crumbs for dinner

Hungarian Sausage Soup

2012-02-01T05:00:00.008Z

This isn't authentic by any means - I doubt many Hungarians would use frankfurters as the sausage in their soups. But I had a craving for frankfurters and given the absolutely Arctic weather that we're experiencing this week (I swear my fingers nearly froze off when cycling home) I needed something warming.

I went to Budapest last November, and bar the use of frankfurters here, this is a nod to the beautiful, comforting paprika-infused stews and soups that are so typical of Hungarian cuisine.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 medium onion

200g waxy potatoes (I used Charlotte potatoes)

4 chestnut mushrooms

1 clove garlic

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp paprika

4 jumbo frankfurters

500ml chicken stock

500ml passata

1 tbsp sour cream

Method:

Finely slice the onion and dice the potato into 1cm die. Slice the mushrooms and garlic, and grind the caraway seeds in a pestle and mortar. Using a large, lidded saucepan, sautée the onions and potatoes until the onions are transparent, then add the mushrooms, garlic and caraway seeds and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Add the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes, then add the passata and paprika. Simmer for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (the potato has a habit of sticking to the bottom of the pan), then slice the frankfurter into 1cm diagonal slices and add to the soup. Simmer for a final 15 minutes, turn off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Once slightly cooler, stir in the sour cream (if you add it when simmering, it will curdle) and transfer into bowls. I drizzled a little extra sour cream on the surface. Serve with fresh, crusty bread and butter to help mop up all the sauce.

Japanese-inspired Salad with Prawns and Avocado

2012-01-29T05:00:00.001Z

On Sunday night I realised that I was rather bored of being a Skyrim widow, so when a friend of mine texted saying she was bored, happily headed over to her flat for some company. While she made cinnamon buns, I browsed one of the Nigella Lawson cookbooks that she had, and was inspired to make a healthy midweek supper.

Not the most wintery of recipes, but I had a couple of avocadoes that needed eating and have been craving fresh greens. Sadly I had to make do with pre-cooked frozen king prawns, but if you can get your hands on them, I'd recommend using raw ones if you can as these shrank significantly when I fried them with the garlic. The dressing is wonderfully light and zingy and the wasabi, mirin and rice vinegar add a deliciously Japanese twist. It is also virtually fat-free, which helps counterbalance the avocadoes a little!

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 ripe baby avocadoes (or 1 large)

100g spinach, rocket and watercress

150g fine beans

200g raw king prawns

1 clove garlic

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Few drops sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt
1 red chilli
1 teaspoon lime juice

Method:

Deseed and finely chop the chilli, place in a bowl or jar, and add the mirin, wasabi, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt and lime juice. beat or shake well until all the ingredients are combined.

Plunge the fine beans into boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes until al dente, then plunge into ice cold water and drain. Peel and slice the avocado, and arrange on two plates with the salad and beans.

Add a little oil to a frying pan, and when almost smoking hot, add the raw prawns and garlic. Fry until pink, then divide between the two plates. Finally, drizzle the dressing over the two salads and serve while the prawns are still warm. A perfect quick and easy weeknight supper on the table in 20 minutes!

Black Olive Truffles

2012-01-25T12:59:00.000Z

A little sweet treat, which I made before Christmas and held back from posting as I hoped it would being a little joy to January. This is another of Omar Allibhoy's fantastic recipes which I was sent by Olives from Spain, and when reading through it, my first thought was that it sounded like a divine and intriguing combination. Black olives and bitter dark chocolate go surprisingly well together, and the orange zest really sets it off.

Truffles are surprisingly easy to make, and are fantastic gifts for chocoholic friends or relatives. They just require a little time and patience as they can't unfortunately be made in one single stage.

Ingredients (makes circa 20 truffles):

150g double cream
200g of dark chocolate
Zest of 1 orange
150g of black pitted olives
40g of butter
Cocoa powder to dust them
If you want them a little sweeter, add about a dessertspoon of caster sugar to the cream when heating.

Method:

Drain the olives and then finely chop them, then peel the zest off the orange, break up the chocolate and cut up the butter ready to use. Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat over a low heat until almost boiling. Turn off the heat, then stir in the chocolate, olives and orange zest. Keep stirring until all the chocolate is melted and you have a velvety, smooth sauce. While the mix is still warm, add the butter and stir until thoroughly melted into the sauce.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for about 5 hours to set. Once set, turn the mix into little balls using your hands or a melon baller then dust with cocoa powder. I found it really helped to keep running my hands under icy water so I didn’t end up covered in molten chocolate as I rolled them!

Gravad Lax

2011-12-31T12:58:00.001Z

When I was a child, we used to have gravad lax as the starter every Christmas. Gradually, the tradition died out and was replaced with smoked salmon, which became the go-to each Christmas. I never complained - as a child, I was never quite convinced by gravad lax's strange, herby green crust and peculiar accompanying sauce.

As this is my last Christmas as an unmarried woman and my fiancé is heading home to Ireland to see his family, my mother and I decided to go out with a bang. We brought back a morel-stuffed guinea fowl from France and many delicious canapés. We agreed that I would buy the smoked salmon, but rather than buy it, I thought I'd try making its Scandinavian cousin - gravad lax.

Gravad lax literally means "buried salmon", and rather than being smoked, it is cured in a mixture of salt, sugar, pepper, coriander and of course, dill. I did a trial run before attempting this one, and it is both very easy and well worth the effort.

When you buy the salmon, make sure you get two similarly shaped pieces, ideally from the same fish. If you can, take your pieces from the middle of the fish, where they are as square as possible. Freeze the salmon for 24 hours and defrost before making this to kill off any parasites that may be in the fish.

Ingredients:

about 900g salmon fillet

150g smoked sea salt

150g caster sugar

50g whole black pepper

30g coriander seeds

150g dill

For the dill sauce:

50ml cider vinegar

50g muscovado sugar

50g honey

50g dijon mustard

30ml olive oil

30g dill

Method:

Begin by making the salt cure. Put the salt, sugar, black pepper and coriander seeds in a blender and blitz until you have a reasonably even powder. I tried doing it by hand using a pestle and mortar the first time round, and trying to break up the peppercorns was remarkably ineffective.

Next, finely chop about half the dill and set to one side for the moment. Cover a chopping board with cling film (keeping it attached to the roll) and lay the two salmon fillets side by side. Make sure you lay them thin to thick edge next to each other so when you flip one of them on top at the end, they slot together neatly.

Divide the chopped dill between the two fillets, distributing evenly across both of them and pressing in firmly with your hands, then cover with the salt cure, again distributing evenly and pressing it in firmly. When you have used up all the cure, cover the side you intend to flip with a thick coating of dill sprigs from the remaining unchopped dill.

Flip the dill-covered salmon on top of the other piece - I used the cling film roll as a winch to flip the salmon over, which made it easier and less messy - then wrap tightly in several layers of cling film. I went around three times in one direction, then wrapped it three times again to seal in the first layer's ends.

Place in the fridge for 2-3 days, then when it's ready to eat, brush off the cure and most of the dill and slice thinly on the diagonal using a salmon or ham knife. Serve with rye bread and the accompanying dill sauce.

While the fish is curing, you can make the sauce - place the muscovado sugar, cider vinegar, honey, mustard and dill in a blender and blitz together. It will keep in the fridge for a week or so once made.

Simple Sponge Cake with Cream & Strawberry Filling

2011-12-21T22:13:00.000Z

Having a day off work ahead of the weekend makes for all kinds of productivity. I made gravad lax, black olive truffles and a vat of soup all in the space of an afternoon. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for my other half who was glued to the sofa, playing Skyrim all day. I am definitely a PS3 widow.

Midway through the afternoon, he asked me if it would be very bad if he opened the pannettone he had bought to take over to Ireland for Christmas, and I replied that it was, but I would make him a cake if he so desired. It seemed he did, so I set to work and made a very quick and easy sponge cake.

This is perfect if you're in a bit of a hurry - you can have it on the table and being gobbled up within 45 minutes. Ideal for greedy gamers then!

Ingredients (fills two 20cm cake tins):

175g plain flour

175g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

175g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 large eggs

Filling:
75ml double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

5 large strawberries

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C and line the bottoms of both cake tins with baking paper. Then sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, eggs and vanilla essence. Melt the butter and as you beat the ingredients together, slowly pour it in. This is easier if you use a Kitchenaid!

Pour the cake batter into the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until baked and golden. To test that it is cooked, plunge a skewer into the middle of the cake and hold it there for 5 seconds. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Set the freshly baked cakes onto a cooling rack and leave to cool. While you're waiting, mix up the filling: pour the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence into a bowl and beat until thick and creamy. This takes about 5 minutes when beating by hand. Then chop up the strawberries and stir into the creamy filling.

Spread the creamy filling thickly on the bottom layer of the cake, place the other layer on top and then dust with icing sugar. Attempt to eat it all on your own without your gamer other half noticing (sadly, impossible)

Eating out in Budapest

2011-12-07T15:39:00.000Z

I first visited Budapest about three and a half years ago when my fiancé whisked me away there on a minibreak to celebrate getting back together. On that first visit I discovered quite how beautiful the city was, and thought it the perfect destination for a family get together to celebrate a milestone birthday (we don't mention numbers here).

Budapest is a wonderful city with plenty to do at different times of year. In the early summer, we walked for miles soaking up the architecture and visited a very rickety Eastern European theme park with a wooden rollercoaster. In the winter, we wrapped up very warm, and also walked for miles. This time, however, there was the Christmas market to explore, and for those arriving a week later than we did, the largest frozen lake in Europe to skate on. I was gutted to miss that as I love ice skating.

As a city, Budapest isn't particularly famous for its food, aside from its two main exports - paprika and goulash. But that's not to say there aren't some gems there. We visited four restaurants in our time there. One incredible, one good and homely, one bad and one where words fail me. I'll start with the bad.

Vendeglo a Zsakbamacskahoz

Lovag utca 3, Budapest

We were recommended this by the hotel we were staying in, and contrary to several highly complementary reviews on Tripadvisor, it wasn't an entirely positive experience.

The ambiance was pleasant, with a couple of other large parties present in this cavernous cellar restaurant, and both the wines we ordered were excellent. However, things went downhill from this point. The menu was classic Hungarian, which was what we had set out to eat that night, and at first glance looked promising, if not a little dated.

We eventually managed to order after trying to catch the waiter's eye for a good 40 minutes (2 bottles of wine down at this point) - not normally a problem, except that it wasn't busy and they weren't doing anything. As it was already late, we decided to forfeit getting a starter. I ordered a spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken with garlic pasta, as did my sister. My uncle and aunt ordered duck with mushrooms, and my mother and other aunt ordered the pike perch.

A further 45 minutes after ordering (and a further bottle of wine sunk), our food finally arrived. My mother said her pike perch was virtually inedible, and my uncle and aunt commented that the duck was rather dry and flavourless. My chicken was similarly dry, and the "garlic pasta" was in fact, spagetti in tomato sauce with very little garlic to speak of. Edible, but very disappointing. It took us a further 40 minutes after asking for the bill for it to arrive.

Vendeglo a Zsakbamacskahoz is not a restaurant I'd go back to however good the wine was, as both the food and service was lacking. Luckily, our party were full of celebratory spirit so it failed to dampen the mood.

Meal - 6/10 - dated menu and poor service. Nice wine though

Cost - around £20 a head for a main course with (lots of) wine

_____________________________

Vörös Ördög Étterem

Orszaghaz utca 20, Budapest

This was a pleasant surprise, and proof that you shouldn't always go into the first restaurant you see. I'm not normally one to eat in the "tourist-y" parts of town, but we were hungry and having eyed up the restaurant across the street, we decided to try our luck with this place. The name literally means "red devil restaurant", and when you see the cellar (which is only open in winter as it has a lovely courtyard) you can see why. There are red devils everywhere!

Our party had split in two, and my uncle and aunt had gone off to see an old friend, so my mother, sister and I were left to our own devices. We took a taxi up to Buda, the old town, and wandered around. Not quite hungry, but slightly peckish and aware that it was lunchtime, we wandered into here. The waiter was charming and the restaurant itself, warm and cosy.

As we were still full from the previous night's meal, we opted for their lunch special: a vegetarian mushroom stew served with little dumplings, which we rounded off with a local beer. The stew didn't look like much, but tasted wonderful. Hearty, warming and intensely mushroom-y. Perfect winter comfort food. Rounded off with a delicious (and very rich!) chocolate crepe, it was exactly what was needed for a winter lunch.

Meal - 8/10 - simple, homely and delicious

Cost - around £10 for a main course, dessert and a beer

_____________________________

Onyx Étterem

Vorosmarty square 7-8

The jewel in the crown of the holiday. I'm not sure I know where to begin with this one. "Oh wow" doesn't even begin to cover it. My sister and I wanted something special for my mother's birthday and she came across this restaurant. We booked it back in April, and it was already nearly full, so clearly we were onto a good thing. How good, we had no idea. Of the seven of us that ate there that night, all of us declared it "the best meal of my life". Onyx has recently been awarded its first Michelin star. If I had my way, I'd give it three.

We went for the seven-course tasting menu with wine pairings. Extravagant, but, you know... needs must.

