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Posts Tagged ‘Easy’

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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Chicken with Crème Fraîche & Tarragon

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , on 2 November 2017| Leave a Comment »

Chicken with creme fraiche & tarragon

Try this easy chicken dish for something tasty mid-week.

Wine Suggestion: we naturally lean towards a lightly oaked Chardonnay for this dish with sensitive, light oak as you need a wine with good body to match the flavours. For a mid-week meal the Mácon-Charnay by Domaine Manciat Poncet has the balance of flavours, fruit and texture, but if you want to step it up try some of Patrick Javillier’s Bourgogne Blanc cuvée’s (Oligocene is our pick) or for a real treat his Meursault which is outstanding and a real play of light and shadow; complex, fresh and vibrant.

Creamy mustard & tarragon chicken – serves 4

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you could use thighs)
  • 200ml tub half-fat crème fraîche (full-fat is fine too)
  • ½ tbsp each Dijon and wholegrain mustard
  • ¼ tbsp dried tarragon, or 2 sprigs of fresh if you have it

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

Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the chicken breasts well with salt and black pepper. Brown the chicken in the oil for about a minute on each side, then remove from the pan.

Add the crème fraîche, Dijon & wholegrain mustards, and tarragon to the pan and stir together. Bring to a simmer before returning the chicken to the pan and spooning some of the sauce over them. Put the pan into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve with rice or new potatoes and greens.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food).

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Spaghettini with Prawns, Basil, Parsley & Pistachios

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 29 October 2017| Leave a Comment »

Spaghettini w. prawns basil parsley and pistachios

We know it’s Sunday and it’s getting colder and the clocks have changed, so we should really be posting a nice roast. However, we figure you probably have dinner sorted for today and you might like something to inspire you later in the week.

Wine Suggestion: the fresh, zesty Staforte Soave from Gaziano Prà would be a great match for this. Made from 100% Garganega it has apricot, peach and apple fruit flavours with touches of camomile and white flowers; followed by a textural finish. We would also try southern Italian Greco di Tufo and Falanghina’s with this dish; try to look for something with crispness, mid-weight and mineral texture and it should work.

Spaghettini with prawns, basil, parsley & pistachios – serves 4

  • 1 clove of garlic
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • a large handful of basil leaves
  • a large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • a large handful of mint leaves
  • 75g roasted unsalted pistachio nuts
  • 1 tbsp finely grated parmesan
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 60ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 400g dried spaghettini
  • 500g raw peeled king prawns

Pound the garlic and half the sea salt to a paste with a pestle and mortar. Add the basil, parsley and mint and keep pounding together to make a thick paste. Add half the pistachios and grind them into the paste to get a creamy texture. Roughly chop the rest of the pistachios and stir into the paste with the Parmesan, lemon juice and 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Season with some more salt if needed and black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salty water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente.

Put a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat and add the rest of the olive oil. Fry the prawns for a minutes on each side, then season with the remaining ¼ tsp of sea salt. Remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta and keep a little of the cooking water. Immediately tip the pasta back into the pot, then toss together with the herb paste and cooked prawns. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary to loosen. Serve immediately on warm plates.

(Original recipe from Neil Perry’s Good Cooking, Murdoch Books, 2016.)

 

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Grilled Chilli & Coriander Salmon with Ginger Rice

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 16 October 2017| Leave a Comment »

Grilled chilli & coriander salmon w. ginger rice

This is a bit of a fall back recipe for us on weeknights. It’s super simple and pretty healthy but there’s also something really nice and tasty about it. We think you should try this one! We grill an extra salmon fillet for our 3 year old (without the chillies) and she loves it with the ginger rice.

Wine Suggestion: Riesling, pure and simple. Try the vibrant Weingut Korrell “Slice of Paradise” dry Riesling from the Nahe in Germany, or if you want to push the boat out their Kreuznach Paradies Riesling, a full-throttle, powerful and dry Riesling with delicacy and a light touch despite the power and body. Even better if you can hang on to it for a few years and get the benefit of development in the bottle.

