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Archive for May, 2012

Panzanella

Posted in Food, Healthy, Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 31 May 2012| 2 Comments »

A delicious Tuscan salad which is usually made with stale bread – we think the bread in Tuscany may contain less preservative as our bread rarely gets a chance to go stale. This version uses baked croutons for a similar effect. Make sure you leave the salad for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to mingle.

Panzanella – to serve 6

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 large mild red chilli
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • pinch of sugar
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 600g ripe tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper
  • ½ large cucumber
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • ½ red onion
  • 4 thick slices from a country-style loaf
  • a small bunch of basil

Crush the garlic with a little bit of salt in a mortar, then deseed and chop up the chilli and crush with the salt and garlic until you have a coarse paste.

Add the vinegar and sugar and mix then tip into a large salad bowl. Add the olive oil and beat together.

Chop the rest of the salad ingredients into bite-size chunks or slices.

Tear the bread into small chunks and bake in a moderate oven until golden and crispy, then add the salad bowl.

Tear over the basil and add to the bowl with a bit of salt and pepper, then toss lightly and leave to stand for about 30 minutes. Toss again before serving.

Wine Suggestion: Wines from a region tend to complement the foods from that region (kind of like a chicken and egg thing). A glass of straightforward Chianti will have the right sort of acidity and rusticity to complement this perfectly.

(Original recipe by Alastair Hendry in Olive, June 2010.)

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Crispy New Potatoes

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 30 May 2012| 5 Comments »

My Dad keeps talking about these potatoes that I made before which he says I squashed a bit and then put them in the oven to crisp up. I had no recollection of these squashed, crispy potatoes until I came across these. Is this them Dad? If so I’ll make them for you next time I see you.

Crispy New Potatoes – to serve 4

  • 16 smallish new potatoes, leave the skins on
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • paprika

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, drain and then put back on the warm ring to dry off. Spread the potatoes out on a baking tray and squash them a bit using a potato masher. Be careful here as you only want them a bit squashed and not completely smashed (though I smashed one or two and it just made them even more crispy so don’t worry too much).

Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle over a little paprika, salt and pepper. Now roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until nice and crispy.

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Summer Barbecue Chicken

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , on 28 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

At last summer has arrived in Dublin and you can smell barbecues everywhere. Here’s a healthy alternative to sausages and burgers and it tastes delicious!

Summer Barbecue Chicken – to serve 4

  • 4 skinless chicken breasts (not too big)
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • grated zest of 1 orange

Slash the chicken breasts a few times across the top. Put the rest of the ingredients in a shallow dish and swish together. Then add the chicken and turn it over a few times until completely covered. If you have time you can leave it in the fridge for up to 24 hours to marinade (cover the dish with cling film), if not it will still taste great cooked straight away.

Cook the chicken on a barbecue turning once and brushing on any marinade left in the dish. Ours took about 8 minutes in total but cook them longer if necessary.

Serve with a salad and some new potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: We would try a light red here rather than a white wine to complement the chicken. Barbecues intensify flavour and a white wine can easily become overwhelmed. Try an Italian Valpolicella which has a bit of spice and should be able to stand up to the powerful flavours.

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Cream of Tomato Soup

Posted in Food, Healthy, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 28 May 2012| 4 Comments »

We’ve made a few quick tomato soups recently so we should maybe describe this as a slow one. This takes about 40 minutes but is worth it and gives a much more home-made flavour, super-healthy too.

Cream of tomato soup – to serve 4

  • 2 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 500g plum tomatoes
  • 200ml passata
  • 400ml vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large sprig of thyme
  • a small handful of basil leaves (if you have them)
  • 100ml single cream

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, garlic and carrot over a low heat fro 6-7 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, passata, stock, bay leaf and thyme, then bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme stalk. Season and add the basil. Whizz until smooth with a hand blender, stir in the cream and serve.

(Original recipe by Annabel Karmel in BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2004.)

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More Courgettes!

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 26 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

We eat tonnes of courgettes over the summer months so it’s good to try some new ways to cook them. This makes a great side dish for a barbecue.

Courgettes with crispy cheese crumbs – to serve 4

  • 6 courgettes, cut into chunky batons
  • pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 85g dried or stale breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp grated Parmesan
  • 4 tbsp passata

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the courgettes in a baking dish or roasting tin and toss with the chilli, thyme and 1 tbsp oil and seasoning.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Mix the rest of the oil with the garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan and some seasoning.