The amuse bouche: crayfish with a bacon reduction

Marinated, roasted and tartar tuna with yuzu and pineapple

Marinated saibling with caviar and orange-pumpkin cream soup

Sautéed scallops served with cauliflower textures

Breast of quail with “Carbonara” risotto and mushroom jus; Monkfish with curd dumpling, sour cream foam and cucumber

Palate cleanser: creme brulée with coriander sorbet

"Mojito"

Taϊnori chocolate, violet

Petit fours

The meal was paired with the following Hungarian wines:

Szürkebarát 2008 (demi sec) Zala - Dr. Bussay László
Darscho (Chardonnay) 2008 Burgenland - Velich
Pinot Noir 2009 Etyek - Hernyák László Birtok
Solus Merlot 2006 Villány - Gere Attila winery
Nyúlászó Aszú 6 puttonyos 2000 Tokaj - Royal Tokaji winery

I couldn't honestly pick a favourite dish. Everything was exquisitely prepared, the service was flawless - seemingly invisible and perfectly choreographed. The quality of each and every course was wonderful and nothing jarred or seemed out of place. Getting the wine pairing was an inspired choice and made an already perfect meal, moreso.

Perfection doesn't come cheap though - a seven course tasting menu plus wine pairing set us back around £100 a head. This actually seems very reasonable when you compare it to the cost of, say, Les Trois Garçons in Shoreditch, where a five course tasting menu with wine pairing comes to just over £100.

If you were visiting Budapest and wanted to eat somewhere truly special, I honestly couldn't recommend Onyx highly enough. The menus are well thought out and innovative, the quality of the food in excellent, service is flawless and it truly is a very special place to eat at.

Meal - 11/10 (best meal of my life)
Cost - around £100 for the tasting men with wine pairing

_____________________________

I've covered off the bad, the good and homely and the incredible. The final meal of the holiday was Fortuna. And... the experience was indescribable. Both painful and painfully funny.

Fortuna Étterem

Hess Andras ter 4, Budapest

For our final meal, we had the choice of either eating here, or at Menza. Trust me on this one - we didn't go there, but go to Menza. Fortuna came highly recommended via several sources. A Budapest local friend of my aunt's, and several Twitter recommendations.

We checked it out earlier on in the day, and although the restaurant itself was closed as it operates in the evenings only, the menu looked promising and it looked chintzy, but welcoming. When we arrived at 8, we discovered we were the only people in the restaurant. More worrying however was that this was the way it would stay for the rest of the evening.

Our waiter was over-attentive to the point of prescriptiveness and didn't so much recommend us food choices, but "advised" us that we should order certain dishes. Unperturbed, I went against recommendations and ordered what I felt like.

Creamed pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds, Honey marinated duck breast with mulberry ragout and dumplings

Both dishes I chose sounded like safe bets. The pumpkin soup was delicate to the point of being watery, though the seeds were a nice touch and added some much-needed texture. My first thoguhts when the duck arrived, however, was being slightly overwhelmed by the size of the portion. The duck, although rare, was tough, chewy and lacked flavour, while the potato dumplings were overwhelmingly stodgy. I was unable to finish it, and couldn't face the thought of dessert at this point.

The rest of our party didn't fare much better. My fiancé said the goulash was similarly light on flavour, and my sister's "Fortuna salad" was mildly disappointing. My mum had a special vegetarian strudel made for her as a main course, which sounded enviably lovely and turned out to be sodden pastry, a couple of courgettes and an awful lot of celery. My aunt's milk-fed lamb was also disappointing - chewy and touch, which it really shouldn't have been.

And that was just the food. The additional "entertainment" for the night was a traditional Hungarian gypsy band, who expected payment for their services at the end of the night. I know this is convention in a great many Eastern European restaurants, but when there's only seven diners, it's bound to be embarrassing for both parties when we don't want to tip for something that was painful to listen to.

An evening so terrible that even three weeks on, we're still laughing about it. Entirely memorable, though possibly for the wrong reasons...

Meal - 4/10 (1 point for food, 3 for comedy value)
Cost - £30 a head with wine

Have any of you readers been to Budapest? What did you think of the food? Do you have any horror stories or favourite restaurants? I've love to hear about them!

Spanish Chicken Thighs with Sherry & Olives

2011-12-05T18:21:00.001Z

Ever since he launched his T for Tapas challenge on Twitter, where he and a friend travelled the length of the UK in a giant T shape, cooking up tapas at seemingly random locations, I have been a fan of Omar Allibhoy. While I'm none too fond of shopping excursions in Westfield, I do rather like the Tapas Revolution bar there.

So when I was asked if I would blog some recipes he wrote in conjuction with Olives from Spain, I jumped at the chance. I think Omar is great and I absolutely adore olives, so as far as I was concerned, I was onto a winner.

I must admit, I've tweaked the recipe slightly to make it my own, but it is essentially a Spanish version of a French Coq au Vin, and I think it is in many ways, nicer. The sherry and olives add a wonderful, rounded flavour to the dish and complement the tender chicken thighs perfectly. If you can, make sure you use Spanish queen olives. Mine came stuffed with almonds, which went beautifully with the chicken. I also used miniature Couchillo olives, which are my absolute favourite black olives at the moment, for extra flavour and contrast.

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs

70g diced pancetta

1 large white onion

3 cloves garlic

1 dsp flour

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

175ml dry Fino sherry

300ml chicken stock

125g Spanish queen olives

75g Couchillo olives

Method:

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan, then dry fry the pancetta (some of its fat will melt) until golden. Remove from the pan, leaving a little of the molten fat behind then place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the pan to brown the skins. Turn them over and fry on the other side to seal the meat, then set aside.

Thinly slice the onion & garlic and fry these too in the pan until soft and translucent. At this point, pre-heat the oven to 200°C, and while it is heating up, stir the flour into the onions and slowly add the chicken stock, stirring continually until you have a sauce. Add the Fino sherry and season with a little salt and pepper.

Arrange the chicken thighs skin side up in an oven-proof dish, then scatter over the pancetta and assorted olives. Pull the rosemary leaves off the stem and distribute evenly, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes. Before serving, pierce the chicken to make sure it is cooked and the juices run clear. Ideally the chicken itself should be so tender that it falls off the bone. I served mine with French beans and basmati rice while sipping on a beautiful white Rioja.

If you're also a fan of olives and Omar Allibhoy, you should have a look at some of the other recipes he's come up with here, or check out the YouTube channel to see the man in action. Here's another chicken recipe that I'll certainly be trying during the week:

Seafood Risotto

2011-11-09T06:00:00.003Z

In France, my mother and I took turns to cook. By "took turns", I mean I made one meal, and helped her prepare all the other meals. I would have cooked again, except we had eyes bigger than stomachs and what was meant to just be either lunch or dinner ended up doing two meals. I'm surprised we managed to get the fridge as empty as we did when we came back to London.

While Cordes is beautiful, it is inland which makes the cost of fish near prohibitively expensive. However, I was hell bent on making this for her as I'd made it a couple of nights earlier and had surprised myself by how nice it was. So, frozen fish it was. I'd obviously recommend using fresh fish if you make this yourself, but frozen will certainly do! If you do use frozen fish, thaw the salmon before cooking, but keep the remaining seafood frozen.

Ingredients (serves 4):

125g carnaroli risotto rice

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

75g broad beans

100g king prawns

250g salmon fillet

450ml chicken stock

125ml white wine

1 tbsp fresh tarragon

50g parmesan

Method:

Finely chop the onion and thinly slice the garlic. Fry the onion in a little olive oil until translucent then add the garlic and rice and cook for a further minute. Add a third of the chicken stock and reduce over a low heat. Try to stir as little as possible, but whenever the rice is on the verge of sticking, add a little more stock. If your salmon has skin on it, remove the skin then cut into 1cm slices. When you've used about 2/3rd of the stock, add the wine and reduce this down too.

Finally, add the last of the stock with the broad beans, salmon, prawns and mussels and cover over for 5-10 minutes while they cook and the last of the liquid is absorbed. Don't let it dry out entirely though - risotto should be faintly soup-y. Taste the risotto rice to check that it is cooked. If it is, roughly chop the tarragon and stir into the risotto with 3/4 of the parmesan and serve onto plates. If not, add a little extra water to keep the risotto moist and cook for a further 5 minutes or so until cooked. Once served up, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.

Roasted Round Courgettes with Cous Cous & Goats Cheese Stuffing

2011-11-06T06:00:00.004Z

I apologise in advance if this inadvertently proves to be a more difficult recipe than I originally intended - the basic premise is simple, but I have no idea how easy it is to obtain rounded courgettes. I'll explain - I went to the south of France with my mother a couple of weeks back, and we bought these while we were out there. Sadly, we didn't get around to eating them in France (so much food; so little time) so they got packed into my hand luggage and came home with me.

The cous cous filling is a variation on an Ottolenghi recipe, and I think it makes the perfect stuffing. I made a similar version of this recipe a few weeks earlier still, where I used roasted harlequin squashes and stuffed those. Whatever squash you use, this is absolutely delicious and a wonderful way of using up such gorgeous autumnal vegetables. Couchillo olives are wonderful - smaller than normal olives, they have a gorgeous, delicate flavour. If you can't find couchillo olives, use kalamata or any other mild varieties instead. For the goat's cheese, use Chavroux or any of the ones that come in a soft log form.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 round courgettes or small squashes

50g cous cous

25g mograbiah/israeli cous cous

1 small onion

25g sundried tomatoes

Small pinch saffron

1 tbsp couchillo olives

25g crumbly goats cheese

1 tbsp fresh tarragon

1/2 tsp nigella seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C, then slice the courgettes in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeded area, place on a baking tray and season with a little salt & pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, cover and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes.

While the courgettes are roasting, pour the cous cous into a bowl, add the saffron, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover with boiling water and then cover the bowl with a lid or plate and leave for 10 minutes. Next, cook the Israeli cous cous as per the instructions on the bag, drain and leave to cool. While the Israeli cous cous is cooking, peel and thinly slice the onion, then fry slowly in a little olive oil until golden.

Slice the sundried tomatoes and arbequina olives, then fluff up the cous cous. Stir in the Israeli cous cous, golden onions, sundried tomatoes and arbequina olives. Finally, crumble up the goats cheese into the cous cous mix, add the nigella seeds and roughly chop the tarragon, Stir all of these ingredients in, and your stuffing is ready.

The courgettes should be just about ready at this point - test them with a sharp knife to make sure they are cooked - they should be soft and golden, but keeping their shape. Place two courgette halves on each plate and then spoon over the cous cous. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Apple Tart

2011-11-02T06:00:00.003Z

I went down to Somerset at the weekend with my mother and fiancé (I still can't get used to calling him that) to visit family and check out both the church where we'll be getting married and the reception venue. They are both everything I could have wanted and more.

I may have missed mushrooming season, but visiting Somerset at the tail end of October still has its advantages - my uncle had a surplus of apples which unlike cooking apples, won't last the winter. So my mother and I returned to London with bags of beautiful pommes. While hers were earmarked for apple crumble, I decided to try making a tart with mine.

I am spectacularly lazy when it comes to all things baking related, so I used bought puff pastry - I don't think I could make it as good myself as I don't have the patience and will never make a pastry chef. Having had a second slice for breakfast, I can reassure you that it is as good cold from the fridge as it is hot out the oven!

Ingredients (makes about 6 slices):

For the purée

2 large cooking apples

25g unsalted butter

1 tbsp brandy

1/2 tsp cinnamon

50g caster sugar

For the tart

1 sheet of rolled puff pastry

2 large cooking apples

1 egg

1 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

If you're using frozen puff pastry, leave it out to thaw. Meanwhile, make the apple purée - peel, core and roughly dice two of the cooking apples (place the peeled and diced chunks in a bowl of lemony water so they don't brown while you peel the rest). Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the apples, brandy and cinnamon. As the apples can be quite tart, once the apples have softened to a paste, taste and add as much or as little sugar as you deem is necessary. I used about 50g as my apples were really quite sharp. Transfer to a fridge-friendly dish and leave to cool.

Once the apple purée is cool, preheat the oven to 200°C then place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and lay the puff pastry sheet flat on it. Spread the puree on the pastry, leaving 1/2 an inch clear around the edge. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the top layer of apples. Peel, core and thinly slice the remaining two apples (again place the peeled and diced chunks in a bowl of lemony water so they don't brown while you slice the rest), then remove the pastry from the fridge. Place the apple slices on top of the purée, beat the egg & brush onto the exposed pastry around the edge, then dust the icing sugar over the apples.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then cut into slices and serve. Delicious with a scoop of ice cream or spoon of crème fraîche. Perfect!

Baked Sea Bass with Shiitake Mushrooms, Garlic and Chilli

2011-10-28T13:34:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone! Apologies for the non-existent updates of late - I've been completely swallowed up into wedding planning and all that it entails. Having set a date for much earlier than we both had originally intended, there has been so much to do in a comparatively short space of time. However, much has been done so hopefully I'll be able to resume some semblance of normal posting in due course. Though beware, there may well be a return to many soup posts as the wedding diet commences!

My mother and sister came over for an evening to discuss all things wedding-related and as I'd had a delivery of shiitake mushrooms from Abel and Cole, this was the result. It is fantastically light and tastes delicious as the combination of garlic, soy and chilli works so well together. I served this with rice and tenderstem broccoli, which worked beautifully with it.

