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Archive for December, 2016

Cod Baked in Tahini Sauce

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 24 December 2016| Leave a Comment »

Cod in a tahini sauce

Our menus have featured a lot of meat recently so we’ve focused and had a few fishy weekends to redress the balance. This is another great recipe from Moro, really delicate and delicious. We followed their suggestion and served with a chickpea salad and saffron rice. A rare Saturday night treat for just the two of us; we made the full sauce but only used two cod fillets.

Get started early as the rice needs to soak for a few hours.

Wine Suggestion: a light, dry white wine with good flavour and texture is what we think goes best. We had a good Muscadet from Domaine de la Chauviniere which has a good depth of flavour despite it’s light body. Alternately a good Alvarinho/Albariño would be a good match too.

Cod Baked with Tahini Sauce & Saffron Rice – serves 4

  • 4 thick cod fillets with skin, about 200g each
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Tahini Sauce

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tbsp tahini paste
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 5 tbsp water

Saffron Rice

  • 80g unsalted butter
  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • 5 green cardamom pods, cracked
  • 3 black peppercorns
  • 200g basmati rice, washed and soaked in salted water for 3 hours
  • a good pinch of saffron threads infused in 4 tbsp boiling water

To Serve: 

  • small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
  • 1 lemon, quartered

Start by making the tahini sauce and the rice as the fish won’t take long at the end.

For the Tahini Sauce:

Crush the garlic cloves with a good pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle until you have a paste. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and whisk in the tahini and lemon juice. Add the water until you get a sauce the consistency of double cream. Taste and season.

For the Saffron Rice:

Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods and black peppercorns and fry gently for about 4 minute or until aromatic.

Drain the rice and add to the butter, stirring to coat in the butter. Turn the heat up to medium-high and pour over enough water to cover by about 1cm, season with salt.

Place a piece of greaseproof paper on the surface of the water, then cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and paper and drizzle the saffron water evenly over the rice. Cover again with the paper and the lid, turn the heat to low and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

For the Cod: 

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

You need to cook the cod on the hob first ideally in an ovenproof frying pan or failing that a roasting tray that can go on the hob.

Add the olive oil to cover the base of the pan. Season the cod generously with salt and pepper, then place in the pan with the skin side up, keep shaking the pan all the time to prevent sticking. Cook for a couple of minutes to seal. Turn the fish over carefully and put the pan in the oven for 5-8 minutes, depending on the size of your fish. The fish is cooked when it is easy to flake and looks completely white inside.

Pour the tahini sauce into the pan with the fish to warm for 30 seconds, then transfer to hot plates. Spoon the sauce over the fish and garnish with the parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Serve with the chickpea salad, saffron rice & lemon.

(Original recipe from Moro the Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark, Ebury Press, 2001.)

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Pasta Peperonata

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 21 December 2016| Leave a Comment »

Rigatoni Peperonata

A simple midweek pasta supper for using up those multi-pack peppers. It reminds us of summer and Italy.

Wine suggestion: a great match with Cabernet Franc. The bell pepper, inky and pencil shaving character really compliments the flavours in this simple dish. A favourite of our is the Ch du Hureau from Saumur. Their “Tuffe” a youthful Cab Franc is a gem that regularly makes its way onto our wine rack. If you want to stick with Italian a 100% Sangiovese would make an excellent choice too.

Pasta Peronata – serves 4 (easily halved)

  • 2 red peppers, sliced
  • 2 yellow peppers,  sliced
  • 2 red onions, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
  • 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped and stalks reserved
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese or crème fraîche (optional – we don’t usually add this unless we have some already)
  • 500g rigatoni or penne pasta

Put the peppers into a large frying pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and cook gently for about 15 minutes until softened. Add the onion and cook for a further 20 minutes. Then add the garlic and parsley stalks and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Season to taste. Add the vinegar, then add a handful of the grated Parmesan and the mascarpone or crème fraîche if you are using it and turn the heat down to minimum while you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Reserve a little of the cooking water before draining. Toss the peppers, pasta & chopped parsley in a large warm bowl. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water and a splash of good olive oil to coat the pasta. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan.

