rebness | (no subject)

I wish my camera would work! I want to take photos of all the neat English Meals I have made in the last few days. Uh, when I say English, I may be including the cuisine of most of Europe. Oh, well. This is what I have done, you guys:

Apple Crumble
This is my quintessential autumn pudding. My mum and I went scrumping (ha) on the farmland adjacent to us and came back with a haul of unloved British apples which-I-can't-identify. Our two oldest apple trees have died, sadface, and the other two are too young to provide us with a decent haul.

The only proviso for this pudding was that I had to do it because my mum is sick of me being afraid to cook any dessert. It was gorgeous! I used some of that walnut syrup I got from Destrehan plantation in Louisiana when I was preparing the apples and oh, my God. It was gorgeous.

Spanakopita
Jamie Oliver has gone all Graecophile, which I am really digging. We followed his 30-minute recipe for spanakopita (spinach and feta filo pie) which totally takes longer than thirty minutes but is worth it. It's the best spanakopita I have ever, ever had, all those of Greece included. Oliver uses a lot of lemon and pine nuts in his recipe and the difference in taste is amazing. Definitely making this for the New Year buffet. I also recommend the cucumber salad he does on that page, though go easy on the chillis unless you're a sadomasochist with your mouth like me.

Greek Chicken
Okay, so I went into a bit of a rage when my mum proposed Greek chicken because -- and I gaped -- the stuffing wasn't my beloved sage and onion, but rice. RICE IN MY CHICKEN. Then again, the recipe was given to her by a Greek friend who cooks the most amazing stuff, so I gave it a go. It was really good! We added a touch of butter to the rice, lemon, garlic, all kinds of herbs, onion and a cheeky bit of parmesan. It made a lovely stuffing that was also less dry than usual, so I was less ragey by the time it was done.

Tonight, I'm making lasagne but can't decide on what I'm going to do with it to make it a bit special. Ideas, flist?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What type of cheese do you top your lasagne with? I use creamy (not crumbly) Lancashire and it melts beautifully then browns if you leave the lasagne in longer. I've always used an old recipe from the back of a Safeway lasagne sheets packet so I've no idea what's supposed to be in a 'real' one. It includes sliced mushrooms and green pepper. Put a bayleaf in with the basil and remove it before layering.

Ooh, we have some Lancashire cheese in the fridge. I'll use that!

I just nagged my mum into getting some mushrooms, so that's good. I might add a cheeky dash of tabasco, just to annoy everyone and make it tastier for me. >:D

Edited 2010-11-05 13:26 (UTC)

Apple crumble is an old-man dessert.

Make your own bechamel sauce for the lasagne instead of from a packet. :p

NO IT'S NOT

It is a retro Becky dessert and I could totally convert you. Okay, that's a lie but if you liked stewed fruit, you'd love it, bb.You would!

I promise to make my own bechamel! :D

INDEED, IT IS NOT! Do you put a clove or two in your Apple Crumble? After 81 years, my father has finally got the hang of looking in his dish in order to remove the 'little black things', instead of just spooning it straight in his mouth. Served with thick custard?

I haven't actually tried a clove, to be honest - I'll try it! We use lemon, brown sugar and cinnamon in the main, but I'm always willing to experiment.

Oh, always, always with thick custard!

Edited 2010-11-06 20:57 (UTC)

I have a -raging- culinary crush on Jamie Oliver!! I will certainly have to try that spanakopita recipe you've linked. Also, that Greek-style stuffed chicken sounds pretty delectable.

Me, too! I just love him. He's a lot more accessible than Gordon Ramsay.

If you try that recipe, you have to let me know how it turns out!

*ahem* The apple crumble sounds fabulous. Now when you say pudding do you mean, pudding or like cake? :P

Recipe please? It sounds lovely for my Thanksgiving and I too normally refuse to make desserts. Thanks! <3

To be honest, apple crumble is a very inexact recipe! It demands on how much you love fruit, or if you prefer crumble (ohmygod I love crumble). Here's Jamie Oliver's recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/apple-crumble and there's a simple BBC recipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/applecrumble_2971

It's very simple to make, but gear it towards your own tastes and nom on it! Mmm!

When I say pudding I just mean... er... dessert, I guess? But only working-class English people say dessert. *sniff*

Oooh thank you. I think I would mix/match both recipes to taste and very definitely - extra crumble. x