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Charentais Melon Salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 29 June 2015| 5 Comments »

Charentais Melon Salad

We’re just back from a camping trip to the Loire Valley and this is one of the many delicious things we prepared at our tent. We brought Rick Stein’s French Odyssey along for inspiration and have him to thank for this fabulous summer salad. Make it for a starter or light lunch with some French bread to mop the plate.  A glass of white wine is also obligatory.

Wine Suggestion: We’d found a gem of a wine in the Chateau Moncontour Vouvray Sec which hit the spot with this dish. A lively and dry Chenin Blanc which had fresh appley fruit, and a crispness and minerality that worked with the Chèvre and sweetness of the melon. Summer in a glass as well as on the plate.

Charentais Melon Salad – serves 4

  • 1/2 a ripe, orange-fleshed melon (Charentais or Cantaloup)
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 225g vine ripened tomatoes (skinned if you like – we didn’t bother)
  • 100g firm, crumbly goat’s cheese
  • 1 tbsp finely shredded mint

For the dressing:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Pinch caster sugar

Whisk the oil, vinegar, sugar and some salt and pepper together to make the dressing (a fork in a mug will do the trick if you’re short on utensils).

Cut the melon into four wedges and scoop out the seeds. Remove the skin and slice each wedge into long thin slices.

Peel the cucumber and slice into 3mm thick wedges. Slice the tomatoes.

Arrange the sliced melon on a large serving platter and cover with the cucumber and tomatoes. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the top and scatter over the mint. Spoon over the dressing and serve.

(Original recipe from Rick Steins’s French Odyssey, BBC Books, 2005).

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Turkish Kofte Kebab with Tomato Sauce & Yoghurt

Posted in Food, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 19 May 2015| 1 Comment »

Kofte kebab

This Turkish kebab dish, from Claudia Roden’s wonderful book Arabesque, is very simple to make but you need to be organised and assemble the dish at the last minute so the layer of crunchy pitta bread at the bottom of the dish stays crisp. Claudia’s tips are to serve the tomato sauce and meat very hot but the yoghurt at room temperature.

Yogurtlu Köfte Kebabi or Turkish Kofte Kebab with Tomato Sauce & Yoghurt – serves 4

  • 2 pitta breads
  • 750g minced beef or lamb
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 50g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sumac plus an extra pinch
  • 500g full-fat natural yogurt
  • 2 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 tbsp pine nuts

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 chilli pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 750g tomatoes, peeled and chopped (if it’s not tomato season use the equivalent of good quality tinned tomatoes instead)
  • 1-2 tsp sugar

Start with the tomato sauce. Fry the onion in the oil until soft. Add the garlic and chilli pepper, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and sugar, and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until they soften.

Open out the pitta breads, toast until crisp, then break into small pieces with your hands.

Next make the kofte kebabs. Season the mince with salt and pepper, and use your hands to work into a soft dough. Add the onion and parsley and work into the meat. Shape into sausages, about 2cm thick and 7cm long. Arrange on an oiled sheet of foil on a baking sheet and cook for about 8 minutes under a pre-heated grill, turning once, until well browned but still pink and moist on the inside. Or if you prefer (as we do) you can grill on a barbecue.

Spread the toasted pitta pieces over the bottom of your serving dish and sprinkle over a pinch of sumac. Pour the hot tomato sauce all over and top with a layer of yoghurt beaten with a fork.

Heat the butter or oil with the pine nuts and stir in the teaspoon of sumac. When the butter or oil sizzles, sprinkle all over the yoghurt, arrange the meat on top and serve immediately.

(Original recipe from Claudia Roden’s Arabesque, Michael Joseph, 2005.)

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The essentials: River Café Tomato Sauce

Posted in Food, Italian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 8 May 2015| Leave a Comment »

River Café tomato sauce

 

We have two tomato sauces in our repertoire that we rely on; both are delicious but have a slightly different character. This is the one we have adopted from the River Café in London which is quicker (though we wouldn’t describe it as quick exactly) and incorporates a rich onion base. We keep a stack of takeaway tubs full of tomato sauce in the freezer for whenever pizza, pasta, or any other tomato-flavoured dish calls. Top quality tinned tomatoes are essential and we find the Italian brands are best.

