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Archive for August, 2024

Lettuce & Celery Salad and Blue Cheese Dressing

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 29 August 2024| 1 Comment »

We love a blue cheese dressing – the perfect thing for crunchy lettuce and super fresh celery.

Lettuce and blue cheese dressing – serves 4

  • 1 large butterhead, cos, or little gem lettuce
  • 1 head of tender celery
  • a small handful of chives, thinly sliced
  • a handful of pumpkin seeds

FOR THE DRESSING:

  • 150g soft blue cheese
  • ½ a small clove of garlic, finely grated
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp runny honey, plus extra to taste
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 2 tbsp good mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Make the dressing first by crumbling the blue cheese into a large bowl, then add the garlic, mustard honey, and vinegar and season with black pepper. Use a fork to mash to the cheese and mustard to a coarse paste, then work in the crème fraîche and mayonnaise. Stir in the olive oil and taste – add a bit of salt if you think it needs it or a bit more honey or vinegar.

Cut the base from the lettuce and separate the leaves. Wash and dry thoroughly.

Trim the base of the celery and separate the stems. Wash, dry thoroughly and trim the ends, then slice into 1-2cm pieces at an angle.

Tear the salad leaves into a large bowl. Add the celery and spoon over half the dressing. Turn the leaves and celery in the dressing, then sprinkle over half the chives. Arrange the leaves over a large platter and sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and spoon over the rest of the dressing. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and season lightly with black pepper and salt, then serve.

(Original recipe from Outside by Gill Meller, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2022.)

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Mussels on the Barbecue

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 28 August 2024| 2 Comments »

We’ll cook anything on the barbecue and these mussels come highly recommended! Serve in the foil package with plenty of crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: Muscadet all the way, but given you get a little more with the smokey barbecue flavours coming through we’d suggest one with a bit more oomph like Jérémy Huchet’s Clos les Montys which is grown on a very particular blue-green bedrock giving the wine depth and substance.

Mussels on the barbecue – serves 2

  • 50g softened butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • 2 shallots, finely sliced
  • 1 kg mussels
  • 1 small pack parsley, roughly chopped
  • 125ml white wine
  • 100ml double cream
  • crusty bread, to serve

Mix the butter and garlic with a big pinch of salt.

Heat the barbecue until the coals are white. Lay a sheet of tin foil, about 60cm long on the work surface, then put another sheet the same size on to, then add a third sheet about 30cm long acorss the middle to form a cross shape. Spread the shallots in the middle of the foil, pile the mussels on top, dot the garlic butter all over, then scatter over half the parsley. Season, then fold the foil in at the sides to create a bowl.

Pour the wine into the foil bowl and then seal it securely by scrunching the foil together at the top. If you need an extra sheet of foil to encase the whole parcel at this stage then do so.

Carefully place the parcel on the barbecue coals and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully open the parcel and check the mussels have opened. Pour in the cream, then cover the barbecue with a lid to cook for a few more minutes.

Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve with crusty bread.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Crispy Chicken Thighs with Peas and Herbs

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 27 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

With the erratic weather we’re not doing nearly as much outdoor cooking as we’d usually at this time of year. To keep up our spirits this indoor dish was light and summery. Serve with some new potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: A fun and inexpensive Verdicchio from Umani Ronchi, their Villa Bianchi, which despite it being light and easy going shows the class that the whole range they make has. Summery fun in a glass.

Crispy chicken thighs with peas and herbs – serves 4

  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 shallots, halved and sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 300g frozen peas (or freshly podded if possible)
  • 3 sprigs of tarragon, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 2 springs of mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 30g cold butter, cut into cubes

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

Trickle the olive oil over the chicken thighs and season both side with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over a medium heat, then place the thighs skin-side down in the pan and leave to cook for 15- 20 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown.

Transfer the thighs, skin-side up, to an oven tray and bake in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the sauté pan back over a medium heat. When it’s hot add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Pour the stock into the pan and scrape all the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the stock to a simmer and cook reduce by half. Add the peas and herbs and cook for a few minutes until the peas are tender. Add the cold butter and stir until amalgamated into the sauce.

Remove the chicken from the oven and add the thighs to the pan with the peas, pouring over any juices on the tray. Stir and season with salt and pepper, then serve.

(Original recipe from Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, Bloomsbury, 2024.)

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Avocado Butter on Toast with Tomato Salsa

Posted in Brunch, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 26 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

So much more than avocado on toast. A delicious recipe from Ottolenghi Simple.

Avocado butter on toast with tomato salsa – serves 4

  • 2-3 ripe avocados, you want about 250g of scooped out avocado
  • 60g unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
  • 3 limes, you need 1½ tbsp finely grated lime zest and 1½ tbsp lime juice
  • 10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
  • 10g dill, roughly chopped
  • 200g cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 tsp capers, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices of sourdough
  • 1 small garlic clove, halved
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed

Put the avocado flesh, butter, half the lime zest, half the lime juice and ½ tsp salt into a blender or small bowl of a food processor. Whizz until smooth, then transfer to a bowl along with two-thirds of the herbs. Fold the herbs through then put into the fridge for 10 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes, capers, remaining lime zest & juice and the olive oil with plenty of black pepper. Set aside.

