happy new year!

happy new year! wow it's 2014 - how did that happen? to mark the start of a new year on the blog, i thought i'd do a month by month round up of my 2013 recipe posts. hope you enjoy :)

january
for christmas i was lucky enough to receive perhaps one of my favourite presents to date - a pasta machine! so january, and the rest of the year really, was full of many attempts at homemade pasta.

christmas 2013: from handmade gifts to hearty grub.

just a few snaps from this christmas. this festive season has been lovely. there's been christmas bake offs at work, festive afternoon teas, my first clandenstine cake club and i even had a little go at making some handmade christmas gifts.

homemade spinach, ham and ricotta ravioli.

having made my usual rustic parcels in previous ravioli making, i was so excited to try out this proper ravioli press. it was a little gem i found in my local tk maxx - amongst a pretty impressive baking section of various sized piping bags, decorating tools and cake tins. fellow foodies i urge you to go check it out, this ravioli maker set me back about £2. 

i feel like instead of a crazy cat lady i'm going to be a crazy foodie gadget lady found cuddling my bamboo steamer and pasta maker. i've previously made crab and dill ravioli, boursin and sundried tomato ravioli and red wine venison ravioli so this time i really fancied something with a thick ham and cheese - so i thought i'd try spinach, ham and ricotta filling!

the liebster award.

So I hadn't heard of this lovely idea until I was nominated myself by lucy scott bakes alot - a baker and a crafter who has some brilliantly indulgent recipes! You can also see her other liebster nominations here.

"The liebster award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 10 random facts about themselves, answer the 10 questions from the award giver, and then nominate other bloggers and make up 10 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

I think this is a fab idea and couldn't wait to get going... so firstly I'll write 10 random facts about me.

♥ My initials are ELC like the toy shop Early Learning Centre.

♥ My favourite colour is green.

♥ I have a diastema in my teeth... also known as a gap tooth.

♥ I have an addiction to buying duvet sets. 

♥ When I was seventeen I met mark hoppus of Blink 182.

♥ I studied MA Print Journalism with NCTJs but have since forgotten most of the shorthand.

♥ I have three tattoos; a rose, a key and the letter E.

♥ My favourite karaoke song is Valerie.

♥ I always name my cars; so far Luigi, Freddie and now Felix.

♥ I am a total Japanophile and could probably live off the cuisine. especially sushi which I was lucky enough to write my dissertation on. Yum.

coffee shortbread with chocolate drizzle.

shopping list
♥ 225g plain wholemeal flour
♥ 125g cornflour
♥ 125 light muscovado sugar
♥ 2 teaspoons of expresso
♥ 225 butter, cut into pieces

i found this gorgeous coffee shortbread recipe on bakingmad.com - and would definitely recommend! this was actually my first time making shortbread and found it surprisingly easy. will be making it again too so any other recipes send them my way.

in the recipe it suggests covering coffee beans in chocolate and scattering them on top. i slightly adapted this to just drizzle melted chocolate on top as i prefer a lighter coffee flavour and didn't want the beans to overpower. 
i also don't have a food processor at the moment so i crumbled the flour and butter by hands. a little more effort but definitely worth it. i would also suggest buying these expresso pots, actually made for a machine, which are great for if you only use expresso powder for cooking. 

i'm more of a cup of tea kinda girl! something which definitely went with this shortbread.





you can find the full recipe and other brilliant ideas for cakes, savoury treats and cupcake recipes over at bakingmad.com. enjoy!

scallops with white wine, garlic and rocket linguine.

shopping list
♥ around six scallops each
♥ 150g linguine pasta
♥ 100ml olive oil
♥ 2 chopped garlic cloves
♥ 1 tbsp lemon juice
♥ one glass of white wine
♥ 100g rocket leaves

serves two

begin by boiling some water and cooking in a saucepan on a medium heat. 

next, begin to very slowly cook the garlic on a low heat, adding in the lemon juice and glass of wine. (treat yourself to one too!) remove from the heat and set aside.

in a third pan, begin to cook the scallops, for around 2 minutes each side. this is maybe the most tricky part - as i wanted to make sure they were cooked but did not want the rubbery texture. in hindsight, mine may have been over cooked and had i continued to cook them they would have developed nice chargrilled lines. however they turned out to be a soft texture - despite them shrinking a lot!