(Original recipe by Jamie Oliver).

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Oven-Roasted Chicken Tikka with Mint & Yoghurt Chutney

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , on 18 December 2016| 1 Comment »

Chicken tikka with mint chutney

From Meera Sodha’s fabulous book, Made in India, we continue to make very successful dishes. We made this for a Christmas party alongside Meera’s Cinnamon lamb curry,  and coconut fish curry. All very straightforward particularly if you get the lamb cooked the night before and serve with a load of rice (cooked and kept warm in a rice cooker if you have one) and a simple salad.

We used small green birds-eye chillies with their seeds removed and while these were hot on their own they gave the right amount of background heat to each dish: think of it as a mild curry with a tiny, perfect kick.

If you prefer you can thread the chicken pieces onto kebab sticks before roasting. You will need to soak wooden sticks in water for about 20 minutes before using to stop them burning in the oven.

The Mint chutney was amazing and not only works with the chicken tikka but is also great with a roast or grilled lamb instead of the usual mint sauce/jelly.

Oven-roasted Chicken Tikka (Murghi na tikka) – serves 4-6 as a starter or with other dishes

  • rapeseed oil
  • 600g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat
  • 4cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 fresh green chilli, roughly chopped
  • salt
  • 130ml whole-milk yoghurt
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ¾ tsp cumin seeds, crushed
  • ¾ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp garam masala

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Line 2 oven trays and brush with a very light layer of oil.

Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put into a bowl.

Pound the ginger, garlic and green chilli with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, until it turns into a paste. Add the paste to the chicken, then add the remaining ingredients to the bowl along with 1¼ tsp salt. Mix well and cover. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes or in the fridge for a a few hours if you can.

Shake the excess marinade from the chicken and divide between the lined trays. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning once.

Serve with salad and the Mint & Yoghurt Chutney below.

Mint & Yoghurt Chutney (Fodina anna dahi nu chatni) – makes a small jar

  • 5 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 20g fresh mint
  • 1 fresh green chili, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • juice of ½ a lemon
  • a pinch of salt

Put the ingredients into a blender and whizz until mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

The chutney will keep for a day in the fridge if you want to make it in advance.

(Original recipes from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2014.)

 

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Middle Eastern Veggie Pizza

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 15 December 2016| Leave a Comment »

Middle-eastern Veggie Pizza.jpg

These were so easy and would make a great weeknight supper or lunch at the weekend. A great way to use up Turkish red pepper paste!

Wine Suggestion: we’d suggest a light red wine or dry rosé to compliment these. For a splash out we drank the Felton Rd Vin Gris from Central Otago. This is made from Pinot Noir juice, only in selected vintages and is very dry and textural with summer fruit flavours and aromas with hints of chervil, fennel and an earthy spice we can’t put our finger on. Together with the pizza it all came together to make us feel like we were on holidays, even though we aren’t!

Middle Eastern Veggie Pizzas – makes 5

  • 5-10 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (you could always use tomato paste)
  • pack of 5 large pitta breads or Middle Eastern flatbreads
  • ½ a bag of frozen spinach, defrosted
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 3 balls mozzarella, patted dry and torn
  • 5 eggs
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • small bunch basil
  • shaved Parmesan, to serve

Preheat your oven to the highest setting.

Put the  flatbreads onto baking trays and spread 1-2 tbsp red pepper paste over each one.

Squeeze the spinach with your hands to get as much water out as possible, then scatter on top, leaving a little space in the centre (to crack an egg into). Divide the garlic & mozzarella between the pizzas and season generously.

Carefully crack an egg into the middle of each pizza, into the space you made with the spinach, and season with nutmeg and some of the basil. Bake for 7 mins until the cheese has melted and the egg is cooked as you like it (you will probably have to cook them in batches).

Serve with a little more basil and some Parmesan shavings.

