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Posts Tagged ‘Easy’

Haricot Beans with Rice & Onions

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 24 November 2019| Leave a Comment »

Haricot Beans with Rice & Onions

Another dish made for no other reason than half a bag of fresh dill in the fridge, threatening to go to waste. This is a big bowl of buttery deliciousness and the perfect comfort food for a cold night.

Wine Suggestion: to match the cold and damp evening, and this comfort food you need to look at a comforting, juicy red; tonight the Altosur Malbec, a wine that genuinely outperforms its pricepoint.

Haricot beans with rice and onions – serves 2

  • 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into thin rings
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g white long-grain rice
  • 2 cloves
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 1 x 400g tin of haricot beans, drained
  • 60g butter
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • a handful of chopped dill

Warm the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic, then the onions, and leave to cook over a moderate heat until soft and golden. Remove from the heat, scoop out the onions and keep the pan for later.

Wash the rice in warm water, then drain and transfer to a saucepan and pour in water to cover by 2cm. Add salt, the cloves and the peppercorns, then bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, then cover tightly with a lid and leave for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for a further 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in the onion pan, then cook the cumin seeds and turmeric for a minute or until fragrant. Add the beans and heat through.

Fork through the rice, check the seasoning and pick out the cloves. Stir in the dill and divide between two bowls. Spoon over the hot beans and top with the fried onions.

(Original recipe from Greenfeast: autumn, winter by Nigel Slater, 4th Estate, 2019.)

 

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Cockles with Tomato, Pastis & Parsley

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 20 November 2019| Leave a Comment »

Cockles with Tomato, Pastis & Parsley

A Gill Meller recipe for clams or he also suggests mussels. It was cockles on Friday in our local fish shop and they work just as well too. These are boozy and they taste strongly of pastis which we enjoyed immensely and gave the whole dish a real clarity of flavour.

Wine Suggestion: Quite often we’d suggest white wine with seafood, and you’d be right here too. However, this doesn’t mean red can’t work just as well, you need to make sure it isn’t too heavy and has a natural freshness of acidity … like from a cooler vineyard region. Tonight we opened the Dezat Sancerre Rouge which is made from Pinot Noir and is joyful and deliciously ripe while remaining pure and fresh. A good complement to the tomatoes and sea flavours and a match to the anise of the pastis.

Cockles with tomato, pastis & parsley – serves 2

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
  • finely grated zest of ½ a lemon
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 rosemary sprig
  • 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 100ml pastis or Pernod
  • 1kg cockles (or clams or mussels), washed and throw away any with broken or open shells
  • 2 to 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes or until soft but not coloured.

Add the lemon zest, fennel seeds, bay leaves and rosemary and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, then half fill the empty tin with water and pour this in too. Add the sugar, season again, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring, often, until rich and thick.

Add the pastis and turn the heat up. When the liquid is boiling, add the cockles, stir once, give the pan a good shake, then cover with a tight lid.

Cook for 3-4 minutes (shaking occasionally), or until all the shells have opened. Throw away any that remain closed. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

(Original recipe from Time by Gill Meller, Quadrille, 2018.)

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Roast New Potato & Pickle Salad

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 17 November 2019| 2 Comments »

Roast new potato & pickle salad

Another dish from Jamie’s Veg book. We’re all about the pickles in this house and this was just so fresh and tasty. We had rather large platefuls but it would also work really well as a side for fish without the feta. In fact, it would work alone without the feta too.

Wine Suggestion: fresh and vibrant whites are what you need for this dish; tonight the Wengut Korrell Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) from the Nahe in Germany. Not the current vintage but from 2016 instead and no harm at all as the winery seems to craft a natural freshness that makes this just as enjoyable now as it did a couple of years ago.

Roast new potato & pickle salad – serves 6

  • 1.2kg new potatoes
  • 6 garlic cloves, bashed
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zest finely grated
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 cucumber, scratched with a fork and sliced into rounds
  • 100g radishes, quartered
  • ½ a red onion, very finely sliced
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 15g dill, leaves picked
  • 15g mint, leaves picked
  • 40g feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.

Cook the potatoes in plenty of boiling salty water for 20 minutes or until tender, then drain and steam dry in the pot. Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tray and drizzle with 2 tbsp of oil, then add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

Add the bashed garlic cloves to the tray, then roast for 20 minutes.

