BAKED GREEK OLIVES

Good Afternoon to you,

I am so sorry that I was not with you last Thursday, unfortunately I was unwell.   I succumbed to one of the numerous viruses which seem to be around at the moment.... and to be honest, it has taken me a little while to shake it off.

.... but thankfully, I am on the mend now. I feel sure it is partly due to George making me vegetable juice every day, in a bid to build up my immune system.

As I am not 100% fit at the moment,  I do not have a story to tell you, but what I would like to share, is, something, which I made for George, before I became poorly last week and which I had fully intended to share with you last Thursday.

These fabulous baked Greek Olives.  Have you ever tried them?

To be honest I had never eaten a baked olive until the last time I lived in Cyprus.  A friend of ours Nikos, who owned a local restaurant, always served baked olives, as part of his winter meze menu.  I remember feeling intrigued, wondering if the olives would be as enjoyable once they were baked, but do you know, they were lovely. 

The olives which Nikos made, were purely olives, baked in the oven, but the olives we are making today have a few more added ingredients.

Normally, I would eat olives with the stones still intact, because I find the flavour to be much more intense, but I cannot pass up stoneless olives, which are on offer. I usually buy 3 or 4  jars for my store cupboard and I find when I add the extra ingredients , the flavour of these olives are definitely enhanced.

So it's on with the pinnie, ready to make, this very simple recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

YOU WILL NEED

TO

MAKE

BAKED GREEK OLIVES

Serves: 4

100g black olives in brine

100g green olives in brine

1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

Zest of half a lemon, cut into thin strips

1 dried bay leaf

1 large clove of garlic - finely sliced

150 ml olive oil

HOW 

TO MAKE

BAKED GREEK OLIVES

Drain the olives

and rinse

under 

running cold water.

Allow to drain.

When drained,

place both the green and the black olives

into a medium sized dish

and mix together.

Crush the coriander seeds

and add to the bowl of

olives.

Remove the lemon zest

from the lemon

and

finely slice.

Add to the bowl of olives.

Finely slice the garlic.

Add to the bowl of olives,

along with the

dried bay leaf.

Pour the olive oil

over the olive mixture

and

Mix the ingredients

together.

Place a plate over the top of the bowl

and leave to

marinate for

at least an hour.

15 minutes before the end of the hour,

pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Cut 4 pieces of tin foil,

10" by 12".

Divide the olive mixture into 4 equal parts.

Cut the bay leaf into 4 pieces

and

add to each quarter of olives.

Place  the divided olives into the centre

of each piece of foil.

Bring the 4 corners together

and scrunch.

You might have to scrunch the sides

as well.

Place the quarters onto a baking tray

and

then

place the tray

into the pre-heated oven

 for

15 minutes

or until

the olives are nice and hot.

Carefully open the parcels

to allow the steam to escape.

When you open the parcel,

your senses will be filled with the aroma of the zesty

lemon, the sliced garlic and

the pungent aroma of the crushed coriander seeds.

All there is left to do

is

place the contents of each

parcel into a dish.

Cut some crusty bread
for dipping into the warm olive oil

and

Enjoy.

To be honest, these measurements are really approximates, but I want you to try this recipe first and then you will know, if you prefer more garlic or more lemon zest.

For instance, I tend to add the juice, from half a lemon, for George, as he enjoys the extra acidity, with his olives.

Whereas I, love the flavours, just as they are.

Also, just as an added extra, I have also added cubed Feta cheese to the parcels as well.... another flavour we enjoy.

Just before I leave you, I want to say thank you, to all my friends who left me comments the week before last.  Now that I am on the mend, I will be catching up with you over the weekend.

By next Thursday, I will be right as rain, so until then, take care.

This week I will be joining,

Mary from The Boondocks for Sweet Inspiration Friday

Laurie for Brag About It Link Party

Linda for Dishing It & Digging It Link Party

As Always,

PEPPADEW PEPPERS WITH GOATS CHEESE

Good Morning to you,

As you know, I adore Christmas.

I love the preparation that goes into Christmas. I love Christmas baking, the dressing of the Christmas tree, putting up the Christmas decorations and wrapping the Christmas gifts.... yes even the wrapping of the gifts.

So, as you can see, I really do love Christmas.

..... but what I really don't love, is seeing everything associated with Christmas, in late September/early October.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago, at the end of September, I walked into one large store, only to find, right in front of me, a display of Christmas decorations. I have to tell you, I was really shocked. After all, the children had only returned to school a couple of weeks before. Who on earth was thinking about Christmas.

