Month: May 2018

Filo Triangles with two fillings – “Feta Cheese and Mixed Herb” and “Roasted Butternut Squash, Chilli and Pinenut”

Filo and edible flowers
Filo Triangles and edible flower salad

Filo Triangles with two fillings –  “Feta Cheese and Mixed Herb” and “Roasted Butternut Squash, Chilli and Pinenut”

These filo triangles are really easy to make and can be served hot or cold.  I generally make a batch of 14 filo Triangles – half with each filling as they complement each other.    The “Feta Cheese and Mixed Herb” filling is creamy, salty and allows the flavour of your chosen herbs to sing out.  The “Roasted Butternut Squash, Chilli and Pinenut” filling is rich and sweet with a buzz of heat with texture provided by the pinenuts.

Both versions make a great lunch or supper, and are really good in lunch boxes and on picnics.   They are also fancy enough to be served for dinner parties or more formal occasions.   If I am trying to impress,  I serve them with a  Green Salad with Edible Flowers.   This is easy (and beautiful!).  Just take salad leaves such as lambs lettuce, maybe add additional bits such as cucumber or avocado – I tend to stick to green things so flowers are obvious – and dress with vinaigrette.  Scatter edible flowers, such as violas or primroses, on top.

Ingredients for Filo Triangles
Butternut Squash, Red Onion, Feta and Chilli
Equipment

Baking tray,  Pastry brush, Bowls

Filling for Filo Triangles
Mixed herbs – Parsley, Chives, Basil and Fennel

 

Filo triangles
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Butternut Squash Filo Triangles

Filo Triangles with two fillings – “Feta Cheese and Mixed Herb” and “Roasted Butternut Squash, Chilli and Pinenut”

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 55
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 14 triangles 1x
  • Category: Tart
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

These crispy filo triangles, filled with tasty vegetarian fillings, make a great lunch or supper.

Ingredients

Scale
Ingredients: Filo Triangles 
  • 1 packet of filo pastry (270 g or 7 sheets)
  • 100 g butter (melted)
Filling:  Roasted Butternut Squash, Chilli and Pinenut
  • Half a butternut squash
  • 1 red onion
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 75 g feta cheese
  • Half a fresh red chilli (finely chopped)
  • 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
  • 50 g pinenuts (roasted)
Filling:  Feta Cheese and Mixed Herb
  • 75 g feta cheese
  • 75 g cream cheese
  • A large bunch of mixed, fresh herbs to taste (parsley, basil, chives, fennel fronds)
  • I spring onion
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Method – Feta Cheese and Mixed Herb filling

  1. Crumble the feta into a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
  2. Finely chop the mixed herbs and spring onion and add to the cheese mixture. Season with black pepper (no need for salt as feta is very salty).

Method – Roasted Butternut Squash, Chilli and Pinenut filling

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Peel your butternut squash and chop into small chunks (around 2 cm). (You will only need half of the squash for the filling but I generally roast it all and serve the other half of the chunks as an accompaniment.)   Cut the red onion into quarters leaving the skin on.  Put the squash chunks and onion pieces on a baking tray,  sprinkle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast the vegetables in the oven for 30 minutes until soft and slightly browned.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
  3. Roughly mash the butternut squash. Remove the skin from the onion and roughly chop and combine with the butternut squash in a mixing bowl.  Crumble the feta cheese into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the finely chopped red chilli, the crushed garlic and the roasted pinenuts.

Method – Assembling the Filo Triangles

  1. Cut each filo sheet in half lengthways and brush all over with melted butter. Put a spoonful of the filling at one end of the filo strip, and fold into triangles so that it is encased in several layers of filo.
  2. Put the filled filo triangles on a baking sheet and brush the top of each with melted butter.
  3. When you have made all your filo triangles, return the baking tray to the oven and cook at 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes.
  4. Remove the filo triangles from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.  They can be eaten hot, warm or  at room temperature.

