Leek fondue, bacon & eggs bagels

I did this meal last weekend simply based on the fact that I wanted to cook something quick BUT, more importantly, doing a cross between comfort food and a cure for my hangover. For this reason, I would like to blame Matt and Caz and their house warming! Well, I don't blame them as in the end this meal was ace (and the party too of course!!!)!  

The party at Matt and Caz was truly great! Home-made pizzas made from scratch (and thanks a lot for taking my allergies into consideration guys!), garlic bread Matt's style who made the dough himself and Caz oh Caz!!!!!!!!!!! Your cakes!!!!! I still think about them!    
 

So, I don't know if it's the same for you but I noticed that the best way to cure a hangover is to eat, well, let's say it: something GREASSY! I know most our GPs will say it's bad for you blah-blah-blah and yes it is! But let's face it, when you need to choose between eating something unhealthy once in a while or being hungover for the day (sometimes more, but that's another story...) I go for the first option! No doubt!  

Taking that into consideration, I decided that I needed to "incorporate" some form of veg into it (mainly to shut up that little voice saying: Bad Sophie! Bad!) And went for the leek fondue, which was a smart move! Therefore, be ready for this!
 

Ingredients:
- 2 bagels
- 3 small leeks 
- 3 eggs 
- 4 slices of bacon   
- 10cl double cream 
- Butter   
- 1 shopped shallot
 

Method: In a pot on low heat, melt some butter. Add the shallot and the finely chopped leeks. Put the lid on and cook for about 20 mins. The idea is to make the leeks "sweat". Don’t forget to stir on a regular basis.

During that time, you can toast the bagels. Personally I prefer to let them cool down before spreading butter on them.  Fry your bacon in a pan, until crispy. Keep the pan and leave the bacon in the oven on low heat.
 

Beat the eggs with a tiny bit of milk (makes them more creamy) and a bit of grated cheese if you have any. Season to taste and, by using the same pan as the bacon one; start to scramble your eggs. The reason why I kept the same pan is because, like that, my eggs will take a bit of the bacon's flavour. Keep it in the oven.   

By now, your leeks should be all melted. Add the double cream and leave to thicken. Stir. 
   

   
 On one side of the bagel, put half the scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon and cover with some leek fondue. Top up with the other half of the bagel and enjoy while it's hot!     


 Ta-Dah!  

 

 

Lamb Stew

Apologies for the absence of recipes over the past two weeks, I’ve been super busy.

I went to France for work for a few days, which also gave me the opportunity to bring back Biloute (my cat) with me in our Cheshire house.

When I travelled back to the UK a few weeks ago, Biloute has been stopped at the Customs, as there were some problems with his passport. Lots of tears that day! But he spent the following three weeks at my parents were my mum treated him like a KING!

So anyway, Biloute is now a « British » Citizen and he seems to enjoy it, well except when I leave the house to go to work. He doesn’t like that part of the day! So the morning and evening cuddles in bed are back, the begging for tuna or milk when I open the fridge is in full swing and that’s probably why I love that little dude!

We went out for a meal with some friends on Friday night, it was brilliant to see the gang again! I didn’t see some of them for a year so it was a night of catching up, good food, a few bottles of wine and Armagnac… There is still a few friends that I haven’t seen since I’ve been back to the UK but fingers crossed it will be soon!

If you are in Cheshire, check out this pub: The Yew Tree Inn in Bunbury. Great food, lovely place and they also are in the Good food guide 2013: Always a good sign!

So the following recipe is what I made yesterday for Sunday lunch, a lamb stew, my way! Get ready:

   

Ingredients

·      1 kg of lamb, diced

·      2 leeks, finely chopped

·      3 tbsp of olive oil

·      2 tbsp of flour

·      35cl of stock (cold)

·      15cl of white wine

·      5 carrots

·      120gr button mushrooms

·      Butter

·      Double cream

·      Salt and Pepper

Method

Heat a casserole (one like Le Creuset always does a good job) with the olive oil. Cook the diced lamb on each side. Add the leeks and cook for a few minutes until they are slightly golden. Dust the lamb with the flour. Stir.

Pour the stock and white wine in the casserole, season to taste and put the lid on. Cook on slow heat for about 40min. Don’t forget to stir every once in a while.

While it’s cooking, peel the carrots and cut them in sticks of the same size.

After 40 minutes, add the carrots and mushrooms (whole), stir and leave it to cook for another 40 minutes.

When it’s ready to be served, add a knob of butter and a splash of double cream, stir and springle some parsley before serving with white rice.

Note: You can actually leave this dish cooking for hours on slow heat, it will be tastier and you don’t really have to worry about cooking times!

Ta-Dah!