Tinned Tomatoes

Rolo Cake Topped with Gooey Snowballs

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:26:00 +0000

Let me paint the scene! A get together of good friends, their partners/husbands and children. The promise to bring a cake. The need to try something new and exciting. I know who I turn to first, dah, dah, dah - The Caked Crusader!

And was I disappointed? Heck, no! I was spoilt for choice, as I knew I would be. I decided chocolate was the way to go and I wanted something pretty spectacular, so I plumped for The Caked Crusader's Rolo Cake. It is a moist chocolate cake, with rolos baked into the cake, smothered in chocolate frosting, topped with more rolos and gooey Tunnock's Snowballs or on The Caked Crusader's cake, hedgehogs. Yes, I did say hedgehogs!

I am posting the recipe in cup measures, but if you want it in metric and you do want this cake, believe me, then head over and have a look at The Caked Crusader's original cake. You will soon be drooling over all the gorgeous photos!

Rolo Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1⁄3 cup caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 ½ cup self raising flour
2⁄3 cup cocoa powder
100g Rolos, halved

For the buttercream:

1 cup icing sugar
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cocoa powder

To decorate: I used Tunnock's Snowballs and a few more rolos, but The Caked Crusader recommends crushed Flake, chocolate vermicelli, chocolate caramel curls or whatever takes your fancy!

Method

Cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Line a 20cm springform round tin with baking paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs a little at a time and add some of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

Gently stir in the flour and cocoa, before stirring in the rolos.

Spoon into the prepared cake tin and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. The cake will settle on cooling but this is because it’s so rich and squidgy.

Leave to cool in the tin, on a wire rack.

Buttercream Frosting

When cool make the buttercream: cream together the icing sugar and butter until smooth. (don't have baby head like me and throw the icing sugar and butter into the bowl together and then try to blend or you and the kitchen will be covered in a thin layer of white powder. No, please think this through and blend the butter first, until soft and creamy and then add the icing sugar a little at a time)

Beat in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder.

If the mix is a bit solid, add a dash of milk to soften and slacken.

Spread over the cake and decorate as required .

And... this is how it looked after it had been plundered! Look at all that gooey mallow oozing across the top of the cake. Mmmmmm, sugar high!

And now for some shots of how the professional does it.

Doesn't that just look fabulous? And aren't those hedgehogs so cute? And look, smooth buttercream frosting. I bet that kitchen didn't experience a snow storm of icing.

Thank you so much for continuing to make my day, every day I visit your blog CC. You are truly a baking superhero!

No Croutons Required - The Copycat Round

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:11:00 +0000

It's a new month and a new challenge here at No Croutons Required.

I have named this round the Copycat Round, because I would like you to look at restaurant menus, find a soup or salad that is suitable for vegetarians and makes you think "Mmmmmmm!" and then come up with your own recipe for it.

You may recreate a dish you have tried in a restaurant that has left a lasting impression, go online and check out the menus at your favourite restaurants or if you are enjoying a meal out, then pay close attention to the choices available. If you have a memory like a sieve, as I do, then scribble down the details of your soup or salad, while you are reading the menu and pop it in your bag, before you start chatting, enjoying the wine and forgetting all about No Croutons Required!

To enter, list the name of the restaurant, location and a url (if they have a website), along with a sentence or two talking about the restaurant or your choice of dish, then add your photo, a link to your post and your own location and email it all to me at nocroutonsrequired@googlemail.com by end of day on the 20th of February 2010.

This should be such fun, I just cannot wait to see wait everyone comes up with.

Let the games begin!

I would also like to take the opportunity to wish a big congratulations to Mangocheeks over at Allotment to Kitchen for winning the first challenge of 2010 with her yummy Thai Butternut Squash Soup with Tofu Croutons.

I hope this goes someway to giving you some joy after such a terrible week, Mangocheeks :)

Field Mushroom & Artichoke Risotto

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:49:00 +0000

We took Cooper out for his first restaurant experience last week. I'm not sure he appreciated it, as you can see, he slept through the whole experience, but it was very enjoyable for the rest of us.

The restaurant we went to was The Glass House in St Andrews and we will definitely be going back again. The whole meal was delicious, the interior was very sleek and modern, with lots of levels, nooks and crannies and the staff were charming.

To start, I had a baked field mushroom topped with garlic butter, grilled goats cheese and a parmesan and herb crumb and then I followed that with more mushrooms, namely the wild mushroom, sundried tomato and artichoke risotto with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. You can see where this is going, can't you? To finish off I managed to make some room for a mixed fruit cheesecake, which was thankfully quite small or I would have popped! I knew I was going to have to have that risotto again soon and so I made it for dinner last night. I left out the sun-dried tomatoes, as I didn't really appreciate them in this dish and I do think the risotto was better without them.

Field Mushroom & Artichoke Risotto

2 tbsp olive oil
1 fat clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 large field mushrooms, sliced
½ jar artichoke antipasti, drained and rinsed and chopped (280g jar)
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 knob butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated vegetarian parmesan to serve

Fry the mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil until soft and succulent, before adding the artichoke pieces.

In a heavy bottomed pan, saute the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rice and mix through until well coated with the oil. Add a ladleful of hot stock and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Continue in this fashion with the rest of the stock and the wine, until the rice is creamy, but still has a little bite to it.

Add the mushrooms and artichokes to the risotto. Season to taste and then add a knob of butter and mix through until the butter has melted.

Serve with freshly grated vegetarian parmesan and enjoy.

Serves 2-3 (depending on the need for another spoonful)

Easy as Pie (Pasties)

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:23:00 +0000

You can always tell that Burn's Night is on the horizon when the supermarkets start stockpiling haggis on groaningly full shelves. They are everywhere you turn! I really don't mind though, I quite like haggis, well veggie haggis, obviously (I wouldn't eat the timorous wee beastie), but I tend to forget about it during the year, until this not-so-gentle reminder appears.

This year I wasn't stuck for ideas as I threw a couple of vegetarian haggis in my trolley. Back in December Mangocheeks made some truly inspirational Clapshot Vegetarian Haggis Tikkia, which is on my make-soon list and Johanna went haggis-crazy and made nachos, pasties and crepes with her veggie haggis.

