cheese

Anglesey Eggs

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Anglesey Eggs (2)

With it being St David’s Day yesterday, I thought it only right to share a Welsh recipe today. This particular recipe is one my Nain (Nain is Welsh for grandmother for those who don’t know) used to make often.

My Nain, who lived on Anglesey, was a fantastic cook; we used to love visiting for the delicate scones, fruity bara brith and melt in the mouth Welsh cakes.

This recipe was a speciality and we used to eat it with crispy skinned baked potatoes. I didn’t have time for baked potatoes today, so we had it with crusty bread rolls instead to mop up the cheesy sauce.

Anyway, my Nain gave this recipe to my mum, who also used to make it often throughout our childhood. When I was desparate for a comforting, nostalgic meal one day I asked her for the recipe – and now I’m sharing it with you. It is tasty, cheap and easy, and I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has.

I just googled ‘Anglesey Eggs’ to see if it is a well-known dish, and it seems others do know of it. The recipes I found had potato in them though – that’s not how our family make it!

This will serve 3-4 and takes around 40 minutes to make.

Anglesey Eggs (1)

Anglesey Eggs

3 medium leeks

6 eggs

30g butter

20g plain flour

1 pint milk

80g cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1. Preheat the grill to high.

2. Slice the leeks and add them to a frying pan with 10g of the butter. Saute over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until soft.

3. Meanwhile, hard boil your eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes. Once they’re done, run them under the cold tap for a couple of minutes, then gently peel them.

4. For the sauce, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan then stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Gradually whisk in the milk, then put it back on the heat and cook, whisking all the time, until thick. Stir in most of the grated cheese, and some salt and pepper.

5. Transfer the leeks to an oven proof dish. Lay the eggs on top (keep them whole), then pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the smoked paprika, then put under the grill for 5 minutes or so until golden and boiling. Iechyd Da!

Anglesey Eggs (3)

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Baked Camenbert

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Baked Camenbert (2)

Here is a first for my blog – my husband actually put this recipe together as a birthday treat for me. It was so delicious that I had to share it with you.

If you enjoy cheese fondue then forget about all of the hassle and just have this instead. It would be a perfect treat for your Valentine’s Day meal next weekend!

The meal came from my husband asking what I wanted for my birthday dinner. We hadn’t eaten in the house for three days, so thought it would be nice to stay in, and I naturally answered his question with “cheese”.

This was a wonderful, simple treat for a birthday meal – give it a go. This will serve 2.

Baked Camenbert (1)

Baked Camenbert

2 small camenbert

4 cloves garlic

2 sprigs rosemary

1 loaf crusty bread

2 carrots

6 celery sticks

100g green 0lives

A selection of cured meats e.g. salami, chorizo

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Take the camenbert from their boxes, remove any plastic packaging and put the cheese back in the boxes. Put a sprig of rosemary in the centre of each one. Stab the unpeeled garlic cloves with a knife and place 2 each on top of the camenbert. Bake the camenbert (on a baking tray) for 10 minutes. Place the bread in the bottom of the oven to heat through.

3. Cut your carrots and celery into batons – arrange the rest of your ingredients on a board and it’s done!

Cauliflower, Pancetta and Mushroom Bake

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Cauliflower, Pancetta and Mushroom Bake (2)

Ever fancy comfort food, but not heavy carbs? Pasta is always my go-to when I want a warm, filling meal at the end of a long, cold day, but I decided to try this – a non-carb version of a macaroni cheese, to see if it could really be just as comforting.

It was!

The mixture of a rich cheese sauce with salty pancetta, earthy mushrooms and soft cauliflower really worked. You could easily make it veggie by ommitting the pancetta and swapping the parmesan, but I loved it like this. If you did want to leave the pancetta out, I’d advise using a couple of porcini mushrooms too to add the depth of flavour.