whilst the scallops are still hot, or just as they are about to be cooked, you then toss the olive oil in the pasta and add in the lemony garlic mixture, along with the rocket leaves. stir it all together and combine as the rocket slightly wilts. serve the scallops on top and voila! :)

although this recipe can be a little awkward with the timings of the scallops and final mixture - it really is a great way of showing off seafood with fresh, simple flavours. yum x

amazingly authentic indian: paddy's marten dhaba bar and grill review

located in the vibrant, asian community of belgrave in leicester, i'd heard nothing but good things about paddy's marten dhaba bar and grill. and no wonder jamie oliver visited leicester especially to try it for himself! 

set in a british pub (still in full jubilee spirit) and with black and white photographs of bollywood stars on the walls, there really is something to embrace about this indian meets british combination of amazing food and bustling atmosphere. the wide-ranging menu of gujarati, punjabi and keralan specialities had something for everyone, with your choice to amend ingredients or heat level - this really reflected in the freshness of the food.

we shared half a dozen poppadoms coming with five different chutneys and pickles. including my fave - chopped onions and mango chutney :) i really could sit and eat poppadoms for days but with the scents of sizzling food arriving at other people's tables - i made sure i left room!

to start, i shared a mixed sizzling platter of lamb kebabs, tandoori chicken wings and chicken tikka pieces. this was delightful if not a little hot. (i am a wimp!) they left the sauce too which was great as they really complimented the sharer. i really love little pieces like this - especially dim sum and tapas - and would often even prefer lots of these to a main meal! this was around £6 and totally worth it for a nice starter. other menu items which caught my eye were the fish pakora, salt and pepper prawns and interesting sounding "crispy ladies fingers(!)"

for my main i went for lamb saag. this was around £8 and came with rice and your choice of naan. bonus! this was a spinach and tomato based mild/medium dish with chunky pieces of lamb served with a garlic naan and pilau rice. we also had aloo methi potatoes - which had fragrant fenugreek leaves stirred through. everything came on metal plates which again was a traditional touch and of course kept our food nice and hot.

i would definitely recommend this pub/bar/grill/restaurant for anyone in search of an amazingly authentic indian meal. there was a friendly atmosphere of what felt like new and returning customers. don't be put off at all by the dated looking menu either - it somehow added to the homely feel of the place. for saying at first i was a little dubious about an "authentic indian restaurant" called paddy's martens inn - i will definitely be returning to try their chicken tikka! top marks!

if like to cook asian recipes at home, you might like my haddock korma - perfect for those who love strong flavours but shy away from heat like me! :)

grilled aubergine, leek and mushroom risotto

serves four


shopping list
♥ one aubergine
♥ three leeks
♥ handful of mushrooms
♥ one red onion
♥ 250g risotto or paella rice
♥ 3 tablespoons of philly
♥ vegetable stock
♥ cherry tomatoes to garnish

now i should probably begin by explaining how this particular dish came about and the unusual choice of ingredients! it was basically a bit of a "bung it" and it made me feel a little like i was on ready, steady, cook! when you have to make a dish out of odds and ends. i even chopped everything up nicely, see? which is all part of the fun of course!


so hopefully that explains the paella rice you can see as well as the lack of garlic in a risotto (dun, dun dunnn). oh and it also made it nice and veggie too!


so i began, as all great recipes do, with caramelising the onions in the pan on a low heat. when cooking with aubergine the first thing i do is slice them up and leave them to rest with a bit of salt. i'm not really a fan of adding salt to food (always black pepper for me!) but i learnt that it takes away the bitterness you sometimes get.


in a separate griddle pan, or grill if you prefer, begin grilling the aubergines. so now you should have the onions cooking nicely and aubergines beginning to soften. the aubergines will take around 10-15 mins so just keep turning.


next add in the rice - lightly toasting at first and then very soon after adding in a splash of stock as and when. as i mentioned before, i created this when using up food in my cupboard. and i just so happened to have paella rice instead of risotto. so hands up that this isn't strictly a risotto! however - the difference between the grains is that risotto rice is creamier which is why paella rice suits having a more tomato based, spicey accompaniments. so cue philly cheese - i used this to create the creamier texture and flavour i desired. low in fat too  :)


keep adding in the stock when the rice seems like it may stick. you then add in the chopped leeks, then mushrooms and lastly the aubergines, chopped up. you could leave one slice for the top like i did too :) you then put in the philly cheese. you don't have to use it of course and totally up to you if you want to use more or less. when cooking with philly i pretty much always put it in last or at least near the end as it can go gloopy and separate under heat.


