We're back in British Bake Off territory and I'm just settling down for tonight's episode which will see contestants making a sugar-free cake, followed by gluten-free pittas, then dairy-free ice-cream rolls, it's all terribly modern.
I'm heartened by the fact that Bake Off is so popular, the final of the last series was watched by a record audience of more than 12 million viewers. As someone who loves being in her kitchen, I like that viewers are saying Bake Off represents a safe haven in a harsh world.
Although it's terribly un modern to say, I think time spent in the kitchen, cooking and baking, is a kind and therapeutic affair with the added bonus of something delicious to eat at the end.
Interestingly, cake and biscuit sales slow down during the broadcasting of Bake Off, each year the series fuels a boom in home baking, unfortunately this is short lived. We actually love the idea of cooking, the comfort and often the nostalgia it represents, however, the average Briton now spends one in six of their waking hours online, it seems we would rather be devoting our time to social media, computer games or browsing websites than sifting flour.
With the children back to school after the summer holidays, mums will be returning to the fast pace of life, ferrying children to school and nursery, going to work and returning home tired, not surprisingly, many women will want quick and easy food options to feed their families. I still maintain that although many parents feel they can't afford to pay more for food, either in money or time, and that bulk buying ready-meals, frozen pizzas and chips etc is the easy option, I think an hour less on the Internet could make all the difference. Ironically, the old saying 'cheap as chips' is a misnomer, fresh potatoes are cheaper than frozen chips but we don't want the bother of preparing them!
As readers will know, I'm not a professional cook and like many of you my time is precious, many of the meals in my repertoire are so basic I rarely post them. Looking back over many of my posts I see that I've deviated from my original idea of simple, achievable recipes and have become as random as a contemporary cookbook, throwing in many recipes that have no place in a busy, working parent's life. I shall be posting some quick and easy recipes in the hope that even the most frazzled amongst you might ditch the ready-made lasagne and frozen chips and spend a therapeutic hour cooking yourselves something delicious.
This incredibly quick and simple pasta dish is nutritious and utterly delicious, once you've tried it I guarantee it'll become a staple in your diet.
Pasta with bacon, peas and cheese
Recipe
400g pasta, cooked to packet instructions
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g bacon, I use streaky, cut into small pieces
1 onion, finely sliced
100g frozen peas
120g cream cheese, ricotta if you can get it
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan (optional)
Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water, meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large pan
Add the bacon and cook until crisp, remove and set aside on a plate
Add onion to the same pan and cook for 3 minutes until softened
Stir in the peas and 120ml of water, cook for 2 minutes
Drain the pasta and immediately stir in the cream cheese
Add the pasta to the sauce, mix well, add the crispy bacon, season and serve immediately with a sprinkling of Parmesan if desired
This dish is economical, tasty and takes less than half an hour to make.
'No matter our age, everyone in our household knows that cooking and eating together is where the fun is.'
- Corky Pollan.
Love Donna xxxxxxxxxx
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