I’ve got loads of cookbooks, far too many my husband would say!  I really don’t use them often enough, I tend to look through them to gain ideas and then make things up as I go along.  I’m not very good at following a recipe to the letter and as a result there’s been a few wonderful meals but there’s also been a few ‘unrepeatables’!

I’ve decided to challenge myself every once in a while and actually follow a recipe for once in my life and share the results with you.  The first cookbook to be tried is The Philadelphia Cookbook.   Photo from Philadelphia.co.uk.  I’m slightly obsessed by Philadelphia.   I seem to live on it.  I eat it on my bagel for breakfast; I eat it on a bagel for lunch think I’m slightly obsessed by bagels too, and I often use it in the sauces I make for dinner.

I used the recipe for Cannellini Bean Mash.  I’m not a big bean person; I will quite happily eat baked beans, but I don’t tend to eat any others.  Time to grow up and try new things!

You will need:

♦ 400g can cannellini beans

♦ 50g Philadelphia Garlic and Herbs

♦ 50ml vegetable stock

♦ 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Drain the beans and rinse well.  Combine the Philadelphia, stock and rosemary springs in a saucepan and heat gently.  Add the drained beans and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.  Season to taste.  Mash the bean mixture slightly so it retains a chunky texture and divide it among two plates.  Serve with lamb chops and sweetcorn.

It was delicious, it almost had a slightly sweet taste and the texture was good too.  I think it would be better served with some crisp green beans or mange tout to provide a more contrasting crunchy texture.