I just wanted something quick and easy to make, so I bought some ready made shortcrust pastry and some nachos, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. I didn't really enjoy the haggis with nachos, but I am not a great lover of nachos at the best of times. Graham enjoyed them, so that was the main thing. However, the pasties were fabulous! So tasty, very filling and so quick and easy to make.

Here is my how-to-guide for quick veggie haggis pasties:

Easy Vegetarian Haggis Pasties

Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas mark 6. Roll your shortcrust pastry fairly thinly and cut into discs. I cut mine using a small glass bowl measuring 13 cm/5 inches, but you can make your pasties any size you want depending on your whim.

Spread mustard across half of your pastry disc. I used wholegrain mustard, a favourite of mine. The mustard is optional, but it works so well with the haggis and potato.

Spoon some haggis onto the pastry, being careful not to add too much or you will have problems later when you come to seal the pasty.

Add a few cubes of boiled potato to your filling, then season with pepper. Brush the edge of your pastry disc with milk to seal.

Fold the pastry over the filling to make a half moon shape and seal by crimping the edge with your thumb and forefinger. Cut slits into the pastry to let out the steam and them brush the pasty with milk or an egg wash for a lovely golden finish.

Bake the pasties in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden.

Break open and enjoy while they are still hot, then enjoy the leftover pasties, if there are any, the next day cold for lunch.

These pasties are great made this quick and easy way, but do make your own pastry and haggis, if you have the time. I use Delia Smith's recipe for shortcrust pastry, which is always successful and if I was going to make my own haggis, I would definitely use Johanna's recipe.

Here are a few other recipes to help your Burn's Night go off with a bang:

1 Clapshot and Vegetarian Haggis - Allotment to Kitchen

2 Clapshot Vegetarian Haggis Tikkia - Allotment to Kitchen

3 Haggis with Warm Butter Bean and Spinach Salad - The World Famous Burns Supper

4 Vegetarian Haggis Pakoras - Food Lovers Britain

5 Vegetarian Haggis Nachos - Green Gourmet Giraffe

6 Haggis, Neeps & Tatties Pasties - Green Gourmet Giraffe

7 Haggis, Neeps & Tatties Crepe Stack - Green Gourmet Giraffe

8 Vegetarian Haggis and Winter Tzatziki Wraps - Mostly Eating

9 Baked Onions with Vegetarian Haggis - The Foody

10 Vegan Haggis - Veg World

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:21:00 +0000

Well actually it is more like chocolate fondant. This is another brownie recipe from the little Good Food Magazine book - 101 Chocolate Treats.

It didn't work out quite as planned. When I was whisking up the final mixture, I was eyeing the quantity in the bowl and looking at my brownie pan and thinking "no way, is that going to fit!", so I decided to spilt the mixture between a 9 inch/23cm spring form cake tin and a 8 inch/20cm square brownie pan.

I poured most of the mixture into the cake pan, I filled it ¾ of the the way up and poured the rest of the mixture into the brownie pan. The cake I baked for 45 minutes until papery on top and wobbly, this produced the gooey texture of a dessert. I put the brownie in for 20-25 minutes and used a skewer to see if it was ready. When the skewer came out quite clean I took it out and this resulted in a lovely chewy brownie. Two for the price of one.

I will give you the original recipe, with cup measures added and you can decide which way you would like to try it.

Chocolate Brownies

375g/13oz dark chocolate, chopped
375g/13oz butter, diced
500g/1lb 2oz/2 ¾ cups caster sugar
6 medium eggs (I always use large, this might have been why there was so much mixture)
225g/8oz/2 cups plain flour

Preheat oven to 180c/Gas 4/fan oven 160c. Butter and line a 30 x 21cm/12 x 8¼ inch cake tin. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water.

Beat the sugar and eggs in a bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate, add the flour and beat well. Pour into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top looks papery and feels slightly wobbly. Leave to cool in the tin.

Makes 24 brownies
or my way, 1 deep brownie cake and 1 pan of chewy brownies

The original recipe called for a topping of melted chocolate followed by a dusting of icing sugar, but I didn't bother. To be honest, I forgot. I had visitors while I was making the brownies. Easily distracted, that's me! We had a piece of the brownie the first night and then a slice of the cake today with cream. I think it would be lovely warm with ice cream too.

New Year's Resolutions- I suck at them!

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:34:00 +0000

I was just catching up over at Wendy's blog - A Wee Bit of Cooking. She has some gorgeous photos on today's post, you must go and have a look. Scotland looks so beautiful in snowy weather. Anyway, I digress, I made my way down her last few posts (yes, I know, I know, I am slacking, but I have a very hungry baby) that I had missed and what should I come across but her new year's resolution post. That in turn reminded me that I made some resolutions last year too. And now you are asking "did you keep them?". Hell no! Here they are, feel free to mock me!

New Year Plans January 2009

* Go for more walks

(yes, I did do this, I can truly pat myself on the back for this one. I went out walking with Graham and once a month with my walking group and I loved it! If you head over there, you will see the entries finished in July. I was busy in August and September on walking days and after that I was just too exhausted by the pregnancy and working full time. Hopefully I will get out for some walks with my local pram pushing group, once the weather improves. Not quite hillwalking, but a good stretch of the legs at least.)

* Visit somewhere new in Scotland each month

(Well, I can cover this one up until July with my hillwalking too)

* Master cupcakes

(I made a few, heck no, I only had two attempts and then cast them aside. I made Oreo Cupcakes that were more like muffins and a batch of Maple Cupcakes which were lovely. I wonder why I gave up at this point?)

* Dig out my dusty sketchbook and start using it

(Hmmmm, let me think about it. Nope, it's still tucked away!)

* Have a big clear out of my wardrobe

(I did this at least three or four times over the year, but guess what, it is as packed and untidy as ever!)

* Thin my shoe collection

(If you believe this one, you will believe anything!)

* Spend less money

(That's debatable, if you ask Graham, I am sure he would have a different answer for you.)

* Enjoy 2009

(Yes, on the whole I did, it was a pretty good year and it definitely ended on a high note!)

So my resolutions for 2010. Don't make resolutions! Just enjoy my family and friends with a bit of cooking and baking thrown in. How does that sound?

Toffee Pecan Brownies

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:17:00 +0000

You are going to like this recipe!

A moist chocolate brownie, with a fudgey caramel layer, studded with pecans and topped with gooey toffee sauce. Need I say more?

I got this recipe from a nifty little book called 101 Chocolate Treats. A tiny, wee book from those lovely people at the Good Food Magazine. I have added cup measures for ease of use.

Toffee Pecan Brownies

100g/4oz dark chocolate, chopped
175g/6oz butter, diced
250g bag creamy toffees
5 tbsp double cream
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
350g/12oz/2 cups caster sugar
200g/7oz/2 cups & 2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g/4oz pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180c/gas 4/fan oven 160c.

Line a brownie pan with greaseproof paper (I use my round cake tin inserts, they fit when pushed into the corners).

Melt the chocolate with the butter.

Melt the toffees with the cream.

Lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla, stir into the melted chocolate with the sugar. Sieve in the flour and the baking powder, mixing lightly. Stir in the pecans.

Pour half the mixture into the brownie pan and drizzle over ¾ of the toffee sauce. Spread over the rest of the brownie mixture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until firm to the touch. Leave to cool.

Reheat the remaining sauce and spread over the brownie cake before cutting into squares.

Makes 16 squares

(the original recipe included extra chocolate to drizzle over the brownies at the end, but I think this is overkill quite frankly. The toffee sauce is utterly divine on it's own. I will be using it again for other bakes.)

News

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:11:00 +0000

I would like to introduce you to my little excuse for lame blogging and lack of keeping up with everyone else's blogs these last few months. I think you will agree it is a good one.

Cooper
Born 1.47am, 31 December 2009
7 lbs 4oz

Our little angel!

NCR - The Winning Festive Photo

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:11:00 +0000

I am a day late posting this, but I will have some news for you about that in my next post. For now I would like to announce and congratulate our winner.

Coming first place for the second year in a row is Wendy with her gorgeous photo entitled Wee Bird. To see more of Wendy's stunning photography from the Highlands of Scotland and of course some delicious recipes too, head over to A Wee Bit of Cooking.

For January's No Croutons Required challenge, visit Lisa's Kitchen.

Happy New Year everyone!

Edible Christmas Gifts - Part 2

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:38:00 +0000

Don't panic! So you haven't gotten around to making Christmas treats yet. Your mind has been consumed with Christmas dinner and have you really got a present for everyone? Never fear, here are some last minute ideas. Be they for Christmas day or to take with you when you visit family and friends this Christmas season. Boy, do I have a great line-up of ideas for you.

We start of with Coconut Ice courtesy of Johanna. Doesn't it look gorgeous? And so pretty too! I can just imagine them stacked in a clear cookie bag tied up with ribbon.

Next up we have some pretty amazing truffles from Nic over at Cherrapeno. The truffles in question are Chocolate Christmas Pudding Truffles. So keep these in mind if you have any leftover Christmas pudding. Heck, wait until Boxing Day, buy one cheap and be sure to make these little pieces of heaven.

Taking of truffles, guess what I spent this evening making? Yes a batch of coconut coated truffles. Graham has a buffet at work tomorrow, so he kindly suggested that he would take pizza and some sort of baked goods courtesy of me. There was some disappointment that I wasn't making the Toffee Pecan Brownies I made for him to take in last week, but since I had made 2 batches within the space of a week, I decided to go for something different. I don't think they will mind once they taste yummy little choccy treats. I have to thank my friend Audrey for the recipe. They are very famous in our staff room.

Leftover cranberries after making your cranberry sauce? I have just the recipe for you. Chocolate Coated Brownies with Cranberries. Lisa made her batch with dried cranberries, but just think how good they would be with little bursts of juicy fruit.

Christmas dinner is organised, but what about an easy treat first thing on Christmas morning? Beth has made the most gorgeous muffins flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberries and orange juice. Just imagine the beautiful smell wafting through the house and they are so easy to make too!

I am sticking with the cranberry theme and introducing you to some cookies I made earlier in the year. Cranberry & Orange Cookies. I got the recipe from a talented young lady called Elyse over at Belle of the Bakery, (formerly Confectionary Creations). They are light, chewy and almost cakey in texture. Really lovely!

I end this line-up with a savoury treat from my friend Dana over at Dana Treat. This is a real last minute recipe. It is easy and quick, but only keeps for 1 month in the fridge, so it is best made fresh. I give you Dana's Spicy Tomato Jam. Great for eating with Christmas leftovers or serving with your cheese board, but an equally elegant gift to take with you when visiting.

I hope you all enjoyed the line-up and that you have a wonderful Christmas.

Love
Jac
xxx

NCR - Festive Photos Roundup

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:51:00 +0000

This is our second venture into festive photos as part of No Croutons Required and the line-up of photos doesn't disappoint.

I am going to let the line-up speak for itself and hope you won't have too much trouble picking your favourite. A happy festive season to you all :)

Cats Around the Christmas Tree
Sarah (Ordinary Vegetarian)
Aurora, IL USA

Rose in the Snow
Soma (eCurry)
Texas, USA

Bunny in the Snow
Pam (Sidewalk Shoes)
Soddy Daisy, US

Glen Doll
My photo taken in the Cairngorms National Park
(not in vote)

Charlotte Square, Edinburgh
Johanna (Green Gourmet Giraffe)
Melbourne, Australia

Fffffffffreezing! (Frozen Web)
Nic (Nip it in the Bud)
Gloucester, England

Wee Bird
Wendy (A Wee Bit of Cooking)
Inverness, Scotland

Snowman and Muffin
Mangocheeks (Allotment to Kitchen)
West of Scotland

Nana's Handmade Reindeer with Holiday Cookies
Jenn (The Leftover Queen)
USA

Felix the Cat
Ben (What's Cooking)
Columbus, Ohio, US

Melting Frost
C (Cake, Crumbs and Cooking)
Northwest England

Homemade Coffee Liqueur
Ria (Ria's Collection)
Kerala, India

Poinsettia
Susan (The Well-Seasoned Cook)
New York, US

NCR - Festive Photos

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:03:00 +0000

This is my entry for this month's No Croutons Required.

If you would like to join in the challenge then just get your camera out. Just submit a festive photo, it doesn't have to involve food, just try to capture the mood of this festive season. My photo is a shot of the Scottish countryside on a frosty winter's day. The ground is crisp and crunchy and the air so very fresh and nippy, lovely.

