Just like the real thing but without the béchamel sauce – surprisingly good!
Cheat’s croque monsieur – serves 2
4 tbsp crème fraîche
100g Gruyère, grated
a little freshly grated nutmeg
soft butter
4 slices of sourdough bread
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 thick slices of ham
green salad, to serve
Heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C.
Mix the crème fraîche with the grated cheese, then season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Butter the slices of bread on one side, then place on a baking tray, buttered-side up. Toast under a hot grill until golden.
Spread the untoasted side of two of the slices with mustard and top with the ham and half the cheese mixture. Put the other piece of toast on top, toasted side-up, and spread over the rest of the cheese mixture. Season with black pepper.
Put the tray into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers, BBC Books, 2023.)
Our new year’s resolution is to make more tarts and conquer our pastry fear which is largely due to lack of practice. We’ve started with this tart filled with melting onions and cheese. Serve with a green salad.
Wine Suggestion: we paired this with a wine that opitimises a balance between freshness, richness, minerailty and fruit: Soalheiro’s Alvarinho. Fresh and elegant with tropical fruit flavours cut with a minerally saltiness balances the cheese. Plus the sweetness to the slowly cooked onions complements the richly layered fruits in the wine.
Cheese & Onion Tart – serves 6
a sheet of short-crust pastry (we were so enthusiastic that we made our own but really no need)
1 egg, beaten
FOR THE FILLING:
5 large brown onions
50g butter
a small glass of white wine
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
120g cheese, the original recipe suggests Comté (we used a mix of Comté, Cheddar & Gruyère), coarsely grated
150ml full-cream milk
3 eggs
Thinly slice the onions and add to a pan with the butter, seasoning well with salt. Cover with a lid and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until sweet and very tender. It’s find to let them caramelise a little but don’t let them burn. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, remove the lid and allow this to bubble off. Add the wine, allow to cook off, then turn the heat off and allow to cool.
Lightly flour a cold surface and roll the pastry out to 3mm thick. Lift into a 25cm loose-bottom tart tin and use a little piece of dough to press the pastry into the tin and leave an overhang around the sides. Prick the base with a fork and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 170C fan.
Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Put the tin onto a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is firm. Remove the beans and paper, brush with egg and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until golden. Trim off any excess pastry with a knife.
Put 100g of the cheese into a bowl with the milk, cream, eggs and thyme and mix together. Season well, then add the onions and mix again. Pour most of the mixture into the pastry case but dont fill all the way to the top. Make sure the onion is evenly spread, then place into the oven. Carefully pour in the remaining mixture, making sure it doesnt overflow. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is caramelised and the middle has set. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
(Original recipe from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, Ebury Press, 2023.)
There are a few bits to this but it’s not complicated – trust the process and start the night before, dinner will be easy tomorrow. Serve with a green salad.
Wine Suggestion: We think this dish works really well with a fruit forward, medium bodied red like a Grenache. We’re particularly enamoured at the moment by Jesus Romero’s Rubus, a Garnacha Tempranillo blend made with minimal intervention. Good grapes that ferment themselves in tank, then left to settle for a few months and bottled with a touch of sulphur to keep it stable. Pure brambly red fruits with a purple fruited core, gentle spices and tannins and an easy, but complex nonetheless, finish.
Chicken, chorizo & spinach pie – serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
125g cooking chorizo or chorizo ring, skin removed and chopped
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
250g baby spinach
200g leftover roast chicken, shredded
4 tbsp crème fraîche
500g Maris Piper or similar potatoes
2 x 320g sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
plain flour, for dusting
125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
Make the filling first. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the chorizo for a few minutes or until the oil is released. Add the onions, season and cook for 10 minutes or until soft and starting to caramelise.
Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the spinach in batches, stirring until wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chicken and crème fraîche. Season to taste, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge.
Peel the potatoes and thinly slice. Boil in salted water for about 5 minutes or until tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the potato slices from the water and set onto a cloth-lined tray to dry and cool.
Unroll one of the pastry sheets on a floured surface and roll out to make a square shape, transfer to a lined baking sheet and cut out a 28cm diameter circle (a dinner plate will help with this). Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up.
Season the potatoes and lay a quarter of them onto the pastry circle, leaving a 2.5cm border around the edge. Next add a thrid of the chicken and chorizo mixture, then a third of the cheese. Repeat these layers, gradually forming a dome shape and finishing with a layer of potatoes.