Sugo di Pomodoro a Fuoco Lento or Slow-Cooked Tomato Sauce

  • 2 x 800g tins plum tomatoes, drained of their juices
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 medium red onions, peeled and sliced very thinly
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions. Reduce the heat and cook until very soft, at least 40 minutes. Add the garlic about 5 minutes before the end.

Add the tomatoes and stir to break up. Season with salt and pepper and cook slowly for at least 90 minutes, giving it a stir every now and again. The oil will eventually come to the surface and the sauce will be dark red and very thick with no remaining juice.

(Original recipe from The River Cafe Cookbook by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, Ebury Press, 1995.)

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Jerk Pork with Rice & Peas

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Pork, tagged , , , , , on 5 May 2015| Leave a Comment »

Jerk Pork with rice & peas

A great guy called Alistan is a regular in one of our favourite lunch spots, Ukiyo, and we were tipped off that he had his own Jerk marinade, Munroes. We put it on some pork chops and added a Jamaican classic, Rice & Peas (Rice and Beans), which worked brilliantly and we will be definitely giving this marinade a go again. We have subsequently tried it with a few other meats like chicken and lamb and it proved itself very versatile.

If you live in Dublin you can buy Munroes Jamaican Jerk Marinade in Fallon & Byrne. For a full list of stockists see munroes.net.

Jerk Pork with Rice & Peas – serves 6

  • 6 pork chops
  • Monroes Jamaican Jerk marinade

FOR THE RICE & PEAS: 

  • 200g basmati rice
  • 400g can of coconut milk
  • 1 bunch of scallions, sliced
  • 2 large thyme sprigs
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 x 410g cans kidney beans, drained

Pour a generous amount of the Jamaican Jerk marinade over the pork chops and turn a few times to make sure they are well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least a couple of hours.

Light your barbecue a good half hour before you’re ready to cook and cook the pork when the coals are white hot. Meanwhile, prepare the rice and peas.

Rinse the rice in plenty of cold water and tip into a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients, except the kidney beans. Season with salt, add 300ml cold water and set over a high heat. When the rice begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the beans to the rice, then cover with a lid and leave off the heat for 5 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Serve the rice with the Jerk pork off the barbecue.

(Recipe for Rice & Peas by John Torode for BBC Good Food)

Munroes jerk marinade

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Bayonne Ham with Pine Nuts & Piquillo Peppers

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 27 April 2015| Leave a Comment »

Piquillo pepper crostini

These are very simple to assemble and make delicious canapés. We highly recommend that you seek out Spanish canned piquillo peppers, they have much more flavour than regular jarred roasted peppers. They will cost you a bit more but we reckon it’s worth it in this instance.

Bayonne ham with pine nuts and piquillo peppers – makes 10

  • 50g pine nuts
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 slices of baguette
  • 1 bunch of fresh coriander
  • 10 canned piquillo peppers
  • 5 thin slices of Bayonne (or other dry-cured ham), halved

Dry fry the pine nuts in a small frying pan , stirring often, for about 2 minutes or until golden, then transfer to a plate.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the slices of baguette, in batches, and fry on both sides until golden. Sprinkle with half the coriander leaves.

Stuff the piquillo peppers with the pine nuts and the remaining coriander.

Put a piquillo pepper onto each slice of fried bread, cover with half a slice of ham and sprinkle with the remaining coriander.

(Original recipe from Pork & Sons by Stéphane Reynaud, Phaidon, 2007.)

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Pork, Chorizo & Spinach Paella

Posted in Food, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 13 April 2015| 2 Comments »

Pork, chorizo & spinach paella

A delicious paella recipe by Tamazin Day-Lewis (inspired by Sam & Sam Clark of Moro). This is easy to cook and uses relatively cheap ingredients. It has already appeared on our table a few times since this picture was taken.

Wine Suggestion: This dish is full of flavour so you will need a similarly flavoursome wine. A Spanish red from Ribera del Duero would make a great match.

Paella with Pork, Chorizo and Spinach – serves 4 

  • 7 tbsp olive oil
  • 340g pork fillet, halved lengthways and sliced into strips
  • 110g mild chorizo, cut into small pieces
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 1 large green pepper, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 225g calasparra rice
  • 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
  • 4 piquillo peppers (we like the tinned Spanish ones)
  • 850ml hot chicken stock
  • 500g spinach, washed and drained
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat the oil over a high heat in a paella or large frying pan, then stir-fry the pork strips for a few seconds so they are still undercooked. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Lower the heat and fry the chorizo for a minute. Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir the rice into the pan and toss for about a minute until coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper, then add the paprika and peppers followed by the hot stock. Simmer for 15 minutes or until there is just a thin layer of liquid around the rice.

