Creamy Rice Pudding with Armagnac & Earl Grey Prunes (Serves 4 -6)

Ok, I must admit that I haven’t always been a lover of rice pudding. When I was a child I absolutely hated it; most of my memories of this pudding, probably fuelled by my school dinners, are of a tasteless, milky mush. I was only converted years later, when Nick, who loves rice pudding, urged me to try it in a restaurant – it was a revelation! Since then, I have been on a mission to find the very best, creamiest rice pudding recipe…and I think this is definitely it. The prunes in Armagnac are the ‘icing on the cake’! I hate skin on my rice pudding, so I stir it every 15 minutes whilst it is baking to stop a skin from forming, but if you prefer, you can leave it to skin over.

For the Pudding:

500ml whole milk

500ml double cream

1 vanilla pod

100g Arborio rice

75g caster sugar

For the Armagnac Prunes:

50g caster sugar

50g clear honey

1 earl grey teabag

100ml Armagnac

16 Agen prunes, pitted and cut in half

1. Firstly prepare the prunes. Put 100ml water, the sugar and honey in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the teabag and allow to infuse for 2-3 minutes. Remove the teabag, then pour in the Armagnac and add the prunes. Set aside to marinate whilst you make the rice pudding.
2. Slice the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds, and mix in a bowl, with the milk, cream, rice and caster sugar. Put in a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish and bake in a preheated oven, 130’c fan, for 1½ hours until all the liquid has been absorbed; stir every 15 minutes to prevent a skin from forming.
3. When you are ready to serve, gently warm the prunes in a small pan. Serve the rice pudding in bowls with the prunes and their delicious syrup spooned over the top!

Yes!…March!!…at last there is almost the taste of spring in the air! March’s arrival has put a ‘spring’ into my step, things are definitely looking up – with the opportunity to meet up with more than one friend soon and perhaps even a picnic…and later in May the chance to eat out in a restaurant!! Although spring doesn’t officially arrive until 20^th March, I‘m already appreciating the lighter evenings and longer days – indeed the advantage of lockdown is that we do have an appreciation for the little things in life!

The March air is also livening up my kitchen, and to reflect my upbeat mood, I’ve even started playing a little ‘country and western’ music!…Yes, one of my guilty pleasures is listening to this rather ‘uncool’ music from time to time – I blame my mother, as growing up it was very much part of my childhood – along with a large dose of Elvis Presely!..But I must admit, a bit of ‘country’ does raise your spirits – I dare you to try not to sing along! It was actually a cookbook that encouraged me to revisit my ‘country and western’ playlist; ‘Five Marys Ranch Raised‘ is a book which I bought recently, it is written by an American author who lives on a Californian ranch. The photos are wonderful, they not only show the delicious recipes but also take you on a tour of ranch life – it all looks incredibly beautiful, with the mountains in the background, cattle in the fields, lots of checked shirts and cowboy boots…so when cooking a few of the recipes, it was only natural to pair it with some fitting music!… One of the recipes that I came across was for a fillet of beef seasoned with a flavoursome spice mix, served with caramelised onion sauce. This week I am sharing this delicious beef dish served with another new recipe that I have discovered, Roast New Potatoes with Bay Leaves – you can never have enough recipes for potatoes! These roast potatoes, from Skye McAlpine’s cookbook ‘A Table For Friends’, are subtly flavoured with bay leaves, and what’s more, you don’t even need to peel them – just stick them in the oven and leave them to roast themselves – a perfect midweek side dish. Menu Two is Chicken Gnocchi, I’m really excited about this dish, as I’m always searching for new ‘Italian’ style dishes, and just when I thought I’d exhausted all the sauce combinations, along comes this gem for gnocchi. The combination of chicken with olives and porcini, creates a full flavoured recipe and one that is particularly comforting. I didn’t make my own gnocchi, but you could of course, however, these days it’s possible to buy great quality gnocchi from the supermarket, making this dish an easy midweek option. Menu Three is my vegetarian offering, this week it’s a delicious, mildly spiced Chickpea & Spinach Curry – a seriously quick supper, mostly made from store cupboard ingredients.

Finally, of course, I couldn’t not share my guilty pleasure with you – check out my ‘Country Music to Cook To’ playlist here!….What is your guilty pleasure?!…

Enjoy the first week of March…see you next Tuesday for a ‘Tuesday Treat’!

