Butternut Squash and Pesto Soup | Book of Elsa

This recipe was born out of necessity, barely anything in the cupboards but dinner still needs to be had and it needs to be delicious. I've been making different version of this soup for years but this variant is by far the quickest. You can come home from work on a cold as hell winters' night and be eating this soup within the hour.
You're welcome.
Ps: You can add some cooked chicken, fish, tofu, whatever but let me tell you this soup is great without any addition.
I've eaten this over the years with all kinds of breads. Naan is my favourite, pitta comes a close second, if you have one of those part baked bread rolls. Use that. Also regular sliced bread and <un>salted butter will do too. Anyways, I digress...

Time - Book of Elsa

Now is the time to believe in magic 

Now is the time to believe in people

Their goodness, openess and ability for kindness

Now is the time to put trust in our neighbours 

Believing that they mean us no harm.

They want the same things we all do.  

When our world is shutting down, everywhere we look nothing but bad news. Fake news.

There's time to spread something else too. 

If not you then who? not now?! I hear you... 

But when and whom?

They say change is slow.

I disagree. Change is people.

It is you and it's me

Now is the time to be the change you wish to see. 

Start small: have a conversation...

How about right now?

Book of Elsa

Sunday Apple Tart - Book of Elsa

Morning all,
My parents gitfted me a whole load of bramleys cooking appples, and buy gifted you understand they wanted me to bake a pie or tart out of it. For them!
Ofcourse I don't mind it's the weekend afterall, prime baking time. The recipe that follows is mine: trialled and error from years of practice.
I did however buy the pastry but if you want to make one (why???) then click for a recipe here

use butter to greas the pie dishe and line with coat to coat, lightly.

roll out the shortcrust pasty

Line the pie case with pastry and plug the holes so to speak with leftover pastry dont worry about it being neat it's meant to look homemade.

                                  Prick the pastry with a fork all over to stop it doming in the oven

Using non stick baking parchment line the base of the tart with baking beads or lentils or rice. Bake in a preheated oven at 200℃ for 10-15mins.

Take out the lentils and cool on a wire rack completely before filling.

Take a load of cooking apples

Peel 

Wash and chop 

Add the zest and juice of a clementine, 150g caster sugar and cook until mushy.

Peel and finely slice 2 eating apples and place in lemon water

Bubbling apples almost ready, take out the clementine skin

Let it cool a little off the heat

Beat an egg

Paint egg onto cooled tart shell

Fill the tart with the apple compote and add the sliced leftover apples on top

Bake for a further 10-15mins at 200℃ 

Finally, paint the tart with warm apricot jam. serve warm.

Lindas' Wedding | Book of Elsa

Spaghetti with crab and chillies - Book of Elsa

It has been a while since i've posted in here uh?!
Life you guys has been busy and I'm sorry to say blogging has taken a step back. work, family, other obligations have taken much of my time lately, and it has been awhile since I've even truly cooked.
I have missed this outlet. so here I am with a recipe that screams 'summer' like no other and not only is it delicious but so easy to make too, now I know I say that about every recipe but listen:
If you cannot be bothered to cook tonight: boil some pasta (any shape will do) and had this sauce which doesn't required cooking and eat. I swear you will thank me.
On another note I specify using all white crab meat but please feel free to use 50 percent dark meat if you wish and the sauce isn't just for pasta it goes great on top of some crostini or torn baguette dipped in, with a cold glass of wine... But I digress, here is the recipe.

Feeds 4. Remember leftovers are a good thing here.