All That I'm Eating

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

Using up jars in the cupboard – Rich Shortcrust Pastry Tarts

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ingredients for shortcrust pastry tarts

Where a few months ago a slice of lemon drizzle cake or a blueberry muffin would have cheered up my lunchbox I needed something more substantial, more buttery and more comforting. All this snow has meant I’ve been raiding the cupboards and I found jars and bottles full of stuff that really I’m never going to use. I also figured if any of my nearest and dearest know me, I’ll be getting many more jars of treats on the 25th.

I managed to find some raspberry jam, golden syrup, lime curd, greengage jam, pecans in honey and some quince jelly. All lovely on toast or scones or crumpets but also all nearing their ends. I needed to use them up and make the most of them. read more

Purple Carrot Soup

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ingredients for purple carrot soup
Wandering around a market with cash and a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables it’s hard to resist buying. I made a most excellent choice as far as I’m concerned and parted with my pennies in exchange for a majestic purple carrot. For something that I find as rarely as this I wanted to make the most of it without detracting from the magnificent root itself. Carrot soup was to be lunch.

Ingredients

What you will need (for two bowls):

  • 2 large carrots (2 purple if you can get them)
  • Butter
  • Chicken or vegetable stock 400ml
  • Garlic clove
  • Coriander seeds 1tsp
  • Fresh coriander
  • Creme fraiche
  • Seasoning

Method

If you ever manage to get hold of these little beauties, my advice would be to never boil them. Not only does it turn everything else a strange browny purple colour it also takes all the colour out of the carrots.

As I only had change for the one purple carrot I added an orange one too. For the soup, fry the carrots and garlic in a nice hearty sized knob of butter. Put the lid on them and let them soften.

While they do this, dry fry a teaspoon of coriander seeds until they jump around the frying pan and are good and toasted. read more

Green Park Market – Bath

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Green Park Market Bath - pasta 2
Bath is not too far from where I reside but for some unknown reason I have only been when I was very young. I had heard whispers of a fantastic market in a train station in Bath and so I set off to find out what it was all about. It’s tremendous. I have never met so many specialists that are all so passionate in one place. Even the most tight fisted of people will see moths rise when they open their wallets. It was hard not to buy one of everything.

There were purple carrots, golden beetroot, knobbly lemons, tea, coffee, salt marsh lamb, pheasant sausages, french garlic, books, teacups, cupcakes, supplies for the cupcake maker, wine, white pumpkins… the list goes on. Each stand with someone standing behind it who is enthusiastic about what they sell and can answer any question you have.
We bought many things but for dinner we couldn’t say no to some of this pasta. 

I was too busy stuffing my face with delicious pasta to remember the name of the company but they were lovely people. I defy anyone to try some and not end up walking away with any. They source as many of the ingredients as possible from the market which is great.
We very much enjoyed our pasta which was stuffed with slow roasted pork. It had a nutmegy sort of flavour. They also sold some delectable sage butter to melt over the pasta which was incredible. read more

Is food the new must have accessory?

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It seems that now the latest car, bag, phone or gadget is trumped by what we eat. At the golf club while quaffing the finest scotch the topic of conversation is no longer car related. Now, one might be more likely to hear, “Have you tried a rare white truffle.” To which the reply would most likely start off a whole conflab.

Now it becomes interesting. It is now a competition to see who has the best/biggest/most expensive or most exclusive truffle. It seems the truffle is becoming an innuendo. Don’t get me wrong, this is not exclusive to fungi. The winner will be the one who travelled to the Piedmont region, bought a Truffle Hog and hiked around forests to discover his own truffle. Any other truffle related story is overlooked. read more

Beef, Vegetable and Red Wine stew

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beef stew vegetable mix
I needed something slow cooked and full of goodness. Fortunately I had a fridge full of treats from the farmers’ market. I had some seriously good braising steak from Challow Hill and a congregation of fantastic veg from the greengrocer.

Ingredients

What you will need (for four to six portions):

  • Braising steak (at least 500-750g)
  • Seasoned flour
  • Vegetables of your choice – carrots, swede, onions, leeks, pasnips – a few good handfuls of each
  • Potatoes – 4-6 medium
  • Red wine (1 small glass)
  • Stock (750ml)
  • Oil and seasoning

Method

Cut up the steaks and roll them in seasoned flour. Fry them in a pan that you can also then put in the oven. Keep all the goodness in one place. I am not fortunate to own one of these modern day contraptions.

Get chopping! It’s not that bad once you get going and you get lots of goodies to go straight into the compost bin. It’s true when they say you don’t get something for nothing.

