Farming Friends

Crack the eggs into a bowl and mix a table spoon of salt or sugar with every five eggs.

If you are going to use the eggs for a sweet dish or for baking cakes, buns or merginues etc then add a tablespoon of sugar for every five eggs.

If you are going to use the eggs for a savoury dish, or as an omelette, scrambled eggs then add a tablespoon of salt for every five eggs.

Put the eggs in a plastic container with a lid and freeze. The eggs can be frozen for up to 12 months.

Thaw the eggs in a refridgerator and use immediately once thawed.

Click on the image below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops.

Last week I made pork brawn and was unsure of the results but I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. 

Ingredients

• 1 pig’s head
• a couple of trotters - preferably back trotters as they have a little more meat on them.
• 1 bay leaf
• mixed herbs
• mixed spices
• 1 onion
• lemon juice

Method

Here is my method which I have adapted after reading Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s recipe.

1. Cut the head and trotters into smaller pieces so that they fit in a large pan.
2. Cover with water (salt can be added but I decided not to add any to my brawn).
3. Add bay leaf, herbs, spices and pealed/chopped onion.
4. Simmer the content and for the first half an hour remove any scum that floats to the top of the pan.
5. Simmer the contents for about 4 hours.
6. Remove the head and trotters - at this point I decided to just use the meat on the head and trotters and not the ears, skin, eyes or nostrils. I did use the brains which require you to remove the outer skin.
7. Mix the meat and brains together and place in a dish.
8. Add a dash of lemon juice and some parsley.
9. Strain the stock and then boil up until the stock has reduced.
10. Spoon a couple of spoonfuls of the stock over the meat and then refrigerate until set.

Eat the brawn cold with mustard or chutney.

My husband and I ate the brawn with toast and damson chutney and English mustard.

The brawn had a strong pork flavour and the sweetness of the damson chutney mixed with the strong mustard taste made the meal very enjoyable.

In future I am going to cook a belly pork joint and add that meat to the brawn to increase the quantity of meat.

Honey glazed roast quail makes a great starter or gives the roast dinner a sweet taste.

Spread honey mixed with a dash of balsamic vinegar onto the quail and then roast in the oven for no more than 30 minutes on a medium to high heat.

If served as a starter, cut the quail in half and serve half a quail to each person.

One quail is enough for a main course serving.

Tuesday was pancake day (Shrove Tuesday) and we decided to have pancakes following the recipe below.

Steve also had a go at tossing the pancakes which he did very well.

A Recipe For Pancakes

• 4oz / 100g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• half pint (300ml) milk
• butter / oil

1. Sieve flour into bowl and add the salt.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour.
3. Crack egg and add to the flour.
4. Mix the egg and flour, gradually stirring in a quarter of a pint of milk.
5. Mix well until bubbles are visible and then gradually mix in the rest of the milk.
6. Melt the butter / oil in the pan so that the pan is fairly hot.
7. Pour in a little of the batter mixture, tilting the pan to cover the bottom.
8. Cook until golden brown on one side and then turn over and cook the other side.
9. Repeat until the batter mixture is used up.
10. Serve immediately with your favourite topping.

Steve and I enjoyed our pancakes with golden syrup and lemon juice. Delicious!

What do you like to serve with your pancakes?

There are many recipes for quail egg salad, so here is my first attempt!

Ingredients

• 6 hard boiled quail eggs.
• 1 or 2 tomatoes.
• Chopped lettuce.
• 1 piece of bread toasted and cut into squares.

To make the sweet and sour dressing.

• 2 and a half table spoons of virgin olive oil.
• 1 clove of garlic chopped up.
• Half a table spoon of caster sugar.
• 1 and a half tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Method

1. Hard Boil the quail eggs for 3 minutes and allow to cool before peeling the shell off.
2. Chop up the lettuce and tomato and place in the salad bowl.
3. Cut the quail eggs in half and place in the salad bowl.
4. Toast the bread and then cut into small squares like croutons.
5. Chop the garlic.
6. Mix the virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice and caster sugar with the garlic.
7. Warm lightly in a pan and then drizzle over the salad.

This salad was served with grilled salmon and homemade chips.

This quail egg salad would make a great starter or a tasty accompaniment to a main meal.

A lovely starter or canape at a party is this hard boiled quail’s eggs with beetroot. It is easy to prepare and very tasty.

Ingredients

• Quail’s eggs - hard boiled.
• Mayonnaise.
• Whole grain mustard.
• Beetroot.

Method

1. Hard boil the quail’s eggs for 3 minutes and then allow to cool.
2. Peel the shell from the quail’s eggs. It is recommended that the quails eggs are not fresh and a week or two old as the shell will peel from the egg alot easier and won’t take the white away from the yolk.
3. Slice the eggs in half and then scoop out the yolk.
4. Mix the yolk with some mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard.
5. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the hard boiled egg white.
6. Cut a slice of beetroot and decorate the top of the yolk mixture.