Then last week, I went into a garden centre. I only popped in to buy some bonsai soil and it was like walking into a Christmas wonderland,  filled with Christmas food, Christmas trees, Christmas decorations and Christmas music playing. As lovely as it was, please not in October.

I then visited a card shop, to buy some birthday cards, and there were row upon row of Christmas cards. I mentioned this to Phyllis and she said "Ooh I had better go and buy my Christmas cards, before they run out" to which I said, "but it's only October, why do you need to buy your cards so early?" Phyllis replied, "Well, everyone buys their cards, as soon as they come into the shops, so I want to be sure I am able to buy the cards I like, rather than what's left. That is why I buy my cards early."

I was so surprised at this answer, because, I know I keep saying it, but it is only 13th October.

Nowadays, we don't seem to be able to draw a breath before another celebration is upon us. No sooner has one celebration ended, then we are thrust forward into another. The pressure on us to buy is immense.

When I lived in Cyprus, October was the month of changing seasons.  We still had warm, sunny days. We were able to pick oranges, lemons and figs from the trees, but there was a distinct change in the air. We waited with anticipation, because we knew the rains would be heading our way. We never thought about Christmas, we were more excited to see the arrival of the rain, than to think about Christmas. To see all the dust washed from the trees and to see Larnaca Salt Lake, gradually fill with water again, was a beautiful sight. We knew, that when the lake was filled, the flamingoes would return to feed again.... and this was a sight to behold. There was no reason to even think about Christmas during October. Nothing could be further from our minds.

So what about you?

Are you someone who buys their gifts early? Or are you someone who loves Christmas, but does not give it a thought until December?

Talking about Christmas, today's recipe, has a Christmas overtone to it.... but I promise you, the association, is only in the colour red.

Today we are making Peppadew peppers filled with goats cheese.  Now don't be deceived, these colourful little peppers are full of flavour. The smooth goats cheese goes really well with the piquancy of the peppers.  If you are having friends around and you just want a few nibbles, to go with a glass of wine, then these are for you. I promise you, when you present these peppers to your friends, the plate will be cleared in no time. So I would advise, make more than you think you need.  I always have some in reserve and nine times out of ten they are needed.

So it's on with the pinnie and the music I am listening to is, 

James Arthur 'Say You Won't Let Go'

The first time, I heard this song, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.  I felt every word.... I love, love this song.... James is such a talented man. He won the X Factor in 2012 and from his first audition, you could see this was a very talented young man.  I have to say, he is the only winner whose name I can remember.

As I wipe the tears from my eyes, honestly, this song really moves me, I will organise my ingredients. Luckily for me there is only a couple, otherwise this would take a while.

INGREDIENTS 

YOU WILL NEED

TO MAKE 

PEPPADEW PEPPERS WITH GOATS CHEESE

1 400g jar Peppadew peppers

125g  Abergavenny goats cheese

12 mini vol au vents (optional)

You will need

1 large baking tray

baking parchment

HOW TO MAKE

PEPPADEW PEPPERS WITH GOATS CHEESE

I feel sure you have worked it out,

because it really is as simple as it seems.

Pre-heat the oven 170C/340F

I thought I would show you the jar of peppers,

so you could see what they look like, 

just in case you weren't able

to buy Peppadew.

Drain the liquid from the peppers.

As you can see, Peppadews come with its

very own sieve.

You can see from the size

of this amuse bouche spoon,

the peppers are quite small.

Remove the peppers from the jar and place

on kitchen towel to drain any

excess liquid

or

if you prefer use a colander.

Remove the goats cheese from the packet

and gently soften.

Now you can do one of two things,

you can place the goats cheese in

a piping bag and pipe the cheese

into the peppers,

or

you can be like me,

using a small spoon,

spoon the goats cheese

into the peppers.

If you pipe, you will find you need double

the quantity of cheese, because

you will be able to fill the peppers with more cheese.

Place the filled peppers on the baking tray

and don't worry, you will find most don't

stay upright, but that isn't a problem.

Pop them into the pre-heated oven for between 

6-7 minutes.

These little delights

come with a warning.

When you place them on a plate,

be very careful,

because, once tasted,

it is very easy to eat one,

then another

and before you know it,

you will be opening a jar to make some more.

Enjoy.

