Archive for the 'English Recipes' Category

Page 20 of 23

Cream of mushrooms soup

Published by Lucina, on 15 settembre 2011 in English Recipes and Soup. 4 Comments Tags: , .

Cream of mushrooms soup

I reckon it’s time I blogged another of my favourite soups. I was going to say legendary but perhaps it would be a touch too arrogant! As my readers (both of them…he he) will know I LOVE soups and I possess quite a repertoire. I know that some people find them boring but I am a huge fan! Nothing better than a hearty soup with a chunky piece of bread when the weather starts getting chilly ( the whole year round here in England, then!!!). I think I have waxed lyrical about them before. Anyway….This week in my veggie delivery box there were loads of mushrooms. As I had already bought some myself I ended up with quite a humungus quantity in the fridge so I decided to make a soup. As I didn’t follow a recipe ingredients are  roughly guessed. In truth you can’t go wrong with soups, most of the time. I DID use one thing  you can’t find here in the UK, mind, and it’s the Star Porcini stock cubes! FABULOUS stuff if you are cooking with mushrooms. I used the last one tonight so I must stock up next time I’m in Italy. Actually I take it all back. I’ve just googled them and would you believe it?? You CAN buy them here in the UK after all. I have just found them on Amazon!!!! Unbelievable!! It has made my day!!!! :-) Continue reading ‘Cream of mushrooms soup’

Spiced beetroot and orange chutney

Published by Lucina, on 11 settembre 2011 in English Recipes. 2 Comments

spiced beetroot and orange chutney

Since my rhubarb jam experiment I have had a go at making other types of jam, namely plum and blackberry, and both with very pleasing results. In truth it isn’t rocket science this jam making malarkey! So I thought why not try to make some chutney? After all  the process is the same one: you basically put all the ingredients in a big pan and boil the lot. By the way, for the Italians amongst you: chutney is a relish which is made with vegetables (amongst whom there always seem to be onions), or a combination of vegetables and fruits, cut into small chunks. There are many different types out there: mango, tomato, plum, cranberry…you name it. The base of it is vinegar, sugar and spices. It has a fabulous  sweet and sour taste and it’s a delicious accompaniment to cheeses and cold meats.  I had always wanted to try making some as I love eating it , but have never had the confidence. For some reasons I thought it would be difficult and complicated. Well…it couldn’t be further from the truth. As my friend Carmelita had quite a few beetroots happily growing in her amazing vegetable patch, a few weeks ago we decided to be “brave” and  use them to make some chutney. I scoured the internet for some recipes and came across this interesting looking one on the Good Food website. So we spent an afternoon happily chopping vegetables and boiling them in our witches cauldron. The results were impressive! In theory you are supposed to wait for at least 4 weeks before eating it but I couldn’t resist it and tried it a few days later. Delicious! So I guess it will be even better next month! :-) And the colour is amazing too: bright purple. Continue reading ‘Spiced beetroot and orange chutney’

Gnocchi with gorgonzola and cream sauce

Published by Lucina, on 3 settembre 2011 in Chiacchiere/Chatting and English Recipes. 3 Comments
gnocchi di patate

The Italian people will of course know what gnocchi are but some of my English friends may not be 100%  sure. Well… let me “educate” you: they are little potato and flour dumplings, which you boil in salted water and then dress with any sauce you like (as you would with pasta). You can buy them in many supermarkets in the UK  BUT they are not a patch on the homemade variety. I find the ready-made ones rather hard and stodgy, to be honest. The home made ones, on the other hand, are ever so light and fluffy. I had only made potato gnocchi a couple of times before in the past , previous to this attempt that is, and that was AGES  ago (and one had been a disaster!) so I decided the time had come to have another bash at it. …I was surprised how easy it was to make them and they really tasted great (or I wouldn’t be blogging them, would I?) so here I am sharing the recipe with you. There are many varieties out there: with potato and spinach, pumpkin, nettles (yes! Nettles!) but I decided on the plain,traditional ones. Who knows? I may branch out in the future and attempt different types. The recipe I used is pretty bog standard. The sauce  I dressed them with is a bit rich, I admit, but you can use a simple tomato sauce if you prefer.

P.S. Happy birthday to Laura (Candi’s daughter). 18 today!!!!! :-)

Continue reading ‘Gnocchi with gorgonzola and cream sauce’

Baked cheesecake with blueberries

Published by Lucina, on 30 agosto 2011 in cakes, Dolci and English Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , .

blueberry cheesecake

I love cheesecakes and I have tried many different ones, using a variety of  soft cheeses like mascarpone or Philadelphia. This one is particularly easy to make but it looks really professional so you could easily impress your friends if you produce one of these. It tastes even nicer the day after (you have to store it in the fridge in that case) so it’s ideal if you have people for dinner and you want to cook ahead. You can make it with other berries like raspberries or blackberries. But I love blueberries so that’s what I chose and I am now sharing with you. Strangely enough I have never seen a cheesecake on sale in Italy (I might be wrong. Do tell me if I am Candi when you get back from Russia) but they are very popular here in the UK and, may I add, in Austria and Germany where we had some delicious ones while we were there on holiday. The recipe is, once again, from Rachel Allen’s book called Bake. Continue reading ‘Baked cheesecake with blueberries’

Salmon fillets with avocado and creme fraiche sauce

Published by Lucina, on 26 agosto 2011 in English Recipes and fish. 0 Comments

salmon fillets

I invited some people for dinner last week and I had to come up with something quick and hassle free as I didn’t have much time to cook in the afternoon. So I thought of this nice and easy summer recipe (slightly adapted) by the mighty Delia Smith (I love her, I do confess). I’ve done it many times before and it has never failed me. So here I am sharing it with you. It’s so simple to make even my husband could have a go (ha ha). What is good about it is that you cook the salmon in the oven first and then you let it go cold, so you could easily cook it in the morning and then forget about it until just before your guests arrive. The sauce takes no time at all in the food processor (yes, you will need one). The only thing you have to make sure of  is that you buy a ripe avocado. If it’s too hard the sauce won’t work. Avocados are strange things, aren’t they? I find that they are either too hard or too soft. A bit like pears. One minute they are not soft enough, the next you have to chuck them in the bin as they have gone brown and mushy. I’ve thrown away many in my lifetime!

Continue reading ‘Salmon fillets with avocado and creme fraiche sauce’

Rhubarb jam

Published by Lucina, on 18 agosto 2011 in English Recipes, jam and marmellate. 4 Comments Tags: , .

rhubarb jam

I LOVE jam, particularly the home made variety so it’s baffling that I don’t make my own on a regular basis. Because, let’s be honest, it’s not that  complicated. How difficult is it to boil some fruit with some sugar and put it in jars? Ok, you need to get the quantities right but still! So I thought the time had come to have a go and decided to make some rhubarb jam. I love rhubarb (sorry Candi. I have never seen it on sale in Italy. Another idea for import /export? Already you have to start growing parnsnips, remember?) so last time I was shopping I bought two bags (on offer, as it happens)  and some jam sugar and when I came home I put the lot in a big pan and started boiling away. Just like a witch with her cauldron. Well….. it didn’t take me long to produce the finished result. And it is amazingly good: it tastes divine and the consistency is JUST right. WHY haven’t I done it before? It’s so simple! Honest! Next time I might even add some grated ginger . Sorry to be bragging about it but I have to share with you this cookery success, right? Next session is going to be with my friend Carmelita who also wants to try her hand at jam making (she has always been scared of it. But WHY? I really don’t know..). We are going to make some blackberry jam, to be precise. She knows a secret spot where loads of them are growing (mind you: they are not ripe yet!). What better than that? But for now let’s see how I made my fabulous rhubarb jam. Continue reading ‘Rhubarb jam’