Stir the passata into the courgettes, sprinkle with the cheesey crumbs and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crispy.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Zucchini Fritte

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 24 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

This is a really simple courgette side dish. Don’t worry about cooking the courgettes at the last minute as they taste just as good at room temperature, so cook them a little in advance.

Fried courgettes – to serve 6

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 courgettes, sliced
  • ½ red chilli, sliced into rings
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • handful parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the courgettes for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown.

Add the chilli and garlic and fry for a further minute. Season with salt, then toss with the parsley and serve.

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Miso Aubergines

Posted in Food, Healthy, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 23 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

Healthy Japanese-style aubergines – this is really easy and has loads of flavour! Great when you feel like a veggie night.

Miso aubergines – to serve 2

  • 2 small aubergines, halved lengthways
  • olive oil
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • a large pinch of caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 4 scallions, shredded to serve
  • rocket to serve

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180c/gas 6. Score a criss-cross pattern into each aubergine half. Brush with 1tsp oil and season. Put on a non-stick tray and bake for 20 minutes (or a bit longer if they are not completely soft).

Mix the miso, mirin, sugar and lemon juice together to make a paste. Spread over the aubergine halves and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Put under a hot grill for a few minutes until golden. Serve with the scallions and rocket.

Beer Suggestion: Miso is a strong flavour so you need something robust and yeasty. Try a richer style beer, such as Bombardier, or Kirin for a cleaner, lager style.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Harissa Sweet Potato Wedges

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 22 May 2012| 7 Comments »

Healthy side-dish with delicious flavour. We had these with a barbecue and they tasted great. Serve with some sour cream and chives if you have it – or mayo!

Harissa sweet potato wedges – to serve 4

  • 1kg sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedgees
  • 1 tbsp harissa paste

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the wedges with the harissa in a bowl and then transfer to a baking tray and cook for 40-45 minutes.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Barbecue tuna with peppery tomatoes & potatoes

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 21 May 2012| 1 Comment »

This makes a really tasty side dish so serve it with something else if you’re not keen on tuna. A definite repeat recipe!

Tuna with peppery tomatoes & potatoes – to serve 4

  • 4 tuna steaks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • few thyme sprigs
  • 500g new potatoes, sliced about 1 cm thick
  • 2 red peppers, cut into large chunks
  • 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 400g tin cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and put in a roasting tin to heat up. Put the tuna in a shallow dish with half the oil, about two-thirds of the garlic and leaves from a sprig of thyme. Leave to marinate.

Get your barbecue on as you want a high heat to cook the tuna later (a griddle pan will suffice if it’s not barbecue weather).

Put the potatoes, peppers, onion and chilli into the hot tin with the rest of the oil and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very nearly cooked (you might need to put them back in for another 5-10 minutes). Add the rest of the garlic and thyme and stir well before adding the tomatoes, then cook for another 5 minutes and add some seasoning.

Wipe most of the marinade off the fish, season, then sear on the barbecue for a minute on each side for medium (longer if you like it better done). Serve with the veg.

Wine Suggestion: Serve with a light Italian red, like a Valpolicella, which will have enough acidity for the tomatoey sauce.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Light Lamb Tagine

Posted in Food, Healthy, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , on 20 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

This is a much lighter version of a lamb tagine. We definitely prefer the full-fat version but this is super simple to make, tasty, and healthy – so if you’re watching your waste we highly recommend it.

Light lamb tagine – to serve 6

  • 700g lamb leg meat, trim off all the fat and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp hot chilli powder
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 12 dried apricots, chopped (make sure they’re the no-soak ones)
  • 1 preserved lemon, discard the pulp and chop the skin
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 400g tin chickpeas, drained
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 125g couscous
  • chopped coriander to serve

Heat the oven to 170C. Put the lamb, onion, garlic, spices, apricots, lemon, honey, chickpeas  into a large ovenproof casserole with a lid.

Season, then add the tomatoes and 400ml water. Bring to the boil cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours, or until the lamb is tender. Turn the oven up to 200C.

Add 150ml of boiling water to the couscous and leaf to stand for 2 minutes. Fork through to avoid any clumps and spoon over the lamb. Return to the oven and cook without the lid for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Serve with some chopped coriander.

Wine Suggestion: Mediterranean reds tend to complement spicy, sweet flavours. We had a really interesting Italian red from Etna called Tenuta delle Terre Nere, which was very elegant and not too heavy. We would suggest a lighter red such as a Carrignan/Granache blend which can be found on the Mediterranean rim such as France, Spain or Sardinia. If you can find one with a bit of age it should have mellowed out nicely.

