simply.food

Provencal Tomatoes

2013-05-16T14:08:00.001+01:00

Savoury baked tomatoes with a herby breadcrumb filling.

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons Pelia olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
pinch of chilli flakes(optional)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander

Method:

1. Slice the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp and seeds.
2. Place the tomatoes in an oven proof dish.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees / 180 degrees C

4.In a bowl add the breadcrumbs, chopped coriander, salt, pepper, chilli flakes,olive oil and garlic and mix well.

5. Fill the tomatoes with the herby bread crumb mixture and bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes start to soften slightly and breadcrumbs start to turn golden brown and crisp.
Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Submitting to:
Flavours of France event by simply.food guest hosted by Shruti Rasoi
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking w/ Luv

The Olive oil used in this recipe was sent to me by Pelia. Thankyou Pelia , the oil is very flavour some and perfect for cooking with and in all types of dressings.

OXO POP containers giveway

2013-05-13T08:30:00.000+01:00

There can never be enough containers in the kitchen to store the vast selection of ingredients and food that we eat. OXO have created a range of storage containers, known as POP due the ability of their lids to pop up. POP, has been designed to help transform a messy, chaotic kitchen cupboard full of soggy biscuits and disused packets of ingredients into a systematic, neat and tidy pantry that any enthusiast cook or professionalchef can be proud of.

The 11 airtight containers are ideal for storing essential store cupboard ingredients such as cereal, pasta, flour, rice, herbs and spices, and feature a unique push button mechanism that creates an airtight seal with just one touch. The button can be easily operated with one hand, perfect for when you’re juggling several ingredients at once, and also serves as a handle when lifting off the lid. The body of the container is crystal clear making it easy to see what’s inside at a glance.

Each container can be stacked side by side and on top of each other so that they can fit in any space small or large The POP containers are also convenient for storing wet foods such as soups, sauces and condiments in the fridge and feature smooth, rounded corners to allow for easy pouring. Like most of OXO’s products, the lid comes apart for easy cleaning and is completely dishwasher safe so you can keep your cupboards neat, tidy and clean all at the same time.

The POP range is available in 11 different sizes so you can pick and choose the best containers for your store cupboard ingredients. The OXO range is widely available through a selection of national retailers including Lakeland, John Lewis, House of Fraser, Amazon, Dunelm, Selfridges and other leading cook shops.

Thankyou to OXO who have been very generous and have agreed to supply a a selection of POP containers in various sizes, worth £50 for one simply.food reader as a giveaway prize.

The prize:

T1 x POP large square container 3.8L
1 x POP cookie jar container 2.8L
1 x POP short large square container 2.3L
1 x POP short rectangle container 1.4L

How To Enter:

Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
This competition is open to UK residents only .Please read the rules below .
Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
Closing date - 16th June 2013 6.00 pm
Read terms and conditions on Rafflecopter widget.

How Rafflecopter works:

· You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box.Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.

· Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.

· Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.

· Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.

· For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.

· For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.

· If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You may like to read 10 tips on how to De-clutter and organise your kitchen.

My top ten list to do to de-clutter and organise your kitchen

2013-05-12T19:38:00.000+01:00

Cooking is is something I really enjoy doing.The best way to learn the art of cooking is to watch and observe, participate, taste and smell the ingredients.Once you start to enjoy food preparation and tasting the different ingredients, and cooking you need to arrange your kitchen so that its neat and tidy so that all your ingredients and utensils are clean and well organised and easy to source. You can be adventurous and add more and more ingredients, utensils and gadgets to your workspace once you have got your basic workspace organised and in order

In this day and age there are some many gadgets, utensils and ingredients that one can purchase, it is critical to have a clutter free and organised kitchen workspace and larder.This is a must to help your food creativity flow and you to enjoy stress free cooking.

Do you kitchen cupboards look like this??

My top ten list to do to de-clutter and organise your kitchen:

1. De clutter your work tops, if you don't use the gadget regularly store it away in a cupboard until you need to use it.

2. Only have essential gadgets on your work top and store those away from space near hob as this area should be free for cooking on.

3. Invest in good quality cast iron pots and pans that will last you along time. Don't fill up your kitchen with cheap pots and pans that are missing handles or are damaged with teflon coating peeling off. Take a deep breath and throw these away.Its far better to have fewer good quality pots and pan than lots of bad cheap quality ones.

4. Invest in good quality bake ware, throw away bakeware that is, burnt, caked with grease, buckled or rusted.

The perfect choice for everyday baking and cooking is the Pyrex’s superior quality metal bakeware collection. It is made of carbon steel to ensure everything is baked uniformly – enabling home owners to achieve the best results every time. Each product is oven safe up to 230°C and dishwasher friendly, while a non-stick coating covers the inside and the outside of the products, allowing for quick and easy food release and easy cleaning.

I tried the pizza pan which had holes in the base to allow even cooking and large easy grip handles to make taking the hot pan out of the oven easier.The tray gave me delicious crisp pizza base whilst baking the pizza . The collection includes cake, loaf, quiche and flan pans in a choice of sizes, six and 12 cup muffin tray options, and a four bun tray – perfect for Yorkshire puddings. There are also two essential springform loose bottom cake pans and a set of four tartlet pans.

5. Have a tool tidy and limit it to 5 or 6 important tools you use regularly. De-clutter your kitchen drawer and throw away spatulas, wooden spoons that are broken or discoloured that you no longer use.Do not hoard.

6. Have a wooden block to store your kitchen knives safely.

7. Have a separate chopping board for fruit and veg, bread and meat.Throw away any very old worn wooden or plastic boards as bacteria can breed in them.