Email your photo along with a title to me at nocroutonsrequired@googlemail.com by the 20th December 2009, with a link to your post that features the photo and your name and location. As usual, the roundup with run from the 21st December 2009 and the winner will be announced on the 31st.

Edible Christmas Gifts - Part 1

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:44:00 +0000

It's time to think about those edible gifts that we love to give and receive at Christmas. Some of us will have started with Christmas cakes and chutneys that need a few months for the flavours to develop fully, however there are still plenty of goodies that we have all the time in the world to make. Well two weeks anyway.

I hope you enjoy this roundup.

I am starting with a chocolate treat that went down a treat with all those that tried them and everyone who saw them. Chocolate Tiffin. A great no-bake recipe.

Next we move on to a traditional Scottish sweetie and a true delight at that. Tablet, made by Wendy over at A Wee Bit of Cooking. It is a bit like fudge, but it melts in the mouth. I urge you all to try it!

Look at the lovely colour of these Beetroot & Chocolate Muffins. Gorgeous huh? I can tell you right away how moist and luscious these must be after falling in love with the Chocolate & Beetroot Brownie Cake I have adopted as my own.

I was really impressed with these Pear & Ginger Muffins when I tried them. They would be great as a gift, but would also make a lovely start to Christmas morning. Nice and simple, with the wonderful flavour of pear & ginger and the smell, oh my the smell. Just gorgeous! Thanks Nigella :)

Made and decorated with love! Triple Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cookies, made by chef and artist (it has to be said, after seeing these) Nic over at Cherrapeno who shares with us a rather simple recipe and techniques for perfecting these amazing cookies.

Creamy and tart with a hint of spice. I fell in love with this Lemon Curd with Nutmeg when I tasted it, no scrub that, I fell in love with the smell and the beautiful colour first. Can you imagine how well received a little jar of this would be?

Sarah over at The Ordinary Vegetarian came up with these little treats masquerading as snow balls. No-Bake Oatmeal Cookie Balls. I am sure you will head straight over there when I tell you they have peanut butter in them, Yum!

We are finishing on a savoury note with Marinated Feta Cheese courtesy of Soma over at eCurry. I don't know about you, but that has me drooling. I'd love to be given a jar of this at Christmas.

I hope you enjoyed and took inspiration from this first roundup of edible Christmas gifts. If you have been particularly impressed by any edible gifts you have seen on other blogs, please let me know so I can include them in further roundups.

Rich Mushroom Soup

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:27:00 +0000

My mum was extolling the virtues of mushrooms soup and how much she loves it, so good daughter that I am, I make some mushroom soup for her next visit. Sods law steps in and mum breaks her glasses, so her trip is cancelled and instead she makes a pricey visit the opticians. Not knowing when we would see her next, Graham and I did the noble thing and tucked into the soup ourselves. I wouldn't say it is my favourite soup, but heck it was rather good.

Rich Mushroom Soup

1 tbsp olive oil,
a small knob of butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
5 large portabello mushrooms, sliced
15 medium closed cup mushrooms
1 heaped tsp dried thyme
1 heaped tsp dried parsley
2 tbsp plain flour
½ glass white wine
2 pints vegetable stock
a splosh of single cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large pan, saute the garlic and portabello mushrooms in the olive oil and butter. Saute for a few minutes before adding the closed cup mushrooms. I like to season the mushrooms at this point with black pepper as they really soak up the flavour.

Once the mushrooms are lovely and juicy and brown, reserve a few to serve as a garnish on top of the soup.

Next add the herbs. If you have fresh herbs, then so much the better, but this was a bit of a store cupboard soup for me.

Pour in the wine and allow the mushrooms to start absorbing the liquid. Stir in the flour which will absorb the juices from the mushrooms and help to thicken the soup.

Next, add the stock and leave the soup to simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Whizz the soup until smooth and season to taste before adding a splosh of cream. This is optional and it is up to you how much you would like to add.

Serve topped with some of the reserved mushrooms

Serves 4-6

Mum's Trifle

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:14:00 +0000

It's a simple dessert, but one filled with comfort and joy. My mum adds a good glug of sherry to her cake base, but I have left that out. Although I love it, Graham is not so keen, but the choice is yours. The jelly really moistens up the cake, so you don't need to add any extra liquid, although saying that, a good boozy trifle can go down a treat.

I'm not going to lay this out as a traditional recipe, this is more of a case of layering and you can't go wrong. If you want more custard and less cream, just adjust it to suit yourself. It's all about plunging your spoon through the layers and the taste sensation as your taste buds tingle.

Mum's Trifle

1. Start off with a nice large bowl, a clear one is good so you can see all the lovely layers.

2. Your first layer is sponge. You have a choice here. I used a few slices of my Jaffa Drizzle Sponge Cake, without the chocolate drizzle. I sometime use a Madeira cake. Homemade cake is a good choice, but bought cake works just as well.

3. Fruit next. I used blackberries and clementines in my trifle. Unfortunately the clementines I had were a bit bitter, so I used tinned clementines in fruit juice, instead of fresh. Fresh berries such as strawberries and raspberries are lovely in a trifle, again you choose.

4. Now we add the jelly. Jelly can be a problem for vegetarians, but there are alternatives out there. I used a sachet of Hartley's Quickset Raspberry Jelly, which uses pectin instead of gelatin. It's easy to use, just follow the packet instructions. Don't be alarmed when it doesn't set as firm as regular jelly, this is normal. Leave the jelly to cool slightly before pouring over the sponge and fruit. Leave to cool and set in the fridge.

5. Now for the custard. If you can find a good fresh custard to buy, then why not save some time, but if you have some time to potter about in the kitchen and want a more deluxe trifle, then make your own. You can find my recipe for fresh custard here. It is the custard recipe I use when I make ice cream and it is filled with lovely specks of black from fresh vanilla. I would leave out the cinnamon for this dish however.

6. Our last layer is cream. I whipped double cream with a little sugar until it was lovely and thick and then spread it across the top of the custard.

7. Decoration. I sprinkled my trifle with chocolate flakes, but many of you will remember childhood trifle sprinkled with hundreds and thousands, those colourful little sugar sprinkles. It depends how nostalgic you are feeling. A dusting of cocoa powder is rather nice too.

