An Ode to Seville

I decided a well deserved trip with old friends was on the cards. With milestone birthdays and time moving too fast there was lots to celebrate. My love of everything Spanish from the wine, food, sunshine and dancing is well known amongst my circle. So it was no surprise when I said Seville would be the place I'd most love to visit.

It didn’t take much persuading and I soon found myself Spain bound strapped into a plane seat with a Rioja in hand.
The thought of stepping to the door of the plane and feeling the heat on my face as I looked skyward was all consuming during the flight. We talked about that distinctive aroma that washes over you as you disembark in sunny climates.
So you can imagine our surprise and disappointment when we arrived into torrential rain and had to run through it in flip flops and summer tops. But, not dissuaded, and being Irish, we can deal with the rain, we decided surely life wasn’t so cruel and the rain could only last a short while?
Once ensconced in our apartment in the old Seville district of Santa Cruz our gracious host assured us the rain would soon stop so we decided to walk and find a tapas bar for some authentic cuisine and perhaps a tipple of wine.
Our stroll took us through the meandering cobbled streets peppered with orange trees, reminding us where Seville Oranges come from, and we found ourselves admiring the magnificent Cathedral de Sevilla that dominates this part of the city. Our quest was short lived and soon we were tucking into chorizo, iberico jamon and croquettes. As we munched and chatted the sun shone and dried the streets, the locals and tourists alike came out to play and we strolled the city for the afternoon taking in the sights and sounds. The stunning Plaza De Espana which was built for the Latin American Expo in 1929 quite literally takes your breath away as it comes into view.
Wanting a view of the city we headed towards The Metropol Parasol which locals refer to as the mushroom (las setes) due to its unusual shape. It affords a viewing deck like no other with a walkway constructed around the outside of the building. Archeologically protected Roman ruins in the basement add intrigue to this unusual building and a libation break afforded us a Sangria served with a star fruit garnish. Don’t you just love holidays!
The ease of getting around the city was not lost on us and by renting bikes or taking the tram you can rest weary legs for a moment. It was a wonderful city filled with families and friends enjoying a relaxed, cosmopolitan life and I look forward to returning with my son soon to once again bask in the glorious sunshine, sip a cafe con leche and enjoy the many parks on offer. Forget leaving my heart in San Francisco, mine is in Seville.

BBQ Chicken with slaw

 

 

I got this fab recipe from Jane Hornby's Fresh and Easy recipes.  I love that you can pre-prepare the chicken and the slaw to make BBQ day even easier!

Ingredients

12 chicken pieces, thighs and drumsticks are best2 tbsp paprika1 handful fresh thyme2 tsp sea salt½ tsp freshly ground black pepper1 tsp chilli powder(120g) ½ cup dark brown sugar(150ml) 2/3 cup tomato ketchup1 tsp Tabasco sauce2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce1 small red cabbage2 crisp, tangy apples1 onion(150g) 2/3 cup mayonnaise2 tbsp cider vinegar1 tsp black onion (kalonji) seedsSea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Method:

1. Slash the chicken straight down to the bone2. Mix the paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, chilli powder and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a food storage bag, add the chicken and toss3. Preheat oven to 180⁰C (350⁰F) Gas Mark 4, and make the barbecue sauce4. Mix the remaining sugar, ketchup, Tabasco and Worcester sauce until smooth.
(This will keep in the fridge for at least a week)
5. Spread the chicken in a large roasting dish and roast for approx 30 minutes.
(This can be done several hrs ahead and stored in the fridge)6. For the slaw, cut the cabbage into wedges, remove any very hard bits from the central core, then thinly slice. 7. Thinly slice the onion and apples, no need to peel the apples first, and add the cabbage to a large bowl.
8. Mix the mayonnaise and vinegar together to make the dressing.
9. Toss the dressing into the slaw, season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle the onion seeds. This can also be made a day ahead, keep the dressing and slaw ingredients separate and just toss before serving.

To cook on BBQ, make sure your grill is very hot - 200⁰C (400⁰F) and cook for 10 mins, turning regularly, until charred and sizzling and hot through the middle. Brush some sauce over it and serve with the coleslaw and rest of the sauce.
If it rains: Roast the chicken in a preheated oven at 220⁰C (425⁰F) Gas Mark 7 for about 10 minutes, until heated through, then finish with the sauce as above.

 

Enjoy!

Ideas for Kids Lunch Boxes

 

We all know how difficult it can be to come up with healthy, tasty and different ideas for school lunchboxes.

Lunch is a very important meal, particularly for school going children. So it is important that we make it as interesting and appealing as possible.

Here are some simple ideas that may help you provide a satisfying lunchbox for your school going little ones.

·         Kids get bored having the same thing, day in day out.

·         Letting the kids cut their sandwiches into shapes using cookie cutters  will soon see them have a keener interest in their lunch!

·         Something as simple as changing the type of bread you use can help to alleviate the boredom. Try wholemeal pitta breads, bagels, tortilla wraps, baps, and wholemeal baguettes.

·         Crackers and cubed pieces of cheese are a great snack, particularly if you have younger kids who may only eat a bite out of a sandwich before discarding.

·         Add in some grapes, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and lengths of red pepper (it’s sweeter) to make a smorgasbord of flavours and textures. Hummus is a great protein packed dip if you can get them to eat it!

·         Cold pasta or rice salads are great when tossed with ham and vegetables, like cucumbers, carrots and sweetcorn. Pasta can be mixed with a little olive oil or mayonnaise for added flavour.

