Homemade Freezer Pesto Cubes

Luckily it’s that time of year where basil is running rampant in everyone’s garden and being grown at high volumes for purchase. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people who can grow lot of anything, except maybe mint. I have a very aggressive mint bush growing right now and it’s threatening to take over. Anyways, back to basil. It’s a really lovely herb and it also freezes really well. A few years ago I took advantage of a huge bag of basil from my local organic veg box scheme Riverford, mostly because I didn’t realize at the time how much 200g of basil was! I had basil everything for a week. When it was running out I decided to figure out how to freeze it which was incredibly easy. I just put the remaining 100g into a food processor and added a little oil and presto pesto. Shove it in some ice cubes and pop it in the freezer. It’s a very simple remedy for any herbs really. They can be popped into any dish frozen; I like to pop them into the last five minutes of a Bolognese sauce or quick pesto pasta for a quick mid-week dinner. The possibilities are absolutely endless.

Easily doubled if necessary.

Takes about 2 seconds to make.

Makes about 18 1 tsp. portions.

According to Gina: Everyone Has a Role in Using a Casserole

Over the past weekend I was just in the shop getting a few things and I decided I wanted to try my hand at a very meaty and potatoes dish, so I had my eyes on a bone on piece of something to cook. I stumbled across lamb shanks. I’ve never cooked lamb shanks before but I had a good idea of what to do with them, and instantly started my mind going. They were so big I didn’t know how to even cook them. I have several shallow casserole dishes, that to be honest aren’t even worthy of cooking a proper casserole or lasagne in, too shallow and messy, especially for this mighty bone of a job. My husband is putting up with me running around the store chucking things in the basket that I might need, herbs, spices, flavours running through my head, how do I make it fast? How do I make it easy? Two things that never escape my mind while running around juggling ingredients. Trying to decide what you’re going to put in something to make it taste just exactly as you taste it in your head takes a toll on the ‘ol hubby following around. The bit that has his attention at high, is the lamb shanks he’s carrying around in the basket.

As I’m going through the flavour profile that I want, which is always simple and fresh, I’m still thinking on what I’m going to cook these ginormous shanks in! What will fit the potatoes, and carrots I want to add, plus all the delicious jus! And then I pass it…the aisle with all of the home ware on it. Mind you it’s not a great aisle, and it’s just my local supermarket, but it just crossed my mind to go and peek to see if they had anything applicable.
Usually I’m picky about my home wares. I like to buy things that are going to prove to be quality and have multiple uses. I would never buy one single thing with the intention of using it for one thing. I stumbled upon this huge cream coloured casserole dish and almost exactly what I wanted, minus the trendy posh ‘Le Cruset’. Who needs a logo when you can see right in front of you, that the £29.99, solid cast iron casserole that could take someone’s foot off if dropped, wasn’t all you ever wanted? It was nearly half the price of a high priced one but with all the same materials. Cast iron speaks for itself ladies and gents; if it looks sturdy and good then it probably is good, no matter where you purchase it.

In my recent acquisition of new parts for my well-oiled kitchen, I attained some ceramic pots from France that is the most adorable addition to my kitchen. I received them as a birthday present and have tried them out only as soufflé pots but when I get a blow torch it’s on for crème brulee. Seems that I have the French theme going on in my kitchen right now, what am I going to make next, a coq au vin? All that I know is that my mind is on cooking, and getting the right pots gets me excited to make the best food I can make, and make it profitable! What you use in your everyday life should reflect in your cooking. If you hate your utensils then get new ones and find a peace with the food that you create and be the master in your kitchen! Look out for my lamb shanks and soufflés.

Good Pots and Pans need Good Homes Too!

This past weekend was lovely, and Sunday, my husband and I decided to go roam around for some things we’d been needing, and partly to shop for a bag that I’ve also needed. Turns out I don’t have much luck on eBay. I bought a bag in March and it was exactly what I wanted until the lining started ripping and falling apart and now the leather that holds it together is just trashed. Well we looked around and nothing caught my eye, and of course we ended up in the home ware section (my favourite of any store), we found some tea spoons that we’d needed and then we went to the pans. There’s always something culinary that I want, but I’ve been looking for a certain type of pan. My cooking equipment at the moment consists from handed down items, and the one pan I use the most is a £5 non-stick pan from Sainsbury’s (which has done me well over the 4 years we’ve had it I might add). I’m in no way complaining about the items I use every day but sometimes it’s time to update the classics. I have wanted a pan with a lid that could securely hold in moisture to allow ingredients to cook inside without having to add any extra oil to the mix, a very important thing for low fat cooking.

I walked over the section maybe 5 times and just didn’t see anything in my price range that I was willing to settle on. My husband had been having his eye on this beautiful John Lewis cast iron grill pan for £33, which I think in the future it will be mine, but for now, I have a cheaper £5 non-stick one that I don’t use that often that can stay around. Then we saw on the bottom shelf seemingly hiding but at the same time ready to come home with us, a Tefal 26cm frying pan with a lid that you can turn the knobbly handle thing to let steam out or keep it in. This is excellent for stewing things and keeping that steam pressure in there to cook it faster and make it extra tender. Most important it’s non-stick! Non-stick means little to no oil! My first meal I made out of it was simple, I had some things in my refrigerator that needed eating, spring greens, wet garlic, kohlrabi and I sautéed those all up with onions and extra garlic, and added a can of black eyed beans and let it stew down to mush. It was delicious. What’s good about this non-stick pan is it can get to really hot temperatures so you can sear steak on it which I’m looking forward to trying. You can also finish things in the oven in it as its handles are made for the heat of the oven. All in all I think I got a good deal at £41. Most other pans that didn’t have lids were upwards of £60. When replacing items in your kitchen I feel like replacing a broken piece of crap, with another cheap piece of crap isn’t going to help you any in the long run. Invest slowly on small things one at a time and that way in the future you’ll have a kitchen full of the utensils that you love.