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Posts Tagged ‘Easy’

Potato Soup

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Irish Food, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 10 January 2018| 3 Comments »

Potato soup

An invaluable recipe especially in Ireland as we always seem to have surplus potatoes lying around. This is what we cook when ‘there’s no food in the house’ and it’s pretty good.

Potato and fresh herb soup – serves 6

  • 50g butter
  • 425g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
  • 110g onions, cut into 1cm cubes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp chopped herbs: parsley, thyme, chives
  • 850ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 125ml creamy milk

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Wait until it starts to foam, then add the potatoes and onions and stir to coat in the butter. Add the salt and some black pepper. Cover with a butter wrapper or some greaseproof paper and the saucepan lid. Sweat gently for about 10 minutes while you bring the stock to the boil in a separate pan.

When the vegetables are softened but not coloured, add the herbs and stock, then continue to cook until the vegetables are completely soft. Whizz the soup until smooth and season to taste. Thin with some creamy milk if necessary and garnish with some more herbs.

(Original recipe from Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course, Kyle Cathie Ltd., 2001.)

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Goan Fish Curry

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 8 January 2018| 1 Comment »

Goan fish curry

This is a light curry but not without a good bit of chilli heat in the background. Serve with some steamed basmati. A perfect dinner for two – when’s Valentine’s day?

Wine Suggestion: Indian food is notoriously tricky to match with wine. We chose a Muscadet-Sevre et Maine (more because it was cold in the fridge than any particular inspiration) and it surprisingly held it’s own brilliantly with this dish. We often turn to Muscadet when serving light fish dishes or mussels and from now on we’ll be serving it with fish curries too.

Goan Fish Curry – serves 2

  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 dried red chilli or 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 onion, halved and sliced
  • a small piece of ginger, finely grated
  • 2 clove of garlic, crushed
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
  • 1 tsp tamarind paste
  • 1 to 2 green chillies, finely sliced lengthways
  • 300g firm white fish fillets, we used cod, cut into chunks
  • steamed basmati – to serve

Toast the seeds and dried chilli in a dry frying pan, then grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.

Heat a little bit of oil in a deep frying pan and cook the onion with a large pinch of salt until soft and golden. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric and ground spices and fry for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, the tamarind and the green chillies and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes until just cooked. Serve with the rice.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, January, 2010.)

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Creamy Italian Sausage & Broccoli Ragù

Posted in Food, Italian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 7 January 2018| 2 Comments »

Ragu di salsicce e broccoletti

This simple dish satisfied the cravings we get at this time of year for lots of greens. We thought the suggestion of serving it with rice, rather than pasta, a bit unusual but it was perfect. Seek out top-quality Italian pork sausages if you can. We can buy them fairly easily now in Dublin but have been known in the past to beg the local Italian restaurant to sell us some – so  you could try that tactic if they’re not readily available where you are.

Wine Suggestion: This is a characterful dish so the wine you choose needs to have character and presence to match. We opened a MorisFarms Mandriolo, a fresh and vibrant blend of mostly Sangiovese with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot from the Maremma in Tuscany. Being typically Italian the fresh acidity cut through the richness of this dish and proved a delightful match: we couldn’t determine if the hints of fennel came from the wine or the Italian sausages used … or maybe both.

Ragú di salsicce e broccoletti – Creamy sausage & broccoli ragú – serves 4

  • 200g long grain rice
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 scallion, roughly chopped
  • a few sprigs of thyme
  • 6 good-quality Italian pork sausages, removed from their skins
  • 200g tenderstem broccoli, chopped into 1 cm pieces
  • 50ml white wine
  • 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder
  • 100ml crème fraîche
  • 30g Parmesan, grated (to serve)

Steam the rice in a rice cooker or according to the instructions on the pack.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the scallions and thyme leaves for a couple of minutes.