You have no idea how hard it was for me to type Peppadew, I kept typing Pepperdew.  Even when I wrote the title on my photographs, I typed Pepperdew and had to re-do them.  I have read this through, but if the odd Pepperdew turns up, please forgive me.... I did try to remove them all.

As you can see I have included small vol au vents in the list of ingredients, that is because George likes to pop a pepper and then a vol au vent in his mouth.... its his northern roots..... he loves pastry, but I have to say, they do work well together. For me, I love the peppers on their own.  George and I are as different as chalk and cheese, but like the mix of pepper and vol au vent, we do work well together. That is what makes our life so interesting.

Oh, just in case you thought I was being paid to promote Peppadew, I have to tell you I am not.  I only recommend products that I love and use in my kitchen.

So take care and I will see you again next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Miz Helen's Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday

and

Laurie from My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies for Snickerdoodle Sunday

As always,

FIG, RICOTTA CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO TOASTS

Good Afternoon to you,

As you know, George and I love walking.  

I think it would be fair to say, that I am a fair weather walker and George is an all weather walker.

When it is drizzling with rain, he will encourage me to join him for a walk.  I'll huff and I'll puff, but eventually, I will give in and put my walking clothes on and go out with him. I don't know why I make such a fuss when it's drizzling, because once I'm out walking I really enjoy it.

So, having such unexpected warm weather these past few weeks, has been really lovely and I have been enjoying my walks immensely.

Last week, we decided to turn left, out of our house, instead of the usual right. We walked to the top of our road and as we turned, we could see, in the distance, a lady walking her dog.  Nothing unusual in that, but this type of dog I haven't seen in years.

It was a Bassett Hound and he was adorable.

We stopped and chatted to the owner and we discovered the Bassett's name was Gus.  He looked up at us with his big doleful eyes, and started wagging his tail and that was that, we were smitten. 

Bassett Hounds are such an unusual breed of dog, because I feel, their legs, although strong, are way  too short for their body.  I feel they should have longer legs to support themselves, although they seem to cope very well with their short legs. 

While George was stroking him, we stayed and had a little chat to the owner. One of the things she mentioned was that Bassett hounds do not like to be left on their own, and Gus was no different. Gus loves to be around people, the more the merrier.

.... but there is a problem,  the owner of Gus, has to go to work, so  you'll never guess what she has to do. She hires a dog sitter, who comes and stays in the house, to keep Gus company, while she is out at work. The reason for this is, if Gus was left on his own, for more than 10 minutes, he will show his displeasure, by continuously howling, and apparently he could keep the howling up for the whole of the afternoon, until she returns home from work. Which obviously doesn't please the neighbours.... and if you've ever heard a hound howl, you know it can be painful on the ears. 

I loved the fact, that she loved Gus so much, that she hired a dog sitter.

We stayed and chatted for another 10 minutes and then we had to leave.  If we had the time, I think Gus would have allowed us to stroke and fuss him all day, but we needed to get on with our walk and the lady needed to take Gus for his walk, because the dog sitter was due in an hour to keep Gus company while she went to work.

We said goodbye and George turned to me and said, 'I could just eat a liquorice allsort' and I asked what on earth made him think of 'allsorts' and he said, 'Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts' are my favourite.

George had used word association, to make him think, he fancied a Bassett Liquorice Allsort. Before meeting  Gus, he never mentioned anything to do with sweets. In the end, George didn't buy any Bassett Liquorice Allsorts, because once we were halfway through our walk, he didn't mention it again. Not even when we arrived home. So that was just a whim. 

.... but what is not a whim is,

my love of figs.  I adore them. As we don't live in Cyprus anymore, we have to forego the pleasure of walking into the garden, to pick our figs fresh from the tree. Instead, I have to wait patiently for September to arrive, because I know, for just a few short weeks, we'll be treated to a glut of figs.

I buy mine from the Grainger Market in Newcastle, because they are always big and plump and ready to eat. 

Grainger Market is a fabulous place to buy fruit, vegetables and meat.  I was surprised to learn that it first opened its doors to the public in 1835.  I remember visiting Grainger Market as a young wife with Sadie (George's mother) and Auntie Mim (Sadie's sister).  They showed me the best stalls to buy fruit and vegetables and the owners of the stalls always had a bit of cheeky banter with the ladies, which they in turn loved.

While I was waiting patiently, for the fig season to arrive, I was so pleased to see, in the August edition of Good Housekeeping.... my favourite magazine by the way, a recipe for Fig and Parma Tartines.  I'm always on the look out for new fig recipes,  so of course, I was eager to try this one.