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 sea bass fillets

150g shiitake mushrooms

2 red chillis

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp mirin

50g unsalted butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. Cover a baking tray with enough foil that it can be folded back on itself to create a parcel, then place the sea bass fillets on the foil. Finely slice the chilli and garlic and slice some of the larger shiitake mushrooms. Mix together the soy sauce and mirin and chop the butter into small cubes. Scatter the garlic, chilli, shiitake mushrooms and butter on the sea bass then drizzle over the soy and mirin sauce. Seal the foil parcel and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

If you’re serving your sea bass with rice, put the rice on to cook while the fish bakes in the oven – they should all be ready at the same time. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Basil

2011-10-07T06:00:00.007+01:00

I recently had my first birthday at work in many years. Previously, I have taken the day off but this year the realisation finally sunk in that when you're at home and everyone else is at work, it's a bit boring spending the day on your own. So I made a gigantic chocolate cake and went into work to celebrate the final year of my twenties. And it seems, my workmates know me very well. I was surprised with a lovely gift of weird and wonderful chocolate-y treats - sea salt chocolate, honey, mustard and cocoa salad dressing, and the most intriguing of them all: cocoa flavoured penne pasta.

So last night, my lovely friend Tara came round for dinner. Over a couple of bottles of red wine and much chatter, I prepared us a very interesting meal. I must admit, I followed the recipe example on the back of the pack as I was unsure as to how it would taste, but having eaten it, I can't wait to try it again with different flavours. Tara and I are planning to experiment with chilli, scallops, chorizo and tarragon, though possibly not all at the same time.

If you want to try something a bit different and rather wonderful, I'd highly recommend the cocoa penne. It's made by Hotel Chocolat and can be found here.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter or two as a main):

200g cocoa penne
2 tbsp mascarpone

50g grated parmesan

140g smoked salmon

10g fresh basil

Method:

Put the penne on to boil and cook for 9 minutes. While you're waiting for it to cook, shred the salmon into strips, grate the parmesan and also shred the basil leaves. Once cooked, drain the pasta and stir in the mascarpone.

Once the mascarpone has fully melted, stir in the parmesan, smoked salmon and basil. Don't forget to hold back a little of the basil to garnish! Serve immediately - it is nicest hot. I added a little chilli oil to mine as I know that chilli and chocolate makes a fantastic pairing, though it is also delicious as is. Enjoy!

Parmesan and Herb Breaded Chicken

2011-09-25T06:00:00.001+01:00

Not my usual style, I must admit, but I had some leftover breadcrumbs from making stuffed peppers and some chicken that needed eating, so I decided that breaded chicken was the way to go. I always forget that when homemade, breaded chicken is miles away from its KFC or supermarket freezer section counterparts, and makes for an impressive yet simple weeknight supper. Great too, as it can be made in advance and quickly grilled when you're ready to eat.

I served mine with Turkish-style rice pilaf and homemade garlic and paprika aioli, which worked beautifully. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the chicken

3 chicken breasts (about 450g)
1 Tbsp plain flour
50g Breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan
½ Tsp dried mint
½ Tsp dried oregano
½ Tsp paprika
2 eggs

For the Turkish-style rice pilaf

100g basmati rice

50g orzo
1 litre diluted chicken or vegetable stock

Method:

Start by preparing the chicken: slice the breast acrossways so you have 3-4 pieces of chicken per breast. Dip each slice into the flour and coat evenly then set aside. Mix together the breadcrumbs, mint, oregano, paprika and parmesan and season with a little salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, beat together the eggs. Make sure you have a clean plate ready to transfer your breaded chicken onto, then dunk each piece of chicken in the egg, making sure it is fully coated, then dip into the breadcrumb mixture, so that both sides are covered. Place each piece of breaded chicken on the clean plate, ready for grilling.

At this stage, you can either keep them in the fridge for up to a day or freeze for another day - I would suggest individually wrapping each piece in cling film so you can take out the number you need without them sticking together. If you're going to cook them immediately, transfer the chicken onto a very lightly greased baking tray, making sure the chicken is laid flat and doesn't overlap. I had to cook mine in two batches as there wasn't room for all the chicken on one tray.

Now for the rice - put the stock on to boil, and heat up a dry frying pan ready to toast the orzo. Once the pan is hot, add the orzo and toast for up to a minute. The pasta should change colour only very lightly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. When the stock is boiling, add the rice and toasted orzo and boil for 11 minutes. When cooked, drain and serve.

While the rice is cooking, heat up the grill. Once hot, spray a little olive oil on the chicken so the breadcrumbs go nice and golden, and grill for 5 minutes each side, turning once. You might need to begin this stage a little earlier if, like me, your oven isn't big enough for all the chicken on one baking tray! Once your chicken and rice is cooked, transfer onto plates and serve with some delicious, garlicky aioli. Wonderful!

Stuffed Peppers

2011-09-21T06:00:00.030+01:00

This is a bit of a summer classic and as such this version takes its cues from many versions made across the Mediterannean - Italian Parmesan, Turkish-style rice, French anchovies... you get the idea. While they take a little time to prepare, they keep well, are delicious hot or cold and can easily be made in advance - perfect for entertaining or picnics!

Ingredients (Serves 4):

3 red peppers
1 courgette
1 leek
30g chestnut mushrooms
4 anchovy fillets
25g orzo
100g basmati rice
10g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp parmesan
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried mint

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C, then while it comes to temperature, prepare the filling for the peppers. Thinly slice the leek and then chop one of the peppers and the courgette into approx 1cm pieces. Stir in the cumin and mint and sauté over a medium heat until soft, then thinly slice the mushrooms and add to the pan alongside the roughly chopped anchovy fillets. Cook until the mushrooms are done then set aside until ready for the next step.

Meanwhile, put a pan of lightly salted water on to boil, lightly toast the orzo in a dry pan and cook the rice and orzo together until done - about 11 minutes. Drain the rice and add to the pan with the vegetables. Mix together, then re-cover while you prepare the remaining peppers.

Slice the peppers in half lengthways and take care to remove all the seeds and pith. Place each half pepper face-up on a baking tray and brush the insides with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper then spoon in the rice and vegetable mix, pressing it in so it is tightly packed.

Finally, mix together the parmesan and breadcrumbs and stir in a little more mint if you like, then sprinkle on top of the peppers to give a delicious, crispy crust. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. You will have some of the rice and vegetables left over after stuffing, so once the peppers are cooked, give it a quick blast of heat and serve alongside the peppers.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi)

2011-09-18T06:00:00.006+01:00

Hello! I'm back and fully refreshed after a wonderful trip to Turkey. The holiday itself was wonderful, filled with much amazing Turkish food, lots of relaxation and some very wonderful days out. I also return a newly engaged woman, as the other half rather foolishly asked if he could become Mr Crumbs For Dinner.

Inspiration often strikes in the place you most recently visited. In my case this trip to Turkey yielded many ideas to try, but this was the recipe I wanted to make the most. While I have eaten this soup before on many an occasion, being in Turkey for the end of Ramadan meant that it was more prevalent than usual as it is often one of the soups used to break the fast at the end of the day.

I roughly blended all my ingredients before finally adding the lentils to slowly cook for a slightly more rustic texture, but it's up to you how chunky or smooth you make it. I used chicken stock for this, but if you want to make the recipe vegetarian, subsitute for a good quality vegetable stock. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice when you're ready to eat makes the soup even more delicious.

Ingredients (serves 4):

125g red lentils

1 medium onion

2 small carrots

2 garlic cloves

1 small baking potato

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried mint

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock

Method:

Finely dice the carrot and onion, and, in a deep saucepan, slowly fry in a little olive oil until the onion is soft and translucent. Peel and roughly slice the garlic, then add to the pan with the cumin and mint and fry for a further couple of minutes. Peel and dice the potato into small chunks, then cook for a minute or so. Add the stock and simmer for 25 minutes to half an hour - until the carrot and potato is soft.

While the base of the soup is simmering, weigh out and rinse the lentils then set aside. When the base of the soup is cooked, allow to cool a little then, in batches, roughly blend and transfer back to the saucepan. Add the lentils and if it is very thick, a little extra water and simmer for up to an hour.

When you're ready to eat, transfer the soup into bowls and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side. It is delicious with some fresh bread to mop up any remainders.

Recipes revisited: Baba Ghanoush

2011-09-11T06:00:00.001+01:00

As I'm currently on holiday in Turkey, it feels fitting to end the Recipes Revisited series on one of my all-time favourite mezzes, Baba Ghanoush, or Moutabal as it is sometimes known.

I like hummous, but the moment I see Baba Ganoush any desire to eat the hummous goes out the window. It is absolutely delicious - filled with warm, earthy flavours from both the chargrilled aubergine and paprika. I like it served with nothing more than fresh rustic bread; be it ciabatta, Lebanese flatbreads or a really good sourdough.

Ingredients:

2 medium aubergines

1 tbsp tahini paste

70ml boiling water

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil and a drizzle at the end

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp pomegranate molasses

salt and pepper

Method:
If you have a gas hob, place the aubergines over an open flame and grill until charred, turning occasionally. This lends a wonderful smokey flavour to the aubergines. If you don't have a gas hob, you can also place the aubergines under a hot grill (pierce them first so they don't explode!) though this doesn't lend quite such a smokey flavour.

Set the aubergines aside to cool, then slice in half and scoop out the flesh. Take care to avoid the charred skin. Roughly chop the aubergine then set aside to drain for about half an hour.

In the meantime, prepare the rest of the dip: pour the boiling water into a bowl with a tablespoon of tahini paste and mix until the two ingredients form a paste. Crush in the garlic cloves and add the lemon juice, paprika and pomegranate molasses.

Once the aubergine has drained, stir it into the tahini paste mix, finely chop the coriander and add that too, season with salt and pepper then taste. You might find it needs a little more lemon, salt or even pomegranate molasses. The Baba Ganoush should taste smokey, but not too dense.

Serve in a bowl and garnish with a drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of paprika and a sprig of coriander.

Recipes revisited: Mozzarella Stuffed Romano Peppers

2011-09-07T06:00:00.001+01:00

Romano peppers confuse me. Some people call them ramiro, some romano, some romero. I don't know which version is correct, or even if they are the same thing, but I digress. This is one of my most googled for recipes, and it was originally one of my mum's creations. It is incredibly simple, and incredibly delicious. But aren't the simplest things usually the best?

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 Romano Peppers

60g fresh Mozzarella

Approx. 4 basil leaves per pepper

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place the peppers under a hot grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. You want the skin to blacken in places, but not all over. Once sufficiently blackened, remove from the grill and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, turn the oven on to about 180°C. Once the peppers are cooled enough to handle, carefully make a slit from top to bottom, taking care not to slice through both sides. Open them out a little and, taking care not to tear the pepper, remove the seeds.

Slice the Mozzarella into 5mm half moons - this will make it easier to fill the pepper than with full slices - and place inside the pepper. I found 4 half-moons filled my peppers. Then, tear the basil and scatter over the Mozzarella. Season with a little salt and pepper then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes and then serve. I think these are lovely on their own as a starter, or served with various salads as a main.

Recipes revisited: Thai Red Salmon Curry

2011-09-04T06:00:00.001+01:00

I cannot claim for one moment for this to be authentic, but it tastes pretty darn good! This was inspired by a trip down Leather Lane Market at lunchtime, so I decided to try my hand again at Thai. Being slightly health-conscious, I used half fat coconut milk instead of its full-fat cousin, but there's no reason why you can't go the full-fat route.

It's a lovely, fresh-tasting meal, and quite substantial too, hence why I suggest this serves 4-6 people. I would advise getting everything prepared in advance as it's really quick to make - it's a lot down to timing and you should be able to put it together in the time the rice takes to boil. For alternatives to salmon, try it with king prawns or deep-fried tofu for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

400g tinned Puy lentils, drained
1tbsp olive oil
200g green beans, topped and tailed
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into 5mm slices

4 salmon fillets, skinned and sliced
200g Thai red curry paste

400ml reduced fat coconut milk
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced

20g coriander, chopped

200g Thai jasmine rice

Method:

First, put the rice on to boil. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed saucepan then add the peppers and green beans and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the salmon and half the coriander and spring onions, then fry for a minute before stirring in the red Thai sauce for a further minute.

Next, add the coconut milk and Puy lentils and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until the salmon is cooked. Drain and fluff the rice, then serve with the curry spooned over the rice and scatter the remaining spring onions and coriander on top.

Recipes revisited: Vignole

2011-08-31T06:00:00.001+01:00

With broad beans currently in season and with them being one of my favourite recipes, I thought I'd reblog this, which is my take on an Italian classic. It is also one of my mother's favourite recipes. There is no better time to make it than now, with all the gorgeously fresh broad beans and peas still in their pods which are around at the moment. Of course, you can make it any time if you use frozen ones, but it's never nearly as nice.

Ingredients:

40ml olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
10g fresh oregano, leaves only
140g cubetti di Pancetta
1 dried red chilli, crumbled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g chargrilled artichokes
200g fresh peas, shelled
200g broad beans, shelled
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
500ml Pinot Grigio white wine
10g fresh mint

Method:
Place the olive oil into a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, oregano and chilli. Stir occasionally, until the onions are soft; this should take about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the artichokes, peas, broad beans and garlic, and stir and cook for five minutes.

Then add the wine and mint. Cover and cook over a medium heat until the vegetables are really soft – about 25 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve in soup bowls with lots of fresh ciabatta to mop up the juices.

(original here)

Recipes revisited: A brunch classic

2011-08-28T06:00:00.001+01:00

Ever since I learned how to poach eggs the "proper" way, I can't believe I ever used to do it any other way. It's so ridiculously easy and the only things you need are really fresh eggs, simmering (but not boiling) water and a little splash of vinegar. No fancypants silicone egg moulds or a poaching pan required.