8. Allocate a cupboard for your spice storage, opened bags of spices loose their aroma and freshness very quickly, once opened store in air tight containers and use them by the use by date.

To keep my ingredients fresh I have used these wonderful silicon lidded Tricon space saving canisters that are easy to stack and as they are see through you can see the ingredients in them at a glance.The lids double up as a cup-size measuring tool for contents. They keep all the ingredients dry and fresh

9. Invest in a good, some measuring cups,measuring spoons and some good air tight storage containers.

I recently added the 4-in-1 measuring spoon, which efficiently combines all "spoon keys" into one simple body and is a space-saving, quick-cleaning solution to your cooking and baking adventures.

In addition the set of four mug shaped measuring cups are useful as they stack together to give the appearance of a drinking mug when not in use and is perfect for measuring all sorts of ingredients. The sizes of the cups are one cup, half cup, third cup and quarter cup and can be popped into the dishwasher for a super-easy clean up.

Both measuring spoon and measuring cups are durable, space saving and the cups are stackable taking very little room in my kitchen drawer.

All these three items are available from Umbra

10. Store pasta, rice and flours in air tight containers and make sure you use all your ingredients by the use by date.

These larger quantities of ingredients require a bigger container and these lovely Pop containers by OXO are perfect for the job. The OXO Good Grips POP Containers are airtight, stackable and space-efficient, making it easy to keep your dry foods fresh and your kitchen organised. The Containers have a unique push-button mechanism that creates an airtight seal with just one touch. The button also serves as a handle to lift off the lid. The Containers are designed for modular stacking so that you can efficiently organise your countertop and pantry. In addition, with their square and rectangular shapes, the POP Containers make the most of any storage space, while their corners allow for easy pouring. The POP Containers are available in 12 different sizes to meet your dry food storage needs

Thankyou to Umbra for sending me the measuring spoon and cups and the Tricon storage canisters. Also many thanks to Pyrex for sending the lovely pizza tray and OXO for the wonderful storage POP containers. My kitchen is now well equipped and organised so that all the ingredients are easily accessable

All the views in this post are my own.All these products can be purchased on line through the relevant web sites.

And finally an organised set of kitchen cupboards.

French Green lentil salad

2013-05-08T21:21:00.002+01:00

A protein packed and delicious summer salad that is vibrant and tangy in flavour.

Ingredients:

400 g precooked green lentils
3 in piece cucumber finely diced
1 red onion finely diced
10 cherry tomatoes halved
3 sprigs of fresh coriander or parsley finely chopped
Extra lemon wedges for garnish

Dressing

2 tablespoons Pelia olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 clove garlic finely minced

Method:

1. In a large bowl add the lentils, diced cucumber,diced onion, chopped coriander and cherry tomato halves.
2. In a jar with a lid add the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, pepper powder,salt and garlic. Screw on the lid and mix the dressing to combine it.
3. Pour the dressing over the mixed lentil mixture and toss together.
4. Cover and chill salad for 30 minutes for flavors to infuse.

Serve with fresh french bread.

NB-Soak 1 cup lentils in cold water, drain and add them to a large saucepan with 2 pints water.Cook lentil until al dente and not mushy. Drain the lentils and use them in salad

The Pelia Olive oil was sent to me to sample by Pelia. Pelia Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive oil is from the region of Ancient Epidavros, in the northern Peloponnese of Greece. The olive oil has a lovely nutty flavour and is perfect for salad dressings . Thankyou Pelia for my miniature sample.

Submitting to:
Flavours of France event by simply.food guest hosted by Shruti Rasoi
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking w/ Luv
My bowl of salad event by jcooking odyssey

Salted Jeera Lassi~ Chaas

2013-05-05T09:08:00.000+01:00

A refreshing drink to cool you down on a hot summers day. Made with natural yoghurt,water and crushed ice.Its delicately flavoured with salt and ground cumin and garnished with coriander . A cooling accompaniment to a spicy meal.

Ingredients:

454 g tub chobani natural yoghurt
300 ml water
Juice from half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh ground cumin (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
10 ice cubes crushed

Method:

1. In a blender put the yoghurt and water.
2. Add the salt and half the ground cumin and lemon juice.
3. Blend till the mixture is frothy. Add the coriander reserving a little for garnish. Blend once more briefly.
4. Half fill 2 tall glasses with crushed ice and top the ice with the salted Lassi
5. Sprinkle with the fresh coriander and cumin powder.

Serve immediately.

NB-To make fresh ground cumin, dry roast the cumin in a pan for 3-4 minutes taking care not to burn it. Let it cool and then grind the cumin to a powder in a coffee grinder.This Lassi can be made with any natural yoghurt.

You may like : Mango lassi

Submitting to :
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking w/ Luv

The yoghurt used in this recipe was kindly sent to me by Chobani UK. The yoghurt is 100 % fat free and made from skimmed milk.It was rich and delicious.I have previously tried Chobani yoghurts and cooked with them.You can check out the recipes for Yoghurt and coconut chutney and Sweetcorn drop pancakes that I previously made with Chobani Yoghurts.

Event Round Up-Lets Cook Pickles

2013-05-04T00:00:00.000+01:00

Thank you to everyone who sent in these drool worthy pickle recipes.
Here is the roundup.

Singapore five spice Fried Rice

2013-05-02T20:36:00.000+01:00

Aromatic and fragrant Singapore five spice rice that is delicious served as a side dish or a meal on its own.

