Tapas Thursday ......{Chorizo in Red Wine}

A selection of tapas was the first dish that I made for H when we first started dating - way back when..... What he didn't realise at the time is that they are so easy and simple to make. I'm sharing you my recipe for Chorizo in Red Wine because it is H's favourite and some things in life you should just share!

Chorizo in Red Wine 

ring of chorizo, sliced 

red onion, finely sliced 

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

250ml - 3000ml red wine 

pinch of dried red chilli flakes

heat the chorizo in a pan until it gets a bit crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the remaining oil (add in a bit extra if you need) and add the onions and red chilli into the pan and allow to soften. add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. add the chorizo back into the pan with the red wine and mix them all together. you can either place in an oven proof dish and cook in the oven for 20 mins or you can leave to simmer in the pan for about 20 mins. serve with some lovely crusty, fresh bread.  

Sandwich Loaf.........{Its National Picnic Week}

 

It's national picnic week - I absolutely love enjoying food al fresco and picnics are just the perfect way to do this. One of my favourite things to make for picnics is my Sandwich loaf, because I love me a sandwich! This loaf is a kind of sandwich but looks much fancier. Transporting it whole is very easy and you can just cut it in slices or quarters when you get to your destination. Feel free to play around with the fillings as well; I’ve made one previous ones with tuna, rocket, hard boiled eggs and anchovies which was pretty lush....
 

  

Picnic Sandwich Loaf

1 cottage loaf, size of you choice
Olive oil
6 slices Parma ham
15 slices salami milano
5 tomatoes, sliced
2 balls mozzarella, sliced
Basil leaves
1 aubergine sliced and then grilled and allowed to cool
1 courgette, sliced, then grilled and allowed to cool
75g, sundried tomatoes

Slice the top of the bread and then scoop out the inside of the bread. Brush the insides with olive oil and leave uncovered overnight. Take your other ingredients and then layer them inside the bread. My layers went as such: Parma ham; tomatoes; basil; mozzarella; aubergine; salami; courgette; sundried tomatoes; mozzarella; tomatoes; basil; and finally more salami. Make sure you press down every time you finish a layer so you are packing it down firmly. Once you have filled your loaf, put the top back on and cover the whole thing in foil and then weigh the top down (a tin of duck fat works well here!). You want to leave it for at least 2 hours but the longer the better. When you are ready, either slice or cut into quarters and serve.

 

This recipe can be found in my recipe pages in the July/August edition of Families First

Linking up with Honest Mum for #tastytuesdays

A summer soup........{Watercress Soup}

I get so into soups in the summer - so fresh and light and easy! My favourite kind of summer soup is watercress! British watercress is just wonderful and I like to use it as much as possible whilst it is in season. This soup is a really simple and tasty way to highlight the peppery tones of this versatile salad leaf. I’ve kept this one a little bit chunky but you can always blend it until it’s really smooth (and bright green in colour)! Parmesan crisps are so simple but look great – your guests are bound to be impressed when you serve them! You can also serve this hot or cold - its up to you!

Watercress Soup with Parmesan Crisps

1 tbsp unsalted butter
300g watercress, chopped (make sure the stalks are finely chopped and the leaves just roughly chopped)
2 leeks, finely chopped
3 Cyprus potatoes (or other baby potatoes) finely chopped
 500ml chicken or vegetable stock 
Double cream 

75g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 

For the parmesan crisps – line a baking tray with grease proof paper. Take the grated cheese and make rounded mounds (they don’t spread too much so you can make the circles quite close together). Pop in the oven (200°C) for 10 minutes or until they are nicely golden. Allow to cool before serving. 

For the soup - Melt the butter and add in the leek and potatoes, cook until soft and the leeks are going translucent. Add in the watercress and stock and simmer for around 10 minutes. Take off the heat and then blend until you have the consistency you like. Add in a splash of cream and season. Serve with a swirl of cream and with the parmesan crisps on the side.