Asparagus and Pancetta pastryless Tarts

This recipe was developed to make use of some of the delicious, seasonal products on sale at The Shop in The Shed.  Grown on the farm, asparagus is being picked right now (May) and, paired with bantam eggs and pancetta, makes a lovely addition to our bake - a pastryless tart.

We used -

200g natural yogurt (we used full fat)
125g shallots, sliced
6 bantam eggs
100g pancetta slices
8 spears of asparagus, washed
20g cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 Tablespoon oil
Freshly ground black pepper

These ingredients made 4 larger tarts (made in Yorkshire pudding tins) and 4 smaller, deeper tarts (made in muffin tins).

Preparing the shallots, they were peeled and thinly slicedand then fried in a tablespoon of oil (we used sunflower) over a low heat for about 15 minutes until they started to caramelise.  At this point, they were placed to one side to cool slightly until needed.

Taking the baking tins, they were lightly greased used an old butter wrapper before being lined with slices of the pancetta.

The pancetta we used was smoked and air dried.  Cutting slices to size, the tins were carefully covered (without too much overlap) to form an outer case when cooked.

Next the asparagus was washed and the lower portion (which can
be woody) was snapped off... to do this we held the towards the top and at the bottom then bent each one until the spear snapped.  You can chop the ends off if you prefer.

The spears were then cut so that they were the right length to fit diagonally across the tart, the remaining stems were chopped into small pieces.  The woody ends were not used in this recipe but can be used in soup or to make a 'pesto'.

To prepare the filling, we mixed yogurt with the bantam eggs, freshly ground black pepper and whisked to combine.

Using a dessert spoon, a small amount of the filling mix was added on top of the pancetta lining, before a little of the caramelised onion was also added.


This was then topped with some more of the filling before having the chopped asparagus stalks added, sprinkling a small amount of the grated cheese on top (being careful not to get it on the baking trays) and....

... finally the reserved asparagus spear was added to each tart.

The tarts were then placed in a 170ºC oven for about 20 minutes when they were checked to see if they were browning (at this point ours had risen souffle-like but, luckily, hadn't overflowed).  We left them in the oven for a further 5 minutes.

Having taken the tarts out of the oven, we allowed them to cool for about 15 minutes and then carefully removed them from the tins.

We served our tarts warm with green salad and chilli potatoes....

... or they'd be great on a picnic or as a lunch box item... no soggy bottoms to deal with!







Disclosure - we were given the asparagus, pancetta, eggs and cheese by The Shop in the Shed to develop a recipe.  This is the result and all other ingredients were our own.

P's Pheasant Stew

We were offered a pheasant by some pals... so were looking for a slow cooker recipe for a stew.  Surfing the internet brought us to this Jamie Oliver recipe which is for Pheasant Stew with Chestnut Dumplings.  Having carried out a fridge audit to see what ingredients Jamie lists as being required and, as is the norm in this kitchen, we figured we could make some suitable substitutions so the recipe was a go.
We used -
• One pheasant - portioned, on the bone
• Plain flour (we used Dove's Farm gluten free), for coating pheasant joints
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 140g pancetta cubes
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 300ml stock (we used vegetable)
• dash of sherry

The veg and pheasant were prepared.  It was going to be a rustic stew which meant leaving ingredients in large pieces.





We started by coating the pheasant in gluten free plain flour (in a bowl) before frying off until browned.  Then the pancetta cubes were added to the skillet, the lid was placed on and the heat was reduced to low to allow the fat to render down a little.

Whilst the meat and veg was being combined, the stock was made up using a Knorr Stock pot.

Adding the stock to the pan, we then brought the stew to the boil, covered and reduced the heat so that the pan simmered.   After half an hour, the stew was looking (and smelling) good.  For ease of eating (and to convince Sous Chef J to try it) the bones were taken out and the stew heated for a further five minutes before being served with sauteed potatoes, peas and sweetcorn.

Next time we make this, we will follow the same method as above to the point where the stock is added - the stew will then be added to our (heated) slow cooker and it will be cooked on low for a few hours.

DUMPLINGS

If we'd have had some suet and chestnut flour, we'd have used Jamie's recipe for Chestnut Dumplings which requires 50g plain flour, 50g chestnut flour, 50g suet, pinch baking powder, 25g ready-cooked chestnuts.  Then, to make the chestnut dumplings, mix the ingredients in a bowl, crumbling in the chestnuts. Mix with your fingertips until the the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add a pinch of salt and pepper, and just enough cold water to bind everything. Dust your hands with flour and roll into about 25 brussels sprout-sized balls.  Add these to the stew once the stock is in the pan... and leave to cook.

'Our' BLT Sarnie

Having been trying to 're-brand' a few food types to encourage Sous Chef J to eat more (and stop losing weight) a weekend breakfast option had been bacon sandwiches but he's not keen on 'thick' meat.  So, we thought about an alternative and pancetta came to mind.

As usual, we gathered the ingredients needed - in this case, Genius Gluten Free Seeded Bread, tomato ketchup, lettuce and tomatoes.  

For the 'bacon', we got a pack of pancetta and fried it til crispy.

Whilst the pancetta was being cooked, the bread was spread with tomato ketchup then lettuce and tomato slices added.

Finally, the fried pancetta was added, the top slice of bread was flipped over to top the sandwich.

All that was left was to eat the delicious breakfast sandwich.  Sous Chef J ate almost all of his and that's a real improvement on previous "offerings", as he calls them!

Pancetta and Cheese Muffins

We spotted this recipe in the M&S Allergy Free cookbook that was a Christmas gift (sadly the same one's no longer listed on their website.)  It includes polenta and is a savoury muffin which I had hoped Sous Chef J would like as a breakfast/brunch item. 


Having decided to use half the ingredients listed in the recipe in this trial bake, we gathered together:-

½ tablespoon Olive Oil
100g pancetta, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
87g self raising flour (Dove's Farm gluten free)
27g polenta
38g grated cheddar cheese
80ml milk (we used home made yogurt)
1 egg (we used a large one)
30g melted butter

Whilst preparing the onions, the butter was melted.

The dry ingredients were placed in a mixing bowl - about a third of the grated cheese was reserved for later.

Having heated the olive oil in a frying pan, the pancetta was browned and then the onions were added.  Once the onions were softened, not browned, the pan was removed from the heat to cool slightly.

Once we had added the melted butter to the dried ingredients in the mixing bowl, the cooled pancetta and onion was added as well. 

Using a wooden spoon, the ingredients were mixed until well combined.

Dessertspoon dollops of the mix were divided between 6 muffin cases.  It is a firm mix and was quite a stiff consistency.






To finish off the muffins, they were topped with the reserved grated cheese. 

The muffins were baked in a pre-heated fan oven (180C) for about 12-15 minutes (this will need checking depending on the mix consistency.)  They were cooled in the muffin tray for 10 minutes.

Delicious warm and still tasty the next day - we  warmed them through prior to serving.

The muffins were a hit although Sous Chef J definitely preferred them warm... and with oodles of tomato ketchup.

These muffins freeze well.  The ingredients we used made 6 muffins.