Meanwhile, wilt the spinach briefly in a pan, then drain and remove it. Scatter the pork over the rice followed by the spinach and gently push them partly into the oily liquid using the back of a spoon. Turn the heat off, then cover the pan tightly with foil and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges.

(Original recipe from Tamasin’s Kitchen Bible by Tamasin Day-Lewis, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005.)

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Moong dal

Posted in Food, Indian, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 6 April 2015| 2 Comments »

Moong dal

This is Madhur Jaffrey’s “everyday moong dal”, the one she serves regularly to her family and friends alike. It is quite a wet style which we really liked. Serve alongside your favourite curry; it was particularly good with the pea & cauliflower one below.

Moong dal – serves 4-6

  • 200g moong dal (skinned and split mung beans), washed and drained
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
  • 1/8 tsp ground asafoetida
  • ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1-2 whole hot, dried red chillies (we used 1 tsp dried chilli flakes)
  • 1 medium shallot, peeled and cut into fine slivers

Put the moong dal in a medium saucepan, add 800ml water and bring to the boil.

Skim off the white froth and stir in the turmeric.

Cover partially, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Stir in the salt, then turn off the heat.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat, then quickly add the asafoetida, cumin seeds and chillies in that order. As soon as the chillies start to darken (a few seconds), quickly pour the contents of the pan over the cooked dal. Stir to mix through.

(Original recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Easy, Ebury Press, 2010.)

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Irish Potato Cakes

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 6 April 2015| 2 Comments »

Potato cakes

We sorely miss potato farls which you can buy in every bakery in Belfast and are so delicious with bacon for breakfast or brunch. It was a delight to find such a good and easy recipe. You have to make these with hot potato so it’s fine to use leftover mash but make sure you re-heat it.

Potato cakes 

  • 450g potatoes, steamed and put through a mouli-légumes or potato ricer
  • 110-140g flour sieved with a tsp of sea salt
  • 45g unsalted butter

Work the ingredients together with your fingers, then roll out the dough lightly into thin circles with a very well floured rolling pin. Cut with a scone cutter into circles and fry in a little butter until browned.

Serve hot with more butter and some crispy bacon.

(Original recipe from Tamasin’s Kitchen Bible by Tamasin Day-Lewis, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005.)

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Prashad’s Pea & Cauliflower Curry

Posted in Food, Indian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 23 March 2015| Leave a Comment »

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We got the Indian vegetarian cookbook, Prashad, some time ago but haven’t used it much, something that needs to be remedied as the recipes are delicious. The balance of spices has a real depth but be careful with the asafetida as it can easily overwhelm the dish. We served this with a home-made dhal and naan breads from the Indian takeaway.

Pea & Cauliflower Curry – serves 4

  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp asafetida
  • 1 medium cauliflower, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 400g frozen petits pois
  • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
  • 1 large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 3-6 fresh green chillies, seeds in
  • 5cm root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Crush the chillies and ginger together with a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar (or a blender) to make a fine masala paste.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, then add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, turn the heat to low and stir in the asafetida.

Add the cauliflower, then turn the heat back to medium and stir in the masala paste, turmeric, ground coriander, salt and sugar. Cover and leave to cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Stir in the peas and tomato, cover the pan again and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the chopped coriander, then leave to rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.

(Original recipe from Prashad: Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Kaushy Patel, Saltyard Books, 2012.)

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Chicken & Mushroom Pie

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 16 March 2015| 1 Comment »

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

This is a lovely pie for a frosty day. Serve with lots of mashed potato and peas.

Wine Suggestion: this dish needs a white wine with a medium body as there is some subtlety at play with the flavours and weight. Classically we’d pair a sensitively oaked chardonnay with an earthiness and minerality so a better Maçon or Côte Chalonnais would be great. To step outside the box though look to a Vin Jaune from the Jura which adds a layer of nutty, yeasty characters, a lovely freshness of acidity and a rustic earthiness. Don’t go too sophisticated as this is a wholesome, honest pie.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie – serves 4-6

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
  • 8 rashers streaky bacon, cut into large pieces
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 250g baby button mushrooms
  • handful thyme sprigs
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 200ml milk
  • 500g pack puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan.

