Broccoli and Stilton Soup

It's been a good educational week of learning, hence a little late blogging this evening but I really wanted to share what we ate earlier today: Broccoli and Stilton Soup.

The reason why I wanted to share it, just made me chuckle.  The recipe comes from New Covent Garden Soup for Every Day and this Broccoli and Stilton was the recipe they actually suggested to make on the 28th February and what is the date today?!  See why i am chuckling to myself.  It was really accidental and not planned. 

D keeps bringing home broccoli from the supermarket and then it sits there taunting me, what to do with it.  Often its just steamed and served as a side dish. But i want to be bit more creative with my vegetables, but its not one of favourite greens. In fact i am not that keen on it.  I only ever prefer the stalks and the bushy green heads ends up on D's plate.  But something had to be done with this head of broccoli just staring at me - so soup it was.

The soup was rich and quite creamy naturally from the addition of the potatoes, so i omitted the cream from the original recipe in the cookbook. I have decided that I actually like broccoli in soup. 

I am sharing this Broccoli and Stilton Soup with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

I cannot believe its already February, where did January go?!

I haven't been doing very much in the way of cooking. And even if I was, when I get home the evenings are so dark that I do not get round to taking a photograph of what I made to showcase here, and therefore not write about it either - which is a bit of a shame when I make something not featured on my blog before.  

Anyway, what I do have to share is this Broccoli and Stilton Soup. It was made over one weekend in January when it was decided that I needed to save from going to waste some Stilton cheese that had not been eaten over the festive holiday.   

It was comforting to eat, especially on days  when your feeling a little under the weather and wishing you could put all the wrongs of the world to right, but know you cannot.  All you can do is turn off the news channel and sit down to a bowl of goodness served up with some good crusty bread. 

I am sharing this Broccoli and Stilton Soup with  Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen and with Weekend Cooking Event hosted by Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share. 

Cauliflower Steak and Stilton Pie

I know purists will be throwing their arms in the air in disbelief, but hey if celebrity chefs can mess with traditional recipes, so can home cooks, even those who love their veggies. 

'Steak and Stilton Pie' is a meat pie.  It can be found at many Blighty pubs who often offer it on their menu for evening suppers.  It is often enjoyed with a pint of beer or a dark ale.  Vegetarians have gone a step further, replacing the beef steak with mushrooms.  Why not - mushrooms are the natural meat of the vegetarian world.  Its makes a fine vegetarian supper indeed.  This afternoon though, I decided to take the vegetarian 'Mushroom Steak and Stilton Pie' another step forward, and make it with cauliflower steaks.  A cauliflower steaks is simply a large cauliflower cut into thick slices, and cooked either in the oven; or a wide frying pan with little olive oil until cooked through and golden on both sides.  You can also do this with Romenesco, yellow and purple cauliflower if your blessed to find them.

I was introduced to Cauliflower Steaks about 3-4 years ago.  It was then seen as a hearty vegan alternative to pan-fried meat.  As you can see, its quite simple to make if you want to try.  I''d encourage even those of you who like your meat to try it, you can still enjoy this it as a side veg. 

Anyway, the idea for this 'Cauliflower Steak and Stilton Pie' came to me yesterday after catching up with some of my blog reads.  I was going to make a Cauliflower Soup with the second cauliflower that D picked up - actually it was going to be a twist on 'Broccoli and Stilton Soup', but then I changed my mind and decided to encase it in a shortcrust pastry.  The result – good, very good - an excellent verdict from a person whose not that keen on cauliflower.

Raw Shortcrust Pastry

You will have to forgive me for not showing you the Cauliflower Steak and Stilton filling.  Lighting is so bad in the evenings, that even the shortcrust pastry pictures here are not that great.  A shame really, as its made by my cold hands.  I even played with my letter cookie cutter set with the remaining pastry trimmings.  I think the last time I got to use the cookie cutter set was when I made a Cabbage Pie.   I do hope you get the idea of what the filling is like: cauliflower dyed tomato red and funked up with stinky blue cheese.  If you wish you can make this in advance and assemble it when you want to eat it. Then it can be served right from the oven to the table, hot with a golden crust - just like they do in the pubs! 

