never be bad and will certainly be better (for you and in taste) than something you can buy. These white chocolate chip and blackcurrant blondies are sumptuous enough to keep the crave away but the added blackcurrants add some acidity and freshness. And fruit, which we all know is good for you.

Ingredients

You will need (to make nine blondies):
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 200g butter, melted
  • 150g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 200g white chocolate buttons or chips
  • 100g blackcurrants, tops and tails removed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat an oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm square baking tin then line it with baking paper.

Beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy then beat in the melted butter. Add the butter a little at a time.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together then tip this into the egg mixture and fold it in lighlty.

Gently fold in the chocolate buttons and blackcurrants and bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown but still gooey in the middle.

As it has been so warm recently it did feel a bit odd baking and eating these in the sunshine but they were so good. The soft, squidgy, cakey blondie mix I was really pleased with. The added white chocolate chips, some of which got caramelised in the oven, gave some texture and were a real treat. I loved using the blackcurrants in this as they gave such a distinctive flavour and wonderful colour and turned almost jam like. Next time you get your cake craving I very much recommend you try these. read more

Broad Bean and Feta Smash with Cucumber, Lettuce and Dill Salad

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Broad Bean and Feta Smash with Cucumber Dill Salad
It’s all about green beans and peas at the moment and a veg box delivery last week left me with beans coming out of my ears! I wanted to put them on toast to make them go as far as possible so I tried out a broad bean and feta smash. I like the slightly odd bitterness from broad beans and it goes so well with salty feta cheese. The cucumber and dill salad on the side adds real sweetness and freshness to the meal. It’s super quick to make too so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen when you want to be outside; perfect for summer.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • Large handful broad beans, podded
  • 100g feta, cubed
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • Salt and pepper
  • Small handful mint leaves, finely chopped

  • 1 ciabatta
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced
  • 1 lettuce, shredded
  • Small handful dill, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by adding the broad beans to a pan of lightly salted boiling water and cooking them for 3-4 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse under cold water before peeling off the grey skins on the outside.

Put the broad beans into a bowl with the feta, a drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, salt, pepper and mint. Mash it all together so it is slightly combined but still chunky. Put to one side.

Bake the ciabatta according to packet instructions then cut into slices.

Put the cucumber and lettuce into a serving bowl. read more

Elderflower and Blackcurrant Gin and Tonic

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Elderflower and Blackcurrant Gin and Tonic bird's eye
My idea of a perfect evening when it’s raining is to eat something filling then settle down to watch a film (preferably a funny one). On a sunny evening however I always try to be outside; we’ve been spoilt for sunny evenings recently. Sitting in the garden watching the world go by and the sun go down is improved if you accompany it with a refreshing home made drink. My homemade elderflower cordial has made plenty of appearances this year and this time it’s used to make an elderflower and blackcurrant gin and tonic.

Ingredients

You will need (per drink):

  • 50ml gin
  • 6-7 fresh ripe blackcurrants
  • 15ml elderflower cordial
  • Ice cubes
  • Slice of lemon
  • Tonic water (a good quality one)
    • read more

    Swedish Style Burgers

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    Swedish Style Burgers
    You would have thought that a burger lends itself well to good photo-ability. For some reason when it comes to taking a picture of a burger it never looks quite how I imagine it will. No matter what I try the burgers always shrink leaving even the smallest buns looking far too big. There is either too much or not enough salad so although I make them sort of regularly I rarely blog about them or take a picture. However, when the below recipe came through for Swedish burgers with Västerbottensost cheese I couldn’t resist. 

    Recipe from Västerbottensost cheese as part of their ‘Swedish summer to remember’.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 350g minced venison (or beef)
    • 1 rasher fried bacon, chopped
    • 1 tsp crushed juniper berries
    • Salt and pepper
    • Västerbottensost cheese, grated
    • Buns of your choice and salad and condiments to serve

    Method

    Put the venison mince into a bowl and add the chopped bacon, juniper berries and salt and pepper.

    Give everything a really good mix then form into four burger shapes (I made quite small ones).

    Heat a pan to high and add a little oil to the pan. Fry the burgers until lovely and brown on the outside and cooked through. For the last few minutes of cooking add the grated Västerbottensost and allow to melt. read more

    Caramelised Fennel and Salami Pizza

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    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


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