Recipe swap: spreads

Blitz and weep.

Ingredients:

1 small ripe avocado

1 tbsp peanut butter

6 tbsp vegan milk (coconut, oat, rice, soya, almond etc - you can add more for a softer consistency)

4 dates OR 1 small ripe banana

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Berries to serve, if you wish.

Jam is much easier to make than I thought. I picked a lot of blackberries from our community smallholding, and carried them home in a bag with some fresh sage I also picked. The smell of the two together was gorgeous and I was sure the sage would make an interesting addition to the jam.

I gave it a try and thought I’d pass on the recipe just in case anybody else has a pang for something sweet, and different to go on their toast. This made six medium sized jars, which incidentally I purchased from The Range, one of my new favourite shops (I have never seen one before I moved to Bristol).

IMG_3954

1kg Blackberries

1kg Jam Sugar (needs to be special sugar, as Blackberries don’t have much pectin)

10-12 sage leaves

1 small knob of butter

1. Put the blackberries and sage leaves in a maslin pan or large copper based pan on a low temperature for about five minutes, until the juices start to run, the smell starts to waft, and they get warm. Mash a bit with a potato masher, but not to a pulp

2. Turn up the heat a little and add in the whole bag of jam sugar, stirring for around ten minutes, until all the sugar has disolved. Add the butter and stir it in

3. Turn up the heat to full, and boil the mixture in what’s called a ‘rolling boil’ (when it is tumbling over itself like a small fountain in the pan) for seven minutes

4. Set out your sterilised and warm jars somewhere you can get to them whilst the jam is boiling, and have the lids handy too

5. After 7 minutes turn off the boil and remove any purple scum from the edges and top and leave the mixture to settle together for a further five minutes

6. Give it a quick stir and remove all visible sage leaves. Pour it into jars and put the lids on quickly after wiping away and spillage

7. Store in a cool, dry place

My jam was set and ready to eat the next day, and it’s delicious on brown toast. I think it’d also be good in a reduction for a sauce with game like Venison, or heated up on top of vanilla ice cream.

From www.thebristolparent.com

This porcini mushroom sauce originates from Northern Italy and is used spread over crostini, added to pasta sauces or served with roasted chicken. My favourite way to eat it is spread over crusty bread drizzled with olive oil. Keep it in the fridge and use as you like.

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms

Hot water

Splash of olive oil

1 small carrot

1 stick celery

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

100ml good vegetable stock

Salt and cracked black pepper

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp parsley, chopped fine

1. Cover porcini mushrooms with hot water and sit for approx. 15 minutes until soft. Drain mushrooms and stock through a sieve. Reserve 100ml of porcini liquid. Chop mushrooms into small pieces.

2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook shallot, carrot and celery until soft. Add porcini mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes.

3. Next add the white wine, bring to boil and simmer until liquid has nearly evaporated. Now add 100ml reserved porcini liquid, and 100ml vegetable stock, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then simmer 5 minutes or until you have a thick sauce like consistency.

4. Remove sauce from heat. Stir in chopped parsley and butter. Place sauce in a blender and blend briefly to remove large chunks, leaving a bit of texture from mushrooms and vegetables.

5. Cool and serve spread on crusty bread. Would also be nice topped with parmesan.

This is definitely one from the olden days! It comes from my great aunt, Tassie, who was in her 80s when she died in 1971. She wrote it out for my mother who handed it on to me. It's a frugal way to use up bits of cheese and crackers and ripe tomatoes and is really good spread on crusty white bread. I have no idea where the name came from.

4 large tomatoes

2 large onions

1 tablespoon of butter

Salt/pepper to taste

Good pinch of mixed herbs

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup grated cheese - works with any hard cheese

1 large egg

Cracker biscuits to thicken, whatever you've got in

Cook the first six ingredients over a low heat till soft.

Stir in the cheese.

The add the whole egg and stir in gently to retain the strands of cooked white.

Break the crackers into rough crumb and add to the mix till you get the consistency desired.

Spoon into a clean jar and seal when cold.

Keeps in the fridge for weeks.

