RECIPE - Lemon and Thyme Scones with Lavender Butter

You can buy lavender jelly from farm shops and garden centres - or substitute a herb jelly of your choice!

For the scones (makes 6):

200g self raising flour
50g butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 lemon
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
water to mix

for the lavender butter:

50g butter, softened
3 teaspoons lavender jelly

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C, 400 F, gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with non-stick paper.

Place the flour in a large bowl, stir in the salt and add the butter, cut into small pieces. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture is like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the finely grated zest of the lemon and the chopped thyme.

Stir in the lemon juice then gradually add water until the mixture forms a soft dough - the amount of water you need will depend on how juicy your lemon is.

Pat the dough out on a floured surface to about 1.5 cm thick and use a 6cm cutter to cut out the scones - the mixture should make around 6 scones.

Place them well apart on the prepared baking sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes in the pre-heated oven until they are well risen and a light biscuit colour.

They will not brown as much as a traditional scone because they don't contain any sugar and have not been glazed with milk or egg. Leave to cool on a wire rack while making the lavender butter.

Beat the softened butter until very soft and creamy, then blend in the lavender jelly a little at a time, beating well between each addition.

Split the scones and serve spread with the lavender butter.

The scones and butter can be eaten on their own as a snack, or served with cold meats, cheeses or fresh, light summer soups.

I am sharing this with Cooking with Herbs for tea Time Treats at Lavender and Lovage  and The Hedgecombers 

 

Chive-laced Tabbouleh #CookingWithHerbs

I usually make tabbouleh using just mint and parsley, but there are some beautiful chives in the garden at the moment, so I thought, "Why not?"

There are lots of ways to make tabbouleh. If you eat a really "authentic" version, it will really be a mass of herbs just lightly studded with grains of bulghur wheat. Yet lots of recipes, especially here in the UK, concentrate on the wheat and just use the herbs as a seasoning. I vary it according to my mood, the amount of herbs we have to hand and what the balance of our meal is - if the bulghur is going to be our main source of carbohydrate, I use more of it than if I am serving it as a side salad.

So although I've given a recipe, I've not given quantities of herbs. But however much in total you use, try to keep the relative proportions the same -  roughly 50% parsley, 25% mint and 25% chives.

Ingredients - serves 2 as a main carb, 4-6 as a side salad

75g bulghur wheat
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs olive oil
large pinch of salt
small wedge of red onion, finely chopped
Parsley, mint and chives - as much as required - see above. Use roughly 50% parsley, 25% mint and 25% chives.

Place the bulghur in a heatproof bowl and cover with a generous quantity of boiling water. Leave to stand for 15 minutes then drain through a fine sieve, pressing down well with a spoon to squeeze out any surplus water. Return to the bowl and, while still hot, stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and red onion. Leave to cool completely.

Now chop the herbs. You can save time by chopping them in a food processor, but the texture will be much nicer if you have the time and patience to chop them by hand. A double bladed hachoir  and some good music on the radio will soon have the job done! I prefer not to chop them too finely to keep a bit of texture in the salad.

When the bulghur is cold, stir in the herbs, season a little more if needed and serve. This can be varied by adding finely diced tomatoes and/or cucumber.



I'm sharing this with Cooking with Herbs at Lavender and Lovage 

Recipe - Chicken with leeks and chestnuts

This was a bit of a fridge dice meal - there was one solitary leek lurking after its companion s were long-ago eaten, a handful of sprigs of parsley and a similar handful of thyme cluttering the place up. And I'm also trying to clear out the freezer, where the remains of the chestnuts that we gathered, blanched and peeled for Christmas were looking reproachfully at me every time I opened the door. But they all came together in a rather delicious dinner.....

Ingredients (to serve 2)

2 large part-boned chicken breasts
1 tbs sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
1 medium leek, washed and chopped
70g peeled chestnuts (if you use canned or vac-pac ones, they are already fully cooked, so don't add them until 5 minutes before serving)
a small handful each of parsley and thyme, finely chopped
250ml chicken stock
1 tsp cornflour, blended with a little of the stock

Pre heat the oven to 180 C, 350F (fan 160, gas mark 4). heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish and cook the chicken, skin side down, for about 5 minutes until well browned. Turn and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes, then remove and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and fry for a few minutes until starting to soften, then mix in the leeks, herbs, chestnuts, stock and cornflour mixture. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up (see photo above). Cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

I served this with cabbage and a scalloped potato dish which is really an ultimate cheat but tastes delicious!

Slice 3 medium to large potatoes and arrange in a greased ovenproof dish. Whisk together a can of condensed mushroom soup and a can full of milk and pour over the potatoes.  Sprinkle over a couple of tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a low oven 150 C, 300 F (130 C fan, gas mark 2)  for 2 hours, covering with foil if the top browns too much. I cooked this below the chicken, moving it down to the very lowest shelf, and it was fine.

I'm sharing this (well, the chicken, not the potato!) with Cooking With Herbs at Lavender and Lovage  - why not join in with your herby creations?

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