This is an absolute brunch classic, and well worth making with someone. I made it with my sister to teach her how to make hollandaise sauce. Which too has a lot of bad rep and is surprisingly easy to make, especially in the advent of blenders and things that whisk so you don't have to. Like me, she had previously thought it was a lot of hard work and very difficult, so having made it myself for friends a couple of months earlier I was keen to show her otherwise. The wonderful thing about making foaming hollandaise is, in using the egg white as well as the yolk, the sauce doesn't curdle. It is also much lighter.

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the foaming hollandaise:

2 large eggs, separated
1 dessertspoon lemon juice
1 dessertspoon white wine vinegar
110g butter
salt and pepper

For the poached eggs:

1tsp white wine vinegar

as many eggs as each person wants

Additional ingredients:

Hot buttered toast or muffins (the English variety)

Smoked salmon (or bacon, if you'd rather traditional eggs benedict)

Method:

First, make the hollandaise: place the egg yolks in a blender (reserve the whites, you'll need them later) and season with salt and pepper. Then, in a saucepan, heat the lemon juice and white wine vinegar until it starts to steam. Turn on the blender and trickle the liquid in very slowly and steadily, and then turn off the blender. Now, turn your hand to the egg white - whisk in a large bowl until firm, as if making meringues (the egg white should form into peaks).

Melt the butter in a saucepan, turn the blender back on and trickle the melted butter into the liquid, as you did with the lemon and vinegar. Then transfer the sauce to the egg white and fold it in. I keep it warm by fitting the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Now your hollandaise sauce is ready, assemble the rest of the ingredients: toast and butter your toast or muffins, place the smoked salmon on top (or fry your bacon and do the same if you're having eggs benedict) and then turn your thoughts to the poached eggs.

For two eggs, I use about 3cm of water in the bottom of a pan and a teaspoon of vinegar. Use the freshest eggs you can get your hands on - these will keep their shape better. Stir the water to create a whirlpool, and then crack in your eggs one by one. This gets easier with practice! Simmer for a couple of minutes, until the whites are firm but the yolk still runny, and then place on top of your salmon or bacon. Pour over a tablespoon or so of hollandaise per person and tuck in.

(original here)

Recipes revisited: Tarte Aux Poireaux

2011-08-25T06:00:00.000+01:00

Whenever I visit Cordes-sur-Ciel, I always make sure to visit the wonderful patisserie at the bottom of the hill, Moulin. Their speciality are the gorgeous gateaux and pastries for which France is rightly famous, but they also do these wonderful savoury tartlets.

So after scoffing an extraordinary number of them one trip, I decided it was high time I taught myself how to make them myself. These are very easy, and make a wonderful accompaniment to a picnic lunch or a salad. They are also very, very good when gobbled down still warm from the oven when no one's looking.

Ingredients (makes 12 6cm squares):

250g shortcrust pastry

2 leeks

4 eggs
40g grated parmesan

3 dessertspoons crème fraîche

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C, then line a 32cm shallow baking tray with greaseproof paper. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface so that it fits the container, then line the baking tray on top of the paper. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and add another sheet of greaseproof paper, then fill with ceramic baking beans. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, until cooked.

While the pastry is baking, slice the leeks into 5mm slices and gently fry until soft and golden, then set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, crème fraîche, parmesan and nutmeg, then season with a little salt and pepper.

When the pastry is cooked, remove the top sheet of greaseproof paper and ceramic beans, then distribute the leeks evenly on top of the pastry. Gently pour over the egg and crème fraîche mix so that it fully covers the leeks and the pastry case is filled, then bake in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes.

When cool, transfer to a flat wooden board (a large chopping board will do) and slice into three lengthways and quarters widthways so you have perfect hand-sized portions. You can either serve it warm or at room temperature - your choice!

Recipes revisited: Taleggio Arancini with Rocket and Walnut Salad

2011-08-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

These are great if you're entertaining and want to make something that tastes fantastic and can be made up to a day in advance. They're also great if you have leftover risotto - indeed, I think this is where the idea originates from. For the gooey centre, I used taleggio as I love the flavour it gives. However, if you're less keen, just use a similar sized piece of mozzarella.

Ingredients
For the Arancini (makes about 10):
1 litre chicken stock
40g butter
Olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
100g mushrooms, finely chopped
400g risotto rice
150ml white wine
2tsp dried mixed herbs
100g grated parmesan
3 eggs, beaten
150g dried breadcrumbs
200g Taleggio cheese

For the salad:
4tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1tbsp white wine vinegar
¼ tsp sugar
200 french beans
200g rocket
Handful of toasted walnuts

Method:
Heat the butter and a little oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and mixed herbs. Fry until translucent, then add the mushrooms and garlic. Fry for a further minute, then add the risotto and fry for a couple of minutes, until the edges of the rice turn translucent. Add the wine and about a quarter of the stock, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick. Gradually add the rest of the stock until it’s all been absorbed, add the parmesan just before the end, and then turn off the heat and set aside for a couple of hours to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, beat the eggs and place the breadcrumbs on a plate. Using your hands, make tennis-ball sized balls of risotto, building half in your hand, adding the taleggio, covering and moulding to shape. Then dip in the egg and roll in the breadcrumbs. Be careful, as the balls are quite fragile!

Shallow fry the balls in olive oil, three at a time until golden all over. Place on a lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the arancini are in the oven, prepare your vinaigrette, mixing the oil, shallot, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and put the beans on to boil for about 4 minutes. Drain and refresh in icy cold water. Toss with the rocket, pour over the dressing and sprinkle over the walnuts. Place the arancini on top to serve (trust me, one is plenty!)

(original recipe here)

Recipes revisited: Summer Fig & Goat's Cheese Salad

2011-08-14T09:00:00.009+01:00

Last time I posted this, I must admit I was somewhat tardy. It was the very tail end of the fig season and it was small cruelty on my part to post such a delicious salad with next to no hope of obtaining the figs.

This time I'm at the earlier end of the scale; however I am reassured by having already seen figs in the shops. If you like more exotic salads - though this is really very ordinary - please don't hesitate to make it. The main ingredient is really only available between August and September, so now's your chance to indulge in something a little special. Enjoy!

Fig & Goat's Cheese Salad

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the salad:

4 figs

1 red onion

2 capricorn goats cheeses

1 tbsp pine nuts

100g rocket

100g spinach

For the dressing:

2½ tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Salt and black pepper

Method:

Begin by cutting the onions into wedges, then place in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper then roast at 200°C for 35 minutes or until the onions are soft and slightly caramelised. While the onions are cooling, grill the pine nuts, taking care not to burn them and slice the goats cheese in half width-ways (see photo) ready to grill.

Mix up the vinaigrette and place a small handful of rocket and spinach on each plate, scatter the pint nuts and onion slices over the leaves, cut the figs into quarters and place on the plate. Grill the goats cheese for 3-5 minutes, until runny and slightly golden on top, spoon the vinaigrette over the salad and then place the goats cheese on top. Serve immediately; it is nicest while the goats cheese is still warm.

(The original)

Intermission

2011-08-10T09:00:00.011+01:00

It's time for a little break in the usual posting routine. I've been running out of inspiration for a while now, and as I'm about to head off on holiday for a couple of weeks I thought that instead of preparing a bundle of recipes to post while I'm away, I'd take a break from blogging.

However, I'm not leaving you all completely empty-handed: I've gone through the recipes I've posted over the last 18 months and will be reposting some of my favourites. I'll be back properly in early September, hopefully refreshed, inspired by a trip to Turkey and with lots of delicious new recipes up my sleeve.

To begin, here's one of my most favourite weeknight treats and inspired by the wonderful Daddy Donkey burrito wagon on Leather Lane.

Fajita burritos

If you make all the components in advance, it takes no time to assemble - just a little skill and practice. The best advice I can give is to use the biggest tortilla you can find. If you use the search bar on the top right hand side of the blog, you'll find recipes for both salsa and guacamole.

Ingredients (makes 4):

2 chicken breasts, marinated in peri peri

1 red onion

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

50g basmati rice

10g fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 lime

1 little gem lettuce

100g cheddar

salsa

guacamole

sour cream

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

olive oil

4x flour tortillas - the biggest you can lay your hands on!

Method:

If you have time, slice the chicken breast into 5mm slices and marinate it the night before. If not, just leave it for as long as you can before you need to eat. Once the chicken has marinated, grill or griddle it and then roughly chop.

Put the rice on to boil for 11 minutes, then slice the onion and peppers - each about 5mm in size. Sautée the peppers and onion with the cumin and coriander powder until completely soft. Once the rice is cooked, drain then rinse and set aside. Once it has cooled sufficiently, stir in the fresh coriander, add a little black pepper and the juice of 1/4 of the lime and mix it all together.

Make up the salsa and guacamole, shred the little gem lettuce and grate the cheese.

In a hot frying pan, dry fry the tortillas for 15 seconds each to warm through, and then pile the ingredients into the centre: a handful of chopped chicken per burrito, two tablespoons of rice, a tablespoon of sautéed peppers, a handful of cheddar, a handful of lettuce and a dessertspoon of guacamole and sour cream.

And here's the tricky part (but practice makes perfect, I assure you!) - tightly wrap the tortilla around the filling, and serve. I find it helps to wrap them in foil or baking parchment - also ensures they look like the real deal! Mine aren't as tightly wrapped as the delicious Daddy Donkey ones (yet), but if you're craving a decent fajita and Farringdon is that bit too far, this makes a suitable alternative.

Out and about: Bombay Sapphire Book Slam @ Village Underground

2011-08-07T09:00:00.050+01:00

When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a combination of Miss Haversham and Miss Hannigan. Two very different ladies, but with one thing in common. Both had gone to ruin thanks to their love of, well, mother's ruin. While I can't claim to lead such a romantic existence, one thing we do all have in common is an appreciation for gin.

So when I was asked if I would like to attend Book Slam at Village Underground, I could hardly say no. After all, the evening was sponsored by Bombay Sapphire and it would have been churlish to turn down an opportunity to drink lots of delicious gin cocktails while listening to readings from the literati.

We were greeted warmly and presented with a beautiful bookmark and some jewels, which entitled us to cocktails from the bar. But before we even made it that far we were greeted by some very glamourous ladies bearing trays of cocktails. I sampled a French Martini with "imagine" dusted on the surface in blue sugar, while my friend sipped on a Bramble, which was a lovely berry cocktail.

(Photo from Bombay Sapphire Facebook)

The venue itself was gorgeous. Sumptiously decked out in Bombay Sapphire colours with a wonderful jewelled theme running throughout. Village Underground, is a lovely 1900's warehouse near Shoreditch High Street which has been converted into an entertainment space.

We wandered around, soaking up the atmosphere and nibbling on the delicious little plates of food that were offered to us - the parma ham wrapped chicken with green beans and a potato croquette was delicious, though sadly I didn't get to try any of the other treats on offer. Initial cocktail consumed, we set about spending our jewels and we both tried the Twisted Gin & Juice (a sublime elderflower, apple and mint cocktail) before settling down into our seats for the book slam to begin.

(apologies, I look rather worse for wear here! The perils of going out after work)

I've never been to a bookslam before, but it's a fantastic concept - and in this case an excellent fusion of gin and literature. There were readings from Joe Dunthorne, Ross Sutherland and Jeremy Dyson, alongside of music and poetry (Keats' "Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art" was projected onto the screen) which made for a fantastic evening.

(Photo from Bombay Sapphire Facebook)

My only gripe was that the venue, being a former warehouse, was probably better equipped for art exhibitions and club nights than an event where you wanted to hang on to every word spoken by those on the stage. This was unfortunately made rather hard due to the terrible acoustics and bar noise drowning out much of the readings.

Would I go again? Definitely, though I'd be more inclined to go to its "proper" home at the Clapham Grand. However, the cocktails served were absolutely delicious and the location it was held in was stunning which made for a fantastic night out. I'm going to leave you with the recipe for my favourite cocktail of the evening, the French Martini.

(Photo from Bombay Sapphire Facebook)

French Martini

Ingredients (makes 2 martinis):

100ml Bombay Sapphire gin

30ml Chambord or raspberry liquor

200ml pineapple juice

4 ice cubes

Method:

Measure out all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add the ice and and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into martini glass. Wear your most glamourous dress and keep good company. Sip elegantly and engage in artful conversation.

Creamy Mushroom Cannelloni

2011-08-03T09:00:00.005+01:00

This is a close relation to the stuffed pancakes I blogged way back in February, and although it doesn't look it, it is a less heavy option. I suspect this is in part due to the size of the cannelloni! I made these a few weeks back, when summer looked like it was gone for good, hence the rather wintery meal.

These are great if you want to make something ahead of having a laid back supper with guests as they can be made the night before. Serve with green beans or salad for a splash of colour and freshness. It does look all rather beige otherwise.

Ingredients (serves 4):

150g cannelloni - approx 12 tubes
1/2 a red onion

6 chestnut mushrooms
80g spinach

125g mozzarella

25g butter

1 dsp plain flour
250ml milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 chicken breast

20g Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

If you're planning to eat the cannelloni immediately, preheat the oven to 190°C. Otherwise, begin by preparing the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, then when molten, stir in the flour. Cook for a minute before adding the milk bit by bit, stirring constantly. Stir in a teaspoon of mustard and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Next, finely chop the onion and gently fry over a low heat until translucent. While the onion is frying, chop the mushrooms and cut the chicken breast into small dice. Fry the mushrooms with the onions for a couple of minutes, until soft, then add the chicken and spinach. Add a couple of tablespoons of the bechamel sauce and mix together. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Chop the mozzarella into small dice and stir into the chicken and mushroom sauce.