Scatter the lemon zest, rosemary and flour over the potatoes, then toss together. Squash the potatoes flat with a potato masher and roast for 30 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Meanwhile, put the cucumber, radishes and red onion into a bowl with the mustard, vinegar and half the lemon juice.

When the potatoes are cooked, season the pickle with salt and pepper and stir through the herbs, then put the pickled mixture on top of the hot potatoes and mix just before serving. Crumble over the feta cheese and add some extra lemon if you like.

(Original recipe from Veg by Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 2019.)

 

 

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Carrot & Ginger Purée with Pan-fried Cod

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , on 13 November 2019| Leave a Comment »

Carrot & Ginger mash with pan fried codSo, this is a full-on diet dish, but the carrot and ginger mash is spectacular and we couldn’t recommend it highly enough for nights when you need some restraint. We are a greedy household and require restraint on a regular basis – no wine for us tonight!

Carrot & Ginger Mash with Pan-fried Cod – serves 2

  • 2 large carrots (about 300g), thickly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 15g fresh root ginger, peeled
  • 15g butter
  • ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 thick, skinless cod fillets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • dried chilli flakes

Put the carrots, garlic & ginger in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.

Take the pan off the heat, reserve a ladle of the cooking water, then drain. Return the carrot mixture to the pan and add 3 tbsp of the reserved cooking water, the butter, and the lemon juice. Whizz the carrots to a purée with a stick blender, adding a bit more of the water if needed. Season with salt and black pepper.

Season the cod with sea salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the cod for about 4 minutes, then turn, sprinkle with a few chilli flakes, and cook on the other side for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick they are.

Spoon the purée onto warm plates and serve with the fish on top and plenty of green veg.

(Original recipe from The Fast 800 Recipe Book by Dr Claire Bailey & Justine Pattison, Short Books, 2019.)

 

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Pork, Roast Squash, Apple & Chestnut Salad

Posted in Food, Pork, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 11 November 2019| Leave a Comment »

Pork, Roast Squash, Apple & Chestnut Salad

Could there be a more autumnal dish? We went completely overboard with a roast pork last weekend and have been searching for great recipes to use it all up. Love your leftovers!

Wine Suggestion: Pork and apples are a happy match for a good Chenin Blanc. Tonight we had Bernard Fouquet’s, Domaine des Aubuisieres Vouvray Silex. Fresh and appley to complement the salad with a lovely clean, dry finish; a soft and friendly wine with good persistence and layers of texture.

Pork, roast squash, apple and chestnut salad – serves 4

For the salad:

  • 50g butter
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1kg squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into slim wedges
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 2 apples, halved, cored and cut into wedges
  • 100g cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed work fine)
  • 100g spicy pork sausage, cut into chunks
  • 200g leftover cooked pork, cut into chunks
  • 25g hazelnuts, toasted (roast for 20 minutes or so until they smell toasty, the skins will rub off easily with a clean tea towel)
  • 150g watercress or baby spinach

For the dressing:

  • 1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • a tiny bit of Dijon mustard
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp hazelnut oil (we didn’t have any hazelnut oil so used extra virgin olive oil instead)

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.

Melt 25g of the butter in a saucepan. Add 3 tbsp of the olive oil, the cinnamon and ginger. Put the squash into a roasting tin and drizzle over the spicy mixture, tossing to coat. Season the squash, then sprinkle over half of the sugar. Roast for 25 minutes, or until tender and slightly caramelised.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Melt the rest of the butter in a large frying pan and sauté the apples until golden. Add the chestnuts and heat through, then set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the same pan and sauté the sausage until cooked and nicely browned, then add the pork and heat through – a few toasty brown bits on the pork will taste good too. Season.

Toss the warm squash with all the salad ingredients and the dressing.

(Original recipe from Food by Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2011.)

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Honey-glazed Chicken Wings

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Party Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 9 November 2019| 2 Comments »

Honey glazed chicken wings

We love a good chicken wing and the only way to eat them is with your fingers – like we need an excuse. Cheap as chips too. What’s not to love?

