Recipes

Roasted Pesto Veggies with Griddled Halloumi

Food, Recipes

Hey!

These past couple of weeks have been a bit all over the place but exciting in terms of my near future. I decided to leave my previous internship but after applying for jobs I secured an interview and a new internship with a restaurant chain and start in a couple of weeks so I am spending my free time getting ideas for my blog, cooking and photographing things so I can post in the coming weeks when I may be a little more busy than I anticipate.

I decided to get my self a Moleskin notepad and some black felt tips to sketch ideas for recipes when I’m lounging around or out and about. There are some exciting themed recipes in the pipeline … think Halloween and Bonfire Night. I cannot wait to start designing recipes for Christmas! It will be nice to have it in a special book so I can keep all my ideas in one place – instead of jotting them on scrap bits of paper or my phone.

This weeks recipe is perfect as a vegetarian starter or a light lunch. The pesto adds a punch to the roasted veggies and is simple and quick to prepare with just 3 ingredients. I always love grilled halloumi – its a staple side when I order at Nandos, so you could also serve this with some grilled chicken for a meaty alternative.

I used a pack of ready to roast veg bought from the supermarket, but you could always chop up your own – a mix of red onion, peppers, tomatoes, and courgette works well.

Serves 2-3 People

Ingredients

400g approx. mediterranean vegetables

2tbsp green pesto – fresh or jar

250g Halloumi – sliced into approx 1cm slices

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C / Fan 180°C / Gas 6.
  2. Place the prepared veggies onto a tray and coat with the pesto.
  3. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring half way through.
  4. After about 15 minutes, preheat a griddle pan, or you can use a frying pan if you don’t have one.
  5. Drizzle a tiny bit of oil on the halloumi then griddle on each side for around 2 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Serve immediatley. You want to eat the cheese when its hot, soft on the inside and crispy and golden on the outside.

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I can’t wait to get creating other delicious recipes for you to try, and looking forward to pushing myself creatively. I’m still learning Illustrator so will try my best to create some fun recipe cards for this recipe and others but am currently having a bit of a creative block with this. I’m also planning on creating a video of footage I shot way back, when I went to Amsterdam. All these skills will be useful to use in my career and I want to try and stay as creative as I can. I’m also looking forward to starting my new job and hopefully taking a positive step into my future.

Lots of love,

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Chocolate Orange Truffles

Food, Recipes

Hello lovely readers!

First of all I want to apologise for not posting in a while.

As you know I started my new part time job and internship meaning I was working seven days a week and I underestimated how tired I’d actually be. It was also my graduation last week so I was trying to get ready for that – paint nails, prep outfits and pack (all the girly things haha).

I’ve also been more anxious than ever so have been dealing with that too, so although I had a recipe prepared to post, it hasn’t been my priority so I’m sorry for that.

This recipe is for some chocolate orange truffles. Perfect for gifts to friends and loved ones. I was inspired for this recipe by some truffles I continue to buy, by Monty Bejangles. They are so rich and luxurious. Also, my friends have been amazing to me recently and they definitely deserved a treat. A thank you goes out to my official taste testers Ally & Ellie.

This recipe is super easy, and requires little effort – just a bit of setting time and getting your hands a little chocolatey. But who ever said being covered in chocolate was a bad thing?!

Makes about 30 dependent on size.

Ingredients

200g chocolate – I used a mix of milk and dark.

100ml double cream.

Few drops of orange extract – I used Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Valencian Orange Extract.

Cocoa powder for dusting – you could use nuts too if you like

Method

1. Heat the cream in a sauce pan until it is hot but not boiling.

2. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate and place in a bowl – I used a larger but shallower bowl so that it would set quicker in the fridge.

3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and add the orange extract. Alternatively you could use the zest or experiment with your own flavour combinations.

4. Stir together until the chocolate is fully melted and combined. You may need to reheat the mix so you can place over a bowl of simmering water, or zap in the microwave on a low power – be careful not to burn it!

5. Leave to set in the fridge until firm. This should take about 4 hours but you can leave it overnight if you wish.

6. When ready to shape, sift some cocoa powder on to a plate to roll your truffles in. You could also use ground or flaked almonds or a nut of your choice. Take a small spoon of the mixture and roll into your desired shape. You may find dusting your hands with cocoa reduces the chocolatey melty mess. You can make them whatever shape you wish. Roll in the cocoa powder to cover completely.