I've made one large pie here, but if you have individual pie dishes, then you can definitely make four of these. This will be our evening meal tomorrow too.

Shortcrust Pastry Cooked

Cauliflower Steaks and Stilton Pie
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the pastry
225g plain flour
100g butter
1 egg
About 2 – 3 tablespoons milk to bind
1 egg, beaten for coating
Method
In a large bowl combine the flour and butter until resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the egg and enough milk to bind.  Knead to form a dough.  Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

For the Cauliflower Steaks and Stilton Filling
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 large cauliflower.  To mimic steaks: slice the cauliflower from top to bottom into about 4 thick slices, then slice again once through the core, so that they are quartered.
OR simply chop the cauliflower into bite-size florets, (please use the core too – it is very good).
1 tablespoon tomato puree
300ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
200g Stilton cheese, crumbled
Method
In a wide pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions until soft, then sir int the florets, tomato pure and stock.  Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has thickened.  Season to taste.
Pour the filling mixture into a pie dish, then scatter over the cheese evenly. 
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6.  Roll out the pastry to cover the pie dish..  Trim the edges and cut a hole in the middle.  Brush all over with the beaten egg.  Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until crisp and golden.  Serve with mashed potatoes and green peas.

Savoury Leek and Stilton 'Eccles' cake

For those of you may not be familiar with Eccles cakes, they are a particular kind of English cake. Individual flaky pastries filled with either currants or raisins, glazed and coated in crunchy sugar grains. D really likes Eccles cakes, but has struggled to find a good commercial brand.

Eccles cakes are believed to have originated in a little place called Eccles, formerly within the Lancashire boundary but this has been debated by some food historians who argue that similar types of sweet patties were being made elsewhere in England. This photograph is of an Eccles cake bakery was taken when we visited Liverpool last year.
To add to this, these sweet patties are known by different names. I’ve known them to be called Squashed Fly Cake, and even a Fly's Graveyard. I’ve been told that they also exist in Scotland, but in a very different guise: simply as a fruit slice. So it with some reservation that I call these Savory cakes 'Eccles' cakes, especially in the light of recent proposals to protect them and prevent bakers from calling cakes 'Eccles cakes' unless they have actually been made in Eccles. Something else of interest though, the word ‘eccles’ actually means church and is derived from the Greek word ‘Ecclestia’.

The pastry for this savoury version was light and flaky. The filling was creamy and salty from the cheese, and silky from the leeks. Although I preferred this warm I think these would be good eaten cold too. So perfect for taking to work for lunch or summer time picnics for those of you blessed with sunshine. The sun is rather shy to come out in Scotland, even on summer days. So picnics here are always followed by rain, well that has been my experience so far. Talking of weather, the snow here has finally melted away, but I wonder for how long until the next flurry?!

Leek and Stilton ‘Eccles’ Cakes
Makes 6

Ingredients
1 x ready rolled puff pastry
Plain flour for rolling
For the filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
300g leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
100g Stilton cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon dried breadcrumbs
To glaze
1 egg, beaten
Sesame seeds
Method
First make the filling, heat the oil in saucepan. Add the leeks, herb and season with salt and pepper, then cover and cook over low heat for 5 – 10 minutes until softened. Turn off heat and allow to cool before stirring in Stilton cheese and breadcrumbs.

Lay pastry out on a board and first cut out 4 x 5 inch or 6 inch rounds. Then gather the pastry roll out with a rolling pin and cut out a further 2. Divide the filling between the pastry rounds, placing it in the centre of each. Dampen the edges of the pastry and gather the pastry over the filling. Press the pastry together in the centre forming a ball. Turn the balls over and flatten them lightly with a rolling pin. Using a sharp knife, make 3 small parallel cuts in the top of each. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Chill until ready to make.
Heat oven to Gas mark 6. Place on a baking tray and cook at the top of the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until evenly browned. Adapted from Leiths Vegetarian Bible by Polly Tyrer.