Wine Suggestion: keeping it simple we pulled out a bottle of the Petit Mazuret Viognier from southern France. Not complex, but rich and able to stand up to the flavours of the chicken; a very satisfying accompaniment

Honey-glazed Chicken Wings – serves 6 as a starter

  • 1kg chicken wings
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 100ml sour cream
  • 100ml buttermilk
  • 100g mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • pinch of smoked paprika
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
  • celery sticks, to serve (optional)

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

Put the wings in a large roasting tin. Mix the honey, soy and ½ tbsp sesame seeds in a bowl, then pour over the wings. Mix well with your hands to coat, then roast for 20 minutes or so until browned, sticky and cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice and paprika. Season well, then chill until ready to serve.

When cooked, sprinkle over the rest of the sesame seeds and the chilli. Serve with the dip and some celery sticks if you like.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Mussels with Red Onions, Cider and Crème Fraîche

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 6 November 2019| Leave a Comment »

Mussels with red onions, cider and creme fraiche

We associate mussels with cold weather and cook them often in the darker months. Makes no sense really when we’ve no issue eating buckets of them in the sunshine on holidays. We loved the creamy sauce on these – crusty bread essential!

Wine Suggestion: it feels natural to use the cider you cook with as the accompaniment. Our choice was the artisanale and organic Cidrerie le Maitre, a very new, young producer in Brittany we stumbled upon by following little signs off the main roads into a winding, forgotten lane in the middle of the French countryside. Daniel le Maitre uses 12 ancient local varieties of apples and the result is dry, very fruity and appley but with a wonderful texture of apple skins and a great depth of flavour which makes it a great food match. A happy discovery, and their Cider Vinegar is also a good addition to our cupboard too.

Mussels with Red Onion, Cider & Crème Fraîche – serves 2

  • 1kg mussels
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 2 small red onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 150ml dry cider
  • 2 tsp finely chopped sage
  • 150ml crème fraîche

Scrub the mussels, and discard if open and they won’t close when you give them a sharp tap.

Melt the butter in a large pan, cook the onions for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Pour the cider over and add the sage, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.

Add the mussels, then cover and cook over a medium heat (shaking the pan occasionally) for 3-4 mins or until they have opened. Lift the mussels into a bowl and keep warm.

Bubble the cooking liquid in the pan for a couple of minutes, then gradually blend in the crème fraîche. Heat the sauce through and pour over the mussels to serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Bobotie

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 29 October 2019| Leave a Comment »

Bobotie

We made this on the first dark night after the clocks changed. A delicious spicy baked dish from South Africa that we had heard of many times but never tasted. Definitely give this one a go as the flavours are fantastic.

Wine Suggestion: An old favourite provided the match tonight: the Secateurs Red by Adi Badenhorst. A Shiraz, Cinsault & Grenache blend, this shows how Swartland holds it’s own against similar Southern Rhone wines; a juicy and spicy red with class.

Bobotie – serves 6

  • butter, for greasing
  • 4 tbsp of olive oil
  • 3 onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1kg beef or lamb mince (we used lamb)
  • 100ml red-wine or cider vinegar
  • 100g flaked almonds
  • 120g raisins
  • 50g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 75g fruit chutney (we used Crossogue Preserves’ Irish Harvest Fruit Chutney)

For the topping:

  • 3 eggs
  • 500ml full-fat milk
  • 3 bay leaves

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

Grease a large baking dish and set aside.

Warm a large, wide casserole over a medium heat and add three tablespoons of oil.

Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and sweat for 10 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves and spices and cook for another few minutes. Tip the mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Put the pan back over the heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in the hot pan in batches, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon and cooking until dark. When the meat is all browned put it all back in to the pan and add the vinegar, almonds and raisins.

Turn the heat down low and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the the heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and chutney and check the seasoning. Tip the mixture into the greased baking dish, level the top with the back of a spoon and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Beat together the eggs and milk and pour over the meat. Scatter over the bay leaves, then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the custard just set. We served with brown rice and Tenderstem broccoli.

(Original recipe by Thomasina Myers in the Guardian, 21 Oct 2019)

Bobotie

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Fig, Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 18 October 2019| Leave a Comment »

Fig, Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad

There are figs going cheap everywhere at the moment and we’re trying to find lots of things to do with them. This salad by Thomasina Miers is delicious and full of autumnal flavours.

