Category: Vegetables

REPOST Dublin Coddle – For St Patrick’s Day

Isn’t Dublin Coddle the most adorable name for anything ever?

It sounds like a cuddle and that is exactly what you are going to get from this hearty and warming mix of sausages, cabbage, bacon and potatoes.

Dublin Coddle

I don’t seem to have the best of luck with Irish recipes (remember the corned beef potato salad?)

I had planned to make a totally safe homemade Irish Cream because hot damn do I love a little bit of Bailey’s!Β  However what they don’t tell you in most recipes for it is that, because it contains fresh cream, homemade Irish cream has a fairly limited lifespan.Β  As I am trying to moderate my diet and alcohol intake at the moment drinking a whole bottle of whiskey and a shit ton of cream over the space of about 5 five days did not seem like a viable option.

Fun…just not a viable diet option!

πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€

So Dublin Coddle it was.Β  And whilst this was nowhere near as awful as the debacle that was the potato salad,Β  the recipe I used for Dublin Coddle (sorry I cannot remember from whence it came) was not without problems.

It asked that you layer thinly sliced potatoes into the bottom of a baking dish then piled your sauteed cabbage, onion and bacon on top and topped that with sausages.Β  Then you added stockΒ to the dish.Dublin Coddle 2

And therein lay the problem.Β  Even though I cooked this for absolutely AGES, the potatoes at the bottom didn’t cook at that well and were totally soggy.Β  And, as viewers of the British Bake Off know all too well, no one likes a soggy bottom!

 

Dublin Coddle 3

This was good but I wonder how much better it would have been if the potatoes had gone on the top and gone all crispy and delicious?

Dublin Coddle 4

I will actually make it that way next time and update you on how it turns out!Β  The good thing about this recipe is that it was traditionally made from leftovers so you can play around with ingredients and cooking techniques as much as you like!

πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€

Here’s the recipe!

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Dublin Coddle

A delicious hearty meal, perfect for St Patrick’s Day

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 sausages – the recipe said pork, I used beef
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 2 rashers of bacon, sliced
  • 2 cups of cabbage, sliced
  • stock or water (I used vegetable stock)
  • Oil
  • salt and pepper
  • parsley
  • Dijon mustard

Instructions

  1. Heat a little oil in a large pan and brown the sausages. You may have to do this in two lots.
  2. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.
  3. Add a little more oil if required and brown the bacon and onions.
  4. Toss the cabbage through the bacon and onion mix and cook for a few minutes.
  5. Layer the potatoes in a lightly oiled casserole or baking dish.
  6. Top with the cabbage and bacon mix. Season well and almost cover with the stock.
  7. Top with the sausages.
  8. Bake at 190C until the potatoes are tender.
  9. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with mustard.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4

Meantime, enjoy your St Patrick’s Day!!!!

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REPOST: All The Z’s – Part 5 – Zurich Mushroom Tartlets

Hello, and welcome to the fifth and final post of the Food that starts with Z mini-series…We’re heading to Switzerland for some Zurich Mushroom Tartlets.Β  And I have a new book to cook from!Β  Pack your passports friends, we are taking a trip around the world via Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery from 1972.

The book promises

  • 222 illustrations, 48 inΒ  full colour
  • 672 pages
  • 2316 recipes from all over the world

Good Housekeeping World Cookery 1972

The World in 1972

So what was this world of 1972 that we are about to enter into? What was the zeitgeist that spawned this tome?

www.thepeoplehistory.com tells us that

1972Β This year is marked as a black year in history due to the use of terrorism entering sport with the massacre of 11 Israel Athletes by Arab Gunman. Also this is the beginning of the biggest political scandal in modern times and the start of the Watergate Scandal. On the other side of the Atlantic a worsening of the problems between the IRA and the British government see wrongs from both sides and innocent lives are lost.Β 

Hmm…cheerful.