The end of August / summer season need not be miserable. In fact, in honour of autumn’s arrival, we have made a jar of pecan pumpkin butter for our Sunday breakfasts! We first came across such deliciousness while on tour in New York, visiting a kitchenware store, and we instantly fell in love with it! We like our pecan pumpkin butter rather spicy, however if preferred you can add more or less spices than we have suggested!

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree

1 pumpkin

Water

Pecan pumpkin butter

250g pumpkin puree (Skip step 1 if you are using store-bought pumpkin puree)

400g pecans

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 ginger powder

1/4 ground cloves

Small pinch of nutmeg

Small pinch of cardamom

3-4 Tbsp honey / dark brown sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tsp flavourless oil

Directions

1. To make pumpkin puree, peel the pumpkin, and cut it into chunks. Place chunks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil. Cook 20-30 minutes, until pumpkin is tender. Drain well and allow to cool. Puree the chunks in a food processor or mash with a potato masher.

2. To make the pecan pumpkin butter, first roast pecans by placing them on a baking sheet, and bake in an oven pre-heated to 160 C for 7-10 minutes. Using a food processor ground pecans at low to medium speed (avoid high speed such that pecans will turn into very fine powder) until the butter comes together. In a saucepan, heat lemon zest, lemon juice and dark brown sugar at medium heat until sugar is melted. Add pumpkin puree, spices and salt, and simmer at low heat for 20-25 minutes such that ingredients are well mixed, and much of the lemon juice is reduced. Add the pecan butter and stir for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat off and continue to stir until well combined. Add more sugar for extra sweetness.

3. Spread generously on toasts to serve. Top it with a dollop of greek yogurt / crème fraiche if desired.

We have fallen in love with rillette, an old-fashioned, classic French meat dish after a recent visit to a bistro. It is super easy to make, and a rather foolproof recipe for the dinner party season. Recipe serves 8.

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly, skinned and boned

1 Tbsp salt

3-5 bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

4 whole garlic cloves

250 ml water

Directions

1. Place the pork belly in a roasting tin or a casserole dish, and rub salt all over the meat. Tip bay leaves, sprigs of thyme and garlic clove into the dish. If time permits, let it marinate overnight in the fridge, however this is not necessary.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 150 C. Pour water over the meat and cover it with a lid. Place the dish into the oven and cook for 3 hours, or until the pork is tender.

3. Allow the meat to cool slightly, and shred the pork by hand or with forks. Avoid using a food processor which will turn it into a smooth paste. Add extra seasoning if desired. Press meat into small serving dishes / ramekins. Pour the juices and fat from the casserole dish through a sieve over the meat, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours such that the fat hardens.

4. Serve with cornichons and sourdough bread.

This is a delicious spread / dip with a hint of fennel - a late summer / early autumn produce. Fennel is not the main ingredient here, but it gives the dip a herbal kick. You can easily reduce the amount of fennel by replacing it with pepper - if you are not yet accustomed to the taste of it.

INGREDIENTS

4 red and/or orange peppers

1 small red onion

1 small fennel bulb, outer leaves removed, and feathery tops removed

1 Tbsp of olive oil

5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves and stalks separated

2 - 3 heaped Tbsp of ricotta

2 Tbsp of sunflower seeds or pine nuts - toasted (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTION

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Cut the peppers into quarters. Wash and remove the seeds and membranes. Cut the red onion into thick rings. Roast the peppers and onion rings along with leaves and stalks of 3 sprigs of rosemary in the oven until the pepper skin blisters and the fleshes of the peppers and the onion rings are soft. This takes about 20 - 25 minutes.

3. In the mean time, slice the fennel into thick slices. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. When sizzling hot, add the leaves and stalk of 2 sprigs of rosemary along with the fennel slices into the pan. Cook until the fennel slices are soften, approximately 15 minutes (depends on the thickness of the slices).

4. Remove the skin of the peppers: once the pepper cools the skin should peel away from the peppers easily. If the skin is not darkened or burnt, you can also leave it on.

5. Remove the stalks of the rosemary. Add the fennel slices, skinned peppers and rosemary leaves along with 2 heaped Tbsp of ricotta and salt and pepper (to taste) in the blender. Blend the mixture until smooth and well mixed.

6. Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and top this with toasted sunflower seeds, if desired.

