This is a cheat’s version of the French classic and makes a great brunch/lunch.
Croque Madame – serves 2
4 large slices of sourdough
Dijon mustard
100g grated gruyère
4 slices thick-cut ham
butter
4 tbsp crème fraîche
2 eggs
Spread the sourdough with a thin layer of mustard on one side, then fill the sandwiches with half the gruyère and the ham. Spread the outside of the sandwiches with butter.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the sandwiches on both sides until golden.
Mix the crème fraîche with the rest of the gruyère and spread over the top of the sandwiches. Put under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
Serve with a fried or poached egg on the top.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2015)
Absolute deliciousness from Sami Tamami and Tara Wigley. You could definitely eat a plate of this as it is, but we had it tonight with a barbecued leg of lamb. You can prep it in advance and cook when needed.
Aubergine, chickpea & tomato bake – serves 4 to 6
5 medium aubergines (about 1.25kg), trim off the tops, use a peeler to peel of strips of skin so you have stripy aubergines, then cut into 2cm thick slices
120ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp tomato purée
2 green peppers, cut in to 3cm chunks
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1½ tsp caster sugar
15g coriander, roughly chopped, plus an extra 5g to serve
4 plum tomatoes, sliced into 1½ cm rounds
Preheat the oven to 220C fan.
Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
Put the aubergine slices into a large bowl and toss with 75ml of the olive oil, 1 tsp of salt and lots of black pepper. Spread the slices over the baking trays and bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes. They should be completely softened and lightly browned.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180C fan.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then cook the onion for about 7 minutes or until soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, cumin, cinnamon and tomato purée and cook for another minutes. Add the peppers, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, sugar, 200ml of water, 1¼ tsp salt and and plenty of black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 18 minutes, or until the peppers have cooked through. Stir in the coriander and remove from the heat.
Spread half the tomato slices and half the aubergine over the base of a large baking dish. Pour over the sauce, then top with the remaining aubergine and tomato slices. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of olive oil, then cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander to serve.
(Original recipe from Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2020.)
We love this time of year when all the local produce arrives in dribs and drabs. Last week our local farm shop had little courgettes and mangetout – the excitement!
Wine Suggestion: a lighter, youthful red with medium, dry tannins and freshness for the lamb. A young Sangiovese from a good vineyard or good cru Beaujolais come to mind straight away.
2 small courgettes, sliced into rounds, about 1cm thick
200g mangetout
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp chilli flakes
small handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
small handful basil leaves, roughly torn
25g feta, crumbled
Season the lamb chops all over with black pepper and fine sea salt. Mix a tbsp of the olive oil with the chopped thyme and brush over the lamb.
Heat the barbecue and cook the chops for a few minutes on each side, we don’t mind them rare in the middle but we like them to be well-seared and crispy on the outside. Remove to a plate, and leave to rest, covered in foil.
Brush the courgette with a little oil and season. Cook these on the barbecue (if you have a griddle pan you can set it on the barbecue and cook them on this so they don’t fall through the bars). You might need a couple of batches.
Meanwhile, cook the mangetout for a couple of minutes in boiling salty water, then drain and tip into a large bowl with the courgettes.
Mix the vinegar, mustard, chilli flakes, mint & basil together to make a dressing. Toss the veg in the dressing and crumble over the feta to serve. Pile onto plates with the lamb chops.
Basil has come into season and is plentiful so we had to make a pesto. There’s likely to be a second batch next week too! We make pesto in a pestle and mortar but you could also use a food processor.
Pesto – enough to serve 4 with pasta
50g pine nuts
50g basil leaves
1 garlic clove, crushed
100ml olive oil
25g Parmesan
Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until lightly coloured, then remove from the pan and leave to cool.
Pound the basil in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt, some coarse ground black pepper and the garlic. When the basil has broken down, add the pine nuts and pound until finely crushed. Stir in the oil and Parmesan, then season to taste. Cover with a layer of oil and store in the fridge.
(Original recipe from the Hairy Bikers Mediterranean Adventure by Si King & Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2017).
There has been so many broad beans on our plates in the last couple of weeks, not that we’re complaining, we adore them! The frozen ones are hard to beat as they tend to be small and sweet.
Wine Suggestion: Choose a well made Chardonnay with a deft hand with oak and fresh acidity depending on what you have at hand; Burgundy, Jura, Baden, Stellenbosch, Macedon, Santa Cruz, etc.
Broad bean carbonara – serves 2
85g pancetta (we had bacon lardons which worked perfect)
100g podded and skinned broad beans (put the beans in boiling water for a minute, then refresh under cold water, the skins will slip off easily) – if you’re buying in pods you will need about 400g
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp double cream
200g parpardelle pasta (we used tagliatelle but you could use whatever pasta)
50g Parmesan, grated
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it generously.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and cook the pancetta/bacon for about 8 minutes or until crisp.
Beat the egg yolks with the cream and season generously with black pepper.
Cook the pasta according to the timings on the pack, then drain, but save a bit of the cooking water.
Toss the pasta with the broad beans and pancetta in the frying pan. Add the egg and cream mixture and stir to coat, you may need some of the pasta water to create a silky sauce. Add half the Parmesan and toss through the pasta, then serve in warm bowls with the extra Parmesan on top.
We’re not prolific bakers, in case you hadn’t noticed. Jono & Orlaith have been doing a bit of baking during the week to keep Orlaith entertained and to stop her begging from more dubious treats from the corner shop. These were definitely a hit and very easy. Freeze half to pull out and bake another day.
Double Chocolate Shortbreads – makes 12
175g butter, softened
85g golden caster sugar
200g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
100g milk or dark chocolate chips
Mix the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and the cocoa, then the chocolate chips – use your hands if you need.
Halve the dough and roll each piece into a 5cm thick log. Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour (it will be fine for a few days in the fridge either or you can freeze it).
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Slice the dough into 1cm-thick rounds and transfer to a lined baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes and leave to cool on the tray.
Every-time we do a pilaf (which is not often) we wonder why we don’t cook them more often. This broad bean and dill version is so tasty you could just eat a big bowl of it for dinner without any accompaniment. We had a barbecued pork chop and it would also be great with lamb.
Broad bean & dill pilaf – serves 4
300g basmati rice
50g butter, plus extra to serve
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
500ml vegetable stock
400g podded and skinned broad beans (we use frozen broad beans, put them in boiling water for a minute, then drain and the skins will pop off easily, if you’re buying broad beans in the pods you will need about 1.6kg)
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then soak in warm water for 5 minutes before draining well.
Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
Stir the rice into the onions and pour over the stock. Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat as low as you can and cook for 10 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan and very quickly scatter over the broad beans. Replace the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid you can turn up the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until it is absorbed. Stir in the dill and some extra butter before serving.
This dish bursts with flavour. We’ve been entertaining in our garden (in small groups and at a distance) and it’s been so nice to cook dishes to feed more than 2! Another triumph from Falastin and great with some grilled meat; this will be done many a time again we suspect. You can prep up to the point before you put the potatoes in the oven. Cook and dress when you’re ready to eat.
Update: done again in winter with a chicken curry dish and a salmon in tahini dish. Just as good and as good a match as with the barbecued meat from earlir in the year.
Spicy roasted new potatoes with lemon & herbs – serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
7 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 large red chilli, thinly sliced
200g cherry tomatoes
750g baby new potatoes, quartered
½ tsp caster sugar
1 large lemon, finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp and juice to get 2 tbsp
10g coriander, roughly chopped
5g dill, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 200C fan.
Lightly crush the cumin and coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar.
Put the olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seed and cook for a minute, stirring. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or until it starts to colour.
Add the chilli and tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes start to soften. Add the potatoes, sugar, 1 tsp of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Stir and transfer to a large baking tray lined with baking parchment.
