GRILLED COURGETTE SALAD - WITH LEMON, GARLIC, CHILLI AND MINT

GRILLED COURGETTE SALAD - WITH LEMON, GARLIC, CHILLI AND MINT..

This is a super healthy and really beautiful looking salad - I've been eating far too much meat lately, and last night was no different, but if I can pile my plate full of salad first, then at least that makes me feel a bit healthier - Last night, Annika and Tim were staying again (always a joy obviously, apart from the police helicopter trying to catch a lunatic hovering over our house ALL night).. We were all downstairs again by 4 am, and quite tempted to open another bottle - but luckily good sense prevailed...)

INGREDIENTS (for 6)

4 courgettes (sliced lengthways - about 4 slices per courgette)
Juice of 2 lemons, and zest of 1
4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Roughly chopped mint
Extra virgin olive oil

Optional Extras - raw broad beans/peas/goats cheese/parma ham

I went for the broad bean option, as they were the only thing I had in the freezer.

So, when all else is nearly ready, it will take about 5 minutes to prepare this... Once you've sliced the courgettes, then heat a griddle with some olive oil on (no worries if you don't have one, it's only to get the fancy markings on them).  Be really careful not to overcook them, as we don't like limp things in our house, and they will go limp and soggy if you leave them too long...
So just a few minutes on either side is all you need to do... they barely need to cook...
and then lay them as pretty as you like on a platter.
If you are adding raw broad beans or peas etc, then add them to the courgettes now before you drizzle anything on top..
Then you can scatter the chopped garlic and chilli over the courgettes etc... don't panic about raw garlic and chilli - because once you add the lemon juice and the mint, this lessens the impact of the garlic and chilli.
Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and then sprinkle with roughly chopped mint.
Then a little lemon zest, salt and pepper and you are good to go...

THE SUN IS OUT AND WE NEED TO CELEBRATE... So, once you've eaten a nice healthy salad - we had it with slow cooked roast lamb, rhubarb compote (hmmmm - I was rhubarb crazy yesterday) and new potatoes... I highly recommend eating an entire family pack of Revels and a box of Ferrero Roche, washed down with gallons of wine and rhubarb crumble and custard - literally....

LEMON AND TARRAGON CHICKEN PIE

LEMON AND TARRAGON CHICKEN PIE

We don't eat nearly enough pie - and considering my oldest and bestest friend in the world, Jane, is a pie addict (those geordies sure know how to eat a pie), I feel we need to explore the pie world a little more...
So, just to kick start my pie week (don't worry I won't post all of them)... I made the kids their favourite one, as Mike and I sadly had to be elsewhere.  Well, I say kids, but Hugo seems to be in Poland with 10 friends on the first of a 4 month holiday,  and Holly is leaving us for A MONTH tomorrow on a european adventure.. what did I do wrong? Poor Max has no escape from my watchful eye... so no doubt, the first chance he gets to do a runner, he shall.

Back to the pie...

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4)

Puff or shortcrust pastry (whatevever your choice) Handmade is obviously better, but no one will know!
A whole cooked chicken - or 5 cooked chicken breasts (This is great after a roast, as I generally roast a few chicks at the same time, then you've got the cold one to do as you wish)
Unsalted butter
Lemon juice
Single cream
Vegetable stock
Plain flour
Fresh tarragon

Break up the chicken in an ovenware pie dish... sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
To make the sauce, melt half a pack of butter in a saucepan, over medium heat. When it's melted add a few big spoons of flour, and use a whisk to mix it in.  You want to add enough flour to make a fairly thick paste.  Keep it on the heat, and once you have the right consistency, add some vegetable stock till it is a slightly thick soup consistency.  Keep whisking until the flour has stopped thickening it.  Add a bit more veg stock to taste, salt and pepper.  Then add a pot of single cream and lots of lemon juice, and keep tasting until it tastes lemony enough for you... Finally stir in the chopped tarragon (take it off the stalks  before you chop it up).  When it tastes delicious (you could add a bit of chicken stock and a splash of white wine if you fancy), then pour it over the chicken in the dish.

Roll out your pastry, and cover the dish, making sure it goes over the sides by at least a centremetre (get it to stick to the side of the dish with a little bit of beaten egg or milk.

Then, use the rest of the beaten egg/milk (I use them together) to brush over the top to make that golden pie look...

Put a whole in the middle of pastry to let the steam out, and cook in oven until the pastry looks cooked - generally about 40 minutes in a pre heated 180 deg oven.

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

As you can probably tell, I am slightly obsessed with salted caramel....So, when asked to deliver some sort of nosh to the Bradfield picnic/speech day on Saturday, I had to come up trumps (although my god - there are some amazing picnic makers around, that I was quite concerned my brownies might have been overlooked....(I think the chocolate dipped strawberries annoyed me - being bang next to my rather more unhealthy option - but they did start to melt - the joy!!)  I didn't see how the brownies went down, as Hugo, Mike and I had to race off to the Marlborough Leavers Ball - where I was coached the whole journey as to how I should behave (I mean, seriously, as if I didn't know..). Although, I didn't hear him complain as I loaded my handbag with vodka and extra wine, just in case!

Anyway, I wanted to impress at the picnic, because after 19 years of schooling our kids, we have never been asked to join anyone (haha - how we've made it! We are normally the ones hiding in the corner looking terribly unpopular - not any more, hurray!!

INGREDIENTS (about 20 brownies)

FOR THE CARAMEL
200g white granulated sugar
50g water
200ml double cream
1 tsp sea salt

FOR THE BROWNIES
250g dark chocolate (broken up)
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
300g granulated sugar
150g plain flour
sea salt

FOR THE CARAMEL:
Put the water and sugar in saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar has started to melt and bubble (don't stir - as for some reason, it seems to make it crystalise - so just swirl it around the pan every now and again.
When it has boiled, it should turn a light brown, so keep boiling it until it does change colour (maybe 5 mins or a few more). Wait till it's turned medium brown, and then take off heat.  Pour the cream into the mix, it will go a bit crazy for a moment, and maybe have some hard bits in it, but return to the heat for a few more minutes and this will all sort itself out.  Add the salt and then leave in a jar to cool...

FOR THE BROWNIES
Get the oven ready at 200 deg.
Put the broken choc and the butter in a bowl over a saucepan and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Put it to the side for a while to cool.
Beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl until thick and creamy, and then add the chocolate mixture.  Once you've mixed it all together, fold in the flour.
Line a tin (around 23cm x 23cm) with greaseproof paper, and then put HALF the brownie mixture in...
Now, for the really delicious part. Add 3/4 of the cooled caramel using a large spoon to coat the brownie layer evenly - then add the rest of the brownie mixture on top, spreading it all over.
Finish off with the rest of the caramel (picture below) - and use a spoon to make it all smooth.

DO NOT COOK MORE THAN 50 MINS - I have the harshest critics, and their brownies need to be perfect.  They do carry on cooking in the tin once they are out of the oven, so don't be fooled by thinking that they are not quite cooked, they probably are!

P.S. DO NOT EAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SQUEEZE YOURSELF INTO A TIGHT DRESS LATER!

p.p.s Thank you Jackie, if you read this for passing my blog on - so glad you tried and tested (and didn't like!) my beetroot dip ... (not all bad, she doesn't like beetroot!)
If any of you make my stuff,  let me know what you think - good or bad!
x


BEFORE COOKING

AFTER COOKING