Garlic, Honey and Herb Yoghurt Sauce

 

Serves: 4-6

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Yoghurt (preferably Greek yoghurt for thickness)
• 1-2 cloves Garlic (minced or grated)
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Mint (chopped)
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (chopped)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients

1. Mince or grate the garlic finely.
2. Chop the mint and parsley into small pieces.

Step 2: Mix the Sauce

1. In a medium bowl, combine the yoghurt, minced garlic, honey, and olive oil.
2. Stir in the chopped mint and parsley.
3. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Mix everything until smooth and well combined.

Step 3: Chill (Optional)

• For a deeper flavour, refrigerate the sauce for about 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the herbs and garlic to infuse into the yoghurt.

Step 4: Serve

• Serve as a refreshing side or dip. It pairs wonderfully with grilled meats, roasted vegetables, pita bread, or as a topping for wraps.

This Garlic, Honey, and Herb Yoghurt Sauce is creamy, slightly tangy, and has a perfect balance of sweet and savoury!

Feta & Ricotta Puff Pastry Rolls with Spinach

I made this as a vegetarian evening meal for Valentine's Day. It turned out really well, and we made a few variations on the theme throughout the week. Since it serves 6 it will last for a couple of days, and can be added to with sides like broccoli, green beans, carrots (if not using them directly in the filling). I also include a recipe for a Garlic, Honey and Herb Yoghurt Sauce in the next blog, which goes well with the Puff Pastry, and makes a good opportunity to use up the remainder of your bunch of parsley. 

Serves: 6

Time: Approx. 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 Puff Pastry Sheets (thawed if frozen)
• 2 cups Frozen Spinach (thawed & drained)
• ½ cup Broccoli florets (optional)
• Chickpeas (1 tin)
• 2 Tbsp Pine nuts
• 1 grated carrot
• ½ Onion (finely chopped)
• 1-2 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
• 1 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
• 1 Egg (for egg wash)
• 1 tsp Water

Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the Filling

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, and sauté until soft and translucent (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add thawed & drained spinach, chickpeas, broccoli, carrots and pine nuts to the pan. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until excess moisture evaporates.
4. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
5. After removing the pan from heat and letting it cool slightly, fold in the chopped parsley into the filling mixture of spinach, ricotta cheese, and feta. This will ensure the parsley maintains its fresh flavour and colour.
6. In a large bowl, combine the spinach mixture, ricotta cheese, and crumbled feta.
7. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well.

Step 2: Assemble the Rolls

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Roll out each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. If the sheets are too thick, gently roll them to about ⅛ inch thick.
3. Divide the spinach and cheese filling evenly among the pastry sheets, spreading it in a line along one edge of each sheet.
4. Roll up the pastry sheets tightly, forming long logs. Place the seam side down.
5. Cut each log into smaller rolls (about 2 inches wide).

Step 3: Egg Wash

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 tsp water to make an egg wash.
2. Brush the tops of each roll with the egg wash for a golden, shiny finish.

Step 4: Bake

1. Arrange the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and crispy.

Step 5: Serve

• Let the rolls cool slightly and serve warm.
• Perfect as an appetizer, snack, or side dish!

Fischer-Lagerhaus, Neuwied

There are some stores which are just kryptonite to your wallet. I used to think I had the perfect kryptonite to avoid at all costs in the shape of B&Q, especially when they crank up that 80's style dad music; Duran Duran, Africa, Bananarama, etc. So much the more allure when I was fresh from the press with a new job, with a burning need to make DIY repairs to a new house. Well, scrub all of that. Fischer-Lagerhaus, has stores all over Germany including Neuwied near Koblenz. Their cathedral-like Aladdin's caverns purvey the most epicurean selection of ethnic trophies from around the world, from India to China, Africa to Tibet. In its splendour, taste and voluptuary elegance, it makes the likes of Dunelm Mill look like Preston Bus station in the 1970's. I have every confidence these people will bankrupt me in the most supremely ethical way, and leave me sitting in an immaculate museum piece of a house, surrounded by exotic leafy plants with furniture smelling sweetly of polished mahogany and sandalwood, as I weep into my final credit card bill with fond Sanskrit memories. 

Waldsee (Rieden, Eifel)

 In December I had a wonderfully romantic visit to Reiden in the Eifel region of Germany. Our accommodation was in the style of a secluded holiday log cabin, which was nestled into a hillside overlooking a lake called Waldsee (Forest Lake). The first night we arrived, we ascended into the hills to be greeted by cobs of fluffy snow which carpeted all around in a magical Christmassy scene, and pretty much sealed us off from the urge to explore. We were accompanied by a kind of industrial pellet oven heater we mischievously called the 'mini Gigant', which groaned and spat out flames all day and night, to whichever temperature setting you wanted. In this cabin more than any other, there were also a plethora of soft lighting options which offered an endless fascination with engineering mood. In all it made for an incredibly cosy retreat. In the grounds of the holiday cabin, there was a small outbuilding which served as a sauna, complete with coals, water pail and ladle, woodland essential oils and fragrances, plus the inevitably refreshing dash back to the cabin in the frosty night air. Whilst we had planned to explore the surrounds of the lake, woods and nearby restaurant, it turned out we caught covid, so had some enforced downtime, which was no hardship. Below are various photos of Waldsee. Some of them are from the internet, some self-taken of the cabin, and some out of season, but hopefully they illustrate the beauty of the area, which is an inspiration for naturalists, walkers, writers, and carries a rich tradition of folklore and fairy tales. We both have every intention of visiting again in future. 

Für Mein Waldelfin im Dezember

Today the mist hangs low
Black branches graze the air

Canopies dissolve in a mystery of longing
Their memories aloof to the forlorn earth
All is quiet in meditation
The birds bowed in reverence
I light a candle
And beg the trees to remain.

Heute hängt der Nebel tief
Schwarze Äste streifen die Luft
Baldachine lösen sich auf in einem Geheimnis der Sehnsucht
Ihre Erinnerungen sind weit weg von der verlorenen Erde
Alles ist still in Meditation
Die Vögel verneigen sich in Ehrfurcht
Ich zünde eine Kerze an
Und bitte die Bäume zu bleiben.