my tip for any risotto is whatever vegetables or meat you use... just think of how you want them all to come together in the end and how each component might need to be cooked. so if you're cooking with meat, perhaps start that first or in a seperate pan. think about how if you want to use bacon you might want to grill it and slice it up. or perhaps if you use veg, for example frozen peas, how these might cook or defrost in the stock like they would if you were simply boiling them. i really so find that risotto or paella works out different pretty much every time - you just need to really mother it and keep adding stock or changing the heat when needed really. you'll be making all sorts of combinations of perfect risotto in no time!


if you like this you also might like my parma ham and mozzarella risotto recipe. over and out! x

tasty turkey and coriander burgers.

makes two large burgers or four medium.

shopping list
♥ 500g lean turkey mince
♥ a bunch of spring onions
♥ two handfuls of fresh coriander, stalks removed
♥ half a red pepper
♥ ciabatta bread
♥ your favourite salad
♥ mayonnaise, if preferred

this recipe couldn't be easier. or tastier. or healthier.
well, maybe without the mayo.

simply mix together the mince and chopped vegetables and form into patties, then grill or fry off for around 20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. then take a few coriander leaves and stir through the mayonnaise.

serve with warm bread and salad and ta daaa!

whoever said turkey was just for christmas?! plus, if you like these then maybe you'll like my minty lamb burgers with tzatziki and cous cous.

psst... emily's fun food fact of the day:
100g turkey mince has 167 calories and 6.5g fat 
100g chicken mince has 188 calories and 8.9g fat 
100g beef mince has 219 calories and 15.3g fat 

the rude shipyard: my first taste of guinness cake.

yoho ahoy!

a slice of guinness cake and a cuppa from the rude shipyard in sheffield. for those of you who haven't been, it's a quaint little café-come-book shop on abbeydale road with higgledy piggledy furniture and lovely company.

the cake looked and tasted divine. with cream cheese for that famous guinness head.

if only there were some kind of record for the best cake. world records perhaps...

glitter buttercream cupcakes :)

simple cupcakes with buttericing and lots of pretty decorations. really too into making cupcakes lately, like the rest of the world.

these are decorated in silver balls, edible glitter and sweets galore!

me and my lovely friend meg polished these off not long afterwards.

thanks for stopping by my blog :)

♥

door to door cupcakes: the baking couple who deliver sweet treats direct to city offices.

Just like following Hansel and Gretel's trail of crumbs, office workers in need of a sugar hit can now go online to track the progress of a man delivering cakes across Derby.

Tony Jacobs visits offices with a wicker basket full of cupcakes and other sweet treats made by his wife, Victoria, that are for sale.

                                                     

And people can find out his location by logging on to the couple's website and looking at an interactive map tracking his progress.

Tony, 43, who delivers the cakes while Victoria, 39, spends the day baking, said: "Our specialities are traditional cakes like Victoria sponges and lemon drizzle cakes, but we've noticed cupcakes are becoming more popular.

"We like to keep it simple by doing three flavours and doing them well. We make hundreds of cakes a week in the flavours of vanilla, lemon and Belgian chocolate."

The couple, of Friar Gate, set up their company, Love Cakes, last year and began selling their bakery treats at Chesterfield market.

But their products have proved so popular that they no longer have time to run the stall, instead concentrating on orders and deliveries.

They pride themselves on natural British ingredients and do not use food colouring or any decorations that do not meet these requirements.

They use natural sugar sprinkles, homemade jams, get their eggs from Highfield Happy Hens in Etwall and fruit from Ted Corden's grocery in Derby Market Hall.

Tony said: "The other day we took an order for 18th birthday cupcakes with a homemade sugar photograph of the lad on his first day at school. We also once we had an order for 400 vanilla cupcakes and did them in the charity's colours. That was definitely an all-nighter."

They have a popular lime and coconut cake and their newest invention is Dancing Duck beer loaf cake, handmade with ale from Derby's Dancing Duck Brewery in Ashbourne Road.

This week their cake basket included Belgian chocolate loaf cake, apple and almond cake and vanilla cupcakes.

They also provide petit fours for the Mansion restaurant, in Midland Road, and take large orders for birthdays and weddings.

Much of their popularity has been through word of mouth and social networking site Twitter.

