The simplest things really are the best!

Or....Carrot soup.
I really do love soups. Especially when , like today it's wet and miserable outside. I also needed something quick and simple to make since I've brought some work home. And believe it or not soup is among the simplest things I know. Carrot soup isn't one I normally make but I will definitely be making this one again.

What

4 to 6 large carrots

2 small onions
2 small potatoes
A nob of butter
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 litre chicken stock
Salt & pepper



How

Peel and roughly chop the onion, the potatoes and the carrots and start to soften them in a pot with the butter. Stir intermittently for 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir for another 5 minutes. Pour in the hot stock to cover the vegetables and put onto a low flame. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Liquidise the soup with a hand blender or liquidiser.
Serve warm with some hot buttered toast or a wholemeal roll.

The Verdict

Sweet, fragrant with a hint of spice. Really comforting. And so so simple to make.
The picture really isn't very inspiring but this velvety, warm, orange liquid is simply sublime.

Qarabali Mimli (stuffed marrows)

So I've abandoned my blog for a while...and for that i am truly apologetic. Sheer laziness is the only place i can lay the blame. And to be honest i thought it would be hard to pick it up again given that I've  been cutting back on my food the last month or so to shed a few pounds. To be precise 1 stone so far.But today i received my copy of The Fast Diet recipe Book and realized there is still creativity in low cal cooking,


What

So today i made a good old family favourite that is actually nutritious and low fat.So you will need:

Half a kilo pork mince

1 egg

chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

some grated Parmesan

4 large round marrows

1 large potato

How

Cut the top and bottom off the marrows.  Only a thin slice is necessary from the bottom to allow it to stand flat in the pan. Next hollow out the inside making sure not to break through the bottom. I supplemented mine with a coule of small aubergines.

Next mix all the remaining ingredients together in a bowl leaving a little of the cheese to sprinkle on top. Divide the mince mixture between the 4 marrows. Place in an oven proof dish on top of a bed of sliced potato and add a little water to the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of  each marrow.

Place in a pre-heated oven 200 degrees C and cook for 1 hour.

Before going in the oven

The Verdict
Succulent mince filling, always brought alive by wonderful HP sauce over the top.

Yummmmyyy :)

On the plate and ready to be devoured

Easter Traditions and London Landmarks

I haven't actually cooked anything worth posting about in a couple of weeks. Mind you last week I made a very tasty dish of roast veggies that kept me fed for 3 days.  Oh and have you ever tried making a jacket potato with a sweet potato? Yummy...I did it this week. I didn't eat the skin...it's a bit too woody and earthy compared to a regular potato. But the inside was so soft and sweet. It's probably the ideal way to make mashed sweet potato. The flavour is so much richer than when you boil it.

But it's Easter week now and my thoughts are moving to sweet treats.  I'm a bit disappointed at myself for not having a go at making figolli again this year. Last year was so much fun. A full day baking then another day to decorate.

Fresh out of the oven

Artistry in action

Drying

My sisters-in-law and i took over mum and dad's kitchen and the result...20 of the best tasting figolli I've ever tasted.

The finished product...

....all packed and ready to go

 

 

 

For the Maltese among my readers, figolli need no introduction. For those of you not familiar with Maltese Easter tradition, these are rather large sweet pastry cookies baked with a sugary almond paste filling and decorated with icing or chocolate.

 

It looks like i am still going to have a sweet contribution to Easter this year just the same though. I have just volunteered to make the trifle for dessert at Easter Sunday lunch at mum and dad's. Mum has always made a divine trifle and it is one of dad and Paul's favourite desserts. So i have a lot to live up to. But I have a good feeling. I'd like to try to make the jelly and custard from scratch. That might be a bit ambitious but one piece of advice that dad has always given me that rings so true is that a job worth doing is worth doing well. And I'd say that dessert for Easter lunch is definitely worth doing. I will take some photos of trifle in production next Saturday and will share whether the extra work is worth the hassle.


I hear you pondering my madness. Jelly from scratch?! But I was reading through a new recipe book I bought today, The Bibendum Cookbook. In the reviews on the back cover there is a comment by renowned British foodie Nigel Slater, commenting the jellies made at this West London institution, and it triggered the desire I've had for a while to try to make my own jelly. The whole plan relies on one main factor...finding gelatin leaves here in Malta. But even if i don't manage it this weekend i will make jelly very soon.
Actually there is a lot in this book that I HAVE to try. The recipes don't actually look too complex but they do look totally delicious. I felt a little guilty about buying the book since Paul got all excited when seeing it. Home to Bibendum is the old Michelin building on Fullham Road. Paul has a special love of Michelin memorabilia so the book would make a great addition to his collection. I, on the other hand have a special love of the building, having lived down the road during my late teens and early twenties. So I bought myself the book after all. But the way i see it, we'll be living together soon so it will be ours to enjoy together.
Anyway...watch this space for attempts at the Bibendum recipes.
In the meantime....I'll share my trifling soon.

Posh Hotdogs

I guess this isn't really a recipe but i did want to share it. I mean comfort food done really well is definitely worth writing about. And from my sausage casserole recipe you already know about my love of sausages, especially very good ones.
Today Paul and I need something to cheer us up so comforting posh hot dogs it is.


