cottage cheese recipes: April 2011

Tea Time Scones

In honor of the Royal Wedding tomorrow
I'm making scones.
We can enjoy these with tea while we watch a bit of the festivities.

This is my favorite scone recipe because it's so easy.

They take just a few minutes to prepare.

Combine the dry ingredients.

Stir in the cream.

Knead a bit.

Flatten into a circle and cut out into circles or wedges.

Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and a sprinkle of sugar.

Bake until golden at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm with raspberry jam and butter, whipped cream or clotted cream.

CHEERIO!

Tea Time Scones

2 C flour

1/4 C sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

Mix well then stir in

1-1/4 C heavy cream

(1/2 C currants or dried cranberries, optional)

Knead on a floured surface 6-8 times.

Pat out into a circle. Score and cut, or cut into circles.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops with 2 T melted butter

and a sprinkle, about 1 T sugar.

Bake until golden at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm with jam, butter, whipped cream or clotted cream.

Enjoy!

Links: My Romantic Home

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How to Cook an Artichoke

We love artichokes and when they are in season we have them often.

There's really nothing to cooking an artichoke,

but some of you may not realize how easy it is.

Rinse the artichokes under cold water.

Trim off the stem.

Put in a pot with about 1" of well salted cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat

and low boil covered for about 45-60 minutes, depending on their size.

They are done when you can easily pull off a leaf. Drain.

Serve with melted garlic lemon butter.

In each cup put 2 T butter, 1/2 t garlic salt and 1 t lemon juice.

Melt in the microwave.

Serve with the artichoke.

To eat, pull of a leaf and dip the end into the butter.

Pull the meaty part between your teeth, scraping off the good stuff.

When you get to the center, take your knife and cut around the base of the leaves.

Lift off the choke.

This is the heart and bottom of the artichoke.

It's well worth getting to.

This is the choke. Discard this part.

Cut up the bottom, season with a bit more garlic salt if you like

and dip into the butter.

YUM! YUM!

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Rethinking Breakfast TWO: The Breakfast Hot Pot!

This one is an easy-peezy breakfast in a pinch and it's full of nutrition to boot. Taking cue from an Asian style breakfast, I present to you the BREAKFAST HOT POT!

All you need is, well... a pot

Broth (beef, chicken, vegetable, miso...)

Miscellaneous veggies (carrots, spinach, zucchini....)

Eggs

and whatever seasonings you like

Put everything together in the pot

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Oma's Bean Soup a.k.a Bohnensuppe

Save your leftover ham bone and add it to a soup pot with water. Throw in some beans, cut up vegetables and seasonings and you'll have yourself one satisfying bowl of soup.

My Mother made the best bean soup. She never measured, so I'm going to help you out with that

by about guess-measuring today while I make my soup.

Add your leftover ham bone, with bits of ham still attached, to a soup pot.

You'll need about 2 C of dried beans, about one 16oz. bag kidney beans.

Add to the pot.

Add about 10-12 C of water.

Bring to a boil. Cover and boil while you chop the vegetables.

Add about; 1 onion, cut-up, 2 garlic cloves, 1T salt (less if your ham is salty),

1t pepper, 1t thyme.

Roughly chop about 3 carrots, 3 stalks of celery including the leaves,and 1/2 tomato.

Add to the pot.

Add about 3 peeled potatoes, cubed.

Stir and bring to a simmer.

Cover and let simmer for about 2-3 hours until the beans are tender.

Add the 1/8 t nutmeg. Now you can thicken it slightly with a roux.

Melt about 2T shortening or butter in a small skillet.

Stir in about 1/4 C flour.

Stir constantly and cook until it's the color of coffee with cream,

about 2 minutes.

Ladle a little of the hot soup broth into the skillet,

then return all of this to the soup pot.

Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened.

Check for seasoning and add a few dashes of Maggi.

Serve with a little Maggi on the side to season to taste.

You can find Maggi seasoning in the condiment section of your grocery store.

Good for lots of things.

This is the soup without being thickened with the roux.

It's good that way too.

This is the thickened soup.

You can serve this the authentic German way with potato pancakes,

or just a good bread. Try my Sour Cream Dill Bread.

I hope you enjoy this and never throw out bones again!

Guten Appetit!

Links: Savvy Southern Style, Type A

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Cod & Chorizo with Orzo Pasta

Cod & Chorizo with Orzo

A tasty and very easy dish to make! Cod & Chorizo, what a beautiful combination...

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10-30 minutes
Ingredients

200g/7oz orzo pasta

225g/8oz cod fillet, skinless & boneless

Freshly ground salt & pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

200g/7oz cooking chorizo, roughly chopped

½ tsp smoked hot paprika

90g/3 ½ oz roasted red peppers (from a jar), cut into strips

3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

½ lemon, juice only

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390 F), Gas mark 6.

2. Bring a large pan of salt water to the boil and cook the orzo per packet instructions, drain and set aside.

3. Season the cod with salt & pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil and fry the cod for 1-2 minutes on each side and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes.

4. Remove the fish from the oven and flake onto a plate.

5. Heat a pan until hot and then add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the chorizo and fry for 2-3 minutes or until all the oils are released from the chorizo. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo and set aside.

6. Add the orzo and smoked paprika to the pan, stir well to coat in the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes then add the roasted peppers, cod and chorizo. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste and then stir in the lemon juice and parsley.

7. To serve, spoon onto warm serving plates.

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Sausage & Mustard Pasta

Sausage & Mustard Pasta

A tasty and very easy dish to make! Sausage & Mustard, a perfect combination...

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10-30 minutes
Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, peeled, sliced

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

200g pasta (use your favourite)

6 good quality sausages

1 small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 tbsp Dijon or English Mustard

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

a small pot of double cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Add the oil to large hot frying pan or wok and fry the onions and garlic until soft and slightly golden but not crisp.

2. Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water as per packet instructions.

3. Remove the skin from the sausages and divide the sausage meat into 1 inch pieces and add to the onions and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the parsley and then add the mustards.

5. Stir in the cream and check the seasoning, taste, and add more mustard if needed. Drain the pasta and add to the sausage and mustard. Serve on warm plates with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Cooks Tips

v You can use a variety of different mustards for this recipe & different flavoured sausages. I love to experiment with the different and unique flavoured sausages I buy from the farmers market.

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