Wine Suggestion: if you feel like wine with your salad choose a fresh, unoaked white. There’s plenty of options but we like Jean-Michel Gerin’s le Champine Viognier from the northern Rhone which sits nicely with all the components here.

Roasted red onion, fig, blue cheese & walnut salad – serves 4

  • 2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4-5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp soft brown sugar
  • 6 ripe figs, sliced in half widthways
  • 75g walnuts
  • juice of ½ a lemon
  • 1 head radicchio, finely shredded
  • 100g watercress
  • 120g blue cheese, we used Gorgonzola as we had some for another dish

Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Scatter the onions over a large baking tray, season generously and drizzle with a tablespoon of the vinegar and olive oil to coat. Toss with your hands, lightly scatter with brown sugar, then roast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the figs cut side down on a different tray, and season with salt, pepper, a little brown sugar and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven with the figs for another 10-12 minutes or until the figs are slightly softened and releasing their juice and the onions are crisp at the edges.

Drizzle the rest of the vinegar over the figs. Put the walnuts in a small baking tray and roast for 5 minutes. Roughly chop.

Pour the juice from the fig roasting tray into a small cup, then whisk in 2-3 tbsp of oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste.

Arrange the leaves on a large plate, top with the red onions and figs and dot around the cheese. Scatter over the walnuts and drizzle over the dressing.

(Original recipe by Thomasina Miers in The Guardian.)

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Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Capers and Olives

Posted in Fish, Gluten-free, Italian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 16 October 2019| Leave a Comment »

Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Capers and Olives

It seems like so long since we’ve cooked fresh fish, but tonight was the night. We’ve had Rachel Roddy’s book (Two Kitchens: Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome) for ages now but this has been its first outing (for reasons that we won’t bore you with here). This dish was everything we hoped for – quick for a Friday night but absolutely packed with all the flavours that this family loves. We served with couscous but rice or bread are also suggested. Well done Rachel!

Wine Suggestion: we were seduced by the Sicilian white, the Gulfi Carjcanti, a blend of Carricante and the ancient Albanello. Lively and herbal alongside a salty sapiness in the flavour making this a great wine to pair with seafood, let alone the olives, capers and tomatoes in this dish.

Fish in spicy tomato sauce with capers and olives (Pesce all ghiotta) – serves 4

  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery sticks, remove the strings and finely dice
  • 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 500g fresh tomatoes, or tinned plum tomatoes drained of the juice
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional but sometimes good if using tinned tomatoes)
  • a pinch of red chilli flakes
  • 50g salted capers, rinsed
  • 60g olives – we used a mixture of green and black
  • 4 fish fillets (cod, bream or hake – we used hake), about 120g each
  • 1 heaped tbsp of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Take your fish out of the fridge and season it with a little salt.

Gently fry the onions in a deep frying pan, large enough to fit the hake fillets in a single layer later, until soft and translucent.

Add the celery and cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and chilli and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the capers and olives and simmer for another couple of minutes.

Take the pan off the heat, make a space in the sauce and arrange the fish fillets, skin-side down, in a single layer, then spoon over some of the sauce. Put the pan back over a low heat and simmer very gently, spooning more sauce over occasionally, until the fish is cooked through – watch carefully as it shouldn’t take too long. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

(Original recipe from ‘Two Kitchens – Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome’ by Rachel Roddy, HEADLINE HOME, 2017)

 

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Chicken with Mushrooms

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 9 October 2019| 2 Comments »

Chicken with Mushrooms

This is a great one-pan dish for mid-week. Tasty, economical and good for you too. We’re all into healthy stuff now that we have a kitchen and no longer need to eat out so much. We served with buttery mash (not so healthy) but a salad or extra greens would also be appropriate.

Wine Suggestion: Given it’s mid-week, we’d suggest the Domaine Ventenac Cuvée Carole which is mostly Chardonnay, but has a touch of Gros Manseng to brilliant effect. Fresh and easy, and yet textured, savoury as well as full of joyful fruit.

Chicken with Mushrooms – serves 4

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • flour, for dusting
  • 50g pancetta cubes
  • 300g small button mushrooms
  • 2 large shallots, chopped
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 50g frozen peas
  • small handful of parsley, finely chopped

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan. Season and dust the chicken with flour, then brown on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Fry the pancetta and mushrooms in the same pan until softened, then remove.

