Plaice and Spinach

This is one of those super simple recipes that is easy to make and looks fabulous!

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon and Halloumi

1 lemon, cut into two, lengthwise (finely slice one half into half moons, and reserve the other half for serving)
8 oz halloumi cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 to 3 TBsp olive oil
1 lb asparagus, washed, with the bottom woody bits snapped off
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
8 mint leaves, chopped

Mix the sliced lemon half with the halloumi slices and 1 TBsp of olive oil in a bowl, and set aside. 
Drizzle the asparagus with the olive oil, and cook in a frying pan on a high heat for about 5 minutes or so. Turning every few minutes. Remove to a serving dish and keep warm. 
Cook the halloumi and lemon slices for a minute or two on each side until browned. 
Add the cooked lemon and halloumi to the asparagus, and sprinkle on the mint and red pepper flakes. 
Squeeze the remaining half a lemon over the top just before serving. 

Polish Casserole

This is one of those easy peasy recipes that is totally scrumptious.. It has all the flavor of a traditional Reuben sandwich, with the sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, but the kielbasa replaces the corned beef. 
4 C uncooked penne or farfalle pasta
1-1/2 lbs kielbasa, cut into half inch slices
2 cans condensed mushroom soup
16 oz sauerkraut 
3 C (12 oz) Swiss cheese, divided (or a combination of Swiss and Cheddar)
1-1/2 C milk
5 spring onions
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
5 cloves garlic, crushed
Serve with rye bread and butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the pasta, drain and put in a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, reerving 1 C of the cheese.
Divide between to two small baking dishes, or one large dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for about 45 minutes until hot and bubbly. 

Rhubarb and Blueberry Crumble

This is a delicious dessert by Lorraine Pascale. I recently bought her book, "Baking Made Easy", and there are so many beautiful recipes, it's hard to know where to start! But this one is definitely a keeper. I adapted it as I had bags and bags of frozen rhubarb in the freezer.

4 C frozen rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces, thawed
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C orange juice
1 inch ginger root, grated with microplane
1-1/2 C blueberries
Zest of one lemon

Crumble
1-3/4 C flour
Pinch salt
Pinch cinnamon
4 oz cold butter, cubed
1/3 C sugar

Preparing the frozen rhubarb:
Put the thawed rhubarb into a casserole dish, and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Stir in the grated ginger and add the orange juice and gently stir. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, and then set aside to cool while you make the crumble topping.

Crumble Topping:
Put the flour, cinnamon, salt, and chopped butter into a food processor and blitz in spirts until you have a breadcrumb like mixture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the blueberries in the bottom of a large Pyrex dish. Carefully spoon the rhubarb mixture over the top of the blueberries using a slotted spoon so that you don't use all the rhubarb liquid.
Spoon the crumble topping over the top, and bake for about 40 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice-cream or some proper British custard! This dessert looks wonderful as the blueberries mix with the rhubarb to create wonderful swirls of pink and purple.

Spanish Chicken

This is my absolute favorite go-to chicken dinner. It's quick and easy to make and looks fabulous when you bring it to the table. What would I do without Nigella? She's the best!

4 Tbsp olive oil
8 chicken thighs (with skin)
6 full-sized chorizo, cut into small chunks
3 large potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
2 red onions, peeled, and chopped roughly
1 to 2 tsp oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Sprinkle the bottom of two large Pyrex casserole dishes with some olive oil. Put four chicken thighs into each casserole and drizzle with olive oil. Divide the cubed potatoes, chopped onion and chopped chorizo between the dishes. Season with sea salt, pepper and oregano. 
Bake for 30 minutes and then switch the casseroles so that the bottom one is now on the top rack. Spoon the juices over the chicken and cook for another 30 minutes. 
This dish is lovely served with a green salad or a nice big bowl of green beans. 

Bishop's Fingers

In my quest for the perfect shortbread, I am avidly baking many different recipes from my British cook book collection! I'll be busy for quite a while, that's for sure.
To date, this is my favorite, partly because almond is one of my go-to dessert flavors. Just heavenly!

Shortbread

I've been obsessed with shortbread for the past few weeks, so I've been experimenting with different recipes. This one is by Lorraine Pascale who is just totally adorable, and has a lovely way with baking!

1 1/4 sticks butter, softened
 

1/4 C sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
 
1/2 cup flour
 
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp cake flour 

2 1/2 oz rice flour  

pinch of salt 
8 inch loose-bottomed cake pan 
Cream together the butter and the sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. 

Add the regular, cake, and rice flour and salt, and stir well until the mixture is smooth. 
 Roll the mixture together, and then press into the pan, flattening it out with the back of an offset spatula. 
Crimp the edges and then gently score the top into 8 slices. 
Prick each triangle with a fork, and chill in the fridge for about half an hour. 
Preheat the oven to 325° F. 
Bake the shortbread for about 30 minutes or so until it is a nice light golden color, then remove from the oven and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top. 
After letting it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, carefully allow the shortbread to come to room temperature on a cooling rack before cutting it into 8 slices. 
Once cold, cut into 8 pieces and serve. Delicious!