Home made Pea N Ham soup

Home made pea and ham soup
Cooking time around 40 mins

Ingredients

Bacon ribs or bacon joint
Mushy peas either frozen or the dried kind
2 chicken stock cubes
3 leeks
6 carrots
2 large onions
herbs if required

Peel and cut your carrots,leeks and onions

Start off by boiling the bacon ribs or the bacon joint in a pan of water,this I find better as if they are boiled in the soup the soup can get too salty from the bacon.When cooked drain well and cut up into small chunks.If you are using bacon ribs you can add them whole or cut up.

Next put a bag of frozen mushy peas into a pan with the water covering the peas by about 3 inches,add the chicken stock cubes and simmer.

When the peas are about quarter cooked add the carrots,onions and leeks.

Continue simmering until the peas are mushy,and carrots are soft.
Your soup is ready.
Great served with crusty cobs.
If you want a crispy soup save some of the leeks and add them when the soup is almost ready,as while the soup is simmering the leeks will dissolve into nothing,still adds great taste though.
You can use smoky ribs or bacon joint too,this still works well and gives the soup a smoky taste.
You can also add whatever herbs you have hanging around or your preffered ones.
should you find that you prefer your soup thicker you can add mashed potato to thicken up or the old reliable cornflower.
Please note you may use as many onions,leeks as you prefer I have only put thew amounts as a general guidline.

Written by Admin on 2007/10/19 | Permalink to this article

Sweetcorn and Bacon Fritters

This is a simple ‘snack’ or starter that only takes about 10 minutes to make.

3oz Frozen, tinned or fresh sweetcorn
1 egg seperated
3/4oz Plain flour
3 Dessertspoons of milk
2 Slices of smoked bacon finely chopped
4oz Brie, Stilton or mature Cheddar – grated crumbled or chopped according to type of cheese
1/2 Teaspooon of mixed herbs
Seasoning
Oil for cooking

Mix the flour and egg yolk in a bowl and add the bacon, cheese and milk, mixing well then season. Whisk the egg white until firm and fold into the sweetcorn mixture.

Pour into a frying opan enough oil to cover the bottom and heat until hot on a medium heat. Using a dessertspoon drop two spoons of the mixture into the oil per fritter and cook for approx 1-2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. Turn the fritters over and cook the other side, again until golden brown.

Serve whilst hot with either creme fraiche, mayonnaise or cranberry sauce.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/08/13 | Permalink to this article

Chicken & Broccolli Bake

Another delicious easy recipe that takes only 10 minutes to make and 25 minutes to bake.

2 Slices of bread ground into breadcrumbs
8 Small frozen Broccolli florets
2 Chicken breasts (diced)
1 Clove of garlic (finely sliced)
1 Chicken stock cube
Approx 1/2 pint of milk
4 oz Butter
Some plain flour
Pinch of mixed herbs
Seasoning
A little cooking oil

Place the oil in a frying pan and bring to heat. When hot add the chicken and cook until very lightly golden, take off the heat, add the herbs and put to one side.

Next, melt 1/2 of the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat and once melted take off the heat. Stir into this a little flour until you have a thick yet smooth paste. Whilst stirring add 1/2 the milk and the stock cube. Put the saucepan back on the heat and stir until the sauce thickens, adding more milk if necessary. If you are using frozen Broccolli keep the sauce quite thick as the water from the Broccolli will thin the sauce as it cooks. Once the sauce is thickened ad the garlic, chicken and Broccolli, season and mix well. Spoon the mixture into a shallow oven dish and set aside.

Melt the remainder of the butter in a saucepan and add to this the breadcrumbs cooking gently until they crispen but dont brown them. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the sauce mixture and bake in the oven at 180 degrees or baking oven of an Aga for approx 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the breadcrumbs browned.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/07/16 | Permalink to this article