Home-made Vegetable Crisps

Usually my left over vegetables get thrown into a soup but today I thought I'd try something different. Not much can be done with one parsnip & one potato.

Home-Made Vegetable Crisps

Slice the potato/parsnip very thinly.

Lightly oil a microwaveable dish & lay the slices flat in a single layer.  Brush over some more oil (so both sides are oiled) & add salt to taste.

Place into the microwave for about 4-6 minutes.  Keep checking as the timing depends on your own microwave.  I usually keep checking every 2 minutes.  You want them to have started to turn brown but not burnt!

Gently remove the slices from the dish & place in another bowl.  Some of the crisps may feel a bit soggy but they soon dry out as they cool.  Place the next batch of slices into the microwaveable dish & repeat from beginning.

Yummy!!!  Think of all the root veg you could try.

Cranberry Curd

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Cranberry Curd

by Nigella Lawson

How To Be A Domestic Goddess

www.nigella.com

500g cranberries

200ml water

100g unsalted butter

500g caster sugar

6 large eggs

5 x 250ml jars

Place the cranberries and water in a saucepan, cover them and cook on a low heat until tender & popped.  Pass the cranberries through a food mill (or push through a sieve) and put the fruit puree back into a saucepan.  Add the butter and sugar, melting them gently.  Beat the eggs in a bowl and sieve them into the saucepan.  Stir the curd constantly over a medium heat until it has thickened.  This requires patience as you don't want to speed things up and curdle the mixture, but that's not particularly challenging.  When it has thickened, it should coat the back of a spoon.  Let it cool a little before pouring it into the jars.  Keep in the fridge.

Makes 1 1/4 litres.

We served our cranberry curd with poppy seed scones by Rachel Allen - Easy Meals.

Other cranberry recipes to try:

Cranberry & Orange Relish - Delia Smith - Complete Illustrated Cookery Course

Cranberry Upside Down Cake - Nigella Lawson - How To Be A Domestic Goddess
Danish Christmas Rice Pudding (with berry compote) - Diana Henry - Roast Figs Sugar Snow

Port & Cranberry Jellies (with Port Syllabub & Frosted Berries) - Diana Henry - Roast Figs Sugar Snow

Spiced Cranberry Jelly - Annie Rigg - Gifts From The Kitchen

Spiced Cranberry & Orange Relish - Rachel Allen - Rachel's Favourite Food At Home

Spiced Redcurrent Jelly - James Martin - Great British Winter

Cucumber & Celery Soup

by Keith Abel

The Abel & Cole Cookbook
www.abelandcole.co.uk 

1 knob of butter

1 mug of diced celery

1 mug of sliced leek

1 1/2 mugs of diced cucumber (plus some more for garnishing)

1 mug of peeled & diced potato

2 mugs of chicken or vegetable stock

salt & freshly ground black pepper

a good couple of pinches of cayenne pepper

a dollop of natural yoghurt, to serve

a sprinkle of chopped fresh mint, to serve

Melt the butter in a large pot and sweat the celery, leek & cucumber over a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.  Now add the potato and stock and a little seasoning of pepper, salt & cayenne pepper, bring to the boil, then reduce to a light simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Blitz the mix with one of the many kitchen gadgets you have lurking in the cupboard until it's smooth and check for seasoning again.  Run it through a sieve if you have one or just serve in warm bowls with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of diced cucumber and mint.