Dig in! How can you resist?

No Croutons Required - Festive Photos

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:04:00 +0000

December is upon us again. I just don't know where the year goes, do you?

I am looking back to last December and the fun we had changing things up a bit for the Festive No Croutons Required Round. In case you don't remember, we had a break from soups and salads and offered up some festive photos instead. Just a bit of fun really and a nod to the fact that everyone is so busy this month and keeping up to date with challenges along with everything else that's going on can be difficult. So, this month I would like you to submit a festive photo for the challenge. It doesn't have to involve food, just try to capture the mood of this festive season.

Email your photo along with a title to me at nocroutonsrequired@googlemail.com by the 20th December 2009, with a link to your post that features the photo and your name and location. As usual, the roundup with run from the 21st December 2009 and the winner will be announced on the 31st.

Good luck everyone! I can't wait to see your photos.

I will leave you now with last December's winning photo, courtesy of Wendy over at A Wee Bit of Cooking.

Greedy Pudding Pear Cake

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:03:00 +0000

I was watching an episode of River Cottage on replay. I like to watch it this way, so if anything gruesome comes on, I can just fast forward. I do love Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's passion for food and love watching him cook, but some of it is just stomach churning.

Not so this dish. A delicious pear cake, ever so moist with slices of juicy, caramelised pears sunk into it's depths. I slammed on my pause button and grabbed a notebook (there is always one to hand anywhere in the house) and started to scribble down the recipe as he cooked. My mouth was watering as I continued to watch and scribble. Needless to say, I made the cake as soon as I could lay my hands on some ground almonds.

Gorgeous, just gorgeous! I just wish my evening photography was as good as the cake was!

(just look at that juicy slice of pear, what you can't see is the crunch of caramel you hit, before you bite into that luscious pear)

Greedy Pudding Pear Cake

cake

300g butter
250g caster sugar
4 large eggs
150g self-raising flour
150g ground almonds
a pinch of cinnamon

pears

3 tender to firm pears
25g butter
1 tbsp caster sugar

Heat the oven to 180 c/ fan 160 f/ gas 4 (Hugh didn't specify the oven temperature, so I just went with the temperature I used for my Apple Cake). Line a 20cm cake tin. I like to use the inserts available from Lakeland, it saves time and effort. Don't you just hate lining cake tins?

Peel the pears and cut into 3 long slices. Melt the butter until bubbling and then add the sugar. move the pan about until the sugar has begun to melt and the cook the pears in this syrup for a few minutes until they are beginning to colour. Once they are tender, take of the heat and set aside.

Whisk the 300g of softened butter until pale and fluffy (one of Hugh's tips), then add the caster sugar. Still whisking, crack open 4 eggs and add one at a time. Sieve in the flour and ground almonds and fold together. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and stir into the mixture.

Smooth the cake mixture into your prepared cake tin, top with the pears, making a flower pattern. Spoon any left over caramel from the pan over the pears and the bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Hugh's cake came out a lot browner than mine, but I think that might have been to do with the oven temperature. When I make this again, I will be doing it just the same way. The cake was lovely and golden and baked to perfection. I may add a little more cinnamon next time, as it wasn't very noticeable in the first cake. My friend Andrew, hinted that he would like some ginger in it next time and I think that would work well too.

Before I go, I would like to say a big thanks and send a hug out to Ashley over at Eat Me Delcious for gifting me a One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks Ashley :D

Cook Express

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:46:00 +0000

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this latest offering from Dorling Kindersley - Cook Express. I was planning on setting this book up as a prize, however, it is just too water damaged to give out. Thanks DHL!

All is not lost though, a large selection of recipes from this beautifully put together book are available as a widget for your desktop and it is also available to buy directly from Dorling Kindersley or from Amazon UK with a massive 40% discount.

The book is divided into two sections - Everyday and Food For Friends.

Everyday

No Cook
(Mixed Mushroom Spinach & Orange Salad )
(Flageolet Bean & Smoked Cheese Salad)
Speedy Suppers
Everyday Chicken
10 Ways With ..... (cheese, salmon, mince, sausages, eggs, bacon and ham & turkey)
Faster Pasta

Pizza, Quesadillas and Pancakes
(Perfect Pizza Dough)
Easy Tarts & Pies
Get The Most From Your Roast
Batch & Freeze
Store cupboard

Food For Friends

Menu Planners
No-Fuss Finger Food & Dips
Tapas-Style
Simple Starters
Big-Pot Gatherings
All-in-One Roasts
Barbeque

No-Cook Desserts
(Meringue & Mango Mess)
(Orange & Chocolate Tiramisu)
(Tropical Trifle)
(Blackcurrant Jelly with Vanilla Cream)
Freeze Ahead Desserts
Indulgent Puddings
Cakes & Bakes

The book has a massive 700 recipes, each and every one of them illustrated with a mouthwatering photo. I don't know about you, but I hate cookbooks that don't give you photos alongside recipes.

Each section of the book includes tips and techniques to compliment the recipes and there is a really nifty recipe chooser at the front of the book, which shows photos of each dish in the book, with title, cooking time and page number listed underneath. A much smarter way of offering an index, more tastespotting than the average index and saves a lot of time when browsing for a recipe.

There are a good selection of vegetarian recipes in this book and all recipes can be made in under 15 or 30 minutes, so great for rustling up dishes after work or when you are short of time.

Some of my favourite recipes in the book are Artichoke & Fennel Dip, Swiss Chard & Gruyere Cheese Tart, Pearl Barley & Borlotti Bean One-Pot, Mushroom & Ricotta Pies with Red Pepper Pesto, Pear & Cinnamon Strudel, Blueberry Ripple Cheesecake and Apricot Crumble Shortcake.

I am sure I will be sharing a recipe or two from the book with you soon. It is a real treasure trove.

Jaffa Drizzle Sponge Cake

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

When I saw this cake on Anne's blog I was bowled over. I was due to start work at 1pm that day, but I had to make this cake right away. I had an hour and a half before I set off for work and I figured I could just about manage it, so I rushed downstairs to confirm I had all the ingredients. As luck would have it I had everything I needed and so I set to work making the most glorious sponge cake, flavoured with orange and drizzled with chocolate.

