Chicken and Broccoli Bake

It's still winter.. And that means warming and nourishing meals are very welcome. I've just finished a weekend of long long days spent in work, living off of quick meals I can stick in the microwave and multipacks of crisps. And while that feels jolly initially, it does wear thin. So I felt myself in dire need of a good meal, and this was the one I plumped for.

This is one of the most memorable meals from my childhood. It is a complete family staple- we all make it, but no one makes it like my nanny! I think one of the last times I had it was made by my nanny, in France, on a cool summer evening after a long day in the local village. So it holds a special place in my heart, and the flavours mingle in a way which just makes me happy.

The “traditional” way to make it is with a can of condensed cream of chicken soup instead of the béchamel, but I decided to forgo tradition ever so slightly and make my own spin on it.

It is a simple, flavourful, veggie-filled little casserole. You can serve it however you like, I used to have it with potatoes, but it would be lovely with rice or a hunk of crusty bread too! Yum yum!

Potato Bread and Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Next in the series of “tastes of home..” Of course, it's all carbohydrate-based.

I had this as the most delicious starter in a little restaurant back in Belfast, and I was blown away by the taste. The full starter also had strips of steak, which I recommend pairing with this! Steak is personal though, so I’m leaving it to your discretion as to how you like it cooked.

I love potato bread, it is simple to make and reminds me of home. Another quick to prepare Irish bready staple. Basically, it is full of carbohydrates and then fried, what isn’t to like (for a little treat!).

I’ve written the two methods out separately, but you can easily be making the sauce while the potatoes are boiling. I don’t mind darting from pan to pan and having a few things cooking at once, but if you don’t, make the sauce first, set aside, do the spuds, and reheat the sauce just before serving.

Assembly is simple: potato bread on the bottom, strips of steak on top, and drizzle the peppercorn sauce on top. Dinner done!

Soda Farl

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm going back to Belfast this weekend, so some comforting, taste-of-home soda bread was called for.

One thing I love about Irish bread is that they never really require time to rise or prove. Because when an Irish woman wants bread, she wants it NOW. Ain’t no one got time to wait for bread to double in size. I’m talking potato bread, wheaten bread, soda bread..

This bread is pan-cooked, and it literally takes minutes from mixing to eating. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

It is an absolute staple of the Ulster fry, but works well as a perfect breakfast on its own, buttered when hot from the pan. Leftovers can be sliced and toasted, too. You need this in your life. Go on, go on, go on.

"Cup of" Traybakes

Continuing with my nostalgia taste of home..

Taste is a funny thing. I mean, looking at these traybakes there is nothing particularly special about them. To me, they look like delicious little morsels, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

And then, I took a bite. Instantly I was transported back to my childhood, sitting in a caravan on my summer holidays, having just licked the bowl clean of melted chocolate, and now tucking into this delicious coconutty, chocolatey, crunchy, crumbly bar of love.

You see, this is one of my nanny’s signature recipes. Most of my family can recite this recipe from memory. You know it is a special day when she busts this bad boy out. Of course, when I was little I was chief helper (I was a great stirrer) and then I was allowed to pick clean the scraped-out bowls for a little treat.

I love these buns. You will too.

Wheaten Bread

That's what I'm talking about.

A taste of home! I just spent an excellent weekend at home, catching up with my wonderful family and friends, and of course eating my fave treats from Belfast. It inspired me to make this lovely dense loaf, a staple of my childhood diet.

So, this is an excellent loaf if you don’t have the time or will to follow the normal bread-making routine of kneed, let rise, kneed again, let rise again etc. It’s a traditional Irish type of bread which uses bicarbonate of soda for the rising part, meaning there is no yeast and therefore no need to spend half the day leaving it to rise. While I love the satisfaction that comes from a particularly well-risen yeast loaf, I do adore the flavour, simple method and speed of preparation of this lovely little loaf.

This is a dense, flavourful bread which I find goes particularly well with soup, and is absolutely exquisite buttered, warm from the oven.

Happy St Patrick's Day! Guinness Cupcakes

Ok, full disclosure: I DON’T LIKE GUINNESS. With that off my chest, I am happy to report that I LOVE these cupcakes. The Guinness flavour is there in the background, but it manifests itself in the most amazing way: transforming these cupcakes into rich, chocolately, dense morsels with just a hint of spice in the background.

These are really moist little numbers, and the batter is quite thin therefore difficult to get neatly into the cupcake cases. Not that I’m overly concerned with being “neat” but I’ve found that ladling the mixture into the cases works much better than the traditional tablespoon method.

Despite not liking Guinness, I am still Irish, so I know how a pint of the dark stuff is meant to be pulled. Imagine my disgust when I was out at a gig the other day and saw Guinness being poured directly into the glass all at once. No resting time! No head! Needless to say, I was shocked on behalf of all Guinness drinkers everywhere.

But luckily you don’t have to know how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness to be able to make the perfect Guinness cupcake. Or else the barmaids of Newcastle would be out of luck.

Makes a little over a dozen

Fifteens

Or, food from HOME!

This is the perfect weekend treat. For me, if I close my eyes while eating these, I feel like when I open them again I'll be sitting in my local coffee place in Belfast. 

This is something they don’t really do in England, as I found out when I brought these to work. This is a Northern Irish staple sweet treat. And not a potato in sight! The are super popular to make at home with children because there's no heat involved (and it gets messy!). Every Northern Irish person will remember making these (and Mars bar buns!) as a kid. A home economics class staple.

The name comes, unsurprisingly, from the number of each ingredient needed! So it’s the easiest recipe in the world to remember and make. Sweet as anything, and like totally healthy because of the cherries. Ahem.

Leek and Potato Soup

Ireland, IREEELAND!

Happy belated St Patrick’s day, everyone! Sorry for the delayed post, but I was home in Belfast all last week, having a brilliant time with the family. 

..and enjoying some warm-weather treats

The holy grail. Tayto 4 lyfe.

On my last day there, I was wracking my brains with them, trying to think of what I could make for the blog in celebration of my Irish-ness, because I just don’t enjoy too much of what you may think of as ‘traditional’ Irish food. Irish stew, salmon, Guinness.. Boke. But if you have been paying any attention at all then you know that I have a deep love for the humble potato. How could you not, they are filling, nourishing and infinitely versatile.

And this soup is a fantastic way to show off the spud. Superbly smooth and silky, and the flavour is perfect. One of the best soups I’ve ever made, and so simple. I love this for a cold-weather dinner, with hunks of warm fresh bread, but it makes a lovely filling lunch too.