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Archive for December, 2014

Spiced Potatoes with Spinach

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 29 December 2014| Leave a Comment »

Spiced Potatoes with Spinach

This is a great Friday or week-night dish which you can easily eat on it’s own, preferably in front of the TV!

Potatoes with Spices & Spinach – serves 3

  • 800g large floury potatoes, cut into large pieces
  • 5 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp of crushed garlic
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsps sea salt flakes
  • 4 tbsp groundnut oil
  • a couple of large handfuls spinach
  • plain yoghurt
  • fresh coriander

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Cook the potatoes in plenty of salted boiling water for about 15 minutes or until almost tender.

Drain the potatoes and put them in a bowl. Add the shallots and toss with the cayenne, chilli flakes, garlic, cumin and turmeric. Add the salt and oil, then tip into a roasting tin and bake for about 30 minutes or until crisp.

Wash the spinach leaves and put into a pan over a moderate heat, cover with a lid and leave for a couple of minutes to wilt.

Toss the spinach with the potatoes and garnish with a little yoghurt and coriander.

(Original recipe from Eat by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2013.)

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Salmon Tartare with Lemon & Capers

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 22 December 2014| 2 Comments »

Salmon Tartare

A perfect starter for the festive season. Get the freshest and best salmon you can as it will make all the difference; ours was meltingly tender while cutting it up and we were rewarded with a melt in the mouth starter.

Wine suggestion: Try an appropriately festive and indulgent Vintage Champagne like the Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blanc which has a richness and depth alongside a minerally freshness and great purity of fruit. Alternately if on a budget, but another classic match, would be a zippy and herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc or for a bit of a lemony twist a Verdejo from Rueda in Spain.

Smoky salmon tartare with lemon and capers – serves 6

  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
  • 400g skinless salmon fillet
  • 200g smoked salmon
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill
  • 2 tbsp small capers
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp crème fraîche
  • olive oil
  • melba toast, to serve

Put the shallot into the lemon juice and leave to soak.

Cut the salmon into tiny cubes and finely chop the smoked salmon. Put all of the fish into a bowl, add the dill, capers, mustard, crème fraîche, 1 tbsp olive oil and the shallot and juice. Fold together gently and season with salt and black pepper.

Serve in rounds with the melba toast and a drizzle of olive oil.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December 2014)

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Leek Gratin

Posted in Cheese, Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 21 December 2014| 1 Comment »

Leek Gratin

 

A true comfort food if there ever was one, and a versatile side for simply barbecued meats, roast chicken and a whole host of mains. It’s fairly rich so a little goes a long way.

Baked Creamy Leeks – serves 6 as a side dish

  • 800g leeks, roughly chopped and rinsed well in a sieve
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 2 knobs of butter
  • olive oil
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 200ml single cream

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°C/gas 6.

Warm a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the butter with a splash of olive oil and the garlic.

As soon as the garlic starts to colour, add the leeks and thyme leaves and stir. Turn up the heat and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until the leeks have softened.

Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Add the cream and half the cheese. Mix well in a suitably sized baking dish (you want a layer about 2.5cm thick). Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

(Original recipe from Jamie’s Ministry of Food, Penguin, 2008.)

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Linguine with Yellowfin Tuna

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , on 16 December 2014| Leave a Comment »

Obica: Linguine with Yellowfin Tuna

A simple but delicious dish from a cool restaurant called Obicà that we found on our last trip to Florence. They insist that it’s best made with fresh tuna (and they’re probably right) but we made it with top quality tinned tuna and it worked for us.

Wine Suggestion: Classic Italian matches for tuna depend on the region. If you are in Sicily a great match is their native Grillo grape, a textural, slightly salty and mineral wine with good body but not weighty. For this dish though we drank a Vermentino, made by Morisfarms, from the Tuscan coast. It has a great vinous texture and savoury character which combined with fresh fruit and minerality matches this Tuscan combination of tuna, tomatoes and olives.

Linguine with Yellowfish Tuna – serves 4-6

  • 2 tins top quality plum tomatoes (the Italian brands are good)
  • 500g yellowfin tuna
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a bit extra
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • 80ml white wine
  • 30g salted capers, soaked and drained
  • 100g pitted black olives (Gaeta or Kalamata)
  • 500g linguine
  • chopped fresh parsley to serve

Drain the tinned tomatoes and cut into strips.

Cut the tuna into 2cm cubes. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté with 1 sprig of rosemary and the chilli flakes.

Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, then add the capers.

Add the olives and tomatoes and cook over a high heat for 15 minutes.

Cook the linguine until al dente, then drain and add to the pan of tuna sauce. Toss gently.

Sprinkle on the parsley, drizzle with some more olive oil, and garnish with the remaining rosemary.

(Original recipe from Obicà: Mozzerella Bar, Pizza e Cucina, Rizzoli, 2014.)

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