Anne's original recipe is here. I am reproducing it here because I tinkered with it a little as Anne said it would be nice with a little more orange.

Jaffa Drizzle Sponge Cake

Ingredients

140g butter , softened
200g self-raising flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
200g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
6 tbsp milk
finely grated zest 1 large orange
3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice from said orange

To Finish

the rest of the freshly squeezed orange juice from aforementioned orange
50g golden caster sugar
50g dark chocolate

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 1.2-litre loaf tin. Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl and beat with a hand whisk or wooden spoon for 3-5 mins, until light and fluffy. Spoon the mix into the tin and level the top.

Bake for 40-50 mins, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Meanwhile, heat the orange juice and sugar gently in a small pan, stirring until dissolved. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and spoon over the orange mix. Leave to cool in the tin, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Break up the chocolate and melt over a pan of simmering water Drizzle over the cake and leave to set.

What can I say about this cake? Well it is marvellous. The smell of orange wafting around the house while it baked was wonderful and it didn't disappoint on tasting either. The sponge was lovely and light and you could really taste the orange, although it wasn't overpowering and all topped off with dark chocolate. It was like a giant jaffa cake. What more could you ask for?

Just in case any of you aren't familiar with jaffa cakes, they are made by McVities and are a british biscuit/cake with a sponge like base, a layer of orange jelly all topped off with a coating of dark chocolate and they are very, very addictive!

My skills at drizzling leave a great deal to be desired. If any of you have any tips on how to drizzle more evenly and delicately I would be very grateful. Oh and you may have noticed I drizzled a little white chocolate on my cake with no more finesse than the dark chocolate.

Well, the cake received rave reviews and I have made it again since. I thought I was being clever the second time I made it and I creamed the butter, eggs and sugar together before adding the other ingredients, but to be honest I think it was a little lighter using the throw-everything-in-at-once technique.

My parents have since put in a request for another one and soon! There only complaint with the last one was that I only gave them half and it didn't last long enough.

Two Winners for the Price of One

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Yes, in an unprecedented move, we will be awarding two bloggers the coveted No Croutons Required winner's badge and our congratulations this month.

They were neck and neck throughout voting with their tasty, frugal soups and I can see why they were so popular. One of them didn't even have a photo, but the sound of the soup still tickled the tastebuds.

So a big congratulations to Saranya over at Saranya's Kitchen for her Hawaiian-Style Mixed Veggie Soup and to Nic over at Nip it in the Bud for her equally delicious Green Tomato Soup.

Well done you guys and here is another look at Nic's yummy soup.

Head over to Lisa's Kitchen at the beginning of November for the next No Croutons Required challenge and thanks again to everyone who took part this month or dropped by to leave a comment or to vote. As always it is much appreciated by Lisa and myself.

Quick & Easy Banoffee Pie

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:29:00 +0000

I haven't made banoffee pie for years. It is a great dessert, but making the toffee sauce for it was always a chore. The best way to make the toffee was to take a can of condensed milk and boil the unopened can in water for a few hours. The result was the most luxurious, thick toffee sauce imaginable, but as I said, a chore. So when I stumbled on a new variety of condensed milk, made by Nestle, the first thing I thought was, "I must make some banoffee pie!". The new condensed milk flavour is Dulce de Leche caramel, so there is no fiddling about boiling a can for hours. With a flick of the can opener or the squeeze of a bottle it oozes over you choosen dessert. Yum!

Quick & Easy Banoffee Pie

10 digestive biscuits or graham crackers (not sure if these are approximately the same size or not, so you may have to adjust the quantity if you are using graham crackers)
75g butter, melted
200g carnation caramel
75ml double cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 banana, sliced

Crush the biscuits finely and then pour in the melted butter and stir until well combined. Press the biscuit mixture into 2 small loose-based flan dishes. My flan dishes are 12cm diameter. Leave to cool in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Pour the caramel in each biscuit base and smooth over before adding some sliced banana.

Whip the cream until thick, adding the sugar as you whisk. Spoon the cream over the pies and top with more banana.

Leave to cool in the fridge for another 20 minutes before removing from the flan cases. The biscuit base should have set enough to remove easily.

I would say serves 2, but realistically you could half these quite easily and there would still be enough for one. So lets say .....

serves 2 -4

Here is another slice for you to enjoy.

No Croutons Required - The Frugal Roundup

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:57:00 +0000

The challenge this month was to create a soup or salad using store cupboard ingredients. No nipping out to the shops, although you were allowed to pop out to the garden.

I asked you to have a look in your cupboards and fridge and see what you could come up with and you didn't disappoint. Here are the entries:

Our first entry is a Hearty Tuscan Bean Soup made by Claire over at The Hungriest Hippo. Claire based her soup on a tin of tomatoes, a tin of butter beans and leftovers from her weekly organic vegetable box. The end result is a lovely rich soup, flavoured with a parmesan rind, oregano and thyme. Just perfect as a winter warmer.

(Edinburgh, Scotland)

Next we travel to Canada to visit Val from More Than Burnt Toast who has made us an Apple Orchard Salad. I think you will be impressed by Val's store cupboard. Val put together her salad using walnuts, apple cider vinegar, olive and grapeseed oils, dijon mustard, dried rosemary and parsley, dried cranberries and blueberries. Sounds delicious doesn't it?

(British Columbia, Canada)

Sheetal from Life is Beautiful, used my favourite ingredient to make her soup. Yep, you know me by now, I am talking about mushrooms. Sheetal teamed her mushrooms with scallions or spring onions as we call them here in Scotland to make a Creamy Mushroom & Scallion Soup seasoned with oregano and nutmeg. This gorgeous concoction was made as a get-well-soon soup. Wouldn't you love to have someone like Sheetal around when you are feeling poorly?

(Indiana, USA)

Time for another bowl of soup. This time a Chinese-Style Noodle Soup with Tatsoi courtesy of Rachel over at The Crispy Cook. Rachel went into the garden and plucked a bunch of crunchy Tatsoi, which was the only thing left from her spring planting and decided to make a chinese style soup, flavoured with garlic, ginger and soy sauce then bulked up with a good serving of rice stick noodles. Tasty and frugal!