Season the chicken and fry in batches until golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add the bacon. Fry for about 5 minutes or until crisp.

Add the onions, mushrooms and thyme, then fry on a high heat for about 3 minutes or until the onions start to colour.

Add the flour to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Take the pan off the heat and gradually whisk in the stock, followed by the milk, then return the chicken to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Spoon the filling into a large pie or baking dish (approx. 20 x 30 cm) with a lip and leave to cool.

Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface. Cut a long strip as wide as the rim of the dish and, using a little of the egg, fix to the edge of the pie dish. Brush with egg, then lift the rest of the pastry onto the pie. Press the edges together with your fingers and  trim with a sharp knife. Brush lightly with egg to glaze and bake for 30 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Hot & Sour Fish Soup

Posted in Asian, Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 9 March 2015| 3 Comments »

Hot & sour fish soup

This is a quick and very low-calorie but very tasty soup. Buy some really fresh fish – we used hake. Hot & Sour Fish Soup – Serves 2

  • 2tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 dried red chilli (or use a small tsp of chilli flakes)
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 stem lemongrass, lightly bashed
  • 700ml chicken or fish stock
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 400g skinless white fish fillets, cut into big chunks
  • 2 handfuls baby spinach
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • cooked noodles

Put the ginger, chilli, scallions, lemongrass and stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the soy sauce, vinegar and fish, and simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the spinach and season with the fish sauce. Adjust the vinegar and soy sauce to your own taste. Put the cooked noodles into soup bowls, discard the lemongrass and dried chilli from the soup, then pour over the noodles and serve. (Original recipe by Lulu Grimes and Janine Ratcliffe in BBC Olive February 2015.)

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Prawn & Clam Linguine

Posted in Food, Pasta, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 2 March 2015| 5 Comments »

Prawn & clam linguine

 

We recently got a new cookbook by Lorraine Pascale and have been impressed by the recipes so far. This one we made for Valentines Day, just the two of us with a bottle of vintage Champagne from the cellar. A very nice evening.

Linguine with prawns, clams, garlic & chilli – serves 4

  • 350g dried linguine
  • 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large banana shallots, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 2 red chillies, finely chopped
  • 400g raw peeled tiger prawns, de-veined
  • 400g clams, washed (soak in cold water for an hour to get rid of any sand then discard any that stay open when sharply tapped)
  • 150-200ml white wine
  • 3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
  • 70g rocket
  • 1 small lemon, cut into wedges

Cook the pasta according to the packet until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan, with a tight-fitting lid, over a medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the prawns and cook for 1 minutes, stirring. Then add the clams and white wine, bring to the boil and cover with the lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until all the clam shells have opened (discard any that don’t) and the prawns have turned pink.

Drain the pasta well and tip onto the cooked shellfish and toss together. Add the chopped parsley and season.

Pile into bowls, drizzle with your best extra-virgin olive oil, scatter with rocket and serve with a lemon wedge.

(Original recipe from How to be a Better Cook by Lorraine Pascale, HarperCollins, 2014.)

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Bœuf à la Gardiane: Beef, red wine and black olive stew

Posted in Beef, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 23 February 2015| Leave a Comment »

Bœuf à la Gardiane

 

Another classic from Elizabeth David, this stew originates in the Gard region of France and is very simple but full of flavour. Elizabeth suggests serving it with rice (a la Camargue) but it also worked well with roast potatoes and rosemary. There won’t be a lot of sauce as it is almost all absorbed by the meat as it cooks but this part of the charm; intensely flavoured, tender beef.

Wine suggestion: This dish would go well with any of the local red wines of the Gard and surrounding southern-French regions (Rhone, Languedoc, etc). Any combination of Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Syrah will work, particularly if they come from older, lower yielding vines and a sensitive hand in the winery. We drank a VdP La Clape from Domaine de Boède, Le Pavillon which is a great value combination of Cinsault and Syrah and which stood up to the flavours and adding it’s own character.