Ingredients:

12 oz / 360 g cold boiled rice
1 carrot grated or julienned
8 green beans slit and cut length ways into 3 inch pieces
1/2 red capsicum cut into fine this strips
1 red chilli cut on the slant
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Singapore five spice powder
1 star anise

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large wok, when it is hot add the carrot, beans and capsicums and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the star anise,red chilli, five spice powder and salt and mix well in to the vegetables.
3. Add the rice and toss all the vegetables and rice together and stir fry for 4-5 minutes longer until rice and vegetables are coated with the spice and the rice is heated through
4. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl and serve hot.

NB- To prepare boiled rice wash 1 cup rice in cold water and soak it for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes transfer rice to a large pan and add 2 pints water and bring rice to boil, reduce heat and simmer rice until tender, drain the rice in a colander and pour over some cold water to wash out starch.
Allow the rice to cool before using it in the recipe.

You may like:
Moroccan Tomato Rice

Submitting to:
Lets cook Rice Dishes event by simply.food
Akilas Kitchen dish starts with "S"
Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors Cooking w/ Luv

Announcing Event - Lets cook rice dishes

2013-04-30T21:01:00.000+01:00

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice).It is a cereal grain and it is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the world's population, especially in Asia and the West Indies. There are more than 100 varieties of rice available in different parts of the world and there are thousands of different ways to prepare dishes using rice be it in grain form, powdered form, in savory dishes to sweet dishes and even rice wine.
This event is all about cooking with Rice in any form.

To Participate:

1.Prepare any vegetarian recipe with rice as the main ingredient (eggs allowed) please link your dish using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL
2.Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory.
3.Use of logo is not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can use it.

4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.

4. In the event of problem using linky you can email me the entry at simplysensationalfood@gmail.com

Please use this format

Your Name:

Recipe Name

Recipe URL

Image no larger than 300 pixels.

Announcing event -Flavours of France

2013-04-30T20:33:00.000+01:00

We are now travelling to France in our Flavours of series 4 Europe.
Shruti's Rasoi is guest hosting this event.Please do drop by her blog to participate in this event.
To get more details please click here.

Free giveaway for Foodies Festival Hampton Court 2013

2013-04-29T21:16:00.000+01:00

I am really pleased to announce a surprise for simply.food readers.

Foodies Festival Organisers recently gave simply.food readers tickets to the 3 major Foodies Festival happening this year, but they have been super generous and have given simply.food an additional 12 pairs of tickets for another giveaway to attend the Foodies Festival Hampton Court 2013 so that those readers who were disappointed in not winning the first time get another chance to enter.To see if you were a winner in the previous giveaway check here

The Foodies festival is back, it is the

’s largest celebration of food and drink will see visitors flock from the surrounding areas to feast on the vast array of culinary activities

Now in its eighth year, Foodies Festival has introduced new elements to all events in 2013.

Some of the highlights include:

Bake and Cake Theatre
Chocolate Theatre
Wine Village
Homeware Village
New dining and VIP
Children’s Cookery Theatre
Producers’ Market
City Beach
The entertainment stage

You can check out the Foodies Festival site for booking and ticket information here.

I would like to Thank Foodies Festival for their generosity in providing these extra ticket for simply.food readers. The prize is 12 pairs of tickets to Foodies Festival Hampton Court 2013- only one pair per winner allowed.

How To Enter:

Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
This competition is open to UK residents only .Please read the rules below .
Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
Closing date - 15th May 2013 6.00 pm

*Terms and conditions
1. This offer is only open to UK residents
2. Complimentary tickets are valid for one day only at Hampton Court venue.
3. Tickets are non transferable. One pair of tickets per winner only.
4. Complimentary tickets obtained through this offer may not be duplicated.
5. All tickets will be scanned on entry to the show

How Rafflecopter works:

You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box.Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog. Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.
Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.
For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.
If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

Enter here to win tickets for

Hampton Court Palace – Saturday 25, Sunday 26 and Monday 27 May 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coconut Srikand with strawberries(Gujarati sweetened yoghurt dessert)

2013-04-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

Shrikand is a sweetened yoghurt dish that is made from hung yoghurt and flavoured with saffron and cardamon Occasionally fresh fruit such as mango or pomegranate is added to it before serving.In Gujarati cuisine, shrikand is eaten as either a side-dish served with a puffed bread called poori or served as a dessert. It is commonly served as part of a vegetarian thali in Gujarati restaurants and festivals.
I have given the Gujarati shrikand a twist by making it with coconut yogurt and serving it with fresh strawberries.

Creamy and delicious yoghurt flavoured with sweet coconut and cardamon and served with fresh English strawberries and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts

3 tablespoons icing sugar(plus 1 teaspoon for strawberries)

1 teaspoon cardamon powder

8 strawberries

2 450 g tubs of Rachels organic Greek style coconut yoghurt

1 tablespoon fresh coconut

Method:

1.Place a large muslin cloth in a colander and pour the coconut yoghurt into it.

2. Gather the muslin up and tie a knot in the top.

3. Place the colander in a bowl to catch the water that will drain from the yoghurt. Leave the yoghurt to drain over night in a cool place or the fridge.

4. In the morning transfer the drained yoghurt into a large bowl and discard the drained water.(This is called hung yoghurt)

5. To the hung yoghurt add the icing sugar and cardamon powder and fold gently till all the sugar is incorporated. Place in refrigerator to chill.

6. Hull and chop 4 of the strawberries into small pieces, place the strawberries into a bowl and add 1 teaspoon icing sugar and mix.(you can omit this if strawberries are very sweet)

7.In a dry pan toast the coconut to brown it slightly. Once coconut has started to brown transfer it to a dish to cool.

To assemble:

8.Slice the remaining 4 strawberries and line 4 serving glasses with them.

