Garden - Broad Beans

I told you I would bother you with my veg patch and here I come again!!

This time introducing the broad beans!

I very much like broad beans, I find them sweet, tasty and convenient. During summer time, I sometimes make a bulgur salad to go with the barbecue. And all I’ve got to do is throw a handful of frozen beans when the bulgur is still hot and ta-dah!

I started to grow the broad beans from seeds in the conservatory. Once they looked strong enough, I planted them in the veg patch.

Closely next to each plant, I added a stick. Go for strong ones, as the weight of the broad beans when fully grown can be heavy. On a regular basis, I added strings around to support them.

I then had my first harvest last week!

The best way to keep them (unless you wish to eat broad beans non stop for a week) is to take the pods from the shells and put in a salad bowl. Pour boiling water on top and leave for 20 mins.

Drain and put some kitchen roll at the bottom of the salad bowl. Put the broad beans back in the bowl and top up with more kitchen roll. Leave it to dry for a few hours.

Put a kitchen cloth on a tray and “spray” the broad beans on it. Make sure there is enough room between each pod. Put in the freezer for an hour or two.

 

All you have to do now is put the frozen been in a bag and it will be ready to use whenever you want!

Ta-dah!

Garden - Strawberries

This year, like every year, I’m growing some vegs and herbs. Except this year, it’s a success!!!!!

Every time it’s the same story, the plants will be eaten over night by an army of bugs and birds, what’s left will die, all alone while we are on holiday.

But every year, I decide to try again, convincing myself it will be different. And this year it is!

Few months ago (I didn’t take any pictures back then as I thought it would be another unsuccessful season) I started to seed some broad beans and courgettes and kept them warm in the conservatory (the green house is full of boxes unrelated to gardening…). 

From there, I did some trading with my friends Kelly & Pete: I gave them some of my plants and they gave me some tomato plants. And that’s how it all started!!

Strawberry

I bought some strawberry plants and as soon as I got home, I wrapped the roots in newspaper and planted them on a sunny spot.

The reason why I used the newspaper is because it will quickly turn into compost but before that, will keep the plant warm at night and moist longer.

I then covered the ground with softwood chips. This, once again, keep the plant warm and moist. But it ALSO keeps the slugs at bay!!

Sophie 1-0 slug

Then, a few weeks ago, after a lot of love and care for my strawberries, they started to turn red! I was as excited as a kid on Xmas day! But, I wasn’t the only one to notice the change: The birds too!

Sophie 0-1 birds

After I discovered a half eaten strawberry in the middle of the garden when I came back from work (And Mister Lapin strongly denying being involved) I decided to fight back! …With a net! Your garden doesn’t look pretty with a net in the middle but at least it works!

Sophie 1-0 birds

We eventually managed to harvest them and enjoy them! I think it was the best strawberries I ever had! They were picked on a warm day and they were sooooooo sweet and full of flavour…

Sophie 999999999 – 0 Nasty birds & bugs

Ta-dah!

Eton Mess

What to do with strawberries...

We've harvested a big bowl of strawberries last weekend from the garden. I’m actually so excited about it that I will have to dedicate a post to my lovely veg patch!!!!

So anyway, the sun was out, as well as the BBQ, and I thought « We need the prefect treat for a day like that! »

Now if you know me well, you will know that my perfect meal usually include homemade burger and… Eton Mess! I love the freshness of the strawberries, the sweetness of the meringue and the creaminess of the… cream! 

Here is my recipe the way I love it!

Ingredients

·      500gr strawberries

·      450ml double cream

·      200ml Greek yogurt

·      3tbsp caster sugar

·      6 meringue nest (unless you have time to do it yourself)

·      ½ vanilla pod

Method

Wash the strawberries, hull them and slice them (depending of the size) Put in a bowl and cover with caster sugar. Store in the fridge.

* The reason I do that is because the sugar is going to melt in the strawberry juice, creating a coulis.

Wisk the double cream and store in the fridge for an hour.

Slowly Mix the strawberries and sugar. Add the vanilla seeds. Add the yogurt and wiped cream. Toss everything together slowly to create… a mess! Store in the fridge with cling film.

When ready to serve, add the crushed meringue to the mixture and enjoy!

Ta-dah!

Dips for flatbreads

Following my post a few days ago, here are a few dips ideas who goes well with the flatbreads. You can prepare them in advance, keep them in the fridge until you're ready!

Yogurt & Mint dip

Ingredients:

·      250gr of greek yogurt

·      1 big bunch of mint leaves

Method

Wash the mint and finlly chop the mint. This will take a few minutes.

In a bowl, pour the yogurt and add the mint.

Keep in the fridge as long as possible as the cool min twill be a treat with the warm flatbread.

Spinach & Walnut dip

Ingredients:

·      2 handsfull of spinach leaves

·      1 small handfull of walnuts

·      200gr  + 100gr of soft cheese

Method

Wash the spinach and roughly chop the leaves. With a large kniffe, squash the walnuts on a chopping board.

In a bowl, add in the following order: 200gr of soft cheese, spinach, walnuts and salt and pepper.

With a hand blender, mix everything for a few mintues. Your préparation will be quiet liquid. Add the 100gr of sft cheese left and, with a fork, slowly wisk until the mixture is a bit more solid.

Keep in the fridge and enjoy with flatbreads.

Ta-Dah!

Flatbread on BBQ

Something I absolutely love about the summer season (apart from the weather of course!) is BBQ time! I think this is my favourite cooking style. It’s full of surprises, flavours, you never know if it’s going to go wrong, you can basically put ANYTHING on it and everything is just so relaxed.

Which mean, with Mister Lapin, we are spending every weekend in the garden, eating! You prepare the BBQ (charcoal only please), have a drink while chatting or Reading, eat a bit, have a nap in the grass, eat a bit more… just relax and enjoy life!

