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Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Meatballs with broad beans & lemon

Posted in Beef, Food, Lamb, tagged , , , , , on 19 July 2014| 4 Comments »

Meatballs with Broad Beans & Lemon

Delicious meatballs with a real summery feel. Use fresh broad beans if you can get them but frozen will work just as well. You can prepare this dish in advance and just reheat before serving.

Wine Suggestion: The trick with this dish is to make sure the wine is medium bodied so a lighter red with ripe (not dry) tannins would work a treat. An easy and uncomplicated shiraz cabernet blend from Australia or a nice Pinot Noir would work a treat. Alternately a medium bodied white like a good Verdicchio is a great option too. We drank the Umani Ronchi Casal di Serra Verdicchio which matched the dish perfectly with good depth of fruit and a great minerality which  allowed the food and wine to shine equally.

Beef Meatballs with Broad Beans & Lemon – serves 4

  • 4½ tbsp olive oil
  • 350g broad beans, fresh or frozen
  • 4 whole thyme sprigs
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 8 spring onions, cut at an angle into 2cm lengths
  • 2½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • salt and black pepper

MEATBALLS:

  • 300g minced beef
  • 150g minced lamb
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 120g breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp each chopped flat-leaf parsley, mint, dill and coriander; plus ½ tbsp extra of each to finish
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp baharat spice mix (apparently you can buy this or you can use the recipe below*)
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp capers, chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten

Put all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl. Add ¾ tsp of salt and lots of black pepper and mix well with your hands. Form into ping-pong sized balls (you should get about 20).

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a very large frying pan with a lid. Sear half the meatballs over a medium heat, turning until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Remove, add another ½ tbsp olive oil to the pan and cook the other batch of meatballs. Remove from the pan and wipe clean.

While the meatballs are cooking, put the broad beans into a pot of salted boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Remove the skins from half the broad beans.

Heat the rest of the olive oil in the pan you seared the meatballs in. Add the thyme, garlic and spring onion and sauté over a medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the unshelled broad beans, 1½ tbsp of the lemon juice, 80ml of the stock, ¼ tsp of salt and lots of black pepper. The beans should be almost covered with liquid. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.

Return the meatballs to the pan. Add the rest of the stock, cover the pan and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the sauce is very runny you can remove the lid and reduce a bit. The meatballs will soak up a lot of the juice so make sure you have plenty of sauce left. You can leave the meatballs off the heat now until ready to serve.

Just before serving, reheat the meatballs and add a little water, if needed, to get enough sauce. Add the rest of the herbs and tablespoon of lemon juice, the shelled broad beans and stir very gently.

Serve with basmati rice.

*Baharat Spice Mix – 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 small cinnamon stick – roughly chopped, ½ tsp whole cloves, ½ tsp ground allspice, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1tsp cardamom pods, ½ a whole nutmeg grated. Blend all the spices in a grinder or pestle and mortar until you have a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar.

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

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Pistachio & Feta Dip

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 15 July 2014| 3 Comments »

Pistachio & Feta Dip

We have made this dip many times as we, and our friends, keep on devouring the lot before a photo can be taken. Not really problematic as we love it so much. We finally got  a photo 🙂 but will keep on making the dip, which has become a firm favourite and works great as a starter to share with some barbecued flat breads.

Pistachio & Feta Dip – serves 8

  • 100g shelled pistachios
  • 75ml olive oil
  • 300g feta cheese
  • handful of dill, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 2 handfuls of coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 long red chilli, seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • 3 large tbsp Greek yogurt
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ lemon
  • sea salt if needed

Blitz the pistachio nuts and oil in a food processor for 30 seconds.

Add the feta, herbs, crushed garlic, chilli, yogurt and lemon zest and juice and blitz for about 1 minute, or until the mixture has a rustic texture.

Taste and add salt if needed but bare in mind that feta is already quite salty.

Serve with barbecued flatbreads.

(Original recipe from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2014.)

 

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Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 7 July 2014| Leave a Comment »

Spinach & ricotta gnocchi

We’re not even sure if these can officially be called gnocchi but they’re easy and very tasty. They look pretty awful before they’re cooked and we were a bit worried that they would disintegrate altogether when they hit the water. All was well.

Wine Suggestion: These were a superb match with the Sartarelli  “Tralivio” Verdicchio we had open which was great. Sartarelli specialise solely in Verdicchio and it shows with a wine of great depth, personality and balance. There is a nuttiness to the aroma and taste which works with the earthy spinach and the balance of fruit complements the ricotta.

Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi – serves 4

  • 200g young spinach
  • small handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 140g ricotta
  • 85g plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • olive oil and rocket to serve

Put the spinach into a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Leave for a couple of minutes until wilted, then drain. Leave to cool, then wrap in a clean tea towel. Squeeze out as much water as possible, then finely chop.

Put the spinach, parsley, garlic, ricotta, flour, eggs, cheese and a generous grating of nutmeg into a large bowl and season. Stir with a fork until completely mixed. Use wet hands to make walnut-size balls. Put the gnocchi on a large plate and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to warm and bring a large pot of water to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and drop in batches of gnocchi, about 8-10 at a time. They will sink to the bottom at first and when they rise to the top you should cook for another minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm while you cook the rest.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan and some rocket.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Baby spinach salad with dates & almonds

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 2 July 2014| 1 Comment »

 

Baby spinach salad with dates & almonds

A truly delicious salad from Yotam and Sami’s Jerusalem. The perfect start to any middle eastern inspired meal.

Baby spinach salad with dates & almonds – to serve 4

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 100g pitted Medjool dates, quartered lengthways
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 small pitas, about 100g, roughly torn in 4cm pieces
  • 75g whole unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp sumac
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 150g baby spinach leaves, washed
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt

Put the vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix with your hands. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain any residual vinegar and discard.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and half the oil in a frying pan. Add the pita and almonds and cook on a medium heat for 4-6 minutes, stirring continually, until the pita is crunchy and golden brown. Remove from the heat and mix in the sumac, chilli and ¼ tsp of salt. Set aside to cool.

When ready to serve, toss the spinach with the pita and mix in a large bowl. Add the dates and onion, remaining oil, lemon juice and another pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning and serve.

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

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Leith’s Mushroom Risotto

Posted in Food, Italian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 1 July 2014| 3 Comments »

Mushroom risotto

 

A classic recipe from one of our reliable sources of inspiration; Leith’s.

Not terribly seasonal so you might like to keep this for the Autumn when the mushroom selection is better.

Mushroom Risotto – serves 4

  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 100g Parmesan cheese, grated (plus more to serve)
  • 300g risotto rice (Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
  • 15-20g dried wild mushrooms
  • 400g mixed wild mushrooms
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 1.5-2 litres chicken or vegetable stock

Add the dried wild mushrooms to the stock, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Strain the stock and return to the pan. Bring  back to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to as low as possible.

Meanwhile, sauté the soaked mushrooms with the mixed wild mushrooms in 50g of the butter over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until browned and any excess water has gone. Set aside and keep warm.

Melt another 50g of the butter in a large, shallow saucepan, add the onion and sweat over a low heat until completely soft but not coloured (about 10 minutes).

Add the rice to the pan and fry gently, stirring until coated in the butter. Add the wine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the wine has been absorbed.

Start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring all the time, and making sure each ladleful is absorbed before adding the next. Keep going until the rice is just cooked, about 25 minutes. If you run out of stock use a little boiling water. Make sure the risotto is quite fluid at this stage as it will thicken on standing and you are aiming for a loose, almost sloppy texture.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the last 50g of butter, the grated Parmesan and the sautéed mushrooms. Season to taste and allow to stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving with extra Parmesan.

(Original recipe from Leith’s How to Cook, Quadrille, 2013.)

 

 

 

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Roast Sweet Potato with Lemon, Red Onion & Paprika

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 25 June 2014| 2 Comments »

Roast Sweet Potatoes with lemon & paprika

This is a great accompaniment for roast chicken and we love the lemon wedges which add a wonderful freshness and impart a hint of caramelisation to the flavour mix.

Roast sweet potato with lemon, red onion & paprika – serves 6

  • 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges and seeds removed
  • 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 12 garlic cloves
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp Spanish sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 4 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.

Add the sweet potatoes to a saucepan of boiling water and parboil for a couple of minutes. Drain and transfer to a large roasting tin with the lemons, onions, unpeeled garlic cloves and bay leaves.

Mix the paprika, chilli powder, thyme, mustard and oil in a small bowl. Pour over the veg, season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat.

Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the sweet potato is tender and golden brown.

(Original recipe from Leiths How to Cook, Quadrille, 2013.)

 

 

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Haloumi & Lentil salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 24 June 2014| Leave a Comment »

Haloumi & Lentil salad

This is a super simple dish that has a great balance and play between textures and flavours – salty halloumi, earthy lentils and sweet, juicy tomatoes.

