0 Almond sponge topped apple pots

In winter nothing hits the spot like a warm pudding to round off a satisfying meal, this recipe is one I have been making for many years, originally based on Gino D'ACampo's miel e mandorle pots that I discovered was gluten free when I was entertaining a friend who is a celiac.

These are delicious served hot or cold and are easy to make, the recipe is a great way to use up apples left in the fruit bowl that are passed their best. I used a mixture of granny smiths and braeburn apples but other fruits would work as well. The pots are the perfect combination of fruit and moist golden sponge with a faint almond flavour, ideally topped off with a few flaked almonds. Serve with your choice of custard, creme fraiche, yogurt or cream.

What you need

• 6 dessert apples (I used Granny Smiths), peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
• 50g soft brown sugar
• 2 eggs - free range
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g softened butter
• 100g ground almonds
• Few sliced almonds for sprinkling on top
• Lemon juice
• Apple pie spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg)

What you do

• Preheat oven to 160c
• To make the filling cook the chopped apples, the soft brown sugar, lemon juice and spices in a pan until slightly softened, add a splash of water if you like.
• Place the cooked apple filling in four ramekins, divided equally
• Whisk the caster sugar and butter until light and fluffy ( I used my mixer)
• Add the eggs and ground almonds and whisk until you have smooth fluffy mixture
• Top the ramekins with the almond topping and sprinkle with a few flaked almonds
• Bake in the pre heated oven for 45 mins or so until golden and well risen
• Serve hot or cold.

I am linking this post to "Recipe Clippings" created and hosted by Farmersgirl Kitchen, as I have said this a recipe I have used time and time again and proudly features in my recipe scrapbook.

And also to Credit Crunch Munch created by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 all, hosted this month by Elizabeth's Kitchen, as I used some rather sad apples form the fruit bowl to create a great dessert dish.

                        

Detail: Almond sponge topped apple pots

0 Gorgeous granola

Granola is so expensive in the shops and the ingredients in it some seems to be of variable quality too, I have often hunted for the solitary pecan nut in maple, pecan granola !

So I decided I would have a go at making my own and wow can you taste the difference, plus you are in control of the ingredients in your mix, so you can ensure it has more of the things you like in it (in my case maple syrup and cinnamon) and less of the things you don't (in my case gluten, some commercially produced brands contain wheat flour to bind the ingredients). It also works out much more economical too as a box of quality granola often retails for more than £2.50 and this mix makes probably twice as much than in contained in a box.

So if you are on a health kick for the new year why not start by making your own granola, its healthy and very very tasty.

What you need

• 3 cups oats (check gluten free if necessary)
• 1 cup of chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc)
• 1 cup of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, chia, flax, etc)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamon
• 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cups of maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of dried fruit chopped (any you like)

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Mix the oats, spices, salt, maple syrup and seeds and coconut oil in a large bowl.
• Tip onto 2 large baking trays and level off gently, bake for 15 minutes or so and then turn the oats over.
• Bake for another 15 minutes or so until golden and the mixture is drying out and turning crispy (do not burn)
• Mix the warm oats with the chopped nuts and dried fruit in a large bowl and then empty back on to the trays to cool.
• Store in an airtight jar once fully cool.
• Serve with yogurt or fruit, delicious .....

I am linking up to Credit Crunch Munch for this frugal yet wonderful granola recipe hosted over at Fuss Free Flavours and co hosted by Camilla at Fab Food for all.

                         

Detail: Gorgeous granola

0 Roasted red pepper and garlic soup

Recently I managed to snaffle a couple of beautiful sweet pointed red peppers at the local shop for a bargain price, so as we love roasted peppers I decided to make a warming soup.

I love roasting red peppers as its really enhances the flavour of the pepper and intensifies their sweetness, We love them in our household even using them on rustic bread as a sandwich filling with a splash of balsamic and a couple of basil leaves to create an amazing flavourful vegetarian snack.

This soups uses the roasted pepper flesh along with a couple of  roasted garlic bulbs as the basis of a tasty hearty soup which is rich in antioxidants and all things good for you. Its also an amazing colour as you can see from the photographs.

