Honey and Spice

To the small trickle of people who visit this blog, the mother blog can be found at http://honeyandspice.wordpress.com/.

Linda's Kitchen Lab was the daughter of honeyandspice a little while back. I started this blog because I wasn't entirely satisfied with the name honeyandspice. Due to certain circumstances, honeyandspice took off, and Linda's Kitchen Lab was left in the shade. Over the last few months, I have found myself being too lazy to update this blog, and have continued to blog on the mother blog honeyandspice.

If you would like to continue to follow me, please find me at http://honeyandspice.wordpress.com/.

Badam Burfi (Almond Candy)

I have fond memories of my mother picking me up from junior school and occasionally stopping off at her Indian friend, Dolly’s shop. I don’t even remember which shop was Dolly’s, what she looked like, or what her shop sold… but I do remember that she used to have a limited selection of mithai (Indian sweets). We’d buy a very small selection (as our budget didn’t allow for more), but more often than not, we’d have jalebis or burfi (barfi) of some sort.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

This dish was born out of laziness… pure laziness. However, when I came around to making it – I ended up making my own bread, roasted red peppers and pesto. How that happened, I will never know!

The soup is served with basil pesto toasts and is perfect for the cold autumn/winter nights. It’s easy to make, packed full of flavor, and will supply you with a boost of vitamin A, C, B6, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Soft Polenta with Ratatouille

I’ve eaten polenta on numerous occasions, and it’s always been so bland and tasteless. When set and cut into pieces, it’s boring, and when soft, it brings back bad childhood memories of being forced to eat disgusting semolina with a splat of jam. Urgh… UK school dinners (or more correctly lunches) in the 80’s.

Polenta was one of those things that I thought I just hated. That was until J ordered vegetarian polenta at The Olive and Grape for lunch. Two things were weird – he went for a vegetarian dish, and it was polenta?!?

Chocolate Dipped Tuxedo Strawberries

Ten years have passed since I accidentally melted a chocolate heart I bought for J for Valentine’s Day. It’s a hilarious story - I wrapped it all nicely and popped it on my dining room table on 13th February. I had my storage heater on, as it was still very cold in Southampton. After I switched the heater off, I went to get ready for bed and decided to have a quick tidy around. This tidy around involved putting the chocolate heart on the heater…

Insalata Caprese

I cannot believe I'm writing an entry for caprese salad! It's one of the simplest things in the World. It's also one of my favorite salads of all time, and that's why we had it for our starter for Valentine's Day. It's amazing how just a few simple ingredients can make such a delectable salad. The trick is to use the best quality tomatoes and mozzarella you can find. In the best mozzarella, I mean Italian imported buffalo mozzarella. Imported buffalo mozzarella is like heaven in a mouthful – it’s soft, creamy and oh-so-delicious. Once you’ve tried this mozzarella, no other will ever do.

Bacon and Fennel Pasta

I know, I know the finished dish looks like a cat has vomited on a plate of pasta... but I've always found taking photographs of pasta really difficult. You have to trust me when I say it's delicious!

Carrot Cake Muffins - Gluten Free & Vegan

I've decided that carrot cake is evil - I can eat so much of it without batting an eyelid... it's incredibly deadly for me. I'm unsure why I love it so - it maybe the moistness of the cake, the fruitiness, the nuttiness, the high sugar and fat content, or simply the cream cheese frosting that adorns them. Lucky enough, I've limited my dairy intake (due to allergies), so any piece of carrot cake that calls me when I'm in PCC will have to sit on the hips and thighs of someone else.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

It was J’s 24th birthday yesterday…. yeah, right! Switch the numbers around and you’ll get his real age. You must remind me to ask what the view is like at the top of the hill...

He’s a die-hard chocolate fan, so what could be more appropriate than chocolate cupcakes for his birthday? These babies are vegan-friendly, moist, delicious and packed full of chocolaty goodness.

Dutch Pancakes (Pannekoeken)

When I asked J what he wanted for his birthday dinner – he replied “pancakes… we haven’t had them for dinner for ages!” He was right, it was probably 2004 when we had them last.

The pancakes he was talking about were Dutch pancakes, not Dutch baby pancakes, but real Dutch pancakes. They are large and slightly thicker than a crepe, and are often served with a variety of toppings, including cheese and bacon. We enjoy them for dinner, not breakfast.

Cod with Roasted Baby Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil

This is a healthy and delicious fish supper, which is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, yet elegant enough for a dinner party. It’s simple to make, low in fat and packed full of deliciousness. Tender strips of courgettes (zucchini) are topped with a fillet of poached cod, and roasted baby plum tomatoes with garlic and fresh basil.

Moist Vegan Mango and Cardamom Cake

Many varieties of mangoes exist, however the king of mangoes is the Alphonso. No other mango compares to this wonderful mango, which is also known as an Indian mango. They are large, yellow, juicy, sweet and not at all stringy. They are the type of mangoes that you have to devour over the sink because they are so juicy.

Beef Stifado

I love Greek food - it’s one of my favorite cuisines. This beef stew reminds me of when we were holidaying in Cyprus. Beef and shallots are simmered in red wine and seasonings until meltingly tender. It takes a little while to make, but it’s worth the wait.

We enjoyed it with roast potatoes and Greek salad, yumz! It’s also delicious with crusty fresh bread.

Pork and Cider Stew

... a pork recipe? Yep! I had to try this stew when they were ranting and raving about it on the Chris Moyles show on BBC radio 1. The classic winter stew in our household is beef stew with gravy and herbed dumplings. However, this pork stew made a delicious change. It brings together the perfect marriage combination of pork and apples.