Warm Puy lentil, cherry tomato and halloumi salad – serves 4

  • 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ red onion, finely sliced
  • ½ garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g Puy lentils
  • 250g halloumi, cut into big chunks
  • small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

Toss the tomatoes, red onions, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl.

Cook the Puy lentils until just tender, then drain and add to the bowl. Season well and toss.

Grill or barbecue the halloumi until golden.

Stir the coriander through the lentils and serve with the grilled halloumi.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, May 2008.)

 

 

 

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Fabulous Home-made Gnocchi

Posted in Food, Italian, Potato, tagged , , , , , , , on 16 June 2014| 2 Comments »

Gnocchi with peas

Gnocchi – where have you been all our lives? So much easier than we anticipated!

Wine suggestion: We tried a delicious Langhe Nebbiolo by Luigi Pira from Piedmont in Italy which had a great balance between light weight, depth of flavour, dancing acidity and a characterful earthiness. Gnocchi is refined and elegant but also earthy and rustic and the food-wine combo matched really well.

Gnocchi – serves 4

  • 2 large floury potatoes
  • 50g ricotta cheese
  • 90g plain flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 thyme sprig, leaves only
  • sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
  • Grated Parmesan – to serve

For the Sauce: 

  • olive oil
  • black pepper
  • 150g frozen peas, defrosted
  • butter
  • 1 thyme sprig, leaves only
  • zest of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Bake the potatoes for 1-1¼ hours until tender. While the potatoes are still warm, remove the flesh from the skin and mash until smooth (use a potato ricer if you have one).

Mix in the ricotta, a pinch of salt and white pepper and the flour. Make a well in the middle, add the beaten egg and start to combine the mixture with floured hands. Work in the thyme leaves and continue until you have a smooth dough but don’t overwork or it will become too dense .

Cut the dough in half and shape each piece into a long cigar shape about 1.5 cm thick. Use the back of a floured table knife to cut each length into 2cm pieces to make ‘pillows’ of gnocchi.

Gently press each gnocchi in the middle with a floured finger.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the gnocchi, tilting the pan from side to side briefly to stop them sticking together, them simmer for just 1½-2 minutes or until they start to float.

Drain the gnocchi and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add a bit of olive oil. Add the gnocchi to the hot pan with a pinch of salt and black pepper and sauté for a minute or two on each side until coloured.

Add the peas to the pan with a knob of butter and the thyme leaves. Toss to heat through, then add the lemon zest. Serve with the grated Parmesan.

(Original recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course, Hodder & Stoughton, 2012.)

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Stir-fried Beef with Black Bean & Chilli

Posted in Beef, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 10 June 2014| 1 Comment »

Stir-fried Beef with black bean and chilli

This comes from a new discovery: Every Grain of Rice by Fuschia Dunlop. We’ve been looking for a Chinese cookbook for some time and this comes up trumps. This beef dish tasted authentic and delicious.

Don’t be tempted to substitute the Laoganma black bean sauce with the more common black bean sauce, widely available in supermarkets, which is something completely different. Laoganma black bean sauce is a relish made from fermented black beans and dried chillies in oil. You can find it in any good Asian supermarket (where you will also find the Shaoxing wine and potato flour).

Stir-fried beef with black bean and chilli – serves 2

  • 300g lean beef steak, cut into 1cm thick strips
  • ¼ red pepper
  • ¼ green pepper
  • about 40g coriander
  • 3 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2½ tbsp Laoganma black bean sauce
  • salt
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

For the marinade: 

  • ½ tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1½ tsp potato flour

Stir the marinade ingredients with 2 tsp water, add to the meat and set aside.

Cut the peppers into strips similar in size to the beef and coarsely chop the coriander.

Heat the oil in a seasoned wok over a high heat. When the pan is smoking hot, add the beef and stir-fry until the strips begin to separate out. Tip in the peppers and keep stir-frying until the beef is almost cooked.

Add the black bean sauce and stir, then add some salt to taste. When everything is hot and fragrant, stir in the coriander.

Take off the heat and add the sesame oil before serving with some plain white rice.

(Original recipe from Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop, Bloomsbury, 2012.)

 

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Mushroom Arancini

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 9 June 2014| Leave a Comment »

Mushroom Arancini

These little arancini or  risotto balls are the perfect solution for leftover risotto which tends to turn a bit claggy. We made ours from leftover mushroom risotto but you can use any flavour. The joy of arancini is the crisp exterior and melting centre; easy and moreish.