Keywords: filo pastry triangles, butternut squash, feta, chilli

 

Filo triangles, feta cheese and butternut squash
Filo Triangles and edible flower salad

 

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Rhubarb and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich cake

Rhubarb and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich cake

This is a simple Victoria Sandwich cake, flavoured with vanilla, and filled with a mixture of Rhubarb Curd and whipped cream.   It is very easy to make and can be used as a pudding or eaten at tea-time or with morning coffee.   The tartness of the rhubarb goes very well with the buttery cake and the smooth, rich taste of vanilla. I also have another recipe for a very different kind of rhubarb cake, Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, which uses fresh rhubarb.

Other rhubarb recipes

I love rhubarb and have lots of other rhubarb recipes in addition to . It makes a great jam, compote or fruit curd. It is also great in a crumble. Rhubarb is also good in many home-baking recipes such as Rhubarb Crumble Cake, Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding,  Rhubarb Upside Down Cake and Rhubarb Roulade. It also makes a good basis for cold desserts such as Rhubarb Curd and Rose Ice Cream or Rhubarb Fool. You can also use it to make Rhubarb Cordial and a pretty good Rhubarb Gin liqueur!

Other baking recipes

I love home-baking and make a lot of easy, traditional cakes, biscuits (cookies) and desserts.

Other easy cake recipes

I am a big cheerleader for home-made cakes. My cakes tend to be simple and use seasonal ingredients. They do not require advanced baking skills or complicated decoration. My goal is to make cakes that taste delicious and look attractive but which anyone can make. One of the reasons I love home-baking is that I get to experiment with different flavours and flavour combinations. Here are some of my favourites.

Recipe for Rhubarb and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich cake

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Victoria Sandwich Cake

Rhubarb and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich cake

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Creamy with a zip of fruity flavour, this rhubarb cake is a winner at tea-time!

Ingredients

Scale

For the cake:

  • 225 g butter (softened)
  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • 4 tablespoons of milk
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
  • Icing sugar (to dust the top of the finished cake)

For the filling:

  • Around 200 g Rhubarb Curd
  • Around 200 g double cream (whipped to soft peaks)

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 degrees centigrade or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Cream the butter with the caster sugar.  (I usually soften the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave first as it makes it much easier!)
  3. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture.  If it looks as if it is going to curdle, add some of the self-raising flour.
  4. Once the eggs have been incorporated add the rest of the self-raising flour.
  5. Add the milk and the vanilla extract.  It really makes a difference if you use a good quality vanilla extract – as opposed to vanilla essence – as this will give it a much more intense flavour.
  6. Grease your Victoria Sandwich tin or container and then add the cake mixture.
  7. Bake your cake in the oven for around 30 minutes.  It is done when it is golden brown, springy to the touch and has shrunk away from the edge of the tin.  You can test it by inserting a skewer in the middle of the cake – if it comes out cleanly with no mixture attached, your cake is done.
  8. Allow your cake to cool on a rack before removing it from the tin or container.
  9. Once the cake is cool, slice it in half horizontally (I find a bread knife is good for doing this).
  10. Spread the Rhubarb Curd on one half of the cake followed by the whipped cream and then put the other half of the cake on top.
  11. Dust the cake with icing sugar by shaking a small amount through a sieve onto the top.
  12. You will need to keep the cake in the fridge if not using immediately as it contains cream and Rhubarb Curd.  If stored in the fridge, remove it around half an hour before eating to allow it to come up to room temperature.

Keywords: rhubarb cake

Rhubarb Curd

Home-made Rhubarb Curd

Rhubarb Curd

This home-made Rhubarb Curd is really easy to make and tastes delicious. It is creamy and buttery with a zing of sharpness from the rhubarb.

Fruit curds are a great way of capturing the flavour of a wide range of fruits and work best with strong-tasting ingredients – such as lemon, lime, passion fruit or rhubarb – where the sharpness is softened by the butter and eggs.  The method and ingredients for a fruit curd are very similar to those for making custard – so when you make this recipe you are making a kind or rhubarb and custard combination which is a taste classic.   