Risotto with nettles

Published by Lucina, on 10 agosto 2011 in English Recipes and Primi. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

spot the nettle

Candi, I am HOME again!! You can’t be on holiday all the time and it’s time I went back to do some serious cooking. Had a great time in Austria and Germany and ate a lot of spaetzle (I think this is the spelling) – read some sort of ugly and fat egg pasta worms. Mind you: they were delicious so I MUST find the recipe somewhere and ask my German friend Beate to bring me the tool you need to make them. She is visiting me soon so perhaps she’ll even teach me the right way of cooking them, which can only means it will get blogged! :-)  Anyway, when I came back from my holidays I discovered not only an empty fridge but also a massive nettle amongst my garden plants (see if you can spot it in the photo) hence, in a flash of genius, I decided to use its leaves and make a risotto before chopping it down. And before you think I am gaga , think again! It’s a well known dish amongst Italian foodies. Isn’t that right Candi???  I remember making  one years and years ago with my auntie and recall it was actually rather good. And by the way don’t worry! Nettles don’t sting once they are cooked! As to their taste….difficult to describe (a bit spinachy, perhaps?). The only way to find out, if you are intrigued,  is to follow this recipe and try for yourself. A confession I have to make is that I cook my risottos in the pressure cooker. Oh yes!No stirring stock for 20 minutes for me. Life is too short up North! You wouldn’t believe how quick and easy it is and how delicious it tastes. You would never know it hasn’t been done the “orthodox” way. Trust me! So if you are interested in making a most unsual risotto using the pressure cooker read on…. Continue reading ‘Risotto with nettles’

Butternut squash and pepper soup

Published by Lucina, on 6 luglio 2011 in English Recipes and Soup. 2 Comments

butternut squash and pepper soup

I think it’s about time I blogged one of my famous soups! Yes, I like a good soup EVEN in the summer. And anyway, let’s be honest…WHAT summer? Here in the Uk you can rest assured it never stays hot or sunny for too long. Last year (or was it the one before? Or perhaps both) I had the heating on in August! :-0  COME ON!  So soup it is! The recipe for this particular one was given to me by my good friend Janet, queen of puddings and other things besides. She was the original enthusiast and right she was too! It’s light, fresh and it has an amazing bright orange colour. I am not sure whether you have butternut squash in Italy. It’s basically like a pumpkin but the shape is that of a big pear. If you do have them what are they called??? Help Candi!

Now to the recipe…. Continue reading ‘Butternut squash and pepper soup’

Smoked salmon and broccoli quiche

Published by Lucina, on 2 luglio 2011 in English Recipes and Torte salate, pizze. 8 Comments

smoked salmon and broccoli quiche

Well……apparently I’m not talking to the wall. My friend Carmelita religiously follows what I’m posting  and I’ve had recent confirmation that a lovely ex student of mine (Jane) also frequently checks the blog to see what  I’m eating. She has recently tried my raspberry muffins recipe and posted it on her FB page. Bless!!!  So here I go again. The show must go on!  I had a group of friends over for a buffet lunch yesterday. Everyone had to bring something so I decided to bake a quiche. Hadn’t made one for AGES! Don’t quite know why as I really like quiches….Actually, I do know why. They are a bit faffy to make. HOWEVER they are lovely to eat with a nice salad so I decided to have a go. I “cheated” by buying ready made shortcrust pastry (sorry!!!). The idea for this quiche came when I saw it in a baker’s shop in Belgium. I’ve tried to recreate it, with pleasing results. Everybody enjoyed it at any rate, including myself! Continue reading ‘Smoked salmon and broccoli quiche’

Kedgeree

Published by Lucina, on 26 giugno 2011 in English Recipes. 2 Comments

Kedgeree

Well….I must confess I miss Candi. This blog is beginning to feel as if I’m talking to myself….. I need my recipe swapping companion back from Ecuador with her interesting comments!!!!  The blog is not the same without her….. Still, I must hold the fort until her return so let’s talk about  the recipe I have chosen for the day. What a strange name,eh? I bet not many Italians living in the UK will have heard of this dish, whose main ingredients are rice, smoked haddock, boiled eggs, peas and Indian spices. The origins of it are hazy. Some people say it’s a Scottish dish, others say it originates from India and was adapted by the Scottish troops stationed in India (who then brought it back to the UK). Whatever its origins it is a really nice dish which, if I’m not mistaken, is often served at breakfast time in Scotland. Well, being Italian I would decline it before ten o’clock in the morning (give me some civilized cereals, toast and jam, please) but I’d be more than happy to have it as a light lunch/dinner.  There are many recipes for this dish out there. I’ve tried a few but my favourite so far is by Sophie Griegson. Once again it is really easy to make but it’s very tasty. Rossella, you must try it on your rice day! he he Continue reading ‘Kedgeree’