Spoon a further 2-3 tablespoons of the bechamel sauce into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish (I used a 20x30cm roasting tin) and make sure it covers the bottom. Next, spoon the chicken, mushroom & mozzarella mixture into each of the cannelloni until they are full then place in the ovenproof dish. Repeat until all the cannelloni are stuffed. If you have any excess stuffing, just spoon this over the top of the cannelloni.

Pour the remaining bechamel sauce over the cannelloni, then grate the parmesan and sprinkle on top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the grated parmesan turns golden.

Roast Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2011-07-31T09:00:00.015+01:00

This was originally "leftovers soup" which was so good that I made it again to be enjoyed as a soup in its own right. Certainly, it went down a storm as far as my other half was concerned - the first batch yielded 8 servings and I only got to eat one of them.

I know parsnips take a lot of flack from people, but for me if you roast them there's few things more delicious. And in this soup they lend a wonderful sweetness. I roasted both the parsnips and carrots before simmering gently to bring out the flavours before blitzing into a wonderfully smooth and comforting soup.

Ingredients (serves 8):

750g carrots

500g parsnips

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 litres vegetable stock

200ml sour cream

20g fresh coriander

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat an oven to 150°C, then while it's warming up cut the carrots and parsnips into chunks and toss in a large bowl with the olive oil, cumin and coriander powder. Transfer to a roasting dish and roast for up to an hour. Transfer the carrots and parsnips to a large bowl and simmer in 1.5 litres of vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Then, in batches, blitz in a blender until you have a smooth soup.

Transfer back to the saucepan, then add the nutmeg and sour cream. Roughly chop the coriander and add to the soup. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste and cook gently until hot through - don't let it boil or the soup will curdle.

Enjoy with fresh bread - sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Seeded Spelt Loaf

2011-07-27T09:00:00.016+01:00

I am mildly intolerant to wheat so I try to avoid eating it on a regular basis - annoying as I absolutely adore freshly made bread (especially sourdough) and pasta so it seems like a particularly cruel joke. It makes my stomach bloat horribly, it makes me really lethargic, and if I'm really unlucky and have been enjoying one too many wheat-y treats, it makes my joints cease up and become incredibly painful. In sort, I love it, it doesn't love me.

However, a fairly recent discovery arrived in the form of spelt, a distant relation to wheat which unlike the grain we currently consume and cultivate, remains much the same as when it was first introduced here from the Middle East. And fortunately for me, it doesn't wreak havoc with my digestive system, leaving me free to enjoy my bread!

I was sent a selection of goodies from Sharpham Park (a Somerset-based organic flour mill who make a wide range of spelt products) to review, including a bag of absolutely delicious seeded spelt flour so I thought I'd better put my baking skills to the test and make my own spelt loaf.

The first attempt wasn't great - I made the dough slightly too wet so it didn't quite rise as it should. The resulting loaf was a little flat with closer resemblance to soda bread than a more traditional boule. However, the taste was fantastic. Despite the flatness, it still tasted light: not heavy or stodgy in the least, and the seeds were lovely.

My second attempt was rather better - I reduced the amount of water used and kept a close eye on it as it rose, which it did, beautifully. The resultant loaf was divine. Soft, slightly tangy bread filled with a delicious assortment of seeds. It was so good, in fact, that I only got to eat one slice - my other half and sister demolished the rest.

Ingredients:

500g seeded spelt flour

100ml warm water

150ml milk

1 tsp dried yeast

1 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Method:

I must admit, I'm a cheat and use a KitchenAid to knead my bread, but the basics are always the same. Mix together the flour, salt and yeast, then create a well in the flour. Add the olive oil, milk and warm water and then mix together using your hands until it forms a dough. Once the mixture is doughy, transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until silky and elastic, then put in a lightly oiled bowl to rise. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place like an airing cupboard for an hour.

After an hour, knock back and shape the dough into a ball before placing on a sheet of baking paper. Re-cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for a further hour. Shortly before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 200°C. Finally, when risen and ready to bake, dust the surface of the loaf with a little flour and then slash the top with a knife. Bake for 20-25 minutes, testing to see if it is done by tapping the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, then it's ready. Set onto a cooling rack, then when cool enough to eat, slather in butter and enjoy!

Baked Sea Bass

2011-07-24T09:00:00.003+01:00

I had one of those rare impromptu weekends that ended up being really lovely. My mother gatecrashed on Friday night and we ploughed our way through several bottles of wine, then the next day a seemingly innocent stop off at a lighting shop turned into a full-blown girly shopping day.

A detour into food shops around lunchtime left us with some gorgeous whole sea bass. While lunch itself was a delicious salad affair, dinner was altogether more special. I briefly headed out to Primrose Hill for a friend's birthday, and left my mother in charge of the kitchen. Returning home to the dish below was really quite a treat.

Make sure your sea bass is descaled and gutted when you buy it - I had to fillet my own fish fairly recently and it was not a pleasant task. I realise this makes me sound very princess-y, but as far as experiences go, it's one I'm glad I've done but one I equally have little desire to repeat. Some things are best left to the experts!

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 whole seabass, about 25cm in length

2 fresh red chillis

4 cloves garlic

10g fresh thyme

75ml white wine

50ml olive oil

1 lemon

Sea salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C, then lay out on a flat surface about 40cm tin foil. Line the tin foil with baking paper, then place a sea bass in the middle of the sheet. Put a few sprigs of thyme in the belly cavity, then peel and roughly chop the garlic and chillis. Add a little of the garlic and chillis to the belly cavity, then arrange the rest on and around the fish. Sprinkle with a little sea salt, lift the foil at the edges to prevent any lliquid draining out and add a quarter of the white wine, olive oil and lemon juice.

Encase the fish in the foil so it is sealed tightly but not clinging to the fish so it can steam. Place on a baking tray and repeat for the remaining three fishes. Bake for 30 minutes, then carefully undo the foil bag and transfer the fish to a warmed plate. Serve with a wedge of lemon, some new potatoes and something green - we went for delicious buttery spring greens. Heavenly!

Thanks to my mum for doing all the cooking too - things always taste better when someone else does all the hard work.

Homemade Apricot Jam

2011-07-20T09:00:00.000+01:00

I love apricot jam. For me, there is little better than fresh croissants with butter and apricot jam. I'm not a huge breakfast fan, but croissants and jam make the perfect occasional treat. Apricot jam isn't just a breakfast treat though - it is frequently used in baking, so you'd be wise to keep a jar handy.

I have always been a fan of the Bonne Maman apricot jams - no other shop-bought ones will do. However, since I learned how to make my own I fear they may well be out of a customer. Next step is clearly making my own raspberry jam!

Making jam is not complicated in the slightest. All you need is a little time on your hands and some patience.

Ingredients (makes two jars):

1kg fresh apricots

700g granulated sugar

Method:

Slice the apricots in half or into quarters, depending on their size, and discard the stones. Place in a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover with a teatowel and leave in a cool dry place for up to 18 hours. I stirred it a couple of times to make sure everything was evenly coated. Place two saucers in the fridge the night before - you will need these to test the jam when you make it.

When you're ready to make the jam, sterilise two Bonne Maman-sized jam jars (370g approx) by placing in a cool oven and bringing it up to 140°C. When the oven reaches temperature, leave the jam jars there, but transfer the apricot and sugar mixture to a large saucepan and bring to the boil.

Once it reaches the boil, let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. The bubbles should be large by this point. Remove one of the saucers from the fridge and place just under a teaspoon of jam on it and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. If the jam is still runny, cook it for a further five minutes or so. If it looks like it sets, turn off the heat, remove your jam jars from the oven and transfer the jam from the pan into the two jars. Screw the lids on tightly and leave to cool. Store your jam in the fridge - it will keep for up to 6 months.

With thanks to Red Apple Delivery for the inspiration!

Giveaway: We have a winner!

2011-07-17T21:00:00.002+01:00

A little break in the usual posting route to announce a winner for our giveaway:

Tasha, you have won a copy of The Flavour Thesaurus! Congratulations! I'll be in touch to get your address so I can put in the post to you. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I have.

Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs

2011-07-17T09:00:00.003+01:00

My sister is a brunch fiend. So, when she showed up early one Sunday morning and offered to make me brunch, I could hardly say no. She duly trotted off to the shops, returning with eggs, smoked salmon, chives and some delicious bread then set to work. I was relegated to smoked salmon chopping duties.

The result was wonderful: creamy, soft eggs dotted with little pieces of chive and stirred through with smoked salmon. A feast for a king or queen, though it's probably a good thing she doesn't show up every Sunday morning!

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 large eggs

100g smoked salmon

50ml milk

10g butter

1 tsp chopped chives

4 slices fresh bread

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Slice the smoked salmon into 1cm ribbons, then crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat in the milk, chives, salt and pepper. Toast and butter the bread, then set on plates awaiting the egg. Melt the remaining butter over a low heat until liquid, then pour in the egg mixture. Stir constantly but gently with a wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes, until the egg is cooked but still slightly wet. Finally, stir in the smoked salmon ribbons and divide the scrambled eggs between the two plates and get stuck in.

Fattoush

2011-07-13T09:00:00.000+01:00

Fattoush is one of my favourite Middle-Eastern dishes and is an absolutely delicious summer salad. Unlike one of my other favourite salads, Tabbouleh, the ingredients are kept roughly chopped.

This was another recipe inspired by the veg box - I had radishes, which I've never really known what to do with. This is the only dish I have knowingly eaten them in, and was perfect considering the summer weather.

As I rushed out to get the last of the ingredients (namely, cauliflower) my other half asked if it was strictly necessary to include cauliflower. I was insistent - it was - and he sulked. However, when it came to eating it, he declared it the best cauliflower he's ever eaten. Little victories!

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the salad

1/2 a small cauliflower

2 spring onions

1 Turkish cucumber

12 radishes

12 cherry tomatoes

10g mint

10g coriander

10g parsley

For the dressing

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp lemon juice

5 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp za'tar

salt and pepper

For the pitta

2 wholemeal pitta breads

25g butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C, then lightly toast the pitta - enough to make the pockets expand slightly. This makes them easier to slice in half. Once you've split the pitta into two halves, allow to cool. While you're waiting, make the dressing - in a bowl, crush the garlic, then add the lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, za'tar and a little salt and pepper. Whisk until all the ingredients are combined, then set aside.

Your pitta should now be cool. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then using a pastry brush, brush it onto the rougher, inside part of each pitta. Place buttered side up on a baking tray then put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Now make up the salad. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and radishes, peel the cucumber and chop into dice, and thinly slice the spring onions. Break up the cauliflower into small individual florets. Discard the thick base stem, but chop the smaller stems into chunks. Add all the ingredients to a large salad bowl then pour over the dressing and toss to distribute evenly.

Roughly chop the mint, coriander and parsley, once the bread is done, add to the salad bowl and stir well. Break the bread into pieces the same size as the cauliflower and finally toss everything together before serving - eat immediately or the pitta will go soggy!

Fish Pie

2011-07-10T09:00:00.000+01:00

Not the most summery of recipes I must admit, but then it hasn't been the most summery of summers. Fish pie is perfect cold weather comfort food. For me, a major plus is that it's a meal that is easily prepared in advance so you can just pop it in the oven when you're ready. I made this as my other half's dad came to stay and I didn't want to be knee-deep in the kitchen on a friday evening after work.

I like to keep my fish pie simple with nothing more than fish, a white sauce and potatoes, however if you wanted to make a really decadent fish pie, you could add slices of hard boiled egg and some delicious asparagus to the mix before you top it with mashed potato. My sister once made a version topped with sweet potato which was divine, so there's many variations you can try.

Ingredients (serves 6):

450g sustainably sourced cod fillets (or other white fish)

250g salmon fillet

50g mussels

50g squid

50g prawns

2 large baking potatoes

50g butter

200ml milk

1 tsp mustard

200ml white wine

10g plain flour

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks, then boil for 20 minutes or until cooked. While the potato is boiling, place the salmon and cod fillets in a large, deep frying pan, add 100ml milk, 100ml white wine and then enough water to make sure half the fish is covered. Add the bay leaves and grind in a little pepper. Simmer with a lid on for 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked. Remove the fish from the pan and place on a plate to cool. Do not discard the liquid - you'll be needing it shortly!

Drain and mash the potatoes, remembering to add the remaining milk and half the butter, and season with pepper. Cover and set aside for the moment. Next, make the white sauce for the fish: over a low heat melt the butter and once melted, stir in the flour and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the liquid reserved from the fish a tablespoonful at a time, stirring constantly to avoid any lumps, until you have about 300ml of liquid and stir in a teaspoon of mustard.

Break up and arrange the fish in a 20x30cm or similarly sized dish and scatter the prawns, mussels and squid on top. Pour over the white sauce so the fish is covered, then spoon on the mash - I use a fork to spread it out, which also creates a lovely ridged pattern which in turn crisps up beautifully in the oven. Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes to an hour, then serve with something green on the side.

