Sadly there is a bit of a shortage of lettuce (and other veg) just at the moment with all of the bad weather they have had in Spain.  Thankfully I was able to get a lovely head of Cos lettuce to make this.  Whew!



 

I love fresh salads made with lovely fresh tomatoes and other salad vegetables, but in truth . . . the tomatoes at this time of year are decidedly anemic looking and tasting! There is no salvaging them!!

 

Instead, I choose to use fresh fruit. It adds beautiful colour, texture and flavours to my salad. eating apples and pears . . . the fruits of winter . . . along with some sweetly chewy dried cranberries, little jewels of colour . . .

Tossed together with some lovely cos (Romaine) lettuce . . . crisp and crunchy and slightly bitter . . . just perfect with the sweetness of the fruit . . .

Crunchy salty roasted cashew nuts . . . Creamy sweet nutty emmenthal cheese . . .
And a sweet and sour lemon and poppy seed dressing . . . homemade of course! 

 You get the tartness of the lemon combined with the sweetness of sugar . . . a little bite from some grated onion and the crunch of poppy seeds.

Oh, my . . . this is some good, and does the trick. I am happy . . . for now . . .

*Winter Fruit Salad with a Lemon and Poppy Seed Dressing*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

A perfect blend of crunchy cos lettuce, sweet apples, pears and cranberries, salty cashew nuts and nutty emmenthal cheese, swathed in a tangy lemon and poppy seed dressing. Delicious!

1 pound of cos lettuce hearts, washed, dried and torn into bits
(Romaine lettuce, 16 ounces)
6 ounces emmenthal cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (Swiss cheese)
150g of roasted salted cashew nuts (1 cup)
75g of sweetened dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
1 large eating apple, washed, cored and thinly sliced
1 large ripe pear, washed, cored and thinly sliced

For the Dressing:
95g of white sugar (1/2 cup)
125ml fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
2 tsp finely grated onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
150ml of salad oil (2/3 cup)
1 TBS poppy seeds
(This will make more dressing than you need, but you can store it in the refrigerator and
use it for other salads.)

To make the dressing, shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a large jar until emulsified. Set aside.

Toss the lettuce, cheese, nuts, cranberries, apple slices and pear slices together in a bowl. Divide amongst chilled serving plates. Give the dressing a good shake again and drizzle some of the dressing over the salads. Pass remaining dressing so that people can top it up as need be on their own salads.

Note - You can use an equivalent of artificial sweetener in the dressing if you like, or honey which works quite well.

Bon Appetit!

120g sour cream or yogurt (1/2 cup)

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.   Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream,mixing just to combine.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until well risen and golden brown.  (9 to 12 minutes for mini muffins)  Remove to a wire rack and cool.  Delicious served fresh and slightly warm.

Invariably, if you are like me, the beginning of the week finds me wondering what I can do with the leftovers from the weekend roast dinner.  

I do often make a hash or pot pies, and sometimes sandwiches . . .  but every so often I like to shake things up a bit and do something different.




This week I had a craving for spaghetti.  I know my husband hates  dislikes pasta intensely, but this pasta loving heart of mine just has to fill the craving from time to time.  

I remembered something which I used to make when my kids were growing up that they always liked.  Stove Top Spaghetti dinner.  And I do confess . . . I always enjoyed it too.

I often used leftover roast beef or pork in this, but you could brown some ground beef and turkey in equal amounts and use that instead.   

I don't think there would be any complaints either way.

 


It's a delicious way of disguising leftovers in such a way that the people you are serving it to forget completely that its leftovers they are eating!  

You get to use up everything.  They enjoy it.  Its win/win all around!

You get a delicious sauce that the pasta actually cooks in, giving it even more flavour, chock full of lovely chunks of roasted meat . . .  with only one cooking dish to wash at the end of it.  

Of course slathering it with lots of cheese and serving it with garlic bread also adds to the curb  appeal of this economical time saving meal. 

My weekdays are always super busy and if I don't have to spend a lot of time putting together supper, then that's always a bonus!   A salad on the side makes this complete.

*Stove Top Spaghetti*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe

I created this to use up leftover roast beef, but you can use browned ground beef, or turkey if you wanted to instead.Makes a little go a long way and it's delicious! 

 

To serve:  (If you dare)

Cabbage is a real favourite around here, and I'm not picky about the variety either.   I love all types, although in all honesty I really had only ever eaten red or white cabbage prior to moving here to the UK.   

I was incredibly naieve as to the many delicious varieties of this fabulous member of the Brassica family.




We just adore red cabbage, gently spiced . . . sweet and sour almost . . . it's absolutely lovely with pork and turkey . . . another favourite meal of ours is simply sauteed white cabbage stirred together with rice or noodles.   

Simply fabulous.   You can't get much better than that.

Sauteed, boiled . . . pickled, steamed . . . stewed and even raw.  Cabbage is a favourite winter food in the Rayner household, full stop.

Most people make the mistake of overcooking their cabbage, and don't get me wrong . . . there is a perfect time for that . . . think stuffed cabbage here, or baked with sausage, Trou style.    

In a dish like that you want the cabbage meltingly soft . . . almost butter soft . . . but you would never use a Savoy for that . . . only a green or a white.

This recipe is the perfect way to showcase the brilliant green and earthy, jewel-like Savoy variety. 

  Quickly blanched, sliced and then stirred together with some sauteed pancetta with it's lovely salt and pepper flavours, beautifully herby Sage . . . and rich cream.   

Each ingredient bringing out the very best of this beautifully humble vegetable.

I could eat a whole plate of nothing but this . . . but it does go particularly well with roasted chicken and potatoes.   

Do cook extra potatoes so that you can enjoy the leftovers of both the cabbage the potatoes stirred together and fried in butter for a simple hash the next day.

Delicious.

*Cabbage with Pancetta and Cream*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Cabbage and bacon are a marriage made in heaven . . . add some cream and you have bliss.   Perfect side dish for roast chicken and potatoes.

1 large bay leaf
1 savoy cabbage (about 3 pounds)
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
100g chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
half a dozen sage leaves, thinly sliced
4 TBS creme fraiche or double cream
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add the bay leaf, broken in half.   Cut the cabbage into quarters and blanch it in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.  Allow to cool until you can touch it with your hands.  Cut out the cores and discard.  Cut the remainder of the cabbage into thick slices, crosswise.

Heat the butter and olive oil together in a large skillet.   Once the butter begins to foam add the pancetta and sage.   Cook and stir over high heat for about a minute.   Add the cabbage along with some salt and cook, stirring occasionally for several minutes, until heated through.  Add the cream and heat through, stirring to combine completely.   Season to taste with some more salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Serve immediately.