Pasta with Leek and Sausage from Vicki Delany

 This is a lovely rich pasta sauce. Probably all that butter and the added cheese.

 Pasta with Leek Sauce

 Makes 4 servings

 Ingredients:

2 or 3 Italian sausages (hot or mild to suit your taste)

2 or 3 large leeks

1 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. minced shallots

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

½ cup grated Parmigiano cheese

1 lb. pasta such as fettuccini or linguini 

Instructions:

Grill or pan fry sausage and slice into ¼ inch slices. Set aside

Trim leeks, keeping white and light green portions. Slice into ½ inch rounds

In sausage skillet, add olive oil  and sauté leeks over moderately high heat, stir occasionally, for about 5 minutes

Add sausages and shallots and cook for about 1 minute

Abd 2 tbsp butter, stir and melt into mixture

Add stock and simmer for about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste

Meanwhile, cook your pasta.

Add cooked pasta to leeks with 2 more tbsp butter and grated cheese.

Toss well and serve.

Now available: A Curious Incident, the 6th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery 

Beef and Mushroom Pie from Vicki Delany

I made extra pie crust over the Christmas holidays and froze it, and was looking for a good use for it.  A hearty meat pie sounded like a great idea for a cold winter’s night.  Obviously, you can use store bought pastry if you like.

Beef and Mushroom Pie 

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs stewing beef cut into cubes

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 rashers bacon chopped

 225 g mushrooms quartered

 1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup beef broth

1 cup beer

 1/4 cup tomato paste

 2 bay leaves

 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 egg yolk

Double crust pie Pastry

METHOD

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown beef, in batches and adding another 2 tsp of the oil as needed. Transfer to plate; drain any fat from pan.

Add bacon to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook until no liquid remains, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate containing beef. Cook onion, garlic, thyme, and remaining salt and pepper (adding more oil if necessary) until onion is softened and light golden, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, beer, tomato paste and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Return beef, bacon, and mushroom mixture and any accumulated juices to pan.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaves.

Whisk flour with 1 tbsp water; whisk into stew and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry; fit into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Scrape filling into pie shell.

Roll out remaining pastry to generous 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Whisk egg yolk with 2 tsp water; brush some over pastry rim in pie plate. Fit pastry over filling; trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhang under bottom pastry rim and flute edge. Brush top with remaining egg mixture; cut steam vents in top.

Bake on rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack in 425 F (220 C) oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F (180 C); bake until bottom is golden and filling is bubbly, 60 to 65 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.

Now available: A Curious Incident, the 6^th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup from Vicki Delany

I was given this fabulous basket of produce from my farmer neighbours so set about trying to find the perfect recipe for all those lovely sweet potatoes, and I came up with this soup.  

This is the perfect dish for those cold winter nights, or if you’ve come in from a walk in the snowy woods or maybe skiing or skating.  Delicious, hot, and filling.

 

Sausage and Sweet potato soup

 INGREDIENTS

        ·         2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
·         1 lb. sausage (I used hot Italian for a bit of extra heat)
·         2 medium onions, chopped
·         2 large garlic cloves, minced
·         2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
·         1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
·         6 cups chicken broth
·         1 5-ounce bag fresh spinach
·         Salt and pepper        

PREPARATION

 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.

Add onions and garlic to pan and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

In a large stock pot, add all potatoes and broth; bring to boil, add garlic and onions, scaping browned bits off bottom of frying pan

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot to give a slightly thick consistency 

Add sausage. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

 

Now available! A Curious Incident, the sixth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop novel from Crooked Lane Books.  “I just settled down, opened the book, began to read, and plain flat-out had fun. You will, too.”  Kittling Books

 

“

RELEASE DAY NEWS: A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany

 

Release Day News!

January 12

A CURIOUS INCIDENT  

by Vicki Delany

It's up to Gemma and Jayne to root out the killer in national bestselling author Vicki Delany's sixth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery when the winner of a garden tour trophy is left pushing up daisies.

"I am not a Consulting Detective," Gemma Doyle reluctantly tells 10-year-old Lauren Tierney, when the little girl comes to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium to beg Gemma to find her missing cat, Snowball. Gemma might not be able to follow the clues to find the cat, but her dog Violet follows her nose to locate the missing kitten in a neighbor's garden shed. Gemma and Violet proudly return Snowball to her grateful owner, and Gemma basks in praise for a job well done. But a few days later Lauren is back with ten dollars in hand, wanting to once again hire a consulting detective, and this time for a far bigger job: Her mother has been accused of murdering her garden club rival.

Sheila Tierney's garden, which everyone said was the one to beat for the West London Garden Club trophy, had been vandalized the night before the club's early summer tour. Sheila confronted her former friend and gardening partner Anna Wentworth in a towering rage, and the women nearly came to blows. Later that night, after having won the trophy for best garden, Anna is found murdered and Sheila Tierney is the police's prime suspect.

Despite herself, and despite the disapproval of her police detective boyfriend Ryan Ashburton, the game is once again afoot, and Gemma finds herself and Jayne Wilson using their powers of deduction to ponder yet another curious incident.

“These books are so much fun and so well-done, it is clear that Delany is in love with her characters as much as her die-hard fans are.”

—Suspense Magazine

Learn more or Buy:

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upcoming releases.

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Mushroom and Garlic Sauce for Gnocchi from Vicki Delany

Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2021 is a year to gather together. 

A couple of weeks ago, I gave you my recipe for ricotta gnocchi.  You can use just about any pasta sauce with the gnocchi, but this is the one I like.

 Mushroom and Garlic Sauce for Gnocchi

Ingredients

1 lb. Mushrooms, washed and sliced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

½ Tbsp. chopped chili peppers (or to taste)  

2 Tbsp. olive oil 

½ cup vegetable stock

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli peppers and cook gently, until golden, about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently until the mushrooms are sizzling and brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the stock, parsley, and grated cheese.  Stir over medium heat for 2 minutes,

Add gnocchi

Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra grated parmesan

Coming January 12! The next Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery, A Curious Incident.

 

A Christmas Eve Tipple from Vicki Delany

 I love this simple yet elegant cocktail. Perfect for Christmas or New Years Eve celebrations. 

Champagne Cocktail with St. Germain 

1 1/2 oz. St Germain (an elderflower liquor)  

4 oz. Champagne

1 oz. Soda Water

Pour ingredients into a cocktail or wine glass, and serve.  

Cheers! Let's hope we all have plenty to celebrate in 2021.

The first thing I'll be celebrating in 2021 is the next Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery. A Curious Incident, coming January 12 from Crooked Lane Books.