Add another tbsp of olive oil and cook the shallots for a few minutes until soft. Add the stock and vinegar then bubble for a couple of minutes before returning the chicken, pancetta and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add the peas and parsley and cook for 2 minutes more before serving with mash, salad or veg.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Creamy Lemon & Spinach Ravioli

Posted in Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 20 September 2019| Leave a Comment »

This veggie pasta dish uses shop-bought ravioli and the whole thing cooks in one pan in the oven. Couldn’t be simpler and really tasty on a night when time is short (which is every night for us at the minute).

Wine Suggestion: a lemony, fresh white like the Umani Ronchi Ca’Sal di Serra Verdicchio which is crisp and pure with lovely vibrant fruit. It tastes of summer which we’ve had a reprise of these last few days.

Creamy Lemon & Spinach Ravioli – serves 2

  • 250g pack spinach & ricotta ravioli (or another flavour if you prefer)
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 100g baby spinach, chopped
  • 200ml hot vegetable stock
  • 4 tbsp soft cheese, we used Philadelphia
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 50g Parmesan, grated

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

Spread the ravioli over a baking dish and scatter over the peas and spinach.

Whisk the hot stock, soft cheese, lemon zest and juice and half the Parmesan together in a jug. Season well, then pour over the ravioli. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the foil, scatter over the rest of the cheese, then bake for another 5 minutes before serving.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, September 2019)

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Chicken, Rocket and Pine Nut Pasta

Posted in Chicken, Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , on 21 July 2019| 2 Comments »

We’re back from our holidays and sadly no longer living on a diet of bread, cheese & wine (bread, cheese & ice cream for Orlaith – age 5). This is a nice simple pasta dish for a Friday night.

Wine Suggestion: our choice is a fresh Chenin blanc, the Chateau Hureau Argile which has a crisp freshness as well as great depth matching the creamy chicken.

Chicken, Rocket & Pine Nut Pasta – serves 4 to 6

  • 450g penne pasta
  • 6 tbsp pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 large chicken breast fillets, sliced into thin strips
  • 4 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 100g rocket or watercress, remove any tough stalks
  • Parmesan shavings, to serve

Cook the pasta in lots of boiling salty water until al dente.

Heat a frying pan and lightly toast the pine nuts, then set aside.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and sauté the onion, garlic & thyme for a few minutes, then tip into a bowl and set aside.

Add another tbsp of oil to the pan and cook the chicken strips for 2-3 minutes and season lightly, then turn and cook for another few minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Return the onion mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the crème fraíche and mustard, then bring to a gentle simmer but don’t let it boil.

Drain the pasta and return to the pan, then pour in the creamy chicken and add the rocket or watercress. Toss lightly to combine and season.

Divide between warm bowls and garnish with the toasted pine nuts and some Parmesan shavings.

(Original recipe from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)

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Everyday Palestinian Salad

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 15 June 2019| Leave a Comment »

Everyday Palestinian Salad

We love a chopped salad and this one in particular is a handy one to have up your sleeve. We served with a Palestinian rice dish but it would be suitable for all sorts of eventualities.

Everyday Palestinian Salad – serves 4

  • 4 Persian cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper
  • 10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 10g mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of a lemon

Slice the cucumbers in half and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Finely chop into 1cm dice.

Scoop the seed out of the tomatoes and chop into similar sized pieces to the cucumber. Do the same with the red pepper and put all three into a large bowl.

Dress the salad with the herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, and plenty of salt and black pepper.

(Original recipe from Zaitoon by Yasmin Khan, Bloomsbury, 2018.)

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Spiced Cauliflower Roast

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 7 June 2019| Leave a Comment »

Spiced Cauliflower Roast

We try to eat fairly light mid-week with an emphasis on veg and not too many carbs. It’s much easier in the summer when the nights are bright and we don’t crave comfort food the same way.

Today is the first Monday of June, it’s been grey and lashing with rain all day and it feels far from summery, but we live in hope. So there is loads going on in this roasted cauliflower dish – hot chilli, cooling yoghurt, sour pomegranate, fresh herbs and crispy chickpeas. Just what we needed.

Wine Suggestion: A great match is the mildly unfashionable, but very beloved by wine enthusiasts, Mosel Riesling. For simplicity the Dr Loosen Estate Riesling which balances a lighter body with a good depth and personality; light alcohol and body but a dancing, full flavour.