But who knew years were colour-coded?Β  Who has that job?Β  And can I have it when you’re done?

On a happierΒ note, in 1972 you could buy these awesome shoes for just $9.97.

And this wig was a bargain at $20. The resting bitch face is possibly a sign of the troubled times…

1972 wig

Or maybe she was just worried about getting her wig wet.Β  Problem solved by this umbrella for a mere fiver.Β Look how much happier thisΒ woman is now she doesn’t have to worry about wet hair.

1972 umbrella

 

Switzerland 1972

So in the midst of all this trial and trib, what was going on in the notoriously neutral country of Switzerland?Β  Well,Β hold onto your hats because while chaos and panic were overtaking the rest of the world?Β  The Swiss wereΒ creating an International Convention on Safe Containers.

The Swiss are an orderly, well-mannered, and meticulous people.Β  This is why you could probably take your safe container and join a group of Swiss people mushroom foraging around Zurich without fear of dying from some fungi-induced poisoning.

Which brings us back to do…oh…oh..ohΒ  (If ANY of you thought we were going to get through a post on SwitzerlandΒ WITHOUT a Sound Of Music reference, then you don’t know me at all do you?).

ZURICH MUSHROOM TARTLETS

Zurich Mushroom Tartlets1

Let’s start with the recipe. It’s a very good place to start…(Refer paragraph above re The Sound of Music) And let’s hope that it isn’t an omen of things to come…

Zurich Mushroom Tartlets - Recipe

Hmmmm….make the pastry it saysΒ  Without actually telling you how to do that.Β  So, If they’re not going to tell you?

I will.Β  Here’s what you do.

Put your flour back in the cupboard, your egg and butter back in the fridge and tip your salted water down the sink.Β  Then you get in your car and drive to the nearest supermarket and by some ready-made pastry shells.

Because if they can’t be bothered, why should you?

Zurich Mushroom Tartlets3

I used a mix of mushrooms for my tartlets and added some herbs from the garden into the mix.

Zurich Mushroom Tarts4IΒ  pan-fried the small fancy mushrooms in so they could be artfully strewn over the top of the tarts whilst I cooked the regular ones as per the recipe.

Zurich Mushroom Tartlets5

IWhile the mushrooms were cooking, I warmed the shells in the oven, then tipped the filling into them.

A sprinkle of parsley and some smoked paprika and these were good to go!

And they were delicious!Β  Creamy and earthy with a lovely crisp and light pastry.

Despite the initial setback with the pastry, the Zurich Mushroom Tartlets were a good start to this book.Β  Easy to make, quick, and tasty!Β  Best eaten in front of the telly watching The Sound of Music,Β  Or wearing your best curtains.Β  Or both.

 

Have a great week!

 

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All The Z’s 3 – All The Zucchini – REPOST

You knew it was coming right?Β  There was never going to be a showcase of Z recipes without a recipe for zucchini.Β  Except there’s not just one zucchini recipe…there’s going to be four.Β  Because it’s midsummer and my zucchini plants have gone berserk. I have been eating zucchini at least once a day for weeks. I have given away dozens of them.Β  And they just keep coming!Β  So I have to keep finding things to do with them.Β  Here is a summary of this summer’s dishes…so far…

This flatbread recipe came via Australian Gourmet Traveller and it is so good – not to mention almost too pretty to eat!Β  If you don’t want to make your own bread, you can sub in a flatbread of your choice.Β  But the bread is pretty easy and gives you a huge dose of smug!

Seriously three zucchini plants are producing enough to feed a small army!Β  And they grow so quickly.Β  One second they are tiny, the next literally as big as my arm!