7. Place back in the fridge to set. Serve when firm and ready for an indulgent homemade treat. Perfect with coffee or like I did, a glass of wine with my dear friends.

Why not give these a try, they make perfect presents wrapped up in cellophane with a nice ribbon and hand written tag. You can experiment with your own flavours, shapes and toppings and really personalise them. I hope you enjoy them as much as my friends and I did.

Next week I will tell you all about my graduation. A little late I know but I want to tell you all about my incredible day, and the delicious food I ate.

Hope you’re all very well, and again apologies for the delay in posting, please don’t hate me forever.

A girl with a creative appetite,

Maria x

Lentil, Feta & Beetroot Salad

Food, Recipes

Hello lovely readers,

Apologies for the delayed post. This week has been hectic for me and a lot of exciting/scary stuff is happening. I will try and design a recipe card for you all for this recipe if I get the chance over the weekend. But for now I will just type up the recipe here! After my moaning and tears, I secured myself a job at a Sainsbury’s Local for the weekends, fairly ok hours to bring some money in. Funds are running very low, but I’m impressed I’ve managed to last this long on Student Finance, thanks government. I better start saving for Christmas, because X Factor starts this weekend, which only means one thing… it will be Christmas before we know it. Exciting bit of news #1.

Exciting news #2 is that on Wednesday I went for an interview for a digital marketing internship for a foodie website. This was positive, and before even getting the chance to get home, I got a call saying I had been successful. I start on Tuesday, and it will last 3 months. It may give me some useful tips on how to improve my blog, and social media pages to really push this forward. I am excited but super scared about going into something that I know little about. I’m scared about working 7 days a week and the thought of being super tired but it will be worth it in the end, something good for my CV, and to learn new skills in order to progress in the future. I will still try and post to my blog but may struggle with this so please don’t hate me forever if I don’t always get something posted!

This weeks recipe is another healthy, tasty salad dish. A lentil, feta and beetroot salad perfect served with some chicken for a light, nutritious lunch or dinner. Would also be tasty served with some griddled halloumi for a veggie option.

Serves 3-4

Difficulty Easy

Time 20 Minutes

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin puy lentils, drained and rinsed.

100g Feta cheese, diced.

Aprox. 200g cooked beetroot (I used the pre-cooked vacuum packed ones from Sainsbury’s, I used 2 of the 3 in the pack).

2 tbsp Olive oil.

3 tbsp cider vinegar or balsamic – just use what you’ve got.

A sprig of mint leaves, finely chopped.

1/2 Red Pepper, diced.

A handful of good quality cherry tomatoes. I used Pomodorino.

Squeeze of Lemon

Salt & Pepper.

Method

  1. In a jar, or cup whisk together your oil, vinegar, and a squeeze of lemon.

2. In a bowl, add the rinsed lentils, the diced feta, and pepper. Dice the beetroot, and halve the tomatoes and add these to the bowl. Add the mint. Stir your dressing before adding to the bowl. Season to taste, but remember the feta is quite salty so err on the side of caution.

3. Leave in the fridge for about 20 minutes to half an hour to allow the flavours to develop.

4. Pour into a serving dish, and serve to friends and family. So easy can I even call it a recipe?!

Next week (if i’m not flat out by then) will be a not so healthy chocolate truffle recipe. Perfect for gifts to friends, who for me definitely deserved them for listening to my recent wobbles.

Wish me luck for the next week, stay tuned…

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Sarah’s Broccoli, Chilli & Lemon Pasta

Food, Photography, Recipes

Hello lovely readers,

First of all I’d like to thank everyone for their kind responses to last weeks post. I am aiming to be more open and honest on this blog, and just be me, as that’s what it’s all about right? This was the first time I received so many comments from people that actually know me in person, and it was so lovely to know that I have your support and to all the graduates out their, knowing we are in the same boat is tough, and like Daisy said, it’s like being in the middle of a stormy ocean, which is on fire haha but I promise you if we stick it out we will get to where we want to be! So thank you, I’m more positive this week and know that good things will come.

A quote springs to mind of a card I have siting in a frame in my room that my best friend Ally gave me, it says “She waited patiently until happiness surrounded her and good luck lay in piles at her feet. Help yourself she said kindly, good things come to those who wait.”

