A Pitcher of Summer Pimm's

Summer Pimm's is a very big English tradition for having at any BBQ or in the back garden of a pub in the summer time. Made in England, Pimm's has a unique spiced taste to it but by adding in a mixture of limes, strawberries, mint and, yes, even cucumber this drink heightens all senses and is perfectly refreshing on a hot day. I purchased my Pimm's at a larger liquor store as it's not a common liquor to find in an average American grocery store. I would say you get a bottle of it for about $20US. Also you can use really any sort of fruit combination but it is essential to have the mint and the cucumber. Enjoy this with a group of friends at your next get together.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Pimm's No.1 (more if you are a feeling a little cheeky)

3 cups ice

2 cans lemon lime soda (Schwepp's Lemonade is my favorite but it's only in the UK)

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

2 orange slices, cut up

1/2 lime cut up, diced

2 inches of a cucumber, sliced

4-5 strawberries, hulled and chopped

*You can also add diced apples and/or lemon slices as well.

Directions:

Put ice in a large pitcher. Add Pimm's.

Add diced up fruits and mint.

Using a wooden spoon you can mash down fruits and dent the mint to release juices.

Add lemon-lime soda and gently mix.

Serve chilled in a tall glass topped with lovely lime and enjoy!

Wonky Summer Pasta

I got this recipe from Jamie Oliver's 30-Minute Meals cookbook. It was totally different from anything I had ever made or eaten before in regards to a pasta dish. Adding cooked pasta to raw ingredients and in the end you have a lovely lemony, cheesey coating. It has a lovely lemony zing and basil bite which is so perfect for summertime. Now if you don't care much for lemon you may not like this dish, but I do think it is what makes the it so lovely. So if you want to tone it down a bit you could cut the amount of lemon in half or a little less to just give it a slight hint of the lemon because it's a must try dish. Most importantly the real key to this dish is eating it immediately after the pasta is mixed with the egg/cheese mixture to be enjoyed properly.

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks

125 g (1 1/4 cups) freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (can use pre-grated but works better with fresh)

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

zest and juice from 2 lemons

a small bunch of fresh basil

500 g / 1 lb of wide noodle pasta (fettechini - wide egg noodles)

Method:

Heat water in large pot and cook pasta according to package recommendations and add a good pinch of salt.

While pasta and cooking prepare the egg/cheese mixture. Carefully separate 2 eggs and put the yolks in a large pasta serving bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the grated parmesan cheese along with lemon zest and juice.

Now take your small bunch of basil. Reserve some of the small leaves for later, but split the rest of your basil into 2 halves. Pound one half in a pestle and mortar until you have a green paste, and roughly chop the other half.

Add both green paste and chopped basil into the bowl. Stir until everything is mixed together, then season with salt and pepper.

When pasta is cooked, use tongs to move it from the pot into the egg mixture. If this is too tricky, go ahead and drain the pasta but save the water.

Toss the pasta and add cooking water into the mixture until you achieve the silky level you want (usually about 2-3 tablespoons). Have a quick taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper or parmesan to balance the lemon juice. Sprinkle with the reserved basil leaves and eat right away.

Bacon Greens Salad

I started out making out trying to make Jamie Oliver's Herby Salad but had a very difficult time finding all my "herbs" for it in my small town grocery store so on the fly I modified it to this lovely salad. Essentially it's very much like the Warm Rocket Salad, but the dressing is different a bit tangier. Obviously anything with bacon and balsamic vinegar has to be good on greens.

Ingredients:

8 rashers (strips) of pancetta or streaky bacon

1 clove garlic, minced

handful of pine nuts

1 package prewashed rocket/arugula (100g)

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon

Method:

Make dressing:

Mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper, and juice from half the lemon in a small jug. Set on table until ready to eat.

Dice up bacon/pancetta and fry on a medium heat. Add in garlic and pine nuts. Fry until bacon is crispy and pine nuts are toasted. Pour on to paper towels to soak up extra grease.

Put greens into shallow serving bowl or individual salad bowls. Sprinkle bacon/pine nuts over the top of the greens. Bring to the table and dress with the vinaigrette just before eating.