Toast the bread and rub one side with the garlic. Leave the bread to cool slightly then spread each slice with avocado butter and top with the tomato salsa. Sprinkle over the remaining herbs and the crushed cumin.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi, Tara Wrigley & Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)

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Barbecue Lamb Koftas

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 24 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s been a funny year for the barbecue, lots of bad weather and then when it turns nice it’s often not in the forecast. Surely, we are due some nice back to school weather and you’ll have the opportunity to cook these tasty koftas.

Wine Suggestion: From an incredibly awarded, but always under the radar Clare Valley winery is Kilikanoon’s Killermans Run GSM. We’re always amazed at the amount of depth and finesse this wine has. With a full-body, but complete balance, this finishes superbly long and weightless. Bravo!

Lamb koftas – serves 4

  • a little vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 800g lamb belly, minced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tsp ras el hanout
  • 1 tsp ready-made mint sauce
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander
  • lemon wedges and coriander leaves, to serve

Heat the oil in a frying pan on the hob and fry the onion over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Remove the onion from the heat and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, grind the spices and salt together using a pestle and mortar until you have a fine powder.

Put the lamb into a big bowl with the cool onion, garlic, ground spice mix, ras el hanout, mint sauce, lemon zest and herbs. Mix well with your hands.

Divide the mixture into 8 and roll each piece into a sausage-shaped kofta. Lay the koftas on a lined tray and chill in the fridge for an hour to firm them up.

Meanwhile, get your barbecue fired up and ready to cook on.

Place the koftas on the edges of the barbecue so they are over a medium heat – if you put them over the direct flame you might create a blaze when the fat drips off. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning regularly.

When the koftas are cooked, serve them on a platter with some lemon wedges and coriander leaves.

(Original recipe from Tom Kerridge: Outdoor Cooking, Bloomsbury Absolute, 2021.)

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Balsamic Roast Potatoes

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Potato, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 23 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

We’ve been trying to change up our potatoes and especially liked these balsamic and red onion roasties by Theo Randall.

Balsamic-roasted potatoes with red onion – serves as a side

  • 800g potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
  • 6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 100ml balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp thyme leaves
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C.

Put the potatoes into a large pan, cover with water, and add 1 tsp of salt. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then add the garlic cloves and boil for 2 minutes. Drain the potatoes and garlic and leave to cool to room temperature.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter and onions. Cook for 10 minutes on a low heat or until the onions have softened. Add the balsamic vinegar and thyme, then increase the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until syrupy. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, add the potatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Coat the base of large roasting tin with oil and tip the potatoe mixture in. Bake for about 30 minutes, giving the tin a shake halfway through, until nicely caramelized.

Toss the potatoes in the tin before transfering to a serving dish.

(Original recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall, Quadrille, 2021.)

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Jacket Potato Tonnato

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 22 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

Tonnato is one of our favourite sauces and it works amazingly well with soft-boiled eggs and jacket potatoes. We take this back; Tonnato is Jules’ absolute favourite sauce … so we just had to try this dish!

You can make the sauce earlier in the day and leave it in the fridge.

Wine Suggestion: taking us back to our honeymoon when we stayed at the winery is Felsina’s “I Sistri” Chardonnay and a good match indeed with the nutty, toasty character really complementing the fresh capers, rich egg and velvety sauce.

Jacket Potatoes with Tonnato Sauce – serves 4

  • 4 large baking potatoes
  • olive oil
  • 4 large eggs, soft-boiled (cook in already boiling water for 6½  minutes, then run under cold water) and peeled

FOR THE TONNATO SAUCE:

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 25g parsley, roughly chopped
  • 120g good quality tinned tuna in oil, we like Ortiz or Shines
  • 20g baby capers (or chop larger ones)
  • 2 anchovy fillets in oil, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 180ml olive oil

Heat the oven to 220C fan.

Rub the jacket potatoes with a little olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Put them on a tray and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200C fan and cook for another hour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the egg yolks in the bowl of a food processor with the lemon juice, 20g of the parsley, the tuna, half the capers, the anchovies and the garlic. Blitz to a rough paste, then scrape down the sides with a spatula. Now keep the machine running while you slowly trickle in the olive oil in a steady stream, the consistency should be like thin mayonnaise. Put this in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

When ready to serve, slice the potatoes down the middle and sprinkle inside with a little salt (we also add some butter but you don’t have to). Spoon the sauce over the potatoes and top with a halved egg. Sprinkle over the rest of the capers and parsley, then serve.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi, Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)

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Miso Mushrooms with Udon Noodles

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 21 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

A great weeknight veggie dish with big flavours and minimal effort. While it doen’t look like much the udon noodles provide a wonderful counter-balance to the rich, salty, umami packed mushrooms, soy and sesame.