9. Spoon the coconut shrikand into the serving glasses.

10. Spoon the chopped strawberries on top and garnish with the toasted coconut and pistachio nuts.

Serve chilled.

NB- the yoghurt I used was already sweetened and had coconut in it if you use plain unsweetened yoghurt than add extra sugar to taste and two tablespoons of fresh grated coconut at stage 5 of this recipe.

The Rachel's organic Greek style coconut bio live yoghurt used in this recipe was sent to me by Rachels to sample.The yoghurt was extra thick, rich and creamy, it was blended with organic coconut pieces and the organic creamed coconut that gave the yoghurt a lovely texture with a subtle coconut flavour.

Rachels yoghurt range comes in many delicious flavours such as gooseberry, honey, ginger, peach and passion fruit, strawberry and rhubarb,blackcurrant,vanilla, lemon and ginger,raspberry,rhubarb,mango pineapple and passion fruit and also cherry.The yoghurts are all made from locally sourced organic milk and organic ingredients. The yoghurts are available in the 450 g size and also come in small 150 g pots for individual servings, kids packs as well as multi packs to suit all requirements.Rachels also produce organic milk, butter and rice puddings in their range which is available at most large supermarkets.

I would like to Thank Rachels for sending me lots of coconut and strawberry and rhubarb yoghurt to sample.

All the views in this post are my own.

Topical Fizz Mocktail~A refreshing tropical mocktail to celebrate one day of sunshine.

2013-04-26T13:46:00.001+01:00

Yesterday for weeks of miserable weather Britain saw some sunshine.Now if you live in the UK you will know that British weather is very unpredictable so you have to be very spontaneous when the sun comes if you want to make the most of it.To celebrate the gorgeous sunshine as we enjoyed lunch in the garden I made this delicious mocktail by using the Funkin Brazilian cocktail mixer that was sent to me by Funkin to try.We also recreated the cranberry and ginger beer teaser by using the Cosmopolitan Funkin cocktail mixer.You can find the recipe for Ginger bear teaser here.

Funkin cocktail mixers are are made with 100% natural fresh fruit .They are made using natural ingredients and are free from all artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and additives.I love these mixers are they are versatile and you can create an array of cocktails by adding spirit or delicious mocktails by adding non alcoholic beverages to the mixers to create stunning non alcoholic mocktails.

Taste of tropics with a burst of refreshing lemon in every mouthful.

Ingredients:

100 ml of Funkin Brazilian cocktail mix
3oo ml of bitter lemon
2 slices of lemon
ice cubes

Method:

1.In a tall jug add the Brazilian cocktail mix, followed by the bitter lemon, ice cubes and stir.
2. Pour into tall chilled glasses and garnish with a slice of lemon.
Enjoy the mocktail with a burst of sunshine.

You may like :
Citrus Cooler Mocktail

Many thanks to Funkin for sending me this wonderful cocktail mixer.Both the Cosmopolitan and Brazilian mixers are very tasty and delicious and vibrant with flavours. All the views in this post are my own.

A visit to Tate & Lyle's cake Hotel in London Soho

2013-04-25T23:08:00.001+01:00

Last month I was invited to visit Tate& Lyle's cake hotel in the heart of London Soho. Tate & Lyle Sugars who are Britain's largest cane sugar brand had created the world's first hotel made entirely from cake to launch their new Taste Experience range of golden and brown cane sugars.

The Soho-based cake hotel, had taken a team of 14 cake makers more than 2,000 hours to bake and 900 hours to decorate, and has been created using more than 600 kilos of Taste Experience sugar. Guests were invited to eat their way through vanilla sponge cushions, windows and walls clad with 2,000 macaroons, a rug made from 1,081 meringues hand-stitched together, 20 kilos of marshmallow garlands, windowsills built entirely from fudge and a bath filled with caramel-coated popcorn. There are even edible books on the bedside table, together with edible cushions on the beds, edible wash jug and basin.

The Cake hotel was Inspired by regions from around the world, the eight new and distinctly different Fairtrade sugars showcased the diversity of flavour and texture available exclusively from cane sugar. The new range has been created to encourage a new generation of bakers to get creative in the kitchen and visitors to the Tasting House were inspired by them by eating their way through eight ‘tasting rooms’, each created with a different sugar in the Taste Experience range.There were thousands of baked treats for guests to nibble on and over 100 pieces of edible art on show, across three floors and eight rooms, THE CAKE HOTEL WAS TRULY MAGNIFICENT. Each room was beautifully themed and decorated and showcased cakes and bakes that were amazing.

A Mediterranean-inspired bedroom, with edible furnishings, a caramel popcorn-filled bathtub, over 100 floating meringues and 10 metres of edible pearlescent bunting, all created from Light Soft Brown sugar.

A Pirates of the Caribbean room, had a giant treasure chest full of edible pearls, ginger spiced doubloons and cutlasses,which visitors were able to spray gold themselves.The delicious rum and raisin chocolate brownies and tea cakes were all made from Taste Experience Caribbean-inspired Light Muscovado sugar.

A British-inspired Golden syrup sugar room, with a giant two metre long golden-syrup lion, patriotic treacle tarts in the shape of the British Isles and a giant tower of donuts.

A Mayan-inspired room hidden in the cellar featured a Mayan fudge temple,It was complete with floating meringue ‘clouds’, ‘sacrificial’ salted caramel and chocolate hearts, and Mayan-inspired carved gold cookies all made from Taste Experience Mayan-inspired golden caster sugar.