Break up the sausage meat with your fingers,  add to the frying pan and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli pieces and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

Pour in the wine and cook for another couple of minutes, then stir in the stock powder and crème fraîche. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Serve the ragù over the rice and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

(Original recipe from Pronto! by Gino D’Campo, Kyle Books, 2014.)

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Orecchiette with Clams and Broccoli

Posted in Food, Italian, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 6 January 2018| Leave a Comment »

Orecchiette with clams and broccoli

We just love recipes like these – tastes just like holidays in Italy. So simple but truly delicious.

Wine Suggestion: A favourite: the Sartarelli Verdicchio Classico Superiore “Tralivio”, was a great match for this combining freshness and vitality with a roundness, texture, saltiness and enough body to work with some of the strong components of this dish.

Orecchiette with clams & broccoli – serves 4

  • 1kg clams, washed
  • 300g broccoli
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 fresh hot red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
  • 1 crumbled dried hot chilli or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 3 anchovy fillets
  • 150ml white wine
  • 300g orecchiette

Cut the florets from the broccoli head and discard the stalks. Cut each floret in half lengthwise.

Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water until very tender, then drain.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Add half the garlic and fry until soft, then add the anchovies and dried chilli, Stir to melt the anchovies. Add the broccoli and cook for 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to break up into a sauce.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Add the fresh chilli, the rest of the garlic, and the parsley. Fry until just coloured. Add the clams and wine, then cover and cook over a high heat until the clams have opened, about 3 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid.

Remove the clams from their shells and add them to the broccoli sauce with some of their cooking water to thin the sauce a bit.

Cook the orecchiette in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the sauce, adding some more liquid as needed.

Serve with your best olive oil.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)

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Epic Rib-Eye Steak

Posted in Beef, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 5 January 2018| 2 Comments »

Epic rib-eye steak

New Year’s eve is a night we treasure to eat nice food and open a good bottle of wine; just the two of us (the third still flakes out around 7pm). This year we are glad that Jamie Oliver is back on song with his new book “5 Ingredients”. This was delicious, luxurious and yes –  very few ingredients.

Wine suggestion: from our cellar came a bottle of the Chateau Rayas “Pignan” 2005 which while 12 years old was beautifully youthful, smooth, complex and deep. A 100% grenache from a very particular vineyard this is a remarkable wine that we’re glad to have shared together to begin 2018.

Epic Rib-Eye Steak – serves 4

  • 600g piece of rib-eye steak (ideally about 5 cm thick), fat removed
  • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • 350g mixed mushrooms, tear up any larger ones into bite size chunks
  • 1 x 660g jar of white beans
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Rub the steak all over with a little olive oil, a pinch of salt and some black pepper, then sear on all sides for 10 minutes in total. You’re looking for a nice dark brown on the outside and medium rare in the middle – of course keep cooking if you prefer it more cooked than this. When done, remove to a warm plate and cover with tin foil.

Turn the heat under the pan down to medium. Add the rosemary leaves and crisp up for 30 seconds, then add the garlic and mushrooms with a splash of oil if needed and cook for 8 minutes or until golden.

Pour in the beans and their juice, add the red wine vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes, then season to taste. Sit the steak on top and pour over any juices from the plate. Slice the steak at the table and serve with with a drizzle of your best olive oil.

(Original recipe from 5 Ingredients by Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 2017.)

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Swedish Spinach Soup with Egg Butterballs

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Soup, tagged , , , , , , , , on 4 January 2018| 1 Comment »

Swedish spinach and butterball soup

We loved this spinach soup with and without the melting butterballs, which are a nice addition but by no means essential. Green soup makes us feel good about ourselves (even if there is some cream and butter in it).

Swedish spinach soup with egg butterballs – serves 6

FOR THE BUTTERBALLS:

  • 115g butter
  • yolks of 3 hard-boiled eggs

FOR THE SOUP:

  • 25g butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 40g long-grain white rice
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 500g spinach
  • 150ml double cream
  • juice of ½ lemon

To make the butterballs, mash the butter and egg yolks together and season with salt and black pepper. Roll into 2.5cm balls, then cover with clingfilm and put into your fridge.

