Gluten Free Creamy Seafood Tagliatelle

Gluten Free Creamy Seafood Tagliatelle

Ingredients:

Pasta:

225 grams Doves Gluten Free Bread Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Doves Xanthan Gum

3 eggs

This is enough pasta for four portions so freeze two portions for use on a different recipe.

Seafood Mix:

Serves Two

About 15 Raw King Prawns shelled

1lb Fresh Mussels cooked beforehand and shelled

1 Boneless and skinless Salmon Fillet cut into small pieces

6 mushrooms chopped finely

1/2 onion chopped finely

1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

1/4 pt fish stock (can be made with Knorr Gluten Free stock cube or your own fish stock)

60 mls double cream

Juice of 1/2 lemon ( I don't slice the lemon in half, just put a small cut into it and squeeze the amount I need )

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Pasta:

Mix the flour, xanthan gum and eggs together in a mixer until it starts to bind together and then turn out onto your worktop.

Knead until you feel the pasta change texture.  It will change to a slightly sticky texture but you will still be able to pick it up from the worktop without leaving any on the surface.

Place in a food bag for about an hour to chill.

Set your pasta machine up on level 1 and sprinkle a little flour on the rollers.

Cut the pasta mixture into four pieces.  

Roll out one piece until about 3mm thick and then start putting it through the pasta machine, once you have done this a couple of times, change the setting to two, again after a couple of times change to number three.  I was happy with this setting but some may want it slightly thinner so just go to number 4.

If you find that your mix is still crumbly, knead for a little longer until you are happy with it going through your pasta machine without breaking.

Then place the thinned pasta sheet through your tagliatelle attachment or the linguine depending on your preference.

Repeat the process for the other three pieces.

Each of the pieces is a portion.

Place the pasta into boiling salted water just before you start cooking the seafood and it will be ready at the same time as it takes up to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of your tagliatelle.

Seafood Mix:

Place the onion and mushroom in a heavy based frying pan and saute until the onion is transparent/soft.

Add half of the stock and let it cook down so that the flavour becomes intense.  Add your raw tiger prawns and diced salmon, add a little more stock if required and gently cook through.  Try not to stir too much as you don't want to break the salmon up, add the cooked mussels,  top up the stock if needed.  Add the chopped parsley, lemon juice and season to taste.  Once the salmon is cooked to your liking add the cream and stir through on a low heat.  There is not lots of sauce, if you like more, then use more stock and use a little cream.

Drain the pasta and place the seafood mix on top of the pasta in warmed bowls.

Enjoy with some homemade gluten free crusty bread or on it's own.

Gluten free leek and mushroom soup

Ingredients:

3 large flat mushrooms (mine were very large) sliced

1 large leek chopped

1 large onion chopped

2 small potatoes diced

handful of basil, rosemary and thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Knorr vegetable stock cubes x 2 to make 1 pt stock

Method:

Saute the onions in olive oil and add the the chopped leeks.  Put the lid on and let them soften over a low light.

Add the mushrooms, stirring as you put them in, add the chopped potatoes and herbs/seasoning, stir again and then add the stock.

Cook on a low light for about fifteen minutes.  Add cream or creme fraiche but don't overheat.

Blitz with a stick blender or blend in a liquidiser.

This soup is quite dark in colour, if you don't like that, add less mushroom, more vegetables or add more cream etc to lighten.

Season to taste.

Serving ideas:

As gluten free goes you could use the bread for croutons however I decided to use broken gluten free crackerbread pieces as croutons.

Fry some slices of chestnut mushrooms and place on top of soup before serving.

Add some shredded beef or chicken to make a chunkier soup.

Enjoy :)

Embroidery Thread Storage Ideas

There are absolutely loads of ideas for storing your embroidery threads, in boxes, on hangers, in drawers, on reels, I could go on.  I have used various ways myself but I just don't like having threads in more than one place, you end up spending more time sorting than sewing 

I have been looking at the DMC wooden thread chest but it only ever comes with the threads at a cost of 375.00.  I already have all the threads, lucky me (thanks to my generous hubby over the last 30 years) so consequently I have not bought it.  

I have however managed to find a very good alternative in the Songmics Jewellery Tower.  At a cost of 42.99 on Amazon including prime delivery I decided to give it a go.

It is ten drawers set within an MDF box and each drawer has it's own shelf.  There are seven drawers that are just lined with fabric and then three drawers with inserts. 

The first four drawers hold my DMC embroidery floss collection.  