A Mississippi-inspired ‘Mardi Gras’ room was filled with a giant five foot long king cake and there were plenty of Mississippi mud pies to taste which were made from regionally inspired Dark Soft Brown sugar.

A Barbados-inspired library was filled with with edible shells, and beautiful hand-painted cookies, fruit cakes and florentines showcased as museum features inside vintage glass jars, these were all made from Barbados inspired Dark Muscovado sugar

A Guyanese-inspired room was complete with a giant two metre long sea turtle cake, and ‘turtle eggs’ made of chocolate cake and cheesecake baked inside duck eggs, buried in mounds of Demerara sugar. A South Pacific-inspired room with a huge two metre high Easter Island statue, made entirely from chocolate mud cake with Golden Granulated sugar.

The Cake hotel was one of its kind, truly magical and has definitely inspired me to cook with all the different textures and flavours of sugars. Many thanks to Tate and Lyle for inviting me to this awesome event and also for the wonderful goody bag full of sugars, cakes, cookies and delicious bakes to take home.

Red Chilli and garlic marinade and a Pyrex product review.

2013-04-23T09:00:00.000+01:00

Red chilli and garlic Marinade – A spicy marinade that will spice up any vegetables for the perfect barbecue.

Ingredients:

8 red dried chillies

1 green chilli finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped

1 small red onion peeled and diced

100 ml olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method:

1.Soak the chillies in water for 30 minutes

2.In a blender add the garlic, onion, green chillies.

3.Drain the red chillies, cut them open and remove the seeds and discard. Add them to the blender

4.Puree the ingredients to form a fine paste.

5.Heat the oil in a pan and add the puree and the salt cook it on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the rawness of onion and garlic is cooked out.

6.Remove from heat and add the lemon juice ,cool the marinade. It will keep for up to 1 week in refrigerator and can be used as required to marinade vegetables, paneer, tofu or quorn.

Pyrex has been a trusted cookware and kitchen brand since 1915 and is best known for its heat resistant glass range of bake ware, ovenware, prep ware and storage solutions.

Pyrex glassware have introduced their new 4-in-1 Plus range which allows you to cook, store, freeze and reheat food with just one product.

The glass dish is made from borosilicate glass, which offers superior thermal shock resistance and it comes with a an innovative smart lid, each smart lid features a steam valve, making the product perfect for microwave cooking and reheating.

The 4 in 1 range is Ideal for picnics or packed lunches, the smart lid also enables the dish to be made completely air and liquid tight, keeping food fresh for longer and enabling easy transportation. The glass dishes also incorporate large handles to give you a safe grip when handling the product.

The glass dish and smart lid are both dishwasher safe and stain resistant. The borosilicate glass is also highly hygienic, as it does not retain tastes or flavours. Items within the Pyrex 4-in-1 Plus range are priced from £5.99 and are available from stockists nationwide. To find out more about the entire Pyrex cook and kitchenware collection and locate your nearest stockist, visit www.pyrexuk.com.

Cooking is a science in its self, ingredients change form and give new flavour when experimented with and combined together. So it seems apt to have the correct equipment in the kitchen to ensure accurate measurements of the ingredients. The new Kitchen Lab collection from Pyrex includes two stunning products the Measure and Mix beaker and Measure and Shake jug, both of which are made from blown glass. The Shake jug comes in two sizes and comes with a rubber stopper.It is perfect for shaking marinades, salad dressing and can be used to store the dressings and marinades too.

The Measure and Mix beaker is ideal for measuring flour, sugar, rice and liquids making it perfect for creating anything from delicious cakes to a warming risotto.

The beaker is also suitable for heating milk, chocolate and butter in the microwave, particularly useful for those budding bakers. The beaker is available in three different sizes, 250ml, 500ml and 750ml, and with clear markings and a precise pouring lip making it easy to transfer the liquids without spilling.

I have been lucky to try out the Measure and Mix beaker and Measure and Shake jug in my kitchen. I have found both items extremely useful as both come with clear to read measurements on the side, they are both easy to clean and the measure and shake jug is perfect for storae with the secure rubber lid.

Thankyou to Pyrex for sending me the 4 in 1 dishes, the beaker and shake jug to review. All the views in this post are my own

Gazpacho salad-Summer Salad with toasted croutons ~ Secret recipe club challenge 22nd April 2013

2013-04-22T05:00:00.000+01:00

This is my assignment with the Secret Recipe Club.The aim of the club is that you are allocated a blog from which you have to select a recipe and try it and blog about it.
My assigned blog was Eat Laugh love .The blog writer Denise has a lovely selection of recipes and I immediately fell in love with this Gazpacho Summer salad recipe. I recreated the recipe with a few minor changes.

Colourful and vibrant summer salad with a tangy and aromatic dressing.

Ingredients:

2 crusty bread rolls
1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 large tomatoes cut into small pieces
3 inch cucumber diced
1 bowl of mixed capsicums diced
1 bowl iceberg lettuce shredded
1 medium carrot grated

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1.Cut the bread rolls into small inch pieces and put them into a bowl, drizzle some garlic infused olive oil and add salt and pepper.
2.Toss the bread cubes and transfer them to a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven 180 degrees C / 375 degrees F for ten minutes until golden brown and crispy.
3.In another bowl add the tomatoes, cucumber,peppers,lettuce and carrots and toss together.
4. In a screw top jar, add all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and mix well.
5. Pour this vinaigrette over the mixed salad and toss well.
6.Add the toasted bread cubes to the salad and toss again.
Serve immediately

You may like:
Moroccan Couscous salad in a jar

Free Giveaway~ BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW TICKETS

2013-04-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

BBC Good Food Show Summer

The BBC Good Food Show Summer is running from 12–16 June at the NEC in Birmingham and to celebrate we have teamed up with the organisers to offer you this fantastic prize! Win 5 pairs of general admission tickets to enjoy a day at the Show. (1 pair of tickets per winner only)

The Show is packed full of celebrity chefs including Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, James Martin, John Torode and Gregg Wallace demonstrating live on the Supertheatre sponsored by Tesco Real Food. Plus see your favourite TV programmes brought to life including The Great British Bake Off, MasterChef and Saturday Kitchen.

