Menu of the week
Welcome to the WI’s meal ideas for using fresh seasonal British produce. Recipes on our site include new contemporary dishes as well as family favorites making use of the WI’s huge wealth of food talents gained over nearly 100 years. Some recipes are quickly made whereas others will take a bit more time and skill. There is something here for everybody.
This week’s recipes provide a fabulous Valentine’s Meal commencing with a light fig and goat’s cheese bruschetta followed by venison and ending with a sumptuous chocolate torte
St Valentines Feast is not only notable for lovers. Until recently in some parts of the country secret gifts could be left on the doorstep and the bell rung. In this way anybody could benefit from the day not just lovers
FSA is trying to reduce the number of people who suffer from the food poisoning bacteria campylobacter See #Chicken Challenge For more help on how to prepare chicken safely click on the link
The recipes also use cows milk and butter and with Dairy farmers once again under pressure and the numbers British dairy farmers reaching record lows, we can all do our bit to help by buying British Dairy, such as milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and cheese.
On these pages our recipes also highlight the important role bees play in the food chain with many of our recipes including “Bee Friendly dishes” – using foods such as herbs and edible flowers from bee friendly plants to increase the number of pollinators available for bees.
For more ideas follow the Home Economics Adviser on twitterhttps://twitter.com/NFWI_HomeEc
Some of our recipes use left over vegetables and other foods in your fridge and cupboard, but we also have other great ideas in our recipe pages, just click on the links on the left hand menu. For even more ideas on how to make meals from left overs, see www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Starter |
Fig & Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta |
Main |
Venison Steak |
Dessert |
Chocolate Torte |
Drink |
Rossini |
For other ideas, including other vegetarian recipes, follow the link or click on the link on the left hand menu:
RECIPES:
Fig %26 Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta
A quick and decadent starter just perfect for Valentine’s Day
Serves 2
4 slices of Granary Bread
1 Clove Garlic
100g Goats Cheese
4 Figs, ripe, brown Turkish
Garnish with Mint leaves
Serve with a dressing of Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
1. Toast the bread and rub a cut clove of garlic over
2. Allow the bread to become cool
3. Spread the goat’s cheese equally on each slice
4. Cut each fig into quarters and arrange neatly on the bread
5. Serve immediately with a dressing
Tip
As an alternative to goats cheese a creamy/ crumbly Lancashire or Caerphilly may be used
Venison Steak
Have you tried venison yet? Venison has such a wonderful flavour and is not particularly “gamey”. Venison can be purchased from most large supermarkets during the season and is lower in fat than other red meats
Serves 2
300g Venison Fillet, cut into 2 steaks
a little Olive Oil, ground Black Pepper and Salt
Method
- Brush the venison steaks with oil and season according to taste.
- Heat the grill/ frying pan and cook the steaks for 3 mins each side for a rare steak or a little longer according to preference.
Serve with vegetables, mashed potato or chips.
– See more at: https://www.thewi.org.uk/what-we-do/recipes/meat/venison-steak#sthash.i7LPBdJu.dpuf
Chocolate Torte
This dessert uses a chocolate torte recipe. It is easy to make, gives a great result and tastes gorgeous
75g Butter
40g Cocoa Powder
225g Sugar
2 large Eggs
50g Plain Flour
Chocolate Ganache:
150ml Double Cream
100g Dessert Chocolate, eg Belgium broken into pieces
1. Set oven 180C Gas Mark 5. Line the base of a 120cm circular tin with a circle of greaseproof paper
2. Melt the butter
3. Stir in the cocoa powder and sugar and remove from the heat
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well
5. Stir in the flour
6. Pour into the lined tin
7. Bake in the oven for 30 mins then allow to become completely cold on a wire rack
8. To make the ganache heat the cream and then add the chocolate pieces. Remove from the heat and stir well
9. Pour over the cake and allow to cool
This recipe can also be prepared and cooked in the microwave as follows
1. Melt the fat in a heat proof bowl for about 1 minute
2. Add the remaining ingredients and beat ahrd with a spoon
3. Pour into a microwave container and heat for a further 3 -4 mins depending on the power in your microwave.
Like any foods containing fat and sugar, a chocolate torte can be a part of a healthy balanced diet, when eaten occasionally
I couldn’t find a recipe for the suggested drink Rossini but perhaps you have one already?
I hope your Valentine’s Supper was smashing …
Margaret Halstead xxx