Roast for 40 minutes, tossing once, until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes before adding the lemon zest & juice, coriander & dill. Toss gently & serve.
(Original recipe from Falastin by Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2020.)
I’ve been trying to suppress my cookbook habit in lockdown; there’s really no room left on the bookshelves. However, Jono recognised that I could not be without Falastin and it arrived this week. It’s everything we love and know to expect from Tami & Tara. The pages are splattered with tahini and sumac already! We chopped everything a couple of hours in advance, as it takes a while, and then assembled and tossed just before serving.
Chopped Salad (tahini version) – serves 4
4 small Lebanese cucumbers (or 1 normal cucumber), quartered lengthways, seeds removed and cut into ½ cm dice
420g ripe tomatoes, cut into ½ cm dice
1 red pepper, cut into ½ cm dice
2 green chillies, finely chopped
5 scallions, finely sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
30g parsley, very finely chopped
15g mint leaves, finely shredded
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp and juice to get 3 tbsp
1½ tsp salt
plenty of black pepper
80g tahini
1 tbsp sumac
Prep everything and keep them separate. When ready to eat place all of the ingredients, except the sumac, in a large bowl and toss to combine. Sprinkle over the sumac.
(Original recipe from Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2020.)
Our beloved broad beans, one of our absolute favourite vegetables, and they work perfectly with lamb and mint. Double podding seems like a bit of a faff but it’s definitely one of Jules’ favourite kitchen jobs, even better outside in the sunshine.
Wine Suggestion: Domaine Brusset’s Cotes du Rhone Red; mid-weight, open and friendly fruit and gentle spices. The Brusset’s are a lovely family and we’ve not tasted anything from them for a long time so we’re glad to see they’re even better than we remember. We’ll definitely get a few more bottles for the cellar.
Lamb chops with smashed minty broad beans – serves 4
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice of ½ a lemon
a small red chilli
8 small lamb chops
FOR THE BROAD BEANS:
300g podded and skinned broad beans (1.2kg unpodded)
3 tbsp olive oil
juice of ½ a lemon
a handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
Mix the garlic, lemon and chilli with a splash of olive oil. Put the lamb chops in a dish and pour over the marinade. Cover and marinade for an hour in the fridge. Remove about half an hour before you want to cook them though so they come to room temperature.
Put the broad beans in a processor with half the olive oil, plenty of seasoning and the lemon juice. Whizz to a chunky purée, then tip into a small saucepan.
Cook the lamb on a hot barbecue for a few minutes on each side. Meanwhile, gently heat the broad beans, then stir in the mint and the rest of the olive oil. Check the seasoning, then serve the lamb with the broad beans on the side.
A lovely weeknight treat for two and the only thing we had to buy was a pepper as the rest of the ingredients were in our cupboard or fridge-freezer. Quick and easy, and it tastes like a dish you’d have on holiday.
Wine Suggestion: A Spanish white like Albariño or a young Tempranillo. Tonight it was the latter and Finca Antigua from La Mancha in Spain with classic warm spices and hints of vanilla that embrace the peppers and prawns.
Spanish rice with prawns & chorizo – serves 2
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
olive oil
100g chorizo, chopped into smallish chunks
150g paella rice
a pinch of saffron
400ml hot chicken stock
125g cooked prawns
1 lemon, halved
a small bunch of parsley, chopped
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a wide, shallow pan and cook the onion and pepper until softened. Add the chorizo and cook for another few minutes or until the oil is released.
Stir in the rice and stir to coat in the oils. Stir the saffron into the stock then stir into the pan.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock absorbed. Stir in the prawns until heated through, then squeeze some lemon juice over and stir in the parsley.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2010.)
We really miss cooking for friends and family which is what we do almost every weekend (and some other nights too!). So instead of prepping for the evening we’ve been making more of an effort at lunch. Last week we had these unusual quesadillas outside in the sunshine, sure beats lunch at the desk!