What you need

• 2 large red pointed peppers - split, seeds removed
• 2 bulbs garlic - sliced across
• Fresh rosemary and thyme
• A little olive oil or virgin rapeseed oil
• 1 white onion - peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium potato - peeled and diced
• Vegetable stock ( I used Essential Cuisine)
• Salt and Pepper - to taste
• Creme fraiche or yogurt - omit if you want diary free

What you do 

• Prepare the pepper and garlic and rub with a little oil before placing on a baking tray, strewn with some fresh herbs and a little salt and pepper
• Roast for 20 - 25 minutes at 180c until the pepper skin is slightly charred and blistering
• Remove from oven and cool fully on the tray
• Once fully cool remove the charred skin from the pepper flesh and squeeze the garlic cloves to remove the cloves from the papery skin
• In a large saucepan in a little oil saute the onion and the chopped potato for a few minutes, now add the roasted red pepper flesh and garlic cloves 
• Add enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables and simmer until the potato is soft
• Blitz using a stick blender until you have a smooth consistency 
• Add as much additional vegetable stock or water to thin to your preferred soup thickness.
• Re heat and taste for seasoning
• Serve swirled with creme friache or yogurt 

We are linking up to No Croutons Required hosted this month over at Lisa's Kitchen 

Extra Veg challenge hosted this month over at Fuss Free Living

November's family foodies hosted over at Eat your Veg 

Credit Crunch Munch hosted this month by My Little Italian Kitchen 

Detail: Roasted red pepper and garlic soup

0 Pork Pies from Haynes Men's Pie Manual

This recipe is two recipes combined from the Haynes Men's pie manual which was reviewed here by Mr Lancashire Food, who was trying to create a pie of his youth.

What you need to make 4 generous individual pork pies

• 225g plain flour
• 225g strong white flour
• 150g lard - melted gently, do not boil
• 125ml boiling water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar

For the filling

• 400g chopped pork shoulder, blitzed in the food processor

• salt and pepper
• 125ml veal stock 
• 4 sheets of gelatine

What you do

• Mix the flour, salt and sugar in large bowl
• Add the melted lard and boiling water to the flour bowl, mixing carefully with a knife until the mixture is cool enough to handle.

• Knead for a few minutes
• Divide the mixture so you have a approximately a quarter for your pie lids
• Roll out your pastry and shape for your pie tins, Mr LF used some small metal pudding mold, ensuring he used a slip of baking parchment under the pastry to assist removal later

• Shape the pastry, ensuring no gaps in the sides and fill with your seasoned pork, which you have divided equally between pies (MR LF is an engineer so he weighed and divided by 4 in his case)

• Roll out your tops and using a little beaten egg create a tight seal on top of your pie. 
• Make a small hole in the centre of the lid to let out steam. Crimp artistically around the top

• Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 200c/180c fan for 15 minutes and then turn down to 150c and bake for another 35 minutes 
• Remove from the oven once golden brown and leave to stand in the tins until completely cold
• To make the jelly filling, soak the gelatine in some cold water for 5 minutes, squeeze out the excess moisture , add this to hot veal stock and stir until melted.
• Very carefully and very slowly pour the jelly liquid into your pies through the small hole in the top ( Mr LF used a tiny funnel) 
• Cool and chill in the fridge

These amazingly tasty pies were made using some lovely local pork from a farm shop pretty local to us, the family farm grows a good percentage of their own fruit and vegetables and also raises a variety of animals including turkeys. Its definitely worth seeking out some good local pork as this is the star of the show in these pies.

Mr LF surprised himself as to how easy the pies were to create and their frugality as well. To make 4 handsomely sized pies cost about £3 in ingredients and energy and the pies could have easily been sold as artisan pork pies at £1.50 each. 

The pies would make addition to a picnic, buffet or ploughman's accompanied with chutneys or pickles. As these are particularly man sized pies,  I can only manage a half a pie so maybe next time around Mr LF needs to make them a little smaller !

