Recipe: Savoury bread and butter pudding with bacon chunks and cheddar cheese

It's pudding time children

Whilst everyone has been tossing pancakes we had a moment when we realised we had no unfrozen food at home.  On closer examination it turned out we had half a loaf of focaccia that Keith had made on the weekend, plus a few other essentials one tends to have knocking around the fridge; cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and smoked gammon. In true Lent “clear your cupboards out for fasting style” we threw together a savoury bread and butter pudding.

We ate the bread and butter pudding straight from the oven.  The bacon chunks, textures of soft and crusty cheesey bread makes this superb comfort food.  It is also an extremely thrifty meal. 

Ingredients

• Thick Bread slices to fill your chosen dish, buttered on both side.  We used focaccia and buttered with olive oil spread
• Smoked Pork Loin, cut into chunks and roasted for 15 minutes
• 1 Shallot, finely chopped
• Button mushrooms, a generous handful, sliced
• 2 Eggs
• 250ml milk
• 100g of cheddar cheese, grated. We used half fat
• Baby plum tomatoes, cut in slices lengthways
• Sprigs of rosemary
• Pepper to season

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180C
2. Layer the bread sliced in your dish
3. Place the mushrooms, gammon, and shallots within the slices
4. Beat the eggs until frothy
5. Add the milk and beat for a further 30 seconds.  Season with pepper
6. Add the cheese and a few sprigs of rosemary
7. Pour the egg mixture over your bread
8. Dot the tomatoes and whole sprigs of rosemary in the dish
9. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until crusty and golden 

Serve with a side salad or soup. 

Recipe: Memories of Verona - Gorgonzola and Walnut Pasta

It's a hard nut life for us

Six years ago, Keith and I were in Verona celebrating our 6 month anniversary of being married.  On the second night we stumbled upon a tiny restaurant where for forty six euros Keith and I enjoyed a feast worthy for a king, which include three courses, a prosecco aperitif, coffees and a shot of grappa (which we are not really fans of but the waiter was really friendly so it was hard to say no).  The most memorable part of the meal was the pasta which Keith has re-created tonight.  The gorgonzola cheese works perfectly with the walnuts which give the dish a lovely texture. Keith's Italian friend Tony came around for dinner this evening so the pressure was on to make something that could pass off as authentic cooking from his motherland. Thankfully, our guest was not disappointed and described the dish as heavenly.

Ingredients

• 200g pasta
• 100g Gorgonzola cheese cut into cubes
• 80g pancetta or bacon
• 100g Mushrooms, coarsley chopped
• 2 tbsp Créme fraiche
• 40g walnuts smashed or blitzed into small pieces
• 1 small ciabatta roll, blitzed into crumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• chopped parsley

Method

1. Put the pasta on to boil
2. Whilst the pasta is boiling, cook the pancetta in a frying pan or skillet on a medium to high heat (no oil required)
3. Add the mushrooms to the meat after about 2 to 3 minutes, reduce the heat and cook for a further 3 minutes.
4. Remove the pancetta and mushrooms from the pan into a suitable container and set to one side.
5. Heat the pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and then add the garlic.
6. Add the bread crumbs after about 20 seconds and mix well with the garlic. Reduce the heat so you don't burn the bread or the garlic and cook toast until golden brown.
7. Drain the pasta but keep a few table spoons of the water. Return the pasta and water to the pan.
8. Stir in the cheese, walnuts and creme fraiche followed by the bacon and mushrooms and stir well.

Serve in a pasta bowl and top with the toasted crumbs and chopped parsley.

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