Spiced Cauliflower Roast – serves 4

  • 50g butter, softened at room temperature
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp sumac
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 cauliflower (about 1kg)
  • 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • small bunch of coriander, chopped
  • small bunch of mint, chopped
  • 1 red onion, very finely chopped
  • 200g cherry tomatoes on the vine
  • 50g pine nuts, toasted
  • pomegranate molasses

FOR THE FETA DRESSING:

  • 100g good-quality feta
  • 100g Greek yoghurt
  • juice of ½ lemon

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

Beat the butter and spices with a wooden spoon in a small bowl.

Trim the outer leaves of the cauliflower and remove the very bottom of the root but not all of it as it will help hold it together. Bring a large pan of salty water to the boil. Cook the cauliflower for 3-4 minutes to soften slightly, then gently remove from the water and onto a baking tray.

Scatter the chickpeas around the cauliflower. Rub the cauliflower with the spiced butter, dot a little butter over the chickpeas and season everything. Roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until the cauliflower is completely tender and the chickpeas crispy.

Meanwhile, make the feta dressing by whisking the feta and yoghurt together in a large bowl until creamy. Add the lemon juice and whisk again, then season. Chill in the fridge until needed.

Remove the cauliflower and chickpeas from the oven and transfer the cauliflower onto a plate. Mix the remaining ingredients except the pomegranate molasses, with the warm chickpeas on the tray. Arrange the chickpeas on a platter and put the whole cauliflower on top. Spoon over the feta dressing and drizzle with a little pomegranate molasses to serve.

(Original recipe from BBCGoodFood)

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Radiatori with Sausage & Saffron

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 27 May 2019| Leave a Comment »

Radiatori with Sausage & Saffron

We’re getting a new kitchen and currently trying to clear the cupboards of as many ingredients as possible to save us having to pack them away. I don’t know why we bought a bag of radiatori pasta, maybe we just liked the look of it, but a quick flick of the books turned up the perfect recipe. Do find Italian sausages if you can (we used luganega but you can often find good pork and fennel ones too) as they’re a lot denser than our traditional sausages. Gone are the days when we used to beg Italian restaurants to sell us some!

Wine suggestion: the saffron gives this dish a refinement and character a little different to some other Italian / pasta recipes and we think that the newly classic wines of the Tuscan coast, specifically Bolgheri and northern Maremma suit the dish really well. For sheer value we’d open a bottle Argentiera’s Poggio ai Ginepri which is Cabernet Sauvignon led. However, if you can stretch further then the Cabernet Franc led wines of Biserno, like their il Pino would make this dish feel like a proper event – as all Friday night dishes should be!

Radiatori with Sausage & Saffron – serves 4 to 6

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • a large onion, roughly chopped
  • 500g Italian sausages, remove the skins and break up the meat with your hands
  • ¼ tsp of saffron threads
  • 600ml passata
  • 500g radiatori pasta
  • basil & grated pecorino (to serve)

Warm the oil in a heavy casserole. Add the onion with a pinch of sea salt and cook over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until softened.

Turn the heat up, then add the sausagemeat, keep breaking it up with your spoon if needed, and stir until it loses its raw appearance, then add the saffron and passata. Bring to a bubble and turn the heat down low and simmer gently for 40 minutes.

Place a lid on the casserole and turn off the heat, then cook the pasta in lots of boiling, salty water for the time on the packet. Reserve a few ladlefuls of pasta water before you drain it.

Tip the pasta into the sauce and toss together, adding a bit of pasta water to help it come together if needed. Serve sprinkled with basil and pecorino.

(Original  recipe from At My Table by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2017.)

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Stir-fried Broad Beans with Spring Onion (cong hua can dou)

Posted in Asian, Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 14 May 2019| Leave a Comment »

cong hua can dou

This is a Chinese method for cooking broad beans which is really straightforward and super tasty. If you want to double pod your beans, just blanch for a minute first and the skins will easily pop off. We served this alongside Dongpo pork but it would go equally well alongside a lot of meat dishes.

Stir-fried broad beans with spring onion – serves 3-4

  • 1kg young broad beans in pods or 350g shelled (we used frozen broad beans, defrosted or blanched to remove skins)
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions, white part only
  • ¾ tsp caster sugar
  • 4 tbsp thinly sliced scallions, green parts only

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the scallion whites and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Add the beans and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Add the beans and toss in the oil. Add 150ml of water, the sugar, season with salt and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a medium heat for a few minutes, until tender – careful they don’t boil dry.

Remove the lid and increase the heat a bit to reduce the liquid. When only a couple of tablespoons of liquid are left, add the scallion greens and stir until fragrant, then serve.

(Original recipe from Land of Fish & Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop, Bloomsbury, 2016.)

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Salmon & horseradish burgers

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 10 May 2019| Leave a Comment »

Salmon & horseradish burgers

These are great for a Friday night supper or weekend lunch. Really light & tasty.

Wine Suggestion: Chateau Pesquié make a lovely, fresh Chardonnay in the Ventoux. It helps that it’s the coolest part of the southern Rhône as it tastes lovely and fresh like a good Maçon Chardonnay. Refreshing, unoaked and easy; perfect for a Friday after a long week at work.

Salmon & horseradish burgers – serves 4

  • 4 skinless salmon fillets (about 500g)
  • 1 tbsp creamed horseradish
  • zest of 1 lemon & 2 tsp juice
  • small handful of dill, chopped
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 4 crusty rolls, split
  • 85g watercress
  • 25g cucumber, sliced
  • 4 radishes, thinly sliced

Put the salmon, horseradish, lemon zest and half the dill in a food processor, season and whizz to a fine paste.

Shape the mixture into 4 burgers. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the burgers for 4 minutes on each side or until golden.

Meanwhile, mix the rest of the dill with the mayonnaise and spread some onto the base of the rolls. Toss the watercress with the lemon juice and put a handful on top of each roll base. Top with a burger and garnish with slices of cucumber and radish.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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White Aspargus with Serrano Ham and Chive Dressing

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 6 May 2019| Leave a Comment »

White aspargus with serrano ham and chive dressing

We adore this stuff. A piece of salty ham and mustardy dressing are all that’s needed for a delicious starter or light lunch.

Wine Suggestion: given the ham and mustard dressing we chose a bottle of Dönnhoff Liestenberg Riesling Kabinett which was superb. It had a vibrancy and freshness to match the salty fatiness of the ham and the tangy dressing.

White asparagus with serrano ham and chive dressing – serves 4

  • 16 fat white asparagus spears
  • 4 slices serrano ham

FOR THE DRESSING:

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp clear honey
  • 3 tbsp walnut or hazelnut oil
  • 1 tbsp snipped chives

Trim the asparagus and peel the stems with a potato peeler. Boil in salted water for 12-15 mins until the spears are tender, then drain well.

Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard and honey with some salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil, then stir in the chives just before serving.

Divide the warm or cold asparagus between 4 plates. Lay the ham on top and drizzle over the dressing.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Spinach & Gorgonzola-stuffed Jacket Potatoes

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 19 April 2019| Leave a Comment »

Spinach & Gorgonzola-stuffed Jacket Potatoes

These would make a great side for a barbecue or you can have them on their own with some salad. Seriously good spuds.

Wine Suggestion: the Sartarelli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Tralivio was our choice and it combines freshness, texture and a great balance between full-body and an easy vibrancy.

Spinach and Gorgonzola-stuffed jacket potatoes – serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

  • 2 large baking potatoes (about 700g)
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp double cream
  • 60g Gorgonzola
  • 200g baby spinach leaves
  • 20g walnut halves, lightly toasted and broken into 1cm pieces

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

Prick the potatoes with a fork and put onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for an hour (or until completely soft). Slice the cooked potatoes in half, lengthways, and scoop the flesh out into a bowl. Set the skins back onto the tray. Roughly mash the potatoes with 20g of the butter, the cream, Gorgonzola, ½ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper.

Divide the remaining 5g of butter between the potato skins. Sprinkle generously with salt and put back in the oven for 8 minutes, until crispy.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil, then add the spinach and wilt for just 10 to 15 seconds before draining. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach, then stir into the potato mixture. Check the seasoning then pile the mixture into the potato skins. Bake for 15 minutes until crisp and browned. Sprinkle with the walnuts and serve.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple, Ebury Press, 2018.)

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