Unhealthy pastimes!

Tony and I have discovered our love of breadmaking, pie making and ice cream making.......not the best combination for trying to maintain a waistline - and I don’t mean a small waistline just any waistline! :)

Photos above of Tony’s last pie that I’ve already blogged about - since then he’s also done a tropical coconut pie using his lovely homemade pastry incorporating blanched ground almonds - it was another spectacular effort (photo below).

Today, I made my first batch of coconut ice cream in my brand new ice cream machine (a gift from Tony) - having never owned an ice cream machine I was pretty excited but am absolutely amazed at how simple it really is to make something so utterly bad for you!

On a slightly healthier note, I did also make some fresh pesto using the excess of basil we have in our “kitchen garden”, and substituted all pine nuts for half pine nuts and half walnuts because we do still have some walnuts left over from the harvest in France - it’s delicious and made even more delightful by using my lovely new food processor - also a gift from Tony.

Pesto

1/4 cup toasted pinenuts (not essential but I think this adds a little extra richness - you can dry “toast” them in a non stick frying pan - you don’t need to add anything - there’s enough oil in the nuts - shake for a few minutes until lightly browned then cool)

1/4 cup walnuts (toasted or not but you can add them to the pan with the pine nuts)

5 cups basil (packed)

1 cup olive oil

8-10 cloves garlic

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt & pepper (about 1tsp of each)

Put the nuts in the food processor with the garlic until they’re all broken down, add the basil and salt and pepper then drizzle the olive oil in slowly - add the parmesan and incorporate until you’ve got a nice “sauce like” consistency - use immediately or refrigerate or freeze with a layer of olive oil over the top to keep out the air.

Suggestions for serving,

Toss pasta or potatoes in it

Spread over french bread in place of garlic butter for a twist on garlic bread

Use as a chicken or shrimp marinade

Experiment as you see fit!

Our garden is going well - we now have basil, rosemary, scotch bonnet peppers, tomatoes, aubergine (plants - still no fruits!), okra, peppers, bok choy and a variety of greens (mustard greens, arugula, mesculin lettuce).  But as healthy as all that sounds, with the amount of experimenting we’re doing (and of course the eating that comes as a result of experimenting) we really are going to have to increase the exercise regime if we’re to survive the experience!

I’ve also just discovered an awesome way to make healthy burgers or meatballs, using extra lean ground beef and aubergine.  This makes the meat stretch further and adds back some juiciness that will be missing from the lack of fat - you also don’t need eggs or breadcrumbs.  Cook the aubergine in a microwave or oven until it’s cooked (collapsed) - this takes about 6-8 minutes in a microwave for a decent sized aubergine - probably 30-40 minutes in the oven.  Chop off the top before cooking to avoid any explosions then once it’s cooled a bit - peel it reserving all the flesh - chop finely and add to your extra lean ground beef with some garlic, onions, hot peppers if you like some spice, and some parsley - make it into burgers or meatballs and cook as normal - they’re a bit more delicate on the bbq but will cook just fine and will remain tender and juicy.

Bon apetit!