Recipe is based on the Haynes Men's pie manual which retails at £21.99

The book was provided for review on a complimentary basis and any thoughts are mine or Mr LF's, we were not required to post a positive review.

We are adding this post to Credit Crunch munch - created by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4all, hosted this month by A New Addition as this is a very frugal recipe that tastes amazing !

                            

And also to Shop Local  created byElizabeth's Kitchen and hosted this month too by Elizabeth


                                                           

Detail: Pork Pies from Haynes Men's Pie Manual

0 Beef and Vegetable Cottage Pie topped with Rosemary Crushed Potatoes

A perfect dish for a Sunday tea or a a busy weeknight when you can't be bothered cooking, it has the perfect combination of roast crispy potatoes and cottage pie filling and the good news is that the vegetables are in the pie. 

The topping is inspired by Casa pie from Vanessa Kimbell's "Prepped" book and is something that I use a lot instead of mash to top fish pie and also chilli and bolognaise. Its an easy no fuss dish which freezes beautifully so you can batch make and the pie filling can also be used in pastry pies as well.

Its a pretty frugal dish too as you can use frozen vegetables in the meat filling and the herbs are from the garden plus  its also gluten free as well as I have used cornflour to thicken the gravy. Its a great way of adding more vegetables to your diet without really noticing and also for upping the fibre content of cottage pie as the crushed potatoes are still in their skins.

What you need

• Small washed new potatoes boiled until just cooked - halved if large
• Rapeseed oil
• Fresh rosemary- leaves removed and chopped finely
• Minced steak
• White onion - finely chopped into half moons
• Beef stock ( I use essential cuisine)
• Cornflour
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh thyme - leaves finely chopped
• Parsley - finely chopped
• Carrots - peeled and diced, or you could use frozen
• Peas - I used a good handful of frozen petit pois
• Tomato ketchup (ensure gluten free if necessary)

What you do

• Firstly heat a little oil in a large frying pan and saute the sliced onions until translucent 
• Now add the mince to the pan and fry off golden and well coloured
• Now add the thyme, parsley and a tbsp of tomato sauce to the pan along with enough beef stock to cover the meat, stir and then add the diced carrot to the pan.
• Simmer for 20 minutes until the meat is cooked and the carrot tender through, now using a little water to slake the cornflour and use to thicken the gravy. 
• Add the frozen peas to the meat mixture and place in ovenproof dishes 
• Top the pie mixture with the small potatoes crushing them slightly using your thumbs , sprinkle with the chopped rosemary and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil
• Bake in the oven at 180c for 40 minutes until the top is golden and crispy and the filling bubbling.
• Serve immediately

I'm linking this recipe up to extra veg created by Utterly Scrummy and Fuss Free Flavours and hosted by Elizabeths Kitchen this month.

We are also linking up to Credit Crunch Munch, created by Fab Food for all and Fuss Free Flavours hosted this month over at Maison Cupcake.

                                         

Detail: Beef and Vegetable Cottage Pie topped with Rosemary Crushed Potatoes

0 Blackberries and rose geranium crumble

When the blackberries are starting to ripen on our generous bush in the garden I know that summer is starting to come to a close, crumble is wonderful pudding at all times of year and is liked by most visitors whether served hot or cold. It can be infinitely varied depending on the fruit used under the crumbly crunchy topping. In this recipe we combine juicy blackberries with the fragrant rose geranium to give a slightly perfumed compote.

The combination came about as I wondered what recipes I could use my beautifully fragrant scented geranium leaf plants in, after all I had attar of roses, orange fizz, pink capitatum (lime scented) and Lady of Plymouth (rose mint scented) to try. 

I obtained my scented leaf geraniums from Otter Farm, home to Mark Diacono one time gardener at River Cottage and now Climate Change farmer, Otter Farm has a fantastic range of seeds and plants for sale for the more adventurous smallholder.

Since recently converting to gluten free I thought I'd have a go at making a gluten free crumble mixture, this recipe is great served with yogurt, cream or custard. The mixture will also store well in the fridge in a sealed container so you can whip a quick dessert in a flash, just combining with what ever fruit you have to hand.

