|
|
 |
| |
Recipes for the present tense...
Clare Latimer provides some handy
solutions for those struggling to balance cooking with Christmas preparations
CHRISTMAS is just round the corner now and I for one have not even started buying my Christmas presents.
St Mary’s Church on the corner of Elsworthy Road and Primrose Hill Road is having their designer sale on December 13 from 10am to 6pm.
It gets better each year and this year they have even more on offer – so some along and get your shopping either started, like me, or finished for the more organised!
We will also be there selling our Christmas puddings and this year we have made plenty of them as we sold out by 11am last year.
As I am sure your cooking time is short at the moment, here are some recipes that will not take long and needn’t be eaten straight away but can be kept chilled in the fridge to serve any time.
Courgette and mint soup
This is great to make and have in the fridge. Heat in individual portions when there is a hungry mouth to feed and serve with chunks of warmed bread.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 courgettes, wiped and chopped, stalk removed
1 large potato, peeled and chopped small
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 litre vegetable or meat stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Small tub crème fraiche
Handful fresh mint, chopped.
Method
Put the onion, garlic, courgettes, potato and olive oil into a large heavy-based saucepan and cook gently for about five minutes but do not brown.
Add the stock and seasoning and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Cool, add the mint and blend till smooth.
Check the seasoning and serve hot with a spoon of crème fraiche in the middle of each bowl.
Spinach, leek and feta pasties
These are great to eat at any time and a good way to get the family to eat their greens. They can be frozen before baking – just take from the freezer and cook from frozen at a slightly reduced temperature oven and for just a little longer.
They are best served hot but can be eaten cold as well.
Cover filo pastry with a damp cloth while using as it dries out very quickly and then it is hard to fold.
Ingredients
Makes 12
1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, washed well and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
200g spinach, chopped
Splash of white wine
100g feta cheese
2 tbsp parsley, washed and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 sheets filo pastry
80g butter
Freshly grated nutmeg.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the leeks, garlic and onion. Cook for about three minutes or until soft then add the spinach and cook for a further two minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and crumble in the feta cheese. Add the parsley, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F / gas 5 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Melt the butter over a low heat in a small saucepan. Place one sheet of pastry on a clean work surface and brush with melted butter. Fold in half lengthways and brush the new top surface with more butter.
Place a tablespoon of the cooled spinach mixture in the bottom left-hand corner of the pastry strip and fold the bottom left corner to the top edge to form a triangle. Now fold the top left corner to the bottom edge and repeat along the strip to form a triangular parcel.
Brush both sides of the parcel with melted butter and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and some freshly grated nutmeg. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining pastry until all the filling has been used. Freeze at this point or bake the parcels for 20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
