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Cherry Pie

Worst kitchen jobs ever;

3. Potato peeling
2. Cleaning up the mess you’ve made

And the worst ever;

1. Cherry pitting – WITH NO CHERRY PITTER.

Seriously I thought I was going to be there for the rest of my life. I don’t live in a country where you can readily buy cans of readily pitted cherries that aren’t covered in syrup – so I decided to go the whole hog and de-stone 700g worth of cherries, with a knife.

Not only was I completely covered from head (literally, I had cherry all over my face) to toe (SO many slipped out of my hands and onto the floor – I’m genuinely surprised I didn’t lose a finger, or an eye) but there was cherry juice EVERYWHERE. It looked like a scene from CSI. Never again. For the love of God Alex, buy a cherry pitter.

Other than that, this turned out well. Except I made my pastry too thin (booooo) so it was a bit feeble looking. But hey the filling is the best part so who cares (yayyyyy)

You can’t beat a hot cherry pie covered in sugary whipped cream. Can you?

Ingredients Needed:

Adapted from BBC Good Food
• 1 CHERRY PITTER – PLEASE
• 500g of Shortcrust Pastry (I got my recipe here)
• 700g of cherries
• 2 granny smith apples
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• milk

 

Method

1. Make your pastry. I made mine using this recipe here.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line your pie tin with the pastry. Add baking paper, your baking beans (I used rice) and bake for 15 minutes. Take out your beans/rice and the paper and cook for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it though. Remove any excess pastry.
3. Pit your cherries (sob) and core your apples. Chop the apple into small pieces and mix in an oven proof dish with the cherries. Mix in the sugar. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
4. When done, drain the juice into a saucepan and set the fruit aside to cool. Take 3 tbsp’s of the juice from the saucepan and mix with the cornflour in a bowl until thickened. Then add this paste into the saucepan with the rest of the juice. Mix, and then cook the juice at a simmer until it all thickens.
5. Place the now cooled fruit into the pie base and cover with the thickened juice. Cut out a pie lid and place on top. Crimp if necessary. Make cherries for the top. (This is necessary) Make two small slices in the lid to let air out. Brush with milk and then sprinkle with caster sugar.
6. Bake for roughly 20mins – 30 mins. Make sugared whipped cream, and enjoy.
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Tuscan Ragù (Spaghetti Bolognese)

This is comfort food of the highest form. It’s why I’ve never really thought to blog it before, even though it’s one of my most favourite things to eat in all the earth, it really is just a messy looking bowl of comfort that you wolf down in front of the TV in your PJ’s, not exactly fine dining.

But it was when my boyfriend, standing over the pot of simmering sauce, mumbled “Why oh WHY have you not blogged this yet?” And then proceeds to almost burn his mouth trying to sneakily grab a spoonful. And I remember how I did exactly the same thing with my mum’s bolognese, and my dad says he did the same thing with HIS mum’s bolognese … and I realise, that we don’t always WANT fine dining recipes. Sometimes, you just want something that you can drool over and then wolf down, and feel happily full with a glass of cheap wine in front of some so-bad-that-it’s-good TV.

This is the way they make it in Tuscany, and therefore the way I was taught. And they call it ragù, which is so much more beautiful a word, as it cut’s out the way English people abbreviate spaghetti bolognese to ‘Spag-Bol’. Which is, let’s be honest, horrendous.

This recipe will give you a large amount of the stuff, well enough for 4 people, or even 6 little bowls. We ate a (larger than necessary) portion and have saved the rest in the fridge. You can also freeze the stuff and it will last forever. See, it’s perfect.

Ingredients Needed:
Serves 5

• 750g of lean steak mince
• 3 cans of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 Stalks of rosemary
• 3 large garlic cloves
• olive oil
• 1 large white onion
• spaghetti
• 2 bay leaves

 

Method

1. Chop up the onion and garlic into small pieces. Heat a drizzle of oil in a saucepan (medium heat) until hot and add both to the pan. Stir and stir until they are softened.
2. Add the mince and stir until browned (Side note – is it just me, or do you HATE the smell of cooking mince!?) Then add all the chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste, and stir, stir stir. Chop the rosemary up finely and add that, and salt and pepper into the pot. Place on a high heat for 15 minutes with the lid on whilst stirring every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.
3. After 15 minutes, turn down the heat to just below medium and keep the lid on. Add the second stick of rosemary (whole) and the two bay leaves (whole) It should stay this way for 1-2 hours, depending on how reduced and meaty you like your ragu. (I would keep mine on there all day if I could.) If you think it’s getting a little sticky, just add half a cup of water and keep going.
4. When you think your meat is done, put the spaghetti on. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. When done, drain and then add the ragu to the spaghetti pan. Mix and then serve. With a LOT of cheese and a healthy dose of TOWIE or MIC.
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Chilli Chicken Udon Soup – with coriander, lime and & lemongrass

I’ve recently been on a bit of a health kick. I cut down on the carbs and snacking at my desk and made my own healthy lunches to take into work. I was going on holiday and I needed a little bit of discipline. I was on my way to Thailand.