·         Keep sweet treats, crisps, high sugar drinks out of lunch boxes, even if your child’s school doesn’t have a healthy eating policy. These foods and drinks should not be a part of your child’s daily diet due to the high sugar & salt content.

·         Yogurts, rice cakes, unsweetened juice, water and fruit all have a part to play in lunch boxes.

Pain d'epi

I used Lorraine Pascale’s recipe and method for the kids classes.
It is certainly the quickest method, and although some puritans may find fault, the result was great and very enjoyable!

275g strong bread flour
175ml warm water (I boil it and let it cool)
1 sachet (7g) fast acting dried yeast
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine using a wooden spoon.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Do not use too much flour for kneading as this will change the structure of the bread.
The kneading is important to activate the gluten in the flour.
Roll out into a sausage shape, about the length of a baking sheet.
Lightly flour a baking sheet and place the dough at an angle on it.
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Before cooking snip the bread with a kitchen scissors at ¾ inch intervals, and turn each piece sideways on the pan. You are not cutting all the way through the dough, just about ¾ way through.
(see picture)

  
Spray the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and dust lightly with flour.
Cook in a preheated oven at 200⁰C/Gas 5 for 30 minutes.
Place a tray of water in the bottom of the oven during the cooking process. This will add steam to the oven which will give the bread a lovely brown crust.

Enjoy!

Chicken liver Pate

If you want a hassle free appetizer then you can't go wrong with this pate.
I've always used Delias Pate recipe with modifications based on what I had in my pantry.
So here goes.






Serves 6

Ingredients

225g (8oz) chicken livers
225g (8oz) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
2 cloves garlic (1 works fine also)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Melt 25g (1oz) of the butter in a frying pan and add the chicken liver to it.
Fry them for approx. 5 minutes, keeping them on the move.
Remove from the pan and transfer to a food processor or blender.
Melt 150g (5oz) of butter and add this to the blender.
Deglaze the pan using the brandy and add this to the liver.
Then add the garlic, thyme and seasoning.
Blend this until you have a smooth puree.
Transfer to an appropriate container or individual ramekins.
Melt the remaining butter and pour over the pate to form a ‘lid’.
Leave to set and get cold.
Can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 1 month.
Serve with toasted baguette slices and red onion jam or any sweet relish.

 Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

115g/4oz butter
60g/2oz granulated sugar
65g/2.5oz light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
175g/6oz plain flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
100g/3.5 milk or dark chocolate chips

Method:

Cream the butter, sugar and light brown sugar together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix together.
Add flour, corn flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix again until all combined.
Add chocolate chips and mix again.
Use your hands now to incorporate all chocolate chips into the mixture.
Taking tablespoon size amounts of mixture, roll it in your hands to make a ball and place on baking paper on a cookie sheet.

After making all the cookie dough balls, place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 1 hour.
After the hour, these cookie dough balls can be frozen for later use.

If cooking straight away, keep on cookie sheet with baking parchment, but ensure you have a 2inch space around each cookie so they have space to spread.
Place in pre-heated oven at 160⁰C/325⁰F/Gas Mark 3 for 15-18 minutes.
They will be golden brown when cooked, crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle.
Leave to cool a little before eating.
These are perfect served still warm from the oven!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Icing!

I think this recipe came from the talented Mary Berry. I know I increased the measurements of the fudge icing as there just wasn’t enough on it for me!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

225g/8oz butter, room temperature
225g/8oz castor sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
200g/7oz self-raising flour
25g/1oz cocoa powder
1 – 2 tablespoon milk

Fudge Icing

300g/10oz icing sugar
80g/3oz cocoa powder
200g/7oz castor sugar
200g/7oz unsalted butter

Method:

You will need 2 x 8” sandwich tins, greased well all over and the base lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4

Cream the butter with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until very smooth.
Add the sugar and beat for a minute or 2.
Use your spatula to scrape down the edges throughout the process.
Beat sugar and butter mixture again until looks paler in colour – about 3 minutes altogether.
Sift a tablespoon (ish) of the flour/cocoa in the bowl and crack one of the  eggs into the mixture, beat.
Add another egg and beat it until it is combined into the mixture.
Sift ½ the flour/cocoa mix into this and beat again.
Add the rest of the egg and beat again.
Sift in the remaining flour and cocoa, add the milk, and now FOLD the mixture, using a large spoon.
Make sure you are incorporating all the bits from the side with your spatula regularly.
The mixture should be of a dropping consistency and if it’s not you can add another little drop of milk.
Drop the mixture into the cake tins and using a scale measure the tins to ensure that the mixture is evenly split between the two.
Spread it gently to the side of the pans. So that the mixture is level in the pan.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 20- 25 minutes until a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove from oven, place on heatproof surface and leave in tins for a few minutes.
Turn them out onto a wire rack, remove the baking parchment and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the fudgy icing.....

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl.
Melt the butter, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a pan over a medium heat.
You need the sugar crystals to disappear completely over this heat, it will take a few minutes.
Once the butter has melted and you can’t feel any sugar under the wooden spoon, turn up the heat.
As soon as large bubbles start to appear on the top of the mixture remove it from the heat.
Pour this into the icing sugar/cocoa and using your wooden spoon incorporate it together.
Beat well so the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
Using half the mixture spread it evenly over one of the cakes, use a heated palette knife to help spread it.
Place the other cake on top of this and using the remainder of the mixture cover the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate with mini eggs, edible flowers, chocolate flake...the options are endless!

Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days...it NEVER lasts that long in our house though!!

Enjoy!