Zucchini 4

But here’s the thing…up until recently, I wasn’t that big a fan of zucchini.Β  I recall it from childhood as being a bland soggy mess.Β  My conversion came when I tasted it raw in a salad one day.Β  And it was super good!Β Β Zucchini Salad (2)The above salad is so easy to make and became my go-to whilst on holidays – I chopped a heap of carrots, zucchini, celery and cheese and kept them in a container in the fridge.Β  Whenever I got a bit peckish, I would get out some lettuce, sometimes crumble in some hard-boiled egg,Β  add a splash of dressing and roll up for a healthy, tasty snack!Β  The recipe is from my old fave Rosemary Mayne Wilson’s Salads For All Seasons.

Rosemary suggests a mayo dressing for this salad.Β  I vote no on that.Β  My preferred dressing for this salad is a vinaigrette with a good dollop of mustard in it.Β  Try it…you won’t regret it.

Recpe: Raw Zucchini Salad - RMW

Turkey and Zucchini Patties with Cacio e Pepe Zoodles

Okay, here’s one for the meat eaters!Β  Although I was not very complimentary about a lot of the meals in Pete Evans’ paleo cookbook, Healthy Every Day, these turkey and zucchini patties were an exception.Β  They are awesome!Β  I make them all the time (sometimes I even have to buy zucchini to make them!).Β  I don’t use the egg in this recipe as I find the mixture is already quite wet without it.Β  (Pete also doesn’t tell you to squeeze the water out of the zucchini which you need to do).

Zucchini Turkey Patties4

And here’s Pete’s recipe:

Turkey & Zucchini Patties – Pete Evans

The eagle-eyed of you may have noticed the fourth dish nestled in below the turkey patties in the photo above.Β  The last recipe in the zucchini extravaganza is a Zoodle Cacio e Pepe.Β  (Zucchini noodles which cheese and pepper).Β  A lot of recipes I have found for this cook the zoodles.Β  We’re not going there.Β  I far prefer raw zucchini to cooked so mine is kind of a Cacio e Pepe carpaccio…

 

Print

Zoodle Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 tbsp Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 finely chopped mint (optional)

Instructions

  1. If you have a spiralizer, make noodles out of your zucchini.
  2. If not, use a vegetable peeler to make long thin strips of zucchini.
  3. Place in a bowl and toss through the olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and cheese.
  4. Top with the mint if using.
  5. Serve straight away

Have a wonderful week!Β  I’m off to harvest more zucchini!

Before we go though, tell me what is your favourite zucchini recipe?

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REPOST – Recipe Revamp – SS’s Stuffed Onions

 

The story for these Stuffed Onions starts WAAAAAAYYYY back to my first Pieathalon in 2015.Β  My pie was a Belgian Onion Pie chosen for me by the wonderful S.S. from A Book Of Cookrye.Β  If you are ever in need of a chuckle, giggle or even a downright belly laugh, you must check this blog out.Β  S.S. has a wit drier than the Sahara.Β  You know, I try really hard to be funny.Β  I feel with S.S. that it is just effortless.Β  A Book of Cookrye is always just so, so good!

Stuffed Onions2Below the recipe for the Belgian Onion Pie that S.S sent me there was a picture of some little balls of delight (STOP IT. NOW! ) which I mistakenly took for a picture of the finished Belgian Onion Pies.Β  I assumed that the recipe was going to be some wacky Belgian reverso situation where the onion was the “pastry” and the filling was…I have no idea…crumbly pastry?

Belgian-Onion-Pie-Filling-Recipe (2)Sadly this was not the case.Β  But I hold out hope for the BelgiansΒ  They invented Smurfs, they can invent a reverso onion pie if they really put their mind to it…maybe after Brexit is over they’ll have some time on their hands for pie shenanigans.

Anyhow, after probably eye-rolling and face-palming at my inability to understand the difference between a PIE and a STUFFED VEGETABLE, S.S then v kindly sent me the recipe for the stuffed onions.Β  Which I promptly printed and lost.Β  Then about six months later I found it again and made them.Β  They were….flawed but had potential.Β  I started thinking about how to improve the recipe.Β  After a while I made them again.Β  And again.Β  Then, earlier this year I was getting ready to post the improved version when my laptop died and I lost all my photos and my improvement notes.