Cauliflower, for some reason, has become really popular recently as a carb replacement (e.g. cauliflower rice) and I don’t want to jump on the bandwagon, but really, in a meal like this, I can see why!

This took just less than an hour to cook, and will serve 3-4 with a side salad.

Cauliflower, Pancetta and Mushroom Bake (1)

Cauliflower, Pancetta and Mushroom Bake

1 cauliflower

1 onion

200g cubed pancetta

200g button mushrooms

20g butter

20g flour

1 pint semi-skimmed milk

150g cheddar cheese, grated

20g parmesan, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

2. Chop the cauliflower into florets and add to a pan of salted, boiling water. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until soft, then drain and leave to one side.

3. Put a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the pancetta and sizzle until starting to crisp, then add the chopped onion and halved mushrooms. Cook for around 5 minutes, then take off the heat.

4. In another saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat then stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and gradually whisk in all of the milk. Put back on the heat and cook, whisking all the time, until it thickens. Remove from the heat again, stir in the grated cheddar and season with salt and pepper.

5. Take an oven proof dish and pile in the cauliflower. Drain any liquid from the pancetta and mushroom mix, then add the mixture to the dish. Pour over the cheese sauce, sprinkle over the parmesan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden.

Cheese Scones

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Cheese Scones (3)After a few days off (I was working on Saturday, then yesterday was a lounge in front of the TV with a pizza kind of day), I’m back with a deliciously simple and savoury bake.

If you enjoyed my Courgette and Gorgonzola Muffins, then I’m sure you’ll love these. I came across this recipe in an old notebook I’ve had since I was a little girl, where I would jot down all of the recipes I cooked, either at school or at home with my mum. This recipe must have come from my mum, because I remember her cooking them lots when we were younger – the smell of them baking in the oven brought back memories of coming home from school and eating these warm with butter as a snack.

The recipe is very simple, and making the scones is very cathartic. I really enjoy rubbing together the flour and butter – your mind can wander and it’s a very peaceful process. I’m sure you’ll enjoy making them, and they are absolutely delicious – particularly fresh from the oven!

How do you pronounce scone? I’ve always said it so it rhymes with gone – do you pronounce it so it rhymes with moan?

These wil take 30 minutes to make and makes 10 scones.

Cheese Scones (1)

Cheese Scones

225g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt and black pepper

55g butter

50g grated mature cheddar cheese

150ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees

2. Weigh out the flour and pour into a bowl with the salt and pepper. Cut the butter into cubes and add this to the bowl. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the grated cheese and milk. Work the mixture together with your hands until it all comes together, then tip onto a floured surface and knead gently, then roll out until it’s approximately 2 cm thick. Use a 2 inch circular pastry cutter to cut out rounds, and place onto a greased baking tray.

4. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes until golden and risen.

Cheese Scones (2)

Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Chop with Mac ‘n’ Cheese and Sweetcorn

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I saw a recipe online recently – I don’t remember where – which featured pork chop served with mac ‘n’ cheese on the side. Whenever I make macaroni cheese, I serve it as a main dish by itself (throwing a few veggies in there too to make it a bit healthier – see here). I think this is because the way I usually make it, it takes quite a long time and so I don’t want to over complicate matters.

I’ve changed the recipe this time, and I’ve used cream rather than making a bechamel which, although not particularly good for you, is quick, easy and delicious and is surely fine every now and then as a treat.

The pork chops are coated in a delicious sweet and spicy marinade which cuts through the mac ‘n’ cheese and, taking inspiration from the USA as this dish does, I decided to serve it with sweetcorn. I would have gone for full corn on the cobs, but couldn’t find any in my supermarket – so, a tin had to do and it did the job well! Frozen sweetcorn would be fine too.

This is the final of my first series of Cheap Eats – I hope you’ve been enjoying them and welcome any feedback you have!

This will serve 2 very greedy people and will take 45 minutes to make.