(Saratoga County, NY, USA)

The next soup is a lovely thick and chunky bowlful of temptation, which is more like a stew and was dreamed up by the lovely Johanna over at Green Gourmet Giraffe. Johanna had beans and barley left over from making a hearty baked beans and chulent dish and based her stew on these two ingredients. To this she added kale, lima and cannellini beans, onions, garlic & tomatoes and then filled out the flavour base with red wine, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and mustard. She served her Bean, Barley and Tomato Stew topped with grated cheddar cheese. Mmmmmmm!

(Melbourne, Australia)

We travel to Paris next for a colourful Rajma(Red Kidney Beans)& Mixed Veggies Salad put together by Priyasuresh over at Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes. Red kidney beans/Rajma, tomatoes, carrots, french beans and mozzarella topped with a yoghurt dressing. Such a lovely combination or flavours and textures that would make the perfect lunch. I can just imagine the jealous glances now.

(Paris, France)

Next up is a Dhania Rassa (Spiced Tomato Coriander Soup) made for us by SE over at Denufood-Delicious & Nutritious Food. SE has made us a spicy tomato soup flavoured with coriander seeds, chilli powder, asafoetida, turmeric and fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and all tied up with some lovely memories of living in Tamil Nadu in India.

(Baltimore, USA)

We go all fruity next with another colourful salad, this time a Pineapple Salad made by Sadhana over at A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine. Fresh pineapple, red onion, green & red bell pepper lemon juice, jalapeno pepper, fresh ginger and fresh Cilantro (coriander). A lovely fresh salsa style salad, packed full of flavour.

(USA)

Now it is time for Sweatha's entry. Sweatha blogs over at Tasty Curry Leaf and has made us a Balila which is a Lebanese Chickpea Salad. The chickpeas are mixed with salt, cumin powder, crushed garlic and olive oil, which forms the dressing and then pine nuts are fried in butter and added to the dish to give it a crunch. An exception side dish salad, I think you will agree.

(Bangalore, India)

For my entry I had a rake in the fridge to see what I had to work with and came up with a few carrots, a bit of celery and an onion. Not much, I know, but a good base for a Lentil Soup. I called my soup Leftovers Lentil Soup and spiced it up with chilli powder. I also added a splosh of balsamic vinegar. I seasoned it and had a taste, but decided it could do with something else. Coconut milk, that was just the thing and some cayenne pepper to sprinkle on before serving. It was very yummy, although a little hot, which pleased Graham no end.

(Dundee, Scotland)
not in vote

Next up is another salad. It is about time we had a salad with potatoes as a main ingredient and Lata from Flavours and Tastes kindly provided us with just that. Lata made us a Stuffed Tomatoes & Potatoes Salad. The tomatoes and potatoes are stuffed with onion, carrots, peas and yellow spilt lentils and seasoned with salt, paprika and dry mango powder. A pretty and appealing presentation on one seriously gorgeous plate.

(Accra, Ghana)

I would usually say we are off to the allotment next to visit my Scottish friend Mangocheeks, but this young lady has decided to plunder her store cupboard instead of her veggie patch for this dish. Mangocheeks serves up a rich Chickpea and Sun-Dried Tomato Soup. A tin of tomatoes and a tin of chickpeas were joined by onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, cayenne pepper and parsley to make this deletable tomato soup.

(West of Scotland)

We have another stuffed vegetable salad next. This time the vegetable or should that be fruit in question is the pepper, a green bell pepper. This one, a Roasted Pepper Couscous Salad was served up by Yasmeen over at Healthy Nut. The pepper is stuffed with a healthy mixture of edamame(baby soy beans), onion, tomato and turnip greens. Seasoned with chilli powder ,turmeric and cumin and topped with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

(Columbus, Ohio, USA)

Our next entry is a Hawaiian Style Mixed Veggie Soup, brought to us by Saranya over at Saranya's Kitchen. This is a true leftovers soup. Saranya looked in her fridge and used all the veggies there to make this unusual soup, which turned into a great success, so great in fact that Saranya had eaten it all up before she remember about taking a photo. We will just have to use our imagination to picture this veg-packed soup. Tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, peas, pineapple, turnip, onions, garlic and ginger.

(USA)

We are visiting New York next to see Suzy over at Strong Arms for Kids. Suzy has made us a Squash, Sweet Potato Soup. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are joined by onion, garlic, ginger, soy milk and soy sauce in this family favourite. If you want a soup that won't disappoint, in fact one that will impress, then this is the soup for you.

(New York, USA)

Next, we say hello to Kirsten over at From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours. Kirsten has made us a Thai Carrot Ginger Soup. Such a pleasing colour and texture. The carrots, red potatoes and ginger are further flavoured with lime juice, coconut milk and cilantro (coriander). I know how good this soup is because it is very similar to one I make. I urge you all to give it a go and if you have sweet potatoes, even better as Kirsten suggests.

(Ojai, California, USA)

We are heading off to the Deep South next to visit Astra over at Food for Laughter. For our frugal round-up Astra has come up with a Rice Noodle Salad with Tamarind Sauce. Astra started off her mission by having a look in her cupboard and coming out with a jar of tamarind paste. She hasn't been sure what to do with it, but she had a chef sitting in her living room. Just sitting there, on hand to give her advice and so she came up with this. I too am grateful that Donald was visiting as I too have this same jar of paste languishing in my cupboard with no idea what to do with it. This isn't the most colourful salad in this roundup, but boy does it sound divine. You really have to head over and have a look at the ingredients. It is one amazing dressing, coating noodles and tofu and onions with the crunch of peanuts. Yum!

(The Deep South, USA)

My co-host and close friend Lisa from Lisa's Kitchen is up next and she always knows how to make my mouth water with her dishes. This round she is putting forward for your delight a Wild Rice Chowder with Fresh Coconut and Mushrooms. I think I have died and gone to heaven! Wild rice, bay leaves, green onions, a shallot, jalapeno peppers, turmeric, lobster and chanterelle mushrooms, freshly grated coconut, celery seeds, milk and yoghurt. How's that for an ingredient list?

(london, Ontario, Canada)
not in vote

Our next entry is from a new food blogger called Spice over at Spice Buds. Spice has put together a Lentil Salad for us, which is her husband's favourite lunch dish. Red Chorry lentils, onion, tomato, carrots, salad greens, cucumber, red chillies, cilantro (coriander), raisins and roasted nuts. Sounds tempting doesn't it? I can see why it is hubby's favourite.