Last weekend as you know I decided to go and visit my friend Daisy in Nottingham, and I had a lovely time. It was just what I needed to get away from the stress, clear my head and come back to London fighting. It was certainly filled with food & alcohol, so this weeks recipe is a lighter one. On the saturday, we went for lunch at The Pudding Pantry, and then out for dinner to Annie’s a burger joint, then out for cocktails. Sunday we went to the Nottingham Food Festival at Wollaton.We were extremely lucky with the weather and saw John Whaite, and Lisa Faulkner do a cookery demonstration, ate lots of lovely food including BBQ slow cooked brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, and churros, washed down with some Pimm’s! This week I have been applying for jobs & internships, keeping fit to burn off all those calories and keeping positive.

As promised, this weeks recipe is inspired by one of my close friends, Sarah. Through university, particularly in our third year we shared a love of healthy, tasty and experimental dishes. I taught her a few things, as did she, and we also learnt that you can’t make icing for chocolate protein cookies from hot chocolate powder, out of date margarine, milk and water. It doesn’t work, don’t even try it. Ha! Sarah is one of those people who has such a positive outlook on life, really wants the best for herself, and others. She really drives me, and understands my ambitions and helps me to be the best I can. She constantly shares these posts to her friends and circles, and for that I am extremely grateful, so without further ado, here is the recipe…

Recipe Card Final

To keep up to date with my foodie adventures and the occasional selfie please follow my instagram @mariablackstone and for pointless tweets follow me on twitter @mariablackstone (obviously extremely original on the user name front).

I hope you like this recipe, its light and fairly healthy with the half fat creme fraiche, and brown pasta. I couldn’t resist a bit of naughty bacon, plus it looks nice. It makes a change from my love of everything indulgent, and I sure do need it after the weekend I’ve had. If you have any ideas for future recipes, please do drop me a message! I am off out to Prezzo’s tonight for dinner with the girls and will then be back on my job applications at full speed!

Speak to you all next week,

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Vanilla Pannacotta & Summer Berry Compote

Food, Recipes

Hello Readers,

So I’ve had a pretty tough week, and am generally quite scared to be telling the world this, as I tend to just keep everything bottled up and it well and truly popped its cork the other day. So please be kind, as I’m not sure about this.

I’m finding this whole graduate life pretty tough. We all get spat out the education system, without actually having much knowledge about the real world in my opinion, I got a 1st but don’t feel I actually know a lot haha! I’m not getting anywhere with job applications which is truly depressing, and I’m getting tired of having no routine. I’d like to think I’m good with change, but this whole transition period is not cool!

Moaning aside, (apologies for being so negative) I know something will come along which is meant to be for me. I decided I needed a bit of time away to clear my head, so booked some train tickets to Nottingham to see my partner in crime Daisy, who I will totally design a Nutella based recipe for soon. Watch this space Daisy. This girl is the one person that can relate to me and I’m sure she is pretty bored of my moaning, so I’m sorry for that haha but you’ll just have to put up with me. We are filling the weekend with what we do best, eating. Pancakes & bacon will be in order, along with a green smoothie, and then the hard choice of where to go for dinner, topped of with some cocktails. Sunday we are going to a food festival at Wollaton, seeing people like John Waite, Lisa Faulkner & Sat Baines, I’m excited about this and will keep you all posted about my adventure! Hopefully this will be a well needed trip away to smile again! Sadly, I didn’t get the job at Sipsmith, but I know I’m not the right person for the job, and they enjoyed my application so onto the next one, its all about learning and interview experience (right?!). I’m trying to stay positive, which is quite ironic as its currently pouring with rain, haha!

Enough of that, here is my recipe for vanilla and mascarpone pannacotta with a summer berry compote. Is it obvious that I love mascarpone yet? I could literally eat the stuff out the tub with a spoon. The smooth creamy mix complements the sharp/sweet berries so well and the deep purple colour contrasts with the pillowy white pannacotta. I used a mix of blackcurrants, raspberries, red currants and gooseberries, but it was a punnet of mixed berries which came in our Abel & Cole box, so frozen summer fruits would work well! Simply use whatever you have – be it strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, just experiment! I designed another recipe card, not as pleased with this one but I will keep working on them, I am really trying to push and challenge myself with this blog, and am loving it so far.

Pannacotta Recipe

A lovely rich, smooth and creamy dessert, perfect to enjoy with friends at the  weekend, or enjoy indulgently on your own, remember that there are no calories at the weekend (tiny fib)! Next week a slightly healthier recipe, a broccoli, lemon and chilli pasta recipe designed with my lovely friend Sarah in mind, This ones for you.