Menu One

Five Marys Spiced Fillet of Beef with Caramelised Onion Sauce & Bay Leaf Baby Roast Potatoes (Serves 4)

This wonderful recipe for beef is one which I have taken from the ‘Five Marys Ranch Raised Cookbook’. I bought this book recently and have enjoyed reading it, not only for it’s wonderful meaty recipes, but also for the wonderful photos which take the reader on a tour of the authors Californian ranch. It all looks wonderfully idyllic, with the mountains in the background, cattle in the fields, lots of checked shirts and cowboy boots! This recipe uses a lovely ‘five spice’ mix to flavour the meat which is then simply cooked in the oven for about 30 minutes – you may notice that this is a slightly longer cooking time than my recipe for Beef Fillet & Port Sauce, this is because the beef is not seared beforehand, in order to avoid burning the garlic marinade. The Caramelised Onion & Red Wine sauce which accompanies the beef is the ‘icing on the cake‘, complementing the meat with its richness. I like to serve the beef with Bay Leaf Baby Roast Potatoes (recipe below); together they make a deliciously easy meal. You could also serve some greens or a salad on the side.

Five Marys Spice Rub

This is a wonderful spice rub to make and keep in your cupboard – it can be kept in a jar for up to 6 months. It is a good seasoning for steaks or chops, it will also give a kick to soups or stews and is wonderful sprinkled over eggs or avocado toast!…

3 tablespoons rock salt

2 tablespoons chilli flakes

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons salt flakes

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Simply mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight jar!

Five Spice Roast Fillet of Beef with Caramelised Onion & Red Wine Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon M5 Spice Rub (recipe above)

2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped

2 x fillets of beef, 450g each – nice even pieces

For the sauce:

90 g butter

2 onions, sliced

480ml red wine

240ml beef stock

3 sprigs of thyme

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Combine the olive oil, garlic, spice rub and thyme. Rub it over the fillets of beef, cover and leave at room temperature for an hour or refrigerate if longer – bring to room temperature before cooking if refrigerated.
2. Place the beef in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 25 -30 minutes for medium rare (a meat thermometer will read 55’c). Move to a plate to rest for about 15-30 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
3. Meanwhile make the sauce. In a large pan melt 30g of butter, fry the onions with a big pinch of salt, until golden and caramelised  – about 15-20 minutes.
4. Add the wine, stock and thyme, increase the heat and boil for about 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.
5. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and sugar, continue to cook for 1 minute longer.
6. When ready to serve, remove the thyme sprigs from the sauce, reheat gently and add the remaining 60g butter – a little at a time to allow it to emulsify. Finally add any juices from the rested meat.
7. Cut the beef into thick slices, serve topped with the warm sauce.

Roast New Potatoes with Bay Leaves (Serves 4-6)

You can never have enough recipes for potatoes!…so it was with great joy that I discovered this new, simple way of cooking new potatoes in Skye McAlpine’s cookbook, ‘A Table For Friends’. The bay leaves subtly flavour the little roasted potatoes, plus they look rather impressive tucked into each one! Skye says that you can eat the bay leaves, I did try them, but I must admit I wasn’t sold on that idea – but do try them yourself!

20 small new potatoes

20 bay leaves

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Make a lengthways slit across each potato and tuck a bay leaf into the slit. Arrange them in a roasting tin, allowing space between them, drizzle with the oil and season generously.
2. Place in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for about 1 hour or until they are golden brown and easily pierced.

Menu Two

Gnocchi with Chicken Sauce (Serves 4)

Just when I thought I had exhausted all the pasta sauces along came this wonderful recipe! The rich chicken sauce beautifully complements the gnocchi, however I also think that it would work very well with either pappardelle or tagliatelle. You could, of course, make your own gnocchi, but these days it’s possible to buy great quality gnocchi from the supermarket, including those that are gluten free.

I found this recipe in ‘Flavours of Sicily’ by Ursula Ferrigno, a book which concentrates on Sicilian dishes – if you have never visited this beautiful island, I urge you to put it on your bucket list, you will be in ‘food heaven’!

500g potato gnocchi (gluten free if required)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

50g pancetta, cubed

4 chicken thighs, boneless and skin-on, cut into bitesize pieces

100g green pitted olives

3 bay leaves

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tablespoons tomato purée

125ml white wine

50g dried porcini mushrooms

100g chestnut mushrooms, halved if large.

