Month: April 2011

  • Chocolate Muffins with marzipan & spices – ‘Hidden Hearts’

    This recipe was inspired by my Twitter friend and genius chocolate baking blogger Choclette. Each month Choclette and baking friend Chele host We Should Cocoa – a chocolate challenge. The Challenge is to make something with chococlate and a special ingredient. For April 2011 the special ingredient was marzipan. I wanted to make a muffin…

  • Nettle & Hazlenut Tart Recipe

    I’m developing a bit of a ‘thing’ about using nettles. I love it that I’m not putting money in the supermarket bosses’ pockets. I love it that they effectively cultivate themselves. I love it that they are so nutritious: high in vitamins A & C, contain essential minerals and have one of the highest protein…

  • Nettle Gnocchi Recipe

    I’ve been looking for more ways to use this freely available and nutritious vegetable. This recipe makes a vibrant green gnocchi that’s as tasty as it is inexpensive. If the preparation takes a while, it’s more than paid off with the short cooking time. One of the keys to success with this recipe is to…

  • Wild garlic and smoked salmon carbonara

    This recipe is a delight. It’s stunningly quick & simple to cook and moreishly gorgeous to eat. It will provide a quick supper for two or a fantastic dish for entertaining friends. The wild garlic is seasonal, of course. Out of season, you could use garlic chives or chives. Other members of the onion family…

  • Wild garlic and homemade ricotta pasta

    We’re really lucky here because the wild garlic a friend gave us has taken and produces masses of wonderful tasting leaves & flowers. It’s also called ‘Ramsons’ and its latin name is Allium Ursinum. As you latin scholars will know, ursinum refers to bears who like the bulbs. Wild garlic and ricotta give a twist…

  • Rhubarb cake recipe with polenta, ginger, spices, almonds

    When I posted this picture on Twitter, I really wasn’t ready for the reaction. It seemed that the idea and view of such a creation was quite attractive to many people. This made me laugh: …god that cake looks good. I just licked the laptop screen… I also had a fair few requests to post…