Saturday 10 August 2013

Simply take some strawberries, and vegetables!

I do promise that this is NOT turning into a food blog - it is just a brief blip on my horizon. 
How could I resist these locally grown strawberries? H and I are enjoying the apricot jam made last week - these cheaply priced strawberries were just crying out for me to make some more French style jam enabling us to savour the summer flavours after the season has passed.  A kilo of strawberries for jam, and a few extra ones for us to eat raw with ice cream. 
Halve and quarter the strawberries and macerate as per the apricots with 750g sugar but for 10 hours.
After macerating add the juice of three lemons and cook as per apricot jam. My lemons were very large, so I just used two.
The strawberries have now released all of their juice, lemon juice added, and are ready for cooking.
This is less set than the apricot jam but is delicious with yogurt, ice cream, cakes and on scones too.
As a family we are not big meat eaters and a dish  that goes down really well with all of the family, grandchildren included, is Lasagne made with vegetables instead of meat.
Simply roast a good selection of chopped vegetables in olive oil sprinkled with a twist of black pepper, some torn basil leaves, and a scattering of chilli flakes. Roast until they are turning a rich brown, which gives more flavour. Suggested vegetables are - tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic, aubergine, courgettes (zucchini), butternut squash, whatever you have or like.
Then make your lasagne in the usual way replacing the meat with the roasted vegetables.

45 comments:

  1. The lasagne looks delicious. I shall try it as part of my battle to get other half to eat less meat!

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    1. Hope that you and the other half enjoy Jessica - I actually find it more tasty than the traditional recipe.

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  2. Hello ,dear Rosemary !
    No ,it is not a food blog ,it is a little touch of the summer's pleasures !
    I make jams ,all the fruits even although we eat honey ! But I make jam from our fruit trees and I give as a gift to my friends ! If I were near ,you could taste mine jams !!!Have a lovely weekend !

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  3. The strawberry jam looks delicious. I'm a huge fan of vegetable lasagne, too.

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    1. I actually like it better than meat lasagne - the flavour is lovely.

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  4. I adore strawberries...time is coming for us for early ones.
    The lasagne does look lovely. I would have to have meat in it though otherwise I would still be hungry :) I used to eat little meat when I was younger.

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    1. I think you would find it completely satisfying - my 6 foot tall grandson likes his food and he never complains of feeling hungry after it.

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  5. No food blog, but lovely summer recipes. I made strawberry jam too and that vegetable lasagne looks delicious.

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    1. Hello Janneke - If you do normally make the meat lasagne then you would find this alternative a very easy replacement. Thank you for your visit and for becoming a follower.

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  6. Yummy! A vegetable lasagna with white wine then ice cream with strawberries are fine with me. Have a wonderful weekend Rosemary. Pamela

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    1. Nice colourful summer foods Pamela - thank you for visiting.

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  7. Roasted vegetables are a treat and one that I enjoy more as the weather begins to cool. I haven't made lasagna for an age, as it seems to call for a bigger crowd than two around the table!
    A food blog? No, I'm not afraid of you starting that - the variety is just fun.

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    1. It would be a waste of time to make a lasagne for just two, the one I made lasted us for three days - H didn't say "not that again" so it made life easy for me.

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  8. The perfect red of sweet fruit.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  9. That looked delicious, and strawberry's are verry healty.
    Have a fine weekend.

    Greetings,
    Inge, my choice

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    1. Lots of vitamin C - a bit of summer on a plate.

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  10. Hello Rosemary,

    Thank you so much for visiting my blog and your very kind comment! I have really enjoyed finding yours too.....particularly love the variety. What stunning Cotswold houses in the earlier post! My mother in law lives in Minchinhampton, and we always love visiting the Cotswolds. Looks delicious jam.....I have made a Rhubarb preserve so far this year, but must catch the Strawberries while they are still around!

    Sophia

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    1. Dear Sophia - thank you for calling - I know Minchinhampton very well, one of our favourite little lunch time restaurants is on the High Street - The Kitchen, with their wonderful homemade cakes.

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  11. Hi Rosemary,

    Your strawberry jam looks beautiful in the pretty blue and white bowl! I haven't made any preserves yet. I think I should, because summer fruit is indeed at it's best know. Wish we had local strawberries, like you have in the UK, but alas...

    Happy Sunday!