I’ll speak to you next week, hopefully with a smile on my face,

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Gin, Tonic & Elderflower Sorbet

Food, Photography, Recipes

Hi Everyone,

So like every graduate I have been thrown out of the education system, into the big wide world, and am now on the search for a job. With job applications come rejections and me feeling like I need a drink. So what better way than combining the job application process with alcohol. No really, this recipe was actually thought up for a job application, promise!

It was for a job application for an award winning, London based company called Sipsmith who make gin and other spirits. I had to create something for a designer role that showed why I am perfect for the job. I wanted to think a little out the box, and decided to do what I do best and create a recipe card. So instead of me typing out the recipe, I am going to show you all my design. Of course you can use any gin you have and for the elderflower I used Belvoir Elderflower Cordial. Fingers crossed I get the job, and if not I had a fun time making the recipe, and the design so it was worth it regardless. (I say this as I’m trying to be positive, but lets face it, nobody likes rejection).

Let me know if you like this idea, as I will continue to design recipe cards that you can all print and add to your collections!

Recipe Card

The perfect recipe for all the adults to enjoy, on a hot summers day – perfect for this heatwave that is meant to be coming our way! Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas that you want me to try out then send them my way!

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Berry, Custard & Mascarpone Tart

Baking, Food, Recipes

Hello readers,

I am starting to get a handle on my job lists, after having parties and a trip to the Isle of Wight. I see a lot of you liked my Amaretto Gelato post last week, and next week I’ll have another alcoholic ice for you adults to enjoy (sorry kids!) but here’s a recipe you can all enjoy… a beautiful berry tart, perfect for using our beautiful British berries, that you may have picked yourself, with children or bought from the market or supermarket.

This weekend just gone, after getting back from a completely over indulgent trip to the Isle of Wight (what Grandma’s do best) I threw a small Barbecue to celebrate my sisters results from University. She got a 2.1 and I am so so proud of her, as along with studying, she worked full time, kept up a flat, found time for the gym and socialising with friends. There was about 10 of us, and we had a BBQ with the usual stuff, and then this tart, the biggest trifle you’ve probably ever seen and a surprise peanut butter and chocolate cake, which would have remained secret had my sister not gone in the garage! I had an amazing time with friends, food and drinks and we were also spoilt rotten. We each received a beautiful bunch of flowers, a Links of London Graduation charm, a Spa Weekend and £100. Thanks Mum & Dad! I may post up the recipe for the cake soon!

Berry, Custard & Mascarpone Tart

Ingredients

Pastry

225g/8oz Plain Flour

113g/4oz Lard

113g/4oz Butter

50ml (aprox.) Water

Custard (I only used half of this mixture, but why not use the rest in homemade ice-cream, or with sponge pudding. You can use all of it for a more custardy taste, or fill the extra tartlets with this mix and top with fruit)

300 ml Milk

2 Eggs + 1 Yolk

1 Vanilla Pod (or 1 tsp paste/extract)

90g Sugar

50g Cornflour

75g Butter, diced

1 Tub of Mascarpone

Assortment of Berries I used a 400g tub of Strawberries, and a mixed berry pack from Sainsbury’s (raspberries, strawberries and blueberries)

Method

1. Start by making the pastry. In a food processor (or by hand)blitz/rub together the flour and fats until breadcrumb consistency, then add the water until a dough forms, you may not need all the water, likewise you may need a little more, I’ll leave this up to you! Once combined, tip on to a surface, form a ball, flatten and wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest and chill.

2. Once chilled, roll out the pastry. Lightly flour the rolling pin and surface and roll out the pastry to a few mm thick. You want it as thin as you can make it, for a nice crisp result. I used an oblong tin, but a round one is fine. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and place carefully in your flan tin. Press the pastry into the edges using a wooden spoon handle, or your fingers being careful not to rip your base. Don’t worry if you do, just patch it up with some spare pastry. With any left over trimmings, you can make some mini jam tarts, or tartlet shells to fill with left over custard. Place the flan tin back in the fridge to relax, while you make the custard and remember not to trim the pastry right to the edge as otherwise it will shrink back.

3. To make the custard, place the milk, and split vanilla pod (scraping out all the lovely seeds) in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and cornflour until smooth and creamy. Once the milk has come to the boil, leave to infuse for ten minutes.

4. Brink the milk back up to the boil, then whisk into the egg mixture. Return back to the saucepan and whisk continually until boiling, and really thick. Then add the diced butter and whisk in until melted and smooth. Place in a bowl, and top the surface with clingfilm (ensuring its in contact) to stop a film forming. Leave to cool then refrigerate.

