Day 7, Slow cooked Chutney Beef Stew.

Day six and I made friends with my neglected slow cooker again. Which has lain unused since last winter. No more shall it be kept to the shadows like the Batman of the culinary world. It now has pride of counter space again.

If you don't have a slow cooker, you should think about making the investment they are really handy to have especially now coming into winter. There is nothing better than coming home to a steaming pot of stew that just needs to be served up after a long day.

Which leads me nicely on to my next recipe. Slow cooked Chutney Beef Stew. Mmmmm it even sounds delish!!

For this recipe I used

800g stewing beef cubed.
1 Large onion.
200ml hot beef stock.
100g mango chutney
2 cloves of garlic crushed.
3 teaspoons of medium curry powder.
1 head of Broccoli
Chilli powder to serve (optional)

Fry off the onions, then brown the beef in a saucepan and fling them into the slowcooker.
Add all the other ingredients give a stir and that's it!
Cook on high for five hours.
Don't be tempted to look in or stir just wait!!
When it's cooked steam the broccoli and add to the beef.
Serve on a bed of rice sprinkled with chilli.

Serves four.

The children had dinner in a friends house that day so this was an adults only meal. The beef was melt in the mouth tender, the sauce spicy sweet and friends there was no conversation it was just blissful eating......joy.


Bon Appetit xx

Day 6 Homemade Hummus

Instead of trying something new today I wanted to instead try make something that we all enjoy at home. Hummus is a staple in our fridge. We all eat it as a quick snack with some crackers or with pitta bread and vegetables as a lunch. Pip is an especially big fan and if he could he would probably eat this for every meal.

As a way of bringing him closer to his food I decided it would be fun to involve him in the process of making this recipe. It was good for him to see what the ingredients look like and how the flavors combine as well as having a sense of pride that he made our lunch. 

For this recipe we used

2 x 400g tins of chickpeas.

2 tbsp tahini

2 cloves of garlic

juice and zest of half a lemon

4 tbsp of water

4 tbsp of olive oil. 

salt and pepper to taste.

The Method is as simple as throwing everything into a food processor and pulsing it until it is the desired consistency. We went for nice and smooth today. 

We ate it with pitta bread chips and vegetables. It was delicious and now I know how simple it was to make it will be a regular recipe here and possibly save me allot of money yey!

Bon Appetit xx

Day 5: Sweetcorn Fritters

Days fives recipe was a lunch time one I had been looking forward to testing out on both kids for a while. Fritters are so easy to make and the possibilities are endless.

I made sweetcorn and spring onion this time, a little bit of sunshine was needed in our lives as the weather was grey and cold. Come back crisp autumn days please you are missed!!

For this recipe I used

Two 400g tins of sweetcorn

Four spring onions chopped

225g self raising flour

2 eggs

40 ml of milk

A small handful of fresh parsley finely chopped

A few mint leaves finely chopped.

First mash the sweetcorn in a large bowl with a potato masher.

In another bowl mix the flour eggs and milk together to form a thick batter.

Add all of the sweetcorn and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Heat a non stick frying pan with a small bit of olive oil. ( I used a silicone pastry brush to spread my oil around the pan this way I use far less oil.)

Using a dessert spoon drop four or five spoonfuls of mixture on to the pan. Using the back of the spoon to flatten the mixture.

Cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through.

Repeat until batter is used up.

I served with a simple yogurt and mint dipping sauce and pesto. With salad on the side.

Bon Appetit xx. 

Day 4. Cauliflower & Macaroni Cheese

On Day four I wanted to make an Evening meal that we could all enjoy so it needed to be meat free and low in salt yet still satisfying and tasty. I went with a recipe from Jamie Olivers 30 minute meal book and it really delivered on taste.

Both of the kids loved this. Pip had me promise I would make it again in the future. So that's certainly a thumbs up from him.

If you would like to make this recipe you will need

Ingredients:

A head of Cauliflower.

500g Macaroni pasta.

250g Creme fraiche.

250g mature cheddar cheese. (Grated)

4 slices of bread. (I used wholegrain)

A small pack of pancetta or smoked bacon lardons.

A few sprigs of fresh rosemary.

.To start, fill and boil your kettle. Turn the oven on to 220øC/Gas mark 7.

.Lay the pancetta on a roasting tray (approx 30x25cm or large enough to bake the pasta in) and put on the top shelf of the oven.

.Trim and quarter the Cauliflower. Put in a large saucepan core down. Pour the pasta on top and cover with boiling water. Put on a high heat. (fill and reboil the kettle to cover the cauliflower and pasta if needed) season with a good pinch of salt and drizzle over a little olive oil. Stir and cook according to pasta packet instructions with the lid slightly askew.