You can make Curd from a number of other tropical fruit such as lime, orange, mango and passion fruit. I think it works best with strongly flavoured fruit – if you are a fan of rhubarb, have a look at my recipe for Lemon Curd

What you need to know about this recipe

  • You do not need to add too much water (step 2) as the rhubarb will produce liquid as it cooks.
  • You can either strain your cooked rhubarb to remove the fibres or process it in a blender (step 2). If you choose to blend it, you curd will be slightly thicker. It is important to either strain or blend the mixture otherwise your curd will not have a lovely smooth texture.
  • Allowing the rhubarb mixture to cool slightly before adding it to the eggs (step 3) and adding cornflour to the mixture will prevent the eggs scrambling when it is re-heated.
  • You can add a few drops of colouring (step 5) which will make your curd pink. If you don’t do this, it will still taste just as good!
  • You must put your curd in a sterilised jar and keep it in the fridge. It does not keep as long as jam and must be eaten within a week.

How to use Rhubarb Curd

So what can you do with Rhubarb Curd? Well, lots and lots of things, actually! First off, it is great as a spread on bread as an alternative to jam or honey. It is also great stirred into plain yogurt or spooned over vanilla ice cream. However, in my opinion, it really comes into its own as a cooking ingredient. Its punch of rhubarb flavour is fantastic in all kinds of sweet dishes. It is particularly useful as a filling for cakes and in all kinds of puddings. I use it as a cake filling in my Rhubarb and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich cake and also to make my easy Rhubarb Curd and Rose Ice Cream.

Other rhubarb recipes

I love rhubarb and have lots of other rhubarb recipes in addition to . It makes a great jam or compote. It is also great in a crumble. Rhubarb is also good in many home-baking recipes such as Rhubarb Crumble Cake, Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding, Rhubarb Upside Down Cake and Rhubarb Roulade. It also makes a good basis for cold desserts such as Rhubarb Fool. You can also use it to make Rhubarb Cordial and a pretty good Rhubarb Gin liqueur!

Other jam and preserve recipes

Making your own jam and preserves is really easy. They taste delicious, keep for a long time and also you know exactly what is in them. You can moderate the sugar content and also be sure that there are no artificial preservatives. It is also a great way to use a seasonal over-supply of a particular fruit.

My home-made jam recipes use seasonal ingredients and often have a bit of a flavour twist.   For example, my Strawberry Jam is flavoured with rose geranium and my Rhubarb Jam is flavoured with vanilla.    I have some simple jams such as my classic Gooseberry Jam.

Some of my other preserve recipes are a bit more unusual.  I make a delectable Rose Petal Jam which can be used in lots of different ways.  I also have a Chilli Jam which is fantastic as a dip or with savoury dishes.

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Recipe for easy Rhubarb Curd

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Rhubarb Curd

Rhubarb Curd

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2 jam-jars 1x
  • Category: Preserves
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Creamy Rhubarb Curd is fantastic spread on bread or as an ingredient in cakes and puddings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 800 g (1 and a half pounds) rhubarb
  • 100 ml (3.5 fluid oz) water
  • 4 eggs
  • 300 g (10 oz) caster sugar
  • 4 teaspoons cornflour
  • 50 g (2 oz) butter
  • A few drops of pink food colouring (optional)

Instructions

  1. Wash the rhubarb stalks thoroughly.  Cut into pieces of around 2 cm.
  2. Put the rhubarb pieces into your heavy saucepan with 100 ml of water.  Heat until the mixture is simmering and cook for around 5 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and mushy.
  3. Now you can either strain the rhubarb mixture through a sieve to remove the fibres and use the strained juice to make your curd.  Alternatively, you can blend the mixture in a blender or with a stick blender and use the thicker puree to make your curd.  Allow the rhubarb mixture to cool slightly.
  4. Beat the eggs in a bowl and then add the caster sugar and cornflour which should stop the mixture curdling and turning into scrambled eggs!
  5. Now, gradually pour the rhubarb mixture into the bowl and combine it with the egg mixture.   Add a few drops of pink food colouring if you wish – if you don’t do this, your curd will not look so pretty but will taste just as good!
  6. Put the mixture back into your heavy saucepan, add the butter and heat very gently for around 10-15 minutes until it has thickened to a custard-like consistency.  You will need to stir it often and keep an eye on it.
  7. Remove the mixture from the saucepan and pour into sterilised jam jars – it will fill two medium-sized jars.    It must be kept in the fridge once cooled and will last for around a week.

