Food and wine Archives - Page 2 of 2

3 October 20183 October 2018

It’s Soup Season!

Hurrah! It’s the season for SOUP!

I love to make soup. I find it very therapeutic and relaxing. It’s a good feeling to make it in batches and then freeze for cold, winter days. The only drawback is I probably make too much, the hubster tells me off for filling up the freezer.

First soup of the season

I got the urge to make soup yesterday. Carrot and lentil. I thought I would share the process with you.

Carrot and Lentil Soup enough to serve 12. (Good for a bonfire party or to freeze). Scale down for smaller quantities.

The equipment you will need:

a sharp veg prep knife and chopping board
a large soup pan
a wooden spoon
a hand blender

500g red lentils
1kg fresh carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions
2 large cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground back pepper
half a teaspoon of turmeric (or more to taste)
half a teaspoon ground cumin (or more to taste)
2 veg stock cubes I used https://www.oxo.co.uk/ made up to a litre with boiling water.

Step 1

Peel the veg and immerse the lentils in cold water

Step 2

Step 3

Heat the oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the carrots, stir well, cover and cook for 3 further minutes. Add seasoning and spices. Stir well. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add soaked lentils. Stir. Add stock. Stir. Cover and cook for a further 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Step 4

Blitz with a handblender. Serve hot, or portion and freeze when cold.

Carrot and lentil soup — A comforting bowl of carrot and lentil soup

Variation

Add chilli flakes and extra cumin to spice up to taste. Serve with crusty bread and perhaps sprinkle some mature, grated cheddar on top – watch it melt! Delicious.

6 August 2018

Making Very Easy Flatbreads with the Boys

Josh, the sous chef, prepping for flatbread-making

’The boys’ came to stay with us last night and so as part of a full programme of activities, making flatbreads was top of the agenda this morning.

And this is how you do it:

Preparation time 5 minutes, cook time 10 mins

The dough for this recipe is so easy to make with only a couple of minutes of kneading required. The bread is good for using as a wrap.

Ingredients

10oz / 300g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 tbsp / 50g butter (1.75 oz)
3/4 cup / 185 ml milk
1/2 tbsp oil (for cooking)

Carefully pouring in the warm milk and melted butter

Instructions

Combine butter and milk and heat until butter is just melted – on stove or in microwave.
Combine flour, salt, butter and milk.
Sprinkle work surface with flour then knead for a few minutes until it is smooth – it doesn’t need much kneading. Add extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
Wrap with cling film and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
Dust countertop with flour, cut dough into 4 pieces, roll into balls, then roll out into about 1/8″ / 0.3cm thick – they don’t have to be round!
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a non stick pan over medium heat
Place one flatbread in the pan, cook for around 90 seconds on each side it should bubble up – then turn. and cook the other side. There should be a small, golden/dark brown spots on both sides.
Pile up the cooked bread and keep wrapped with a tea towel – the steam helps soften the bread

Cooked breads keep well in the freezer or in a sealed bag or container for a couple of days. Sprinkle grated cheese on top when they are still hot and perhaps a shake or two of garlic salt as a variation.

This was a very savoury moment!

28 July 201813 January 2020

Hello, this is me…

This is me Sharon Richardson

Hello this is me,

My name is Sharon, welcome to my blog. Please make yourself at home and have a browse through my meanderings. Here is a little insight into me! My views are wry and often dry but always my own. Thank you for dropping in!

Retirement? You must be joking!

I am ‘retired’ and now live an active rural life (with the odd quick fixes of city-life). I live in a cottage in a village, that is Nottinghamshire’s best kept secret. Together with my husband I am involved in all kinds of things that keep us out of mischief.

I have a lot of interests and ‘Savour the Moment’ is my personal blog. This is where I share my thoughts on a variety of topics with anyone who might be remotely interested. I’ve been involved with marketing communications for most of my adult-life – and by default, the written word. ‘Savour the Moment’ fulfils my need to write.

I can also post product reviews and will share my feedback.

It’s all about this and that really

I really don’t know what I’ll be sharing from post-to-post. So, if you’re looking for a consistent topic blog you are out of luck. The only consistency you will find is that I’m consistently inconsistent. It depends on my current obsession, at present it’s ‘Couch to 5K’ or me trying to run (for run read ‘gentle jog’)!

I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog and will happily respond to comments.

My favourite things

The kind of things that I like are: Christmas, winter, home, log-fires, the hubster, the kids, the grandkids (with a passion), writing, reading, listening (to Radio 4, to audio books, to people), Paul Simon, James Taylor, Harry Nilsson, Christopher Cross, Andy Williams, Neil Sedaka, Barbra Streisand, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Gerry Rafferty, oh and Harry Potter, Dustin Hoffmann, Alan Rickman, (sigh)… walking, cooking, my friends, making things – anything, red wine, gin and tonic… are you getting the picture?

21 June 201810 June 2019

Make your own refreshing, Elderflower Cordial

This is elderflower blossom in full bloom and also ready to bloom

How to make homemade Elderflower Cordial

I make Elderflower Cordial every year and the time to make this wonderful, refreshing ‘summer in a bottle’ is now! Get out and pick some of those lovely, fragrant blossoms fast – before they fade. Top tip – try to find an elderflower tree that is not on a busy road. They grow just about everywhere and should be easy to find,

Refreshing Elderflower Cordial is so summery

Every year at this time I collect elderflower heads and remember my Mum. It was the last thing that we did together a couple of weeks before she died twelve years ago. She had a large elderflower tree at the bottom of her garden. She reached up with her walking stick to bring down the biggest blooms for me. This refreshing, summery drink is literally bittersweet for me, she loved it – and everyone who has tried it since loves it too.

Refreshing Elderflower Cordial is such a good mixer

Mix it with prosecco, gin, vodka – or sparkling water of course – and it can be used to flavour cakes and desserts. It is so easy to make, I ans sure that you will be impressed at just how good it is – and everyone else will be too. Here’s how to make elderflower cordial:

Ingredients:

25 – 30 heads very fresh elderflowers
1.5kg (3lb 5oz) granulated sugar https://www.tateandlylesugars.com/our-brands/tate-lyle-sugar
3 large unwaxed lemons,
75g (2-¾oz) citric acid (available at Wilko’s, https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-citric-acid-50g/p/0022652 chemists or winemaking shops) Note that it might not be on the shelf it is often kept in the stockroom so always ask an assistant.
One and a half litres (two and a half pints) cold water

Three lovely, yellow, fresh lemons ready for peeling and slicing — Three fresh, unwashed lemons ready to peel and slice

Equipment needed:

A large saucepan
A large mixing bowl
A wooden spoon
A peeler
A colander
A clean muslin cloth
Some clean, reusable plastic or glass bottles

Method:

Gently shake the elderflower heads to remove any ‘wildlife’
Put the sugar and 1.5 litres (2 ½ pints) of water into a saucepan, bring to the boil. Stir from time to time to dissolve the sugar. Remove the zest from the lemons in broad strips with a peeler and put in a bowl with the elderflowers. Slice the lemons thinly and add to the bowl. When the sugar syrup has come to the boil, pour over the flowers and lemons. Stir in the citric acid. Cover with a clean dry cloth and leave in a cool, dark place for 24 hours.
Strain the cordial through a muslin-lined nylon sieve into a large bowl or container. Pour into warm, sterilised bottles and seal. (Or plastic water bottles for the freezer, just remember to leave enough space for expansion. This way you can have the taste of summer at Christmas!)
Leave to cool and keep in the refrigerator. It will last for four to six weeks.