12 February 2017 by jonoandjules
We’ve made this a couple times recently as Cavolo Nero is around and we keep on being drawn to it. Especially as we’re starting to tire of root veg and looking forward to all the treats that will come with Spring.
The dish is creamy and cheesy, with load of garlic and iron rich Cavolo Nero. Fairly rich for a main course in our opinion but absolutely perfect served in small starter portions.
If it suits you can blanch and dry the Cavolo nero and make the garlic puree in advance which leaves very little to do to get the dish on the table.
Wine suggestion: An old favourite came to the rescue here in the form of the Sartarelli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Tralivio” which has a great weight but also a freshness and vibrant texture. The flavour of the food isn’t shy, so make sure whatever you choose has enough body to cope.
Conchiglie al Cavolo Nero – serves 6 as a starter
- 900g Cavolo Nero
- 300ml double cream
- 7 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 dried chillies, crumbled or 2 tsp chilli flakes (adjust to your heat preference)
- 150g Parmesan, freshly grated
- 250g conchiglie or other shell-shaped pasta
Remove the central stalk from the Cavelo Nero leaves and cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces. Blanch the leaves in boiling salted water for 3 minutes by which time they should be tender and bright green. Drain and dry in a clean tea towel.
Put the double cream and 5 of the whole garlic cloves into a pan and simmer until the garlic is soft, about 15 minutes. Purée in a blender.
In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and fry the remaining 2 garlic cloves, cut into thin slices, and the chilli. When the garlic has coloured, add the blanched Cavolo Nero, stir & season. Pour in the cream and garlic purée, bring to the boil, and cook for 5 minutes until the Cavolo Nero is coated and the sauce has thickened. Add the Parmesan.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain well before mixing well with the sauce.
(Original recipe from The River Cafe Cookbook by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Ebury Press, 1995.)
Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Cavolo Nero, Conchiglie, Cooking, Easy, Food, Italian, Pasta, Pasta shells, Recipe, River Café, Starter, Wine Match, Wine suggestion | 1 Comment »
6 February 2017 by jonoandjules
Making lasagne is a bit of a labour of love but if you take it in stages it can be assembled in advance and baked when you need it. Always worth the effort in our opinion. This veggie version is particularly good.
Wine Suggestion: we found the Rustenberg Chardonnay from Stellenbosch really matched this dish with it’s masterful balance of oak, fruit and freshness. This is one of South Africa’s classics and one of the best value Chardonnay’s we know. It is picked, crushed and gently settled before fermenting by itself (wild yeasts) and after gentle care in oak barrels on fine lees it is bottled. Only at this stage do they add a touch of sulphur to keep it stable in the bottle. A natural wine without the faults of other proponents of this term.
Roast Squash & Spinach Lasagne – serves 6
- 750g butternut squash
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500g spinach, washed
- 1 tbsp butter
- whole nutmeg
- 6 fresh lasagne sheets
- 100g Parmesan, grated
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g tin cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp light muscovado sugar
FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:
- 500ml full-fat milk
- 6 peppercorns
- ½ onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 50g plain flour
- 50g butter
Heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Halve the squash, peel and deseed, then cut into slices about 1cm thick. Toss with the oil in a roasting tin, season well, then roast until tender and beginning to char at the edges – about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Soften the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the celery and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes & sugar, then leave to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until you have a thick puree. Season.
Wash the spinach and put into a saucepan with the water that clings to the leaves. Place over a medium heat and toss for about 4 minutes or until completely wilted. Leave to cool, then squeeze as much water as you can out of the spinach with your hands. Chop and put into a pan with the butter, then gently heat and toss together so the spinach is coated in butter, season with salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg.
To make the bechamel, bring the milk to the boil in a pan with the peppercorns, onion and bay leaf. Set aside for 5 minutes to infuse, then strain into a clean pan. Add the flour & butter and whisk over a gentle heat until you have a thick smooth sauce.
Heat your oven again to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
To assemble the lasagne start by buttering a baking dish – about 1.4 litres capacity. Put a layer of roasted squash in the bottom followed by a layer of tomato sauce. Place lasagne sheets on top of this, making sure they don’t overlap (you can cut them with scissors to fit your dish). Add a layer of bechamel, followed by a handful of spinach and half the grated cheese. Top with more lasagne, pumpkin, tomato sauce, more lasagne and a final layer of bechamel. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
(Original recipe by Diana Henry in BBC Good Food Magazine, December, 2016.)
Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Butternut Squash, Cooking, Food, Lasagne, Pasta, Recipe, Roast squash, Spinach, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
2 February 2017 by jonoandjules
Meehra Sodha describes this as a Workers’ Curry variations of which are eaten all over India. We love the flavours and textures here and have eaten this part of a wider spread of dishes and also on its own with some naan bread from the local takeaway. It’s worth soaking your own chickpeas if you can as they have a better texture. Thi
Wine suggestion: a simple, medium-bodied and earthy red is required here, nothing fancy. We had a bottle of the Monfil Garnacha from Cariñena in Spain which is uncomplicated but satisfying.
Chana masala – serves 4
- 200g dried chickpeas (or 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 green chilli, roughly chopped
- salt
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 tin of plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Put the dried chickpeas into a large bowl, cover with cold water, then add the bicarbonate of soda and soak overnight or for at least 6 hours. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then cover with more cold water and boil for 30-45 minutes, until soft, keep spooning off any scum that rises to the surface. (If you are using tinned chickpeas you just need to rinse and drain them.)
Crush the ginger, garlic & green chilli together in a pestle and mortor with a pinch of salt to make a paste.
Put the oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir the ginger and chilli paste through the onions, then tip in the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands. Add the tomato puree, stir well and cook for 8-10 minutes or until you have a rich, thick sauce.
Add the garam masala, 1½ tsp of salt, cumin, chilli powder & turmeric, and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the drained chickpeas. You can add some water at this point to thin the sauce a bit, start with about 5 tbsp and add more if necessary. Taste and season.
Serve with naan breads or as alongside a few other Indian dishes.
(Original recipe from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Penguin, 2014.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
28 January 2017 by jonoandjules
This is not your average pea and mint soup and has the most amazing sweet & salty flavour. A delicious starter to impress a few friends and very little work to prepare.
Wine Suggestion: a lighter weight red with spicy, peppery tannins was our choice, making sure it had a wonderful freshness of acidity too. We opted for a regular favourite, the unoaked Jesus Romero Rubus from Teruel in Spain. The absence of oak seemed to accentuate the “Spring” freshness of the peas and helped lift the grey, windy and damp January day.
Pea Soup with Jamón & Mint – serves 4
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 150g jamón serrano (Spanish cured ham), finely chopped
- a small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
- 500g podded peas (frozen are fine)
- 1 litre chicken stock (it’s worth using home-made for this recipe)
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden, then add the carrot and bay leaves. Fry for another 5 minutes, then add the garlic, two-thirds of the jamón and half the mint. Fry for another minute or so before adding the peas. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the stock and simmer gently until the peas or tender, 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and liquidise until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, season with salt and pepper and add the reserved mint. Serve with the rest of the jamón on top and drizzle with olive oil.
(Original recipe from The Moro Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark, Ebury Press, 2001.)
Posted in Food, Soup, Spanish | Tagged Cooking, Food, Frozen peas, Gluten-free, Jamon, Mint, Moro, Pea & mint soup, Recipe, Soup, Spanish | Leave a Comment »
21 January 2017 by jonoandjules
The traditional fish used for this dish from Central Asia is sturgeon, which we don’t see so often in Dublin, so we substituted monkfish to very good effect. Don’t be shy with the pepper as this really informs the character of the dish providing a warm and distinctive flavour. We were really excited by the flavours here and have made this a few times now as we enjoy it a lot.
Wine Suggestion: Black pepper has it’s own umami-rich tannins which for some people means that it won’t work with wine very well. What you need to do, though, is work with this and use either a red with appropriate tannins or spices, or a white with pepper characteristics too. We chose a rich, dry F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Loibner Loibenberg which we picked up from our friend Gerard Maguire in Glasthule. A stunning wine that stood up magnificently to the bold pepper flavours; a lighter wine would have felt short and inadequate.
Fish & Saffron Pilaf – serves 4
- 275g basmati rice
- 4 onions (1 halved and 3 thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- a small bunch of flatleaf parsley
- 4 sturgeon, monkfish or halibut fillets
- 4 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 carrots, sliced into matchsticks
- a small handful of dill
- 1 tsp dill seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- large pinch of saffron strands, soaked in 3 tbsp water
- 120g sour cream
- juice of 1 lemon
Put the rice into a large bowl, cover with water and leave to soak.
Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a large pan and add the halved onion, crushed peppercorns, bay leaf and parsley stalks (keep the leaves aside for now). Season the water well with salt and gently lower in the fish fillets. Cook at a very gentle simmer until just opaque, about 10 minutes depending on how thick your fillets are. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve. Set the pan aside for using again later.
Heat a second large cooking pot for cooking the rice. Heat the sesame oil until almost smoking, then add the onions and carrots. Stir-fry until starting to soften. Drain the rice and add to the pot, smoothing it down with the back of a spoon. Pour over the fish broth until it covers the rice by about 1cm and add plenty of salt. Bring to the boil and cook on a high heat until the broth has boiled off. Poke a few steam holes in the rice with the end of a spoon to help it along. Cover with a lid or tight-fitting layer of foil and remove from the heat. Leave to steam for 20 minutes by which time the rice will be cooked through.
Chop the parsley and dill and add to the empty fish pan. Add the dill seeds (if using), ground black pepper, saffron and its soaking liquid and season with salt. Stir in the soured cream and set over a low heat to warm through. Carefully return the fish fillets to the pan to warm through before serving.
Turn the rice out onto a large platter and squeeze over the lemon. Spoon the fish and creamy sauce over the top.
(Original recipe from Samarkand by Caroline Eden & Eleanor Ford, Kyle Books, 2016.)
Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free | Tagged Central Asia, Cooking, Food, Gluten-free, Monkfish, Pilaf, Recipe, Saffron, Samarkand, Sturgeon, White fish | Leave a Comment »
18 January 2017 by jonoandjules
This minestrone soup is from Jamie Oliver’s very first cookbook, back when his recipes were from the heart, had a simplicity and weren’t designed to be chucked together in 15 minutes. If you bake a ham be sure to reserve the water that you cook the ham in before baking, it makes a great ham stock for soups like this one.
Minestrone Soup – serves 6
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced into 1 cm cubes
- 2 leeks, remove the outer leaves and dice into 1 cm cubes
- 5 sticks of celery, remove the stringy bits with a vegetable peeler and dice into 1 cm cubes
- 2 red onions, peeled and diced into 1 cm cubes
- 1 cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
- 1 heaped tbsp of chopped rosemary
- 850ml gammon/ham stock (or chicken or vegetable stock)
- 3 handfuls of basil
- 170g spaghetti
- Parmesan cheese, grated
Put the olive oil into a warmed heavy-based pan and sweat the carrots, leeks, celery, onion, garlic and rosemary over a medium heat until just tender – around 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any froth that comes to the top. Add the cabbage, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, then rip in the basil leaves and add the pasta. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Taste and season.
Serve garnished with the grated Parmesan and a slug of good olive oil.
(Original recipe from The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 1999.)
Posted in Food, Italian, Soup, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Food, Italian, Jamie Oliver, Minestrone, Naked Chef, Recipe, Soup, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
14 January 2017 by jonoandjules
Our mate Brett got us this genuine Kassler, a pork loin expertly cured and lightly smoked by Ed Hicks in Dun Laoghaire. If you can’t find Kassler use a smoked bacon loin or rack and prepare yourself for the best bacon & cabbage ever.
Wine Suggestion: We chose a classic white Burgundy, 100% Chardonnay made in oak from a winemaker in Meursault, Patrick Javillier. He makes a couple of Bourgogne Blanc’s from a couple of very particular sites in Meursault and boy are they good. This time we chose his Cuvée Oligocene which is a vineyard partly in Meursault and partly in the ordinary Burgundy classification (despite it being the same soils and aspect). This makes this wine a bargain and we love it.
Roast Bacon with Cabbage & Potatoes – serves 6-8
- 1kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 450g savoy cabbage, cored and roughly chopped
- 1kg boned kassler/smoked bacon loin or rack
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
For the Sauce
- 25g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 600ml chicken stock
- 50ml Madeira or Port
- 1-3 tbsp Dijon mustard
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Put the potatoes into a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then drain.
Par-boil the cabbage in another large pan of lightly salted water for 2 minutes. Drain into a colander and refresh with cold water, then use your hands to squeeze out the excess water.
Put the bacon into a large roasting tray and place in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes before adding the butter. When the butter has melted, add the potatoes and roast together for 20 minutes, turning the bacon & potatoes in the butter now and then.
Now push the potatoes and bacon to one side and add the cabbage. Season the potatoes and cabbage with salt and roast for another 10 minutes, turning everything in the smoky butter.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a small pan and adding the flour. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then take off the heat and whisk in the chicken stock until smooth. Place back on the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 40 minutes in total remove the bacon from the oven and check that the potatoes and cabbage are cooked. Transfer the vegetables to a warm serving platter, then slice the bacon and arrange on top. Keep warm.
To finish the sauce, de-glaze the juices in the roasting tin with the Maderia or Port and add to the sauce. Whisk in the mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
(Original recipe by Paul Rankin.)
Posted in Food, Irish Food, Pork | Tagged Bacon, Bacon & Cabbage, cabbage, Cooking, Food, Irish, Irish Food, Kassler, Potatoes, Recipe, Roast | 1 Comment »
9 January 2017 by jonoandjules
Vegan Pie
Vegan recipes often get bad press, not helped by the poor offerings of restaurants. This dish has bags of flavour and doesn’t require any extras to make it a whole meal. A big splodge of ketchup on the side doesn’t go a miss if you’re that way inclined.
Wine Suggestion: not all wines are Vegan, but there are no standards on stating this on a bottle or to say what fining agents (which determines if it is Vegan friendly) have been used in making the wine.
Fining agents are used by winemakers to make a bright, clean coloured and tasting wine. Naturally most wines begin quite cloudy or hazy because of proteins, tannins, tartrates and phenolics. Winemakers traditionally add fining agents to rectify this and these include casein (a milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatin (animal protein) and isinglass (fish bladder protein) as well as others like various clays. These bind with the proteins etc which then fall out of the wine. So by the time it reaches the bottle and then your glass there are no traces of these products. However they have been used and part of Veganism is not only if the product is not in the food, but also the use in the production.
A lot of wines are potentially Vegan friendly, but quite often don’t say on the label and aren’t obliged to so don’t dismiss a wine for not being Vegan if it doesn’t say so, it may still be.
Look online on the winery sites if you are in doubt and even email the winemakers – they love to discuss their wines and are happy to answer questions on how each wine is made.
We drank some Domaine du Joncier Lirac Blanc from a wonderful, biodynamic and natural wine maker Marine Roussel. A blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Bourboulenc and fined naturally with time and gentle handling this is both round, fresh and full of depth.
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie – serves 8 (make in 2 dishes and freeze one for later)
- 1.2kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
- 50ml vegetable oil
- 30g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 15 mins, then drained (reserve the liquid)
- 2 large leeks, chopped
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, cut into small cubes
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
- a handful of marjoram or oregano, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- a handful of thyme, leaves picked
- a handful of sage, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 4 celery sticks, chopped
- 1 tin of chickpeas
- 300g frozen peas
- 300g frozen spinach
- 20ml olive oil
- a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- tomato ketchup, to serve (optional)
Put the unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 mins until the skins start to split. Drain and leave to cool a little.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large casserole dish. Add the mushrooms, leeks , onions, carrots and stock cube and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring.
Add the garlic, tomato purée, paprika, squash and herbs. Stir and turn the heat up a bit, cook for 3 mins, then add the celery and continue to stir and cook for a few more mins.
Tip in the chickpeas along with the water in the can and reserved mushroom stock. Add the peas and spinach and stir well. Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, then season, turn off and set aside.
Peel the potatoes and discard the skin. Mash 200g with a fork and stir into the veg. Break the rest of the potatoes into chunks, mix with the olive oil and parsley and season.
Divide the filling into two pie dishes and top with the potatoes. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and bake the pies for 40-45 mins, until the top is golden and the filling is heated through.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Food, Gluten-free, Recipe, Shepherd's Pie, Vegan, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
6 January 2017 by jonoandjules
Our local butcher, Brady’s, stocks excellent free-range chickens which are juicier and have more flavour than most super-market offerings. Being a very cheap meat overall we think it is worth spending a bit more as the benefits far outweigh the cost difference.
We never tire of roast chicken recipes as they’re usually straight forward and provide lots of leftovers. We challenge you to resist the skin on this one!
Wine Suggestion: we felt like a red so went for the Chateau de Beauregard Fleurie as it has a lighter body and a lower acidity than a Pinot Noir which matched this dish really well. The chicken was moist, but not fatty so the medium acidity was a perfect foil and neither wine nor food overwhelmed the other.
Spiced-yoghurt Roast Chicken with Potatoes – serves 4
- 1 whole chicken, approximately 1.5kg
- salad potatoes e.g. Charlotte
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the marinade:
- small chunk of ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced, keep the squeezed out halves to put inside the chicken
- 100g natural yoghurt
Heat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5.
Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and season with some salt and pepper.
Put the chicken into a large roasting tray and rub the marinade all over the skin with your hands. Put the squeezed lemon halves inside the cavity and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, then rest for 20 minutes under some foil before carving.
Cut the potatoes in half and toss with the cumin seeds, chilli flakes, 2 tbsp olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Tip into a shallow roasting tray and put in the oven above the chicken for the last 20 minutes. Turn over once during cooking and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes while the chicken is resting.
Delicious served with some coleslaw on the side.
(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December 2016.)
Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Potato, Roast | Tagged Chicken, Cooking, Food, Gluten-free, Marinade, Potatoes, Recipe, Roast chicken, Wine Matching, Wine Pairing, Wine suggestion, Yoghurt | 1 Comment »
4 January 2017 by jonoandjules
We often have lumps of leftover Stilton in the fridge after the weekend and particularly after Christmas. If you find yourself in a similar situation try this simple pasta dish for a mid-week dinner. If that doesn’t solve the problem here’s a few other ideas:
Broccoli and Stilton Soup
Creamy baked Brussels sprouts with stilton
Pasta with Blue Cheese Cream
Roussillon Baked Potatoes
Pork and Pears
Wine Suggestion: delicious with the Bott-Geyl Points Cardinal Metiss, a dry but rich and full white made from all the Pinot varieties you can think of, including the red and pink ones. When young this wine is fresh and enticing but with an extra year in the bottle it fills out and the aromas seem to ramp up a bit more with hints of honey, pears and apples and a lovely dry spice on the palate. More than a match for the powerful flavour of Stilton.
Stilton & Penne Pasta – serves 4
- 400g penne pasta
- 25g butter
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 100g Stilton, cubed
- handful toasted walnuts, chopped
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then gently fry the onion until golden. Add the garlic and sage, fry for a further 2 mins, then remove the pan from the heat.
Drain the pasta and reserve some cooking water. Stir through the onions, Stilton and 2 tbsp cooking water, then sprinkle with the toasted walnuts to serve.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)
Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Blue cheese, Cooking, Easy, Food, Pasta, Recipe, Sage, Stilton, Vegetarian, Walnuts | 1 Comment »
2 January 2017 by jonoandjules
Anyone who has followed us for a while will know that we’re very partial to the turkey leftovers. Here’s the concoction we came up with for last year’s bird and it wasn’t bad at all. Similar to the more common Thai duck curry, turkey is gamey enough to stand up to a bit of heat.
Thai Red Turkey Curry – Serves 4 generously
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3-4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into chunks
- 250g mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
- 180g sugar snap peas
- 20g pack basil, leaves picked
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- juice of 2 limes
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 300g leftover turkey (or chicken) – a bit more or less won’t make any difference
- 1 red chilli, sliced into rounds
- jasmine rice, to serve
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the curry paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in the coconut milk with 100ml water and the red pepper and cook for 10 mins until almost tender.
Add the mushrooms, sugar snaps and most of the basil to the curry, then season with the sugar, lime juice and soy sauce. Cook for 4 mins until the mushrooms are tender, then add the turkey and heat through. Scatter with sliced chilli and basil and serve with jasmine rice.
Posted in Asian | Tagged Cooking, Curry, Food, Leftovers, Recipe, Red curry, Thai, Turkey | Leave a Comment »
24 December 2016 by jonoandjules
Our menus have featured a lot of meat recently so we’ve focused and had a few fishy weekends to redress the balance. This is another great recipe from Moro, really delicate and delicious. We followed their suggestion and served with a chickpea salad and saffron rice. A rare Saturday night treat for just the two of us; we made the full sauce but only used two cod fillets.
Get started early as the rice needs to soak for a few hours.
Wine Suggestion: a light, dry white wine with good flavour and texture is what we think goes best. We had a good Muscadet from Domaine de la Chauviniere which has a good depth of flavour despite it’s light body. Alternately a good Alvarinho/Albariño would be a good match too.
Cod Baked with Tahini Sauce & Saffron Rice – serves 4
- 4 thick cod fillets with skin, about 200g each
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Tahini Sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tbsp tahini paste
- juice of 1 lemon
- 5 tbsp water
Saffron Rice
- 80g unsalted butter
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 5 green cardamom pods, cracked
- 3 black peppercorns
- 200g basmati rice, washed and soaked in salted water for 3 hours
- a good pinch of saffron threads infused in 4 tbsp boiling water
To Serve:
- small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 lemon, quartered
Start by making the tahini sauce and the rice as the fish won’t take long at the end.
For the Tahini Sauce:
Crush the garlic cloves with a good pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle until you have a paste. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and whisk in the tahini and lemon juice. Add the water until you get a sauce the consistency of double cream. Taste and season.
For the Saffron Rice:
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods and black peppercorns and fry gently for about 4 minute or until aromatic.
Drain the rice and add to the butter, stirring to coat in the butter. Turn the heat up to medium-high and pour over enough water to cover by about 1cm, season with salt.
Place a piece of greaseproof paper on the surface of the water, then cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and paper and drizzle the saffron water evenly over the rice. Cover again with the paper and the lid, turn the heat to low and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
For the Cod:
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
You need to cook the cod on the hob first ideally in an ovenproof frying pan or failing that a roasting tray that can go on the hob.
Add the olive oil to cover the base of the pan. Season the cod generously with salt and pepper, then place in the pan with the skin side up, keep shaking the pan all the time to prevent sticking. Cook for a couple of minutes to seal. Turn the fish over carefully and put the pan in the oven for 5-8 minutes, depending on the size of your fish. The fish is cooked when it is easy to flake and looks completely white inside.
Pour the tahini sauce into the pan with the fish to warm for 30 seconds, then transfer to hot plates. Spoon the sauce over the fish and garnish with the parsley and pomegranate seeds.
Serve with the chickpea salad, saffron rice & lemon.
(Original recipe from Moro the Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark, Ebury Press, 2001.)
Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free | Tagged Baked cod, Chickpeas, Cod, Cooking, Food, Gluten-free, Lebanese, Moro, pomegranate seeds, Recipe, Saffron, Saffron rice, Tahini Sauce | Leave a Comment »
21 December 2016 by jonoandjules
A simple midweek pasta supper for using up those multi-pack peppers. It reminds us of summer and Italy.
Wine suggestion: a great match with Cabernet Franc. The bell pepper, inky and pencil shaving character really compliments the flavours in this simple dish. A favourite of our is the Ch du Hureau from Saumur. Their “Tuffe” a youthful Cab Franc is a gem that regularly makes its way onto our wine rack. If you want to stick with Italian a 100% Sangiovese would make an excellent choice too.
Pasta Peronata – serves 4 (easily halved)
- 2 red peppers, sliced
- 2 yellow peppers, sliced
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped and stalks reserved
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese or crème fraîche (optional – we don’t usually add this unless we have some already)
- 500g rigatoni or penne pasta
Put the peppers into a large frying pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and cook gently for about 15 minutes until softened. Add the onion and cook for a further 20 minutes. Then add the garlic and parsley stalks and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Season to taste. Add the vinegar, then add a handful of the grated Parmesan and the mascarpone or crème fraîche if you are using it and turn the heat down to minimum while you cook the pasta.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Reserve a little of the cooking water before draining. Toss the peppers, pasta & chopped parsley in a large warm bowl. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water and a splash of good olive oil to coat the pasta. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan.
(Original recipe by Jamie Oliver).
Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Food, Italian, Jamie Oliver, Pasta, Peppers, Perperonata, Reicpe, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
18 December 2016 by jonoandjules
From Meera Sodha’s fabulous book, Made in India, we continue to make very successful dishes. We made this for a Christmas party alongside Meera’s Cinnamon lamb curry, and coconut fish curry. All very straightforward particularly if you get the lamb cooked the night before and serve with a load of rice (cooked and kept warm in a rice cooker if you have one) and a simple salad.
We used small green birds-eye chillies with their seeds removed and while these were hot on their own they gave the right amount of background heat to each dish: think of it as a mild curry with a tiny, perfect kick.
If you prefer you can thread the chicken pieces onto kebab sticks before roasting. You will need to soak wooden sticks in water for about 20 minutes before using to stop them burning in the oven.
The Mint chutney was amazing and not only works with the chicken tikka but is also great with a roast or grilled lamb instead of the usual mint sauce/jelly.
Oven-roasted Chicken Tikka (Murghi na tikka) – serves 4-6 as a starter or with other dishes
- rapeseed oil
- 600g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat
- 4cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 fresh green chilli, roughly chopped
- salt
- 130ml whole-milk yoghurt
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds, crushed
- ¾ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp garam masala
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Line 2 oven trays and brush with a very light layer of oil.
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put into a bowl.
Pound the ginger, garlic and green chilli with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, until it turns into a paste. Add the paste to the chicken, then add the remaining ingredients to the bowl along with 1¼ tsp salt. Mix well and cover. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes or in the fridge for a a few hours if you can.
Shake the excess marinade from the chicken and divide between the lined trays. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning once.
Serve with salad and the Mint & Yoghurt Chutney below.
Mint & Yoghurt Chutney (Fodina anna dahi nu chatni) – makes a small jar
- 5 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 20g fresh mint
- 1 fresh green chili, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 tsp sugar
- juice of ½ a lemon
- a pinch of salt
Put the ingredients into a blender and whizz until mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
The chutney will keep for a day in the fridge if you want to make it in advance.
(Original recipes from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2014.)
Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free | Tagged Chicken tikka, Chutney, Cooking, Food, Indian, Mint & yoghurt chutney, Recipe | 1 Comment »
15 December 2016 by jonoandjules
These were so easy and would make a great weeknight supper or lunch at the weekend. A great way to use up Turkish red pepper paste!
Wine Suggestion: we’d suggest a light red wine or dry rosé to compliment these. For a splash out we drank the Felton Rd Vin Gris from Central Otago. This is made from Pinot Noir juice, only in selected vintages and is very dry and textural with summer fruit flavours and aromas with hints of chervil, fennel and an earthy spice we can’t put our finger on. Together with the pizza it all came together to make us feel like we were on holidays, even though we aren’t!
Middle Eastern Veggie Pizzas – makes 5
- 5-10 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (you could always use tomato paste)
- pack of 5 large pitta breads or Middle Eastern flatbreads
- ½ a bag of frozen spinach, defrosted
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 3 balls mozzarella, patted dry and torn
- 5 eggs
- freshly grated nutmeg
- small bunch basil
- shaved Parmesan, to serve
Preheat your oven to the highest setting.
Put the flatbreads onto baking trays and spread 1-2 tbsp red pepper paste over each one.
Squeeze the spinach with your hands to get as much water out as possible, then scatter on top, leaving a little space in the centre (to crack an egg into). Divide the garlic & mozzarella between the pizzas and season generously.
Carefully crack an egg into the middle of each pizza, into the space you made with the spinach, and season with nutmeg and some of the basil. Bake for 7 mins until the cheese has melted and the egg is cooked as you like it (you will probably have to cook them in batches).
Serve with a little more basil and some Parmesan shavings.
Posted in Food, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Flatbread pizza, Food, Middle Eastern, Pizza, Recipe, Spinach, Turkish red pepper paste, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
12 December 2016 by jonoandjules
One of our local grocers had a pile of mushrooms of all sorts (it is the season) so we took the inspiration and had a delicious version of mushrooms on toast flavoured with sherry. Good quality sourdough, toasted, rubbed with a clove of garlic & drizzled with good olive oil to serve.
Wine suggestion: As we started with this for a much larger dinner with friends we opened a bottle of dry Oloroso sherry to accompany. We were lucky to have a bottle of the Hidalgo Oloroso VORS (average age 30yo) which was a complex, rich, nutty style of sherry with a wonderfully complex citrus peel, nutty and spicy nose. The palate is funky with profound, fresh, nutty, lemony complexity. The surprising citrus notes in the sherry lifted the mushrooms even further. Sherry of this quality is simply the best value fine wine in the world as we we kept on running out of descriptions of the taste, smell and finish of this.
Setas al jerez – Mushrooms with Sherry – serves 4
- 400g wild mushrooms
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 150ml fino or dry, old amontillado sherry
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth but don’t be tempted to soak or wash them in water.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes or until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Next add the sherry and nutmeg and cook for another minute, followed by the parsley, salt and black pepper.
Serve with toast that you have rubbed lightly with garlic and drizzled with your best olive oil.
(Original recipe from The Moro Cookbook, Ebury Press, 2001.)
Posted in Food, Spanish, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Food, Mushrooms, Recipe, Setas al jerez, Sherry, Spanish, Starter, Wild mushrooms | 2 Comments »
5 December 2016 by jonoandjules
We’re not sure if we would would have ever made this except for having a load of walnuts and red peppers that needed used. Definitely one of the most interesting dishes we’ve cooked this year. We’ve had it warm and also cold; as a side dish and in a floury bap for lunch; a tasty starter and a midnight snack. Delicious every time.
Wine Suggestion: If you decide to eat this warm or cold you need the spice a red wine gives and a chill for freshness and vitality; 30 minutes in the fridge is sufficient, so chilled, not freezing! We’d recommend either a Spanish red, the Jesus Romero Rubus, a rarity from Teruel in Aragon or if you’d like to push the boat out Laurent Combier’s Cap Nord, one of the best Crozes-Hermitage we’ve tried in a long while. The link between these is Syrah, so if you find another one you like try chilling this and giving it a go with this dish.
Circassian Chicken – serves 3-4
- 2 large skinless chicken breasts
- 500ml chicken stock
- 200g walnuts halves
- 1 slice stale white bread, made into breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- small handful of coriander, chopped
FOR THE PEPPER DRESSING:
- 1 tbsp red pepper paste/½ tsp sweet paprika & ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Put the chicken stock into a large pot with the chicken breasts. Bring to the boil, then simmer and poach for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Blitz 150g of the walnuts in a food processor to make a powder, then add the breadcrumbs and garlic with enough of the poaching stock to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
Pull the cooked chicken into long pieces and combine with the walnut sauce and chopped coriander. Drizzle with the red pepper dressing and decorate with the reserved walnuts.
(Original recipe from Venice to Istanbul by Rick Stein, BBC Books, 2015.)
Posted in Food | Tagged Chicken, Circassian chicken, Cooking, Food, Recipe, Red pepper paste, Rick Stein, Turkish, Walnuts | 2 Comments »
5 December 2016 by jonoandjules
This red pepper paste is used in loads of Turkish dishes. It’s a very useful paste to have in the fridge and is particular good on a pizza instead of tomato sauce. You can buy Turkish pepper paste in specialist shops but it’s very easy to make and will keep for about a week in the fridge.
Turkish Red Pepper Paste
- 660g red peppers
- 50g tomato purée
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 30ml olive oil
Roast the peppers for about 30 minutes at 220ºC/gas 7 until charred & soft. Put in a bowl and cover with cling film, then leave until cool enough to peel. Remove the charred skins, stalks and seeds. Blitz the roasted peppers with the other ingredients in a blender. Store in a jar in the fridge until needed.
(Original recipe from Venice to Istanbul by Rick Stein, BBC Books, 2015.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian | Tagged Cooking, Food, Gluten-free, Recipe, Red pepper paste, Red peppers, Turkish, Turkish red pepper paste | 2 Comments »
28 November 2016 by jonoandjules
Oh yes, another chilli recipe. This one is interesting though as it uses braising steak instead of mince. We loved it!
Wine Suggestion: A juicy red with a bit of spice is our choice for this dish especially those with a good dollop of Grenache in them. First choice might be a good Cotes du Rhone, but venturing a bit from the tried and trusted we found a Spanish Garnacha made by Bodegas Monfil. An inexpensive wine from the Cariñena region is Spain with bags of flavour but also open, round and juicy; perfect for a Chilli!
Chilli Con Carne – serves 4
- olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 400g braising steak, trimmed and cut into very small pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
- 1 heaped tsp paprika
- 1 tin of plum tomatoes
- 1 beef stock cube
- ½-1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 small square 85% cocoa dark chocolate (optional)
- tin red kidney beans, drained
- sour cream, to serve
- chopped coriander, to serve
- cooked brown rice, to serve
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole dish over a low heat. Fry the celery and onions over a gentle heat until softened and translucent.
Add the garlic & chilli and fry until the garlic is cooked, then add the cumin and paprika and cook stirring for another 30 seconds. Remove this mixture from the pan and set aside. Add another tbsp of oil to the pan, turn up the heat, and quickly fry the meat in batches to brown it.
Return the onions to the pan and add the tin of tomatoes, breaking the tomatoes up with the back of a spoon. Crumble the stock cube into the tomato tin, fill with water and tip into the pan. Add the chilli flakes and simmer gently for 2 hours, or until thick and glossy, stirring now and then.
Add the chocolate and stir in, then stir in the kidney beans and heat through.
Serve with brown rice, coriander & sour cream.
(Original recipe by Victoria Moore in BBC Olive Magazine, April 2013.)
Posted in Beef, Food, Gluten-free | Tagged Beef, Braising steak, Chilli, Chilli con carne, Cooking, Food, Gluten-free, Kidney beans, Recipe | 4 Comments »
22 November 2016 by jonoandjules
This is a great sauce for a beef or lamb steak. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic; the poaching process takes away any harshness from the garlic and results in a sweet and delicious sauce.
Wine Suggestion: While your choice of wine might be determined somewhat by the type of meat you have, with the garlic sauce the key is to choose something robust, not delicate. For this steak we had an old vine Carignan (with a touch of Grenache and Syrah in the blend) from Domaine Roc des Anges in Roussillon. Their “Reliefs” cuvée is one of the best we’ve tasted of this grape variety. It is smooth and sophisticated and yet down deep it seems informed by a rustic prehistoric core. Supple, deep and fleshy with sheets of shimmering tannin, great driving depth, cherry and dark chocolate flavours and a full, juicy and balanced finish.
Poached Garlic Sauce – serves 4
- 3 garlic bulbs
- milk
- 3 tsps extra virgin olive oil
- ½-¾ tablespoon sherry vinegar
Break up the garlic bulbs and throw away the woody roots. Put the garlic cloves, skins on, into a small saucepan and cover with milk by at least 3cm. Bring the milk and garlic to a simmer and cook gently for about 20 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Reserve 6 tablespoons of the poaching milk and discard the rest. Either put the garlic through a mouli or squeeze the soft garlic out of each skin and mash to a puree. Add the reserved milk to thin it slightly , then stir in the olive oil and sherry vinegar. Season well with salt and black pepper.
(Original recipe from Moro: The Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark, Ebury Press, 2001.)
Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Spanish | Tagged Cooking, Food, Garlic, Garlic Sauce, Gluten-free, Moro, Poached garlic, Recipe, Spanish | Leave a Comment »
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