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Home-Made Lavender Sugar Recipe

lavender sugar

Lavender Sugar is one of those things I’ve always looked at and loved the idea of, but never really known what to do with. I’ve always liked crystallised lavender – it’s both pretty and tasty – but aside from medicinal or household use, I’ve never really known how to actually use lavender in food. Partly due to its strong flavour and partly due to its very floral flavour, it’s something you have to use with care, but should definitely use!lavender sugar Making lavender sugar couldn’t really be simpler – the two ingredients are in the name, after all. If you don’t have a food processor you can just mix the two and stir, but I like making the sugar just a little finer, so it’s not so crunchy. Be careful though – I don’t like making it icing sugar either! Just a finely granulated sugar is perfect.

Leave the lavender for a week or so, allowing the flavours to infuse thoroughly into the sugar.  You can make Lavender Sugar ahead as a hostess gift, Christmas gifts, wedding favours and other gifting opportunities, and even include a recipe card or two with the jar. It’s a cheap and beautiful gift to make!lavender sugar

Make the Lavender Sugar two weeks before you’re going to gift it, and make sure to leave instructions to use withing 9 -12 months, so aside from drying out, I can’t image the lavender would go bad!

Recipe for Lavender Sugar

Lavender Sugar Recipe
Recipe Type: Dessert, Sweet, Condiment
Cuisine: Foraged
Author: Keeper of the Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1kg
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp lavender flowers
  • 1kg white sugar
Instructions
  1. Use a fork or your hands to remove the flowers from the stalk
  2. Add them to the food processor
  3. Add the sugar and blend together – depending on your food processor, adjust your speed to make sure you don’t end up with icing sugar.
  4. In the Thermomix, hit the Turbo button 2 – 3 times quickly.
  5. Decant the sugar into jars, and seal tightly.

PIN FOR LATER: 

lavender sugar

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Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta Recipe

Calamari Tomato & Basil

I’ve been enjoying the summer weather lately, and been loving the entertainment opportunities that presents too. When I have guests though, I like having pre-prepared, or quick to prepare meals as I don’t like spending ages in the kitchen! That’s just one of the reasons I really enjoy this Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta: it’s easy to prepare before hand, leaving just 10 minutes cooking time required.Calamari Tomato & Basil

I prefer to use fresh pasta when pasta is the main part of the meal, so I’ve used fresh pasta in this recipe. Dry pasta works, but needs to be cooked for longer. It can also be served in a salad, or with quinoa or other starch of your choice.

Use a good quality squid for this recipe too – nothing worse than leathery calamari!

Now, if you want to prepare this meal for later cooking, chop the garlic cloves, wash and dry the cherry tomatoes – halve them if they are the larger variety – wash the squid, clean it and cut it into rings, and chop the basil leaves roughly. Store all the items in the fridge till about 20 minutes before you’re going to cook them, leaving it to warm to room temperature a little.

If your calamari loses a lot of liquid in the cooking, you can pour it out about before adding the cherry tomatoes.

Serve immediately – and if you’re having wine, Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta pairs really well with a dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio – a wine I don’t normally like, but it works fantastically with this. Another alternative is Riesling.

Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta
Author: Keeper of the Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
There’s a lot of flexibility in this recipe, with room for adaptations to make it your favourite. You may not like anchovies, but don’t miss them out as they really add to the flavour of this dish.
Ingredients
  • Pasta for four people
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 250g cherry tomatoes, washed and dried
  • 450g squid, cleaned and cut into rings
  • bunch cut basil leaves
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Prepare the pasta as per brand instructions. Set aside. (I bring 1000g water to boil in the Thermomix – Varoma/8 mins/ speed 4 – then add the pasta in the internal steamer for 3 – 4 minutes / Varoma/speed 4)
  2. To a heated pan, add the oil, garlic and anchovy to a frying pan and heat till the anchovy sort of ‘melts’.
  3. Add the squid and fry for 1 – 2 minutes, tossing them as you do.
  4. Next, add the cherry tomatoes and fry them for 3 – 4 minutes, till they begin to soften and leak juice – I prefer the cherry tomatoes to still have some bite to them, but it’s personal choice, really!
  5. Test the squid to make sure it’s nice and tender, then add the basil, salt and pepper.
  6. Serve with the pasta, or as a salad with green leaves.

 

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Soybean or Broad Bean Salad

Edamame Soybean Broad Beans Salad

I have a grave and lifelong dislike for beans, especially the tinned variety, but I have developed a love for soybeans, sometimes called soyabeans. Aside from planting some Edamame beans, I’ve discovered that Waitrose sell them in the pods, or anonymous ‘Soybeans’ for £1.50 a bag of 400g! This, in my apparently boring life, has been a very exciting discovery.

Now, soybeans need a longer boil than regular beans to kill off toxins. The packaging on the beans say Microwave for 3 minutes, which I find confusing, but okay, I don’t have a microwave. For this recipe then, I’ve done an 8 minute boil at Varoma temp (120C/248F) to hopefully balance that out, but more importantly, to cook the beans – if I was cooking from frozen, I’d probably go for 10 minutes.

While this recipe is made with dill, and is simply “I want the same again tomorrow” good, the beans are nice with a dash of mint too. Just go lightly, you don’t need much as you don’t want it to overpower the unique Edamame flavour. Edamame Soybean Broad Beans Salad

Another thing with this salad is that you can do the Feta thing two ways: mix everything, then add the beans, or mix everything then add the Feta. I prefer the first way as the Feta spreads and becomes a dressing of sorts for the beans. The second way, however, is a little ‘neater’ as the Feta doesn’t ‘melt’ as much as quickly.  It’s your call.

Soybean or Broad Bean Salad
Author: Keeper of the Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 400g shelled Fava/Broad/Soy or Edamame beans
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp dry dill
  • 100g Feta cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Thermomix Recipe
  1. Fill the Thermomix to the max line with boiling water.
  2. Place the internal steamer basket
  3. Add the beans
  4. Cook 8 minutes/Varoma/ Speed 4 No MC
  5. While that’s cooking, add the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper and Feta to a serving dish and mix well.
  6. Drain the beans and allow to cool a little before stirring in to the dressing in the serving bowl. Use a fork to combine it all.
  7. Serve warm or cold as a snack or a side. Either way it’s wonderful!

soybean salad

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30 Things To Make With Rhubarb

30 Things to Make With Rhubarb

For many of us, spring has thoroughly lept out of it’s winter hiding spot with a loud bang. As I sit here, my nose is red and sore from the day spent out on the allotment in the sun. As the weather has been simply beautiful the last few days, more and more people are venturing back onto the allotments, or out into the garden and one of the biggest food related questions on my time lines at the moment is this: Aside from crumble what can I make with rhubarb?. 30 Things to Make With Rhubarb

I spent a bit of time perusing the wonderful world of Pinterest, and came up with these 30 recipes, giving everyone at least something you should have the skill, ability or taste buds for.

Rhubarb Desserts

Crisps and Crumbles

Frozen Rhubarb

Rhubarb Sweets

Rhubarb Drinks

Preserved Rhubarb