Bacon Braised Cabbage

Feeling a itch to eat some British comfort food, I dug into my Jamie Oliver cookbooks and found this simple savory recipe. I think you could make this for a warm side during the winter and along with some of those grilled favorites in the summer time. Obviously anything with bacon in it has to be good in my opinion, but it's a great way to dress up a green veggie and new way I found to use cabbage.

Ingredients:

1 head savoy, green or spring cabbage

2 cloves garlic

6 rashers or slices of smoked streaky bacon

olive oil

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 knobs of butter (about 2 Tbsp)

2 chicken or vegetable stock cube + 285ml (10 oz) boiling water

salt and pepper

Method:

Strip all the leaves off 1 head of savoy, green or spring cabbage and wash them.

Roll up the leaves together, like a cigar, and slice finely.

Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic (or you can cheat like me and use a garlic press.)

Slice up 6 rashers of bacon. Place the bacon in a large fry pan on a medium heat with a lug of olive oil and stir around for a few minutes until perfectly crispy and golden.

Stir in the garlic and as it begins to color add 2 Tbsp of worcestershire sauce, 2 knobs of butter and all of your finely sliced cabbage.

Stir well, give the pan a shake and turn the heat to high. Drop 1 chicken or veggie stock cube in 285 ml (10 oz) of boiling water; pour this stock into the pan and give it all a good stir.

Place the lid on top and cook for 5 minutes; then remove the lid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Drizzle it with a lug of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) just before serving.

Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Bangers and mash is one of the greatest English comfort foods made of pork or beef sausages piled on top of mashed potatoes and lathered with an onion gravy. The term "bangers" actually comes from the days of WWII when type of sausages the soldiers made up would often explode if cooked over high heat. This "pub grub" is traditionally made with English Cumberland sausage, but I use regular pork sausages - whatever you fancy or is available. I would say that what really makes this dish is the onion gravy. The acidity of the Balsamic vinegar gives it a wonderful tangy flavor and the sweetness of the caramelized red onions is a classic combination. A friend of mine made Jamie Oliver's signature bangers and mash recipe for me, so this is his recipe but I use my own creamy mashed potatoes and add in the horseradish. If you can't get the fresh herbs you can sprinkle on some of the dried ones from your jars.

Ingredients:

Bangers (Sausages):

2 long, curled Cumberland sausages (or 8 pork sausages)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

a bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked

olive oil

a bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

Mash: (or double my Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe)

2 kg/4 1/2 lbs potatoes

sea salt & fresh pepper

300 ml/1 cup milk

115 g/ 1/2 cup butter

4 Tbsp fresh horseradish

Onion gravy:

4 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced

5 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

2 beef or chicken stock cubes

Method:

Bangers:

Preheat oven to 200C / 400 F.

Secure sausages together with skewers. Push garlic and sage leaves between sausage links. Place them on an oiled baking tray, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary.

Cook in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Mash:

While sausages are cooking, make the mashed potatoes. (This recipe is regular mash, but I like to make my normal creamy mashed potatoes and add in the horseradish.) Mash the potatoes until smooth - add milk, butter 70g (6 Tbsp), and horseradish. Season well to taste and keep warm.

Onion Gravy:

Fry onions - really slowly - in a little oil, covered for about 15 minutes until onions are soft. Remove the lid, turn heat up, and as soon as the onions become golden brown, pour in the vinegar and boil it until it almost disappears.

Turn the heat down again, and add the rest of the butter 45 g (2 Tbsp), crumble stock cubes,

and add 1 pint (2 cups) water and stir well. Let this simmer until you have a nice gravy.

To serve:

Dollop some potatoes on the plate and make small well. Discard skewers in sausages and place two on top of the mash. Spoon over the onion gravy.

Fish Pie

British food is some of the best comfort food with it's basic ingredients all thrown together. I absolutely love fish pie and even though there are loads of recipes this is one that I quite enjoy. I usually by a fish pie blended mix of fish pieces as it is available in most grocery stores in the UK but the recipe outlines the different kinds of fish you can use.