    Madelief x

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    1. Dear Madelief - I normally only make marmalade because we prefer the homemade to the shop bought, but have enjoyed making some preserves for a change.

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  12. Dear Rosemary,both of your recipes are great!!!
    I'll try to cook the vegetable lasagna!!It must be very tasty!!!
    Thank you for sharing!!!Have a lovely weekend!!
    Dimi...

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    1. Hello Dimi - do give it a try, I am sure you are able to buy or have in your garden lots of wonderful vegetables.

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  13. It's just great to share your recipies. At my home we are using meat less than we did before. Vegetables have a beautiful taste in combination with herbs.
    Have a wonderful day Rosemary.

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    1. Many years ago it was difficult to find interesting vegetables, but now there is a great selection that you can buy and grow - some of the colours of them mixed together look wonderful.

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  14. Strawberries are the Queen of fruit, I believe, and your jam looks mouth-watering!
    I love a vegetable lasagne; thank you for reminding me, I have not made it for quite some time. Have a delicious weekend.

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    1. I don't know whether you have or ever saw the queen of cooking, Delia Smith in Australia, but it is her recipe that I use. I too had forgotten about it but the grandchildren will be here at the end of the month and they love it.

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  15. Yes, I have tried balsamic vinegar on strawberries, and it is good, but sometimes I forget, thanks for reminding me.

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  16. Love it when you share recipes Rosemary! The peaches jam I made is savoured by everyone. The lasagne recipe will be tried out as well, as I love vegetable lasagna.

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    1. So pleased Marian - just about to do ourselves a scone with some apricot jam and dollop of cream with a cup of tea. Do try the lasagne we all think that it is really tasty and delicious, plus it is easy to do.

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  17. I'd love some tips for an up-coming glut of quinces ! They are so beautiful & fragrant when they ripen that I keep a basket of them in the kitchen, but I struggle to think what else to do with them, besides the usual jelly & "cheese".

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    1. I must say I love quince jelly with cheese, so I think that you are very fortunate to have a glut of them. Personally I am a great fan of Nigel Slater so take a look here:-
      http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/29/nigel-slater-recipes-quince

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  18. yumyum, looking GREAT+so delicious...have you tried adding some vanilla (pods/caviar=the black dots) to strawberry jam? its simply mind-blowing mix!will go to check your apricot post now...I am a real fruit junkie:-)

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    1. Actually I haven't tried vanilla pods in the jam, but I can imagine that it would be lovely. I do love vanilla, but at the moment I have run out of pods, you have reminded me to get some more.

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  19. You fill your blog with this kind of mouth-watering post from time to time, rosemary. Each time, I’ve enjoyed the photos, the dishes, and your lovely kitchen wares and utensils, and this time, too!

    Yoko

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    1. Thank you Yoko that is very kind of you to say. Sometimes I just can't resist showing a recipe especially when such attractive fruits are in season.

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  20. Dear Rosemary, Thank you for sharing this simple recipe and also your earlier apricot preserves recipe. Apricots have been abundant around here and I have already made 2 very large batches. Nothing could be more simple or more successful. ox, Gina

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    1. The apricot preserve is really moorish and delicious - so glad that you have got plenty made to help you through those winter months Gina.

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  21. Dear Rosemary,

    I'm late to this posting, but wanted to add that your lasagne looks mouth-wateringly good! The yogurt bowl with the three bright flowers (peonies?) is beautiful. That extra bit of color is stunning!

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    1. Dear Mark - I just went to check out that bowl which I think is Chinese, and they do look like peonies. The bottom of the bowl inside is gold with an exotic bird sitting in a blossom tree.

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  22. I have never tried to make a jam, all that sugar thermometer thing put me off but this looks like a much nicer recipe Rosemary. I wonder if I could use this method for gooseberries? When we have lasagne it is always a veggie version which is inevitably so big that it lasts a couple of days. One of my faves.

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    1. I don't see why it should not work. The apricot was the most successful of the two that I made, the strawberry was more runny, but lovely on ice cream and in yogurt.

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  23. I haven't yet tried the recipe with strawberries, Rosemary, as they aren't at all cheap in the shops here, but I will next year. DH and I aren't big meat eaters either, so your wonderful lasagne recipe sounds like a must for us. Many thanks.

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    1. The lasagne is really good made with roasted vegetables and a good dish when all the family come visiting as you can have it already prepared.
      The apricot is better than the strawberry - I think.

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