Grilled Chilli & Coriander with Ginger Rice – serves 2

  • 2 skinless salmon fillets, about 140g each
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • small bunch coriander, chopped
  • 1 lime, halved

FOR THE RICE:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • small piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 100g basmati rice

Heat a tbsp of the oil in a pan and fry the onion for a few mins until lightly browned. Stir in the ginger and garlic, fry for another minute, then stir in the rice. Add 300ml boiling water and a little salt, then bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 10-12 mins or until the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium. Brush a baking tray with a little oil and place the salmon fillets on top. Grill for about 4 minutes, then scatter with the chilli, coriander, the other tbsp of olive oil and some seasoning. Return to the grill for another 4 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.

Serve the salmon on top of the rice with a piece of lime to squeeze over.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Thai Mussels with Coconut, Chilli & Lime

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , on 14 October 2017| Leave a Comment »

Thai mussels with coconut, chilli & lime

Mussels are a frequent Friday night feature in our house. This Thai inspired method tastes great and it looks very pretty too.

Wine Suggestion: this works with light, fruity and gently aromatic whites and our choice this evening was the Colterenzio Gewürztraminer from the Alto Adige in north-eastern Italy. A dry style but with lovely delicate fruit and subtle aromatics showing its cooler climate roots.

Thai mussels with coconut, chilli & lime – serves 4

  • 2kg mussels
  • 1½ tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced finely into long strips
  • 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
  • juice of 1 lime
  • ½ tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into strips (or grated zest of a lime)

TO SERVE:

  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into strips (or grated zest of a lime)
  • 4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
  • ½ a red chilli, deseeded and shredded

Wash the mussels in a few changes of cold water and remove any beards and barnacles. Discard any that don’t close when you tap them on the side of the sink.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger & chillies. Cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, sugar & lime leaves. Bring almost to the boil, then add the mussels.

Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until the mussels have opened, give the pan a good shake now and then. Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened and serve in a large bowl with the lime leaves, coriander and chilli scattered over the top.

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

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Creamy Mushroom Soup

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 12 October 2017| 1 Comment »

Wild mushroom soup

Make this with wild mushrooms while you get them but it also works well with ordinary chestnut mushrooms.

Wine Suggestion: an old favourite with mushrooms for us is complex and nutty Oloroso sherry. The best are round and rich while remaining dry but if you have one with a touch of sweetness it should work just as well too.

If sherry is not your style then a lighter, earthy red like the Höpler Pannonica red, a blend of Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch and Pinot Noir from Burgenland in Austria is a good pick. Earthy and spices this wine has character and presence while remaining medium bodied and fresh.

Creamy Mushroom Soup – serves 4

  • 25g dried porcini (ceps)
  • 50g butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
  • thyme sprigs
  • 400g mixed wild mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms
  • 850ml vegetable stock
  • 200ml tub crème fraîche
  • 4 slices white bread, about 100g, cubed
  • chopped chives

Put the dried porcini in a bowl and pour over boiling water to just cover.

Heat 25g of the butter in a saucepan and gently cook the onion, garlic & thyme for about 5 minutes or until softened and starting to brown.

Drain the porcini (keep the liquid) then add to the onion along with the fresh mushrooms. Leave to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and the reserved mushroom juice (discard any grit at the bottom), bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the crème fraîche and simmer for another few minutes then whizz with a hand blender (or similar device) before passing through a fine sieve.

Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan, fry the bread cubes until golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle over the croûtons and chives.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Courgette Lasagne

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 28 September 2017| Leave a Comment »

Courgette lasagne

It’s the season where vegetables seem to come in waves of excess. Here’s a nice weekday lasagne for any of you that are still harvesting courgettes.  Our friend Nicola also dropped by with some home-grown salad ingredients including these pretty nasturtiums.

Wine Suggestion: We think fresh, crisp whites work with courgettes really well and when combined with pasta and cheese naturally lean towards young Semillon, Chenin Blanc or Chablis. To mix it up a bit, however, we tried the Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi from Piedmont in Italy, another good option.

Courgette Lasagne – serves 6

  • 8 plum tomatoes, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly bashed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • ½ tbsp golden caster sugar
  • 2 leeks, sliced into rings
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 500g courgettes, grated
  • 10 lasagne sheets
  • 250g tub of ricotta
  • 125g mozzarella, torn
  • 50g Parmesan, grated

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

Put the halved tomatoes onto a baking tray with the garlic, oil, rosemary and season well. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until soft, then discard the rosemary and remove the skin from the garlic. Put the tomatoes and garlic in a blender and blitz a few times to make a chunky sauce.