Bœuf à la gardiane – serves 4-5

  • 1kg top rump of beef, cut into small neat cubes approximately 2.5cm square
  • butter and olive oil
  • 4 tbsp brandy
  • 1 large glass of full-bodied red wine
  • bouquet garni of thyme, parsley, a little strip of orange peel and a whole garlic clove crushed with the back of a knife but left whole (tie together with thread)
  • 175g stoned black olives

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based casserole dish and brown the beef in batches.

Warm the brandy in a soup ladle, pour over the meat, then carefully set alight. Shake the pan carefully until the flames go out.

Add the red wine and bubble for 30 seconds before seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Add the bouquet garni, turn the heat down as low as possible and cover the pan with at least two layers of greaseproof paper or foil and the lid.

Cook as gently as possible for about 3½ hours. Ten minutes before the end, remove the bouquet garni and add the olives.

Season to taste and serve.

(Original recipe from At Elizabeth David’s Table: Her very best everyday recipes, compiled by Jill Norman, Penguin, 2010.)

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Crab Linguine

Posted in Food, Pasta, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , on 16 February 2015| Leave a Comment »

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Crab with fennel & chilli is a winning combination. Another perfect pasta dish by Ruth & Rose of the River Café.

Wine Suggestion: We find a great match for crab is a top quality Garganega and we highly recommend the Pra Soave “Staforte” which is made from low-yielding, 100% Garganega, old vines. Utterly pure and delicious.

Crab linguine – serves 4

  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 2 dried hot chillies, crumbled
  • 1 lemon, grate the zest and squeeze out the juice
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 400g crabmeat
  • 320g linguine

Remove the tough outer part and stem from the fennel. Slice the bulb across the grain very finely (use a mandolin if you have one). Reserve the green tops.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-based pan, add the garlic, fennel seeds, and chilli and cook to soften. Add the crab, lemon zest, and juice, then season. Stir just to heat the crab through.

Cook the linguine in boiling water for 5 minutes, then add the fennel slices and cook together until al dente. Reserve a little of the cooking water when you drain the pasta.

Add the drained pasta to the crab mixture and toss together until well combined. You can add a little of the reserved cooking water at this stage to loosen if necessary.

Serve with your best olive oil.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)

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Ragú Bolognese

Posted in Beef, Food, Pasta, Pork, tagged , , , , , , , , on 14 February 2015| 3 Comments »

Bolognese

This is our go-to recipe when we want a Bolognese ragú to go with pasta like penne (as opposed to in a lasagne). We’ve done many variations over the years and even though this isn’t entirely traditional it’s ease and relative speed, alongside a great flavour, mean that we make this more often than any other.

Pasta Bolognese – serves 6

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 100g pancetta, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 250g beef mince
  • 250g pork mince
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 100ml red wine
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • 250ml milk
  • salt and black pepper
  • 400g dried pasta
  • Grated Parmesan to serve

Cook the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta in the oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute before turning up the heat and adding the mince and thyme.

Brown the meat for a few minutes until it loses its raw appearance, then add the wine. Stir and reduce for a few minutes.

Add the other ingredients and season well. Bring to the boil, then simmer for an hour.

Cook the pasta according to the pack and toss with the hot sauce and parmesan.

(Original recipe by Jane Baxter in The Guardian, 31st May 2014.)

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Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 9 February 2015| Leave a Comment »

Panetone bread and butter pudding

This would probably have been more useful a few weeks ago when you still had some panettone leftover from Christmas. Much fancier than the standard version!

Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding – serves 4

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 250g panettone
  • 2 eggs
  • 142ml double cream
  • 225ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • icing sugar, to serve
  • lightly whipped cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 4/fan 140C.

Grease an 850ml baking dish with a little butter.

Cut the panettone into wedges and butter the slices lightly with the remaining butter. Cut the slices in half and arrange in the dish with the buttered side up.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla extract and sugar and pour evenly over the panettone.

Put the dish in a roasting tin and pour hot water around to a depth of about 2.5cm.

Bake for 35 minutes or until just set and browned on top. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Celeriac, Potato & Rosemary Gratin

Posted in Food, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 2 February 2015| 4 Comments »

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This takes a dish we all love and gives it something special. As celeriac is in season, and very cheap at the moment, we’ve made this a lot recently and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. We haven’t tried it with the optional bacon yet but it tastes great without it.

