Cherry's English Kitchen

In The Bag : July

 

One of my favourite rice dishes in the world is the Thai Green Curry. But, and this is a big but, I am still working on a sauce that tastes as good to me as some of the shop bought sauces.  So when I knew that the ingredients in the bag for this months food event were aubergine (egg plant), peppers & basil I was convinced that I would finally create a sauce that floated my boat. It didn't happen. I have no idea why. Perhaps it's because we have work being done on our kitchen or maybe I am simply not getting the quantities right.

Maybe I can't cook at all but I doubt that very much!!!!!

;-)

So here for you is still a work in progress. I added chicken as I had some chicken that I wanted to use and not freeze but it is still delicious as a veggie option, just add the entire aubergine and not only half of it.

WIP : Cherry's Green Curry
Serves 2

Chop one green bell pepper into tiny pieces and do the same to half a large aubergine. Add to a large pan with some olive oil. Chop two chicken breasts into the pan and turn the heat down low. If you are keeping the curry vegetarian then add the rest of the aubergine but add it in bite sized chunks as opposed to chopping it up super small, as you have done with the first half.

Soften the vegetables and cook the meat without browning it and after about 12 mins add the sauce that you have either prepared (ahem!!) or bought. Place your rice or noodles on the boil and when they are cooked serve on to warm plates with chopsticks.

Before allowing yourself or a guest to tuck in to the curry tear some fresh basil leaves from the plant and place on top of the dish. I kept the basil plant on the table during supper and found my self regularly going back to the plant and ripping leaf after leaf from it. Divine.

I will continue to cook up my own, definitive green curry sauce and shall share it with you as soon as I am satisfied. Perhaps it will come with arrival of my new worktop.

Here's hoping!

Cherry Menlove 

In The Bag : June

My entry is this fella....

I was having a bake/cook fest in my kitchen with my future mother - in - law on Sunday and as well as stock, desserts and many pots of jam I made this........

I used a pound and a half of cubed Scottish lamb, a large handful of chopped coriander, a large handful of chopped mint, a small punnet of English cherry tomatoes, a few knobs of butter and lots of seasoning. I put it all in to a shallow roasting dish, drizzled it with olive oil and added my broad beans and Anya potatoes. Now I par boiled a large bag of broad beans first and squeezed off the outer pod to reveal the bright green fleshy inside before adding them to the roasting pan and I also par boiled my new potatoes too. I the drizzled 125ml of water into the pan and baked the whole lot in the oven at 180c for one hour and thirty mins. Keep an eye on the dish making sure that it stays moist and that it doesn't dry out. If you find that your lamb is not tender after 90 minutes then simply leave it in a little longer.

And there you have it, what a super round up. We are still discussing what will be in the bag for July but perhaps it should be something veggie or fruity?!?!?!? I'll let you know what we all decide!

Cherry Menlove

Living Is Easy

I'm quite sure that you are the same as me when it comes to the amount of time spent in the kitchen during the different seasons. I'll explain further. On a cold day in November or December I am happy to stand by the warmth of the oven and tend to a stew. I shall lovingly cut up the meat and veggies and place them in the pot. I'll happily take it out and check on it from time to time, excusing myself from the book I am reading in the kitchen at that moment. I'll bring whatever it is I am doing into the kitchen and stay there for the duration.

This is not the case when the sun is shining on a glorious day in England. I want to be in and out of the kitchen very quickly indeed so I can re-join the others in the garden. This is why I am a huge fan of very easy and quick to prepare dishes at this time of year. I adore kitchen gardens as it means that so much more can be done outside and the thought of standing by a hot oven for any length of time fills me with dread.

Having just returned from Italy I can assure you that there will be an abundance of fresh produce and big plate recipes to follow in the next few posts but I'll start with a tasty side dish that went very well with the first chicken that I roasted in my new oven.

Cherry's Anya's & Cress

Serves four as a side dish with chicken or fish

Boil 500g of the small Anya variety of potatoes. If you can't find these any baby or new potato will do but do try and stick the small ones. When the potatoes are almost soft and ready to eat place a large handful of cubed pancetta into some olive oil and saute until it's slightly crispy on the outside. When the potatoes are ready, drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the pancetta and a little bit of the oil from the pan and mix well with a large spoon allowing the oil to slightly coat the potatoes. Add 1 chopped avocado and an entire tub of English mustard cress (alfalfa sprouts). Mix well once again and drizzle a little more olive oil over the bowl if it looks a little dry. Get it to the table as soon as you can and scoff in the sun with those you love around you.

This dish should take you no longer than 10 mins depending on how long the potatoes take to go soft. We don't use cress enough in our summer salads so you'll see the little fellas popping up rather a lot this season. What fun, I do like them!!