Plenty: Green pancakes with lime butter

I have been waiting for the perfect time to make these for brunch. I bought the ingredients last week so that I could make them over the Midsummer long weekend. Unfortunately, I was struck down with a flu on the first day, and my cooking plans have been thwarted somewhat since. I did, however, make these green pancakes with lime butter as planned with substantial help from a friend. The trouble is, I've been sick all weekend with a flu and can't taste a thing! My co-chef/co-bruncher said they were tasty ('they taste like spinach') and that the lime butter was a taste explosion. The lime was actually all I could make out. What a waste. I'll have to make them again soon and try them properly myself. It's Ottolenghi though, so I'm sure they will be delicious! This is what they looked like. I bought red chillies instead of green ones by accident, otherwise they should be entirely green pancakes.

 

Quinoa with courgettes and onions

The third recipe from Fearnley-Whittingstall's veg book. This was also very easy to make, and relatively quick. I love slow-cooked vegetables, especially onions, which are cooked here with courgettes. I have sung the praises of quinoa before, so I'll leave that aside this time. But if you are interested, here is not only a link to the recipe of this beautiful dish, but also 10 facts about quinoa worth delving into. I should mention that I made this as a side dish to the spring onion galette, and that they worked together like bread and butter. (P.S. Vegans, just fry completely in olive oil, leave out the butter)

 

Spring onion galette

My second attempt from Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Everyday. Like the upside down onion tart, this spring onion galette is a meal that can be made very quickly and with little effort. It's the perfect season for spring onions, so it's also very timely to go for this one now. It's a very simple pleasure: spring onions, parmesan, olive oil, salt, pepper. Yes, a delicious meal is really that easy. Perfect for a summer picnic in that respect, that it's quick to make and also tastes good after it's cooled down. (P.S. If you are a non-parmesan eating vegetarian, I'd say you can easily replace the parmesan with goat's cheese or another strong cheese).

 

Upside down onion tart

This is the first recipe I tried from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It is insanely easy and quick to make, with essentially two ingredients; onion and puff pastry. I couldn't get it to look quite as beautiful as it is in the book, where the onions are organized in a beautiful circular order. How the hell do you turn onions without ruining the pattern? I've yet to learn that trick. Who care though, since it still tasted amazing. You can find the recipe here, so bookmark it for your next lazy cooking day.

 

Carrot cake

I tried a carrot cake recipe last year, but the results were slightly disappointing. Ive kept a couple more carrot cake recipes up my sleeve, and this is one of them, from Tessa Kiros' book Falling Cloudberries. Overall, it's a delicious recipe, especially with the frosting, which is heavenly and absolutely indispensible. The only problem is that it is super, super rich. It's taken two people a week to finish it. The last piece is about to go down tonight.

 

Plenty: Potato tatin

I had a busy start to the month but that hasn't deterred me from trying more new recipes (though I have fallen behind on my blog updates). It feels like I've gone through the whole book, but I'm still ploughing through Plenty. New potatoes are finally in season, so a couple of weeks ago I grasped the opportunity to try this Potato Tatin. I don't need to explain how gorgeous new potatoes are, especially in the early summer. In this recipe they are caramelized with oven-roasted tomatoes, slow-cooked onions, thyme, and goat's cheese. It's really easy to make and tastes divine. Yesterday I bought a big bag of potatoes to make it again this weekend. The perfect summer meal!

 

Queen's gingerbread

I've never made gingerbread from scratch or panforte, so this cake combines two never-have's. Admittedly, this isn't the first thing you imagine when you think gingerbread, or panforte. Still, it has the characteristics of both. In celebration of the Jubilee, Dan Lepard published this recipe for Queen's gingerbread in the Guardian last weekend, which I promptly made. Lots of firsts went into the preparation. I've never used black treacle before or candied fruit. The list of sugars (yes, plural) for this cake is regal in itself, so this cake will have to be shared. I for one can't stomach more than a very thin slice of this at a time.

I have to admit I panicked a little when I pulled this out of the oven. You really have to let this cool completely. Now, a day old, it is actually starting to taste good. Last night, when it was still slightly warm, the sweetness left a bitter taste on my tongue and made me feel a little ill. It's much better now and my friend, who took home a few slices, said that it's perfect with a cup of tea. The recipe recommends some brandy, but I'm out, and not much of a brandy drinker anyway. This is one to try if you are crazy for gingerbread. But don't eat it on the day of preparation. It remains to be seen if it gets even better with a few days.