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Garlic Prawns

Posted in Albarino, Food, Prawns, Shellfish, Spanish, Wine, tagged , , , , , , on 19 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

A really fabulous starter with some crusty bread; a classic Tapas or party starter.

Garlic prawns with parsley & lemon – to serve 6

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • pinch of red chilli flakes
  • 400g large, raw, peeled prawns
  • juice from half a lemon
  • small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • crusty bread to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the garlic with the chilli flakes.

Add the prawns and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until pink.

Squeeze in the lemon juice, stir in the parsley and serve.

Wine Suggestion: This is a classic Spanish dish so we went for the classic Spanish white, Albariño, a great match for shellfish. It worked a treat.

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Come On Ulster!!

Posted in Uncategorized on 19 May 2012| 2 Comments »

SUFTUM!!
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Stoved potatoes

Posted in Food, Potato, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , on 16 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

These are yummy and give a totally different texture to new potatoes. Keep turning them regularly so you get them nice and brown all over.

Stoved potatoes – to serve 6

  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 500g baby new potatoes

Melt the butter in a large frying pan with a lid. Wait until it foams before adding the potatoes. Turn the potatoes and make sure they all get coated in butter and are in a single layer. Sprinkle over some salt.

Cover and cook gently for about 30 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until the potatoes are tender. Leave them in the hot butter until you’re ready to serve them and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

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Pork with Maple & Mustard Sauce

Posted in Food, Healthy, Pork, tagged , , , , , on 15 May 2012| 2 Comments »

Pork tenderloins are usually pretty cheap and not too high in fat but be careful not to overcook them as they can become dry. Serve with some greens or salad and new potatoes.

Pork with maple & mustard sauce – to serve 4

  • 2 pork tenderloins, about 300g each
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • juice of 1 lemon

Cut the pork into 3cm thick slices. Put the flour and some salt and pepper in a food bag, add the pork slices, then shake well to coat the pork with the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan and quickly fry the pork until browned. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, then remove to a warm dish and cover with foil.

Add the onion to the pan, then fry quickly until lightly coloured. Add a bit more oil if you need it. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Boil for a couple of minutes to reduce the stock, stir in the maple syrup, mustard and lemon juice, then bring back to the boil, stirring.

Return the pork to the pan and simmer gently for another few minutes or until just cooked through. Sprinkle with some parsley if you have some.

Wine Suggestion: The maple syrup and mustard give a sort of sweet and sour effect which you need to balance with a little bit of sweetness in the wine but also a savoury character – try an Alsace Pinot Gris.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Superhealthy Minestrone

Posted in Food, Healthy, Soup, tagged , , , , on 14 May 2012| 1 Comment »

Really good for you, low fat and fills you up.

Minestrone – to serve 4

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 2 celery sticks, sliced
  • 850ml chicken stock
  • 2 large tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
  • handful of spinach, chopped
  • 400g tin red kidney beans, drained
  • 25g small pasta shells (or any other small pasta shape)
  • 1 small courgette, diced
  • 2 tbsp basil

Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.

Add the stock, tomatoes, spinach, beans and pasta. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the courgettes and continue to cook with the lid on for another 5 minutes.

Take off the heat, stir in the basil and season with lots of black pepper.

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Spicy Haddock Stew

Posted in Fish, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 13 May 2012| 4 Comments »

It’s another fish stew but very different to our last one. This is really easy to throw together, tastes good and very low-calorie and low-fat. We used haddock but you can use whatever white fish you have available. If you like a bit of heat you could add a bit of chilli too.

Spicy Haddock Stew – to serve 4 (or less if you’re very hungry)

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 200g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
  • 450g haddock or other white fish fillet, cut into chunks
  • coriander, roughly chopped
  • lemon wedges

Heat the oil in medium-sized saucepan. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and cook for 1 minute.

Add 100ml water and the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.

Add the pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the fish and simmer for a further 5. Don’t be tempted to stir it too much or you’ll break up your fish chunks.

Season well and serve with the coriander, lemon and some crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: It’s a weeknight and this is a simple dish. If you feel like a glass of wine go for something light and white.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Jono & Jules’ Roasted Veggie Lasagne

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , on 12 May 2012| 1 Comment »

We’ve made many veggie lasagnes but this is definitely our favourite; really tasty, moist and not too rich or heavy. We had to stop ourselves eating the 6 portions all at once despite only the two of us for dinner. We managed to resist, but only just! Serve with a green salad.

