Tag: crème fraîche

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Schupfnudeln with Smoked Sausage

Schupfnudeln with Smoked Sausage

I mentioned previously that I quite like the themed weeks that Lidl does, recently they had an Alps style week with their Alpenfest style range of products. I got some classic smoked sausages and some German style potato dumplings, schupfnudeln. I cooked them first just in the pan, the next time I cooked them in a different way.

This time I sliced the smoked sausage and cooked it in the frying pan with some onions. When the onions were soft I added some mushrooms.

I pan fried the dumplings in a separate pan. I did add some butter to the schupfnudeln towards the end of cooking to add some colour.

I then combined the two pans with some crème fraîche and parmesan cheese.

Tasty and different to what I had done before.

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Unearthed Ibérico Pork with Gnocchi

Unearthed Ibérico Pork with Gnocchi

Once when I was staying in an apartment in London I had tried the Unearthed Iberico Pork, and had enjoyed it. Didn’t write about it though. The next time I had it  at home I did write it up.

The meat was very tender and full of flavour. I really enjoyed it.

The Unearthed Iberico Pork that I got was sold at Waitrose. This is not a huge pack and as you might expect is a little more expensive than other pork cuts on sale.

The ultimate pork meat which delivers an intense flavour! This award winning free range Iberico pork is from South West Spain. This ancient breed roams freely and forages for food. Iberico is widely revered as one of the best meats in the world due to its rich delicious flavour. Ibérico Presa Roaming freely in the dehesas, sparsely wooded pasturelands of quercus trees that can only be found in the south-west of Spain, this ancient grazing breed is perfectly adapted to this environment. Ibérico pigs are able to store large amounts of fat which makes the meat especially succulent and tender. The constant exercise and natural source of feed also mean that the meat is delicious! 

Having enjoyed it a few times now, I got another pack from Waitrose.

I followed the instructions on the pack, cooking the steaks for three minutes each side, basting in butter. I let the meat rest and then sliced and served on a bed gnocchi in a mushroom, spinach and cream sauce. I cooked the gnocchi according to the instructions on the pack. Whilst the sauce was made by cooking some onions until they were soft, and then adding mushrooms to the pan, before adding some spinach and some crème fraîche with parmesan cheese

As before the pork was lovely and tender and really tasty.

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M&S Collection Beef Shin & Chianti Tortelloni

The M&S at Cribbs Causeway was recently revamped, the food hall was refreshed and expanded. It has changed over the years, it use to have a cafe in the middle which disappeared.

On a recent visit to get some stir fry veg I had a look around and saw some fresh  pasta from their collection range on sale, which I hadn’t see in my local M&S Food Hall.

Part of me thought, £5.75 for a pack of fresh pasta, that’s a bit pricey,  but then thought, well the price of a steak is more than that.

The pack I picked up was the Beef Shin & Chianti Tortelloni. 

Slow cooked beef shin in a rich ragu finished with parsley gremolata in hand folded fresh egg pasta.

It was quick and easy to cook. I served it with some crème fraîche and parmesan cheese.

The pasta was excellent, and the filling had a deep intense flavour. I thought they were delicious and tasty. Something I would get again.

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Orecchiette Pasta with Courgette, Mushrooms and Pancetta

I like eating Orecchiette pasta since eating it in London a few years back at the now sadly closed Paesan restaurant close to Exmouth Market. Orecchiette are a pasta typical of the Apulia region of Italy. 

I cooked the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. I then in a large frying pan cooked off some pancetta before adding some sliced baby courgette and sliced mushrooms. When the pasta was virtually cooked I added some crème fraîche to the pan. The pasta was drained and then added to the pan and mixed in with the sauce. I plated the pasta before garnishing with freshly chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

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Pumpkin Ravioli

A favourite spot I frequent in London is the Drayton Court Hotel in Ealing. It’s been my go-to for years now. Compared to central London, it’s much easier on the wallet, and the Elizabeth Line makes getting downtown a snap. West Ealing Station, just a short walk away, offers trains that zip you into central London in under 20 minutes.

They have an ever changing menu and they have a specials menu. One of the specials was a roasted pumpkin & sage ravioli with maple roasted prince pumpkin, herb pesto, creme fraiche & toasted seeds.

This vegetarian dish sounded interesting, so I had it for dinner.

Pumpkin Ravioli

It wasn’t the most appetising looking dish I have had at Drayton Court. I think a swirl of creme fraiche would have enhanced this dish. The menu description said creme fraiche, but I am not sure if either it was missed off, or mixed in with the pesto.

The ravioli was cooked well, too easy to overcook filled pasta, but this was still al dente. I liked the deep fried sage which added flavour and texture to the dish, as did the toasted pumpkin seeds. I enjoyed the chunks of maple roasted prince pumpkin which were quite tasty. Overall it was an interesting dish, not sure I would order it again though.

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Gluten Free Chicken Strips

This was an attempt to create crispy buttermilk chicken strips.

I took some skinless chicken thigh meat and cut it into chunky strips.

I then coated them in, well I wanted to use buttermlik, but I didn’t have any buttermilk, so I used some crème fraîche. The mix was then left for thirty minutes.

The chicken strips were then coated in a seasoned gluten free flour and deep fried.

Overall, thought they were tasty, I didn’t quite get the effect I was trying to achieve. I think next time I should actually use buttermilk.