Easy Arancini – serves 3-4

  • 350g leftover risotto
  • 25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 4-6 tbsp olive oil

Put the risotto into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Spread the breadcrumbs out on a flat plate.

Use your hands to roll the risotto into ping-pong-sized balls, then roll in the breadcrumbs to coat, and put on a baking tray.Chill the risotto balls in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add 2 tbsp of the oil. Wait for the oil to get hot before adding a few arancini. Fry for about 4 minutes, turning now and then, until golden brown all over.

Drain the cooked arancini on a serving plate lined with kitchen paper, then repeat to cook the rest, adding more oil as needed.

(Original recipe from Rachel Allen’s Everyday Kitchen, HarperCollins, 2013.)

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Keema with Peas

Posted in Asian, Indian, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , , on 2 June 2014| 2 Comments »

Keema with peas

This is a simple and cheap curry to whip up and it’s full of flavour. Grab some naan breads from your local takeaway and serve with some mango chutney and extra yogurt.

Keema with Peas – to serve 4

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 4cm piece ginger, grated
  • 2 green chillies
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 500g lamb mince
  • 2 tbsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 200g chopped tomatoes (from a can or use 2 medium fresh tomatoes)
  • 2 tbsp natural yogurt
  • 200g frozen peas
  • 1 small bunch coriander, chopped

Chop the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies in a food processor.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the mixture until very fragrant. Add the mince and fry until starting to brown, stirring to break up the lumps.

Add the spices and fry for a minute before adding the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cook for a minute, then stir in the yogurt and some salt and pepper. Add a splash of water if the mixture looks dry, then cook for half an hour.

Add the frozen peas and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the coriander.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted in Dessert, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 29 May 2014| 8 Comments »

Easy lemon meringue pie

An easy version of this dish that uses digestive biscuits as a base, but doesn’t lose anything in the eating. The filling doesn’t have to be cooked either. We made this for our friend Dave on his birthday.

Lemon Meringue Pie 

For the base:

  • 175g digestive biscuits
  • 75g butter

For the filling: 

  • 397g can full-fat condensed milk
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • finely grated rind and juice of 3 lemons

For the topping: 

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 175g caster sugar

You need a 20cm deep fluted flan dish.

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/Fan 170ºC/Gas 5.

Put the  biscuits into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a pan, then take off the heat and stir in the crushed biscuits. Press into the flan dish and leave to set in the fridge. (You can do this bit a day or two in advance.)

Pour the condensed milk into a bowl, then beat in the egg yolks, lemon rind and lemon juice (don’t worry about the mixture thickening on standing and loosening again when you stir it). Pour the mixture into the biscuit-lined dish. (You can mix this filling, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 8 hours before baking).

Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, whisking well each time. Whisk until very stiff and all the sugar has been added.

Pile spoonfuls of the meringue over the filling, then spread to cover to the biscuit edge, lightly swirling as you go.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes, then serve warm.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, BBC Books, 2009.)

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Salt Chilli Squid

Posted in Asian, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 20 May 2014| Leave a Comment »

Chilli & Salt Squid

Inspired by Gok Wan, this works a treat. We always found that getting fresh squid was difficult until we found great frozen ones: flash frozen as soon as they’ve been caught. A spanish chef Jono knows swears by them and we do too! This is a healthier take on the deep-fried salt chilli squid you get in restaurants.

Wine Suggestion: A fresh, light to medium-bodied white with good fruit works a treat here, but just make sure it’s not bone dry as you need to balance the chilli. We’d suggest either a good Albariño / Alvarinho [we drank the Saolheiro Alvarinho from Portugal) which complements the saltiness or a dry German Riesling from a good producer like Leitz in the Rheingau or Dönnhoff in the Nahe which will carry a good level of fruit and taste dry. These really balance fruit with acidity for perception as opposed to an Australian Riesling which really is bone dry and will fight with the chilli.

Chilli & Salt Squid with Cucumber Salad – serves 2

  • 2 medium squid (tubes and tentacles), cleaned – we used 500g baby squid
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp groundnut oil
  • ½ a red chilli, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • salt and ground white pepper

For the cucumber salad: 

  • ½ a cucumber, deseeded and sliced into thin ribbons
  • 4 tbsp rice vinegar
  • a pinch of caster sugar

Put the cucumber into a serving dish. Pour over the vinegar and sugar and set aside.