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Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Chop with Mac ‘n’ Cheese and Sweetcorn

For the pork:

2 pork chops

2 tbsps runny honey

2 tsps dijon mustard

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

For the mac ‘n’ cheese:

250g macaroni

200g mature cheddar

150ml double cream

1 onion

1 small handful breadcrumbs

To serve:

300g tin of sweetcorn, cooked according to instructions

1. For the pork, mix together the honey, mustard, vinegar and oil in a bowl and drizzle over the pork chops on a plate, making sure they’re well coated. Put them in the fridge while you cook the mac ‘n’ cheese.

2. For the mac ‘n’ cheese, cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling water for 7-8 minutes. Grate the cheese and chop the onion.

3. Drain the macaroni and stir in most of the cheese, cream and onion. Season with salt and pepper, then tip into an oven proof dish. Top with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Either pop under a hot grill or bake in the oven at 200 degrees until golden and bubbling.

4. For the chops, put a griddle pan on a high heat. When hot, place the pork chops in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, then tip in any remaining marinade from the plate. Let it boil up, then remove from the heat.

5. To serve, pop the chops on plates and drizzle over the glaze from the griddle pan. Pile mac ‘n’ cheese and sweetcorn on the side. Delicious!

Beetroot and Wensleydale Tartlets

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These lovely little tartlets are like a hug in a pastry casing. They do take about an hour to make, but if you put the beetroot on to roast as soon as you get home from work they’re really not too time consuming or labour intensive.

Although they sound unhealthy, they contain plenty of fresh veg (onion, spinach, beetroot – and we had ours with a side salad) which I’m sure counterbalances the puff pastry…

The recipe below will make six tartlets, we had two each and we’ll have the left overs for lunch tomorrow. You could easily double or even triple the quantities if you wanted to make them for a dinner party.

Beetroot and Wensleydale Tartlets

2 tbsps olive oil

500g beetroot

1 large white onion

200g baby leaf spinach

75g dried cranberries

1 tsp dried thyme

300g wensleydale cheese (or any other crumbly cheese)

320g readymade puff pastry (unless you fancy making your own!)

1 egg, beaten

1. Chop the ends off the beetroot and cut each one into small cubes – about 1cm square. Put into a large ovenproof dish, drizzle with half of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes, until softened. Leave the oven on.

2. Meanwhile, chop the onion and add to a frying pan with the remaining olive oil. Soften for a couple of minutes, then add the spinach bit by bit until wilted. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the beetroot, spinach mix, cranberries, thyme and cubed wensleydale.

4. Unroll the pastry and divide into six. Place a spoonful of the mix into the centre of each square of pastry. Pull up the corners around the filling, then pinch the edges shut.

5. Brush each tartlet with beaten egg, then pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.

Parma Ham, Fig and Blue Cheese Spaghetti

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This is a sumptious treat of a dish. It’s probably not one for every night of the week, but when you need something a bit special on a Monday night it’s the perfect meal.

Figs have just come into season – make the most of them! This combination, with parma ham and blue cheese, is a classic.

I think the mix works beautifully with spaghetti, but really you could use any shape of pasta.

I used fresh spaghetti, and the meal took less than 10 minutes to make. The quantities below will serve at least four hungry people.

Parma Ham, Fig and Blue Cheese Spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

100g parma ham

4 figs

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp runny honey

500g fresh spaghetti

250g mascarpone

40g blue cheese

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil and cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions.

2. In the meantime, chop the onion and add to a saute pan with the olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then tear up the slices of parma ham into small strips and add to the pan.

3. When the parma ham has started to crisp, cut each fig into six segments and add to the pan. Add te thyme and drizzle over the honey.

4. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain all of the cooking water apart from 100ml. Put the spaghetti back in the pan it was cooked in and stir in the mascarpone. It will melt in the heat from the spaghetti.

5. Tip the parma ham and fig mix into the spaghetti pan and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

6. To serve, top each bowl of spaghetti with a crumbling of blue cheese.