Into my cauldron of lusciousness I added a healthy (large) glass of red wine, a stock cube (I know, I’m sorry) and some water. I threw in a bay leaf for good measure and a load of seasoning. I find when I think I’ve seasoned enough, I season some more. read more

Quince and Apple Crumble – adventures with the quince

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apples and quince
The quince used to be a hidden fruit. It seems it was embarrassed of its furry skin, ever varying sizes and odd looks. I had heard rumours of it returning to its former glory and I kept my eyes peeled and nostrils ready for a sight or a whiff of this mysterious fruit.  I found it. If you have not ever been lucky enough to encounter the quince then scrap any plans this weekend and go and hunt some down. It looks like a pear, is tough like a pumpkin, fuzzy like a peach and smells like a guava crossed with a passion fruit. It’s a cheeky fruit that would cheer up even the most dampened spirits. I wanted to make the most of this fruit. Very resourcefully I had frozen some apples that were given to us a while ago and for which I had no use at the time. I made a crumble, it is the season for them after all.

Ingredients

What you will need (for four large servings):
  • Quinces – I had 2
  • Apples – I had 1 big one
  • Knob of butter
  • Good portion of caster sugar
  • Bowl of water with lemon juice in
  • 175g flour
  • 75g butter
  • 50g light muscavado sugar
  • Almonds and oats for the top

Method

I have never come across anything that will brown as quickly as a quince. It’s quite impressive. You will need to super speed peel the quinces and put them in the lemon infused water. Even then don’t be surprised at how quickly they change colour. When chopped, put them in a pan with the butter and the sugar. 
I would say don’t go too sweet as some of the charm of the quince is in its astringency. I added the frozen apples right at the end so they didn’t turn to a mush.

I put this in a small dish so that when it was served, everyone got a good dose of quince. I then crumbled. Rub the butter into the flour and then stir in the sugar. By putting it into a small dish it ensures no one will be short of crumble either. 
I put some crushed almonds and oats on the top too. read more

Buttered Toffee Apple Crumble

By 14 Comments

cooking apples for crumble

When one suffers from less than optimal circulation in the extremities, they certainly know when the days are shortening and the evenings cooling. To rectify this and to warm the cockles there was only one thing for it. Apple crumble.

Not just any apple crumble but one which I had discussed with my Grandmother just hours before. “Oooh, the other day I saw someone put butter and sugar into the apples for a crumble. It did look nice”. I took this little gem as gospel and went crumbling about.

Ingredients

What you will need (for four large servings):
  • 6 to 8 large apples
  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 150g sugar – muscavado or demerara
  • Dried fruits – a handful of any you want to include
  • 175g flour
  • 75g butter
  • 50g caster sugar
  • Handful of demerara/muscavado for the top
  • Flaked almonds – if you want them, as many as you deem fit

Start by putting the apples, unsalted butter and devilishly dark sugar in a pan. Let it bubble and goop away until it reaches the consistency that you think is best. Then mix in any dried fruits that you are using.

Put this mixture in to a suitable oven proof dish and then crumble away. Rub the butter and flour together until you get the texture of fine breadcrumbs. I start by using a knife and then move on to using hands. Stir in the caster sugar and then sprinkle the best bit (crumble) on the top.   read more

Seasonal Stir Fry

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ingredients for stir fry
It is almost the end of the week and time to use all that is left in the fridge to make room for all next weeks new and exciting food. Trips to delicatessens and markets have been planned in. I found some stir fry strips lurking in the freezer that I had bought from a lovely lady from Challow Hill Meats at the farmers’ market. This meal seems somehow to always be ready at just the right time, it all comes together precisely at the end.

Ingredients

What you will need (for 2):

  • Stir fry strips or other thinly sliced steak
  • Vegetables of your choice, I used onion, garlic, ginger, sweetcorn, carrots, spring onion and spinach
  • Noodles
  • Soy sauce
  • Lemon or lime
  • Oil, preferably vegetable or groundnut
  • Salt and pepper

Method

I was lucky enough to strike up a conversation with the lady from Challow Hill Meats and she told me the story of her stir fry strips. She explained to me that when cutting the sirloin and the fillet off she was left with all these bits of meat. They used to go into the meat for stewing etc. Then she put them up for sale as I buy them now and I couldn’t be more pleased. The perfect amount of meat, of excellent quality and cut, ready sliced and for £1.84. Who can moan about that?
To make the most of these little bits of loveliness I let them marinate in salt, pepper and soya sauce while I cut up all my vegetables. read more

Quick Cheat Risotto and Roasted Vegetables

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Apparently I have become a magnet for books and other similar reading materials. Old and new, modern and traditional, there is not a manuscript that passes me by without a glance or sometimes a purchase. Because of this new exponential accumulation I needed to reorganise and rearrange my boudoir in preparation for a charming new bookcase I had clapped my eyes upon. I wrestled with the idea of what to have for dinner and I knew this rearrangement would take many hours. Do I have a quick sandwich and feel an intense sense of disappointment or…Quick cheats risotto and roasted veg. read more

Baked Marrow

By 2 Comments

sliced marrow

What to do with quite a significant sized marrow, no time and a fridge full of food but nothing to eat. It was then that I remembered the very wise man who sold me the marrow in the first place. He recommended a baked marrow but not to cut it down the middle and then stuff it as one might expect but to go about it as follows.

Ingredients You will need (for four):

  • 1 marrow
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Small handful fresh mint
  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 small chilli, finely chopped
  • Small handful dill, roughly torn
    • read more

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