However, cursed as this recipe may be, it was also like a ghost haunting me.Β  So, recently, despite history indicating that the Stuffed Onions post would never see the light o’ day, I made themΒ  again. With what I could remember of the improvements.

And they were fabby!Β  So tasty!

Stuffed onions3

I am still waiting for the world to implode when I post this though…

Let’s have a look at the original recipe and then have a chat about how I changed it.

Stuffed Onions recipe

  • Sausage meat is almost invariably going to have a high fat content.Β  Adding cream to something that is already fatty made the mixture far too greasy.Β  Believe me, your mouth will be coated in it and it almost feels like your whole face is smothered in a layer of grease. Mrs Dan Sartor may have been aΒ  fan of the feeling like she had been dragged backwards through a pork chop but I do not.Β  So the cream is gone. As is the butter.
  • The wine does not have to be white.Β  I used a beef sausage and felt a red was a better match for the robust onion and beef flavours.
  • Next…I don’t really understand inches but Google tells me that a 1/4 inch is 6mm which I feel is too much onion.Β  I took mine back to 2- 3 layers of onion. Which is more than enough.
  • Depending on what kind of sausages you have you can alsoΒ  add in flavourings like chilli, garlic, a teaspoon of tomato paste, or even a couple of finely chopped mushrooms (Sorry Jenny) toΒ  the mix.
  • Finally save some of those breadcrumbs for a little sprinkle of the top to add a little bit of crunch.Β  If you happen to have some dukkah to add to that sprinkle so much the better!
  • I served mine on a toasted piece of baguette.Β  The main ingredients – sausage, onion, bread are reminiscent of a hot dog so you could use whatever you like on your hot dogs.Β  I had some aioli and rocket but swap in whatever condiments you like!Β  Or replace the aioli with a slice of cheese.Β  Maybe if you are using a spicy sausage like a chorizo add some guacamole.Β  And throw some black beans into your sausage mix….
  • You could pretty much style this baby up into anything you wanted just by changing the type of sausage and the condiments / veggies.

Stuffed Onions4Here’s the updated recipe.

Print

Stuffed Onions

A modern take on a vintage stuffed onion recipe!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 medium onions
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 sausages, your choice of flavour,
  • 2 tbsp plus more for sprinkling over the top, breadcrumbs
  • 1 handful of chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp thyme leaves
  • 1 cup beef or chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup dry white or red wine (your preference)
  • 1 tbsp dukkah to garnish (optional)
  • 8 small sprigs of thyme to ganish (optional)

Serving Suggestion

  • 8 slices of baguette
  • Aioli
  • Rocket Leaves

Instructions

  1. Peel the onions and cut the top and bottom off so they sit flat.
  2. Scoop out the insides so 2/3 layers of onion are left.
  3. Finely chop half of the scooped out onion. (Save the rest for another recipe).
  4. Blanch the cases for 5 minutes then leave to dry.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a skillet then add the chopped onions. Allow them to soften and colour slightly – about 5 minutes.
  6. Remove the sausage meat from the skins and crumble into the onion mix. Cook for around 5 minutes.
  7. Drain off the excess fat and add half of the wine and the breadcrumbs..
  8. Cook for a few minutes then add the herbs, salt and pepper.
  9. Fill the shells with the stuffing mix.
  10. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and the dukkah if using.
  11. Garnish with a ting sprig of thyme.
  12. Arrange the onions in serving dish. Pour in the stock and the remaining wine.
  13. Bake in a 180C / 350F oven for 45 minutes, basting occasionally.
  14. Meantime, toast the baguette slices.
  15. Spread with the aioli and the rocket.
  16. Top with the cooked onions.

Notes

  • Stuffing ingredients and serving suggestions can be modified based on the type of sausages you use and your favourite condiments.

