Eva’s CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

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How exciting that my lovely friend Eva Kosmas Flores wrote her first absolutely gorgeous cookbook!I am so thrilled!It’s packed with lots of cosy recipes and stunning photography!You will want to lick the pages when flicking through!

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Eva has been inspiring me for years!Her unique approach to food, passion for photography, modesty and hard work is something I truly admire and when we finally met few years back on a cold autumn morning to explore one of the most delicious street food markets in London, she was just the same person I’ve known from reading her blog: funny, kind and incredibly warm. I felt that I’ve known her for years.

And today I’m cooking from her beautiful cookbook and I feel so honoured because I know she put all of herself into it!Every page feels special.
So as a little teaser for you lovely people, I’ve made Eva’s chowder. It’s bursting with all the amazing flavours!So cosy,hearty, warming, it just disappears too quickly 🙂 Enjoy! xxx

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CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups smoky chicken giblet stock
1 ¾ pounds large chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes(I used other large potatoes as I couldn’t find them in the UK)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
kosher salt to taste

PREPARATION:

Bring the stock to boil over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and set aside, on a separate plate to cool, then peel the skin off the chicken and remove the meat from the bone by gently easing your fingers underneath the breast meat to peel it off the bone in one large piece.  Cut the meat into 1 inch pieces.

Remove the stockpot from the heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, shallots, and garlic and bring the heat up to medium. Cook, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is golden brown and caramelized , 30 to 45 minutes depending on the heat of your stovetop.

Add the flour and stir until incorporated. Toast in the pan, stirring to keep it from burning, for 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of the stock until the flour mixture has integrated into the stock and a smooth, thick liquid forms. Add the remaining stock, the chicken breast meat, corn, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, soy sauce and pepper.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring every 10 minutes, until the chowder is thickened and the potatoes are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve immediately.

SMOKY CHICKEN GIBLET STOCK

Ingredients:
3 quarters water
1 pound chicken giblets
1 smoked pork hock
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, washed well and sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 springs fresh thyme
1 spring fresh rosemary
8 black peppercorns
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed

Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat and add remaining ingredients.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, skimming the top to remove any foam that has collected every 15 minutes.

Strain the stock through colander or fine-mesh strainer to remove the solids. Discard the solids and reserve the stock. Taste and add salt if needed.

The stock can be used as a base for sauces and soups and will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in a freezer-safe airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Cotswolds inspired APPLE TART

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Few weeks back I posted a photo of these apple tarts on my Instagram. It made everyone hungry…(So I assume :)) Since then, few people messaged me for the recipe and I thought I should share it with the world. So here it is!

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I bake this tart often because in the Lubases house we love the combination of buttery pastry and melting in the mouth apple filling spiced with our favourite vanilla. It’s our comfort food whenever we want to spoil ourselves a little.

The recipe came to life after one of our visits to the Cotswolds, one of my favourite places on the planet. Its local food always inspire me to prepare something….homely…cosy…and comforting. This time it also had to be sweet 🙂

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RECIPE:

Pastry:

  • 300 g plain flour
  • 210 g butter, cold
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 4-6 tablespoons of cold water
    Sift the flour into a medium bowl, add the rest of ingredients, rub them together with your fingers and then knead to create a smooth pastry. Add some cold water and if the mixture feels too crumbly add a little bit more. Divide the pastry into two parts, one slightly bigger than the other (or 4 parts if you make two smaller tarts, again 2 parts slightly bigger),flatten the pastry into discs(it will roll better),wrap with cling film and put in the fridge for 30min -1 hour.

Apple filling:

  • 1.2 kg of apples, firm and hard
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • sugar to taste – around 6 tablespoons
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or seeds of 1 vanilla pod (you can add more)

Squeeze the lemon juice and pour it into a larger container. Peel the apples,remove seeds, chop and mix with lemon juice. Add sugar and vanilla seeds and cook for around 15 minutes until soft. Let it cool down.

Also:

  • 1 egg beaten for brushing

Method

Take the pastry out the fridge. Roll out the bigger part first(it’s the bottom of your pie) and line one 25cm tin or two smaller tins. Prick the pastry with a fork and fill it with apple pieces.
Now roll out a smaller part, cut into stripes(thick or thin) and arrange them on the top.

Coat with beaten egg. You can also sprinkle it with coarse brown sugar.

Bake at 190 degrees C for about 45 – 50 minutes. Remove, let it cool.

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I think I must’ve said it million times before…the world takes my breath away. I watch it every day and I cannot feel any different but be grateful to be alive. I haven’t been everywhere (it’s on my list though!) but there are places out there that I LOVE to go back to. Places I want to discover deeper. Places that make my heart beat faster. The Cotswolds is undoubtedly one of them.

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It hasn’t been called chocolate box region of England without a reason. Every village is filled with its own unique flavour, it surprises, inspires and leaves you craving for more.

It has everything I love. Calmness, serenity, warmth, relaxed atmosphere and the views so picturesque that you want to scream.

It’s so friendly and welcoming that it instantly makes you feel at home.

Not to mention how incredibly tasty it is! With all the amazing local products even the simplest dish seems to be an unforgettable experience.
I fall in love more and more with this place every time I visit it…..

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A SHORT LIST OF my FAVOURITE PLACES in the COTSWOLDS:

BROADWAY
BOURTON ON THE WATER
CASTLE COMBE
KINGHAM
CIRENCESTER
DAYLESFORD FARM

To eat:
THE WILD RABBIT
THE POTTING SHED
THE PORCH HOUSE

MY suggestion:

Get up early and see the true beauty of those places before it gets too busy 😉