Notes

You can sterilise your jam-jar by washing it in warm, soapy water, rinsing well and then drying off for 15 minutes in an oven set at 140C/120C fan/gas 1.

Keywords: rhubarb curd

Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Butter

Easy prawn pasta recipe

Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Butter

This Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Butter is an easy and adaptable supper recipe. When fresh sorrel is in season, I make it with my Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter but at other times of the year I either use other herb butters or just regular salted butter. Whatever type of butter you choose, it is a very quick, crowd-pleasing recipe which is good for a week-night supper but is also not out of place if you are entertaining.

Things you need to know about this Prawn Pasta recipe

  • It is really important to allow time for the fennel and onion to cook slowly and become soft and caramelised (step 1) as this makes a big difference to the taste of the finished dish.
  • I think my Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter works well with the flavours of the fennel and the prawns. It has a lemony taste which enhances both ingredients. However, if you can use other herb flavoured butter or just plain butter if you prefer.
  • You can use any kind of pasta for this dish. I suggest using long pasta, such as spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle as I think this works best wish the buttery sauce. However, if you prefer shorter pasta such as penne, that also works well.

Loved this recipe? Check out the Recipe Index

Other simple pasta suppers

This recipe for Prawn Pasta is a great week-night supper option. It is easy, tasty and uncomplicated and can be made in ten minutes. Here are some of my other simple pasta supper recipes.

  • Basic Tomato Sauce – this is an easy recipe for a rich sauce using store-cupboard ingredients. Delicious stirred into pasta as it is and open to lots of variations and additions!
  • Creamy Mushroom Pasta – this is simple vegetarian sauce combines mushrooms and chestnuts and lots of garlic. It can be used with any kind of pasta but I prefer it with short pasta such as gigli or penne.
  • Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon – this simple recipe can be made in 15 minutes. Smoked salmon trimmings are combined with fennel and chives and a squeeze of lemon.
  • Macaroni Cheese – this is a brilliant make-ahead vegetarian recipe which has a secret layer of caramelised onions and a bit of cayenne to balance its rich cheesiness. Topped with a layer of crisp breadcrumbs it is perfect served with a simple green salad.
Other seafood recipes

I love all kinds of seafood. It always seems like a bit of a treat and it is generally very quick to cook. In addition to my seafood pasta recipes, I also have a few others that I make regularly.

I make a couple of savoury tarts that have a seafood filling. My Crab and Prawn Tart includes Asian-inspired flavours such as lime and coriander. My easy-peasy Smoked Salmon Tart with Prawns is a great combination of tasty smoked salmon and juicy prawns. Another really easy recipe that uses smoked salmon is my Smoked Salmon Pate which tastes delicious and is made in minutes.

I also have a great simple supper recipe, Moroccan-inspired Seafood Stew, which is really quick and easy to make. It is one of my regular week-night recipes but it is special enough to bring out at a dinner party or celebration meal.

Easy prawn pasta recipe

Recipe for Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter

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Sorrel and Chive Butter

Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: for 4 people 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter is an easy and tasty supper dish.

Ingredients

Scale
  • Half bulb of fennel
  • 1 onion
  • 25 g  (1 oz) butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 clove garlic (optional – there is garlic in the Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter)
  • 165 g (6 oz) peeled raw prawns 
  • 1 portion of Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter
  • 350 g (12 oz) dried long pasta (eg spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle)

Instructions

  1. Melt the 25 g butter in your frying pan over a low heat.  Finely chop the fennel and onion and add to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper and cook slowly for around 15 minutes until soft and sweet.  Either chop the garlic clove finely or squeeze through a garlic press and add to the mixture and cook for a further couple of minutes.  
  2. Add the raw prawns, and the tiger prawns if you are using them,  to the pan  and fry for around five minutes until pink and cooked.
  3. Meanwhile, boil water in a big saucepan, add salt to taste, and cook your pasta as specified on the packet.  This would usually be for around 10 minutes.
  4. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the frying pan with the fennel, onion and prawns.  (It is always best to add the pasta to the sauce rather than the other way around as this makes sure that the balance of pasta to sauce is as you like it.).
  5. Add your Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter to the frying pan, let it melt into the pasta and prawn mixture and serve.

