Thursday 22 June 2023

Grape leaves how to preserve

 A great video how to preserve grape leaves.

I will try 2 methods, 

1, to dry them

2. to can them


Strawberries what a joy

 Although I have eaten strawberries for as long as I know, I did not know that the leaves are edible too.

You can make tea with the leaves

Jam and juices with the fruit


Thursday 15 June 2023

Red Dragon pie

 

Red Dragon Pie

Serves 4

Ingredients

110g aduki beans, steeped in boiling water for an hour then cooked until soft. (Or a 400g can aduki beans, drained)

50g cooked rice

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

225g carrots, diced

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp mixed herbs

Half a pint of vegetable stock or the reserved liquid from the cooked aduki beans

Salt and pepper

450g potatoes, peeled and chopped

25g butter/vegan spread

Method

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4, 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked beans and rice. Mix the soy sauce, tomato puree and herbs with the stock, then pour over the beans and vegetables. Season to taste, adding a little more liquid if necessary. Transfer to a greased 1.5 litre casserole dish.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until cooked and mash with the butter. Season well and top your bean mixture. Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes until the top has browned.


Artichoke how to prepare

 Here is a good way to prepare the artichoke

version 1

Artichoke dip

Preheat oven to 190C

Combine 400 g artichoke hearts and stalks, boiled and chopped

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix well

3 Put in oven dish and bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and golden.


Strawberry Ice cream


 Today we made Strawberry Ice cream topped with fresh strawberries (in balsamic vinegar)

As I could not find a tin of condensed milk, we made some ourselves  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCRYQHprz5I