Tony said: "The amazing responses we get from around Derby always bring a smile. Victoria really has a passion for baking cakes and it really shows through in her little masterpieces."

For more information, log on to Love Cakes Derby ♥

Written for the Derby Telegraph and also posted on emily's recipes and reviews x

a slice of summer: food gusto festival

Forget digging to the back of the freezer for last year’s rocket lollies or declaring war on the spider family lurking in your dusty barbeque.
This summer, grab a slice of foodie heaven at the Food Gusto Festival this August Bank Holiday. All are welcome to nibble, glug, slurp and savour the best of British at the Appleby Magna event, which takes place at the stunning Sir John Moore Foundation on August 27.
Taste freshly cooked organic beef burgers, perhaps pig out on the tasty hog roast or get your five-a-day with a locally sourced vegetable box. For those with a sweet tooth, try Gopsell Farm’s famous apple crumble ice cream or discover the delights of Lou-la-belle’s charming cup cakes. Served, of course, with a cup of English Breakfast tea.
Or perhaps take a little piece of a Leicestershire country garden back with you. The Witches Garden is a North West Leicestershire herbery dedicated to knowing their fennel from figwart and mint from their marjoram.
Feeling inspired? Get stuck into The School of Artisan Food’s Cookery Demonstrations. Watch and learn how to make wood-fired bread, handraised pies, pates and terrines, Artisan chocolate and hedgerow cordials. You might even get a taste, if you’ve got any room left.
From 10-3pm, the festival is J11 of the M42. Free for children, £3 for adults or £2 with voucher from the Food Gusto website.
Pick up your copy of Leicestershire Life magazine for more about foodie events across the county.

from field to farmhouse: farndon fields.

Imagine sitting in a cosy farmhouse tearoom taking a bite of a deliciously warm roasted asparagus tart whilst sipping on an ice cold glass of Victorian lemonade. You think how convenient it would be if you could have it wrapped up, in a gingham napkin of course, and take it home for tea. Well, at Farndon Fields Farm Shop in Market Harborough you can.

Their try local, buy local shopping experience means that you can visit thinking you want a box of pretty pansies for your garden and discover they grow your favourite Leicestershire strawberries, all in one day.

It started back in 1983 when Kevin and Milly Stokes’s passion for potatoes and vegetables saw the opening of a small shop from their Market Harborough farm garage. By 1998 they had a purpose built farm shop extension, broadening their dairy selection, and making room for a locally stocked bakery.

Five years later and the 2000s saw the introduction of a butchery, cafe and plant centre to their 250 acre farm.

“It all started almost 28 years ago now and has quite literally grown ever since. We now grow over 40 different types of vegetables and 6 varieties of potato,” explained Milly.

Their homegrown seasonal produce currently includes a mouthwatering selection of raspberries, leeks and asparagus; which in this warm weather it can grow up to 6 inches during the night.

“We’ve had a great crop of strawberries this year as it’s been so hot and dry, which has made them really sweet. But then this proves a problem for growing potatoes, as they require really wet weather.”

Their assortment of cheeses for all seasons can be perfect accompanied by a range of alcohol, which boasts Langston Brewery beer, Welland Valley wine and Melton Mowbray Sloe Gin. With their Mediterranean inspired deli opening in the next few weeks, knowledgeable Deli Manager Liz has been sourcing tasty treats from chorizo and salami to an appetising olive bar.

“We’ve recently bought 9 pigs and feeding them on our waste vegetables hoping to begin selling our own pork. So watch this space,” Milly continued.

“Our staff have such good product knowledge and are always providing recipe ideas and hosting food tasters. Next week we’re going to be trialing some curry causes made locally for people to sample.”

Whilst Mike, their butcher, sources the very best of local lamb from Greenfields at Twycross, sponge cake expert Kim is busy in the baking fresh chocolate cakes and Victoria sponges every day for the cafe. Not to mention their cupcakes to conserves and juices to jams that fly off the shelves each week.

And food miles? Well, there are none. Nil, zilch, zero. Everything they sell is either produced by them on the farm or sourced from local farmers and experts around Leicestershire and the Midlands.

“This is what real local should be. We aim to give people a really personal shopping experience and get to taste allsorts of great Midlands produce. We like people to say ‘oh I really like this where can I get it?’ and then instantly be able to rustle one up for them to takeaway.”

“It’s just all about the fascinating process from growing the produce to eating it later on that day.”