This recipe is one of my big BBQ classics. It’s dead easy to do and very useful. I do it a lot as well when we are at my sister’s farm. Usually we leave for the day to go BBQing (and fishing) by the river. I prepare that in the morning and we enjoy it with the aperitif.

Ingredients:

·      600g self-raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting

·      1 tablespoon sea salt

·      1 tablespoon baking powder

·      5 tablespoon olive oil

·      150 ml water

·      1 egg

·      2 teaspoon dried herbs

Method

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and herbs in a large bowl, using a fork or your hands. Make a well in the centre, and then pour in the olive oil, the egg and about 150ml of lukewarm water.

With your hands, gradually bring in the flour from the edge of the bowl, and add another splash of water if you think it's too dry. Once it starts to combine, wet your hands and use them to really bring it all together until you have a nice ball of dough.

Dust your hands and a clean work surface with flour and knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes. Pop the dough back into the bowl; dust it with a bit more flour, then cover and leave to relax.

Divide your dough into 10 equal-sized balls, then lightly oil your hands and squeeze each ball between your palms to flatten them slightly. Dust with a little flour as you go, and pat and slap the dough from the palm of one hand to the top of the other. Turn and twist the dough about in a circular movement as you go and keep slapping from hand to hand – each flatbread should be about 1cm thick.

As your flatbreads get ready, put them on the barbecue. Within a few minutes, they will start to get puffy on top and golden under. Return them and keep them warm under a towel. They always taste better when warm!

Ta-Dah!

A TA-DAH In America - Part 2

I’ve been to so many places that it will be impossible for me to tell you about all of them but here are my favorites:

You cannot go to America without having a proper burger! And there is a place for that called Cherry Cricket. The Patty and the bun are very tasty but the great part is the fact you can express your creativity and satisfy your pallet buds with very good quality ingredients by choosing exactly what you want in your burger!

As crazy as it sounds, I went for: Swiss cheese, bacon, guacamole and peanuts butter! If you are very hungry or hangover, I recommend to add a fried egg…

They also have a very nice selection of beers and appetizers (try the Mac & cheese wedges).

For the best milkshake in Denver, pay a visit to 
H Burger.  All I can say is: go for the adult version of the strawberry milkshake! You will not be disappointed as they know what they are doing (they use liquid nitrogen)!

Have it with a Buffalo burger and « everything fries » (chips Topped with Cheddar, Pepper Jack, bacon bits, scallions, jalapeños; served with Sriracha-ranch sauce).

Colorado has a strong Mexican influence on food and… drink! You cannot go to Denver without drinking a margarita! The best one I had was at Rio Grande. However, they will not serve you more than 3 glasses. At the same time, if you’ve managed to drink that many…

The food scene is very cosmopolitan and there are a few Japanese restaurants that deserve a visit.

The first one is DOMO. The setting is very traditional and you will spend as much time looking at your plate than the traditional masks and other on the walls. Be aware that if you ask for soy sauce or any seasoning, you will be asked to leave. At Domo, you’re a not allowed to disagree with the chef. The sushis are truly amazing!

For more Japanese food and entertainment, go to Fujiyama where you will have great fun seeing the chef cooking in front of you. Ask fried egg rice!

If you enjoy seafood and hate cutlery, the 
Yabby Hut will be heaven! You order a pound of seafood (blue crab, lobster, crayfish… your choice), a seasoning and 20 minutes later, somebody will bring you a plastic bag with what you’ve ordered Inside. From there, it gets very tricky: you need to dump the content of your bag right on the table (no plates allowed) and eat with your fingers! All you have to do is a pile of the shells in the middle of the table!

For a « cleaner » version, go to Jax on 17th. Try that place for happy hours. You can eat a dozen of oysters (from the east coast) and infused vodkas without breaking the bank! They open the oysters in front of you so you can enjoy your drink during that time.

Of course going to America means you must go to a Diner to experience what breakfast means. The right place to go is the 
« breakfast King ». The ladies working there are absolutely lovely; making sure your cup of coffee is always full. I recommend the pancakes with fried bacon, butter and syrup! And if you have never heard of that, order « Biscuits and gravy »…

A great place to go with your friends is Canvas and Cocktails. The idea is to paint and drink! Somebody will run the class and help you out while somebody else will pour you wine. The best way to express your creativity always appears after a few glasses of pinot grigio!

America is very well known for the quality of their meat and please, do try to go to a steak house to experience it first hand. Morton’s on Wynkoop Street is the place to go I think. Your steak will always be cooked to perfection and they source the meat very carefully. I had a few meals there and I’ve never been disappointed. 

Because we are all a bit geeky (do not deny it…), make sure you finish your night out with friends at the 1Up. A great bar with lots of old arcade games! Play packman with your friends or Mario Bros!

For another meaty dinner (sorry for the vegetarians) go to The Fort. Apparently the view is great over there but I can’t guarantee it, as it was full blizzard when I went! If you are a fan of Julie Child too, try The Fort’s game plate: South Texas Antelope medallions, Buffalo sirloin medallion, and a grilled teriyaki Quail. Served with Chef's vegetables, Fort potatoes and wild Montana huckleberries.

But more importantly, try the Rocky Mountains oysters for your appetizer! I’m not telling you more; you will have to discover it yourself!

One last place to go is the Olde Towne Tavern in Littleton. It’s a great local or, are they call it there, a dive bar. The staff is absolutely lovely and all of them will have a chat with you when you sit at the bar. Say hi to Bob for me!

So, if one day you go to Denver, make sure you pay a visit to those places. 

You will not be disappointed!

Ta-Dah!!!!!