Shop till you drop from over 200 food stands. Visit the Producers’ Village and the Good Food Champions area to find small and artisan produce that you won’t see on the high street and Don’t forget your ticket also gets you free entry to BBC Gardeners’ World Live where you can learn how to grow your own from some of the nation’s top gardening experts!

To book tickets and for more information on the BBC Good Food Show Summer please visit bbcgoodfoodshowsummer.com or call 0844 581 1341

Again this year BBC Good Food Show have teamed up with simply.food and they are offering FIVE pairs of tickets to Five lucky simply.food readers .The Giveaway is open to all UK residents and you must be over 18 years of age to participate. All tickets are general admission excluding Saturday.Tickets are non refundable and non-exchangeable

Pictures and text courtesy of BBC Good food show

How To Enter
· Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
· Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
· Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway
· Closing date - 21st May 2013 6.00pm

How Rafflecopter works:

You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.

Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.

Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.

Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.

For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.

For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.

If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Greek-Baklava rolls .

2013-04-19T11:29:00.000+01:00

Bakalava~ Delicious layers of crispy flaky pasty filled with protein packed nuts and sweetened with a sweet syrup.

Ingredients:

60 g / 2 oz shelled pistachio nuts

60 g / 2 oz flaked almonds
60 g / 2 oz walnuts
2 tablespoons golden syrup
60 g / 2 oz butter (melted)
4 sheets phyllo pastry

Sugar Syrup:

240 g / 8 oz sugar
125 ml water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Special equipment:

1 cm diameter wooden dowel (stick)
Baking Tray

Method:

1. Coarsely chops the nuts and place them in a bowl, add the golden syrup and mix well.(Mixture should be fairly dry.)
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F
3. On a flat surface place 1 sheet of phyllo pastry and brush it with melted butter. Spread half the nut mixture onto it .

4. Place the wooden dowel at the longest end of the phyllo pastry and start rolling the pastry over the dowel encasing all the filling.Keep the dowel with the rolled pastry to one side covered with damp cloth.
5. Spread the second sheet of phyllo on the surface and brush with melted butter. Place the roll of pastry with the dowel in it at the long end and tightly roll the 2nd phyllo sheet over the already rolled 1st roll.
6. Place the roll of pastry in front of you on the flat surface. Holding the pastry with both hands scrunch it up on the dowel to form pleats.The pastry roll will be shorter now as its been scrunched together.

7. Hold the roll with one hand and gently remove the dowel rod.
8. Grease a baking tray and place the roll on it. With a sharp knife cut the roll into 2 inch pieces.
9. Repeat the procedure for the other two phyllo sheets using remaining filling.
10. Once both rolls are made, brush some more butter over them . Place the baking tray in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry turns golden brown.
11. Place the sugar, lemon juice and water in a heavy bottomed pan and bring to boil.

12. Boil the syrup for 8 -10 minutes and then remove from heat.
13. Remove Baklava from oven and gently spoon over the sugar syrup over the baked rolls .
14. Leave the syrup to soak into the pastry for 2-3 hours before eating.

You can check out a video of this method of Rolling the Baklava rolls .

The baking tin that was used to bake the Baklava was was sent to me by Mermaid.
Mermaid make a really lovely range of all British collection of high quality cookware that offers a solution for every baking need from roasting dishes and trays through to cake tins and moulds. Mermaid is very popular and it is loved by professional chefs and home cooks alike, they have been established since 1953. In their Baking tins they are currently on offer 25cm (rectangular), 21cm (round) and 15cm companion size. I was offered the rectangular 25ch tin to sample. The quality of the tin was superb,it was sturdy but light weight at the same time. It is made from hard anodised aluminium which eliminates hot spots and ensures even cooking all the way through. Thankyou to Mermaid for the lovely baking tin/ pie dish to try.

You may like:
Greek Halwa

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.
Jags Gain Popularity event.

Greek Halwa

2013-04-16T20:25:00.000+01:00

Greek Halwa ~ a rich and fragrant sweet semolina dessert that is flavoured with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise and garnished with nuts.

Ingredients:

Sugar Syrup
60 g / 2 oz sugar
250 ml water
3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise

60 g / 2 oz fine semolina
60 g / 2 oz unsalted butter
few pistachio nut to garnish

Method:

1.Add the water and sugar to a heavy bottomed pan . Add the cinnamon, cloves and star anise and bring the water to boil.
2. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely .Once all the sugar has melted turn off the heat and remove the cloves, cinnamon and star anise.
3.In a heavy bottom pan add the butter and let it melt, once it has melted add the semolina and roast the semolina in the butter for 7-8 minutes until semolina changes to a nice golden brown colour.
4. Add a ladle full of sugar syrup to the semolina and mix , keep adding small amounts of syrup until all is used up.(Don't be tempted to add all the syrup at once as the semolina will start to spit and bubble and can cause burns to your hand)
5. Once all the sugar syrup has been added , keep stirring the semolina until it thickens and stars to leave the side of the pan.
6. Once halwa has thickened remove from heat.
7. Transfer the halva to a serving bowl and garnish with pistachio nuts.