To make the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan and sweat the onion over a low heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes or until soft but not coloured. Add a splash of water if the pan looks dry. Add the rice and stock and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the spinach and push down into the pan with a wooden spoon as it wilts. Bring to the boil, season and cook for 6 minutes, stirring, then cool.

Whizz the soup until smooth, then add the cream. Return to a saucepan to heat and add a squeeze of lemon juice and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with the melting butterballs on top.

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

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Chilli with an amazing smoked paprika butter

Posted in Beef, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , on 3 January 2018| 2 Comments »

Chilli with Amazing Smoked Paprika Butter

The base recipe for this chilli is nothing unusual but it becomes much more special with the addition of a delicious smoked paprika butter stirred through at the end. It’s definitely our chilli of the moment! Serve with your choice of the usual chilli accompaniments – baked potatoes/rice, grated cheese, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips….

Wine Suggestion: choice one – a nice, clean lager like Peroni or the Harviestoun Schiehallion, or choice two – a juicy red wine like the Cline Lodi Zinfandel with brambly fruit and soft, spicy tannins.

Chilli minced beef with smoked paprika butter – serves 6

  • 2 tbsp olive oil or garlic oil (if you have it)
  • 2 onions, thickly sliced
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1kg beef mince
  • 200ml red wine
  • 2 x 400g tins of kidney beans
  • 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped (or substitute 2 tsp chilli powder)
  • 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
  • 500ml strong beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • large handful of chopped coriander, plus extra to serve
  • lime wedges, to serve

FOR THE SMOKED PAPRIKA BUTTER

  • 75g soft butter
  • 1½ tsp smoked paprika
  • finely grated zest of 1 lime and juice of ½ lime
  • ½ tsp of sea salt

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil and cook the onions, celery and garlic over a low heat for about 10 minutes or until softened. Turn up the heat, stir in the mince and fry until browned, breaking it up as you go with a wooden spoon.

Add the red wine and scrape any crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil and allow the wine to reduce by half.

Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chilli, cumin, stock, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Season with a teaspoon of sea salt and some black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for at least an hour, stirring now and then. You can add a cup of water if it starts to become too thick. Likewise, if it’s not thick enough, you can simmer without the lid for the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the smoked paprika butter by beating the butter together with the smoked paprika, lime zest, lime juice and salt.

Remove the herb sprigs form the chilli then stir through the coriander and the flavoured butter, then allow to sit for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve with coriander and lime wedges over the top.

(Original recipe from Marcus at Home by Marcus Waring, HarperCollins, 2016.)

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Pimp Your Peas with Roasted Shallots & Mint

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 2 January 2018| 1 Comment »

Peas with roasted shallots

This is a handy side dish for a roast dinner and adds a bit of interest to a bag of frozen peas, which our freezer is never without.

Peas with Roasted Shallots & Mint – serves 8

  • 550g shallots, peeled and halved
  • 85g golden caster sugar
  • 1 kg frozen peas
  • a bunch of fresh mint, chopped
  • 3 tbsp good quality olive oil
  • juice of ½ lemon

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

Toss the shallots in the sugar. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan until hot, then add the sugary shallots. Cook for a few minutes to caramelise the outside, then transfer to the oven for 5 mins to cook through.

Cook the peas in boiling salted water for 2 mins until tender, drain and mix with the shallots, mint, olive oil and lemon juice. Season and serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food.)

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Crab Crostini to serve with something bubbly

Posted in Fish, Food, Party Food, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 29 December 2017| 3 Comments »

Crab crostini

Just when you think it’s all over and you’ve eaten enough to persuade you to try just about any diet… comes New Year. More food, more drinks, late night – resistance is futile. If you’re in charge of the first course for a New Year’s party then you can’t go wrong with these delicious crab crostini. You can toast the bread and make up the crab mixture early but don’t combine until you’re ready to serve.

Wine Suggestion: Everyone has their favourite sparkling wine which for NYE is a must; we like vibrant bubbles with a creamy mousse. For this we opened the Bouvet-Ladubay “Saphir” Sparkling Saumur which is brilliant value for money and properly sophisticated. We’ve also tried the Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Blanc which we agree with Jancis Robinson, “is really joyful, happy and upbeat, with real vivaciousness yet quite a bit of serious undertow too.”

Crab Crostini – makes 15

  • 100g white crabmeat
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • a handful of parsley, chopped
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp small capers
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 15 slices from a skinny baguette, toasted

Mix the crab with the lemon juice, shallot, parsley, chilli, capers & mayonnaise. Pile the crab mix onto the baguette slices and serve.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe for  BBC Olive Magazine, December 2011.)

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What are we going to do with all this turkey?

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, Indian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 26 December 2017| Leave a Comment »

Turkey & parsnip curry

A regular post-Christmas dish in our house. It’s a bit Bridget Jones but really tasty and fairly light and healthy too. Just what you need if you’ve been on the mince pies 😉

Wine Suggestion: We love a nice Alsace Pinot Gris with this which is rich enough to stand up to the flavours and also contributes it’s own spices and freshness. We had an older Marcel Deiss Pinot Gris which was found in the cellar and it was deliciously complex, but an easier, younger wine would be good too.

Turkey & Parsnip Curry – serves 4

  • 2tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 500g parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 5 tbsp Madras curry paste (we like Patak’s)
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500g cooked turkey, torn into chunks
  • handful of chopped coriander, to serve
  • 150g natural yoghurt, to serve
  • cooked basmati rice, to serve

Heat the oil in a saucepan, then fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes or until softened and lightly coloured. Stir in the parsnips.

Stir in the curry paste, then add the tin of tomatoes with a little salt. Add 1½ tinfuls of water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the parsnips are just tender.

Stir in the turkey, then cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes to heat through.

Serve over steamed basmati rice with some yoghurt on the side and coriander on the top.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, January 2003.)

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Some inspiration for the inevitable cheeseboard leftovers…

Posted in Food, Italian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 20 December 2017| Leave a Comment »

Baked gnocchi with broccoli, blue cheese and walnuts

We won’t apologise for yet another blue cheese-themed dish. We love cheese but are unlikely to have a cheese course during the week and therefore regularly end up making a meal out of it. Tis also the season for copious amounts of cheese, which is not only delicious but expensive – don’t waste it. If you’ve eaten all the blue cheese then brie or goats’ cheese should also work well.

Wine Suggestion: You need to balance the richness of the dish and the salty cheese so we chose the 2007 Ridge Santa Cruz Chardonnay which, despite it’s 10 years of age, was fresh and vibrant. The developing character of old Chardonnay really works well with blue cheese, especially when cooked in a dish. We also toyed with opening some white Rhône as this would work too.

Baked Gnocchi with Broccoli & Blue Cheese – serves 4

  • 500g fresh gnocchi
  • 200g tenderstem broccoli
  • 150g dolcelatte or other creamy blue cheese, crumbled
  • 150ml single cream

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pan of boiling water. It’s ready when it floats to the surface, scoop out with a draining spoon.

Cook the broccoli in the same water until just tender, then drain.

Mix the gnocchi, broccoli, cheese and cream together in a large bowl with plenty of seasoning. Tip into a buttered baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Serve with salad if you like.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December, 2011.)

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Salmon on Lentils with Herb Relish

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 19 December 2017| Leave a Comment »

Salmon on lentils with herb relishEveryone loves salmon in our house and it helps with our oily fish intake, which makes us feel good about ourselves. The lentils in this dish make it good and hearty and the herb relish is fresh and delicious.

Wine Suggestion: despite it being traditional to drink rosé only during summer we like to have it all year round, and for oily “pink” fish like salmon a Provençal rosé, from Chateau Vignelaure makes a great match

Salmon on lentils with herb relish – serves 4

FOR THE LENTILS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ a small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick, diced
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 150g Puy lentils
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 275ml chicken stock or water
  • squeeze of lemon juice

FOR THE HERB RELISH:

  • 50g herb leaves (parsley, basil, mint & chives)
  • 1½ tbsp capers, rinsed
  • 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 7½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALMON:

  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 4 x 175g salmon fillets

Start with the lentils by heating the oil in a saucepan and cooking the onion, celery and carrot until starting to soften. Stir in the lentils, thyme & stock and season with pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes but keep an eye on the lentils as they can turn mushy in minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the herbs very finely and mix with the other relish ingredients.

Heat the butter and oil for the salmon in a large frying pan. Season the fillets on both sides and cook over a high heat, skin side down, until the skin is crispy. Turn the fish over carefully and cook over a medium heat for another minute or two or until cooked through.

When the lentils are cooked, add the lemon juice and a good glug of olive oil and some seasoning. Put lentils on each plate and top with the salmon fillets and relish.

(Original recipe from Food from Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2010.)

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Need Some Easy Nibbles for A Drinks Party?

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Party Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 15 December 2017| Leave a Comment »

Preserved peppers with goats cheese & pine nuts

These are delicious and super easy to put together in advance. They will come to no harm in the fridge for a few hours but take them out about 30 minutes before you serve them so they’re not fridge cold. They look pretty piled into a bowl too.

Wine Suggestion: the hot peppers makes some wines, especially reds, taste a bit metallic. Sauvignon Blanc and Gruner Veltliner are the obvious match for the ingredients in this dish. However, as it’s Christmas and we’re in a celebratory mood we opened a Sparking Saumur and found that good bubbly makes a superb match too.

Preserved Peppers Stuffed with Goats’ Cheese & Pine Nuts – makes lots

  • 400g jar Peppadew peppers (or other preserved mini red peppers)
  • 300-400g soft goats’ cheese
  • finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
  • 1 heaped tsp of dried mint
  • 30g of mint, leaves finely chopped
  • 75g toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped

Drain the peppers and pat them dry with kitchen paper – be nice and gentle so they don’t tear.

Put the goats’ cheese, lemon zest, dried and fresh mint and chopped pine nuts into a bowl, season generously with black pepper and mix together with a fork.

Take a small plastic food bag and snip one of the bottom corners off with scissors. Spoon the cheese mixture into the bag (it’s easier if you do it a bit at a time) and use to pipe the mixture into the peppers.

Serve straight away or keep in the fridge until later.

(Original recipe from Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2017.)

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Cod with a Soy and Chive Marinade

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , on 4 December 2017| Leave a Comment »

Cod with a soy and chive marinade

Judith Hann is a friend and neighbour to Jono’s great uncle Graeme, who we’ve met a number of times without realising she was a great cook and proponent of herbs. To our delight we were sent her new book “Herbs” and promptly tried this fish dish. Superb, and we look forward to trying more of Judith’s recipes and expanding our own little herb garden in the city.

Wine Suggestion: a fresh, vibrant dry Riesling from Pikes in the Clare Valley matched the freshness and zing of this dish.

Cod with a soy and chive marinade – serves 4

  • 4 cod fillets (or use other firm white fish)
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp snipped chives
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 scallions, chopped
  • 1 large clove of garlic, finely sliced
  • 2.5 cm cube of root ginger, finely sliced or grated

Rub the cod all over with half the sesame oil, then put into a non-metallic dish. Toss with half the soy sauce, half the chives and the bay leaves, then cover and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.

Preheat your grill to its highest setting. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a frying pan and fry half the scallions with the garlic and ginger until softened – about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the soy sauce and season with pepper, then taste before seasoning with salt.