Meanwhile, put the leeks in a pan over a low heat, add the butter, season and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach and grated courgettes, and continue to cook for another couple of minutes to wilt and soften. Set aside.

Layer the ingredients in a large ovenproof dish starting with a layer of tomato sauce, then some pasta, followed by ricotta and vegetables. Repeat until all the ingredients are used, finishing with a vegetable layer. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan, then bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

(Original recipe by John Torode in BBC Good Food Magazine, August 2016.)

 

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Red pepper and Sausage Rigatoni

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , on 26 September 2017| Leave a Comment »

Pasta with red peppers and sausages

We love dishes like this! So cheap and easy yet tastes of Italian holidays. Try and find some good Italian sausages as they tend to be really well flavoured.

Wine Suggestion: the fresh and pure fruited Rocca delle Macie Chianti Vernaiolo was our successful match with this. With no oak this is a delicious expression of cherry fruited flavours that celebrates the freshness of the dish at the same time.

  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 3 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm squares
  • 4 pork sausages – try and get your hands on some Italian ones if possible
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • a couple of pinches of salt and chilli flakes
  • 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (cover with hot water for a minute to make them easier to peel)
  • 400g pasta, we used rigatoni but use any short pasta variety
  • plenty of freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Run a sharp knife down each sausage and remove the meat from inside the casing. Crumble roughly with your fingers to break it up a bit and set aside.

Over a medium-low heat, fry the onion in the olive oil with a small pinch of salt until soft but not browned. Add the chilli and sausage meat, crumbling it with your fingers, then fry, breaking the pieces up with the back of a wooden spoon until the meat is no longer pink. Add the peppers, another pinch of salt and cook, stirring every now and then, for another 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for another 15 minutes or until the sauce is rich and thick and the peppers are very soft.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in  boiling salty water until al dente. Warm a large bowl, then mix the cooked pasta with the sauce and the grated Parmesan before serving.

(Original recipe published in The Guardian 18th July 2017.)

 

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Watercress, cucumber & radish salad

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 25 September 2017| Leave a Comment »

Watercress, cucumber & radish salad A lovely later summer salad. We used mixed radishes from our garden – red, white and everything in between. Freshly picked they had a wonderful peppery kick that we never seem to get from shop bought radishes.

Watercress, cucumber & radish salad – serves 8

  • 1 cucumber
  • 200g watercress
  • 300g baby radishes, halved if large

FOR THE DRESSING:

  • 6 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 sprig of dill, leaves only, chopped

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl, then season.

Peel the cucumber into long, thin strips using a vegetable peeler. Discard the seedy part.

Toss the watercress, cucumber and radishes together in a serving bowl and toss with the dressing.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food.)

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Summer Berry Jam

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 24 September 2017| 1 Comment »

Summer berry jam

Now’s the time to make a big batch of jam with the last of the summer berries. It’s worth seeking out jam berries which tend to be odd shapes and sizes and are sold off cheap. We used a mixture of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries & aronia berries – small black berries that look a bit like currants and are apparently very good for us.

Summer Berry Jam – about 8 jam jars

  • 1.8 kg mixed summer berries (see our suggestion above)
  • 1.5 kg jam sugar with pectin
  • juice and pips of 1 lemon
  • tiny knob of butter

Start the night before by layering the berries and sugar together in a very large bowl, then cover and leave at room temperature. Stir the fruit in the morning, then leave until you are ready to cook.

Put a small saucer in the freezer before you start. Tip the berries and any sugar into a large wide-based pan or preserving pan. Stir in the lemon juice, then collect the pips and put into a muslin cloth or tea-leaf strainer before adding to the pan.

Put the pan over a gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and put a teaspoon of jam onto the chilled saucer. Wait for it to cool, then push with your finger – if it wrinkles it’s ready. If it’s too runny, put the pan back over the heat and boil for another 2-3 minutes before checking again. Continue like this until the jam wrinkles. If you have a jam thermometer you should wait until the jam reaches 105ºC.

