Be brave mix it all up and see what you come up with.....

My maternal grandmother was an amazing cook who taught me all I know, but she didn’t have a spice and herb rack quite like my dad’s mum.  So whenever I went to stay with her I would be desperate to try out the different flavours and mix them together.  I would nag my grandmother from the moment I arrived to be allowed to mix the different ingredients and see what I could come up with.  She would often look horrified at what I mixed together but she always managed to nod her head and smile sweetly.

A lot of what I tried did truly taste disgusting and of course like any child I insisted everyone tasted it!!  These days I am still not afraid to try new things especially if it is a case of throwing it away or trying to make something from it. 

Last Friday I was sorting out my fridge before doing my weekly shop and realised I had some tomatoes, cream cheese, olives, spring onions, lemon grass and ginger that needed using up.
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I chopped up the spring onions, lemon grass, green and black olives, and ginger and put them in a large saucepan with the tomatoes and cream cheese, then added a couple of tinned tomatoes from my cupboard store and some basil from the garden.  Boiled them up until soft then once cool blended them with a hand blender and added some frozen cream cubes – see below hints and tips.

​This type of sauce can be used as a rich soup but is also delicious on pasta, chicken, fish or beef.  I usually end up freezing and using it at a later date when I have people round for dinner.

Hints and Tips
Whenever I have some double or whipping cream left over in the fridge that needs using up, I whisk it until firm then place it in an ice cube try and freeze.  These frozen cream cubes can be added to sauces and soups to bind them and make them soft, creamy and silky.