 

Keywords: prawn, sorrel, pasta

Loved this recipe? Check out the Recipe Index

Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter

Sorrel, Chives and Garlic

Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter – capture the flavour of zesty spring herbs

Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter is a fantastic way to capture the fresh taste of spring herbs.  Sorrel is a leafy plant, with leaves that look a bit like spinach leaves, and has a distinctive lemony taste.  It provides a burst of fresh sharp flavour which is so welcome in early spring. It can be hard to find in supermarkets but it is very easy to grow if you have a garden or outside space for a pot.   Sorrel was one of the first things that I planted when I moved into my current house – it sits in an unprepossessing spot near the garden fence, needs no attention whatsoever and each year produces lots of leaves from early spring onwards.

Clearly, you can use any herbs that you like to make a Herb Butter.   Others that lend themselves particularly well to this kind of treatment are parsley, tarragon (especially good with chicken) and sage (good with pasta).   You can play with different flavour combinations to suit your taste.  However, I think it is best not to include too many herbs – you need to allow individual flavours to be sing out rather than get lost in a crowd.  Also, it is best to stick to soft herbs (rather than woody herbs).   Other flavourings that go well in a herb butter include garlic (of course!), chilli, citrus (grated zest of lemon, orange or lime) and spices (in particular nutmeg).

Mash the herbs with the butter

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Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 100 g 1x
  • Category: Butter
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

A tasty Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter which can be used to enhance the flavour of pasta and cooked fish and meat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 to 4 sorrel leaves
  • Around 10 chive stems
  • 100 g salted butter (ideally, room temperature)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the sorrel and chives.   Either chop the garlic clove finely or squeeze through a garlic press
  2. Mash up the butter and incorporate the chopped herbs, garlic and black pepper.   This is much easier to do if you have left the butter out of the fridge for half an hour or so.
  3. Shape the herby butter as you wish.  I generally roll it into a sausage shape.  Then, when you want to use the butter, you can easily cut it into discs.  Sometimes, I get fancy and use cookie cutters to shape it into hearts or other shapes.
  4. Put the Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter into the fridge, wrapped in cling-film, until you wish to use it.   It will keep in the fridge for around two weeks and can also be frozen if you wish to keep it for longer as it will last for around three months in the freezer.

Notes

There are so many uses for Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter – it adds zest and flavour to a great many dishes – but some of my favourites are as follows:

  • Add on top of grilled meat or fish just prior to serving.  It will melt and release all its butter flavour.  I think Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter is particularly good with grilled chicken and with grilled salmon or lemon sole.
  • Stir into cooked pasta to make a quick and tasty supper – see my recipe for Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter.  Or you could add some steamed vegetables – courgettes or peas are a good choice – or other sea-food such as scallops.
  • Spread on some crusty bread and just eat it as it is or add some tangy cheese.

Keywords: sorrel butter, chive butter

Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter hearts

Other things you can do with Sorrel

In addition to Herb Butter, there are lots of other quick and easy ways in which you can use sorrel.  Some of my favourites are as follows.

  • Use young leaves in a mixed green salad, along with lettuce, spinach or other greens.
  • Heat some double cream and add chopped up sorrel leaves to make an instant sauce for meat or fish.
  • Saute chopped up sorrel leaves in butter for a few minutes and then use as the filling for an omelette.   Or you can add the leaves to the egg mixture when making an omelette and fill it with something rich and creamy such as grated cheddar cheese.
  • Add chopped up sorrel leaves to soup – it goes very well with home-made leek and potato soup or chicken soup – to give instant zest.