. Take pancetta out of the oven.

.Blitz the bread, garlic, pancetta and rosemary leaves in a food processor with a good drizzle of olive oil until you have a course breadcrumb consistency. I left the pancetta out first time removed enough for the vege version. Then reblitzed with the pancetta.

.When the pasta and Cauliflower are tender. Put the colandor over a large bowl to catch the pasta water then drain the pasta and cauliflower. Tip into the roasting tray you cooked the pancetta in breaking up the cauliflower into florets as you do. (I used a small oven dish for the vege version)

. Save 400ml of the hot pasta water in the large bowl. Then stir in the creme fraiche. Crush in 2 garlic cloves. Mix until creme fraiche incorporates. Stir in the grated cheese. The sauce should be nice and loose if not mix in more pasta water. Pour over the pasta and stir in.

. Spread the breadcrumbs evenly across the top and put on the top shelf of the hot oven for 10 mins or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with salad and enjoy.

This really was super delicious and will definitely make a return visit to our table. While we ate we talked about Halloween and the upcoming festivities. We are huge fans of halloween here. Maybe because I was a goth in my youth and ever so slightly obsessed with Tim Burton movies and all things macabre. Also it's part of our Irish heritage since we actually invented Halloween.

Bon Appetit xx.

Day 3 comforting dessert.

I remember as a little girl our neighbours had rhubarb growing in their garden, they would send me home with some and I'd beg my Mam for stewed fruit and custard. It is still a total comfort food for me and every autumn I make it for "Pip" and now also "Button" 

Today I made very simple rhubarb, apple and vanilla stewed fruit and served it with Greek yogurt, a drizzle of honey and A sprinkle of Chia seeds (sneaky protein props huh?). We enjoyed it as dessert after our dinner.

Pip decided that it's his favourite thing to eat, Button made adorable mmmmmm sounds and I loved how something from my childhood has become a part of theirs.

Our conversation at the dinner table was about our favourite book Pips being anything by David Walliams, and as the chief  bedtime story reader I have to agree with him. They are hilarious books. My favourite book is 1984 but I wasn't quite ready to discuss the Dystopia of Winstons world with my eight year quite yet. So for the purpose of this conversation the mantle went to my second place yet more family friendly Harry Potter. Being one Button doesn't have a favourite book as yet but she loves to eat them (true story). 

Bon Appetit Xx

 

Day 2 Coconut and mango muffins.

Day 2 Coconut and mango muffins

As much as possible I would like to make our treats at home. Not only because I enjoy baking but I can also substitute healthier ingredients and make treat time a little more healthy.

Today I followed a lovely recipe for Coconut and Mango muffins from My lovely little lunch box  if you have young children this is a great resource for healthy cooking.

The Recipe was very easy to follow. With really clear instructions and pictures. I made one small change in that I added a 1/4 cup of milled chia seeds and removed the same amount of flour. (I will stop at nothing on my sneaky protein mission!!) and I didn't use any sugar on the top of "Buttons" mini muffins because well she is already sweet enough.

The children and I really enjoyed these muffins. They have a delicious moist creamy taste thanks to the Greek yogurt. We ate these as a mid morning snack and also after dinner as a treat.

I will definitely make these again as well as trying out more recipes from the same site.

We also ate multiseed porridge with fruit for breakfast, leftover Vegetable and bean soup  for lunch and homemade beef burgers with chips, & a quorn burger for the Vege.

Bon Appetit xxx

Day 1 chunky Vegetable soup.

Day 1 chunky Vegetable and bean soup.

The days are getting colder and there is really nothing more comforting than a bowl of soup in cold weather. So for day one of my month long project I made chunky veg and bean soup for lunch.

My eight year old son "Pip" is a vegetarian and I find it hard to get protein that he enjoys into him. So anywhere I can sneak in some beans or lentils I do. Also my daughter "Button" is only one so I need to watch her salt intake. I use low salt stock cubes for flavor when I'm making meals that she will be also eating.

I used a tomato base for this soup. Mostly because I went through my kitchen cupboards and realised I had nine tins of chopped tomatoes......... Food hoarding much? At least I know if there is ever an apocalyptic event I'll be all set for pasta sauce :).

I didn't follow a recipe this time. Sometimes I'm a to the letter of the recipe kinda girl and some times I'm a throw a bit of this and that in it'll be grand kinda girl. Today I was the latter. I did however record the ingredients to share here.

For the soup I used

1 Large onion diced.

2 Medium leeks sliced.

2 Carrots sliced.

1/2 A butternut squash cut into chunks.

2 large handfuls of frozen peas.

1 tin of Cannelloni beans drained.

2 tins of chopped tomatoes.

2 low salt stock cubes.