I have a full collection of DMC threads on cards which are used first and this is my second and thirds in the DMC colours as I do use alot of them

The threads lay flat and you can sit three rows in each drawer, particulary good for multiples of colours.  As you can see they also fit the DMC thread bars.

The drawers easily pull out and remove completely and they are sturdy.

The fifth drawer has my DMC Perle threads in, this looks very neat because I am using quite of a few of them in a project at the moment.  I love these threads.  To use them you just cut the bottom part of the threads and you can then just pull out one length at a time measuring approximately 12" which is just right for stitching with.

The sixth drawer holds my Weeks Dye Works, Crescent Colours and Gentle Arts floss.  I don't tend to have a huge collection of these as the kits I buy have the right threads in and I have completed the ones I have.  They fit in the drawers lengthways.

The seventh drawer has my Weeks Dye Works, Crescent Colours and Gentle Arts Perle threads.  These fit in lengthways and you can layer them up so you can see the numbers and colours on the cards.  I do have quite a few but they are out in a project bag for a Shepherd's Bush Stocking pattern but they do all fit in the drawer.

The eighth drawer had a ring insertion in which I removed and put my own cover in for the base and this is empty at the moment.

The ninth drawer has fifteen sections and these fit the Guterman threads in as above and the Kreinik threads three per section.  I like this section as these threads are very delicate so this is ideal to keep them in good condition and from unwinding.  They are also easy to view.

The bottom and tenth drawer was a watch storage drawer with cushions to put the watches on in each of the ten sections.  I removed and binned them as I couldn't think of any uses other than pincushions and I am not short of them.  The sections in this drawer are lovely and deep enough to hold Mill Hill Seed Beed, packets as well as other Mill Hill products (I have doubled mine in the storage so I can fit 14 in each section, these are all for the Mirabilia Cross Stitch Charts like the Queens, Sleeping Beauty etc.)  I also have my Au Ver a Soie collection of threads on wooden thread holders in two sections and the other two sections hold my needlepoint thread which I use for doing delicate embroidered flowers on smocked dresses, pincushions and purses.

All in all, I think this is a great purchase for thread storage and I am seriously thinking about getting a second one for my machine thread storage.  

Enjoy your shopping and sorting :)

Review of 2016

I thought my last year needed a review as I was a little side-tracked from doing my blog posts.

Quilted Christmas Tree.

I saw these being made on You Tube by Jim Chapman from an Aunties Pattern.

It is one of three that I made over Christmas whilst I have been suffering from an horrendous cold and having to stay in bed.

Happy 27th Anniversary to me and hubby.

I received an amazing bouquet of flowers, yellow roses, orchids, lillies, white roses, cream roses, gerberas and lots more.  They were absolutely stunning and lasted for weeks.

I started on my Bluebirds and Berries appliqued quilt and was really pleased with the results.

I made a toddlers quilt in blues, creams and browns.  It went together really well with squares of 5" and sashing in chocolate brown with a blue border.

Westport Serviced Apartments in Dundee.

We moved our son to Dundee for his four year university course and he has made a brilliant start.  We found these beautiful apartments right in the middle of Dundee and decided to have a stay in the lap of luxury.  They are amazing apartments, some over one floor and others over two floors, like the one we stayed in.  We felt extremely pampered and will shortly be going back for our third stopover there when we deliver sunshine back to University.  

The view from our two floor apartment looks right across Dundee, to the shops, across the Tay, up to the University and you can also view the progress on the new V&A museum being built.  

The apartment includes two en suite bedrooms, superking size beds, dining rooms, living area, kitchen with all mod cons, office area and loads more

Drew, Carla and the rest of the Westport Team are incredible at their jobs, they don't miss anything out for your stay and you even get discount cards for eating in the local area.  Breakfasts are especially nice at the West House Restaurant and very reasonable.

In the evenings I suggest a visit to the local Chinese Restaurant, The Mandarin Garden where the food was to die for.  The crispy duck is one of the best I have tasted.

The Royal School of Needlework

I am now more than half way through my Jacobean Crewelwork Certificate course and Tracy Franklin is a brilliant tutor, I don't regret starting this and can't wait to move onto the next stage.

As always I shared my year of crafting with my great friends, Bev, Cath, Jen, Janet and Helen and look forward to another year this year with courses by Philippa Naylor being held at Fobbles (www.fobbles.co.uk) as well as stitching weekends and the annual exhibition in July.

All the best for 2017 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAVE A PROPEROUS 2017

All the best to all my crafty friends out there, hope you get lots of projects in mind for 2017 and get them finished. xx