Ingredients:

50 g (2 oz) butter (4 Tbsp)

50 g (2 oz) flour (1/2 cup)

568 ml (1 pint) fresh milk (2 cups)

450 g (1 lb) smoked haddock

225 g (8 oz) white fish and salmon

50 g (2 oz) prawns (1/4 cup shrimp)

198 g (7 oz) canned sweet corn, drained (1 1/2 cups)

100 g (4 oz) frozen peas (1 1/2 cups)

2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped

15 ml (1 Tbsp) chopped parsley

575 g (1 lb) potatoes made into mashed potatoes

50 g Red Leicester or cheddar cheese (1 cup)

Method:

Place butter, flour and milk in saucepan.

Heat, whisking continuously until sauce thickens, boils and is smooth. Cook for a minute.

Add fish, peas, sweetcorn, egg, and parsley. Cook for 2-5 minutes.

Pour into a large baking dish or smaller personal pie dishes.

Spoon warm mashed potatoes onto the fish mixture.

Sprinkle cheese over the potatoes and place in oven at 350 F/ 180C for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and pie are piping hot.

***Note: I often like to add about 1/2 tsp garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste in the fish/veg mixture before putting it in the pans.

Cider-braised Pork with Cream and Mushrooms

Another great pork dish utilizing a British favorite - cider (the alcoholic kind)! I really like this recipe because it's fairly fast to make and the end sauce you make to pour over the chops is absolutely amazing and full of great flavor.

Ingredients:

12 fl oz (340 ml) dry cider

4 large thick pork chops

2 Tbsp double cream (heavy whipping cream)

8 oz ( 225g) small chestnut mushrooms, sliced

2 oz butter

1 Tbsp flavorless oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Method:

Season pork chops with salt and pepper, then heat butter and oil in frying pan until foaming and sizzling. Brown chops on both sides to nice golden color. Remove to a plate and keep on on side.

Now add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan and cook together for about 5 minutes.

Then move mushroom mixture over to side of pan and return chops. Sprinkle them with herbs, then spoon mushroom and onion mixture over the top of them.

Pour in cider and turn heat down to lowest and simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Then remove chops, mushrooms and onions to a plate and keep warm.

Turn up heat under the pan and simmer the sauce briskly with lid off for 8 minutes.

Now stir in cream, let bubble and reduce slightly. Taste and check seasoning. Serve the chops with mushrooms/onions and the sauce poured over the top.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

This has to be my most favorite English puddings. I eat it at every restaurant or pub that we dine at and had to make one myself. I don't have a "proper" pudding basin yet so I bake them in bread pans and it worked out well and tasted absolutely amazing. I got the recipe from James Martin's The Collection recipe book.

Ingredients:

85 g (3 oz) butter, softened

25 g (1 oz) plain flour

175 g (1 cup) dark brown demerara sugar (course grained brown sugar)

200 g (7 oz) pitted dried dates

300 ml (10 fl oz) water

1 Tbsp golden syrup

2 Tbsp black treacle

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

200g (7oz) self-raising flour

1 Tbsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 C/400 F. Take 25 g (1 oz) of the soft butter and butter the mould(s) (I used bread pans). Scatter the plain flour over the buttered inside to coat it thoroughly. Discard any excess flour.

Using a food mixer with a bowl and a whisk attachment, blend the remaining butter and demerara sugar. While mixing, bring the dates and water to a boil in a small pan. Add the golden syrup, treacle, eggs and vanilla essence to the butter mixture and carry on mixing. Then slowly add the self-raising flour on a slow setting. Once mixed together stop mixing.

Puree the water and date mixture in a blender, add the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and quickly stir this.

While hot, into the egg and butter mixture. Once combined, pour into mould(s) and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top of the pudding is just firm to the touch.

Remove the pudding(s) from the mould(s) and place on a plate with lots of toffee sauce on top. Serve with warmed custard or cold vanilla ice cream.

Toffee Sauce

Ingredients:

40 g butter (1.4 oz)

300ml (1/2 pint) double cream (or heavy whipping cream)

40 g (1.4 oz) dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp golden syrup

2 Tbsp black treacle

Method:

Put all ingredients into a pan and bring to a boil. Keep warm and serve poured over sticky toffee pudding.

***Note: This recipe calls for you to use one 13 cm (5 in) pudding basin or 2-3 small 7.5 cm (3in) metal pudding basins. If you don't have pudding basins, you could use bread pans or round oven proof bowls. The final pudding will raise to about double the amount of dough mixture you put in the moulds, so pour enough dough into each mould accordingly.