All posts tagged: food photography

New Potatoes with Spring Vegetables and Honey Lemon Dressing

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New Scottish potatoes have hit the shelves in the shops recently. Potatoes that I assume are grown in poly tunnels, in order to get a head start on the short Scottish season. But I’ve still got a few months to wait yet, before my own seed potatoes are ready out in my garden. So until I can dig up some fresh tatties of my own, here is a new potato recipe to tie you over with. It’s really good served with fish, as the sweet and sour dressing really adds bite to the otherwise delicate flavours of spring vegetables. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 500g new baby potatoes 3 small carrots, halved lengthways 1 leek, chopped For the dressing: ½ lemon, zested and juiced 1 tsp dijon mustard 2 garlic cloves, crushed 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp honey a few pepper corns, roughly crushed ____________________________________________________________________________________ Boil the potatoes in a pan of water for 10 min, then add the carrots and leek, simmer for a further 5 min, until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile make the …

Potato Duaphinoise with Cabbage and Cheddar with a Side of Portobello Mushrooms

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I get most of my veg at a great little farm shop, The Ardross Farm Shop, near Elie in Fife. They mainly stock vegetables that are in season, so its a great way to stay in touch with British seasonal produce, and eat accordingly. As its still cold (I know I keep banging on about it) they still have cabbage in supply. And I love cabbage, mainly because when all the summer crops have been eaten, cabbage matures and is ready for eating during the winter. A real trooper of a vegetable, a little hero full of vitamins that are essential when the days are still cold and grey. Here is a tasty variation of the traditional Potato Dauphinoise, with cheese and cabbage. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 6 large waxy potatoes, such as King Edward ½ head of green cabbage 400ml double cream 400ml milk 2 cloves of garlic 100g cheddar cheese ½ tsp nutmeg salt, pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ Preheat your oven to 200°c/fan 180°c/gas 6, and prepare a baking dish by rubbing it with butter. Slice …

Wild Garlic Quiche.

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The foraging season has begun, at last! It is still cold here, with temperatures not going above 4 degrees, but the spring hardy leaves of the Ramson, or Wild Garlic are now to be found all along the woodland floor. As a relative to the chive, wild garlic, as its name would indicate has a lovely delicate garlic flavor and smell. It is ideal for using in the kitchen, tossed through a salad for some depth or as I’ve done, in a quiche. Pick the young leaves of the Ramson, as they are more tender and fresher than the mature leaves. When out picking bring a basket or plastic container with a damp tea towel or paper napkin to keep the leaves fresh, whist you make your way home. Wild Garlic is very easy to identify, but do familiarise yourself with the plant using a good foraging book. They can be mixed up with Lily of the Valley, but are easy to distinguish by crushing a leaf  with your fingers, if it smells like garlic, …

Iced Café Frappé

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We have been busy packing up boxes this week, ready for our move out of our old house into a new one. I have managed to do most of the kitchen, but have left out some vital tools, like my blender, that I know I cant substitute with a fork! And as the sun was shining from a beautiful blue spring sky, I felt the need for a cool refreshing beverage, all be it a caffeinated one. So I whipped up a delicious Café Frappé and was instantly given the promise that summer must arrive soon! ‘ I use frozen coffee cubes instead of regular plain ice, as I hate when you get half way through your drink, and it gets all diluted with stale water! Instead of getting weaker, my recipe gets stronger! Cheers! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes two drinks For the ice cubes: make roughly 300ml fair-trade coffee of your choice, and pour into ice trays, or one ice cube bag. (there is enough coffee cubes for 4 frappés, just freeze the rest for later, …

Harissa Spiced Carrot and Spinach Soup

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There is at last hopeful signs that spring is on its way up here in Scotland, with the snowdrops glistening amongst the frosty undergrowth and the shoots of the daffodils appearing. But a warming spicy soup is still a welcomed thing, as the days are still chilly, and the nights even more so. I really enjoy carrot soup, with its slight sweet notes and simple preparation. It also lends itself quite well to be spiced up with a little harissa paste for extra warmth. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Serves 3-4 4 medium organic carrots 1 large white onion 3 handfuls of spinach 1 tsp harissa paste 1 tsp cumin seeds 500ml organic vegetable stock a drizzle of olive oil salt and pepper to taste plus a little cream for the top ____________________________________________________________________________________ Prepare the veg, by washing and peeling the carrots, chop alongside the onion. In a large pan, heat  the olive oil and toast the cumin seeds for 30 sec on medium heat. Then add the onion and soften for 5 min, then add the harissa paste …