Books: Living and Eating

2011-07-06T09:00:00.003+01:00

This book looks deceptively pristine - it is a new copy. The much-thumbed original resides in the parential home, where I first discovered it. That copy is tatty, the beautiful waxed paper torn and many times repaired. Its pages are covered in food splats and rings of red wine. All signs of frequent use. It was one of many cookbooks that my dad, always passionate about food, bought.

It is not simply a cookbook - John Pawson is an architect, and it is his wife, Annie Bell who writes the recipes. So this book contains not just recipes, but a design for living, so to speak. They appear to live an incredibly minimal life, with no clutter anywhere to be seen. I think my other half would be greatly appreciative if I were to take a leaf out of this book, but it's never going to happen. I'd love to live a pristine, zen-like existence, but unfortunately a trail of mess, dirty utensils, washing up and flour tends to follow me wherever I go.

The recipes are gorgeous though, and this mustn't be overlooked. It is arranged by the stages of a meal: starters, soups and pasta, then by fish and meat type, salads and finally desserts. The final section is devoted to explaining the Pawson/Bell lifestyle manifesto.

But back to the recipes. My personal favourites are the buckwheat noodles with gorgonzola and rocket, the roasted garlic with goats cheese and parma ham, the chicken baked in sea salt and lapsang souchong and the gorgeous butternut squash soup. Not being a sweet tooth, it shames me to admit I have not tried any of the desserts.

I also love the photography in the book. It is not heavily illustrated - there's a picture about every third page - but the photos are gorgeous with beautiful clean lines. They don't just focus on the food, but serve to illustrate the lifestyle embraced by the book's authors.

Sadly it appears to be out of print these days, but there are plenty of copies to be found on Amazon and eBay.

____________________

Don't forget, there's still time to enter our competition to win a copy of The Flavour Thesaurus. Click here and leave a comment - I'll draw the winner on the 17th July.

Eton Mess

2011-07-03T13:30:00.004+01:00

A lighter take on a traditional Eton Mess, this isn't a dessert for those that like their food looking pristine and picture-book-perfect. How can you, when one of the main ingredients is smashed meringue? An authentic Eton Mess is meant to be served with strawberries, cream, meringue and a little additional sugar. I like a bit more variety in mine, so the recipe has morphed into something a little different. And personally, I prefer it to the much richer and sweeter original as it pays more attention to the fruits used.

For the meringue, you can make your own so long as you cook them very, very slowly - you want as little chewy stickiness to the meringue as possible and for them to break easily. I prefer to cheat and use a packet of pre-made meringue nests - the M&S ones are the best I've used.

Ingredients (serves 6):

100g meringue

400g strawberries

250g raspberries

150g blueberries

250ml unsweetened natural yogurt

Method:

Wash the strawberries, remove the hull and then chop into bitesize pieces a little larger than the raspberries then place in a large serving bowl. Wash the raspberries and blueberries too and add to the bowl. Next, break up the meringues so they are in large chunks, then add the yogurt. Fold all the ingredients together, and then if you're feeling posh, transfer to a clean bowl to serve. Eat immediately - you don't want the meringue going soggy!

Homemade Gnocchi with Summer Squash and Sage

2011-06-29T13:30:00.002+01:00

This was my first ever attempt at making gnocchi. I mean, they are little potato dumplings, how hard can they possibly be? So, with a newfound confidence instilled by a recent and very successful first attempt at making pasta, I set to work and quickly found my answer - they are easy as pie! As with pasta making, it is not so much complex as just a little drawn out in process. Luckily, these don't take quite as long so you can have them ready to go within the hour.

The inspiration behind this was the beautiful summer squash I'd received in my Abel & Cole box (clearly doing its job on the inspiration front!) and, at a slight loss for anything better to do with it, I decided to roast it and serve it with gnocchi. I could have turned it into a risotto, but that felt too much like a cop out! I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, so little more than sage and parmesan seemed like the perfect solution.

The squash itself is really easy to prepare - being summer squash, it is thin-skinned so you can easily peel it using a potato peeler so once you've done that all you need to do is split it in two and remove the seeds.

Ingredients (serves 6):

For the gnocchi:

600g new potatoes

150g pasta flour plus extra for dusting

Everything else:

1 summer squash

20g sage

50g parmesan

10g butter

salt and pepper

Method:

To make the gnocchi, boil the new potatoes whole with their skin on for 20 minutes or so - until cooked but still firm. If the potato is too soft you'll have soggy gnocchi! Let the potatoes cool enough so you can handle them, then peel off the skin. Then, using a potato ricer or mouli, crush the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and add the flour. Knead like bread for 15 minutes or so until you have something with a similar consistency to Play Doh.

Now, working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll it out on a floury surface using your hands until you have a long snake about 1.5cm in diameter. Cut it into 2cm pieces and then press the sides of each piece with the tines of a fork. This creates texture on the gnocchi and gives any sauce used something to stick to. Transfer each piece to a flour-coated plate and when you're done, cover with a tea towel. The gnocchi will keep for an hour or so before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 180°C , then peel and deseed the squash. Cut into 3cm square chunks then place in a roasting dish and coat with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper then roast in the oven for around 30 minutes, until soft.

When the squash is about 10 minutes off being ready, bring some lightly salted water to the boil for the gnocchi and remove the sage leaves from their stems. Fry the sage with the butter until crisp, then set aside until ready. Grate the parmesan, then in batches, transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they float to the surface. Carefully drain, then transfer back to the pan with the squash and the sage. Mix the ingredients together gently - the gnocchi are quite fragile - and transfer to plates, sprinkling a little parmesan on each Plate. Enjoy!

Cod with Tahini, Broad Beans and Lentils

2011-06-26T13:30:00.055+01:00

I made this recently while on holiday in France, but my lovely camera is sickly and was unable to cope with the comparatively low evening light levels despite an f1.8 lens so I didn't blog it at the time. Thanks to my lovely Abel & Cole veg box, I had broad beans and the most flavoursome red pepper I've eaten in a while at my disposal, so I decided to make it again. Thankfully, it photographed a little better this time - fiendishly bright halogen bulbs do have their uses.

This has a slightly Moorish feel to it - tahini goes really well with white fish, and I felt like some earthy flavours to go alongside the delicious flakiness of the cod, hence the broad beans and lentils. When cooking with cod, I always make sure I buy sustainably sourced, though really, this should apply to pretty much all fish these days. If you're feeling lazy, like I was, use a tin of Merchant Gourmet puy lentils. It makes the cooking process that bit easier.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 cod fillets (about 350-400g)

1/2 a red onion

1/2 a red pepper

150g broad beans

70g spinach

200g puy lentils

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

10g parsley

1/2 a lemon

2 tbsp tahini paste

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 dsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

50-100ml hot water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C, then peel and finely chop the onion, deseed and cut the red pepper into diamonds and pod the broad beans if stilll in pods. Fry the onion and the red pepper in a little olive oil with the cumin and coriander powder, add the drained puy lentils and broad beans and turn down the heat as low as it will go. Cover for 10 minutes then stir in the spinach, add half the lemon juice and cover again.

To prepare the cod, cut each fillet in half widthways, then place two fillet halves on a square sheet of tin foil. Thinly slice three slices of lemon and arrange over the cod. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then wrap the cod fillets into little foil parcels. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. While the cod is cooking, roughly chop the parsley and stir 3/4 of it into the lentils.

At this point, you want to make up the tahini sauce. In a mixing bowl, put two tablespoons of tahini paste, a dessertspoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Crush in the garlic and stir until emulsified. Finally, add 50-100ml of boiling water to thin to the same consistency as gloss paint and mix thoroughly.

When the cod is cooked, remove from the oven and open the parcels. Divide the lentils between two plates, then place two pieces of cod on top. Pour over the juices from the foil parcels, then spoon over the tahini sauce. Finally, garnish with the remaining chopped parsley.

Inspiration: Abel & Cole

2011-06-22T13:30:00.008+01:00

Slightly (very) late to the party I know, but I finally signed up for an Abel and Cole veg box. I had recently been over at a friend's and she has been getting one for a while. I've always been slightly envious of it, so, coupled with an inspiration drought on the blog front, I figured it was well and truly time. She recommended I get the gourmet box as you occasionally get some of the more interesting vegetables.

Following some eager peering out the window before I left for work, I got on my bike, accepting that I was going to have to wait until evening. There were several showers throughout the day, so I fretted a little about what I was going to come home to. I needn't have worried - tucked out of the sight of opportunistic strangers and sheltered under a bush in my front garden was a little string-wrapped cardboard package waiting for me when I got home.

First impressions were great - it was mostly dry, and it was definitely not in the hands of anyone else. I quickly opened it to see what was inside (which admittedly, I already knew as they tell you on the website) and feasted my eyes first and foremost on the glut of broad beans in front of me. I love broad beans more than anything. In all honesty though, I was impressed as it was a nice, seasonal and eminently useable selection. There is nothing I won't use, and I'm looking forward to thinking what to do with the beautiful squash.

So let's hope this is the inspiration I need, to keep blogging and keep trying out and making new and interesting recipes.

www.abelandcole.com

Beetroot and Tahini Salad

2011-06-19T13:30:00.002+01:00

When I was little, I hated beetroot. I was afraid of its vivid purpleness and I couldn't even begin to imagine what it tasted like. All I knew is that it was horrible and purple and a bit shiny. And most of all, it looked really wrong.

This may or may not have been compounded by my mother's distrust and dislike of pickled beetroot. I've never eaten pickled beetroot so I can't comment on it, but the smell is pretty vile.

So how did I come to change my mind? This dish, which is one of my mother's. She convinced me to try a little, persuading me that the combined flavours of beetroot and tahini were quite delicious. And she was of course, right. As usual.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

3 beetroots, stems removed

2 tbsp tahini paste

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

50ml boiling water

20g rocket

Method:

Trim off any remaining beetroot stalks and boil in lightly salted water for 20-25 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside to cool. Once cool, peel the beetroot using a sharp knife. I also donned a pair of latex gloves as I didn't want to stain my hands a fetching shade of purple. Slice into 1cm slices and transfer to a plate or serving dish.

Next, prepare the tahini - spoon two tablespoons of the paste into a bowl, crush in the garlic and add the lemon juice and olive oil. Beat with a spoon or fork until emulsified, then add the boiling water and beat again until thoroughly mixed.

Drizzle the beetroot with a little olive oil, scatter the rocket leaves on top and then spoon the tahini sauce on top. Serve as part of a selection of salads. Perfect for hot summer days!

Books: The Flavour Thesaurus

2011-06-15T13:30:00.015+01:00

Like many cooks both professional and amateur, I love cookbooks. I love reading from them and poring over the writing and photography in their pages as much as I enjoy cooking from them too. Actually, I think I enjoy reading them more than I enjoy cooking from them to be 100% honest. With that in mind, I thought I'd do a series of posts on my favourite cookbooks and to begin, I'm going to start with something that isn't a cookbook as such.

Niki Segnit's "The Flavour Thesaurus" is a new favourite. It's not a cookbook so much as a compendium of combinations that work, both conventional and unconventional. And it's not exhaustive either, which is why I like it so much. What I like best, though, is Niki's writing style. She's funny - she likens the flavour of cloves to sucking on a rusty nail, and that coffee and cherry pie is a combination best shared with Twin Peaks' Agent Cooper (and I'd be inclined to agree) - but she's also incredibly knowledgable and the combination of those two traits makes for a brilliant and fascinating read.

The book covers how we come to have certain flavours (coffee and chocolate, for example, are totally different in their consumed to their raw forms) and what it is about each combination that makes it work. It's not a recipe book in its own right, but there are recipes. These recipes are short and succinct. A mere sketchy outline of what to use and do, expecting that the sort of person reading the book should have a degree of culinary knowledge. And indeed, this isn't the book for you if you need someone to tell you how to peel a potato.

For me, it's a new favourite, and one that's as at home on the bedside table as it is sitting well-thumbed on the kitchen work surface.

To celebrate one year of recording blog stats and a steady climb in visitors over that year, I've decided to host my first giveaway.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Flavour Thesaurus, just post a comment below. I'll pick the winner at random on Sunday 17th July.

(disclaimer: I am not being paid to advertise this book, nor have I been provided with a complimentary copy for review or giveaway purposes)

Leftover Pasta

2011-06-12T13:30:00.002+01:00

On Sunday I made roast chicken with a delicious pork stuffing. I had my uncle and aunt over, and along with my mother so there was just about enough leftover chicken to make a risotto. However, there was masses of stuffing, still succulent from roasting in the chicken so I decided to make stuffing balls and try it with something completely different.

The end result made an excellent Monday night supper - quick and easy and can be on the table within 30 minutes. My sort of meal, basically. If you're vegetarian, just leave out the stuffing balls - I think the pasta with chilli, spinach and rocket is absolutely delicious in its own right.

Ingredients (serves 2):

200g pasta (I used Fiorelli)

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

20g spinach

20g rocket

1 red chilli

1 dsp lemon juice

150g stuffing (enough for 8 balls)

Plain flour

olive oil

50g parmesan, grated

Method:

Put the water for the pasta on to boil. While you're waiting for it to boil, make the stuffing balls. Take a teaspoon of stuffing and mould it into a ball with your hands. Dust with flour and set aside. Repeat until all the stuffing mix is gone. I found I made 8 balls. Next, peel and thinly slice the onion and garlic and slice the chilli, taking care to discard any seeds. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a further couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, add half the spinach and rocket and cover with a lid.