7. Serve with pitta bread / tortilla chips / or bread sticks.

Picture is available in the link below

http://twinnydip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/love-it-or-hate-it-series-fennel.html

We are obsessed with green peas in any forms, but PPP (Petit Pois Pesto) - a lighter and sweeter take on the Genoa classic - has got to be one of our favourites. We love spreading this generously on toasted bagels!

Give peas a chance!

Ingredients

200g petits pois ( you can use any green peas / garden peas instead)

50g walnut pieces, raw or lightly toasted

50g grated cheddar

2 clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 - 3 large handful of basil, leaves only

1/2 lemon, both zest and juice

3 - 4 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a pan of water to boil. Add peas and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes or just al dente, then run the peas under cold water to prevent them from further cooking. Drain the water.

2. Tip the peas into a bowl suitable for food processing with a blender / food processor. Add garlic, walnuts, grated cheddar, basil and lemon juice. Blend until desired smoothness ( I like some small chunks of walnuts / green peas for their texture, but be sure that the garlic is fully.

3. Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

4. Serve with pasta, or as a dip with warm pitta bread.

This buttery, creamy and smooth passion fruit curd is so good generously spreaded on toasts! Top up on the butteriness by spreading it on buttery breaeds such as butterzopf, brioche or thin shortbread biscuits.

Recipe is submitted to recipes@guardian.co.uk due to word limit.

‘Ensaladilla rusa' - literally 'Russian salad' is a typical Spanish tapas often served on a 'bread stick loop' with a hole in the middle! There are many versions of this scrumptious snack, with olives / tuna / beans etc - and they are all delicious. But, we find the one we had at Cerveceria Sento in Murcia the best - the secret of which is the addition of anchovy on top. So here is our version with the added twang of the salty and fermented anchovy!

Ingredients

500g potatoes, peeled

1 medium carrot, diced

125g green peas

5 - 6 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 roasted red pepper, drained and cut into small strips

1 can tuna in oil, drained (150g drained weight)

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

2 tsp capers, drained and lightly chopped

Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the garnish

A large handful of parsley, chopped

6 - 8 anchovies in olive oil, drained (such as these- http://www.waitrose.com/shop/HeaderSearchCmd?searchTerm=anchovies&defaultSearch=None&search=)

For serving

Slices of toasted breads or rosquillas (bread stick in a loop – such as these http://sevillaproducts.com/Bread-Sticks-Rosquillas-750-g )

Direction

1. Cook potatoes in a large pot of salted boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender. Once cooked, set aside to let cool. Cut into cubes.

2. In a separate saucepan, cook diced carrots in boiling water for 4 - 5 minutes, then add the peas. Cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes until carrots are tender. Plunge the carrots and peas into a pot of cold water to prevent further cooking. Drain well.

3. Mix potatoes, mayo and 1 tbsp vinegar in a mixing bowl. Mash to desire consistency (we like some potato lumps here and there for texture). Add the carrots, peas, roasted red pepper strips, tuna, chopped eggs, capers. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley on top. Serve next to a plate of drained anchovies and breadsticks / toasted bread.

4. To serve / eat, spread ensaladilla rusa generously onto toasted bread or bread stick and top with an anchovies.

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter - home made in minutes with no cooking - a healthier option, the recipe is on my blog http://www.london-unattached.com/2014/09/not-quite-nutella-recipe/

Cheap and easy, dairy-free versatile spread that can be used with pasta, but also in sandwiches or as a dip

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic

1 small bag of walnuts (check your local shop for the cheapest options; other nuts, eg spicy cashews, can be used instead)

bowlful of fresh basil leaves (if basil isn't available, use the green bits of spring onion)

olive oil

optional: sprinkle of lemon juice

chilli pepper flakes

Put all ingredients in a mixer, whizz together and add a bit more oil if the mixture is too dry. Stir into hot pasta or use as a sandwich spread.

I spent the Bank Holiday weekend in the Lake District, and perhaps through a combination of the recent heavy rain and dazzling sunlight, the hedges were heavy with brambles, ripe and ready for picking. Walking on the fells and on the paths along the river, I easily filled a sandwich bag with fruit, despite my eating almost as many as made it into the bag.

The wild fruit is smaller and more varied in taste than the blackberries on the supermarket shelves back in London. Some of them were subtly sweet, some were bitter and a few were mouth-puckeringly sharp. All of them were full of pips, which I love to crunch between my teeth, although I know not everyone is a fan.

Back at the cottage, I made this quick jam - the process speeded up by not adding water, which normally would take ages to boil off. It also uses much less sugar than most jam recipes, but could be adjusted for taste - the downside is that it doesn't keep as long as normal jam, but I think it's worth it because with less sugar and a shortened cooking time the delicate flavour of the wild fruit still shines through. It sets into a fairly loose jelly and keeps in the fridge in a sterilised jar for a few weeks.

We heaped the still-warm jam onto craggy homemade scones, and stirred spoonfuls into baked apples to make a crumble filling. It was also good the next day on toasted buns, and I have plans to make ice cream with the rest of the jar that we brought back. This is a great recipe - more of a method, really, for when you are on holiday and don't have lots of equipment on hand. I make scones on holiday in much the same way - no recipe - and I can't say they suffer for it.Recipe: Bramble Jam

Blackberries, washed and checked for worms - about 400g worth

White granulated sugar, half the weight of the blackberries (pour over the fruit until the gaps in between are filled up, about half the height of the fruit)*

1 tsp lemon juice (if available, from concentrate is fine)

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional, but I think blackberries and vanilla go particularly well together)

*Note on sugar: at home I normally only buy golden unrefined caster/granulated sugar, but the holiday home had white so we used that, and I don't think it was a bad thing in fact - having a more neutral sugar really let the flavour of the brambles shine

1. Using a saucepan big enough for the blackberries to only fill it half-full, heat all the ingredients over a medium-high heat until the fruit has given off enough inky juice to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

2. Cook for 20-25 minutes or so, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the fruit collapses. Stir well to make sure the consistency is even, and then leave to cool.

3. If storing in a jar, sterilise the jar and lid by filling with boiling water from the kettle and leaving to stand for 15 minutes. Then empty out the water and pour in the still-hot jam fasten the lid on. Tip the jar upside down briefly to ensure the lid and seal are covered with the jam to hopefully kill any lingering germs. The jar will make a startling popping noise as it cools.

More home cooking recipes available on my blog: http://lowceilingedkitchen.wordpress.com/

An anchovy spread with a Provencal punch- combining a Gentleman's Relish with an anchoiade- for the best of both recipes!

Ingredients:

150g tinned anchovies

150g salted anchovies (from the deli counter)

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1 sundried tomato (finely chopped)

1 dessertspoon good olive oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 dessertspoon fresh breadcrumbs

Pound everything in a pestle and mortar, gradually working in the olive oil and the vinegar, a splash at a time.

After 5 minutes you will have a smooth, savoury paste.

Chill well and serve with toasts.

More recipes on my blog at www.lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk

This is a recipe for Lime Curd which is a sweeter alternative to lemon curd. The recipe features on my blog http://www.patisseriemakesperfect.co.uk/lemon-and-lime-curd-recipes/

My mother taught me to make this quick and easy spread when i was about 12 and not entirely sure what an avocado was for. I was smitten. There's no cooking or even chopping involved, just a quick mash and you're good to go. Spread onto crusty bread or hot granary toast it's perfect for a quick yet elegant lunch or brunch.

1 ripe avocado

1 small tin of tuna in spring water

About a tablespoon of mayonnaise

Juice of half a small lemon

Coarse ground black pepper

Halve the avocado and scoop the flesh out into a bowl. Drain the tuna and add it to the avocado along with the mayonnaise, lemon juice and pepper. Mash together roughly - you want to keep some texture - then check the balance of seasoning.