(Apologies for the imperial measurements – Julie doesn’t know the metric recipe for béchamel.)

Roasted Veggie Lasagne – to serve 6

  • 1 pint / 600ml homemade tomato sauce – make your own or use our favourite
  • 3 red peppers
  • 2 aubergines
  • 8 tbsp olive oil
  • dried lasagne sheets
  • handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 125g ball mozzarella, torn

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL

  • 2 oz butter
  • 2 oz flour
  • 1 pint milk

Heat the oven to 200ºC/fan 180ºC. Cut the peppers into large chunks and thinly slice the aubergines. Lightly grease two large baking trays with olive oil. Put the peppers and aubergines on the greased trays and toss with the olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Roast for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile make your béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, then cook for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously stirring. When all the milk is added, keep stirring until the sauce comes to the boil. Turn the heat down and cook until the sauce has started to thicken.

Reduce the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC and lightly oil a large ovenproof dish (ours is 20 x 27cm and it fits perfect). Layer a third of the roasted veg on the bottom of the dish. Cover with a third of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets (break them to fit – don’t overlap them), then drizzle just less than third of the bechamel sauce over. Repeat until you have used 3 layers of lasagne.

Spoon the remaining sauce over the top, making sure that the surface is totally covered. Scatter the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

Wine Suggestion: The tomato sauce is acidic so you need to balance this with the wine. Perhaps a light and fruity white with good acidity – we had an off-dry Riesling from Western Australia already open and it worked surprisingly well.

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Steak, Beetroot and Asparagus Salad

Posted in Beef, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 10 May 2012| 1 Comment »

Who says you can’t eat steak on a diet? This is a delicious midweek salad which is low fat and less than 300 calories. Perfect for a sunny evening (here’s hoping we see one soon!).

Steak, beetroot and asparagus salad – to serve 2

  • 250g rump steak, all fat removed
  • 6 asparagus spears
  • 50g wild rocket
  • 4 small cooked beetroot, cut into wedges

DRESSING:

  • 1 tbsp horseradish cream
  • 2 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested

Season the meat well. You can cook it either in a non-stick frying pan for about 3-4 mintues each side (depending on how thick it is) or cook it on a barbecue as we did for even more favour. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly.

Blanch or barbecue the asparagus spears.

Whisk the horseradish, crème fraîche and lemon juice together and season.

Assemble the plates with the beef slices, asparagus, rocket and beetroot and spoon over the dressing. Sprinkle the lemon zest over to serve.

Wine Suggestion: A a nice, young, uncomplicated Syrah from the northern Rhône went really well here. We had Pierre Gaillard’s Syrah 2011 (just arrived at Mitchell & Son) which was delicious.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Salmon with dill and capers

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 9 May 2012| 1 Comment »

Low calorie and really good for you. The salmon stays lovely and moist. Serve with asparagus and new potatoes.

Salmon with Dill & Capers – to serve 8 (but easy to adapt for less)

  • 140g Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • zest 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp chopped dill
  • 1 tbsp small capers, lightly chopped
  • 8 portions of fresh salmon, scaled
  • lemon wedges to serve

Mix the yogurt, mustard, lemon zest, dill and capers together and season with pepper. Use this mixture to coat the salmon really well.

Either grill the salmon on foil for 6-8 minutes (no need to turn) or barbecue for 3-4 minutes on each side (we recommend a fish grill).

Serve with the lemon wedges and some green veg and salad.

Wine Suggestion: This would work with a medium-bodied unoaked Chardonnay, like a Macon-Villages from Burgundy. Nothing too complex as you don’t want to overwhelm the flavours of the delicate salmon.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Lunchbox Tuna Bean Salad

Posted in Food, Healthy, tagged , , , on 8 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

We take our lunch to work every day and often run out of inspiration. This healthy and filling salad made a pleasant change from yet another tortilla wrap. Make it while asparagus season lasts!

Tuna, asparagus & bean salad – to serve 4

  • 1 large bunch of asparagus
  • 2 x 200g tins tuna, drained (we like Ortiz)
  • 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained
  • 1 red onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp tarragon, finely chopped
Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Drain well and cool under running water, then cut into pieces.
 
Toss the cooked asparagus with everything else and keep in the fridge until lunchtime.
 
 

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