Very healthy drink!

Just made a delicious smoothy with a banana, pineapple and a kiwi plus some fresh coriander,blotzed with my stick blender, which you must realise I use all the tome! Mixed with a glass of water, I have enough for at least 3 drinks. I have made it taste far nicer by adding some finely grated fresh ginger to it.
Over the weekend I had friends here,and gave them seafood risotto, with prawns, brown shrimps and crayfish tails. Then for pudding ,we had a sorbet of mango and pineapple on a slice of pineapple and some strawberry sauce poured over it. I hate the word coulis ,I just sieved some strawberries having blitzed them with my stick blender and added sugar to taste .plus a little lemon juice.

What is cooking today

Here are the scones I have made since I found some slightly sour cream in the back of the fridge they taste good and the sourness has disappeared completely. Iwill also make a goulash as I have some pork pieces and loads of red and yrllow peppers,and of course, the sour cream will be a part of the dish! I use the sweet smoked paprika from LA CHINATA,which is so tasty.
Have taken a picture of the scones. Hope I can make them appear!

Questions answered

I have had some readers of this blog ask me the following questions...
How do I beat batter?
That sounds a bit like a tongue twister!
I have a bowl with a handle, which is so useful,the weak hand supports the handle of the bowl ,which is resting on a damp cloth to stop it slipping.then I can beat away, either using an electric hand whisk, or a balloon whisk,which is VERY TIRING.
getting the batter from the bowl to a tin is mostly messy, you must try and keep the bowl steady,while you scrape out the mix. Chocolate brownies are the messiest!
NOW ANOTHER QUESTION

How do I make ice cream?
I usually use my stick blender,with the mixture (not too much at a time, or it will go all over everything) Or else I use my Magimix,with the usual blade attachment,and freeze it for an hour until it starts to crystallise ,when I remove it from the container,and give it another beating,and then freeze again.
A very good ice cream can be made with the same amounts of double.cream and Greek yoghurt, you beat the cream till it holds it's shape, then fold in the yoghurt,and add your chosen flavour
Lemon curd, a thick fruit purée ,or anything you think would taste delicious..
it dosen't need beating at all, and freezes beautifully, but do remember to take it from the freezer a good hour before you want to eat it!
Another method is to make a cooked meringue,which when cool is folded into some lightly whipped double cream,and again flavouring added at the end. this method also has the added advantage of not needing beating
MORE QUESTIONS PLEASE!

Trying to get to grips with the iPad.

Well, I have been flat out ,having friends found here, or else going out for the past eleven consequtive days. So what's been on the menu?
More chicken and leak pie made with filo pastry, a duck, spicy sausage and tomato and white bean casserole(this before it became so unseasonably warm).Various interesting salads,especially a BEETROOT, SWEET POTATO AND SMOKED MACKAREL SALAD. made with roasted vegetables, some red onion added to the mix, some limejuice and then the whole lot tossed in a horseradish and cream sauce while it was still warm.
Served with some rocket leaves for colour.

Lots of red fruits, mangoes, pineapple for dessert, home made breads,made with a flour that had seeds in the mix, but to my taste ,somewhat heavy.
lots of Easter biscuits,
Recipe below.
EASTER BISCUITS.
250grammes of plain flour
175grammes if butter
150 grammes of caster sugar
4-5drops of oil of Cassia(more if you
I've a stronger taste)
1egg,well beaten
100 grammes of currants.

cream the butter and sugar till it is pale,then add the oil to the egg,and mix them into the sugar and butter.
Add the flour, and then the currants.
This will make a VETY SOFT dough.

Take a quarter of the mixture at a time ,and roll out ,using plenty of flour,you need the biscuits to be the thickness of a pound coin.
Place the m onto a baking sheet,using a fluted citter.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes,and then bake in a hot oven. 180 degrees,for 12 to 15 minutes, but watch them carefully ,as they burn when you take your eye off them

This amount should make around two dozen biscuits. They won't last long.....