You may like:
Tzatkizi

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.

Houmous- Chickpea dip.

2013-04-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

A rich and creamy Mediterranean dip, with a hint of garlic, perfect dip for any snack.

Ingredients:

15 ounces cooked white chickpeas,( precooked in can) rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 teaspoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste (tinned chickpeas are already salted)
1 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander ( optional)
Pinch of paprika for garnish

Method:

1.In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients except coriander.
2.Puree until smooth consistency.
3.Fold in the coriander with a fork.
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with paprika.

Serve as dip with toasted pitta bread cut into strips or fresh vegetable sticks or potato/corn chips.

You may like falafel

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.

Torview Food Palette white series

Spiced rice with Asian spice Hemp seeds

2013-04-14T15:09:00.002+01:00

Fast and speedy stir fried spicy rice with Asian flavoured Hemp seeds

Ingredients:

16 oz precooked cold boiled rice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 green chilli finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon Asian spices hemp seeds
1 teaspoon lemon juice.
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

Method:

1. In a large bowl add the cooked rice.
2. Add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and green chillies to the rice and mix together.
3. Add the olive oil to a wok and allow it to heat up.
4. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil and wait for them to splutter.
5. Add the rice and toss gently in the wok for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the hemp seeds and toss again for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the lemon juice to the rice and toss again.
8. Transfer the rice to a serving dish

Serve the rice with some cooling cucumber raita.

The Asian spice hemp seeds used in this recipe were sent to me by Good Hemp company. I also baked Hemp seed and Oat cookies with the cinnamon flavour hemp seeds.

You may like:
Tunisian style spicy rice

Amba Haldi -white turmeric Pickle

2013-04-12T19:00:00.000+01:00

Amba Haldi is also known as Curcuma Aromatica, white turmeric or mango ginger. It is grown in the Himalayan region of India and it is only available in the monsoon region. It contains curcumin, vitamin A, protein, fatty acids, minerals and carbohydrates and has anti-inflammatory properties as well as strong antibiotic ones. Due to its many medicinal properties it is used in skin care and to get rid of throat infections and nasal and tracheobronchial congestion. It can be consumed raw or it can be dried and used in powder form. Amba Haldi is delicious eaten raw in salads or eaten in the form of pickle.

Made without oil or spices this simple preserved Amba Haldi pickle is healthy and delicious . With its salty and tangy flavour it is a perfect accompaniment to rice dishes.

Ingredients:

120 g/4 oz Amba Haldi

Juice of two large lemons

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

Method:

1. Peel the Amba Haldi and either cut it into thin round slices alternatively you can cut it into juliennes.

2. Place the Amba Haldi in a sterile jar and add to it the lemon juice, salt and turmeric.

3. Mix well and store in the refrigerator.

4. It can be eaten immediately.

Giveaway ~ Free tickets to Grand Designs Live.

2013-04-09T20:06:00.000+01:00

WIN TICKETS TO GRAND DESIGNS LIVE LONDON 4th -12th May 2013

Property and Design guru Kevin McCloud is heading back to London this spring to host the ninth consecutive Grand Designs Live show. To celebrate its return, simply.food has teamed up Grand designs and they are offering simply.food readers the chance to win one of 5 pairs of tickets to this award winning contemporary home show.

Grand Designs Live 2013 will play host to over 500 exhibitors at London’s ExCeL Centre from the 4th – 12th May 2013 and is the perfect show for those seeking inspiration and expert advice on home redecoration, renovations or even full scale self-build projects. You will find everything you need under one roof in one of the show’s six dedicated sections - Grand Build, Grand Interiors, Grand Kitchens, Grand Bathrooms, Grand Gardens and Grand Technology.

Indulge in food heaven in GRAND Kitchens, sponsored by Miele at the centre of a foodie paradise where visitors can sample and purchase a wealth of culinary delights and kitchen appliances, visitors will find the interactive Live Kitchen Experience from Miele boasting a wealth of top chefs and celebrity guests cooking live on stage as well as the Grand Restaurant where visitors can dine whilst soaking up the full atmosphere of the show.

Grand Designs will also be celebrating the nation’s first ever National Self Build Week at the show in partnership with the National Self Build Association, inspiring and educating Grand Design hopefuls to go about building their dream homeVisitors can try their hand at sustainable build techniques, get FREE consultations in the Ask an Expert Advice Centre sponsored by Velux as well as shop from 100's of unique products that can’t be found on the high street. You will see fantastic ideas brought to life in the Interiors Theatre, live cooking demonstrations by top chefs in the Miele Live Kitchen Experience and even be able to explore Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes - an annual exhibition showcasing his very favourite eco innovations of the year., You can also join Kevin in debates on topical issues surrounding homes and design with renowned TV & industry experts at the Grand Theatre in partnership with The Green Deal.

For those not lucky enough to win, book via www.granddesignslive.com or call the Ticket Hotline on 0844 854 1348.

Follow the latest Grand Designs Live show news on Twitter @GDLive_UK

How To Enter and terms and conditions:
Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
This competition is open to UK residents only .Please read the rules below .
Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
Closing date - 21th April 2013 6.00 pm
Competition winners tickets are valid for any one day of the show between the 4^th – 12^th May to Grand Designs Live at Excel London
Tickets are non transferable – one pair of tickets per winner only.
Complimentary tickets obtained through this offer may not be duplicated.
All tickets will be scanned on entry to the show

How Rafflecopter works:

You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.

Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.

Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.

Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.

For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.

For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.