The water for the pasta should now be boiling, so add the pasta and set a timer as per the cooking instructions on the bag. When you've got about 10 minutes left, heat up some oil in a frying pan and add the stuffing balls. fry gently, turning occasionally until the stuffing balls are golden.

Just before you drain the pasta, add two dessert spoons of the pasta water, the lemon juice and the remaining spinach and rocket to the wilted spinach and rocket. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the vegetables in it and mix well. Stir in half the parmesan and serve onto plates. Put four doughballs on each plate on top of the pasta and sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top. Serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Hummous

2011-06-08T13:30:00.010+01:00

I first had this at Nopi when I took my other half for his birthday back in March. I enjoyed it so much that I made a mental note of what I thought the ingredients were and vowed that I would try to make it myself.

I must admit, it's taken me until now to do so, and I can no longer remember the original well enough to honestly tell you how it compares. What I can say however is that it's an interesting combination, and one that you wouldn't necessarily expect to work.

But it does. It really does. Teamed with some wonderful fresh sourdough bread, for me it's a starter or picnic dip that I could happily consume, bite by bite without anything else. Except maybe a nice glass of white wine.

The recipe contains a whole butternut, so there's plenty to go round. It'll easily feed 8-10 as part of a selection of mezzes.

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp tahini paste

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil (plus some for roasting & drizzling)

150ml boiling water

2 cloves garlic

10g coriander

10g flat leaf parsley

1/4 tsp nigella seeds

1/4 tsp sesame seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C, then peel and chop the butternut into chunks. Place on a baking tray and lightly coat with olive oil and then sprinkle the cumin and coriander powder over. Give it a good shake to make sure the spices are evenly distributed, then roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes - until the butternut is soft.

Mash the butternut using a fork or potato masher, then make the tahini sauce: put the tahini paste in a medium sized bowl, then add 150ml boiling water, the olive oil and the lemon juice. Beat the mixture with a fork until you have a smooth paste about the thickness of gloss paint. Next, stir in the pomegranate molasses and crush in the garlic.

Add the butternut mash to the tahini paste and stir until both ingredients are combined. Roughly chop the parsley and coriander, fold into the dip and then if you want it to look extra good, transfer it all to a clean serving bowl. Toast the nigella and sesame seeds in a dry, hot frying pan for a couple of minutes until the sesame seeds turn golden then sprinkle over the dip.

Spoon onto sourdough bread or pitta, place it in your mouth and savour the flavour. Make sure no one else gets a look-in.

Street market: St Antonin-Noble-Val

2011-06-05T13:30:00.015+01:00

Something a little different this week. I had a rather dramatic couple of days trying to get there (my iPhone alarm failed to go off, I subsequently missed my flight and had to pay lots to get on another one) but I was in France last weekend for my sister's birthday. So instead of a recipe post I thought I'd share with you some photos of the outdoor market in St Antonin, which is one of the best in the area.

St Antonin itself is a beautiful little town in the Midi Pyrenees in the South of France and was the location for the Cate Blanchett film, Charlotte Gray. Every Sunday it is transformed from a sleepy Medieval village in the Tarn to a bustling market hub where growers and producers come from miles around to sell their wares. It is predominantly a food market, however there is every chance you could also come away with some new shoes or a gorgeous necklace.

The quality of the produce is wonderful. Artisan honeys and foie gras (surely better than the mass-produced supermarket ones) and the freshest vegetables you can imagine. I will always have a little place in my heart for French market Coeur du Boeuf tomatoes - possibly the nicest ones I've ever eaten.

For those of you more actively inclined, the village is also the departure point for canoeing trips down the Aveyron. These are brilliant fun - the rapids are exhilerating, yet gentle enough not to be scary. Take a picnic - and a change of clothing for when you reach the other end. You won't reach your destination still dry!

Simple Saturday Pasta

2011-05-29T13:30:00.000+01:00

Feeling not exactly hungover, but certainly a tad weary after a couple of nights out on the town, I needed a quick and easy lunchtime fix. Part of me was tempted to fall foul of my favourite post night-out comfort food, macaroni cheese, but good sense prevailed and I went for a healthier option: it is unwise to round off a six-pint night out with more junk, no matter how good it tastes.

This takes as long as the pasta takes to cook to prepare - in my case, 9 minutes - and takes minimal effort. Not bad when you're feeling a little rough round the edges, and the chilli certainly helped bring me round!

Ingredients (serves 2):

150g penne pasta

1 courgette

1 red chilli

2 cloves garlic

1 dsp lemon juice

3 or 4 basil leaves

Method:

Put a pan of water on, lightly salt it and bring to the boil. Add the penne and cook as directed on the pack. While the pasta is cooking, thinly slice the courgette and garlic (I used a mandolin), add a little oil to a frying pan and fry over a medium heat until the courgette starts to turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.

While the garlic is cooking, slice the chilli taking care to discard any seeds and add to the pan. Fry for a further 3 minutes then add the lemon juice and a dessertspoon of water from the pasta pan. Reduce until only a little liquid remains.

Drain the pasta once it is cooked and add the vegetables to the pan. Stir well then serve, shredding a few basil leaves on each plate. Quick, easy and delicious!

Zuppa di Pollo Verde

2011-05-25T13:30:00.001+01:00

I think this has become one of my favourite soups. The original was inspired by the Covent Garden Food Co and was their April Soup of the Month - Ciao Bella - which I thought was delicious. A quick scour of the incredients and I decided to make my own.

The recipe calls for pesto - I am a huge advocate of making your own as it takes a thousand times nicer and takes very little time. As it is going in a soup, I'll let you off if you choose to buy it instead.

I source mine from a Turkish supermarket in Holloway, but Israeli cous cous can still be a little hard to get hold of. If you can't find it I would suggest using orzo or ditalini pasta, as the original soup suggests.

This again makes a lot of soup. I would suggest freezing at least half of it into batches so you have some saved up for a rainy day. Freezing the soup in an ice cube tray and then transferring to a freezer bag once set is fantastic - you can unfreeze individual portions as needed.

Ingredients (serves 10):

1 baking potato

2 leeks

1 large onion

100g spinach

80g peas

1 chicken breast

50g pearl barley

25g Israeli cous cous

150g pesto

1.5 litres vegetable stock

300ml single cream

Method:

Peel and chop the potato into chunks then boil for 20 minutes or until soft. While the potato is boiling, chop the onion and slice the leek, then, in a heavy bottomed pan, fry both until soft but not golden. Next, add the stock, spinach, peas and pesto and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and mash the potato and add to the soup.

In batches, blend the soup then transfer back to the heavy bottomed pan. Grill the chicken until cooked, then set aside to cool. Now, cook the pearl barley as per the directions on the bag. Mine required being boiled twice in a little water before simmering for 30 minutes. Once done, add to the pan alongside the Israeli cous cous. Then shred the chicken and add to the pan. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes, stirring in the single cream just before you're ready to serve.

Chocolate Poached Pears

2011-05-22T13:30:00.005+01:00

I wanted to make a dessert that looked as good as it tasted, and in spotting some gorgeous Comice pears in Waitrose, I thought I'd take a stab at poaching them. To add a little more luxury, I coated them in chocolate at the end which made them look very posh indeed. Luckily, they certainly do taste as good as they look. They are also quite easy to make and can be prepared in advance of any special occasions, which makes always the event itself that little bit less stressful.

Ingredients (serves 6):

6 ripe Comice pears

5 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp clear honey

150ml sweet white wine

100g dark chocolate

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Put the lemon juice in a bowl, then peel the pears and remove the core at the bottom. Coat each pear in lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Place the pears upright in a small roasting tin, then mix the lemon juice with the honey and spoon over the pears then pour the sweet wine into the tin. Cook the pears in the oven for 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes or so. They should be soft but shape intact when you remove them from the oven.

Reserve the juices from the baking tin and transfer the pears onto a chopping board covered with baking paper. Leave to cool for an hour or so. Once the pears are cool, melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a bowl placed in a shallow pan of water, then spoon the melted chocolate over the pears to coat them. I drizzled a little chocolate on each individual serving plate too to add decoration. Those of you who are more creative than me may well be able to create a masterpiece in drizzled chocolate here!

Transfer the chocolate coated pears to the plates and when ready to serve, pour a little of the juice you reserved earlier onto the plates. Serve with a little cream or scoop of icecream and a glass of sweet white wine. You are guaranteed to impress!

Spiced Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup

2011-05-18T13:30:00.002+01:00

Another soup I'm afraid. I recently spent 10 days in the South of France and gorged myself on delicious cheeses, heavenly olives and incredible artisan bread. I drank many, many glasses of extremely delicious wines (and was propositioned by one of the growers at my favourite vineyard). The uptake of living la belle vie was upon returning back to London, I hopped on the scales and discovered that I had paid the price of my excesses in the form of a small spare tyre.

So a little reigning in is required, both financially and in ensuring that all my clothes continue to fit. The best way for me to do that is to eat soup, and lots of it. So here is another recipe. Sweet potato and butternut go extremely well together, being similar tasting vegetables from very different families. I fancied a soup with a little more of a kick than my usual butternut squash soup so decided to go for a more aromatic approach, with ginger, chillies, cumin and coriander.

The end result is lovely - a warming, rustic soup with a gentle kick to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 8):

1 butternut

2 sweet potatoes

1 large onion

1 chilli

2 cloves garlic

2.5cm fresh ginger

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

salt and pepper

1.5 litres vegetable stock

1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Switch the oven to 180°C. While it is heating up, peel and shop the sweet potato into large chunks, then place in a large bowl. Do the same for the butternut, taking care to also remove the seeds. Add to the bowl, then pour in 1 tbsp olive oil, the cumin and coriander and a little salt and pepper, then toss until the sweet potato and butternut chunks are lightly coated in olive oil and spices.

Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes, turning occasionally until soft. While the butternut and sweet potato are roasting, chop the onion and peel and slice the ginger into matchsticks. Fry them both using a in a little oil until soft, then slice the chilli and garlic. Add to the frying pan and cook for a couple of minutes then turn off the heat.

Once the vegetables have finished roasting, add them to the pan with the onions, chilli and ginger along with the stock. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then in batches blend the soup until smooth. I pushed it through a sieve to make it a little smoother still, but it's up to you if you want to do it or not. Heat through until piping hot and serve - I stirred a little natural yogurt in at the end to give it a little creaminess, but I'll leave that up to you.

Minestrone Verde

2011-05-15T13:30:00.001+01:00

Another recipe inspired by the Covent Garden Soup Co, this is a new favourite of mine. It is cheap to make, extremely delicious and keeps well too - I made enough for 8, which with just two of us in the flat kept fine for the remaining three days after we first ate it.

Not just cheap and easy; it is super healthy and vegan to boot! And you see that bread sitting alongside it in the photo below? It's from Franco Manca in Chiswick. They make exceedingly good pizzas, and their sourdough (which they sell on Saturdays) is a little slice of heaven. One of the best sourdough breads I've eaten too, which is high praise indeed coming from a self-confessed sourdough addict.

Ingredients (serves 8):

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1 baking potato

1 courgette

400g tinned flageolet beans

100g frozen peas

100g spinach

30g fresh basil

50g orzo pasta

1.5 litres vegetable stock

Method:

Peel, chop and boil the potato for 20 minutes, or until soft. While the potato is cooking, chop the onion and courgette and fry in a large, heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat until soft. Crush in the garlic cloves and fry for a further minute. Drain the flageolet beans and add to the pan along with the peas. Chop the spinach and basil and stir in. Once the spinach has begun to wilt, add the stock and simmer gently.

Once this is done, the potato should be ready - drain and mash the potato, then stir into your soup. At this point, divide the soup between two pans or bowls. I like to blend half of it to add a creaminess to the soup itself, but I also like to retain some of the vegetable texture to chew on. Once you've blended half the soup, return to your large pan and mix both halves back together.

Finally, add the orzo pasta. I found it took about an hour to cook properly - 50 minutes longer than the directions if you were to boil it. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom, then serve with a couple of slices of delicious fresh bread.

Limoncello

2011-05-11T13:30:00.043+01:00

I would guess that about 85% of all Limoncello I have ever consumed has been home made, and most of that by my aunt. As a result, whenever I taste its mass-produced counterpart I am always disappointed. In France and Italy, it is very easy to get hold of 40% ABV alcohol for making your own spirits. In the absence of such things in the UK, good quality, high alcohol vodka makes a reasonable subsitute.

This is my aunt's recipe, which is so easy to make. While it requires a little sitting time it is always worth the wait. I used Amalfi lemons, which I got from the fantastic Andreas Veg in Chiswick, to make it as authentic as possible. If you are unable to get hold of these, just use the best quality organic unwaxed lemons that you can get your hands on.

Ingedients (makes 2 litres):

1 litre 40% alcohol

1 litre water

500g caster sugar

6 Amalfi lemons

Method:

Using a sharp knife, peel the lemons to remove the rind. Take care not to bring any of the pith away with you as this will impart a bitterness to the Limoncello. Pour all the alcohol into a large sealable container and add the lemon rind. Stir well, seal the container and store in a cool dark place for 10 days to two weeks, stirring every few days.

Once the rind has fully infused with the alcohol, you are now ready to assemble the Limoncello. Warm the water in a pan then gradually pour in the sugar, stirring until it is all dissolved, then leave to cool. Once cool, pour the alcohol and lemon rind through a sieve (to catch the lemon) into the sugary water, stir well and then transfer into bottles. Let it sit for a further week or so, then leave it in the fridge or freezer ready for use.