What you need to make the scented compote

• Blackberries 
• A few rose scented geranium leaves
• A drop of water
• 1/2 weight of fruit in sugar (caster)

To make the compote

• In a pan add the blackberries, sugar, geranium leaves and a drop of water, bring to a gentle simmer until the blackberries are softened then allow to cool. Leave the leaves in the pan with the fruit compote until cold so the flavours have time to infuse.
• Once cold remove leaves and spoon into ramekins

To make the crumble, you will need

• 200g Gluten free flour 
• 100g Softened butter
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 50g  Gluten free Oats (if tolerated)

In a stand mixture mix all crumble ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture

• Now top the ramekins with the crumble mixture 

• Place in the oven at 180c on a baking tray and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden and the juices are rising from the berries.

• Serve hot or cold with or without cream or custard

Lucky for us most of the ingredients can be sourced from the garden and every year we have  ample quantities of lovely berries so for me this is pretty frugal dish using what we have at hand. For that reason I am linking up to No Waste Challenge, hosted this month by I'd much rather bake than and created by Elizabeths Kitchen and also to Shop Local also created by Elizabeths Kitchen.

And Credit crunch munch crreated by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food for all , hosted this month by Elizabeths Kitchen.

Detail: Blackberries and rose geranium crumble

0 Credit Crunch Munch June Round up

                       

June was a busy month for us at Lancashire Food hosting not one but two blog challenges, so here's the round up for Credit Crunch Munch, a blog challenge that encourages frugality yet not at the cost of flavour. Some amazing money saving ideas have been linked up and I must say none of them look frugal but they are, bloggers are just so creative.

                                   

                              

Our first entry is from Fabfood4all with an amazing Rhubarb and marzipan cake which I am sure tastes amazing and is definitely something I will be bookmarking to try later, I'm pretty sure I have some marzipan languishing in a cupboard somewhere.

                                            

Next up is myself with a Rhubarb and anise syrup and frugal jam, utilising rhubarb from the garden to make both syrup and a frugal jam from the fruit leftovers. I even used a recycled bottle !

                              

Jibberjabber kindly linked up a very yummy looking Microwave lemon sponge pudding recipe, which looks so tempting and is whipped up in a flash and belies its humble ingredients.

                              

I love Tapenade, so was very pleased to see A seasonal Veg table - Gothic black olive tapenade being linked up. Using up a half jar of olives she had lurking in the fridge. Great idea !

                             

The above delightful creation is Utterly Scrummy Food's - peach traybake. Created after buying a bargain punnet of peaches for 30p. Doesn't it look amazing....

                              

Next along came Spicy "Kermit" raw green cavalo nero soup from Sarah at Maisoncupcake, this fantastically healthy soup utilising a bogof on the cavalo nero (kale) just screams eat me. If you want to know why kermit check out the post.

                                  

Tales from a kitchen shed linked up an Easy bean burger recipe, I am sure this would be great for garden bbq's for the summer and would be very popular with friends and family.

                                          

Eee Bah Gum linked up a mushroom and cheese risotto, a great moneysaving dish and very tasty too. We eat a lot of risotto in the Lancashire Food household.

                                        

Tales from a Kitchen shed kindly linked up another couple of recipes,firstly a Peach melba rice delight, which would be suitable for serving at a dinner party in my humble opinion. It looks so beautiful and a great use of seasonal stone fruit. I also love that the rice pudding is cooked in a slow cooker.

                              

Another slow cooker recipe this one utilising the humble jacket potato, the ultimate comfort food. Great idea to use a slow cooker to cook the spuds. Thanks Tales from a Kitchen Shed, another one for the must try list.

                               

Lastly we have an Italian fritatta with vegetables from the MyLittleItalianKitchen, as she says an excellent picnic dish if served cold.

                               

A quick late addition is from Choclette over at Chocolate Log Blog with some very delicious chcolate bean burgers with chilli sauce, what an inventive combination.

I'd like to thank all contributors to June's Credit Crunch Munch and to Fab Food 4all and Fuss Free Flavours for letting me host their challenge.

Detail: Credit Crunch Munch June Round up