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

150ml chicken stock

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated to serve

1. Firstly soak the porcini in cold water for 10 minutes, drain reserving the soaking water.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole (which has a lid), add the onion and cook until golden.
3. Add the pancetta, cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and stir fry for 10 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients except the parsley and parmesan cheese. Simmer, covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally – if the mixture becomes a little dry add a splash of the reserved porcini soaking water.
5. Just as the sauce is ready, cook the gnocchi in boiling water according to the cooking instructions – they should only need 2-3 minutes.
6. Drain the gnocchi, add to the sauce and stir in the chopped parsley, checking the seasoning. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Menu Three

Chickpea and Spinach Curry (Serves 3-4)

This mildly spiced vegetarian curry makes a super easy supper, perfect midweek when time is of essence. Serve with steamed rice.

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 pinch chilli flakes

1 thumb sized piece ginger, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

400g tin tomatoes

400g tinned chickpeas, including the chickpea water

A large bunch spinach

3 tablespoons coriander, chopped

1. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium/high heat until fragrant – a couple of minutes. Put them in a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder before mixing in the other spices. Then mash in the chopped ginger to create a dry paste.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic, gently sweat until softened.
3. Add the spice mixture and cook for a minute or so, before adding the tomatoes, chickpeas and their chickpea water. Cook over a low heat until the sauce is thickened and the tomatoes have broken up  – around 25 minutes.
4. Finally stir through the spinach until wilted, check the seasoning (perhaps add an extra sprinkling of chilli flakes). Serve topped with the chopped coriander and with rice.

Rhubarb and Ginger Meringues (Serves 4)

If you have read my blog recently, you will know that I’ve been a little obsessed with rhubarb the last couple of weeks! I love the tart nature of this fruity vegetable, so as soon as the season for ‘forced rhubarb’ started in January I was keen to cook with it; this recipe for Rhubarb and Ginger Meringues has been a favourite of mine for some years now. These individual meringues are not the crunchy type, but are lovely, marshmallowy, soft meringues – you only cook them for 10-15 minutes. They do tend to crack a bit around the edges, so don’t be alarmed when they do, but this adds to their charm, and they still look impressive with the creamy rhubarb and ginger fool that sits in the middle of them. It really is a delicious dessert, the sharp rhubarb is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the meringue. What’s more, it is the simplest of desserts – I found the recipe in Rachel Allen’s cookbook ‘Easy Meals’ – so enough said!…

Watch the video of this dessert being made here!

2 large egg whites

125g caster sugar

For the rhubarb fool:

175g rhubarb, cut into 1cm lengths

75g caster sugar

1 teaspoon grated root ginger

125ml double cream, softly whipped

1. Place the egg whites in a bowl and using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk until they form soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar and continue to whisk until the meringue mixture is stiff and glossy.
2. Spoon 4 large blobs of the mixture onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Using the back of a spoon create a well in the centre of each meringue (this is where the rhubarb fool will sit).
3. Place the meringues in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 10-15 minutes until they are crisp on the outside but still marshmallowy in the middle. Remove from the oven and carefully lift them from the greaseproof paper to cool on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile make the rhubarb fool. Place the rhubarb, sugar and ginger in a saucepan with 25ml of water. Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the rhubarb is stewed to a mush and the syrup has thickened. Allow to cool, then fold into the whipped cream.
5. To serve, place the meringues onto individual plates and spoon a dollop of rhubarb fool over the top of each one.

I must admit that life has been rather quiet lately due to lockdown, so you won’t be surprised to hear that I haven’t got any exciting news to ‘write home about’! The days seem to be rolling into one; at the end of each day my ‘to do’ list  (I’m a great list maker!), is still as long as it was at the beginning of the day. Before Covid, I enjoyed studying Italian at the Italian Institute, I have been doing this for more years than I care to admit. Then, just over a year ago, when Felix started university, I decided to fill my empty nest by learning another language, French (as you do!). So when Covid started, and our daily life became emptier, I had dreams of using this ‘extra’ time to improve my fluency in both languages….hmmm?… Unfortunately, despite continuing classes via Zoom, I’ve failed to improve at all, as I have neglected to use my ‘lockdown’ time wisely! Instead, what I have been doing is ‘over concentrating’ on random things, for instance over the last two weeks I have been obsessed with rhubarb, yes, you read that correctly – rhubarb!…