5. While the custard is chilling, preheat the oven to 180c fan/200c, fill the pastry case with parchment, and baking beans/rice/pulses and blind bake for 10-15 minutes. After this time remove the paper & beans and trim down your pastry if you so wish. Return to the oven and bake for another ten or so minutes until the pastry is nice and golden. Leave to cool.

6. When ready to assemble, mix half the custard with the mascarpone, you may want to use an electric whisk to get a really smooth consistency or just use some muscle and burn the extra calories. Spoon in the tart and smooth evenly over the pastry – don’t worry about this looking neat as you are going to pile it with berries.

7. Add your berries, I chopped the strawberries in halves and quarters for the bottom and added the raspberries and blueberries! This creative bit is up to you! Which is why I love to cook. Make it your own!

Keep your eyes peeled for next weeks post, a refreshing G&T sorbet! Time for me to go back to the job hunt! Wish me luck!

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Amaretto Gelato

Food, Photography, Recipes

Hello lovely readers,

I hope you are all enjoying your summer, even if the weather is temperamental! Today I have a lovely recipe for you on a lovely summer day, or something to enjoy to remind you of the sun even if it isn’t out haha!

I use my vanilla base recipe from an ICES book that I have, for the smoothest vanilla ice-cream, and this recipe was simply one of my experiments, as we tend to have affogato a lot in our house, so this recipe was an extension of this.

Affogato Dessert

A couple of scoops of vanilla ice-cream (homemade or good quality shop bought)

Sprinkle over some crushed amaretti biscuits (crunchy or soft)

Pour over some freshly brewed coffee, or instant if thats all you have

If you’re feeling naughty why not add a splash of your favourite liquor – frangelico, or amaretto would work well.

IMG_1134

So this recipe I’m posting today is simply a combination of the liquor and biscuits, that would be lovely served with coffee, as an ice-cream float or simply on its own!

For best results you’ll need an ice cream maker for this, to get a really smooth luxurious ice-cream, but failing this whisk the double cream before combining with the custard – this will ensure the mixture is thicker. Then pour the mixture into a tub, freeze and hand churn by removing the ice-cream at regular intervals and whisking up to remove any ice crystals, continue this until fully frozen – this may result in a less smooth gelato.

Ingredients

300ml Milk

100g Granulated Sugar

3 Egg Yolks

1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste/Extract or 1 Vanilla Pod

Aprox. 284ml Double Cream (I used Elmlea)

100ml Amaretto Liquor, I used Disarrano

A few handfuls of crushed Amaretti biscuits (crunchy)

Method

1. Combine the milk, vanilla and half the sugar in a saucepan and bring to just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat, and set aside for about 15 minutes to infuse the vanilla into the milk.

2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar and beat until thick and pale. It’s best to use an electric whisk for this, but if you don’t have one just use a little elbow grease – think of all the calories you’ll save, ha!

3. Bring the milk back to the boil, then slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture, ensuring to whisk steadily as the milk is added – we don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs.

4. This bowl can either be placed over a bowl of simmering water, or you can return the custard to the saucepan. If you are going to use the second option, ensure the pan is on a heat diffuser and use a thermometer to ensure you do not overheat the custard. Use a wooden spoon, or spatula to continually stir the custard untill it reaches 85 degrees c, or is thicker in consistency. It should coat the back of the spoon, and hold its shape when you run your finger through it.

5. Once cooled, mix in the double cream and liquor.

6. Pour into your ice cream maker, and once thickened, add in your crushed amaretti biscuits. Continue to churn until thick as possible.

7. Pour into a freezable tub, and top with a few more roughly crushed biscuits. Freeze until ready to serve.

This recipe is quite simple, when you follow the steps, what you’ll have at the end of it is an incredibly rich and smooth ice-cream like you’d get in those fancy pots from the supermarket, or at a counter in Italy, but it always tastes better when you make it yourself don’t you think?

Stay tuned for some more lovely recipes! I’m in the Isle of Wight this week, visiting my grandma, but will be back creating and posting recipes next week!

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Dips. Dips. Dips.

Food, Photography, Recipes

As promised a recipe or three that I’ve had stored in my mind (and notes on my phone) for a while now. I really should get a recipe book to write down all these things. There’s something about paper and handwriting I like, seeing as all is digital these days. How old do I sound, like my mum. Sorry mum. But it’s true, nothing beats a piece of paper and a pen.

