New Recipes

Borage and Spinach Soup

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:30:15 +0100

I noticed that I had a good batch of borage growing in the garden this year and decided I would try and make something with the abundant crop. My only previous culinary experience with borage was when I've used it in a long, tall glass of Pimm's Number - the leaves add a cucumber flavour and the pretty blue flowers are very decorative, especially frozen into an ice cube. I thought I would mix the borage with spinach and parsley rather than make a soup entirely from borage - feel free to experiment with various ratios and quatities as you see fit. Be careful when picking the borage leaves as they are surprisingly prickly.

Banana and Cherry Cakes

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:29:01 +0100

If you are looking for a simple cake recipe that offers something a little different then these cakes are definitely worth trying. They are very moreish and are sure to go down a treat with friends and family. The flavours of banana and cherry go very well together and its also a good way of using bananas that have gone a bit mushy and brown. The cherries on top are an option; you may wish to leave them off entirely or ice the top of the cakes.

Sea Bass with Summer Herbs and Lime

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 16:22:53 +0100

Here's another delicious recipe from the 'Fishy Fishy' cookery book (see also Sticky Mackerel). This recipe takes advantage of the wonderfully flavoursome sea bass, with the summer herbs beautifully enhancing the fish's flavour rather than overpowering it. The thick skin of wild sea bass makes it particularly suitable for the barbecue but if you can't get hold of sea bass then red mullet or another similarly thick-skinned fish will make a great replacement (just adjust the quantities accordingly)...

Black Treacle Cake

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 16:20:25 +0100

Black treacle seems to be one of those food products thats divides opinion - you either love it or hate it. This is due to its very strong flavour which dominates any recipe that it is used in. So it was with some trepidation that I gave this recipe a go. Thankfully...

Sticky Mackerel

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:44:27 +0100

I'm a great fan of mackerel. It's inexpensive, it's healthy (full of Omega-3 fatty acids), sustainable (as highlighted by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's mackerel bap) and above all it's full of flavour. This recipe, which is part of a collection of over 90 fish recipes in a new cookery book called 'Fishy Fishy', offers a different way to serve the often overlooked fish. The BBQ-style sauce is drizzled over the cooked mackerel which is then finished off in the oven to create a deliciously sweet and sticky coating.

Iced Fancies

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:04:24 +0100

If you fancy making some iced fancies then this recipe is for you! It really is one of the most quick and simple recipes and uses ingredients that you probably already have in you kitchen (for the cake part anyway). I chose to bake the cake in a square baking tin and then cut the sponge into smaller squares when cool but you could just as easily use cupcake cases or a muffin baking tray. You are free to add any flavouring you like to the sponge cake and use any toppings that you like - it's great experimenting with different combinations. When I made this batch I used almond icing (marzipan), chocolate buttercream icing and royal icing. I finished them off with a few sprinkles, nuts and little jelly sweets.

Tomato Soup

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:05:55 +0100

With the increasing desire for more choice and more this and more that, it seems to be fashionable at the moment to have dishes which are over-complicated and crammed with countless ingredients, half of which I haven't heard of before. Now I'm not saying that I don't want to try new things but sometimes you just want to go back to the basics and cook things that you know and love. For me, tomato soup fits the bill perfectly. It really is a brilliantly simple dish and, provided that you use good quality ingredients, can match anything that you get from a packet or tin (well in my opinion anyway!).

Fruit Cake Slices

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:13:09 +0100

Here is a great fruit cake recipe that a relative kindly gave to me. Unusually it starts off with a boiling process where the dried fruit is boiled with the sugar and butter. This seems to bring the best out of the fruit, as the currants and raisins become plump and succulent and the boiling produces a toffee-like dimension which enhances the overall flavour of the cake. Once the boiling is over it's a simple matter of adding the other ingredients and then baking it in the oven. If you are looking for an easy and reliable cake recipe then definitely give this a try.

Satsuma Syllabub

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:16:38 +0100

A few weeks ago I tried making a syllabub and I was very pleased with the result. It's a delicious dessert and quite unlike anything else I have tasted before. The only drawback is that it isn't suitable for children. So I thought I would try making a non-alcoholic one. This satsuma syllabub recipe is ideal for Christmas, since, in my experience anyway, there are always plenty of satsumas in the house at that time. Of course if it can be made at any other time of the year - the choice is yours!

Cranberry and Red Onion Relish

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:15:31 +0100

Cranberry sauce is obviously the traditional accompaniment for turkey at Christmas. But if you are like me and want something a bit different now and again then this cranberry and red onion relish should hit the spot. It goes well with cold turkey or indeed any cold meats - a beef sandwich with a dollop of this relish is delicious. It's spicy, warming and zesty with a festive colour and best of all it's really easy to make. The red onions give a milder onion flavour and add to the colour of the relish. It also makes a nice gift for friends and family.

Christmas Cinnamon Bread

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 17:20:57 +0100

There are few things in cooking that are as satisfying as baking your own bread. It takes a fair amount of practice to be proficient in bread making - I spent years trying before I found a technique of kneading that more often than not results in a well-risen loaf. Once I had mastered the normal white loaf I was keen to try different breads. I was given this recipe by my grandmother and ever since I have made it at Christmas. I love the smell of cinnamon and it really helps lend a Christmasy feel to the house. For me Christmas begins when I have made my first cinnamon bread of the year.

Beetroot Chutney

Sun, 22 May 2011 18:33:48 +0100

I'm a great a great fan of beetroot - I love the sweet earthy flavour and the smell of it freshly boiled. I always grow several rows in the garden and look for ways to preserve it when we've eaten our fill with late summer salads. Pickled beetrot can be very acid but this chutney captures its mellow flavour and rich colour without too much vinegar. It goes very well with cold meats and cheese.

Mini Simnel Cakes

contact@greenchronicle.com — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:23:57 +0100

I always like to play around with well-known recipes and during Easter I decided to try something a bit different with Simnel Cake. Looking through some old recipe books I discovered a recipe for Miniature Simnel Cakes. A great idea I thought, with a few changes. The old recipe suggested a topping of marzipan which would then be browned under the grill with a decoration of home-made marzipan "eggs". I thought I'd miss out the grilling and I decided it would be nice to have something a bit chocolatey instead - to my delight mini chocolate easter eggs fitted the bill perfectly.