A huge thanks to S.S for the recipe!Β  Sorry it has taken so long!Β  Thanks also to Mrs Dan Sartor for the original recipe.Β  And thanks also to my sadly deceased stepfather who, when ever anyone mentioned anything stuffed vis a vis “Hey IΒ  made stuffed onions today”Β  would respond by saying something along the lines of “Oh…I”m sure they weren’t that bad” or “What’s important is that you tried”.Β  Those jokes were running rampant through my head for entire length of this post!

DadΒ  jokes are the worst!

Until you don’t have them anymore…

Huh…Way to finish on a downer.

Ummm….looks around frantically for something to lighten the tone….

Okay, here are some rather unappetizing vintage ideas for stuffed onions!

Here’s a thrifty way to “Satisfy your Inner Man”

Vintage Stuffed Onions2I’m not sure.Β  I feel like my inner man would prefer a steak…

And as for this next one all I’m going to say is creamed diced carrots.

You can fill in the blanks on that one….

Vintage Stuffed Onions1Have a great week!

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REPOST – Eggs With Spinach and Fashion Tips From Dinah Shore

Eggs and Spinach are a classic combo. Think Eggs Florentine, Spinach Quiche or Spinach SoufflΓ©.Β  Well today we are using eggs and spinach to create a twist on the dish The A -Z of Cooking calls Eggs With Spinach.Β  Uh huh.Β  What it lacks in imagination, it makes up for in precision.Β  But it’s also from a chapter called Watching Your Weight and, to be honest, the original recipe was a little meh….So, whilst staying in the spirit of Eggs with Spinach here’s my version.Β  What it lacks in weight watching, it makes up for in flavour.

Given that choice, always make flavour the winner.Β  Just go for a run the next day!

Eggs withspinach6My eggs and spinach recipe contains spinach lightly sauteed in garlic, mixed with a little cream, sprinkled with nutmeg, topped with cheese and baked with an egg until the white is set and the yolk is runny perfection!

Eggs with Spinach1Did anyone say brunch?Β  These eggs with spinach scale up really well for a group at brunch or make a great quick and easy supper for one!

Eggs with Spinach2

I used fresh baby spinach in my Eggs with Spinach, however you could use frozen.Β  Below is a great vintage ad for frozen spinach.Β  Note the awesome striped t-shirt being worn by Dinah Shore and the perfectly coordinated polka dot apron.Β  She’s rocking my favourite patterns and showing that the rule of “blue and green should never be seen” is as dumb AF.Β Β  Go Dinah. Vintage Spinach2OMG, IΒ only just noticed her gorgeous green shoes with the bows.Β  I want that entire outfit!Β  I wonder ifΒ  back in the day women everywhere were also exclaiming “Glory be….fuck the spinach, get me that t-shirt and those shoes…”

Does anyone say “Glory be” anymore?

Did anyone ever?

Before we travel down that etymological rabbit hole here’s the recipe:

Print

Eggs with Spinach

A delicious quick and easy dish for brunch, lunch or supper!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 500g baby spinach
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 25g butter
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp cream
  • 4 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180Β°C/160Β°C fan-forced.
  2. Lightly grease four 3/4 cup-capacity ovenproof dishes.
  3. Wash the baby spinach.
  4. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic.
  5. Saute for a minute or two until the garlic softens but does not change colour.
  6. Add the spinach and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
  7. Take off the heat and stir in the cream and nutmeg.
  8. Divide the spinach into two and place in two ramekin dishes.
  9. Make an indent in the middle and break and egg into each.
  10. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
  11. Season with salt and pepper.
  12. Bake for around 15 minutes or until the egg white is just set but yolk is still runny.
  13. Remove from oven. Stand for 2 minutes.
  14. Serve with toast.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2

If you would also like to rock Dinah’s look here is my take on it:

The Dinah Collection

That was awesome fun!Β  Now I gotta go do it in real life.Β  Have a good one!

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