Spring onion quesadillas with guacamole salsa – serves 2
10 scallions, trimmed
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
2 soft flour tortillas
10 slices of jalapeño chilli (from a jar)
85g cheddar cheese, grated
1 avocado, halved, and peeled
small pack of coriander, plus extra leaves to serve
½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and sliced on the diagonal
2 Little Gem lettuces, cut into thin wedges (we used a bag of peppery salad leaves as that’s what we had)
Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender, then drain and run under cold water. Set aside to dry on kitchen paper.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a hot dry pan until slightly golden, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool.
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle the scallions with a tsp of the olive oil and season. Griddle for a couple of minutes on each side until lightly charred.
We find it much easier to lay the ingredients over half of the tortilla then fold over the top and cook on either side but you can lay all the ingredients on one tortilla, then top with the other one, it will be trickier to turn though.
Lay the spring onions over each tortilla. Sprinkle over the jalapeños and the cheese, then fold the rest of the tortilla over and press together, brush the outside lightly with oil. Cook in the griddle pan for a minute or two on each side or until the cheese has melted and the outside is crisp.
Meanwhile, whizz 1 tbsp of oil, the avocado, lime juice, coriander and 1 tbsp of water together to make a dressing. Season, then toss with the cucumber and lettuce. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and the rest of the coriander leaves. Serve with the quesadillas.
This is a bit like a Middle-Eastern shepherd’s pie but lighter and spicier. It’s also very quick and easy to make. Serve with pickled chillies, a tomato salad and some flatbreads if you like (we had pickled chillies alone and it was perfect). We can’t recommend the books by Honey & Co highly enough, everything works.
Wine Suggestion: Another lockdown cellar raid unearthed our last bottle of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 from the famed La Crau vineyard. At a very good point in its develeopment with beautiful, pure red fruits and layers of subtle spicing. Lots of power still but with so much elegance and refinement.
If you don’t have this wine to hand we most successfully match middle eastern dishes containing warm spices with southern Rhône and other Grenache dominant Mediterranean reds.
Lamb siniya – serves 4 to 6
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
FOR THE LAMB:
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
500g lamb mince
1 tsp coarsely ground fennel seeds
2 tbsp baharat spice mix
1 tbsp tomato purée
FOR THE TOPPING:
200g natural yoghurt
200g tahini paste
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp chopped parsley, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Put the cauliflower into a large saucepan, add about a litre of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until soft. Drain and spread over the base of a shallow casserole dish (about 22cm).
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions with half a teaspoon of salt until starting to turn golden. Add the lamb mince, turn the heat up to hight and break it up with a wooden spoon. When the lamb starts to brown, sprinkle over the ground fennel and baharat spice and continue to cook for another few minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and cook, stirring, for another few minutes, then spread over the cauliflower. You can do up to this stage a day in advance if you like.
Mix all the ingredients together for the topping, except the pine nuts. If the mixture is very thick you can add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it slightly – it should be like thick yoghurt. Spread the topping over the cauliflower and lamb, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes or until set and slightly golden. Sprinkle with the parsley to serve.
(Original recipe from Honey & Co: Food from the Middle East by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich, Saltyard Books, 2014.)
One benefit from working at home is all the nice lunches we can make. Mostly using bits and bobs from the fridge. These French toast sambos are great and you can experiment with the filling, though we reckon cheese is a must.
Fontina, prosciutto and sage-stuffed French toast – serves 4
8 slices of crusty bread
300g fontina (we used Gruyere), sliced
12 slices prosciutto
a few sage leaves
2 eggs, beaten and seasoned
butter for frying
Put layers of the cheese, prosciutto and sage onto 4 slices of the bread. Cover with the rest of the bread to make sandwiches, then dip into the beaten egg, soaking on both sides.
Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the sandwiches. Press down on them as they cook until browned on both sides and the cheese has melted.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2014.)
We made this couscous salad from Ottolenghi Simple for the first time this week and couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Serve it at all your summer barbecues (provided local restrictions allow) and expect very happy guests.
Couscous, cherry tomato and herb salad – serves 4
250g couscous
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ras el hanout
300g cherry tomatoes
2 onions, sliced into thin rings
30g golden raisins or sultanas
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
50g roasted and salted almonds, roughly chopped
15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
15g mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 lemon, finely grate to get 1 tsp of zest and squeeze to get 1 tbsp of juice
Put the couscous into a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle over 2 tbsp of oil, sprinkle with 1 tsp of the ras el hanout, ¾ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Pour over 400ml boiling water, then seal well with tin foil and set aside for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and fluff the couscous with a fork, then set aside to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the tomatoes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until they start to brown and split. Remove the tomatoes from the pan and sprinkle them with salt.
Add the remaining 3 tbsp of oil to the same pan. Add the onions, the other tsp of ras el hanout and an a pinch of salt. Fry over a medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until dark golden-brown and soft. Remove from the heat, stir in the raisins and leave to cool.
When the couscous has cooked a bit, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the onions and raisin mixture and stir, then add the cumin seeds, almonds, herbs, lemon zest & juice, ¼ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix gently to combine.
Serve on a platter with the tomatoes on the top.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi with Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)
Made in our savagely hot Ooni pizza oven cranked up with charcoal to 500°C and with Gill Mellor’s pizza dough. You can choose your own pizza cooking method (oven as hot as it goes etc) and pizza dough recipe, or even buy some of the ready-made bases you can get now. This is all about the topping which was inspired by our favourite farm shop (the McNally’s in north County Dublin) which had fabulous green and red kale.
We make odd-shaped pizzas, one day we’ll pay enough attention to do round ones… maybe.
Kale & Onion Pizza Topping – enough for 3 pizzas
3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
300g bunch curly kale or cavolo nero, sliced into fine ribbons
100g mature Cheddar
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions. When they start to sizzle, turn the heat to low and cook gently for about 15 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add the garlic halfway through.
Stir the kale into the onions and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring, until the leaves have wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread a third of the kale and onions over your pizza base and top with a third of the cheddar. Drizzle with some olive oil and cook in a roasting hot oven until done to your liking.
(Original recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, 2011.)
I don’t remember not knowing how to make this, and therefore presume that everyone else does too. Here’s the recipe in case you don’t have it in your head. Sorry about the imperial measurements but that’s how my Mum taught me.
Jules’ Cauliflower Cheese – serves 4-6
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 oz butter
2 oz flour
1 pint of full cream milk
3 large handfuls of grated mature cheddar cheese
Steam the cauliflower until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Start checking after 5 minutes and be careful not to overcook.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the flour and stir for a minute or two over a medium heat.
Start gradually adding the milk, just a splash at a time at first, and stir continuously. Add some more milk every time it has been absorbed. Careful not to rush this or the sauce can turn lumpy.
When all of the milk is in the sauce, it is important to continue to stir until the sauce has thickened and comes to the boil. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 2 large handfuls of grated cheese and some salt and freshly ground white pepper.
When the cauliflower is tender, drain it and return to the pan to steam dry, then tip into an ovenproof dish.
Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Put the dish under a hot grill for about 5 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on the top.
We love mussels on a Friday, so cheap and quick to cook, but still so special and luxurious. We halved the pasta to serve 2 but kept everything else the same – a feast!
Wine Suggestion: Digging into the lockdown cellar again and the Sugrue, Trouble with Dreams 2014 came to hand. A beautifully precise and focussed sparkling from the South Downs in England. If this isn’t to hand a good traditional method, double fermented sparkling would be a good choice too.
Mussels with Ditalini & Tomatoes – serves 4
1kg mussels, scrubbed, remove any beards and throw away any that are open and don’t close when tapped
250g ditalini pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
½ tsp sea salt flakes
80ml red vermouth, we used Martini Rosso
4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Cook the pasta according to the time on the pack in lots of very salty water.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide pan that has a lid. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes to soften, over a medium-high heat.
Add the garlic, chilli and sea salt, then keep stirring until the tomatoes start to melt and make a juice. Add the vermouth and bubble up to get rid of the alcohol, then stir.
Add mussels and cover with the lid. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until the mussels have opened, give the pan a good shake now and then. Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened.
Drain the pasta and reserve a little cooking water. Add the pasta to the mussel pan with 2 tbsp of the pasta water. Stir everything together, put the lid back on and leave for a minute or two off the heat. Stir in most of the parsley, then scatter the rest on top.
(Original recipe from At My Table by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2017.)
This risotto isn’t laden with cheese and butter like so many other recipes and so a good option for a weeknight and full of Spring flavours. We left out the chives and rocket as we didn’t have them but we’ve kept them in the recipe as they would make nice additions.
Wine Suggestion: this was delightful with a young white Muscadet from Domaine de la Chauviniere, but we can see it working with youthful Sauvignon Blanc or Grüner Veltliner as well.
Risotto Primavera – serves 4 (easily halved)
350g asparagus, snap of the woody ends and cut into 5cm lengths on the diagonal
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch scallions, sliced
175g frozen peas
250g frozen broad beans
2 tbsp shredded basil
2 tbsp snipped chives
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1.7 litres vegetable stock (we used Marigold vegetable bouillon)
4 shallots, finely chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
300g carnaroli or arborio rice
150ml dry white wine
25g Parmesan, grated
25g rocket leaves, to garnish
Heat half the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Stir-fry the asparagus over a medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or until browned all over. Add the scallions and fry for another minute or two until browned. Remove these with a slotted spoon, season with pepper, and set aside.
Cook the peas and broad beans in separate pans of boiling water for a few minutes, then drain. Pop the broad beans out of their skins and set both aside.
Mix the basil, chives, mint and lemon zest together in a small bowl and season with pepper.
Pour the stock into a saucepan and keep over a very low heat.
Pour the rest of the oil into the pan that you used to cook the asparagus. Add the shallots and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Stir in the rice and cook for a minute or two over a medium-high heat or until it starts to sizzle.
Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed. Now start gradually adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more. Keep adding stock for about 20 minutes or until the rice is al dente. Season with pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add an extra ladle of stock, then scatter over the vegetables, some pepper, half the herb & lemon mixture and half the cheese. Cover with a lid and leave to rest for a few minutes. Gently stir to combine, then serve in warmed bowls some rocket and the rest of the herbs and cheese sprinkled over.
We’ve cooked pretty much everything from scratch since lockdown but tonight we treated ourselves to a naan bread from the local takeaway. Every evening they fire up the tandoor and we get the most delicious smells in our back garden. This is an easy curry which is perfect for a weeknight.
Wine Suggestion: a local Lager was our choice tonight, from the White Gypsey Brewery in Tipperary. Their Munich Lager is light and fresh but with a real character and personality.
Pea & new potato curry – serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
3 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp Madras curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
750g new potatoes, halved or quartered
juice of 1 lime
500ml natural yoghurt, full-fat so less likely to split
a small bunch of coriander, stalks and leaves finely chopped, but kept separate
200-300ml veg stock
300g frozen peas
lime wedges and naan breads, to serve
Before you start, put the potatoes in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until slightly tender – they’ll continue to cook in the curry. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the onions and cook for 10-15 minutes over a gentle heat. Add the chillies, ginger and spices, and cook for a few minutes, then stir in the potatoes and lime juice and stir to coat in the spices.
Add the yoghurt, coriander stalks and stock. Simmer gently for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the sauce reduced (we put the lid on for a few minutes at the end as the sauce was reduced enough). Keep the temperature low as the yoghurt can easily split. Stir through the peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with the coriander leaves sprinkled over and lime wedges and naan breads on the side.
We really miss cooking for friends and family which is what we do almost every weekend (and some other nights too!). So instead of prepping for the evening we’ve been making more of an effort at lunch. Last week we had these unusual quesadillas outside in the sunshine, sure beats lunch at the desk!
