Thanks to my OH’s work colleagues, we’ve recently been getting a lot of great home grown organic produce as gifts. Kevin Cooke gave us some lovely courgettes which, as I mentioned before, are not the OH’s favourite food. So, once again, I was faced with the challenge of glorifying this great vegetable. I created some delicious courgette, chive and cheese scones. The courgette in these scones make them deliciously moist and they’re a perfect lunch box filler. Continue Reading…
I think it’s probably safe to say that the Irish summer is well and truly over. Rain is pelting down and attacking the windows and the trees outside are being whipped of their leaves. Autumn is most definitely upon us, so this may be the last summery salad that I post for a while. I saw this salad on Rick Stein’s Spain on BBC and just had to make it. I am not generally a fan of anchovies on their own, though I like them in dressings or sauces. So, I wanted to try this salad as a way of starting to appreciate the humble anchovy. This salad really relies on the quality of ingredients, so good anchovies and free range eggs are a must. The accompanying aioli is so delicious, that, I’d nearly eat it alone with a spoon. This salad makes a great starter or tea-time snack and it definitely convinced me to eat more anchovies. Continue Reading…
Sometimes I feel like a little homemade treat, and these biscuits always hit the spot. Sable biscuits take a bit of time to make, but are definitely worth the effort. They are feather light, buttery and perfectly crisp. I use this recipe a lot and you can create so many different biscuit flavours and shapes with it. I sometimes cover sables with lemon curd and a swirl of meringue on top, sort of a miniature lemon meringue biscuit. I also used them in this recipe to create mini banoffee pies. On this occasion, I cut them in different shapes and dipped them in melted chocolate with a light sprinkling of toasted nuts and desiccated coconut. If this recipe seems like just a bit too much work, check out my friend Caitriona’s review of a small Irish company, Kooky Dough, that produce readymade cookie dough, which might just save you in a biscuit emergency. Continue Reading…
In some ways a lot of things have changed in the last twenty years and in other ways they remain the same. My love of rice pudding has always been a constant. When I was a kid I used to love rice pudding. So much so, that as soon as I had devoured every morsel of rice pudding in my bowl, I would grab the empty saucepan, bring it to the kitchen table, and scrape away every last bit. My Mum used to find it funny that I always did this. One day she surprised me by taking this photo of me mid bite at the table. You can tell by my look of surprise that I wasn’t expecting to be captured in the act! I found this picture recently and was instantly taken back on a journey in time. For a bit of fun I decided to recreate this photo just to see visibly what has changed. I also revisited this favourite dish of mine and created a more sophisticated adult version but essentially the same old rice pudding I know and love. Continue Reading…
I always thought marshmallows would be really difficult to make. Much easier to buy them surely? I don’t know exactly what possessed me to make them last week, but, you know what, I’m really glad I did. They tasted exactly like …marshmallows. They were the perfect texture and consistency, springy and chewy but slightly crumbly and crusty on the outside. And the greatest thing about making marshmallows was the actual making of them! They take a bit of time, but they really are very easy and fun to make. Continue Reading…
I love smoked mackerel. It’s such a great fish, readily available and with the added bonus of being very good for you. I think some people find its flavour a bit too strong, so I created this salad which I think balances out the strong fishy flavour with some other great tastes. It’s best to prepare all the elements first and then assemble just before serving so that everything stays crunchy and fresh. I used segments of orange, but this salad would work equally well with slivers of grapefruit. The citrus fruit cuts right through the oily fish. The whole toasted almonds bring a lovely crunch and sweetness. Radishes and rocket offer a peppery bite and the honey and lemon dressing bring all the flavours together. The melba toast is for an extra bit of crispiness and a chance to make yourself some little canapés. If you don’t like smoked mackerel this salad might just convince you otherwise. Best served with a crisp white wine on a sunny summers evening. Hope you like it 🙂 Continue Reading…
You can find some of my favorite gluten-free recipes in my eBook available from Amazon.
I'm Vicky and Stasty is my simple and tasty food recipe blog. I love to cook and I love to talk about food, so this blog is really my ramblings and thoughts about cooking and eating. Some of the recipes are my own and some are ones that I found on the net or picked up from my favorite cookbooks. I cook everything in our little kitchen in beautiful Washington. I am aided and abetted by my I.T guru/tantrum-trouble-shooter/editor and chief-taster otherwise known as the OH or Nelius.