2 tsp of smoked paprika.

1/2 tsp of cumin.

1/2 tsp of mild chili powder.

1 tsp of oregano.

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce.

Method

Brown the onions in a large saucepan in a little rapeseed oil. ( of course you can use whatever oil you like but rapeseed is my preferred oil.)

Add the leeks and continue to cook for five minutes.

When your onions are browned and your leeks are soft add the herbs and spices and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Pour the tomatoes in, using of of the tins as a measure add two tins of water.

Add the beans, and Worcestershire sauce and finally the stock cubes dissolved in a little water.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 25-30 mins or until all the veg is tender and the stock is reduced slightly.

Serve and enjoy :)

On day one we also had porridge for breakfast with fruit.

For dinner we ate a simple stir-fry with chicken and marinated tofu for the vege.

Day one was a definite success. "Pip" enjoyed laying the table for the meals and we chatted away about things like school, shoe sizes ( he is a little obsessed with his growing feet) and laughed at how funny the baby was at the table amongst other things. I think this is the beginning of a new way of life for us and it excites me. 

Bon Appetit xx

The kitchen table.

The Kitchen Table

On a recent family trip to Italy. While visiting my brother and his better half with my one year old "Button" (not her real name people come on!), and accompanied by my sister and niece. I realised and relished the connecting factor of food. At the end of each day we came together prepared and ate a meal around the kitchen table and shared more than what passed our lips. Meal times were a time to commune and share. Every day we visited gorgeous places, shopped until we quite literally dropped and we saved our best conversations for mealtimes. We caught up with each other, put the world to rights and created memories for a lifetime of joy. This made me think of how at home we gradually have lost those daily rituals and I would like to change that.

Two things came to mind. The preparation of a meal is as important as eating it and the location of the meal is paramount to the experience. A meal that is prepared at home with the family involved takes time, there are certain cues to the body to prepare itself to eat The sounds and smells from the kitchen for instance. The body picks up on these cues and ready's itself for a meal. A meal eaten at a table with family is more than just eating. It is a time to concentrate on each other. To share the days events and connect with one another. Compare that to a home delivered takeaway meal, the body must rapidly prepare to eat from when the food arrives at the door until it is served up, there is no preparation stage. Eaten on laps in front of the TV without conversation or even eye contact the community part of the meal is lost. With that in mind I have endeavoured to correct what I feel has become a problem within my family,

At home much to my displeasure we were without a kitchen table for a few months. while a D.I.Y project of mine ran on longer than it should (as often happens around these parts). Those few months of eating upon our knees in front of the TV were tedious and seemed to drain the life out of our little family. My son needed a place to do his homework. I also needed a place to create but mostly we needed a place to get together for our meals.  It was with great pleasure when my project finally came together and we had a beautiful up cycled kitchen table.

I rescued a sad and pretty worn out table and transformed it into my perfect country style painted table with my own two hands. It was a really satisfying project and it makes me smile every day we use it.

 This is the table I will base my next project upon. For the next month as much as is possible my family will eat home prepared meals around our table. Barring time spent out of the house of course :). As I go I will post what we have been eating and how we are finding the experience.

Bon Appetit xx

The Beginning.

                                                

   As all things must, this is the beginning.

My name is Emma. I am a 32 year old Dubliner born bred and buttered as they say. I have always had an interest in food and where that food comes from . I'm interested in the processes and people involved in getting food to our tables and the story's behind them.

I would like to connect the farmers and producers to consumers by bringing them together to share experiences and knowledge here. So I have set out with a purpose to discover how the food process works. I am inviting you to come along on the journey with me.

When I was a little girl I spent allot of time with my grandmother in what was then semi rural Dublin. She taught me to bake in her kitchen and we spent allot of time in the phoenix park and surrounding areas which at the time and to my young eyes was "the country" however I am sure that many people would disagree that Castleknock is the country!. From there I have always carried a love of food and nature. Combining the two feels like a natural progression and passion for me.

I feel food should nourish us both in body and soul, strive to be ethical and wholesome and have value beyond monetary worth. I'm drawn toward food with a story, a background and a history. So on my journey I will look for these story's as much as I can.

I feel there is a food revolution coming, spreading like a river from further afield into our fair isle and people are embracing it. We really should embrace it and get back to the simplicity of what food can be. Food is a part of our every day. Every day we should be excited by it and made better for having eaten it.

On my journey I Hope to provide a soundboard for interested people with the possibility of community relationships and facilities. I hope to visit various locations, producers and people involved in the food chain and share my experiences here with you. I will also share with you recipes, reviews, recommendations and non food related posts about things that inspire and excite me.

I hope you enjoy my blog and we can share this adventure together.

Emma xx