With the season just beginning for ‘forced rhubarb’, and the fact that I love it, I have been madly cooking both savoury and sweet rhubarb dishes. So this week I thought I would share a very easy dinner dish with the aforementioned vegetable, ‘Medallions of Pork with a Rhubarb Salsa’. It makes sense that pork should go well with this vegetable, as it is quite ‘fruity’, and pork has an affinity with a lot of fruits such as apples and pears. In this dish, the rhubarb is gently stewed with just a touch of redcurrant sauce to sweeten it, whilst retaining its tartness; it is superb with the pork. Unfortunately, the photo that I have taken doesn’t do it justice – I really should have scattered a little parsley over it to give the photo some colour, but I was too keen to ‘tuck in’ to think about photography! But believe me, it really does deliver a flavoursome punch for such a quickly cooked meal. I have also been cooking some delicious desserts with rhubarb, but I will save those recipes to share for a Tuesday Treat!..

Continuing with today’s savoury themed recipes, Menu Two is a fish recipe, for ‘Hake with Bacon, Peas and Cider’ (you could substitute the Hake for another firm white fish), it is an easy dish that is cooked in one pan, just serve it simply with steamed new potatoes. I think it is one of those dishes which will appear on your weekday menu again and again! Finally, a vegetarian dish –  ‘Vegetarian Chilli’ from Rachel Allen’s cookbook ‘Entertaining for Friends’. I have been taking my New Year’s resolution (to eat and post more vegetarian recipes) very seriously, and for this recipe, I have, for the first time, cooked with soya mince, I must say I am surprised how good it is, it works particularly well in this Vegetable Chilli recipe, any meat lover will be incredibly impressed! The dish is bursting with flavours, I serve it with homemade guacamole, sour cream and tortilla chips – it’s a real crowd pleaser.

Have a great week cooking!…I hope I’m not the only one guilty of wasting my ‘lockdown’ time – I would love to know if you have been as guilty as me?!…

Don’t forget to visit Menu Mistress next week for my ‘Tuesday Treat’!

Menu One

Medallions of Pork with Rhubarb Salsa and Sautéed Spinach (Serves 4)

Rhubarb isn’t just for dessert, it works well with savoury dishes too, as it’s fruity, tart flavour really complements meat such as pork or duck. This dish is very good with Sautéed Spinach and Baby Roast Potatoes (recipes below).

2 pork tenderloins (trimmed of any fat and silverskin)

40g butter

For the Salsa:

225g rhubarb

60ml white wine

2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

1 teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. Cut the rhubarb  into small slices (about 1cm). Place in a saucepan with the white wine and gently cook until it becomes ‘mushy’ and tender. Purée until smooth – a stick blender is ideal for this or you can use a food processor.
2. Melt the jelly in a saucepan, then add the rhubarb purée, crème fraîche, sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and nutmeg.
3. Meanwhile, cut the tenderloins, into 2cm slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the medallions over a medium to high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side – you want them to still be a little pink.
4. Serve the warm salsa over the pork medallions. Serve with Sautéed Spinach and Baby Roast Potatoes (recipes below).

Staple Side Dish – Sautéed Spinach with Garlic (Serves 4)

2 large bunches of baby spinach (washed) – about 400g

Olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until the garlic is beginning to brown.
2. Add the spinach, turning it over to coat in the olive oil. Place a lid over the pan and cook for 1 minute. Remove the lid and stir. Return the lid and cook for a further minute.
3. The spinach should now be wilted, add a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Staple Side Dish – Baby Roast Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary (serves 4-6)

900g unpeeled new potatoes washed and cut roughly into 1cm cubes

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, leaves chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven 200’c fan. Put the olive oil in a roasting tin and place in the oven to heat up.
2. Place the potatoes in a clean tea towel and dry them thoroughly.
3. Remove tin from the oven and carefully slide the potatoes into the hot fat. Sprinkle over the garlic and rosemary then stir around.
4. Cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Menu Two

Hake with Bacon, Peas and Cider (Serves 4)

This recipe, from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook ‘At My Table’, is a wonderfully quick dish, all cooked in the same pan – ideal for a midweek meal. It is great simply served with some steamed new potatoes. I think it is one of those dishes which will appear on your weekly menu again and again! (You can easily substitute the hake for another firm white fish of you choice).