Baked Brie with Yellow Plum Compote

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; Is there a better combination, than cheese and fruit? Well, maybe baked cheese and fruit! I was in my local shop the other day and fell upon  a punnet of beautiful yellow plums. I had to think for a few days about what to turn them into, until I remembered there was a big wedge of brie in the fridge, just waiting of a sweet companion. This is so easy to make, but looks and tastes impressive. Perfect if you are having fiends over for lunch. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ‘ Serves 4 5-6 yellow plums 4 tbsp sugar 1/2 a lemon, juice and zest of   ;And a 250g wedge of brie _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wash the plums, half them and remove the stones. Place in a small saucepan along with the lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and boil for 5-7 min, until the plums are soft. Add the sugar and stir in, then add the lemon juice. Simmer gently for 5 min. Set aside to cool. In a preheated oven set to 200 °c / 400 …

The Marzipan & Pecan Cookie

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For my birthday, my dear friend Clare brought round a batch of her homemade Marzipan & Pecan cookies for me. And I really loved them. They are crispy and chewy, just like a cookie should be and the union of the soft marzipan and crunchy pecan comes together perfectly. Although we are in the mad process of moving house, I still found time to make them -proof that they are a quick wee treat to throw together, even if the storage boxes are piling high. Maybe this is due to the fact that there are so many 150g measurements in this recipe..? ____________________________________________________________________________________ / Makes roughly 25 cookies 150g unsalted butter, softened 150g soft brown sugar 150g granulated sugar 150g plain flour 150g rolled oats 1 large egg 1 tsp almond extract 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarb 1/4 tsp salt 100g raisins 100g chopped pecans 50g marzipan ____________________________________________________________________________________ Cream the butter and both sugars together, until light in texture. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb …

Wild, Hot Smoked Salmon with Egg, Potato and Apple.

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Wild, Hot Smoked Salmon with Egg, Potato and Apple. / We are in the middle of packing up our house, getting ready to move to a new one.(one with a rain-proof roof) So dishes that can be made in one pan are very welcome indeed. I came up with this dish, for that very reason! I made it in my Le Creuset pan, as it can be safely put in the oven, with no danger of melting plastic handles! Its a thoroughly satisfying dish to prepare and eat,  as it leaves you feeling that you have had a hearty meal, but all done in 20 min. Splendid! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Serves two (just make more and add extra eggs in you are more than two!) / Half a head of white cabbage 1 large red onion 1 apple 150g wild hot smoked salmon. (go out of your way to get the wild kind. I don’t think salmon have much fun swimming round in a circular tank their entire life..They need to leap and spawn, and be shared …

Chunky Peanut and Almond Butter by Miss May

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Since starting this blog, I have wanted to feature Guest Bloggers that could contribute with their own recipes and photography. So I am super excited to be able to share this latest post with you, written by my talented and good friend Victoria May. Miss May is a fellow blogger from chimneystack.wordpress.com and a world traveler, whizzing from continent to continent with her ‘old school’ film camera- all along the way cooking, baking and eating her way through her journey. “ This is her recipe! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ; I love peanut butter. It’s both a comfort food (smothered on hot toast) and an energy bomb (whizzed up with banana, muesli and yogurt in a breakfast smoothie), and never fails to remind me of my time in the States. Americans really know how to harness the full bad-ass potential of P.B. ‘ This is my throw-it-together recipe. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes 1 large Jar or 2 small ones ‘ 3 cups peanuts (unsalted) 1 cup almonds 50ml organic rapeseed (olive is too over-powering a flavour) salt to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ In a …

Pizza Florentine with Egg, Spinach and Homemade Pesto

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I make homemade pizza a lot, with a variety of toppings, but one that always makes an impression is the egg topping on Pizza Florentine. It looks impressive and tastes great too. I like it for lunch, but I think it would be great for brunch too. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Dough 300g strong organic flour ½ tsp fast action yeast 2 tbsp olive oil 170ml water ½ tsp salt Topping 4 tbsp of pasata 2 eggs a handful of spinach 6 cherry tomatoes 1 mozzarella ball 1 tbsp of dried oregano or a sprig of fresh 3 tbsp homemade pesto  Get that recipe here 3 or 4 basil leaves salt and pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ If you have a bread machine, whack the ingredients in that, and follow your manufacturers guidelines for making dough. If you are making it by hand, here’s how: Tip the flour, salt and yeast into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the water and oil into the well and in a circular motion start to gather the …