Homemade Limoncello will keep for up to a year, so it makes an ideal (and wonderfully personal) birthday or Christmas gift.

Risotto Primavera

2011-05-08T13:30:00.057+01:00

This is a recipe full of all my favourite vegetables. They also happen to be a friend of mine's favourites too, so I made this for her for dinner one night. It is really quick and easy to make, is packed with delicious seasonal vegetables and is healthy to boot. I added a little truffle oil for a hint of luxury, but it is still delicious without.

Ingredients (serves 4):

150g risotto rice

2 shallots

3 cloves garlic

4 chestnut mushrooms

100g broad beans

100g green beans

100g asparagus spears

150g chargrilled artichoke hearts

1 litre vegetable stock

125ml white wine

50g grated parmesan

1 tsp truffle oil

salt and pepper

Method:

Before you start, peel and finely chop the shallots, slice the mushrooms, chop the artichoke hearts in half, remove the woody ends from the asparagus, chop the beans in half and peel the garlic. In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, add a little oil then gently fry the shallots until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms, then once the mushrooms are cooked, add the risotto rice and fry for a further minute.

Pour in two thirds of the chicken stock and stir so the liquid is evenly distributed. As the liquid is absorbed, stir only very occasionally, to prevent the risotto sticking. While the risotto is cooking, blanch the broad beans, asparagus and green beans and set aside for now. Once most of the liquid is gone, add the white wine and a little more stock and continue to simmer until almost all the liquid is gone. Taste the risotto to see how far off done it is - it should be nearly ready, then add as much of the remaining stock as you deem necessary. Add the rest of the vegetables - broad beans, artichoke, asparagus and green beans and cook for a couple of minutes before stirring in the parmesan and truffle oil.

Spoon onto warm plates and serve immediately. I love this with a little drizzle of chilli oil and a green salad.

Creamed Tomatoes on Toast

2011-05-04T13:30:00.003+01:00

This was inspired by a recipe in the Sunday Times Style Magazine over 10 years ago. It is something I used to make fairly frequently back when eating things like cream on a regular basis didn't go straight to my hips. This is the first time I've made it in over five years, as a starter when a friend came over for dinner. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed eating it. I hope you'll enjoy it too, and not think too hard about the cream or your hips.

Ingredients (serves 4):

250ml single cream

3 garlic cloves

6 ripe plum tomatoes

10g fresh basil

salt and pepper

4 slices French campagne or sourdough

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C, then while the oven is heating up, pour the single cream into a saucepan. Crush in the garlic and shred the basil leaves then simmer until reduced by a third.

Slice the tomatoes in half lengthways and remove the seeds then put cut side facing up into a baking dish and season with a little salt and pepper. Pour the cream over the tomatoes and then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Just before the tomatoes are ready, toast the bread, place on four plates then drizzle with a little olive oil. When the tomatoes are done, put three tomato halves on each slice, spoon any leftover cream in the baking dish over the top and serve.

Grilled Salmon with Chorizo and Cannellini Beans

2011-05-01T13:30:00.056+01:00

This is the third time recently that I have found myself with leftover chorizo, and this is the third time that I've sat there wondering what to do with it. It isn't a a food that I'm used to eating a lot of, though it has gone up in my estimations enormously recently. Here I wanted to see how it worked with salmon, and I think it works very well.

The cannellini bean and chorizo base is almost like extremely posh baked beans, and the aubergine balances it beautifully. I personally love the chilli crust on the salmon, though those less inclined towards fire may wish to give it a miss. Just don't tell me you did so!

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 salmon fillets
400g tinned cannellini beans
50g chorizo

2 tomatoes

100ml strong chicken stock

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

20g coriander
1 aubergine
Juice of ½ lemon
2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chilli flakes

Method:

Dice the chorizo, then fry without any oil (it has plenty of its own) until crisp then add the cannellini beans - I used tinned here to save time. Gently fry for 5 minutes with the chorizo, then while the beans are frying, remove the seeds and core from the tomatoes, dice and add to the pan. Next, add the chicken stock and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and gently reduce. Roughly chop the coriander and stir into the mix. Turn off the heat and set aside for the time being.

Next, dice the aubergines and fry in enough oil for them to soften and disintegrate, then after a couple of minutes frying add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. You should have a soft, pulpy paste. Turn off the heat and set this aside too.

Finally, crust both salmon fillets with the chilli flakes - you may need a little more or less, but don't put too much on or the salmon will be extremely hot - then drizzle with a little olive oil. Finally, fry them in a hot frying pan with a little oil, skin side down at first for about three minutes, then flip over and sear the top for a couple of minutes.

While the salmon is frying, give a quick blast of heat to the beans and aubergine, then divide the beans between two plates. Once the salmon is cooked, place skin side down on the beans and spoon the aubergine on top. Garnish with a sprig of coriander.

Prawn Fishcakes

2011-04-27T13:30:00.051+01:00

Years ago, M&S used to make the most delicious prawn fishcakes. These mysteriously disappeared off the shelves and left me greatly saddened by their demise as I thought they were the best things ever. I still check the fishcakes section every time I enter M&S in the vain hope that they might see the error of their ways.

However, after many years of emerging from the shop with a heavy heart and empty shopping bag, I thought I'd try and make my own. These are a surprisingly good subsitute, and my first ever fishcakes! For me, the secret lies in keeping the prawns reasonably chunky. That way you get a delicious bite and change in texture as you eat them.

Ingredients (makes approx eight 6cm fishcakes):

350g cooked king prawns

1 baking potato (approx 200g)

3 spring onions

2 red chillis

10g flat leaf parsley

10g coriander

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 large free range egg

Salt

1 tbsp plain flour

Method:

This is much, much easier if you have everything ready to go in advance, so peel, chop your potato into chunks and boil for 20 minutes, until soft. While the potato is boiling, slice the spring onions, deseed and finely chop the chillis, roughly chop the coriander and parsley, adn beat the egg with the salt, cayenne and black pepper.

Once the potato is cooked, drain and in a medium-sized bowl mash it until it is smooth. Add all your pre-prepped ingredients and mix well. Next sprinkle the flour on a plate and, using your hands (which I hope are clean?), mould the fishcake mix into 8 little cakes. Place them in the flour so they are lightly but fully coated, then heat a frying pan with about 1 dsp olive oil. Once hot but not smoking, fry the fishcakes for 10 minutes, turning every two to three so they don't catch.

Serve with a green salad, a wedge of lime and some sweet chilli sauce.

Green Beans and Chorizo

2011-04-24T13:30:00.002+01:00

The final tapas dish and the simplest of them all. This was inspired by the same meal round a friend's as the Patatas Bravas, though I have embellished it a little and used chorizo instead of ham. Given the rich tomato flavour of the other two dishes, this is a slightly cleaner flavour, the freshness of the green beans being the perfect complement to the smokey chorizo.

Ingredients (serves 4 as part of tapas):

200g trimmed fine green beans

50g sliced chorizo

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

Method:

Cook the green beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold water. Then slice the chorizo slices into strips and finely slice the garlic. Drizzle a hint of oil into a frying pan (the chorizo will add its own soon enough) and fry the chorizo and garlic until the garlic turns slightly golden.

Then add the green beans to the pan and gently fry for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to meld. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately as part as a tapas selection.

Spanish Aubergine Salad

2011-04-20T13:30:00.003+01:00

The second of three tapas recipes, and a delicious warm salad that would work just as well on freshly toasted bread. I have a bit of a love affair with char-grilled aubergines - I think it is possibly the nicest way to cook them, and of course it also forms the base of my favourite aubergine dish of all times; Baba Ganoush. This is a little different, as the aubergine is paired with chopped tomatoes and slowly reduced.

Ingredients (serves 4 as part of tapas):

2 medium aubergines

400g chopped tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp paprika

10g fresh coriander

10g fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

olive oil

Method:

If you have a gas hob, grill the aubergines over the flames until the flesh is soft and the skin charred. Otherwise, place under a hot grill, turning occasionally until soft. This doesn't give quite the same flavour, but is a decent subsitute. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes or so, then peel off the skin, taking care to remove any black bits.

Thinly slice the garlic, toast the cumin and coriander in a dry pan for 30 seconds, then add a drizzle of oil and fry the garlic for a minute. Turn the heat down low then roughly chop the aubergine and add to the pan. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, paprika, three quarters of the coriander and parsley and lemon juice and stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then simmer down slowly until almost all the liquid is gone.

Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining coriander and parsley. Serve alongside the Patatas Bravas from the previous entry and any other tapas dishes that take your fancy.

Patatas Bravas

2011-04-17T13:30:00.006+01:00

Patatas Bravas are literally fierce potatoes, and these are extra fierce, so not for the chilli-phobic or faint hearted. I unintentionally made these the same day that The Guardian decided to write about them as I'd had them at a friend's the previous weekend and thought them quite delicious. Not my first time, obviously - I've had many versions in restaurants, though mainly La Tasca, so not exactly up to their bravas best.

However, like me, my friend likes her food spicy. Very spicy. And this is inspired by her version, right down to roasting the potatoes instead of frying them. Yum! This is the first of three Spanish-themed recipes, so look out for more tapas ideas in the days to come.

Ingredients (serves 4 as part of tapas):

300g new potatoes

1 red onion

3 red chillis

5 cloves garlic

400g chopped tomatoes

Sprig of rosemary

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp hot chilli powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

olive oil

Method:

Chop the potatoes into bitesize chunks, then place in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil, add two cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped into thirds, and a sprig of rosemary, then season with salt and pepper. Toss well so the olive oil and seasoning is evenly distributed, then place in the oven when you switch it on to 200°C. Remove after 5 minutes, shake the potatoes again, and then replace when the oven reaches temperature. Roast for up to 45 minutes, shaking occasionally until the potatoes are crisp and golden.

While the potatoes are roasting, make your tomato sauce. Peel the red onion, chop it in half and then slice it, and fry in a little oil until soft. As the onions are frying, thinly slice three chillis, taking care to remove the seeds and add to the onions. Finally, thinly slice the remaining three cloves of garlic and add to the pan. Fry for a further minute, until the garlic is soft then add the cumin and coriander.

After 30 seconds, pour in the chopped tomatoes and add the paprika, chilli powder and cayenne pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and a little ground pepper and stir thoroughly. Reduce the sauce over a low heat until almost all the liquid is gone - the slow cooking tempers the initial fierceness of the chilli, and means that it should be ready round about the same time the potatoes are done.

Transfer the tomato sauce to a serving bowl then spoon the potatoes on top. Serve as part of a tapas platter with aioli.

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Prosciutto

2011-04-13T13:30:00.001+01:00

Just another weekday supper - or not, as the case may be. While this is extremely quick and easy to make, the flavours are something else. Rich, indulgent, succulent and more-ish, this is a recipe worth saving for a special treat or romantic dinner. I made this to use up some pâté left sitting in the fridge, and it worked such a treat that I had to share it.

This also has the advantage of being able to make it up to a day in advance - just prepare as per the instructions below, and pop it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it instead of roasting it immediately.

Ingredients (serves 6):

12 skinless and boneless chicken thighs

200g Armagnac chicken liver pâté

1 large onion

100g chestnut mushrooms

12 slices Prosciutto

Drizzle of black truffle oil

2 tbsp white wine

Method:

Finely chop the onions and mushrooms, then fry the onions in a little olive oil until soft and golden. Add the mushrooms to the pan and fry those with the onions until cooked then stir in a small drizzle of truffle oil. Mash up the chicken liver pâté, then mix together with the mushrooms and onions.

Lay each of the chicken thighs out flat and skin side down on a chopping board (you may need two), then place about 1 and a half teaspoons of the chicken pâté mix in the middle of each thigh. If you have any pâté left at the end, evenly distribute it across the thighs. Next, place each thigh in the middle of a slice of prosciutto and wrap it up before placing on a baking tray big enough to hold all the thighs.

Cover with foil, then pre-heat the oven to 200°C. When the oven reaches temperature, bake for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and turn the oven down to 150°C for the remaining 15 minutes. About 5 minutes before you're ready to serve, pour 2 tbsp of white wine into the juices.

To serve, allow two thighs per person, and drizzle with the jus from the baking tray. I served this with boiled new potatoes and tenderstem broccoli - simple, but effective.

Poached Cod with Tomato and Thyme

2011-04-10T13:30:00.000+01:00

Another healthy, quick and easy supper - this can be on the table within half an hour. I can be a bit funny about cooking with cod as it is criminally overfished (along with so many others these days) so when I do cook with it I make sure I use sustainably sourced fish, and you should try to do the same. This recipe works equally well with other firm, white fish like Hake or Haddock, so do try those as alternatives.

This will serve 2-4 people, depending on how hungry they are and what else you serve with it. I served this with tenderstem broccoli and new potatoes, so half a fillet per person was more than enough.

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

2 cod fillets - skin on (about 400g)

1 red onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh thyme (plus extra for garnish)

400g chopped tomatoes

salt and pepper

Method:

Slice the onions, then in a large saucepan gently fry in a little olive oil until soft. Thinly slice two cloves of garlic, then fry with the onions for a further minute, until slightly golden. Add the chopped tomatoes, thyme leaves and soy sauce, and reduce by about a third, then season with salt and pepper.

Chop the cod fillets in half widthways so you're left with four smaller fillets, then add to the saucepan and poach with the lid on for 10 minutes, until the cod flakes easily. Garnish with a little extra fresh thyme leaves.