Skim the scum off the top of the jam, then stir in a very small knob of butter (this will help to dissolve any remaining scum). Leave the jam for 15 minutes before ladling into sterilised jars.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food.)

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Courgette Risotto

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 11 September 2017| Leave a Comment »

Courgette RisottoWe loved this simple risotto with toasted pine nuts and little pieces of fried courgette. Definitely special enough to serve to friends for dinner.

Wine Suggestion: this risotto demands a waxy, nutty white and what better than an excellent Soave made by Graziano Pra. His Soave Classico “Otto” is fresh and a delight with jasmine and hawthorn aromas, but if you can step up to the “Monte Grande” cuvée then you get extra depth and greater layers of almonds and nuts that complement the pine nuts perfectly.

Courgette Risotto – serves 3-4

  • 50g butter, plus a bit extra to finish
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 250g courgettes, 140g coarsely grated, dice the rest
  • 175g risotto rice
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 1.2 litres of veg stock (or chicken stock) kept hot over a low heat
  • 25g parmesan, grated
  • 2 heaped tbsp mascarpone
  • 1 heaped tbsp toasted pine nuts

Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan then gently fry the onions until softened. Stir in the grated courgettes and the rice, then increase the heat and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add the lemon juice and a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir continuously over a medium-high heat. Keep stirring until the liquid is almost absorbed, then add another ladleful of stock. Continue like this for until the rice is just tender and has a creamy texture, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan, mascarpone and some salt and black pepper, then cover with a lid and set aside for 5 minutes while you fry rest of the courgettes.

Heat the rest of the butter with a splash of oil in a small frying pan. Add the diced courgettes and fry over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until golden & softened. Divide the risotto between plates, then scatter with the diced courgettes and any buttery juice from the pan, the pine nuts & a few pinches of lemon zest.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Three Hour Shoulder of Lamb

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Lamb, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 1 September 2017| 3 Comments »

Three hour shoulder of lamb

A delicious summer roast with meltingly tender lamb and so simple to prepare. Serve with a fresh mint sauce and some steamed new potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: We tried two wines with great success: the Rustenberg Chardonnay from South Africa, and the Chateau du Hureau “Fevettes” Saumur-Champigny. Both had the needed structure, or bones, to stand up to the rich lamb, but also played a delightful fresh mid-weight tune with the summer veg.

Three hour shoulder of lamb – serves 4

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp oregano, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 shoulder of lamb, boned and tied, approx 1½ kg
  • 400g pearl onions or shallots
  • 250ml lamb stock
  • 100g fresh/frozen peas
  • 100g fresh/frozen broad beans
  • 2 Little Gem lettuces, cut into quarters
  • juice 1 lemon
  • small handful mint or coriander, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1.

Mix the garlic, oregano and olive oil with some salt and pepper. Make cuts all over the the lamb with a sharp knife and rub the mixture into the meat. Put into a deep casserole dish with the onions and pour over the stock, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook 3 hrs.

Remove the lamb from the pot and stir through the peas and broad beans. Sit the lamb back on top of the vegetables and return to the oven. Increase temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and roast, uncovered, for another 20-30 mins until the lamb is browned, adding the lettuce for the final 5 mins. Allow to rest for 20 mins, then add the lemon juice and mint to the cooking juices. Carve into thick slices and lay them back on top of the veg to serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Green Beans with Lemon

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 21 August 2017| Leave a Comment »

Green beans with lemon

This is a Nigella Lawson recipe that she recommends for Thanksgiving but we like it with roast chicken (and lots of other things) in the summer months. It’s easy to scale down for smaller numbers. We like our beans well-done – no squeaky, al-dente beans for us please.

Green Beans with Lemon – serves 8 to 10

  • 1kg fine green beans, topped and tailed (there’s always a debate in our house over whether or not to leave the curly tails on)
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon (to prepare cut a slice of each end, then cut downwards to remove the skin and pith, then slice)

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add plenty of salt to the boiling water, then add the beans and cook until tender (start checking after about 6 minutes).

Drain the beans and put the pot back over the heat with the butter and a few drops of olive oil. Add the lemon slices, and any juice on the board, to the butter. Stir well and add the beans.

Turn the beans over in the lemony butter. