15 August 2018 by jonoandjules
A lovely fresh-tasting soup full of veg and basil – smells just like summer.
Summer soupe au pistou – serves 4 to 6
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1.7 litres of chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you prefer)
- 2 courgettes, chopped
- 225g green beans, chopped into short lengths
- 225g drained tinned haricot beans (or use another white bean)
- 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 bunches of basil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 125ml extra virgin olive oil
- grated Parmesan, to serve
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot and gently cook the leek, potato and celery for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, season well and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the courgettes, green beans, haricot beans and cherry tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, then add the parsley.
To make the pistou: whizz the basil and garlic with some seasoning in a blender then gradually add the olive oil.
Top the soup with the pistou and Parmesan.
(Original recipe from Food from Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2010.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Soup, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Courgettes, Easy, Food, French, Gluten-free, Green beans, Pistou, Recipe, Soup, Summer | 1 Comment »
14 August 2018 by jonoandjules
This couldn’t be easier, especially if you use fresh pesto (you can use the recipe below if you’ve lots of basil growing). Perfect for a late summer lunch.
Wine Suggestion: We find we gravitate to dry rosé quite often during summer as the good ones tend to refresh and revive us in the warmth and also complement summer foods. Today it was the Château St Jacques d’Albas Chapelle en Rose, predominantly Grenache and Mourvedre but with a touch of Roussanne from Minervois. Excellent.
Tomato Tart with Pesto & Mascarpone – serves 4
- 1 ready-rolled puff pastry sheet
- 6-8 ripe vine tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp pesto (see recipe below)
- 2 tbsp mascarpone
- green salad leaves, to serve
Heat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6.
Unroll the pastry on to a baking sheet (it usually rolls out easier if you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using). Score a border 1cm from the edge and prick inside the border with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Gently squash down the middle of the pastry. Spread the pesto inside the border, dot over the mascarpone, then layer the tomato on top. Season well and bake for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the mascarpone has melted.
Decorate with some fresh basil leaves and serve some dressed salad leaves.
(Original recipe by Paula Stain in BBC Olive Magazine, August 2005.)
To make pesto:
Put a large bunch of fresh basil leaves (minimum 50g) into a food processor with 2 peeled garlic cloves, 25g of toasted pine nuts and 3 tbsp of olive oil. Blend to a paste, then slowly add 125ml through the feeder tube. Transfer to a bowl and fold in 50g of freshly grated Parmesan, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated in a clean jam jar covered with a layer of olive oil until needed.
Posted in Food, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Easy, Food, Mascarpone, Pesto, Puff pastry, Recipe, Tart, Tomatoes | Leave a Comment »
12 August 2018 by jonoandjules
We love baked ham and don’t know why so many save it only for Christmas. It’s great for Sunday lunch with champ, cauliflower cheese and greens and there is always loads leftover for sambos (that’s sandwiches for the non-Irish).
Wine Suggestion: lucky us had a bottle of the Jamet IGP Syrah from the Northern Rhône. Jamet is a top producer of Côte Rôtie, which Jono’s company imports, and the Syrah is their joyful entry level wine which is allocated in small lots. We get an allocation of 6 bottles which we happily buy each time a shipment arrives, we wish we could get more. Works perfectly with the ham too.
Honey-glazed baked ham – serves 4 to 6
- 1 x 1.75g gammon joint
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 black peppercorns
- 200ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
Soak the gammon in cold water overnight, then rinse well and put into a large saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water and add the onion, carrot, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil slowly, then cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours, skim off any white froth from the surface now and then. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the liquid.
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Remove the gammon from the liquid and cut away the rind leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and put the joint into a small roasting tin, then pour in the orange juice.
Mix the mustard, honey and sugar together and season generously with black pepper, then smear all over the gammon. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until caramelised. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes, then carve.
(Original recipe from ‘Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Pork | Tagged Baked ham, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Ham, Honey & mustard, Recipe | Leave a Comment »
11 August 2018 by jonoandjules
There is a huge marjoram bush growing in our garden and it’s a herb we definitely don’t use enough of. Use tender baby squid for this and have it all prepped in advance. This is a super simple starter to throw onto the barbecue as people arrive.
Our fishmonger carries good frozen squid for when there is none available fresh and it works just as well.
Wine Suggestion: a crisp, dry and minerally white with a citrussy lemon character, like Assyrtiko from Greece, would have been our first choice, but as we didn’t have one in the fridge we pulled out a bottle of Zero de Bouvet-Ladubay, a sparkling Saumur made from Chenin Blanc and, like its name suggests, completely dry with zero residual sugar. It worked just as well.
Baby squid with marjoram – serves 4
- 600g baby squid
- 2 lemons
- 3 tbsp marjoram leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 dried chillies, crumbled (or use chilli flakes)
- extra virgin olive oil
To prepare the squid you need to pull away the head and tentacles and any pulpy stuff inside the sac. Cut out the hard beak. Wash the tentacles and sac. The recipe suggests leaving the skin and fins on but we usually remove them. Pat dry with paper towels.
Squeeze the juice from 1 of the lemons and cut the other one into quarters.
Season the squid generously inside and out and put 1 tsp of the marjoram into each sac.
Mix the crumbled chilli with 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil and the rest of the marjoram.
Cook the squid bodies and tentacles on a hot barbecue and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Turn almost straight away – when the white flesh has charred lightly – and char on the other side. Serve with the sauce and lemon.
(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray & Ruth Roges, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)
Posted in Barbecue, Food, Gluten-free | Tagged Baby Squid, Barbecue, BBQ, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Marjoram, Recipe, Squid | Leave a Comment »
9 August 2018 by jonoandjules
We made this with some fabulous rainbow chard from one of our best friends’ vege patches. So simple and super tasty.
Wine Suggestion: Find a youthful Tempranillo with little or no oak influence, juicy fruit and not too much extraction (tannins). Chill it for 30 minutes and enjoy. Our choice, the Paco Garcia Rioja Seis.
Chickpea & Chard Pork – serves 4
- 400g pork fillet, seasoned with salt and black pepper
- 1 x 480g jar of roasted red peppers in brine, drained and diced into 1cm cubes
- 300g rainbow chard, finely sliced including the stalks
- 1 heaped tsp of fennel seeds
- 1 x 660g jar of chickpeas
Heat a large shallow casserole over a high heat. Put 1 tbsp of oil into the pan along with the pork and sear for 5 minutes, turning over halfway (you can cut it in half if it fits easier).
Remove the pork from the pan, then add the fennel seeds, peppers and chard to the fat left behind. Stir fry for a couple of minutes before pouring in the chickpeas and their juice. Season, stir well and bring to the boil. Nestle the pork in to the chickpeas so that it’s touching the bottom of the pan and pour over any juices from the plate. Cover and simmer gently for 12 minutes or until the pork is just cooked through, turn the pork over now and then as it cooks.
Rest for 2 minutes, then slice the pork and check the chickpeas for seasoning. Add a splash of red wine vinegar and a drizzle of oil before serving.
(Original recipe from ‘5 Ingredients’ by Jamie Oliver, Penguin, 2017.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Pork | Tagged 5 Ingredients, Chickpeas, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Jamie, Jamie Oliver, Pork, Rainbow chard, Recipe, Roasted peppers | 2 Comments »
8 August 2018 by jonoandjules
Drumsticks are a regular weeknight dinner in our house and we’re always looking for ideas for what to do with them. You can cook these on the barbecue or in the oven – we find oven first and finished on the barbecue works well.
Wine Suggestion: Our choice of the Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel was a good match with the spice, chilli and chicken, as well as fresh to suit the warm weather we’re having. Long may it last.
Spicy yoghurt chicken – serves 4
- 8 skinless chicken drumsticks (the skins are easy to pull off)
- 142ml pot natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
Make a few slashes in the drumsticks with a sharp knife.
Mix the yoghurt and spices together in a large bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Add the drumsticks and massage with the yoghurt mixture, then cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Lift the drumsticks out of the yoghurt and shake off the excess.
Cook on a hot barbecue for 20-25 minutes or roast in the oven for 30 minutes (200C/180C Fan)
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Food, Gluten-free | Tagged Barbecue, BBQ, Chicken, Cooking, Drumsticks, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Recipe | 3 Comments »
7 August 2018 by jonoandjules
Nothing too glamorous about this dish but it’s really tasty and our 4 year old loved the leftovers with rice and salad. Good value stuff for busy weekdays.
Wine Suggestion: A fun, easy and tasty meal needed something similar on the wine front so we found a bottle of the La Puma Pecorino lurking in our fridge. Italian white’s like this seem to be made for food with a bit of tomato, light spices and, in this case, a touch of sweet and sour.
Turkey Sloppy Joes – serves 6
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 500g turkey mince
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 125ml cider vinegar
- 500ml passata
- 6 soft buns & coleslaw (to serve)
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and garlic with some seasoning for about 5 minutes. Add the mince and cook until browned. Add the cumin, brown sugar, paprika and vinegar, then keep cooking for another 5 minutes. Add the passata and cook for 10 minutes.
Serve on the buns with a spoon of coleslaw.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Posted in Food, Healthy | Tagged Cooking, Easy, Food, Recipe, Sloppy Joes, Turkey mince | Leave a Comment »
4 August 2018 by jonoandjules
We grew fresh borlotti beans in our little garden last summer. The beans had a fabulous creamy texture. Serve this as a starter with lots of ciabatta to mop the plates with. Finocchiona is a soft salami from Tuscany with fennel seeds in it.
Wine Suggestion: If you feel like a white choose a Vermentino from the Tuscan coast; we like the Poggio ai Ginepri Toscana Bianco. If red is what you feel like search out a fresh, youthful and fruit-driven Chianti like the Rocca delle Macie Chianti Vernaiolo, a real taste of spring and summer with no oak and vibrantly fresh fruit.
Finocchiona salami with fresh borlotti beans – serves 4 as a starter
- 1kg fresh borlotti beans, podded
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 300g Finocchiona salami, finely sliced
Put the beans into a medium-sized saucepan with the garlic and cover with water. Bring the the boil, then simmer for 25 to 35 minutes or until tender. Drain, season generously, then add the vinegar & 3 tbsp of your best olive oil.
Slice the plum tomatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 3 long strips. Season the tomatoes, then gently fold into the borlotti beans.
Divide the beans between 4 plates and scatter the salami over the top. Serve drizzled with some more oil.
(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Italian | Tagged Borlotti beans, Easy, Food, Fresh borlotti beans, Gluten-free, Italian, Recipe, River Café, Salami, Starter | Leave a Comment »
1 August 2018 by jonoandjules
We loved this easy veggie lasagne that celebrates courgettes – one of our favourite summer vegetables. An excellent family dish for mid-week.
Wine Suggestion: We had a Bergerac blanc from Le Tap at hand from our recent holidays. It was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and a touch of Muscadelle and had the right kind of freshness and body.
Spinach & Courgette Lasagne – serves 6
- 400g spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 250g mascarpone
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 100g Parmesan, grated
- 9 lasagne sheets
- 100ml double cream
- 3 large courgettes, sliced lengthways
Put the spinach into a colander and pour over boiling water to wilt it. Leave until cool enough to touch, then squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and soften for a minute. Add the nutmeg and cook for another minute before adding the mascarpone, spinach, half the cream and half the Parmesan. Mix together and season well, then set aside.
Heat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4.
Spread a third of the filling over the base of a 20 x 30 cm baking dish, cover with 3 lasagne sheets, then add a layer of courgettes. Repeat two more times. Pour the remaining cream over and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the pasta is cooked. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Posted in Pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Courgettes, Food, Lasagne, Pasta, Recipe, Spinach, Vegetarian | 1 Comment »
31 July 2018 by jonoandjules
Our fabulous friends have a weekender in the country with loads of space for growing herbs and veg. We are the very happy recipients when there’s more produce than one family can eat and we put it to good use. So if you have a prolific bed/windowsill with parsley and basil growing you should make this delicious variation on classic pesto. It’s especially good with roast chicken (drumsticks for us) but would also be nice with fish or vegetables.
Pistachio Pesto – serves 4
- 50g pistachios
- 25g flatleaf parsley leaves
- 25g basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- zest and juice of a lemon
- 100ml olive oil
Put the nuts in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave for a few minutes then drain and tip onto a clean tea towel. Give the nuts a good rub with the tea towel and skins should slip off. Throw the skins away and save the bright green nuts.
Put the nuts in a dry frying pan and toast over a medium heat until lightly coloured all over and smelling fab. Keep a watchful eye as they can turn from toasty to burnt in an instant. Put the nuts on a plate to cool.
Put the herbs and pistachios in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped (you could pound in a pestle and mortar but parsley is much more difficult to pound than basil so we recommend the processor if you have one). Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse briefly – you want to leave a bit of texture. Taste and season. Cover with oil and put in the fridge until needed.
(Original recipe from ‘The Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure’ by Si King & Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2017.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegan | Tagged Basil, Cooking, Food, lemon, Parsley, Pesto, Pistachio pesto, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
30 July 2018 by jonoandjules
An easy weeknight curry and perfect for using up that bag of frozen prawns in the freezer. Serve with steamed rice.
Wine Suggestion: As it was a hot night and we needed cooling down, a bottle of beer (Peroni to be precise) from the fridge hit the spot with this. Refreshing and we just like beer with curry.
Prawn & Spinach Curry – serves 4
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp hot curry paste (we like Patak’s Madras)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 200g carton creamed coconut
- 400g raw peeled tiger prawns, defrosted
- 250g baby spinach leaves
- large handful of frozen peas
- bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions for about 5 minutes to soften, then stir in the curry paste and fry for another minute. Add the tomatoes, stock, sugar, and coconut cream, then season. Cook gently for 15 minutes until thickened.
Add the prawns and spinach, then cook for a few minutes. Stir in the peas and heat for another few minutes. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with steamed rice.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, July, 2005)
Posted in Asian, Food, Gluten-free, Indian, Prawns | Tagged Cooking, Curry, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Indian, Prawn curry, prawns, Recipe, Spinach | Leave a Comment »
29 July 2018 by jonoandjules
We cooked this while camping in the Dordogne where duck is plentiful and you can buy fabulous fresh walnuts in all the local markets. What a treat!
Wine Suggestion: we can suggest a glass of the walnut liqueur “Liqueur de Noix” for dessert. The Tante Mïon we found from Sarlat was definitely artisanale, but had great character and smoothness. A holiday treat.
Duck & Orange Salad – serves 2
- 2 x 150g duck breast fillets with skin on
- 1 baguette
- 15g shelled unsalted walnuts, chopped
- 3 oranges or blood oranges
- 30g watercress
Score the duck skin with a sharp knife, then rub all over with sea salt and black pepper. Place the duck breasts skin side down in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat. Sear for 6 minutes or until the skin is dark golden, then turn over and cook for another 5 minutes (or longer if that’s your preference). Remove to a board to rest but leave the pan on the heat.
Slice 10 thin slices of baguette. Put the slices of bread into the hot pan with the walnuts and toast in the duck fat until golden, then remove and arrange the toasts on a serving plate.
Meanwhile, top and tail the oranges, cut away the peal, then slice finely into rounds (remove any pips as you go).
Finely slice the duck and put the slices on top of the little toasts. Scatter any extra duck and the oranges around, then dress the watercress with any resting juices on the board and sprinkle over. Scatter over the toasted walnuts, season, and serve.
(Original recipe from Jamie Oliver’s ‘5 Ingredients’, Michael Joseph, 2017)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free | Tagged 5 Ingredients, Cooking, Duck, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Jamie Oliver, Jamie's 5 Ingredients, Orange, Recipe, Walnuts | Leave a Comment »
28 July 2018 by jonoandjules
We loved this easy pasta dish that we cooked when camping underneath Château de Beynac, right beside the banks of the Dordogne, with hot air balloons floating by. Such happy memories.
Wine Suggestion: We don’t see wines from the Dordogne often in Ireland and found ourselves a bit at sea until we found the Vinotheque de Beynac run by Enrique; young, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and who had curated a nice, boutique selection of wines. His suggestion of the Chateau Montdoyen Un Point c’est Tout! Bergerac Rosé was a great match. If you’re near Beynac et Cazenac in the Dordogne, he’s well worth seeking out for local wine inspiration.
Sicilian Tuna Pasta – serves 4
- 300g dried pasta shells
- 4 heaped tsp baby capers
- 500g ripe cherry tomatoes (mixed colours if available), halved
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 x 220g jar of tuna in olive oil
Cook the pasta in a large pan of salty boiling water according to the time suggested on the packet. Meanwhile, put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the capers, fry until very crispy, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the tomatoes, then sprinkle in most of the oregano. Drain and flake in the tuna, add 2 ladles of the pasta cooking water, and simmer until the pasta is cooked.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little more of the cooking water, then toss the pasta into the tuna pan. Mix together and loosen with a splash of the pasta water if needed. Taste and season, then serve scattered with the crispy capers and the rest of the oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.
(Original recipe from Jamie Oliver’s “5 Ingredients”, Michael Joseph, 2017.)
Posted in Food | Tagged 5 Ingredients, Capers, Cooking, Easy, Food, Jamie Oliver, Jamie's 5 Ingredients, Pasta, Recipe, Tomatoes, Tuna | 5 Comments »
27 July 2018 by jonoandjules
We tend to avoid hot dishes like this in the summer time which is a bit silly really as they eat tagine all year round in Morocco which is usually hotter than Dublin whatever the time of year. Marinate the lamb up to 48 hours in advance, if you can, to maximise the flavour. Serve with herby couscous or bread.
Wine Suggestion: It was a hot day when we made this dish so we took inspiration from Spanish winemakers and chilled a red wine for 30 minutes and were delighted we did. Our choice was Massaya’s le Colombier from the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, a wine we find naturally pairs with Middle Eastern, North African and Spanish cuisine effortlessly. This is a winery really on the up and we think each new vintage is better than the last.
Lamb & Saffron Tagine – serves 6
- 1.8kg diced neck or shoulder of lamb
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 800ml passata or tinned chopped tomatoes
- 750ml chicken stock
- 2 tsp saffron strands, soaked in 1 tbsp of warm water
- 200g dried dates, halved
- 100g golden sultanas
- 75g chopped pistachios
FOR THE MARINADE:
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the lamb and mix until coated. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight or for up to 48 hours.
Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
Put a large casserole over a medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Sauté the onions for about 10 minutes or until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and ginger for the last 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan and put over a high heat. Add the lamb and brown all over.
Pour half of the stock into the lamb pan to deglaze then transfer everything to the casserole with the onions.
Add the passata or tomatoes, the rest of the stock, saffron and soaking liquid, dates, sultanas and most of the pistachios. Season with salt and black pepper.
Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2-2½ hours until the meat is very tender and the sauce thickened. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint and the rest of the pistachios.
(Original recipe from ‘Marcus at Home’ by Marcus Wareing, HarperCollins, 2016.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Lamb | Tagged Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Lamb, Morrocan, Pistachios, Recipe, Saffron, Tagine | Leave a Comment »
26 July 2018 by jonoandjules
This is a bit different and perfect when you’ve got over the initial excitement of new potatoes and feel like doing something other than steaming them and covering them with butter. Jersey Royals are nice if you can find them. We served these with some salmon and herby mayonnaise.
Crispy new potatoes with olives, capers & herbs – serves 4
- 1kg Jersey Royal potatoes or other small new potatoes
- handful small capers
- 2 handfuls stoned black olives
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves
- small bunch rosemary, broken into sprigs
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Heat oven to 240C/Fan 220C/Gas 9.
Boil the potatoes until almost cooked – about 12 minutes. Drain, then slice and put into a large bowl. Tip in the capers, olives and herbs, then add most of the olive oil and season. Gently mix together, lightly crushing the potatoes as you go.
Line a medium Swiss roll tin with baking parchment, leaving some overhanging. Tip the potatoes into the tray and spread to flatten. Mix the vinegar with the rest of the oil and drizzle over. Bake for 40 minutes or until crisp and golden.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Potato, Side dish | Tagged Capers, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Jersey Royals, New potatoes, Olives, Recipe | Leave a Comment »
25 July 2018 by jonoandjules
So this is a bit of a treat and yet has very few ingredients and takes very little time to prepare. Hail to that.
Wine Suggestion: fresher and bit more rustic than Bordeaux is Bergerac, into the Dordogne River to the east. The best vineyards are in the Pecharmant AC and have Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot as the dominant varieties. We found some unoaked wines on our last trip from Domaine des Costes, Cuvée Tradition which, while simple, had a joy and juiciness that perfectly complemented the beef, pesto and rocket.
Italian Seared Beef – serves 2
- 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan until golden
- 250g rump steak
- 2 heaped teaspoons pesto
- 40g rocket
- 15g Parmesan cheese
Put a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Cut the fat of the steak, finely chop the fat and put into the hot pan to crisp up. Cut the sinew off the rump and season with salt and black pepper. Put the steak between two sheets of greaseproof paper and bash with a rolling pin until it is an even thickness of about 1 cm. Scoop out the crispy fat and set aside, then sear the steak in the hot pan for 1 minute per side or until golden but still pink in the middle (as per photo). Remove the steak to a board to rest.
Spread the pesto over a serving plate. Thinly slice the steak at an angle and scatter over the plate. Pile the rocket on top, then scatter over the pine nuts and crispy fat (you don’t have to eat the fat if you would rather not – we’ll have it!). Mix the resting juices with a tbsp of good olive oil and drizzle over. Shave the Parmesan over to serve.
(Original recipe from 5 Ingredients by Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 2017.)
Posted in Beef, Food, Gluten-free, Italian | Tagged 5 Ingredients, Beef, Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Jamie Oliver, Pesto, Pine nuts, Recipe, Steak | Leave a Comment »
24 July 2018 by jonoandjules
We cooked this just before we went on holidays and were determined not to buy any ingredients that needed used up. We have a huge sage bush in the garden that we definitely under-utilize and there are always bottles of all sorts of beverages lurking in the back of our cupboards. Madeira lasts forever, even when opened which is very useful.
Wine Suggestion: The madeira sauce with the sage is richer than you may expect and we find it works with juicy Côtes du Rhône reds, especially with a good dollop of Grenache. We had an uncomplicated Reserve des Armoiries which was juicy and had hints of Southern French spices made without oak; complimentary and almost celebratory of our impending holiday with its joyful fruit.
Pork tenderloin with madeira and sage – serves 4
- butter
- 1 pork tenderloin c. 400g
- 100ml madeira
- a small bunch of sage, leaves picked and chopped
Heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7.
Heat a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the pork and brown really well on all sides to form a crust. Add the madeira then transfer to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the meat from the pan, cover with foil and leave aside to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce the pan juices with another knob of butter on a low heat, and season.
To serve, cut the pork into thick slices, then dress with the pan juices and lots of chopped sage.
(Original recipe by Alex Szrok in BBC Olive Magazine, May 2016.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Pork | Tagged Cooking, Easy, Food, Gluten-free, Madeira, Pork, Pork fillet, Pork tenderloin, Recipe, Sage | Leave a Comment »
23 July 2018 by jonoandjules
Super simple weeknight pasta that tastes delicious.
Wine suggestion: A youthful Sangiovese from Tuscany is our pick with the wine at hand the Rocca delle Macie Vernaiolo which we find a great unoaked and fresh red wine. We like to put it in the fridge for 30 minutes before opening at this time of the year.
Linguine with creamy tomato, rosemary & caper sauce – serves 2
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 tsp chopped rosemary
- 1 tin of plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp capers
- 3 tbsp double cream
- 150g linguine
- Parmesan, grated, to serve
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chilli & rosemary and cook for another minute. Add the tin of tomatoes.
Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, squashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon occasionally so they break down into a thick sauce. Add the capers and cream and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to the pack, then drain well. Tip the pasta into the sauce and toss together. Serve in warm bowls with some Parmesan for sprinkling over.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe IN: BBC Olive Magazine, May 2015.)
Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Capers, Cooking, Easy, Food, Pasta, Recipe, Rosemary, Tomatoes, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
17 July 2018 by jonoandjules
This is an easy version of an Italian dish which is perfect for a tasty mid-week dinner. A great combination of chicken, ham & sage. Also easily halved if you are only two.
Wine Suggestion: When considering a match for the salty prosciutto and savoury sage we thought of two wines straight away. The first a good Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi from the Marche in Italy, like Sartarelli. The second a choice between a good Pinot Blanc or Gris from Alsace. Each should have a minerality, nuttiness and textural spices on the palate with a good balance of vibrant fruit.
Chicken saltimbocca – serves 4
- 4 chicken breasts (skinless & boneless)
- 8 thin slices of prosciutto
- 8 sage leaves
- 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 25g butter
- 100ml dry white wine
- juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Flatten the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling film by bashing with a rolling pin. Cut the flattened chicken in half lengthways. Put a piece of prosciutto and a sage leaf onto each piece of chicken and attach with a cocktail stick. Coat the chicken in the flour.
Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and cook 4 of the chicken pieces at a time for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown but a little undercooked. Set aside and cook the rest of the chicken in the remaining oil.
Wipe out the frying pan with a piece of kitchen paper, then add the butter. Heat until frothy, then add the wine and lemon juice and bring to the boil. Bubble the sauce for about a minute before adding all of the chicken back to the pan and cooking for a further 2 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley over the top and cook for another minute, then serve immediately with the sauce.
Serve with new potatoes or green veg.
(Original recipe by Aldo Zilli IN: BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2001.)
Posted in Chicken, Food | Tagged Chicken, Cooking, Easy, Food, Italian, Prosciutto, Recipe, Sage | Leave a Comment »
16 July 2018 by jonoandjules
We love tarts made on a puff pastry sheet, they always give the impression you’ve made more effort than you have. Smoked haddock and spinach is a super combination.
Wine Suggestion: The Languedoc produces some great white wines, as well as many red, and the best of them have a salinity, freshness and stoniness along with joyful fruit. Our choice tonight was the Les Terrasses de la Negly, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Petits Grains and Muscat d’Alexandria. Lively citrus and crisp apple flavours along with the saltiness that complimented the haddock and Spinach.
Smoked Haddock & Spinach Tart – serves 4
- 250g smoked haddock
- 200g spinach
- 5 tbsp double cream
- 50g gruyère, grated
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
- watercress salad to serve
Fill a frying pan with cold water and heat until boiling. Lower in the haddock, cover with a lid, then turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
Put the spinach into a colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it. Wait until cool enough to handle, then squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Chop the spinach.
Heat the oven to 200C/Fan 180/Gas 6.
Whisk the cream, cheese, and egg in a bowl. Flake in the smoked haddock (remove any skin and bones) and stir in the spinach. Season with salt and black pepper.
Unroll the pastry and score a 2cm border around the edge. Put onto a baking sheet and prick insider the border. Bake for 10 minutes. Gently push down the pillowy middle with the back of a large spoon. Spoon over the fish mixture then return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Serve with a watercress salad.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in BBC Olive Magazine, July 2013.)
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