Brush beaten egg all around the border.
Next, roll out the second sheet of pastry and drape over the top. Smooth over the filling and press the edges together to seal, then trim off the excess pastry and crimp the border. Brush with the egg and chill again – you can cook the pie at this stage or you can leave it in the fridge until tomorrow.
Heat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6.
When the oven is heated, brush the pie again with the remaining egg and score gently down the sides with a sharp knife. Cut a small hole in the top to let out the steam.
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4 and bake for a further 40 minutes or until golden brown and piping hot throughout (especially important if you’ve had it in the fridge for a long time). Rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
(Original recipe by Tom Mitchell-Dawson in Sainsbury’s Magazine, September 2023.)
We can’t get enough of St Tola, a delicious goats’ cheese from County Clare. Here it is with some courgettes and mint in a summery risotto.
Wine Suggestion: Something suitably summery and white, like Domaine Ventenac’s “Marie”. Made from Vermentino and Colombard this tastes of lemons with a hint of grapefruit plus white flowers, touches of green apples and an under-current of salty texture. Zippy and round with a fun and easy finish.
Courgette Risotto with St Tola & Mint, serves 4
1.5 litres vegetable stock
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a large bunch of scallions, very finely sliced
350g Carnaroli rice
a glass of dry white wine, Russel Norman suggests Sauvignon Blanc but we used a Vermentino-Colombard blend
2 medium courgettes, cut into quarters lengthways, then sliced into 3cm lengths
150g St Tola goats’ cheese
a large handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
a large knob of butter
the zest of ½ a lemon
Heat the stock and leave it simmering gently.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over a gentle heat. Gently sauté the scallions with a good pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until they are soft and shiny but not browned. Mix in the rice and make sure all the grains are coated in the oil. Turn the heat up a bit a pour in the wine.
Start adding a ladeful of stock at a time and gently stirring until absorbed before adding the next one. Keep going like this for 8 minutes.
Add the courgettes and stir to combine, then keep adding the stock for another 6 minutes. Crumble half the goat’s cheese and mix it in along with the mint. Stir well and cook for another 4 minutes or until the rice is al dente. Season to taste.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and remaining crumbled goat’s cheese. Fold these gently into the risotto, then cover and rest for a minute. Serve in warm bowls with some black pepper and lemon zest.
(Original recipe from Venice by Russell Norman, Fig Tree, 2018.)
There’s a few different ingredients in this Ottolenghi dish but they are worth seeking out. We’ve served this to friends a few times and it’s very popular. Serve with steamed rice and corn tortillas.
Wine Suggestion: A juicy red with gentle, warm, velvety spices is what we’d recommend, like a Grenache blend from the Southern Rhône. Romain Roche’s Cairanne is a current favourite; so smooth and effortless, but with great depth and expression. All velvety southern French sunshine and joie de vie.
Spicy chicken bake with blue cheese dressing – serves 4
15 dried cascabel chillies, stems and seeds removed
15g dried chipotle chillies, stems and seeds removed
3 limes, 2 tbsp juice and 1 cut into wedges to serve
150g celery, peeled and very thinly cliced
1 red chilli, roughly chopped with seeds left in
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
450g cooked rotisserie chicken, discard the skin and roughly tear into large pieces
20g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
5 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
150g buffalo mozzarella, roughly torn
FOR THE BLUE CHEESE DRESSING:
150g soured cream
100g cream cheese
100g Roquefort cheese or Gorgonzola, finely crumbled
1 tbsp whole milk
Put the chillies into a small bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Weigh down with a saucer and set aside for 10 minutes.
Put the lime juice, celery and a pinch of salt into a small bowl, mix well and set aside to pickle.
Drain the chillies and roughly chop. Put into a food processor with the fresh chilli, garlic and tomatoes, then blitz until smooth.
Heat the oven to 240C, or as high as your oven goes.
Put the oil into a large, shallow cast-iron pan and place over a medim-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and deeply browned. Add the whizzed chilli mixture, 100ml of water and 1½ tsp of salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add the cooked chicken and another 100ml of water and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander and two-thirds of the scallions.
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the blue cheese dressing along with a pinch of salt and mix to combine. Reserve half the mixture and dollop the rest over the chicken mixture. Top with the torn mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes or until browned and bubbling. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Stir the rest of the scallions into the pickled celery and spoon half over the chicken bake. Serve the rest of the celery, the blue cheese dressing and lime wedges on the side.
(Original recipe from Ottolentghi Test Kitchen Extra Good Things by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2022.)
Who doesn’t love squeaky cheese? This baked halloumi is good as a side dish with some roasted chicken thighs, or you could serve as a starter with some flatbreads.
Baked halloumi with lemon, thyme & honey – serves 2-4
250g block halloumi cheese
2 tbsp garlic oil
1 heaped tbsp clear honey
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon and juice of half
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes
flatbread, to serve
Heat your oven to 220C (200C fan), Gas 7.
Prepare a piece of tinfoil, large enough to completely encase the halloumi. Line the tinfoil with a square of baking paper and put the halloumi in the middle. Scrunch the paper tighly around the block, leaving only the top exposed.
Mix all of the other ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour over the halloumi.
Scrunch the foil around the halloumi to make a sealed parcel. Put the parcel into a small ovenproof dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove form the oven and serve with warm flatbread.
(Original recipe from Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster, 2022.)
We’ve a bumper crop of courgettes growing in pots in our back garden this year; the joy of loads of bright flowers followed by loads of yellow and green fruit, plus the challenge to eat them all. We picked a load of small courgettes for this dish and added the flowers too as we have them, but it is just as delicious with more normal sized courgettes found in shops and without the flowers.
Wine Suggestion: we’ve been seeking out old vine blends from the languedoc recently and just love how the best have a balance between fresh minerality, roundness, and a herbal stonefruit character. Like tonight’s juicy joy: Domaine Modat’s “de-ci de-la” Blanc which takes fruit from scattered small plots. We loved the sage and thyme scent and the juicy pear flavours cut through with summer sunshine.
Courgette and Broad Bean Risotto – serves 2
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
350g courgettes, cut into small dice
a pinch of chilli flakes
a pinch of grated nutmeg
2 scallions, finely sliced
zest of ½ a lemon
150g risotto rice
75ml dry white wine
750g warm vegetable stock or chicken stock
80g broad beans, podded and blanched for a minute, then skins removed
courgettes flowers (optional), remove the stamens and tear the petals into pieces
20g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
Heat the oil and butter in a large, deep frying pan. Add the courgettes, chilli flakes and nutmeg, and season well with salt and black pepper. Cook the courgettes for about 5 minutes or until the courgettes are golden and soft. Add the scallions and lemon zest and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes to coat the grains in the oil.
Pour in the wine and cook for a couple of minutes, until almost evaporated.
Add the stock, a ladeful at a time, and stir until the liquid is absorbed before adding another. Keep going like this for 20-30 minutes or until all the stock has been absorbed. Taste the rice it should be soft with a little bite in the centre.
Stir in the blanched broad beans and courgette flowers and warm through for a minute or two.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the Parmesan. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes with a lid on, then serve with extra Parmesan over the top.
A great combination and nice to cook something meat-free on the barbecue. Serve with naan breads – we get ours from the local takeaway. You need to get started a few hours ahead.
Wine Suggestion: Nothing complex or too heavy with this so focus on pleasurable fruit and balance. For us tonight Umani Ronchi’s organic Serrano. A Montepulciano – Sangiovese blend from Rosso Conero, in the Marches. Youthful and vibrant which suited us perfectly for a summer barbecued dinner.
Barbecued tikka paneer with fresh mango chutney – serves 4
150g natural yoghurt
3 tbsp tikka curry paste, we use Patak’s
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cm piece of ginger, finely grated
300g paneer, cut into 18 cubes
1 green pepper, cut into 18 pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 18 pieces
1 red onion, cut into 6 wedges
vegetable oil, for brushing the grill
a small handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
naan breads, to serve
FOR THE FRESH MANGO CHUTNEY:
left over red onion from the kebabs (see below)
1 large mango, finely diced
150g cherry tomatoes, finely diced
1-2 red chillies, finely chopped
a few sprigs of mint, leaves finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
juice of half a lemon
Put the yoghurt, curry paste, garlic, and ginger into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix together. Add the paneer and peppers. Peel off the outer 2-3 layers of each onion wedge and add these too (keep the rest for the chutney), then fold everything together gently. Cover and put into the fridge for a few hours, or if short of time leave at room temperature for an hour.
To make the mango chutney, finely chop the leftover onion and put into a bowl with the mango, tomatoes, chillies and mint and stir to mix. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice to taste, then set aside.
Get your barbecue on and hot, then brush the grill with vegetable oil to prevent the kebabs from sticking.
Thread the paneer, peppers and onions onto kebab skewers and cook for 12-15 minutes or until lightly charred.
Sprinkle coriander over the skewers and serve with the mango chutney and naan breads.
(Original recipe from Charred by Genevieve Taylor, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2019.)
a few leaves of oregano or basil, picked and chopped or torn
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of 2 small ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle some tomatoes into each and season with salt and black pepper. Set the pieces of feta on top, then top with the rest of the tomatoes, season again and drizzle with a little more oil.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Toast the sourdoubh and rub one side with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
Take the foil off the dishes, drizzle with the balsamic and sprinkle over the herbs. Serve the salad with the sourdough toast.
(Original recipe by Janinie Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, April 2016.)
Today was a sunny Sunday so we grilled aubergine slices on the barbecue, made this delicious veggie bake, and ate it outside. Happy days! Serve with garlic or crusty bread and salad.
Wine Suggestion: We think youthful, fruity reds are a joy with this dish and can’t pass up a chance to open a good Beaujolais. For this dish Domaine Rochette’s Régnié, a cru that is often overlooked and unfairly so. Bright and almost crunchy fruit that shouts just as much of sunshine as the Parmigiana.
Melanzane Parmigiana – serves 4 to 6
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing over the aubergines
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 thyme sprigs
8 large sage leaves, finely chopped
4 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp golden caster sugar or granulated sugar
6 large aubergines, sliced very thinly, lengthways
100g Parmesan, finely grated
85g white breadcrumbs
50g pine nuts
2 x 125g mozzarella balls, torn into small pieces
a handful of basil leaves
Get the sauce on first. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a wide saucepan, then add the garlic, thyme and sage and cook for a few minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, and simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Meanwhile, light your barbecue – a gas barbecue is particularly good for this as it’s easier to control the heat, you don’t want the aubergine to char before it’s softened. If you don’t have a barbecue (or if it’s not barbecuing weather) you can use a griddle pan instead.
Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil, then barbecue in batches until softened and lightly charred.
Mix 25g of the Parmesan with the breadcrumbs and pine nuts, and set aside.
Spread a little of the tomato sauce over the base of a large baking tray or lasagne dish. Top with a layer of aubergine slices, then season well. Spoon over some more sauce, then scatter over some mozzarella, Parmesan and bssil leaves.
Repeat the layers and finish with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle over the cheesey breadcrumbs. You can bake the dish now or stick it in the fridge for up to 24 hours and bake when you’re ready.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden and the tomato sauce bubbling. Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with salad and bread.
Lightly toast the sourdough on one side until golden.
Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic and spread onto the untoasted side of the bread, then top with the kimchi. Mix the cheeses together and sprinkle over the bread, pressing down gently. Grill for a few minutes until melted and golden.
Serve sprinkled with coriander, scallions and chilli.
(Original recipe from Australian Food by Bill Granger, Murdoch Books, 2020.)
A perfect lunchbox dish, keeping our December weekdays cheery.
Fried halloumi with oregano, orzo & pesto – serves 4
350g orzo
15g oregano, leaves picked
3 tbsp olive oil
250g halloumi, sliced
200g plum cherry tomatoes, halved
handful black olives, chopped
140g tub fresh pesto
Bring a pan of salty water to the boil and cook the orzo according to the pack instructions.
Meanwhile, mix the oregano in a small bowl with the oil and brush some over the halloumi.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the halloumi for a few minutes on each side or until golden.
Drain the orzo and mix in a large bowl with the tomatoes, olives and pesto, then season. Divide into lunchboxes, then top with the halloumi and drizzle over the rest of the oregano oil.
We have lovely friends who always bring a cheese course when they come to ours for dinner, and inadvertently we have ended up with a backlog of membrillo / quince paste. This is not a big problem as it keeps for ages, however it also gave us an opportunity to make this seasonal quiche from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi.
Wine Suggestion: This demands a big, well-balanced, but oaky Chardonnay. Splurge if you can on good Jura, or a Meursault; or like us tonight an old friend, the Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay. Full-bodied to cope with the richness, and texture and fresh acidity to also cut through this and provide a counterpoint.
Membrillo and stilton quiche – serves 6
1 medium butternut squash, about 700g, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
250g top quality shortcrust pastry
plain flour, for dusting
200g Stilton, for dusting
75g mebrillo (quince paste), cut into 1 cm dice
3 eggs
150ml double cream
150ml crème fraîche
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas 7.
Toss the cubes of squash with the oil and ¼ tsp of salt and some black pepper, then spread over a baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning once, until golden-brown. Leave to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 190C/170C fan/Gas 5.
Roll the pastry out on a floured work service until roughly 3cm thick and big enough to line a 24cm quiche tin with some pastry hanging over the edge. Line the tin with the pastry and prick the base with a for, then put into the fridge for 20 minutes.
Line the pastry case with baking parchment, then fill with baking beans and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and cook for another 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden-brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Spread the squash over the base of the pastry case, dot the Stilton between and sprinkle over the membrillo.
Put the eggs, cream and crème fraîche in a bowl with ¼ tsp of salt and some black pepper. Whisk together, then pour over the squash and cheese, leaving some of the filling exposed. Put into the oven for 40 minutes or until set, then remove from the oven and rest before removing from the tin and breaking off the over-hanging pastry. Serve warm.
(Original recipe from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2014.)
Try this for a tasty weekend brunch dish. Serve with toasted sourdough for mopping.
Baked green eggs – serves 2
100g baby spinach, roughly chopped
4 tbsp fresh pesto
100ml double cream
1 tbsp finely grated gruyère
2 eggs
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Mix together the spinach, pesto, cream and some seasoning, and tip into 2 shallow ovenproof dishes.
Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
Create a hollow in each dish with a spoon, then gently break in the eggs. Bake the dishes in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
The first thing to mention, is that this is not like the cauliflower in cheese sauce that we all know and love, but no less because of that. This dish is more set, more ‘eggy’ and has a distinctive tang from the soured cream. It also reheats particularly well, regular cauliflower cheese tends to split. So the verdict is that you should definitely give this a go – we served as a side with a dish of minty peas and lettuce and some baked ham. It could definitely work as a main either with a green salad or green veg.
Cauliflower gratin with soured cream – serves 4
a knob of butter, for greasing the dish
50g breadcrumbs
1 large cauliflower, about 1kg when the leaves have been removed, cut into medium-sized florets
350ml soured cream
125g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tsp mustard
2 tsp salt
1½ tsp black pepper
50g sunflower seeds
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Grease a ceramic baking dish with butter, then sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the florets for about 6 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, then steam dry in the warm pot for a few minutes and drain again on some kitchen paper to make sure no water remains.
Combine the soured cream, 100g of the cheese and eggs with the nutmeg, mustard and seasoning in a large bowl.
Put the drained cauliflower into the prepared dish, then pour over the soured cream mixture. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, covering with foil if it starts to brown too quickly.
Serve with the sunflower seeds scattered over the top.
(Original recipe from Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu, Frances Lincoln Publishing, 2020.)
This is a cheat’s version of the French classic and makes a great brunch/lunch.
Croque Madame – serves 2
4 large slices of sourdough
Dijon mustard
100g grated gruyère
4 slices thick-cut ham
butter
4 tbsp crème fraîche
2 eggs
Spread the sourdough with a thin layer of mustard on one side, then fill the sandwiches with half the gruyère and the ham. Spread the outside of the sandwiches with butter.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the sandwiches on both sides until golden.
Mix the crème fraîche with the rest of the gruyère and spread over the top of the sandwiches. Put under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
Serve with a fried or poached egg on the top.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2015)
We really miss cooking for friends and family which is what we do almost every weekend (and some other nights too!). So instead of prepping for the evening we’ve been making more of an effort at lunch. Last week we had these unusual quesadillas outside in the sunshine, sure beats lunch at the desk!
Spring onion quesadillas with guacamole salsa – serves 2
10 scallions, trimmed
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
2 soft flour tortillas
10 slices of jalapeño chilli (from a jar)
85g cheddar cheese, grated
1 avocado, halved, and peeled
small pack of coriander, plus extra leaves to serve
½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and sliced on the diagonal
2 Little Gem lettuces, cut into thin wedges (we used a bag of peppery salad leaves as that’s what we had)
Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender, then drain and run under cold water. Set aside to dry on kitchen paper.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a hot dry pan until slightly golden, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool.
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle the scallions with a tsp of the olive oil and season. Griddle for a couple of minutes on each side until lightly charred.
We find it much easier to lay the ingredients over half of the tortilla then fold over the top and cook on either side but you can lay all the ingredients on one tortilla, then top with the other one, it will be trickier to turn though.
Lay the spring onions over each tortilla. Sprinkle over the jalapeños and the cheese, then fold the rest of the tortilla over and press together, brush the outside lightly with oil. Cook in the griddle pan for a minute or two on each side or until the cheese has melted and the outside is crisp.
Meanwhile, whizz 1 tbsp of oil, the avocado, lime juice, coriander and 1 tbsp of water together to make a dressing. Season, then toss with the cucumber and lettuce. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and the rest of the coriander leaves. Serve with the quesadillas.
One benefit from working at home is all the nice lunches we can make. Mostly using bits and bobs from the fridge. These French toast sambos are great and you can experiment with the filling, though we reckon cheese is a must.
Fontina, prosciutto and sage-stuffed French toast – serves 4
8 slices of crusty bread
300g fontina (we used Gruyere), sliced
12 slices prosciutto
a few sage leaves
2 eggs, beaten and seasoned
butter for frying
Put layers of the cheese, prosciutto and sage onto 4 slices of the bread. Cover with the rest of the bread to make sandwiches, then dip into the beaten egg, soaking on both sides.
Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the sandwiches. Press down on them as they cook until browned on both sides and the cheese has melted.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2014.)
I don’t remember not knowing how to make this, and therefore presume that everyone else does too. Here’s the recipe in case you don’t have it in your head. Sorry about the imperial measurements but that’s how my Mum taught me.
Jules’ Cauliflower Cheese – serves 4-6
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 oz butter
2 oz flour
1 pint of full cream milk
3 large handfuls of grated mature cheddar cheese
Steam the cauliflower until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Start checking after 5 minutes and be careful not to overcook.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the flour and stir for a minute or two over a medium heat.
Start gradually adding the milk, just a splash at a time at first, and stir continuously. Add some more milk every time it has been absorbed. Careful not to rush this or the sauce can turn lumpy.
When all of the milk is in the sauce, it is important to continue to stir until the sauce has thickened and comes to the boil. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 2 large handfuls of grated cheese and some salt and freshly ground white pepper.
When the cauliflower is tender, drain it and return to the pan to steam dry, then tip into an ovenproof dish.
Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Put the dish under a hot grill for about 5 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on the top.
A quiche that wobbles, just set, is a wonderful thing and this almost oozes. It feels luxurious and decadent, despite having simple ingredients and we’d cook this in any season. We used a local flour mill, Dunany in Drogheda for a non-bleached plain flour which accounts for the colour in the crust. Serve with a green salad.
Wine Suggestion: our choice would be an Alsace Pinot Gris, or if you can find it a dry Muscat like Zind-Humbrecht’s Grand Cru Brand Muscat. Coming from the amazing Brand vineyard this is reliably dry and will redefine for you what Muscat is. Neither of us were fans of this grape, but as always, the right wine can change opinions.
If stuck open the latest vintage, but if you are able to wait a year, or two, or more this will reward you ten-fold. The musky spices, texture and flavours match the cream, cheese and pancetta in a way nothing else will quite achieve. Failing this a close second is a richer Pinot Gris, which may be easier to find.
Quiche Lorraine with butter pastry – serves 6
200g cubetti di pancetta
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
250ml double cream
200ml crème fraîche
100g gruyère, coarsely grated
FOR THE PASTRY:
225g plain flour
150g chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
Make the pastry first by putting the flour and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Whizz until it looks like breadcrumbs then add the egg yolk and 2½ tbsp of iced water and whizz until it comes together. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll the pastry out thinly and use to line a 20cm x 4cm deep, straight-sided, loose-bottomed tart tin. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the sides. Chill again for another 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
Fry the pancetta in a little olive oil until cooked then drain on kitchen paper. Beat the whole eggs, egg yolks, double cream and crème fraîche together and season.
Line the pastry tin with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Trim off the excess party with a sharp knife.
Turn the oven down to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
Scatter the bacon most of the grated cheese over the pastry base, add the egg mixture and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until just set and lightly golden. Leave to cool for a bit before serving.
(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes in Olive Magazine, April 2014.)
We really miss cooking for friends and family which is what we do almost every weekend (and some other nights too!). So instead of prepping for the evening we’ve been making more of an effort at lunch. Last week we had these unusual quesadillas outside in the sunshine, sure beats lunch at the desk!
Jono & Jules do food & wine 