These recipes are perfect for the summer days which we all long for. Great accompaniments to our love of BBQ’s. A pineapple Salsa – inspired by a dish from my favourite Thai restaurant, an aubergine dip – made by my mother, and beetroot hummus – which to tell you the truth was a bit of an experiment. They are quick, require little skill, equipments and ingredients but will jazz up your barbecues a treat.

Pineapple Salsa

This salsa reminds me of one of my favourite dishes from a local thai restaurant. It is a pineapple, chicken and prawn salad served in the pineapple. This was my take on this, so would be perfect with chicken, or prawns or served over a simple salad.

Ingredients

1/2 Ripe & Juicy Pineapple

1 Red Chilli

Small Handful of Mint Leaves

Zest and Juice of 1 Lime

1tbsp caster sugar (or to taste)

Handful of Cashew Nuts, chopped and toasted

Method

1. Simple peel, and chop the pineapple into small chunks. Finely chop the mint leaves. Finely dice the chilli.

2. Add the pineapple, mint, lime and cashew nuts into a bowl. Add chilli to taste depending on how hot you like it and add the sugar to taste. The sugar removes the sharpness. It helps to leave the salsa to marinate for around half an hour or more to let the flavours infuse.

3. Place in your serving dish, and sprinkle with more nuts, chilli and mint.

Beetroot Hummus

This was a bit of an experiment to tell the truth, I love beetroot, and love hummus but was bored of the plain hummus I tend to have quite often. This dip has quite an earthy taste, one which not everyone may like. It is perfect with fish such as mackerel, or simply served with some seedy crisp breads.

Ingredients

380g Tin/Carton of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2tbsp Lemon Juice

1tbsp Horseradish sauce

2 Large beetroots cooked and peeled and roughly chopped

Method

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until as smooth as you like it. Season to taste, and add more lemon/horseradish dependent on how you like it! Simple!

Aubergine Dip

This was something my mum whipped up with a left over aubergine knocking about in the fridge. Super tasty and perfect served with warm flatbreads as a little appetiser.

Ingredients

1 Aubergine

Tbsp cream cheese or total greek yoghurt

Juice and Zest of a small Lemon

Method

1. Cut the aubergine in half lengthways, and drizzle with a little oil, roast in the oven at 200c for about 40 minutes until soft. Turn off the oven and leave to cool.

2. Scoop out the flesh and blend in a processor with the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve with some warm flatbreads, and some other chargrilled vegetables.

Coming soon… another summer inspired post!

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x

Simple Supper

Food, Recipes

Hi all,

Just a quick,  recipe for you this week which requires minimal effort for a simple, yet tasty midweek meal – gammon with roasted new potatoes, roasted tomatoes and a mustard sauce. The sharp, juicy roasted tomatoes cuts through the creamy mustard sauce, and salty gammon.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Gammon Steaks – I used smoked, rindless

700g (aprox.) New Potatoes – I used taste the difference vivaldi, jersey royal would be nice too.

150ml Creme Fraiche

100ml Double Cream

2tsp Whole Grain Mustard

270g pack (aprox.) Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200c/180c fan and put your potatoes in a roasting tray with a drizzle of oil to coat – I used coconut oil, as I find they go lovely and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside but any cooking oil you have will do. Sprinkle with sea salt and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes until soft, and golden. Alternatively, you could boil your new potatoes and serve with a little knob of butter for a lighter alternative.

2. When the potatoes have been in for about 25 minutes, place your tomatoes in another oven proof dish, with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and roast these for the remaining 20 minutes.

3. Mix together the creme fraiche, cream and mustard and heat on a low heat until warm in a saucepan. You don’t have to have creme fraiche if you don’t have any – I just had some in the fridge that needed using up! Keep warm until serving.

4. Heat a large frying pan, add a drizzle of oil and fry your gammon steaks for around 8 minutes, until golden and cooked. Alternatively you could grill to avoid using excess oil. At this point cook your asparagus – boil or steam. You could serve this with any veg of your choice. Green beans, or baby carrots would work well too!

5. Plate up – place a puddle of sauce on the plate, add the potatoes, gammon steak and top with the roasted tomatoes and asparagus, or veg of your choosing. Pour over any remaining sauce and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this speedy, simple supper as much as I did! Stay tuned for next weeks post where I will be showing you a variety of dips to try out! Perfect for summer barbecues!

Enjoy, and stay tuned for next weeks recipe!

A girl with an appetite for all things creative,

Maria x