Meanwhile, grill the fish for 10 to 15 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.

Spoon the marinade over the fish and garnish with the remaining scallions & chives.

Serve with rice and pak choy or other Asian greens.

(Original recipe from Herbs by Judith Hann, Watkins Media Ltd., 2017.)

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Creamy Parsnip Mash

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , on 1 December 2017| 5 Comments »

Creamy parsnip mash

We’ve no time for Christmas until the first of December and the snow starts falling on our blog. As soon at that happens we’re in a frenzy of Christmas cake baking (meant to do it November but didn’t happen) and experimenting with possible dishes for the big day. We know not everyone is a fan of parsnips but if you’re a parsnip-loving family we highly recommend this easy variation on ordinary mash. The parsnips give the mash a lovely earthy flavour and it tasted great with our wintry beef & Guinness stew. The Northern Irish contingent in this household insists on the obligatory garnish of a generous blob of salted Irish butter.

Creamy parsnip mash – serve 4 (or more if you have lots of other side dishes too)

  • 900g potatoes, quartered (or halved if small)
  • 3 parsnips, chopped
  • 4 tbsp double cream

Boil the potatoes and parsnips until tender, then drain and mash with a large knob of butter and the double cream. Season well with salt and pepper.

 

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Carrot & Cumin Soup

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 26 November 2017| 4 Comments »

Carrot & cumin soup

It seems to be getting more and more difficult to buy a carrot, with supermarkets in particular insisting that you buy a huge bag. Why can’t we be like France and just have troughs of veg for us to pick what we need from? This is a suitable end for almost a whole bag of carrots.

Carrot & Cumin Soup – serves 6

  • 35g butter
  • 600g carrots, chopped
  • 110g onion, chopped
  • 150g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
  • 2 tsp freshly roasted and crushed cumin seeds
  • pinch of sugar
  • 1.2 litres light chicken or vegetable stock
  • a little creamy milk (optional)
  • crème fraîche or yoghurt (to garnish)
  • coriander leaves, chopped

Melt the butter until foaming, then add the chopped vegetables. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and add the crushed cumin. Cover with a butter paper and a tight fitting lid. Leave to sweat over a low heat for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, add the stock and boil until the vegetables or soft – about 5 to 8 minutes, then purée the soup until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve in warm bowls with a swirl of crème fraîche or yoghurt if you like and some freshly chopped coriander.

(Original recipe from Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course, Kyle Cathie Ltd., 2001.)

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Quince Jam

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , on 20 November 2017| 4 Comments »

Quince jam

Not as solid and refined as Membrillo/Quince paste, but with all the taste and flavour. Plus it couldn’t be easier to make – just boil up the quinces and sieve into sterilised jars. Serve with cheese and anything else you fancy.

Quince Jam – makes about 4 jars

  • 1kg quince, chopped into chunks (no need to discard pips/stalks etc)
  • 1kg granulated sugar

Put the chopped quince and sugar into a saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ – 1¾ hours, mashing the fruit after the first 45 minutes. Cook until the liquid has evaporated but keep stirring as it gets close to stop it burning on the bottom of the pan. Push through a sieve into a large bowl, then pour into sterilised jars.

 

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Mussel & Fennel Risotto

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 13 November 2017| 2 Comments »

Mussel & fennel risottoWe really liked this tasty risotto made with delicious stock from the mussels. Jules bought half the quantity of mussels (in error!) but it was no worse for it. The sort of thing we like to eat on a Friday night with a glass of something bubbly.

Wine Suggestion: As we have a few bottles of Sparkling Saumur lying around after our summer holiday to the Loire this year, we automatically gravitated to this and found it a good match. This time we opened the Bouvet-Ladubay Trésor blanc, a blend of mostly Chenin Blanc with some Chardonnay. Fresh and vibrant but with the quality of fruit to stand up to the food. Cost aside, we don’t know why more sparkling wines aren’t matched with food.