I have changed the recipe slightly, to use the ingredients I had in the house. This is something I often do, because I don't want to shop for new ingredients.

So it's on with the pinnie. I have to tell you, I am really looking forward to trying this recipe, as the figs George bought are just perfect.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED

TO MAKE

FIG, RICOTTA CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO

TOASTS

Serves 4

6 large figs, sliced

4 slices of date and walnut bread

250g tub of ricotta cheese

grated zest from 1 lime

8 slices of prosciutto

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons of runny honey

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

HOW TO MAKE

FIG, RICOTTA CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO

TOASTS

Place the date and walnut bread under a pre-heated grill and toast both sides until golden brown.

Place the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper into a small bowl and mix together.

Divide between the four slices of toasted date and walnut bread.

Top the ricotta cheese with 2 slices of Prosciutto ham.

Set aside for the moment.

In a medium sized bowl, pour in the balsamic vinegar, the runny honey and mix together.

Add the sliced figs, a few at a time. I added 4 slices. Spoon over the balsamic vinegar and honey mixture.

When the figs are coated, carefully remove from the bowl and place the sliced figs on top of the Prosciutto ham. 

I had some balsamic and honey dressing left over, so I drizzled a little over each toast.

I have to say, the toasts were delicious and my chief taster, George, loved them.

I thought maybe the honey would make the toasts a little too sweet, because a ripe fig is very sweet, but the balsamic vinegar and honey dressing was just perfect.

How could I ever have doubted the team at Good Housekeeping.

Take care and I will see you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Miz Helen's Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday

and

Mary from the Boondocks for Sweet Inspiration Friday

and

Laurie from My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies for Brag About It

As Always,

MEDITERRANEAN STYLE TORTILLA WRAPS

Good Morning to you,

I have to tell you, my savings plan, for the chair I have my eye on, is going very well. Admittedly it is the first week, but I can honestly say, the only item I have bought this week, is a litre of milk. Everything else has come from either my store cupboard or freezer.  I had enough fruit and vegetables to keep us going this week and not a single thing was wasted. Even the broccoli, which is notorious for turning yellow, pretty quickly, was used.

I admit, I have had to think about and plan what we are eating, because our meals are restricted to using the ingredients I already have, so I have not had the luxury of deciding to make something on the spur of the moment.

Also, I want to keep our meals interesting as George really loves his food. It's not that he is demanding, nothing could be further from the truth, but he does enjoy his food and I think it would be unfair of me to change the quality of our meals, just because I want to save money to buy a chair.... that hardly seems fair.  After all, I don't need a chair. Could I live without it, of course I could. What I feel about saving is, it will give me time to think if I really want the chair.  I have to say, I do, right at this moment, but will that change when I have saved the money mmm... we shall see.

It was interesting to discover, that Saturday evenings would be the hardest to cater for, because we tend to relax and enjoy one or two treats, while watching the television, during the evening.  Its a little like going to the cinema and enjoying popcorn whilst watching a film.... to be honest, treats on a Saturday evening have become a bit of a habit with us. This tends to happen for a few weekends, and then, we decide to reign ourselves in and be a little stricter with ourselves.... but last weekend was no such weekend, so I needed to think of a few things which would please George's taste buds, so that he would not miss his usual treats.

So I gave it some thought.  

I decided to make houmous which is full of flavour and can be eaten with either pita bread or crisps. Not the bought crisps, but the crisps which I make.

I then whizzed some black olives in a food processor and made a black olive tapenade.... which I know George loves... it's not sweet but I knew it would pack enough flavour that he would not miss his sweet treats.

I then went on to make some crudites, so the snacks were taken care of and although they were not sweet treats, they were flavourful.

On Sunday, I made a roast dinner. Now I have to tell you, this is a rarity, because I don't make a Sunday roast very often. The reason is, I find the flavours are rather bland, but George does enjoy a Sunday roast every now and again. How times have changed, because Ivy and Phyllis, on the other hand, would cook a Sunday roast, come rain or shine.  Ivy was such a wonderful cook that she would have the Sunday lunch perfectly timed. When she returned from church, the meal was almost ready. Perhaps this is why my father loved a Sunday roast so much, as it was part of his upbringing. I remember, one unusually hot, English summer's day, Phyllis suggested that she would make a chicken salad for Sunday lunch. This was met with absolute horror.  Sunday was not Sunday for my father, unless it included a Sunday roast. Come to think of it, Bob, George's father, was exactly the same, they both came from a generation when a Sunday roast was an integral part of a Sunday. As George said, it was tradition.