Celeriac, potato & rosemary gratin – serves 4-6

  • 6 rashers bacon, chopped (optional)
  • 420ml double cream
  • 350ml milk
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 celeriac (about 500g) peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 500g potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

If you are using the bacon, grill it until cooked and lightly browned, then set aside.

Bring cream, milk, garlic, rosemary, chilli and mustard to the  boil in a medium saucepan, then turn off.

Pour a little of the cream mixture into the bottom of a gratin dish. Arrange a layer of celeriac, scatter with bacon and season. Pour over a bit more cream and repeat the process, alternating layers of potato and celeriac, finishing with a potato layer. Cover with the rest of the cream mixture, then bake for 1 hr-1hr 15 mins or until golden and tender to the point of a knife. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Shallots

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 26 January 2015| 5 Comments »

Roasted brussel sprouts with shallots

 

This is one of the many Brussel Sprout recipes that celebrate this much maligned veg. We think that in the right dish and cooked properly they are fab and roasting them with shallots brings out great flavours. A good autumn/winter side dish for roasted or barbecued meats.

Roasted Brussels sprouts with shallots – serves 4

  • 400g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 350g shallots, peeled and halved
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • several sprigs of thyme
  • a squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5.

Put the Brussels sprouts and shallots into a large roasting dish, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat, then tuck in the thyme sprigs.

Roast for approximately 35 minutes, giving the tray a shake half way through, until everything is crispy and caramelised.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

(Original recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, 2011.)

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Chianti Beef with Rigatoni

Posted in Beef, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 24 January 2015| Leave a Comment »

Chianti Beef

 

The technique used to cook the meat is quite clever as the amount of beef is small and is only quickly, flash fried which keeps the juiciness, adds the caramelisation flavours and gives great depth to the whole dish. It’s an expensive cut but the quantity required is so small that it won’t break the bank. It’s hard to believe a dish with so much flavour takes such a short time to prepare.

Wine Suggestion: we drank one of our favourite Tuscan wines: the Selvapiana Chianti Rufina which is refined and elegant and complements the beef fillet and provides a foil to the rustic black pepper background in this dish.

Rigatoni, tomato, beef and red wine – serves 4

  • 320g rigatoni
  • 200g beef fillet
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 50g Parmesan, grated
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 600g top quality tinned tomatoes
  • 350ml Chianti wine
  • 1tbsp ground black pepper
  • 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Trim the beef fillet and cut across into 5mm slices. Cut the slices into 1cm strips.

Heat the butter in a thick-bottomed pan, add the garlic and fry gently until brown. Add the tomatoes and season. Cook over a high heat for 5 minutes, stirring to break up the tomatoes, then add half the red wine. Continue to cook on quite a high heat, adding more wine as the sauce reduces. Cook for 15 minutes in total, using up all the wine, then stir in the pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan until very hot. Add the beef pieces and fry very briefly, just to brown each piece on both sides. Stir the beef into the sauce with any juices from the pan.

Cook the rigatoni in boiling salted until al dente. Drain and add to the sauce.

Serve with the Parmesan.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes from the London River Cafe by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, Random House, 2006.)

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Ditaloni, mussels & white wine

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 19 January 2015| 5 Comments »

Ditaloni, mussels & white wine

A scrumptious and deliciously rich pasta dish that works perfectly as a starter.

Wine Suggestion: A textured white works best here; old-world minerality rather than bright fruit-forward styles. The Casal di Serra Verdicchio from Umani Ronchi in the Marche (central Italy) combines stonefruit flavours, hints of wild-flowers on the nose and a crisp yellow apple finish and goes with the richness and depth of the pasta.

Ditaloni, mussels & white wine – serves 4

  • 1kg small mussels, scrubbed
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin oil
  • 125ml white wine
  • 165ml double cream
  • 300g ditaloni (or similar) pasta

Heat half the butter with the oil, then add the garlic and mussels. Pour in the wine; season, then cover and cook over a high heat until the mussels have opened. Drain the mussels and reserve the cooking liquid. Remove the mussels from the shells; discard the shells and any mussels that haven’t opened.

Heat the rest of the butter in a pan and add the mussel juices and the cream. Cook gently to reduce to a rich and creamy sauce. Then add the mussels and parsley.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, then drain and add to the sauce. Toss together over a low heat, and serve.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)

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