If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Preserved Lemons

2013-04-08T21:55:00.000+01:00

Preserved Lemons a lovely ingredient that can be used to give dishes a tangy citrus flavour , commonly used in Middle Eastern and Greek style dishes these preserved lemons add a citrus zing to many dishes.

Ingredients:

8 unwaxed lemons washed and dried.
4 tablespoons salt
Juice of two lemons

Method:

1. A large screw top jar that has been sterelised by washing in boiling water and dried in the oven.
2. Cut a cross in the top of each lemon but keep the base intact.
3. Fill the slits made in the lemons with salt.
4. Tightly pack the salted lemons into the jar and top with more salt between the lemons.
5. Pour over the juice of two lemons into the jar.
6. Screw the lid tightly and leave the jar in a cool dry place for 5-6 weeks.
7. Shake the jar daily to distribute the juices formed by the salt and lemon juice.

8. Lemons are ready to be consumed once they have gone soft and changed from a bright yellow to an almost orange colour.Takes about 5-6 weeks.
To use the lemons wash the access salt off the lemons and use them to make pickle, add them in salads, marinades and many Middle Easten/ Greek dishes dishes.They will last up to a year once they have been preserved.The preserved lemons can also be eaten as they are or made into Indian pickles.

You may like:
Carrot Pickle
Preserved lemon pickle

Submitting to:
Flavours of Greece Event by simply.food guest hosted by PJ of seduce your tastebuds.
Lets cook Pickles event by simply.food

Giveaway Wahl Eco Kettle ~ Review

2013-04-07T09:38:00.000+01:00

Every time you use a normal kettle, it is almost certain that you will boil a lot more water than necessary wasting time, energy, and adding to carbon emissions.With the ECO Kettle we can boil as much or as little water that we need. The Wahl ECO Kettle looks like a stylish electric jug kettle in appearance but it has a special feature; an internal reservoir that holds a full capacity of water ready for use, and the ECO control knob allows any quantity; from a single cupful to full capacity to be released into the separate chamber for boiling. This results in only boiling the amount of water you need and there will be no more wasting of energy boiling surplus water.

Wahl sent me this kettle to review, the kettle has a nice jug like appearance, its light weight with clear marking on the side in milliliters so you know exactly how much water is in the boiling chamber. The lid has a a central control knob that you can lock to boil the complete kettle. A removable filter in the spout is an added feature that enables you to remove it to clean it for scale periodically. The chrome finish gives the kettle a classy look. The kettle also has an auto cut out should you accidently switch the kettle on without water in it.

My only concern was I found the central locking knob a little flimsy and difficult to twist whilst locking the lid to fully boil the kettle.I was worried that if I over twisted it it would break off.Also when you refill the kettle and if the knob on the lid is left in locked position it will not click shut and could cause an accident as the lid would remain partly open and cause a spill.

My rating for this kettle:

Style 5/5

Function 4/5

Design 4/5

Energy saving 5/5

Total score 18/20

I would definitely recommend this kettle as I love the feature of only boiling the necessary amount of water and saving energy. The ECO kettle has been awarded the prestigious 'Recommended' mark by the Energy Saving Trust .I am not surprised at this as it really is an energy saving kettle.To see how the kettle works in action you can click this video

Thankyou to Wahl for sending me the Eco Kettle to trial. All the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own.

Wahl have been very generous and they have agreed to send 1 Eco kettle to a simply.food reader as a giveaway prize.

How To Enter:
Competition/Giveaway open to Residents in the UK only.

Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries

· Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc

· Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway

· Closing date – 30th April 2013

How Rafflecopter works:

You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.

Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.

Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.

Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.

For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.

For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.

If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Preserved lemon Pickle

2013-04-04T19:41:00.000+01:00

Delicious tangy and spicy lemon pickle made with preserved lemons.

Ingredients:

Preserved lemons:

8 small lemons
2 tablespoons salt
Juice of 2 lemons

Spice mixture:

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
8 red dried chillies
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
10 black peppercorns

Method:

1. Wash the lemons and dry them.
2. Slit the lemons but not right to the bottom so that the lemon is in four quarters but bottom in intact.

3.Sprinkle some salt in the center of each lemon and place the lemons in a streriliesd jar.
4. Add any remaining salt to the jar and add the juice of two lemons.
5. Close the lid and leave the jar in a cool dry place.Once a day shake the jar to mix the lemons.
6. After 3-4 weeks the lemon skin will soften and change from the bright yellow to a dull yellow this indicates lemons are ready for use.

Pickle spice:

7. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, and mustard seeds for 2-3 minutes and transfer to a grinder.

8. Dry roast the red chilies for 2-3 minutes and transfer them to the grinder.
9. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and grind this spice mixture to a fine powder.(Do not be tempted to add too much salt as lemons are already salty from being preserved salt.)

To make pickle:

10. Drain the preserved lemons and cut them into quarters.
11. On a tray place some kitchen paper and spread out the lemons to dry out for 1 day
12. The next day cut the lemons into bite sized pieces and place them into a bowl.
13. Add half the spice mixture and reserve the rest for use on another occasion.
14. Add the peppercorns to the lemons
15.Heat oil in a pan , when it is hot add 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter.
16.Take the oil off the heat and wait for it to cool slightly.
17. Add the oil to the lemons and mix well.
18.Transfer the pickle to a sterilised jar and store in cool dry place for a day to allow spice flavours to infuse.
19. Pickle is ready to eat next day.

This recipe was adapted from Jayshrees blog Samayalarai. She made the pickle with limes, I have also changed the quantity of the spice mixture slightly and used sunflower oil instead of ginelly oil.

You may like:
Carrot pickle

Submitting to:
Lets cook pickle event by simply.food