4 Hake fillets (or other white firm fish), skin on – about 200g each

Olive oil

130g streaky bacon, snipped into 1cm strips

400g frozen petits pois

500ml dry cider

Large bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat a little olive oil in a pan (with a lid), fry the bacon until crisped and golden, then add the frozen peas, give them a good stir.
2. Pour in the cider and bring to the boil, then turn it down to a simmer for about 5 minutes, until the peas are cooked. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the fish, skin side down, to the pan and cover with a lid, allow to gently simmer for about 10 minutes until just cooked.
4. Place each fillet on a plate. Stir most of the parsley through the peas and bacon in the pan (check the seasoning), then spoon it around the fish along with the lovely cidery juices. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve – simply steamed new potatoes are delicious with this dish!

Menu Three

Vegetarian Chilli with Homemade Guacamole (Serves 4-6)

This Vegetarian Chilli recipe is from Rachel Allen’s cookbook, ‘Entertaining at Home’. The dish is bursting with flavours, I serve it with rice, homemade guacamole (recipe below), sour cream and tortilla chips – it’s a real crowd pleaser. It’s a good idea to serve a little Tabasco or Encona sauce on the side, for extra heat, to suit individual tastes. This recipe calls for soya mince, I used and would recommend ‘Vivera plant mince’, which you can buy in supermarkets, it is fresh and ready to use. Any meat lover will be incredibly impressed with this chilli – see if they can guess it’s vegetarian!!…

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ large onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1-2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

100g soya mince, ready to use weight (soaked, according to packet instructions if dried – see note above)

400g tin red kidney beans

400g tin chopped tomatoes

125ml vegetable stock (I use Marigold Swiss Bouillon)

75ml red wine

Sea salt and black pepper

Bunch of coriander, chopped to serve

To serve: rice, guacamole, sour cream and tortilla chips

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or casserole, add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and golden.
2. Grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle, then add to the pan along with the chopped chilli, cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients except the coriander. Cook over a medium heat, uncovered, for about 30 minutes until thickened.
4. Scatter with the chopped coriander and serve with rice, homemade guacamole (recipe below), sour cream and tortilla chips.

Easy Guacamole

I’ve tried a few recipes for guacamole over the years, some have the addition of garlic and tomatoes, but I always return to this easy recipe from Sally Clarke – the flavours are simple so don’t overpower the avocado.

3 ripe avocados, peeled
Juice of 3 large limes
1-2 small chillies, very finely chopped
Salt
2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves

1. With a fork, mash the avocados in a bowl until almost smooth – a few lumps are fine.
2. Stir in the lime juice and add the chillies and salt. Stir in the coriander and adjust to taste by adding more chillies, lime juice or salt.

Chocolate Gourmandise (Gluten Free!)

(Serves 4)

I thought that this week, as it’s Valentine’s Day at the end of the week, that I would share a little ‘chocolate love’… ‘Chocolate Gourmandise’ is one of those desserts that everyone, yes, everyone loves! On first appearance it seems to be a little sponge in a cup, but when you dip your spoon into it, you get the wonderful surprise of a molten chocolate centre. What really will steal your heart, is that this recipe, is not only delicious but incredibly easy to make, and so, it is not only the perfect midweek family treat, but also the perfect dessert to end a dinner party (remember those?!..). It must be baked at the very last minute, but can be prepared several hours in advance. And the other good news is that, it works perfectly well with gluten free plain flour (I use Doves). This recipe is from a cookbook which I have had for over 20 years, ‘Patricia Wells at Home in the Provence’. Whilst there are other recipes in this book that I have enjoyed, it always naturally falls open onto the page for Chocolate Gourmandise (with all its cooking stains)!

Watch the video of this dessert being made here!

125g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate)

125g butter

3 large eggs

150g caster sugar

35 g plain flour (gluten free if required – I use ‘Doves’)

Butter and flour for preparing the ramekins

(you will also need 4 small ramekins with 150ml capacity)

1. Place the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, stir until melted.
2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and flour, mixing just to blend.
3. Gradually whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.
4. Leave the mixture to rest for an hour, to allow the flavours to mellow.
5. Generously butter and flour the ramekins. Place on a baking sheet. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins.
6. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 12-14 minutes, they should be still wobbly.
7. Transfer the ramekins to sit on dessert plates and serve immediately.