Wine Suggestion: This was a tough one to match and while we would have loved to try a Pinot based Champagne, like Laurent Lequart’s Blanc de Meunier, it was a weeknight and thought this was a bit much. However an excellent value northern Rhône, the Domaine Gerin La Champine Syrah, came to the rescue with an earthy, leathery character full of complementary pepper and pure fruit flavours.

Miso mushrooms with udon noodles – serves 4

  • 3 tbsp miso paste
  • 3 tbsp mirin
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 large portobello mushrooms
  • 450g straight-to-wok udon noodles
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 4 scallions, finely sliced

Heat the oven to 180C.

Place the mushrooms on a large sheet of tin foil on a baking tray. Scrunch up the sides to create a sort of bag.

Mix the miso, mirin, soy, garlic and half the sesame oil together until smooth. Pour over the mushrooms and turn them over to coat in the mixture. Scrunch the tin foil to close the packet and bake for 30 minutes.

Just before the mushrooms are ready, get your wok on and heat the remaining splash of sesame oil. Toss the udon noodles in the wok until hot, then divide between 4 bowls. Spoon over the mushrooms and sauce and serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Clams with Fino Sherry and Serrano ham

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 20 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

We sometimes find clams hard to find, but can’t resist them when we do. Here they’re cooked with dry sherry and salty serrano ham – a super combination.

Wine Suggestion: we were tempted to have a glass of the Fino sherry with this and weren’t disappointed. Fino and it’s alter ego Manzanilla have a purity and focus that suit this dish while retaining that classic umami saltiness that the clams and serrano also bring. A taste of the Altantic coast in southern Spain.

Clams with fino sherry and serrano ham – serves 4 as a light dish

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½  onion, very finely chopped
  • 500g clams, rinsed well and discard any open ones that won’t close when sharply tapped
  • 50g serrano ham
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 100ml fino sherry
  • a handful of flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a medium pan with a lid and cook the onion for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the ham and garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the clams to the pan with the sherry and bring to the boil, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the clams have opened (chuck any that don’t open). Serve immediately with the parsley.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Tomato, Olive, Mozzarella & Artichoke Tart

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 19 August 2024| 2 Comments »

We love a good pizza … but there are times we just can’t be bothered lighting our little pizza oven and getting it up and running … or the weather defeats us! This is essentially pizza toppings on pastry and makes a great substitute. Plus we got to use the jar of artichokes we’d lugged from Spain last holiday.

Wine suggestion: a wine we’d also brought home from our holiday, Luis Moya Tortosa’s Kimera, an old-vine Grenache from Navarra. Minerally, vibrant and expressive.

Tomato, mozzarella, black olive & artichoke tart – serves 4

  • 2 x 320g ready-rolled puff pastry sheets
  • 300g tomato sauce (you can make your own or use a good brand)
  • 2 x 125-150g mozzarella balls, sliced
  • a handful of pitted black olives, halved
  • 8 to 10 artichoke hearts from a jar, halved
  • 60g Parmesan, finely grated
  • a handful of basil leaves

Heat the oven to 230C/Fan 210C.

Unroll the puff pastry sheeets onto a couple of baking trays and prick them all over with a fork.

Spread the tomato sauce over the pastry, then top with the mozzarella, olives and artichokes. Add half the grated Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, then sprinkle with the basil leaves and the rest of the Parmesan and serve immediately. It’s as easy as that!

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers, Ebury Publishing, 2023.)

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Pappardelle with Sweet Leeks and Mascarpone

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 18 August 2024| Leave a Comment »

You really don’t need a recipe for this but a bit of inspiration for something stress-free can sometimes be helpful.

Wine Suggestion: a classic, oaked Chardonnay, like Chateau de Beauregard’s Pouilly Fuissé. Both mineral and fresh, and with a roundness and textured from the light oak use and time on lees. A great wine to accompany food, but never over-power it.

Pappardelle with sweet leeks and mascarpone – serves 4

  • 1 small knob of butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 medium-sized leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced at an angle
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 200g mascarpone
  • 400g fresh pappardelle
  • a handful of grated Parmesan

Warm the butter and olive oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the leeks and garlic, then cover and leave to sweat over a gentle heat. It’s difficult to give timings as it really depends on the leeks but keep cooking until they are meltingly soft but not at all coloured. Add the mascarpone and allow it to melt to make a thick sauce, then season with salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of salty boiling water until al dente. Scoop the pasta straight from the pot into the leeks and stir to coat the pasta, you will probably need a few splashes of cooking water to loosen the sauce and make it cling to the pasta.

Serve in warm bowls with plenty of grated Parmesan.

(Original recipe from The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 1999.)

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