Read more about other foodie gems in the Midlands here at Great Food Magazine.

swanky spag bol.

shopping list 

♥ your favourite cut of steak - i use either rump or sirloin

 ♥ around 75g of fresh tagliatelle or linguine pasta per person 

♥ half a dozen cherry tomatoes per person 

♥ 400g chopped tomatoes 

♥ one red onion, chopped
♥ two cloves of crushed garlic
♥ a twist of black pepper

♥ a knob of butter

forget measly minced beef, 7p tins of pasta sauce and trying to pass off stale spaghetti as "al dente." some of us student types like to live in style. so here i present to you a posh(ish) alternative to good old spag bol with nice chunky cuts of steak, fresh pasta and homemade sauce.

begin by turning the hob to a medium heat and throwing half the knob of butter into a frying or grill pan. when the pan is nice and hot, place in the steak and grind a little pepper on top. try to only turn the steak once; around three minutes each side for rare, five minutes each side for medium and seven minutes each side for well done. when you are happy with your steak lay it to one side on a clean, flat surface to rest. (probably not a student worktop then).

next is to make the pasta sauce and cook the pasta. boil a kettle and leave the pasta to cook on a back hob whilst you have the pasta sauce on the go.

for the pasta sauce, use the remaining butter in a saucepan to soften the crushed garlic and chopping onions on a medium heat for a around five minutes. next tip in the chopped tomatoes and whole cherry tomatoes and leave to simmer for a further five minutes.

now that you have all the components ready for this culinary creation, slice up the steak into lovely chunks, discarding the fattier edges if you wish. it should be lovely and pink inside. unless you foolishly opted for 'well done', ahem.

next throw in the steak to the sauce and keep on a low-ish heat as to make sure it is all hot and cooked through but try not to cook the steak any further. drain the pasta ready to serve. if you like, add torn basil leaves, grated Parmesan or black pepper to taste.

and abracadabra, your new favourite italian dish.

oh and if you aren't already convinced, click on the picture of the finished result, where that particular time i used a mix of egg and spinach fresh pasta and rump steak. i feel like the thumbnail doesn't do it justice.


thanks for stopping by my blog :)

♥

diy nando's.

This is a great feast for any party and can be adapted for any number of people or tastes. just like, well Nando's.

shopping list
♥ chicken of your choice - here i used wings and two breasts
♥ two large potatoes per person
♥ block of haloumi cheese
♥ coleslaw
♥ pitta bread
♥ houmous
♥ nando's seasoning
♥ plenty of olive oil

preheat the oven to 220 degrees and begin by cutting the potatoes into "chip size" pieces, as in the picture. leave the skins on for a crispy rustic taste. season with salt, pepper or any herbs you fancy, drizzle with olive oil and shake the tray until covered. these take around 45 minutes so put these in the oven first.

next, the infamous chicken. arrange your desired chicken pieces on a tray and use a dash of olive oil to get the seasoning rub to stick. i used official nando's lemon and herb on some and a schwartz "perfect shake" grinder on the others.

i believe you can also get nando's wild herb and garlic rub, bbq peri-peri rub, hot peri-peri rub and, not for the faint hearted, xxhot rub. i bought mine in a tesco but you can also get it at the official nando's online shop.

also you'll be surprised how cheap chicken pieces are in the supermarkets these days and yet how actually easy they are to cook. i got a tray of around 10 wings for just under £2.

the chicken takes around 25 minutes, so by now you should be on time for the chicken and chips to be ready together. turn your oven down slightly to around 200 degrees if you feel the heat is going to burn the chicken.

now, i'm not going to pretend i made the sides. i bought them. but if you're feeling keen, here are some coleslaw and houmous recipes. another side idea would be sweet potato mash. the houmous in the picture is actually an italian one with basil, pinenuts and garlic. it was, the industry would say, yum.

whilst you wait for the chicken and chips to cook, move onto the last minute preparations such as slicing up the haloumi and toasting the pittas. as the haloumi requires a grill and you will currently have your oven set to "oven" mode, the next bit can be quite tricky. unless you're lucky enough to have an aga.

you can either, take out the chicken and chips and serve whilst the haloumi is grilling (it only takes a matter of minutes). you could change the oven to grill mode, have the haloumi on the highest shelf and keep the other food in the bottom keeping warm. or, you could always just buy a new oven. it's a pretty good investment afterall.

serve and enjoy my peri-peri loving friends!