 

 

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Seta al jerez (Mushrooms with Sherry)

Posted in Food, Spanish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 12 December 2016| 2 Comments »

Setas al jerez

One of our local grocers had a pile of mushrooms of all sorts (it is the season) so we took the inspiration and had a delicious version of mushrooms on toast flavoured with sherry. Good quality sourdough, toasted, rubbed with a clove of garlic & drizzled with good olive oil to serve.

Wine suggestion: As we started with this for a much larger dinner with friends we opened a bottle of dry Oloroso sherry to accompany. We were lucky to have a bottle of the Hidalgo Oloroso VORS (average age 30yo) which was a complex, rich, nutty style of sherry with a wonderfully complex citrus peel, nutty and spicy nose. The palate is funky with profound, fresh, nutty, lemony complexity. The surprising citrus notes in the sherry lifted the mushrooms even further. Sherry of this quality is simply the best value fine wine in the world as we we kept on running out of descriptions of the taste, smell and finish of this.

Setas al jerez – Mushrooms with Sherry – serves 4

  • 400g wild mushrooms
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 150ml fino or dry, old amontillado sherry
  • a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth but don’t be tempted to soak or wash them in water.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes or until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Next add the sherry and nutmeg and cook for another minute, followed by the parsley, salt and black pepper.

Serve with toast that you have rubbed lightly with garlic and drizzled with your best olive oil.

(Original recipe from The Moro Cookbook, Ebury Press, 2001.)

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Circassian Chicken

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 5 December 2016| 2 Comments »

Circassian chicken

We’re not sure if we would would have ever made this except for having a load of walnuts and red peppers that needed used. Definitely one of the most interesting dishes we’ve cooked this year. We’ve had it warm and also cold; as a side dish and in a floury bap for lunch; a tasty starter and a midnight snack. Delicious every time.

Wine Suggestion: If you decide to eat this warm or cold you need the spice a red wine gives and a chill for freshness and vitality; 30 minutes in the fridge is sufficient, so chilled, not freezing! We’d recommend either a Spanish red, the Jesus Romero Rubus, a rarity from Teruel in Aragon or if you’d like to push the boat out Laurent Combier’s Cap Nord, one of the best Crozes-Hermitage we’ve tried in a long while. The link between these is Syrah, so if you find another one you like try chilling this and giving it a go with this dish.

Circassian Chicken – serves 3-4

  • 2 large skinless chicken breasts
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 200g walnuts halves
  • 1 slice stale white bread, made into breadcrumbs
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • small handful of coriander, chopped

FOR THE PEPPER DRESSING:

  • 1 tbsp red pepper paste/½ tsp sweet paprika & ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp salt

Put the chicken stock into a large pot with the chicken breasts. Bring to the boil, then simmer and poach for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Blitz 150g of the walnuts in a food processor to make a powder, then add the breadcrumbs and garlic with enough of the poaching stock to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until combined.

Pull the cooked chicken into long pieces and combine with the walnut sauce and chopped coriander. Drizzle with the red pepper dressing and decorate with the reserved walnuts.

(Original recipe from Venice to Istanbul by Rick Stein, BBC Books, 2015.)

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Turkish Red Pepper Paste

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 5 December 2016| 2 Comments »

Red pepper paste

This red pepper paste is used in loads of Turkish dishes. It’s a very useful paste to have in the fridge and is particular good on a pizza instead of tomato sauce. You can buy Turkish pepper paste in specialist shops but it’s very easy to make and will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Turkish Red Pepper Paste

  • 660g red peppers
  • 50g tomato purée
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 30ml olive oil

Roast the peppers for about 30 minutes at 220ºC/gas 7 until charred & soft. Put in a bowl and cover with cling film, then leave until cool enough to peel. Remove the charred skins, stalks and seeds. Blitz the roasted peppers with the other ingredients in a blender. Store in a jar in the fridge until needed.

(Original recipe from Venice to Istanbul by Rick Stein, BBC Books, 2015.)

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