(USA)

We are headed down south, well down south from me anyway and visiting Nic over at Nip it in the Bud. Nic has the most wonderful allotment, but for this challenge she also plundered her fridge and freezer. To make her Green Tomato Soup she cooked the last of her green tomatoes, the most humungus carrot you have ever seen (honestly, you could feed a family four with this!), a single bulb garlic (something I have never come across before), red chilli, coconut milk from the freezer, frozen into portions (great idea Nic!), the last dollop in a tub of creme fraiche and pitta bread from the freezer for dunking. Well, that sounds like one great soup to me, in fact I would love to dip into a bowl of that right now!

(Gloucester, England)

Our last entry comes from Cool Lassi(e) over at Pan Gravy Kadai Curry, another new food blogger, who has made us a Motley Mix Salad and a colourful salad it is indeed, very appetising! Mixed greens, roma tomato, red onion, cucumber, carrot, strawberries, tangerine, corn kernels, and walnuts all dressed in a lovely balsamic dressing. Mmmmmm!

(USA)

And so we come to the end of another tasty round-up of recipes and I think you will agree, it is going to be hard to choose between such an array of dishes, but choose you must! So please place your vote in the poll or if you have any trouble with that then leave your vote in the comments box.

The winner will be announced on the 31st October 2009 and then it will be onto the next challenge with Lisa over at Lisa's Kitchen at the start of November, Eek! I cannot believe it is so nearly November. Where has the year gone?

Good luck everyone!

Chocolate Tiffin

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:10:00 +0000

A no bake slice and a massive chocolate hit all in one scrumptious little square.

Chocolate Tiffin

225g/2 sticks butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
50g/½ cup cocoa powder, sieved
½ cup raisins
300g digestive biscuits/ graham crackers, crushed (uneven size pieces make for a more interesting tiffin slice)
400g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Melt the butter in a pan along with the golden syrup and cocoa powder, until amalgamated. Take of the heat and stir in the the crushed biscuits until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a cake or brownie tin, which has been greased or lined. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Once the chocolate has melted, pour it over the biscuit mix and smooth over.

Leave the mixture in the fridge to set, before cutting into squares with a sharp knife.

These go down a treat with children and adults alike. They are so easy, they would make a good choice for Hallowe'en. The dark chocolate can be substitued with milk chocolate, if you prefer, but I love them with dark chocolate.

Leftovers Lentil Soup

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:49:00 +0000

This is my entry for this month's No Croutons Required, where leftovers reign. After a quick perusal of my fridge and cupboards, I realised I would have to shop soon, but I had enough store cupboard essentials to get me by for a few days. I had a few carrots and a bit of celery left in the salad drawer, but that was about it. Throw in an onion and I figured that would make a good base for a lentil soup.

Leftovers Lentil Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely sliced
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
4 pints/ 8 cups vegetable stock
1 ¼ cups red lentils
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
¾ cup coconut milk
salt and pepper

Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil until softened, then add the carrots. Cook gently for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the chilli powder and the stir in the vegetable stock before adding the red lentils. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 20 - 30 minutes, until the lentils have softened. Make sure to stir the soup occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the pan. Add the balsamic vingear and coconut milk, then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper before serving.

Serves 6-8

The chilli has a bit of a kick. If you are nervous of adding it, then just add half a teaspoon to begin with and add more at the end if you would like it hotter. If you have made it too hot, you can cool it down with more coconut milk, milk or soya milk.

There is still time to submit an entry to this month's No Croutons Required. You have until close of day on the 20th October 2009. So why not have a look at what you have sitting in your fridge and store cupboards and see if you can whip up a vegetarian soup or salad. The full rules can be found here.

In other news, I now have a shiny new laptop to replace the one that died. Yay! Having no pc for a week and a half was not pleasant, but I do so love my new laptop. I decided to upgrade to a Sony VGN-NW11SS and it is fab.

Mango & Orange Peel Jam

tinnedtomatoes@gmail.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:41:00 +0000

When I saw some mangoes being sold at a bargain price, I just had to buy a few. My plan was to make Hot Mango Chutney with them, however I was overcome with the urge to attempt a mango jam. So here it is:

Mango & Orange Peel Jam

5 ripe mangoes, cut into chunks
2 cups water
3 cups caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
finely grated peel from 3 oranges

Firstly place a saucer in the freezer in anticipation of the wrinkle test, to see if the jam is ready.

Bring the mango and water to the boil, in a large pan over a moderate heat for 15 minutes, until the mangoes are tender. Whizz the mango mixture smooth in an electric blender, food processor or with a stick blender. Return the mango juice to the pan and add the sugar, vanilla extract and orange peel. Boil for 30 to 40 minutes, until the mango mixture is the consistency of jam.

Do the wrinkle test to see if the jam is ready. Drop a little jam onto your cool saucer and after a few seconds push the jam gently with your pinky, if it is set, it will wrinkle slightly. Pour into hot sterilized jam jars and seal.

I sterilize my jam jars in the dishwasher just before I am about to use them and only take them out when I am ready to pour, being careful not to touch the inside of the jar or lid.

Makes 2½ x 400g jam

Isn't it the most gorgeous colour? It's just so luscious! It is a good jam and a great consistency. Everyone has their own preference, but I prefer a jam to ooze slightly, rather than one which needs to be cut into. I was a bit disappointed by the flavour however. The mango flavour is subtle and not the punch of the exotic that I expected. All in all, I am glad I decided to add the orange peel, which adds another dimension to the flavour. Perhaps my mangoes were a little under-ripe for my jam.

I was intending to submit this for September's edition of the Dorling Kindersley's Cooking Book Competition, but alas my life doesn't seem to allow me time online at the moment, only exasperated by the fact that my laptop is off for repair. I am sadly, staying on after my work shift to use the work PC and it is too easy to get involved with work business.

But anyway, I digress, I was telling you about the Cooking Club. Spetember's challenge was to come up with preserves. DK, publish the entered recipes online. You can join up here. I will post the next DK challenge and give you all the details, sometime this week, PC allowing.

I hope you are all well in my absence and that I haven't missed too much!