Tag: asparagus

Food and drink

Pigeon with Roast Beetroot

minceandskirlie

My fiance loves pickled beetroot. She’ll munch through jars of the stuff as a snack but I’ve never been all that fussed by it. It’s too overpowering and annihilates whatever is unfortunate enough to share a plate with it. That’s not to say I don’t like beetroot. It’s the second best root vegetable in the packets of root veg crisps you can buy these days (obviously parsnip is the best) and I’ve had some pretty good beet experiences in the past.

Recently I’ve noticed roast beetroot appearing on cooking programmes and menus more often. I picked up some pigeon breasts at the farmers market and decided it would be a good time to try roasting beets. Continue reading “Pigeon with Roast Beetroot” →

Snapshots

Asparagus, prosciutto and egg pizza

minceandskirlie

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Watching the Scottish cup final and getting ready for the champions league final by relaxing with some homemade pizza and some kriek. Perfect lazy Saturday.

This is possibly the best pizza I’ve ever made.

Food and drink

Poached Egg and Asparagus

minceandskirlie

I like to think I can turn my hand to most basic cooking techniques after a few minutes research. I learn quickly and most techniques tend to work as described. But there’s one that has always failed me every single time I’ve tried it. Not just me either. This supposedly simple cooking method has ended in wails of frustration and an empty stomach for millions of us. Of course the technique in question is poaching an egg.

It’s gently cooking an egg in water. How hard can it be!? Yet every time I’ve tried it in the past I end up with an unpleasant pan full of eggy soup. Bits of cooked white floating all over the place while a single ball of yolk hides in a corner, doing its own thing. Even more frustrating is the fact that those people who have master this technique appear to be able to turn then out at will. Their number includes my brother. Frankly that was the final straw. I had to get back on the horse. Continue reading “Poached Egg and Asparagus” →

Food and drink

Potatoes Dauphinoise

minceandskirlie

Potatoes Dauphinoise… sounds difficult doesn’t it? This is a classic French dish after all so I don’t expect it’s easy. At least that’s what I thought. It makes regular appearances on Masterchef and various other haughty food programmes. It must take skill or they wouldn’t do it?

Actually no. Basically it seems all you do is slice up some tatties then pour some cream over them before sticking them in the oven for 45 minutes. Couldn’t be much easier in fact. Continue reading “Potatoes Dauphinoise” →

Food and drink

It’s asparagus season!

minceandskirlie

There’s a lot of things about spring which are pretty awesome. One of them is the arrival of lots of spiky green spears in the supermarkets. British asparagus has a fine reputation which is greatly deserved but unfortunately the season is only two months long. It just means we need to make the most of it when it’s here!

With that in mind I rushed eagerly to the veg section when we were doing the weekly shop on Sunday only to find half a spear left in the section marked “asparagus bundles”. Most disappointing. There were still two packets of the plastic encased variety though (plus a massive amount from Peru and Thailand) so I grabbed them and decided as one packet was thin spears and another was thick tips I would cook them two different ways for an asparagus celebration post. Continue reading “It’s asparagus season!” →