Slice the squid tubes in half lengthways and lay out flat with the inside facing up. Score the tubes at an angle about 5mm apart but take care not to slice the whole way through. Turn the squid 45 degrees and score again at that angle. Once scored slice the squid into 2cm wide strips. Cut large tentacles in half and leave small ones whole.

Heat a wok over a medium to high heat and add the oil. Add the chilli, garlic and spring onions and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until starting to dry out – take care not to burn the garlic. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Put the wok back on the heat and, when hot, add a splash of oil. Wait for the oil to smoke, then add the squid and stir-fry for a minute, or until half cooked and starting to char at the edges. Put the garlic/chilli/spring onion mix back into the pan and stir through, tossing over the heat until cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve with the cucumber.

(Original recipe from Gok Cooks Chinese by Gok Wan, Penguin Books, 2012.)

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Weeknight Pasta Inspiration

Posted in Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , on 18 May 2014| Leave a Comment »

Bacon, Broccoli & Pesto Pasta

We like simple pasta dishes for when we’re feeling tired and uninspired. You can easily get the ingredients for this on your way home.

Wine Suggestion: A Chianti, as we felt like it and it worked really well with the combination of flavours.

Pasta with Bacon, Broccoli & Pesto – serves 4

  • 300-400g short pasta shapes (depending on how hungry you are)
  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 8 rashers of smoked bacon
  • 5 tbsp pesto
  • grated Parmesan, to serve

Cook the pasta according to the pack and add the broccoli about 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

When cooked, drain but keep a cup of the cooking water.

Grill the bacon until crisp (we use a gas barbecue for less mess), then cut into bite-size pieces.

Tip everything into the pasta pan, toss together and loosen with a little bit of pasta water if you like.

Sprinkle over the Parmesan to serve.

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Marinated Pepper Salad with Pecorino

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 15 May 2014| Leave a Comment »

Marinated Pepper Salad with Pecorino & Capers

This salad is really versatile and can be served on it’s own as a starter, with a good variety of barbecued meats like the sirloin steak we had here or grilled mushrooms. It has a great balance of earthiness, sweetness and a salty freshness from the peppers and capers which match the pecorino cheese really well.

Marinated Pepper Salad with Pecorino – serves 2 as a starter or more as a side

  • 1 red pepper, quartered
  • 1 yellow pepper, quartered
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp muscovado sugar
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 10g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
  • 15g basil leaves
  • 30g watercress
  • 50g mature pecorino shaved
  • 1 tbsp capers, drained

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas Mark 5.

Toss the peppers with 1 tbsp of the oil and a little salt. Scatter in a roasting tin and roast for 35 minutes, or until soft and starting to colour. Remove to a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool, then peel and cut into thick strips.

Whisk together the marinade ingredients: 2 tbsp of the oil, the balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, thyme, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Pour this over the peppers and leave aside for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

When ready to serve, toss the herbs, watercress, drained peppers, pecorino and capers together. Add the last tbsp of olive oil and 1tbsp of the marinade. Season to taste.

(Original recipe from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2010.)

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Potato Wedges with Gorgonzola Sauce

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 14 May 2014| Leave a Comment »

Wedges with bacon “soil” and gorgonzola

These are very delicious and perfect to share out of a big bowl in front of the TV on a Friday night – or at least that’s what we did. The bacony crumbs are a revelation! We expected the bacon to be problematic and to dry out in the oven but not in the slightest, the cooking just seems to intensify the flavours a bit and the “crumb” texture spreads through the dish perfectly.

Potato Wedges with Gorgonzola Sauce – serves 4

  • 1 kg medium floury potatoes
  • 8 smoked streaky bacon rashers
  • 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
  • 4 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 250ml double cream
  • 150g Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Scrub the potatoes and leave the skins on. Cut them in half lengthways, then into chunky wedges. Cook in boiling salted water for 15 minutes or until getting close to tender. Drain and tip into a roasting tin.

Fry the streaky bacon in a little oil until very crisp or barbecue them like we did. Put the cooked bacon into a food processor with the chilli flakes, groundnut oil and smoked paprika and whizz until it looks like very fine crumbs. Tip the crumbs over the wedges and toss gently to coat. Bake for about an hour or until crispy and sizzling.

Warm 250ml double cream in a small non-stick pan, add the Gorgonzola and stir gently until melted. Trickle the warm sauce over the wedges to serve or serve on the side as dip.

(Original recipe from Eat by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2013.)