It. Was. Incredible. I have never been to a place like it and the memories that I have will stay with me til the day I die. And the food! Oh, the absolute precision which goes into making Thai dishes is a far cry from my Italian nature of ‘let’s just add a little more of this…and that…’ but it couldn’t be any other way. Thai people, also, are incredibly inspiring. Disciplined, welcoming, friendly and show-stoppingly great at cooking. I came away from there realising that my new disciplined self would do very well to carry on into the English summer months.

And i’ve been doing ok! Yes, there was a certain ‘McDonalds’ day, which we won’t talk about, and possibly a Chinese with the parents thrown in, and some incredible pasta bolognese here and there (recipe to follow, trust me, it’s worth it) but on the whole, being a little more healthy and taking my lunches to work has not only saved me some pennies, but also saved my waistline.

This recipe is super quick, super healthy and super easy to take to work. You can substitute the Udon for any kind of noodles if you’d rather but personally I find them to be the best. Mostly because you don’t need many at all to fill you right up. (So you don’t snack on that malteaser bunny you’ve hidden in your desk drawer at the 4pm lull.) It also tastes exactly like Thailand which takes me rushing back to the white, sandy beaches, the hot sun and, of course, being really tanned. (Happy sigh) Just Google street-view Phi-Phi Island whilst you’re eating it and you’ll find yourself booking a flight before you know it…

Ingredients Needed:
Serves two. Or one hungry person.

• 1 pack of fresh Udon Noodles
• 1 lime
• 2 large red chillies
• 4 shallots
• 750ml of chicken stock (made with jelly)
• Sesame oil
• 1 large Chicken Breast fillet
• 1 fresh lemongrass stalk
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• 1 cup of mushrooms
• 1 cup mange-tout

Method

1. Finely chop the shallots and place them in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Fry, along with half of the mushrooms in some sesame oil.
2. Next, chop the stalks from the coriander and put into the pan, then chop one of the chillies and zest half a lime. Chop the lemon grass stalk into chunks and place all into the pan, along with all the stock. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Whilst this is cooking, place a generous amount of sesame oil into a frying pan, and then add a teaspoon of the jellied chicken stock. Mix together and then fry the chicken breast on a medium heat until cooked (around 20 minutes)
4. When the broth’s 30 minutes is up, strain the liquid through a sieve back into a clean pan. Then add the rest of the coriander leaves, the juice of half the lime and the mushrooms. Bring back to the boil.
5. Then in another saucepan (I know, sorry, you’ll have one heck of alot of washing up) boil some water and add the noodles. If they’re fresh they’ll take around 1 and a half minutes to cook. Drain and set aside.
6. Now, the finishing touches. Place the noodles in a bowl and pour the broth over the top. Add your mange-touts and some more chopped chilli. Slice the chicken to place on top and garnish with a little more coriander. Put a Thai Island as your screensaver and enjoy.
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Strawberries & Cream Brown Butter Bettys

Strawberries & Cream go hand in hand. They were destined for each other. I almost envy the person that first discovered the combination and got to taste that first bite. And when do you traditionally have this delightful dessert? Summer. Eating Strawberries & Cream is synonymous with Wimbledon, the summer time sport. It’s largely eaten in big groups of friends who are laughing and smiling whilst tanning and drinking Cider in a park. (Who are all gorgeous and probably models) and it’s savoured by historians as the first dessert that broke rank in Henry VIII’s Court. Peasant cream and rich, sweet strawberries coming together to create history in a little bowl that tennis fans will eat centuries down the line (for £10 for a poncey little bowl no less.)

However, as most of you have probably gathered, summer is a little… Sporadic, this year. It’s hot one day and freezing the next. I’m in denial, having just come back from holiday, and am wearing shorts and dresses and turning blue.

I still want to eat Strawberries & Cream on those chillier days, but I needed something brilliantly hot and warming to thaw my gloveless hands. And I discovered this. Brown Butter Betty’s, on Smitten Kitchen’s website. It was a wonderful moment. I decided I was making it. Even though I’d never even HEARD of Brown butter. Nothing was stopping me.

It’s so simple to make I would recommend it to everyone. All you need is butter, bread, strawberries & cream. That way, if you have 49859457 people turn up at your house and they all want dessert, you’re pretty set.

The short version of the recipe is;

1. Cut bread into circles and place in cupcake tin.
2. Cover in brown butter & sugar
3. Fill with Strawberries
4. Cook.
5. Cream.
6. Eat.
7. Eat.
8. Eat.
9. Eat.
10. Maybe give to guests.

You can thank me later.

Ingredients Needed:
Makes 12

• 1 punnet of strawberries
• 12 pieces of white bread
• half a stick of butter
• Brown Sugar
• Icing Sugar
• 200mg Double Cream
• Fresh breadcrumbs
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

1. Melt the butter in a pan, past the point where it’s foaming, then past the point where it turns golden, and to when it starts to turn brown, them immediately take it off the heat before it burns.
2. Roll the pieces of bread until they are as flat as a pancake and cut out large circles using a cookie cutter, or a glass. Cover all sides in the butter and place each in the tin. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Chop up the strawberries, or other fruit and mix with the rest of the butter, the squeeze of lemon and a handful of breadcrumbs. Mix in a bowl.
4. Fill each little bready cup with the mixture and place in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
5. Whip the cream with icing sugar and pop on top.
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