Sweet and sticky, it changes the flavour and the texture of dishes- be they sweet or savoury.
I'm featuring some of my favourites here, but I'm also including a link to the Guardian recipe swap site where other cooks have sent in dozens of lovely honey recipes too.
https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/5360cee7e4b05034061a994d
My own recipe featured in the newspaper today- even more reason to talk about honey!
Caviar d'Aubergines with Honey and Rosemary
This really is a taste of Provence- honey, rosemary, aubergines, garlic and olive oil. I make it whenever aubergines are plentiful and in season- and I buy jars of it when in France to bring home for adding to soups and vegetable lasagne. The honey gives a sweetness which counteracts any bitterness from the aubergines.
Ingredients:
2 large aubergines
4 sticks of rosemary
2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
4 dessertspoons honey
4 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches each of salt and pepper
2 large aubergines
4 sticks of rosemary
2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
4 dessertspoons honey
4 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches each of salt and pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Halve the aubergines lengthways and cut criss-crosses in the flesh
3. Lay a stick of rosemary on each half
4. Mix together in a bowl half of the oil and honey, the garlic and the seasoning and then pour over the aubergines
5. Roast for 30 minutes in the oven until the aubergines are completely tender
6. Remove the rosemary stalk, scoop out the flesh and blitz in a blender with the rest of the oil and honey to make it unctuous
7. Serve on toasts as a canape or as a dip.
2. Halve the aubergines lengthways and cut criss-crosses in the flesh
3. Lay a stick of rosemary on each half
4. Mix together in a bowl half of the oil and honey, the garlic and the seasoning and then pour over the aubergines
5. Roast for 30 minutes in the oven until the aubergines are completely tender
6. Remove the rosemary stalk, scoop out the flesh and blitz in a blender with the rest of the oil and honey to make it unctuous
7. Serve on toasts as a canape or as a dip.
It keeps well in sterilized jars.
More aubergine recipes on my blog at lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/week-6-velvet-pants.html
More aubergine recipes on my blog at lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/week-6-velvet-pants.html
You can find more uses for this heavenly aubergine paste on the link above. For example:
Use the paste as a base for a savoury tartlet
Vegetable Lasagne
I use it, mixed with a duxelle of mushrooms as the 'meat layer' in a vegetable lasagne, layered up with tomato sauce, bechamel and creamed spinach or leeks.
Aubergine and White Bean Soup
Soups don't come much simpler to make than this- but the flavour is fab! Blitz together one portion of the caviar d'aubergines with a carton of butter beans and a litre of chicken or vegetable stock. The white beans thicken the soup and make it creamy- but without adding cream so good for you too!
OK- away from aubergines and on to more honey recipes.
Honey is used widely in Middle Eastern, North African and Greek cooking. I add a spoonful to a tagine to counteract the slight bitterness of the spice mix and the sharpness of the tomato stock.
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| Lamb Tagine with Couscous |
Also, one of my favourite uses for honey is a sticky glaze for sausages.
Sticky Sausages
This is a bonfire night treat- but I can see it working at a summer barbecue too.
Buy good quality sausages. I like chipolatas but this would work well with any type of sausage.
Buy good quality sausages. I like chipolatas but this would work well with any type of sausage.
Ingredients:
1 dozen chipolatas
1 dessertspoon honey
1 dessertspoon coarse grain mustard
1 dozen chipolatas
1 dessertspoon honey
1 dessertspoon coarse grain mustard
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (or fire up the barbecue!)
2. Pour the honey and mustard into a baking dish and place in oven (or on coals) to warm
3. Brown the sausages in a frying pan
4. Tip them into the warm glaze and leave to sizzle in the oven (or on the bbq) for 15 minutes until dark brown and bubbling. (Toss them occasionally in the glaze to be well coated)
5. When ready to serve, spoon them into pitta breads or buns. (If the glaze starts to harden as it cools, loosen it with a splash of hot water.)
2. Pour the honey and mustard into a baking dish and place in oven (or on coals) to warm
3. Brown the sausages in a frying pan
4. Tip them into the warm glaze and leave to sizzle in the oven (or on the bbq) for 15 minutes until dark brown and bubbling. (Toss them occasionally in the glaze to be well coated)
5. When ready to serve, spoon them into pitta breads or buns. (If the glaze starts to harden as it cools, loosen it with a splash of hot water.)
Enjoy!
Tip- deglaze the pan wth hot water and keep the sauce as a stock for pork or beef casserole, or as a delicious gravy for toad-in-the-hole or pork chops
More sausage recipes at
lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/bonfire-night-bangers.html
lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/bonfire-night-bangers.html
Honey and mustard are indeed a match made in heaven.
I like to combine them with olive oil, salt and pepper and lemon juice or white wine vinegar for a vinaigrette dressing.
Finally, something sweet to finish.
Take a look at this old recipe for a honey cake which is as good today as then:This is from a Fifties cookery book of my mother's- but I still use the recipes as they never fail! This honey cake is foolproof- although I have substituted vegetable oil and cream cheese for the 'Trex'!
Ingredients:
170g self raising flour
4 tbsp vegetable oil
25g sugar
4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp milk
170g self raising flour
4 tbsp vegetable oil
25g sugar
4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp milk
And for the filling:
Beat together: 85g cream cheese
3 tbsp honey
3 dessertspoons crystallized ginger
Beat together: 85g cream cheese
3 tbsp honey
3 dessertspoons crystallized ginger
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Grease and line a 20 cm cake tin.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
Beat the eggs.
Whip together the vegetable oil, honey and sugar and gradually beat in the eggs.
Combine with the dry ingredients and add enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
When cold, split into three and spread each layer with the honey and ginger cream cheese filling before sandwiching back together.
Grease and line a 20 cm cake tin.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
Beat the eggs.
Whip together the vegetable oil, honey and sugar and gradually beat in the eggs.
Combine with the dry ingredients and add enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
When cold, split into three and spread each layer with the honey and ginger cream cheese filling before sandwiching back together.
Bye for now- and sweet dreams!
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