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Pork with lemon & pine nuts

Posted in Food, Pork, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 10 May 2014| 2 Comments »

Pork with lemon and pinenuts

This was easy to whip up and a really tasty midweek meal.

Wine Suggestion: We’d suggest a crisp light white wine to go with this dish and thought the Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand worked exceptionally well. The Dog Point has a  great depth of flavour while maintaining a real elegance and layers of fine minerality, unlike quite a few other wines from this region which we find unsubtle so we highly suggest seeking out a good example. Other wines that would work would be good Sancerre or Cheverny blanc from the Loire.

Pork with Pine Nuts, Parsley & Lemon – serves 4

  • 500g pork fillet
  • large handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • seasoned flour
  • 25g pine nuts
  • grated zest of ½ lemon and juice of a whole lemon
  • 1 tbsp clear honey

Cut the pork into 2cm thick slices. Toss in seasoned flour to coat very lightly and shake of the excess.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork in a single layer for a few minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the pine nuts until lightly browned. Stir in the lemon zest, juice and honey. Bubble and stir briefly to make a sauce.

Return the pork to the pan and add the parsley. Continue to cook for another few minutes to heat through.

Serve with buttered papperdelle or tagliatelle.

(Original recipe by Mary Cadogan in BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2001.)

 

 

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Citrusy Salmon with Garlic Pak Choi

Posted in Fish, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , on 7 May 2014| 1 Comment »

Salmon with Pak choi

Light yet tasty and full of flavour. Makes you feel healthy eating it.

Wine Suggestion: Some lighter styles of white wine can be overpowered by salmon. We went for an Italian grape variety called Pecorino which has a bit more body and a nice lemony flavour to complement the sauce.

Citrusy Salmon with Garlic Pak Choi – serves 4

  • olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • juice of 3 oranges
  • juice of 1 lime, and 2 tsp grated zest
  • 4 salmon fillets
  • 500g pak choi, stems quartered
  • 4 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp honey

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Line a baking tray with kitchen foil.

Heat a little olive oil in a small pan, add the onion and one of the garlic cloves, and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the orange and lime juice and the lime zest, then simmer gently until reduced by half. Season.

Meanwhile, put the salmon fillets on the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until just cooked trough.

Heat a splash of olive oil in another pan, add the pak choi and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the remaining garlic, the soy sauce and honey, and keep cooking for another couple of minutes.

Serve the salmon with the pak choi and the sauce drizzled over.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2014.)

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Rosemary Roast Chicken Thighs with Asparagus & New Potatoes

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 4 May 2014| 1 Comment »

Rosemary roast chicken thighs, asparagus & new potatoes

A weeknight treat to celebrate the new season’s bounty.

Wine Suggestion: We had a glass of the Domaine St Denis Macon-Lugny, a superb chardonnay from the Mâconnais in Burgundy and from the only grower-winemaker in this village (the rest goes to the co-op). Excellent flavours and a nutty depth marry well with the fresh, new season flavours and roasted chicken; a good choice.

Rosemary Roast Chicken Thighs with Asparagus & New Potatoes – serves 4

  • 750g small new potatoes, halved
  • 2 large bunches of asparagus, discard the woody ends
  • 1 whole bulb of garlic, cloves separated
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • small handful of rosemary sprigs
  • 8 chicken thighs

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

Put the potatoes, asparagus, garlic cloves and olive oil into a large roasting tray and season well. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon halves, then cut into chunks and add to the tray. Toss together well, cover with foil and roast for about 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and stir through the rosemary.

Season the chicken thighs and arrange in the dish in a single layer.

Now roast for 30-50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is crisp and cooked through (this will depend on the size of your potatoes and chicken thighs).

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Lemon Curd

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , on 2 May 2014| 2 Comments »

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When we make pavlova we are stuck with 4 egg yolks and always wonder what to do with them. There are a few recipes that we have at our fingertips, but this lemon curd is one of the best and easiest ways of using the yolks. It makes a nice sized jar and from experience, never lasts very long once made. Spread it on toast and scones or to sandwich together a sponge cake.

Lemon Curd 

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 167ml caster sugar (or 2/3 of an Australian cup measure)
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 100ml lemon juice

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until well combined but not too frothy.

Tip into a heavy-based and non-reactive saucepan, then add the butter, zest and juice.

Bring to simmering point over a medium-heat, stirring constantly (about 5 minutes).

As soon as you see bubbles, remove from the heat, still stirring.

Allow to cool. Transfer to sterilised jars and seal.

(Original recipe from The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander, Lantern, 2004.)

 

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