Mussel & fennel risotto – serves 4

  • 1.75kg mussels, cleaned thoroughly (discard any that don’t close when you hit them off the side of the sink)
  • 250ml dry white wine
  • a few parsley stalks
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • ½ fennel bulb, trimmed & diced
  • 300g risotto rice
  • 50ml dry vermouth
  • 4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • a squeeze of lemon juice

Put the mussels into a large saucepan over a medium heat with the white wine, parsley stalks and peppercorns. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until opened. Shake the pan a couple of times as they cook.

Strain over a bowl to catch the cooking liquor and remove the mussels from their shells. Throw away any that haven’t opened.

Strain the liquor through a sieve lined with muslin to catch any grit, then heat until simmering gently.

Heat 5 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan and sauté the onion, garlic and fennel over a medium heat until the onion is soft but not coloured. Stir in the risotto rice. Pour on the vermouth, then add the mussel liquor a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously. The rice should be cooked after about 20 minutes. Add some water if you run out of mussel liquor.

Stir in the mussels, parsley, lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

(Original recipe from Food from Plenty by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2010.)

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Plaice with Warm Tartare Butter Sauce

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 6 November 2017| Leave a Comment »

Plaice with warm tartare butter sauce

We loved this piquant sauce with the delicate fish and served on top of heaps of spinach – delish!

Wine Suggestion: This was a tricky match because of the iron-y spinach, piquant caper/cornichon combo and elegant plaice. We tossed up between light reds and Alsace whites but ended up with the Ch Hureau “Argile” Saumur blanc, a wine that balances both fruit and a textural, challenging stoniness without overwhelming the fish.

Plaice with Tartare Butter Sauce – serves 2

  • 2 large or 4 small plaice fillets
  • 3 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned
  • 200g spinach

TARTARE BUTTER SAUCE:

  • 40g butter
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 50ml white wine
  • 50ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped cornichons
  • 1 tbsp baby capers
  • a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Start by making the sauce. Heat half the butter in a small pan and cook the shallots until softened. Add the wine and stock, and boil until reduced by half. Stir in the cornichons, capers and the rest of the butter, then remove from the heat.

Dust the fish in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Heat a knob of butter and a splash of oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the fish fillets over a medium heat for about 3 minutes or until a good golden colour underneath. Flip them over and cook for a minute on the other side.

Wilt the spinach with a knob of butter and some seasoning in a small pan.

Reheat the sauce and stir in the parsley. Divide the spinach between warmed plates, top with the fish and spoon over the sauce.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, October 2017.)

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Blue Cheese Gnocchi

Posted in Food, Italian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 4 November 2017| 4 Comments »

Blue cheese gnocchi

We’ve been seeing more good quality pre-prepared fresh gnocchi around and it’s really handy for a quick dinner. Here’s how to make it tasty with some blue cheese and spinach.

Wine Suggestion: this was a little tricky given blue cheese’s affinity for sweet wine, and we didn’t want this with our meal. A glass of Oloroso sherry was considered but we ended up with a Puglian Primitivo-Nero do Troia blend from Michele Biancardi which is both savoury and fruity. The fruity, plummy sweetness was the foil for the cheese and the savoury tannins played a dance with the gnocchi and spinach.

Blue Cheese Gnocchi – serves 4

  • 500g fresh gnocchi
  • 250g bag baby spinach
  • 100ml/3½ fl oz crème fraîche
  • 4 tbsp grated parmesan
  • 100g blue cheese – a soft variety would be good but use whatever you have

Cook the gnocchi in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the timings on the pack. Stir the spinach into the pan with the gnocchi, then immediately drain in a colander and shake well to get rid of the water.

Put the crème fraîche and grated Parmesan into a small ovenproof dish. Add the hot, drained gnocchi and spinach and stir. Crumble the blue cheese over and season with black pepper.

Put the dish under a hot grill until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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