Chicken Wontons

I know, I know, traditional Chinese wontons should be made of minced (ground) pork. My mother always makes wontons with minced (ground) pork and prawns (shrimp). However, I wanted to try with chicken. Why? It’s not that we don’t dig on swine, it’s just because we don’t eat much pork these days.

The filling consists of minced (ground) chicken thighs, shiitake mushrooms, spring (green) onions, water chestnuts, Chinese leaf (napa cabbage) and seasonings. In essence, they are closer to jiaozi than the classic wonton.

Panforte di Siena

Ahh… our Christmas cake… I’m not sure if we can really call it a cake, it’s more like a piece of chewy confectionery. It originates from Italy and is packed full of dried fruit, nuts and honey.

This cake is traditionally baked in a round cake tin (pan). However, I broke out of the norm this year and baked it in a loaf tin (pan). The cake was cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces, making them easier to enjoy, instead of gnawing a huge slice.

100% Whole Wheat Stollen with Almond Paste

The traditional German Christmas bread just got a little healthier! This version is made with 100% whole wheat flour, studded with plump fruit, and stuffed with almond paste. It’s perfect for breakfast or with a cup of tea or coffee.

Dutch Honey Cake (Honingkoek)

This delicious loaf is also known as breakfast cake. It’s suitable for dairy-free individuals. The texture is somewhat closer to bread than a cake, and is typically enjoyed with lashings of butter. It’s easy to make, chewy, lightly spiced, low in fat, and the flavor only gets better with time.

It was J (not surprisingly) who introduced me to this cake. It’s easily available in Europe (again, not surprisingly), and there are many variants in the shops, including one with stem ginger. We loved them all!

Saucy Lemon Souffle Pudding

Saucy lemon soufflé pudding you say? Yep! I've been planning to blog about this delicious dessert for months! I tried it almost a year ago, but it was so good, that I didn’t get a chance to take any photographs.

The pudding is packed full of flavor and absolutely delicious. It's light and fluffy on the top with a creamy lemon custard base. It’s a true delight for lemon lovers.

Dairy-Free Fruit Trifles

Ashamedly, the only homemade trifles I grew up with were made from the Bird’s strawberry trifle mix. The box contained a packet of jelly (jello) granules, custard powder, sponge fingers, instant “cream” and sprinkles. Believe it or not, it was a treat! The other trifles I enjoyed were from the locally run, East Midlands confectioner’s, known ironically as Bird’s. I miss that place – they sell the best cream cakes ever! We’re talking meringues, cream slices, apple puffs, cream buns, elephant feet, éclairs and more… ok, now I’m drooling.

Buttery Palmiers with Cinnamon Sugar

I had a batch of puff pastry I made a while back, and it was time I needed to use it up. I decided to make delicious buttery palmiers with cinnamon sugar. They are quick and easy to make and everyone will love them.

Use store-bought, ready-rolled, butter puff pastry for a quick cheat. They are perfect for general snacking or afternoon tea.

Jammy Angel Food Cupcakes

I'm pretty sure that everyone has heard of devil’s food cake. It’s rich, chocolatey, and packed full of all the naughty stuff. Angel food cake on the other hand, is light and fat-free. Before I made these cupcakes, I’ve never made either, which must mean that I was in purgatory or something!

I had bags of frozen egg whites that needed to be used up. Instead of making the obvious choice of meringues or macaroons, I decided to try my hand at angel food cake. Instead of making it in a tube cake (Bundt) tin (pan), I decided to make them into cupcakes, and add a little strawberry jam on the bottom. You can of course, leave them plain or use your favorite jam or even apple sauce.

Chicken, Pumpkin and Potato Coconut Curry Soup

One of the best things about the passing of summer is the availability of pumpkins! I use the term pumpkins loosely here, I also mean winter squash. We love winter squash; we love homemade soup; we love coconut milk and we love Thai curry... so, this soup was born! It’s the perfect winter warmer.

Chicken is simmered with delicata squash (or kabocha) and potatoes (or rice) in a coconut curry soup base. It’s creamy, well-flavored and has all the major food groups. If you’re vegetarian, feel free to substitute the chicken for tofu.

Honey Peanut Clusters

When we lived in London, there was this place we’d pick up honey peanuts in the weekend whilst walking through town. Those honey peanuts were darn tasty. No matter how much we’d buy, they’d always be gone by the end of the weekend! They were just so deliciously moreish!

Since I live 5,000 miles away from London, I thought I’d try and make my own version. They only contain 1 tablespoon of honey, so calling them honey peanut clusters seems a little wrong, but what the hell? Although they are nothing like the ones we used to scoff, these are pretty damn good. I ate a lot quite a few, whilst they were cooling. When they had fully set, we scoffed the remainder!

Whole Wheat Soda Farls - Vegan

There are the stupidest things that I miss from the UK… the availability of soda farls being one of them. Although the ones we used to buy were factory made, I knew no better. I wasn't into baking/making bread then. They used to be a treat for us in the weekend - I'd often grill them with REAL Cheddar cheese (made in Cheddar).

Since working with allrecipes.com, I thought it was in my best interest to try out some of the UK/Ireland recipes. The farls were quick and easy to make and tasted wonderful!

Dark Chocolate & Banana Ice-Lollies

These babies are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and super-delicious! Frozen bananas are enrobed in a high-quality dark chocolate and then rolled in roasted hazelnuts.

When you bite into these frozen treats, there’s a wonderful crack from the chocolate, which reveals the sweet, semi-frozen flesh of the banana. It’s a beautiful combination of flavors and textures, one that needs to be celebrated!