Monday, was easy, because we only used half of the chicken on Sunday, and as we were not very hungry, I made chicken salad sandwiches and we had soup from the freezer.

Tuesday, I made a Tuscan Bean stew, which I really love and we enjoyed the stew with some baked crusty rolls. Actually, I feel sure I have never made a Tuscan Bean stew with you, mmm, I will add it to my list of things to make.

.... and yesterday,

I ventured into unknown territory.  For lunch I made, with the help of George, these Mediterranean wraps. In actual fact they were made with ingredients I wanted to use up.

So it's on with the pinnie and the album I am listening to is,

the 1977 album 'In Your Mind' by Bryan Ferry. The song I have chosen is one I absolutely love, This is Tomorrow.

So I really don't have much to do, as although I am listing the ingredients, they were really odds and ends which I wanted to use up, but the end result was very pleasing.

So I will tell you roughly the amount of ingredients I used, but really, you can use a little more if you like. I would say, don't overload the tortilla as they will not roll up very nicely if you do.  

HOW TO MAKE

MEDITERRANEAN

TORTILLA WRAPS

Serves 2

2 large tortilla wraps

1 roasted red pepper

1 cooked chicken breast

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of pesto

sliced lettuce 

3" piece of cucumber

sea salt

black pepper

Parchment paper 40cm x 25cm

HOW TO MAKE

MEDITERRANEAN

TORTILLA WRAPS

Mix the

mayonnaise and the pesto

and set aside.

Slice the roasted pepper

and 

set aside.

Slice the cooked chicken breast

into strips

and

set aside.

Slice the lettuce into strips

and

set aside.

Slice the cucumber

into strips

and set aside.

Place the tortilla

in a hot dry pan

and cook each side for 15 seconds.

Spread half of the pesto/mayonnaise mix

onto the first tortilla.

Place half the chicken and

half the red pepper

two thirds from  the top of the tortilla.

Add half the sliced cucumber

and

half the lettuce

to the chicken and roasted pepper.

Season with sea salt

and

black pepper.

Now this is the fun bit and one, I have
to admit, I am not very good at,
but today I have my assistant, George,
who very kindly agreed to do the rolling for me.

Place the tortilla

on the baking parchment

and 

begin rolling away from you.

Until the wrap is completely rolled.

Bring the tortilla to the bottom of the

parchment paper

and

roll quite tightly.

Twist the ends.

Then cut the tortilla wrap, diagonally in half.

Remove the top layer of parchment paper

but keep the lower half intact,

as this will make the tortilla easier
to eat and it will also stop the filling from

coming out of the end of the wrap.

Repeat with the second tortilla.

Enjoy one,

or two

but

enjoy them,

you certainly will.

Today, my sous chef was George, he was brilliant actually..... but I was only allowed to take a photo of his hands.... he was camera shy.

I mentioned earlier that making tortillas was new territory to me. This is because I am not a finger food person. Give me a knife and fork and I'm much happier.  So when Natasha gave me my first tortilla wrap, I have to say, it was not a great experience. I loved the filling, but I did not like the mess I made, when eating the tortilla.  So the next time, Natasha wrapped the tortilla in parchment paper.... and I was thrilled, because for me, it made eating the tortilla so much more pleasureable. So it's thanks to Natasha that I am able to bring to you these wraps.

Actually, it's George who loves making these wraps. It's interesting, because George does not cook, but he does make a marvellous bacon sandwich, which, when the family return home, they insist George makes. You'll never guess what they call him.... they call him 'The Baconator'.  He also makes an amazing panini. So on a Saturday, I make George his hamburgers and he makes me my panini.

Oh, just before I go, I was in such a rush last week because I had written to you in the evening that I forgot to show you a picture of my chair..... listen to me, it sounds like I already own it.

.... and here it is,

now I'm sorry it's a little skew whiff, but I had to take the photo without all the adverts around it.  I have had my eye on this chair for a long time.... I wonder if within a few months it will be enhancing my living room.... if I'm being totally honest, once I've saved the money, I don't think I will change my mind.... yes I think it will be a beautiful addition to my living room.... I'm so excited.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Elaine from Sunny Simple Life for Simple Saturday Link Party

Laurie from My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies for Snickerdoodle Sunday

As Always,