Slather onto fresh bread, hot toast or even tiny crackers to serve as a party canapé with a glass of bubbly.

my pumpkin labne is inspired by blue hill for the possibility of flavoured savoury yoghurt. in its savoury state you could pair it with roasted peppers or grilled aubergines with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and some walnuts. or you could have it sweet like i did for breakfast one morning with flaked almonds and a generous drizzle of date syrup. it was the colour of autumn gold leaves. tucking into it for breakfast was somewhat special not just because it was a break from routine but because it captured the fleeting bounty of the season. if you have time, take the trouble to roast pumpkin or butternut squash with whole spices like cardamom or cinnamon. when the flesh is tender puree it, fold it into yoghurt and make labne. i promise it will be worth the extra effort.

four hundred grams full fat yoghurt

four hundred grams pumpkin puree (preferably fresh. if not use canned)

one tablespoon cinnamon

half a teaspoon all spice

follow the directions above. this labne can be used in its savoury form with roasted vegetables. to sweeten drizzle on honey, maple syrup or date syrup and finish with toasted nuts like almonds or hazelnuts.

one can of chickpeas, drained

two tablespoons tahini

two or three tablespoons of cold water

the flesh and skin of a preserved lemon, roughly chopped

one hundred and seventy grams grilled artichokes in olive oil

a generous pinch of sea salt

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

a few fronds of dill, chopped

a handful of pomegranate seeds

sumac to sprinkle

a couple of slices of sourdough

start by placing the drained chickpeas in the bowl of your food processor. blitz them until they are well broken down. now add the tahini and process for a couple of seconds. next add the salt and the chopped preserved lemon taking care to remove any seeds beforehand. break it down in the food processor.

keep the food processor running as you add the cold water a tablespoon at a time. you need to add enough to give a spreadable consistency. i used two tablespoons.

add the artichokes and pulse them into the hummus. you want to them to breakdown a little bit. this is not intended to a smooth paste.

i would recommend making the artichoke hummus a couple of hours ahead of eating it. let it sit at ambient temperature. this helps the flavours to get to know each other.

when you are ready to serve slather the hummus into a shallow bowl and use the back of a spoon to spread it to the shape of the bowl. sprinkle on the dill and pomegranate seeds and finish with a generous trickle of olive oil and a dusting of sumac.

serve with toasted sourdough. this hummus would make a welcome addition to a mezze platter as well.

Created from an idea I hatched when thinking of toppings for crackers just days before the Recipe swap topic was announced. This is a sweet and salty spread with added bite from the hazelnuts. Recipe and more photos on my blog, http://lepetitoeuf.com

Ingredients:

25g maple syrup

12g butter

50g hazelnuts, lightly broken

200g feta

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves plucked and chopped

6 tablespoons natural yoghurt

Olive oil for serving

Directions:

Pre heat your oven to gas mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF.

Put the butter and syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and it’s all started to sizzle. Remove from the heat, add the hazelnuts and mix thoroughly until well coated.

Put a piece of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet and spread the nut mixture out as widely as possible on here. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, mixing them all up after 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them towards the end as they will burn easily, they should be slightly darkened. Once out of the oven, leave the nuts to cool, then break up any clumps.

In a bowl, mix the feta, yoghurt and rosemary with a fork, adding more yoghurt if you feel it’s too thick, or not spreadable. When the nuts are cool, mix them in as well. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

400g of chicken livers cost me just 99p- and this recipe makes 6 parfaits. You really can't say better than that for something luxurious and tasty to spread on your toast!

You need said quantity (400g) of chicken livers, 2 small shallots finely chopped, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 large glass of port, 200g of butter, some fresh chopped rosemary and seasoning including a good grating of nutmeg.

Snip up the livers with kitchen scissors, taking out any bits you don't like the look of (you are the best judge of that!) and add the livers to a frying pan where you have already softened the shallot and garlic in some olive oil. Cook through, and when they are still pink, add the port, salt and pepper and nutmeg and a big knob of butter. Boil rapidly until the port has reduced by half and the livers cooked a bit more.

Pour all of this into a food processor and blitz until smooth. If you like your pate extra smooth and creamy, you can add some cream at this point. I like mine crumbly and dark so I've left it out.

Spoon into ramekins. Then clarify the remaining butter - melt in a saucepan and then strain into a jug, throwing away the milky solids which remain in the strainer. Pour the butter over the parfaits and leave to chill in the fridge. Freeze when completely cool- or serve straightaway with melba toast and chutney.

(Melba toast made from a sliced stale French loaf, sprinkled with olive oil and baked in the oven until brown and crispy. I make it whenever the oven is on already, and freeze it in a plastic container until I need it).

More thrifty ideas on my blog at www.lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk