A lucky trip to the supermarket resulted in me getting 2 boxes of expensive ‘Taste the Difference’ Strawberries at the knock-down price of 89p each – yeeeoo, result!
With our new love of the Greek yoghurt Granola bowl – here’s the recipe for that – – https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/homemade-coconut-and-mango-granola/
We’ve been using a lot of fruit with our breakfasts, but obviously not 2 whole boxes of strawberries in one/two sittings, so I made those bargain strawberries into a Compote which will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Here’s the recipe; and no, you’re right, it’s not going to last 2 weeks..
EQUIPMENT:
- A saucepan to hold all the strawberries
- a Wooden spoon
- A sterilised jam pot or two, depending on size, number of strawbs etc..
INGREDIENTS: 
- Strawberries, as many as you like.
- Optional: Vanilla extract, Sugar
- Fresh lemon juice
METHOD:
- Briefly rinse the strawberries under some water, shake dry.
- Hull, and cut the largest ones into halves or quarters – I like to keep as much whole strawberries as possible.
- Put the berries into the saucepan – with nothing more than the water that was left over on them after washing – and cook on a gentle/low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until they are fully cooked (stab with the tip of a sharp knife)
- Give a really good squeeze of lemon juice – See NOTES 1
- Transfer to jam pots. Cover and cool.
- Taste when it’s fully cold – you will realise then if you need to add sugar/vanilla extract/more lemon juice.
Oops, forgot to warn you about the wooden spoon!
- Keep this compote sealed and in the fridge.
- Add a dollop – you actually need surprisingly little to raise your Granola/Yoghurt game to stratospheric levels – to whatever you fancy.
NOTES:
- The fresh lemon juice isn’t there to make this compote bitter, it acts as a flavour enhancer, so definitely give it a go, it really changes the flavour – in a good way!
- Keeping the addition of sugar etc until the compote is cold is well worthwhile – tasting the hot compote is actually not that pleasant, and you’ll get a much more realistic impression of the true flavour when it’s cold.
- This compote is perfect as an accompaniment to any dessert – a spoonful beside a slice of cake, a splash over meringue.. I’m sure you’ll have no problem thinking up more uses!
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx