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Creamy Chicken & Green Bean Pesto Pasta

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 20 August 2016| Leave a Comment »

Creamy chicken & green bean pesto pasta

Our garden is producing copious quantities of green beans, so we’re eating them with everything at the moment. This is also a great dish for using leftover roast chicken breasts – the legs, thighs and wings are more popular in our house!

Wine Suggestion: We really enjoyed a glass of the Domaine d’Albas Blanc with this dish, a less than usual combination of Vermentino, Viognier and Roussanne that really works; fresh and textured with nice stone fruit flavours and hints of exotic spice while remaining thirst quenching and moreish. From Minervois it is yet again another white from southern France that we’ve tasted recently showing how good white wines can be from this area – they’re often overlooked in favour of the reds. In good vineyards and with the right producer we’ve had a few crackers like this one, so we suggest keeping an eye out for more.

Creamy chicken & green beans pesto pasta – serves 4

  • 400g penne pasta
  • 250g green beans, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bunch of scallions, finely sliced
  • 2 large roast chicken breasts, shredded
  • 5 tbsp pesto
  • 3 tbsp double cream
  • a handful of grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack and add the green beans 6 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Drain and reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onions for a couple of minutes or until soft. Add the shredded chicken and warm through before stirring in the pesto and cream. Add the cooked pasta and beans to the chicken mixture and add a little of the cooking water to make a sauce. Season and serve with the Parmesan.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Broad Bean & Mozzarella Bruschetta

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 15 August 2016| 2 Comments »

Broad bean & mozzarella salad

A real taste of summer and a smashing way to start a dinner party. Serve on a big wooden board with a glass of something bubbly.

Wine Suggestion: Go white, go Italian, go fresh and textured. We’d recommend a good Pecorino from Abruzzo or Marches or maybe a Gavi or Soave.

Smashed broad bean and mozzarella salad – serves 4

  • 300g podded broad beans (you need about 1kg in their pods to get this amount) or 300g frozen broad beans
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 100g pecorino, grated
  • handful of mint leaves
  • handful of basil leaves
  • olive oil
  • sourdough/country style bread, 8 slices toasted (we toasted ours on the barbecue), rubbed with garlic & drizzled with olive oil
  • 2 balls buffalo mozzarella

Blanch the podded broad beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and pop the green bean out of the papery skin.

Smash the double-podded broad beans with a good pinch of sea salt in a big pestle & mortar. Add the lemon juice, pecorino and herbs (keep a few leaves to garnish) and 4tbsp olive oil and mix together. Season well and pile onto the toast.

Tear the mozzarella into chunks and set on top of the broad bean mash, Finish with another drizzle of oil, some black pepper and a few herbs.

(Original recipe by Ben O’Donoghue for BBC Olive Magazine, August 2005.)

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Pan-fried King Prawns

Posted in Food, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , on 12 August 2016| 2 Comments »

 

Pan fried king prawns

These are amazing!!!!! Pick up some prawns and make them tonight.

Pan-fried King Prawns (daeha jjiim) – serves 2 as a starter

  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp roasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 150g king prawns, shelled
  • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp roasted pine nuts, roughly chopped

Combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and honey together to make a sauce.

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a high heat. When it’s very hot, add the prawns and cook for a minute, then turn them over. Add the sauce and cook for another minute until cooked through.

Serve immediately with the spring onion and pine nuts sprinkled over the top.

(Original recipe from Our Korean Kitchen by Jordan Bourke & Regina Pyo, W&N, 2015.)

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Iranian-style pasta

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 8 August 2016| Leave a Comment »

Iranian Pasta

This dish from Yotum Ottolenghi is very different from the Italian pasta dishes that we’re all familiar with. As Yotam points out, Italy totally dominates the pasta scene when in fact there are pasta recipes from all over the place. Try this if you’re up for something way more exotic than spag bol.

Wine Suggestion: We chilled down a Spanish red to go with this, the Jesus Romero Rubus, a vibrant blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo and Syrah from one of the highest vineyards in Spain. Unoaked this wine has a delicious purity and an excellent length with deep plum flavours, hints of pepper and spice.

Iranian-style Pasta – serves 4

  • 3 large aubergines (1.2 kg in total)
  • 140g crème fraîche mixed with 60g of Parmesan
  • 75ml of olive oil, plus a bit extra
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 150g Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp dried mint
  • 500g linguine pasta
  • ½ tsp saffron threads diluted with ½ tbsp of lukewarm water
  • 10g fresh mint, shredded

Preheat the oven to 230ºC/210ºC Fan/Gas Mark 8.

Pierce the aubergines a few times with a sharp knife, then place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and roast in the oven for about 1 hour, or until the flesh is totally soft. Set aside to cool a bit, then cut in half and scoop out the flesh into a colander. Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes and discard the skin.

Put the crème fraîche and Parmesan mixture into a small saucepan with 75ml of water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stir, then set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cumin seeds and cook for 12 minutes or until soft. Add the aubergine flesh and garlic, along with 1 tsp of salt and some black pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes before adding the lime juice. Stir for a final minute, then remove from the heat.

Add the yoghurt to the crème fraîche mixture and heat over a low flame for 5 minutes. Watch the mixture carefully – stir regularly and don’t let the pan heat too much or the yoghurt may split.

Mix the dried mint with a tbsp of the oil and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water according to the pack instructions or until al dente. Stir 2 tbsp of the oil through the cooked pasta and divide between shallow bowls or plates. Drizzle over the mint oil, followed by the aubergine. Top with the crème fraîche and yoghurt mixture, followed by the saffron water, fresh mint & a final drizzle of oil. Serve straight away.

(Original recipe from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2014.)

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Cherry Tomato & Sausage Bake (for a tomato glut!)

Posted in Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 2 August 2016| Leave a Comment »

Cherry tomato & chipolata bake

Despite the simplicity of this dish it really showcases perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes; excellent when the garden is overflowing and you’re trying to think of recipes to use them all! One of our butchers does great, meaty and coarsely filled chipolata sausages which we used here, but Cumberland or coarse Italian ones work just as well. Leftovers make a great pasta sauce (see below).

It’s might be a bit early yet for Irish garden tomatoes but our friend Patty, who has just left Ireland to become the Garden Program Director at the University of the Pacific in Stockton California, has a huge tomato glut. So we promised a tomato recipe to help Patty, Michael, and the rest of the staff use up all the tomatoes.

Wine suggestion: Great with a robust and juicy red, don’t over complicate it and pick a moderately priced one. We’ve tried Southern Italian Primitivo’s, Barbera from the north, Cotes du Rhone, Spanish Tempranillo’s and Garnacha and a couple of juicy Aussie Shiraz’s. All work a treat. Californians won’t go wrong with a good Lodi Zin!

Sweet cherry tomato and sausage bake – serves 6

  • 2kg ripe cherry tomatoes, mixed colours if you have them
  • 2 sprigs each of thyme, rosemary & bay
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 12 good-quality sausages (see above)
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.

Put the tomatoes, herbs, oregano, garlic and sausages in a large roasting tray – big enough to take the tomatoes in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and make sure the sausages end up on the top, then bake for 30 minutes in the hot oven. Give the tin a good shake and turn the sausages over, then return to the oven for 15-30 minutes or until the sausages are at your desired level of stickiness (we like them pretty sticky!).

Lift the sausages out of the sauce, then put the tray on the hob and reduce the sauce to a nice thick consistency, before putting the sausages back in. Check the seasoning and serve with some warm bread and a green salad.

(Original recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie at Home, Michael Joseph, 2007.)

Cherry tomato & sausage penne

As the bake makes loads just chop up the leftovers the next day and reheat to serve with penne or another chunky pasta like rigatoni or macaroni. Delicious altogether!

Cherry tomato & suasage penne

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Mussels with Bayonne Ham

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , on 30 July 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mussels with Parma ham

Ham gives a nice salty twist to mussels so be careful when adding any additional seasoning. We have lots of herbs growing in the garden at this time of year and are always looking for excuses to use them.

Wine Suggestion: This was an harder match than expected given the combination of salty sea flavours and the richness of the ham. Given the layers of savoury flavours we complemented this with a dry Amontillado sherry, the Hidalgo “Napoleon” which has the Umami richness to match. It also has a great nuttiness that added something extra and also a very complementary hint of fresh sea air in it’s flavour.

Mussels with Bayonne ham – 3-4

  • 1.5kg mussels
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 50g butter
  • 1 shallot
  • 75g Bayonne or prosciutto ham
  • 1 clove of garlic, grated
  • 1 handful of mixed herbs – we used parsley, tarragon & chives
  • crusty bread to serve

Scrub the mussels clean and discard any that don’t close when tapped on a hard surface.

Add 2 tbsp of the wine to a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the mussels, cover and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes or until opened. Give the pan a shake every now and then and discard any mussels that remain closed. Take off the heat and strain in a colander over a large bowl to catch the liquid. Reserve the liquid and keep the mussels warm.

In the same pan, melt the butter and cook the shallot, ham and garlic for 4-5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the mussel cooking liquid and the rest of the wine wine. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half. Add the mussels and herbs and mix well, then season with black pepper.

(Original recipe by Rick Stein)

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Chicken with Caramelised Onion and Cardamon Rice

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 24 July 2016| 3 Comments »

Chicken Caramelised Onion & Cardamon Rice

Another Ottolenghi success which  has that comforting combination of crispy chicken skin and warm spices. Always a crowd pleaser in our house!

Wine Suggestion: we went for a Viognier made in the northern Rhone valley by Jean-Michel Gerin. It was just his “La Champine” IGP Collines Rhodaniennes but it was delicious and had exotic fruit and spice hints that matched and complemented the cardamon and cinnamon.

Chicken with caramelised onion & cardamom rice – serves 4

  • 25g currants soaked in a little lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, finely sliced
  • 1kg chicken thighs
  • 10 cardamom pods
  • ½ tsp whole cloves
  • 2 long cinnamon sticks, broken in two
  • 300g basmati rice
  • 550ml boiling water
  • 5g parsley, chopped
  • 5g dill, chopped
  • 5g coriander, chopped
  • 100g Greek yoghurt, mixed with 2 tbsp of olive oil (optional)

Heat half the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a bowl and wipe the pan clean.

Put the chicken into a large bowl and season with 1½ tsp of salt and black pepper. Add the rest of the olive oil, cardamom, cloves & cinnamon and mix well together with your hands. Heat up the pan again and add the chicken and spices. Sear for 5 minutes per side and remove from the pan. Don’t worry about any spices that stay in the pan. Remove all but a millimetre of oil form the bottom of the pan. Add the rice, caramelised onion, 1 tsp of salt & lots of black pepper. Strain the currants and add them too. Stir well and return the seared chicken and push it into the rice.

Pour the boiling water over the rice and chicken, cover and cook on a very low heat for 50 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, take the lid off briefly and cover the dish with a clean tea towel before replacing the lid. Leave untouched for 10 minutes. Finally, add the herbs and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and season if necessary. Serve hot or warm with the yoghurt if you like.

(Original recipe from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi, Ebury Press, 2012.)

 

Chicken with caramelised onion & cardamon

Chicken with caramelised onion & cardamon

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Pizza on the BBQ!

Posted in Barbecue, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 19 July 2016| 5 Comments »

So we’re back after a brief hiatus due to holidays and a broken laptop. In the absence of a pizza oven, we tried cooking pizza on our gas barbecue instead. The result was pretty good and produced a pizza-oven style crust that we never manage to achieve in the regular oven. Pizza dough is easy to make with a standing mixer and dough hook. You can chill the dough for a couple of days or freeze it.

Pizza Dough – for 4 pizzas

  • 500g ’00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried yeast (not fast-action)
  • 400ml warm water
  • oil, for greasing

Put the flour and salt in the mixer bowl and mix the yeast into the water. Wait 5 minutes to check that the yeast is working – little bits will start rising to the top.

Turn on the motor and pour in the liquid. Keep the speed on medium-high and it should come together in a ball. If the bottom is sticking tip in 1-2 tbsp of flour. Knead for 5-7 minutes until the dough is shiny and springs back when you press your finger into it. Try to avoid adding too much extra flour the dough should be slightly sticky.

Use oiled hands to remove the dough from the bowl and hook. Oil another bowl and put the dough in it. Turn the dough around to lightly coat it in the oil. Cover tightly with cling film and and a tea towel, then place in a warm, draught-free spot until the dough has doubled in size. It will take between 2 and 4 hours to rise depending on how warm a day it is. (If you don’t need the dough for a day or two, put it in the fridge straight away, take out 3-4 hours before using and punch it down before bringing together on a floured surface.)

Divide the dough into 4 pieces, then shape into balls – dusting in flour as they will be sticky. Keep the dough balls covered with a tea towel or cling film while you prep the toppings. (You can also freeze them in sealed bags. Thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature 3 hours before using.)

Use your fingers to gently stretch out the dough into pizza shapes. When they have stretched to about 16cm, put the disc over the tops of your hands and use them to stretch it to about 25cm. Ours was pretty wonky and ripped a bit but no matter.

Preheat the gas barbecue and turn down to medium-low so the bottom of the pizza doesn’t burn.

Put the pizza onto a floured baking sheet with no edge or a large wooden board. Slide the dough onto the grill, close the lid (if you have one) and cook for 3-4 minutes. The dough will puff up and is ready when the bottom-side has light brown stripes. Use tongs to pull the dough off and turn upside down.

Put the pizza toppings (see our suggestion below) on the cooked side and place the pizza back on the grill, uncooked side down, and shut the lid. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and remove when the cheese is melted and the toppings are hot.

(Pizza dough recipe from BBC Good Food)

Chorizo pizza with peppers & Manchego – enough for 2 pizzas

  • ½ quantity of pizza dough above, divided into 2 balls
  • 4 cooking chorizo sausages
  • 4-6 peeled plum tomatoes from a tin, drained
  • 100g Manchego, shaved
  • 100g mozzarella, cut into 2cm cubes
  • ½ Romero pepper, thinly sliced
  • pinch of chilli flakes
  • 2 handfuls spinach leaves

Prepare the dough as outlined above.

Thickly slice the chorizo and pan-fry until crispy. Remove and set aside. Cook one side of the pizzas.

Crush 2-3 of the tomatoes with your hands and drain in a sieve, then spread on the cooked side of the pizzas. Top with both cheeses, the pepper and chorizo. Season and add chilli flakes.

Grill, covered, until the cheese is melted. Finish with the spinach leaves and a few extra shavings of Manchego.

(Pizza topping recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Veal Cannelloni

Posted in Food, Party Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , on 13 June 2016| 2 Comments »

Veal Cannelloni

This is a delicious party dish from Croatia where the cooking has lots of Italian influences. Most veal these days is ethical rose veal (even in Italy, where they’re adamant it’s the traditional production methods) so don’t write off veal too quickly … it’s definitely worth trying.

Wine Suggestion: definitely drink a Croatian white if you can find one but failing that try a white from Eastern Italy, like a good Verdicchio or Pecorino.

Veal Cannelloni – serves 6

  • 250g dried cannelloni tubes
  • 300ml tomato sauce (see recipe below)

For the filling: 

  • 650g veal mince
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 45ml olive oil
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 15 turns black pepper
  • 300g fresh spinach, wilted over a medium heat, drained and chopped
  • 15 rasps of nutmeg
  • 50g Parmesan cheese, grated

For the béchamel sauce: 

  • 75g butter
  • 125g plain flour
  • 1 litre full-fat milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50g Parmesan/Pecorino

Make the filling by combining the veal, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulsing briefly to make a coarse paste.

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat, add the veal and cook until browned. Add the white wine, tomato puree, salt and pepper and keep cooking, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Stir in the spinach, nutmeg & Parmesan.

Next make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and slowly add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Return to the pan, add the bay leaf and stir until thickened. Add half the Parmesan/Pecorino and set aside.

Heat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.

Spoon a ladle of the béchamel over the base of a large greased rectangular baking dish. Spoon some of the veal into each of the cannelloni tubes (use both ends of a teaspoon to do this).

Arrange the filled tubes in a single layer in the dish and pour the tomato sauce over. Cover with the remaining béchamel, top with the remaining cheese and bake for about 40 minutes. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Venice to Istanbul, Penguin 2015.)

 

 

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Marinated Piquillo Peppers

Posted in Food, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 10 June 2016| 3 Comments »

Marinated Piquillo peppers

So easy to prepare, but the real key is getting top quality roasted peppers. If you can find Navarrico Piquillo peppers from Spain then rejoice. They are expensive but the tin is jammed full so you will get several tasty dishes out of it.

Wine Suggestion: This dish works great with an extra dry and savoury Sherry and our pick is a dry Amontillado which is salty, savoury, nutty and yet with super low acidity it is a perfect balance to the sweet, smokey and piquant peppers.

Pimientos del piquillo aliñados (Marinated piquillo peppers) – serves 4

  • 225g piquillo peppers (see above)
  • 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • a handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Drain the peppers and either leave whole or tear roughly. Toss with the rest of the ingredients, season with sea salt and black pepper, and leave to allow the flavours to come together for 30 minutes or so.

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

 

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Turkey & Courgette Burgers

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , on 6 June 2016| 2 Comments »

Turkey & courgette burger

These delicious burgers have taken over our neighbourhood, everyone is making them, and they should because they are delicious!

Wine Suggestion: a fresh, vibrant rosé suits the dish and the time of the year. Something like the Roc des Anges “Effet Papillon” rosé made from Grenache Gris really hits the mark with this.

Turkey & courgette burgers with spring onion & cumin – serves 4-6 (about 18 burgers)

  • 500g turkey mince
  • 1 large courgette, coarsely grated
  • 40g scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium egg
  • 2 tbsp chopped mint
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp cayenne
  • about 100ml sunflower oil for searing

Soured cream & sumac sauce:

  • 100g soured cream
  • 150g Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sumac
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Make the soured cream sauce by putting all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC Fan/Gas Mark 7.

Mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs, except the sunflower oil, together in a large bowl. Shape into small burgers – they should weigh about 45g each and you should aim for around 18 of them.

Pour enough of the sunflower oil into a frying pan to get a thin layer on the bottom, about 2mm thick. Heat well and sear the meatballs in batches over a medium heat on all sides. Cook for about 4 minutes, adding more oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the meatballs onto an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and cook in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over.

(Original recipe from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi, Ebury Press, 2012.)

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Rick Stein’s Venetian Ragú Bolognese

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , on 1 June 2016| 1 Comment »

Rick Stein’s Venetian Bolognese Ragú

We ♥ Pasta!

Wine Suggestion: We often advise to serve food with wine from the same region as they tend to naturally complement each other. This is never more the case than with Italian reds and tomato-based sauces. Italian red wines, such as Sangiovese, are high in acidity and are a perfect match for acidic tomato sauce; so find a good Sangiovese as you’ll need one for this recipe anyway – and it would be plain wrong not to drink the rest.

Ragù Bolognese – serves 6-8 

  • 1 celery stick, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 300g beef mince
  • 300g pork mince
  • 100g lean smoked bacon, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 15 turns black pepper
  • 100ml Sangiovese wine
  • 60ml water
  • 500ml passata
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • cooked tagliatelle & freshly grated Parmesan to serve

In a heavy-based saucepan, fry the celery, carrots and onion in the olive oil for about 10 minutes.

Add the beef, pork and bacon and brown. Season with the salt and pepper, then add the wine, water, passata, tomato puree and rosemary. Cook, covered, over a low heat for about 2 hours.

Serve with the cooked pasta and freshly grated Parmesan.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Venice to Istanbul, Penguin, 2015.)

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Lamb, Beer and Black Bean Chilli

Posted in Food, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , on 28 May 2016| 1 Comment »

Lamb, beer & black bean chilli

We are forever trying new chilli recipes in an effort to find the best one. Most of them end up fairly similar to be honest but this one was deliciously different and therefore a suitable dish to serve up to friends who also cook their own versions.

Wine Suggestion: we often think the wine used to cook a dish is a good match and in this case the beer used would work, especially if you’ve used one with character and a bit of body. Alternately a good Languedoc or Roussillon (southern French) wine makes a good match. If you prefer white wine there are some great Grenache blanc or Grenache gris wines – try the Roc des Anges “Llum” for an amazing textured and savoury white or the Domaine Gayda’s Grenache Gris Selection which is richer and full of round, seductive fruit. If you prefer red then seek out a bottle of Chateau Saint Jacques d’Alba Minervois for a velvety, deep and satisfying drop.

Lamb, beer & black bean chilli – serves 6

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 750g shoulder of lamb, cubed
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • ½ tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 x 400g tins tomatoes
  • 600ml lager
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
  • 3 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained and rinsed
  • juice of ½ – 1 lime
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • sour cream/Greek yoghurt
  • avocado
  • grated Lancashire/Wensleydale/Cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and brown the lamb in batches until well coloured on all sides, then remove and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook until golden, then add the garlic and chillies and cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the cumin and cook for a further minute. Return the lamb to the pot along with the tomatoes, lager, tomato purée, sugar, oregano and lamb, season well and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat immediately to a very gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1½ – 2 hours or until the lamb is tender. Stir in the beans halfway through.

Taste, then add the lime juice, scallions and coriander, then taste again. Season as needed and serve with soured cream, slices of avocado and grated cheese.

(Original recipe from Food from Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2010.)

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Chickpea Salad

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 16 May 2016| 3 Comments »

Moro’s Chickpea salad

If you are travelling to Spain on your summer holidays don’t leave without picking up some dried chickpeas. It takes no effort to soak them overnight and they are far superior to the tinned variety (though of course you can use these instead if that’s what you have). Serve this delicious salad all summer with grilled meat or fish.

Chickpea Salad – serves 4

  • 150g chickpeas, soaked overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, or 2 x 400g tins cooked chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
  • 1 large green chilli, seeded and finely sliced
  • ½ red onion, finely diced
  • a squeeze of lemon
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled and finely diced
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
  • small bunch each of mint and coriander, roughly chopped

Drain the dried, soaked chickpeas and rinse under cold water, then put into a large saucepan. Fill with 2 litres cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, skimming off any scum that builds up, and cook for 1-2 hours or until soft and tender. Take off the heat, pour off excess liquid until level with the chickpeas, and season well. Set aside.

Put the garlic, chilli, onion, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a small mixing bowl. Stir well and add the rest of the ingredients – the drained chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, mint and coriander. Taste for seasoning and chill before serving.

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

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Chicken, date & lentil pilaf with saffron butter

Posted in Cheese, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 25 April 2016| 2 Comments »

Chicken, date & lentil pilaf with saffron butter

This tasted luxurious and refreshing with the saffron butter and orange, top notch treatment for your leftover roast chicken!

Wine Suggestion: This called for an Alsace Pinot Gris, well more specifically the Bott-Geyl Pinot d’Alsace “Metiss” which is actually a blend of all the Pinot’s you can think of plus Pinot Noir to form a layered and textured wine with lovely freshness and hints of spice that brought out the saffron and orange flavours. Bott-Geyl are a brilliant, biodynamic producer and I think each vintage they build upon the past and deliver even more. This bottle we had lying in our cellar, so they age nicely for a few years, if you can resist, but don’t worry, they taste just as good fresh and young.

Chicken, date & lentil brown rice pilaf with saffron butter – serves 6

  • 15g unsalted butter, plus an additional 30g for the saffron butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 300g brown basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear
  • 700ml chicken stock
  • 12 dates, pitted and sliced thinly, lengthways
  • finely grated zest of 1 orange and juice of ½
  • 200g Puy lentils, rinsed
  • good squeeze of lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 350g cooked chicken, torn in to pieces
  • 25g chopped, unsalted pistachios or toasted flaked almonds
  • 4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves
  • generous pinch of saffron strands
  • 300g Greek yoghurt

Heat the 15g of butter in a heavy-based saucepan and sauté the onion until soft and lightly coloured. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another couple of minutes. Add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and starting to toast. Add the chicken stock, dates, and orange zest and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 30 minutes by which time the stock will have become absorbed. If it starts to look dry add a little boiling water.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils in lots of boiling water until tender. They can take between 15-30 minutes so keep checking to ensure they don’t turn to mush. When cooked, drain and rinse in hot water and add to the rice. Fork through, season with salt and pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and quickly reheat the cooked chicken, then season. Gently fork through the rice and lentils along with the nuts, coriander and orange juice. Taste again for seasoning.

Quickly make the saffron butter by melting the 30g butter in a pan, add the saffron and stir so the butter takes on the colour.

Put the rice on a serving platter, spoon on some yoghurt,  pour on the saffron butter and serve.

(Original recipe from A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2015.)

 

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Roast Pork Loin, Porchetta Style

Posted in Food, Pork, tagged , , , , , on 20 April 2016| 1 Comment »

Roast Pork Loin, Porchetta Style – serves 6

Our favourite way to eat this pork is carved as thin as possible and stuffed into crusty bread rolls with some mayonnaise and salad. You need to marinate the meat the night before.

Wine Suggestion: Rich, round and white plus you have to make sure there is a good freshness too to cope with the pork fat. Naturally a good, oaked Chardonnay calls out but we’ve also tried some more unusual wines like the Adi Badenhorst’s Family White which is an amazing blend of 10 grapes from the Swartland in South Africa. It’s quite like a St Peray white in style with hints of aromatics, stone fruit and crisp apples alongside a rich nuttiness and layers of texture. A bit of a wine anoraks wine but we love it.

  • 2kg loin of pork, off the bone with skin removed and about 1cm of fat left on
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 3 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 4 rosemary sprigs, leaves chopped, plus more for the roasting tin
  • about 8 bay leaves

Lay the pork on a board with the flesh side up. Pierce all over with a sharp knife and fill the holes with the slivers of garlic. Rub the fennel & rosemary all over the flesh, along with some olive oil, pushing some into the holes with the garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper. Made a bed in a roasting tin with rosemary springs and bay leaves and put the pork on top with the fat side down. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/425ºF/gas mark 7.

Tie the loin at intervals with kitchen string, not too tight. Put into the roasting tin fat side up on top of the herbs (make sure the herbs are well tucked under or they will burn) and cook for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4 and cook for 1 hour 40 minutes, basting occasionally.

Take out of the oven, cover with foil and rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Original recipe from Food from Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2010.)

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Baked Pappardelle with Pancetta & Porcini

Posted in Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , on 9 April 2016| Leave a Comment »

Baked Pappardelle with Pancetta & Porcini

What a delicious hug of a recipe, a sort of fancy baked pasta. The crusty baked top, cheese, mushrooms and smoky ham are enough to make two people very happy. We also learned that even after many years of perfect béchamel you’re never to old to balls it up and have to start again. It was worth it!

Wine Suggestion: with all the earthy porcini and the rich sauce with Parmesan this begs for a Nebbiolo with a little bit of age so you get some of the leathery, mushroomy characters emerging. Ideally pick a Barolo or Barbaresco from a good vintage, but equally joyful with something like the Pira Luigi Langhe Nebbiolo which also has lovely youthful morello cherry fruit with hints of roses and truffles to compliment the pasta. Significantly, and importantly, Nebbiolo also has high tannins to work with the rich proteins in the Parmesan and high acidity to cut through the rich cheese, pancetta and butter.

Baked pappardelle with pancetta & porcini – serves 2

  • 500ml milk
  • 20g dried porcini
  • 40g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 100g pappardelle pasta
  • 50g thinly sliced pancetta, cut in 2cm pieces
  • 4-5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6.

Warm the milk in a saucepan and soak the porcini in it for about 10 minutes. Drain the milk through a sieve over a bowl, pressing lightly on the porcini with the back of a ladle to extract all the milk. Set the mushrooms aside.

Rinse out the pan, then use to melt the butter. Tip in the flour, stir and cook gently for a few minutes without letting it colour. Pour in the porcini-infused milk and whisk vigorously until smooth. Cook over a very low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes or until thickened (not too thick). Season lightly with salt and generously with black pepper. Cover and set aside.

Cook the pasta in lots of salty boiling water until a little underdone. Drain, tip into a large bowl and mix with the sauce, porcini & pancetta pieces. Tip the mixture into a lightly-buttered dish and tap down lightly. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of Parmesan over the top and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbling and browned. Serve with the remaining cheese.

(Original recipe from The Good Cook by Simon Hopkinson, Random House, 2011.)

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Pork Souvlaki with oregano

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Pork, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 29 March 2016| Leave a Comment »

Pork Souvlaki with oregano

Have you got your barbecue out yet? We’ve had a few sunny days in Dublin and the cold breeze is gradually starting to ease; the clocks have gone forward and we’re looking forward to much more time spent outside. We have to confess to using the barbecue all year round and have been caught out in the snow or rain grilling up a feast and this is one of our favourite ideas. Nothing beats some good chips with your souvlaki.

Wine Suggestion: to celebrate the Spring sunshine we broke out a Provence rosé from Chateau Vignelaure, a lovely and serious wine that delivers a great texture and structure as well as summer fruit flavours to inspire us.

Pork Souvlaki with Oregano – serves 4

  • 400g pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes
  • 30ml lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • ½ tsp salt

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the meat. Marinate for an hour or so, then thread onto skewers. Cook on a preheated barbecue for about 10-12 minutes.

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

 

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Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Posted in Beef, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , on 23 March 2016| 5 Comments »

Spiced Meatballs in tomato sauce

We weren’t so sure about the cinnamon in this meatball recipe but it added a delicious warmth so don’t be tempted to leave it out or reduce the quantity. Much satisfied slurping!

Wine Suggestion: Tuscany beckons for this dish and the juicy red fruits of Morellino won this time to good effect. The MorisFarms (Spanish heritage but longtime settled in the Maremma in Tuscany) Morellino for our mind hits the spot and has an honesty and vitality of winemakers clearly part of their landscape. Bright red fruits and a delightful juiciness that only coastal Tuscany can deliver.

Spiced meatballs in tomato sauce – serves 6

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 oregano sprigs, strip off the leaves and discard the stalks
  • ½ tbsp tomato purée
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 900g beef mince
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • Cooked pasta to serve (allow 100g per person) .

Make the sauce first. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan together and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a bit of water if necessary. Taste and season.

For the meatballs, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft and pale gold. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for another 90 seconds or so. Put the cooked onion mixture into a bowl with the beef, spices and parsley and season really well. Use wet hands to form the mince into pingpong ball sized meatballs.

Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs in batches. They don’t need to be cooked the whole way through at this stage just nicely browned on the outside. Return all the meatballs to the pan, add the tomato sauce and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Stir the cooked pasta and meatballs together in a warm shallow bowl and serve.

(Original recipe from Food From Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2010.)

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Rick Stein’s Steak n Mushrooms

Posted in Barbecue, Beef, Food, Greek, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 21 March 2016| Leave a Comment »

Steak & Mushrooms

What could be better than steak, mushrooms & chips? Nothing too groundbreaking here but we do recommend taking some inspiration from the Greeks when cooking your mushrooms.

Wine Suggestion: We always fall for a big red when having steak and this dish caused us to try one of our 2009 Bordeaux’s lying waiting in the cellar; this time the Ch Capbern Gasquetton. Full of flavour and still very youthful but the seven years from vintage has brought it all together and made it a great match.

Grilled steak with village mushrooms – serves 4

  • 4 rib-eye or sirloin steaks (rib-eye would be our preference), about 250g each
  • 50ml olive oil, plus a bit extra for brushing on the steaks
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ a lemon
  • 200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 25ml balsamic vinegar

Brush the steaks with oil, season with salt, pepper and half the oregano, then grill on a hot barbecue until cooked the way you like.

Sauté the mushrooms in the 50ml of olive oil with the garlic, balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp salt, 20 turns of the black pepper mill and the rest of the oregano. Serve with the steak (and some chips if you like).

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

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