New iPad,so trying to find my way round it!

Having a. New machine to write on is qiuite a challenge. I still haven't worked out how I put photos onto it, but I'll get there soon.
I made a great chicken and leek pie last week, using fill pastry. Rather than shortcrust
Tomorrow I'm doing a fish pie, using salmon, seabream, cod and smoked haddock ,in a slightly cheesey sauce and with spinach leaves added to the sauce. mashed potato with lots of chives,a salad, and then sliced strawberries and mango,as one of my friends has given up puddings(except for fruit)for Lent.
In the evening, 2 more friends come for supper,where we will have braised pork with of onions and red cabbage,probably with some carrots for colour.
I might try to concoct some Filo baskets with smoked salmon,cream and egg yolks,they would be nice made in muffin cases.we will see.
Apologies for no pictures, but hope that you understand!

Busy cooking on Saturday.

I have been busy nearly all day yesterday, as I had a friend for lunch and another for supper.
I want to share the recipe for venison which I cooked in the evening

VENISON AGRIDOLCE

800 grms of leg steak
2 onions and 3 cloves of garlic chopped
2 carrots ,2 sticks of celery and half a bulb of fennel roughly chopped, bay leaves, thyme, sage leaves,a aprig of rosemary ,plus some parsley and finally  3 extra cloves of garlic , some choped parsley and basil to be added later.
Red wine and olive oil for the marinade,
Half a pint of game stock or beef stock ,plus pepper and salt.
A handful of sultanas, some pine nuts and some choped candied orange peel , 4 squares of dark chocolate and 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar.  3 Amarreti biscuits crumbled. This is added for the final 10 minutes of cooking .

Cut the steaks into 3 cms pieces and put them plus the vegetables and herbs into a bowl ,and pour  over the marinade so that the meat is covered. Leave for up to 12 hours
 Drain the meat from the marinade and vegetables ,but keep everything , as you will use it to all..

Brown the meat in hot oil,and make sure all pieces are browned all over, then add the onions and garlic. Cook until  they become translucent, and then add all the vegetables,pour over the marinade and bring to a simmer.Add the extra garlic and the chopped herbs and seasoning..
Cover and cook for 1 and a half hours.

In a separate pan , To 8 tablespoons of water add the currants, the pine nuts and the peel, the chocolate ,
 and finally the vinegar.Allow the chocolate to melt, then pour it  into the venison , crumble over the biscuits. Cook for another 10 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle.

I served this with Polenta,to which I added some tomato and basil.

Really good if cooked one day, and served the next.

Even though it's cold, I feel like eating salads

Especially as I seem to have added somewhat to my weight just recently!
So Imade a salad from the following ingredients.....
half a leek, chopped finely
a handful of both rocket and lamb's lettuice
Half a little gem lettuice, shredded
Half a hard pear, sliced in half moons
about a third of a cucumber in fine batons
There was some puttanesca sauce left. so I mixed in some more olive oil, and poured that over the greenery, chopped some fresh mint,and then scattered the mint and some sunflower seeds over the top.
 it was very tasty.

Then I made another one,
Some cooked py lentils,with a soy, honey and balsamic vinegar dressing poured over them while still warm,  Two red onions cut into half moons  and some sweet potato in pieces,both  tossed in olive oilsalt  and cinnamon before roasting in a hot oven for 30 minutes.Leave to cool . Salad made with some rocket leaves, and goat's cheese crumbled over  the lentils and vegatables plus a little salt and a grind of black pepper,if needed.

Finally ., my fix on chilli. I really do love chilli!

Some nests of fine egg noodles,(I used two)  Put in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, and leave to cool.
One red  red chilli very finely chopped, 2 shallots finely chopped, a handful of Coriander leaves,
Sesame oil, Soy sauce ,some honey to taste and the juice of a lime. Enough to mix in well, but not be too wet.
Good on it's own ,or with roasted meats.