I mentioned in the last update that we had not finished with Rachel Allen’s “Favourite Food at Home”, and that we were about to settle down for Chorizo and Feta Frittata. I can’t take credit for cooking the Frittata, but the other half reports “Ooh, it was dead easy!”. And the taste? Fantastic. The Frittata is obviously quite a simple dish, but the combination of Chorizo and Feta – not one I would have thought of – was excellent. The cheese was really fresh compared to the smoky sausage, and complimented each other really well. The only criticism would be Rachel’s cooking directions. An ovenproof frying-pan is specified as required, as when the bottom is browned the Frittata should be finished in the oven. We don’t have an ovenproof pan so finished it off under the grill instead. This worked perfectly.
The other half served the Frittata with Rachel Allen’s “Peas with Leeks and Bacon” from the same book. I wasn’t too sure with this – the leeks and bacon are fried off and then added to the peas and some vegetable or chicken stock. We used chicken and I’m not sure if this worked – they just didn’t taste quite right. Having said this, the other half loved them, so we’ll give Rachel the benefit of the doubt. I definitely appreciated something different being done with the peas rather than them being boiled.
The meal was all cooked last night and unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures, so I wanted to write about the Christmas hamper I am putting together for my Grandparents. Grandma and Grandad are still quite young as Grandparents go and are certainly not the stereotypical old people. Grandad used to cook in the Navy – not that he was a cook, but there was no cook assigned to his ship, so they used to take it in turns – it was in everyone’s interest that at least one of them could cook! Grandma appreciates food but has traditional British tastes.
So far, I have bought:
Cheese for Biscuits from Marks and Spencer
Belgian Chocolate Biscuits (M&S again)
Belgian Chocolate Truffles (again, M&S)
M&S Bucks Fizz
Amaretti Virginia biscuits
Lemon Curd and Orange Marmalade from York Preserves
A bottle of Lorina Old-fashioned Lemonade
Christmas Coffee from Taylors of Harrogate
Everything that is not M&S has been bought from Atkinson’s in Pocklington. This Aladdin’s cave of a deli is a hidden treat, and also supplied the basket for £9.99. The Lorina Lemonade is a personal favourite of mine, while the York Preserves jars look excellent. The last thing I can think if to put in there is decent tea – does anyone have any suggestions for teas, or any other finishing touches?
Rachel Allen's Favourite Food at Home @ Amazon
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