What

Today's sausage star is pork and apple. I prefer to roast mine in the oven.
Some good old hot dog buns. But you can really posh it up with a wholemeal baguette or warm from the oven part baked ones.
Sauce of your choosing (I'm using a caramelised onion jam and maybe some ketchup and mayo.
A sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese.

How

This bit really isn't too hard. Split the roll, place the sausage in the middle and top with any of the toppings. I personally went for the onion, mayo and some feta.
I'm quite sure Paul also had HP on his (the only food item out of the UK he loves).


The Verdict

Deliciously soothing. Oh and we wolfed them down so fast i didn't even manage to get a picture. But i found one online that's quite close to my finished product. Actually looking at the photo I'm definitely thinking grilled veg next time.
All in all the perfect prelude to a cosy afternoon chilling out at home.

Meatballs & Creamed Spinach

I know my previous post shares the same date as this one. But i guarantee you I didn't cook two full blown meals in one night. Yes I have a true passion for food and love to cook, but during the week I only generally have time to cook what I'm going to eat that night.So here is what was on the menu tonight.


What

Meatballs: (i actually made these last week and froze them raw then defrosted them this morning)
Half a kilo each of Pork & Beef mince
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 beaten eggs
Salt & Pepper
1 tbsp tomato puree
Creamed Spinach:
1 large bag fresh spinach washed & chopped coarsely
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 large nob of butter
A good grating of nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
2 tbsp Double cream

How

Meatballs
Simply mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
When fully mixed take egg sized handfuls and form them into balls with your hands. Lay them out on a sheet or tray and allow to sit int he fridge to firm up before freezing or cooking.

To cook place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 180degrees C (mine is a fan assisted oven). Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or till slightly brown and cooked through.

Creamed Spinach
Fry the onion and garlic in the butter until soft. Add the spinach and cover the pan until the spinach is wilted. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and cream. Stir and simmer to reduce cream. Keep stirring.

Serve up the creamed spinach and pile 4 to 5 meatballs on top.


The Verdict

This was fun and tasty. I might have over-salted the spinach a little since i was worried about the cream making it too bland so be careful with getting the balance right there.
But essentially i loved it. The slightly caramelised meatballs had a nice crispness on the outside that was a great contrast to the creamy soft spinach. I'm thinking next time I'd like to try some grainy mustard with the spinach to give a little bit of a tang.

Oh and before i forget....

This is the link to a bread recipe i have made a couple of times. I can;t take credit for it being my own but i rate it very highly as some of the best bread I've ever had... especially to accompany a lovely smooth soup. Courgette and Mushroom Bread

Sausage, Lentil, Bean and Spinach Casserole

I recently bought some lovely sausages from a local butcher, Stella Maris. One of the hardest things to get here in Malta are great sausages. The Maltese sausage is lovely, but a little too aromatic for an English breakfast or a French cassoulet.
So....yeah sausages. I stocked up and one of the varieties i chose were chicken sausages. I was concerned about them maybe being a little dry when cooked so i came up with this recipe. Oh and i wanted to use some fresh spinach I'd just bought. I have to say that what  started out as a spur of the moment idea turned into a beautiful dinner.

What

6 large sausages (preferably lean like chicken)
1 large leek
1 large pepper (yellow, orange or red)
1 glass red wine
1 can tomatoes
2 tbsp green lentils
1 can borlotti beans
Large bunch fresh spinach (the younger the better)
1 stock cube
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili flakes
Water
Salt & pepper to taste

How


Fry the sausages in olive oil and remove when browned and set aside. Fry the leek and pepper till soft. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Halve the sausages and add back to the pan.

Add the can of tomatoes followed bu the water and tomato puree. Then add the stock cubes, oregano, chili flakes and lentils. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Uncover and add the beans. Cover again and continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the spinach. Cover again till the spinach has wilted. Then stir in to combine and allow to simmer uncovered for a further 10 minutes.


The Verdict

Oh my goodness. For something that i threw together from the contents of my fridge and cupboard, this turned out to be a saucy, unctuous delight. Slightly spicy but smooth. Lovely flavour from the rich sauce but an unexpected freshness form the spinach.
Definitely one i want to reproduce!

The Raw Ingredients

A couple of weeks back I was talking about hobbies with my better half, Paul. He has loads of hobbies...actually he has one hobby really. He collects stuff! But he collects lots of different stuff. And he's passionate about it.

I, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a hobby at all. Or do I? Isn't a hobby just something we do for pleasure in our spare time and that we have a passion for? And that was my Ahaaaaaaa moment! In my spare time I love to cook!

Lots of people cook, and even enjoy doing it. Though to be fair I'd say most people do it on a daily basis for pure sustenance. And as much as I love doing it, what makes this routine act a hobby? That's where Paul comes into the picture again. He's the one who suggested i write this blog. He said why don't  you write about what you cook: Post the recipes and pictures of the finished product.

So here it is! Belinda's Bites. My love of cooking  (and eating), in writing.

I hope you enjoy reading about the recipes and maybe even trying them out.

Thank you Paul for giving me the push. And thank you mum for being my culinary role model.





Paul





Mum and Me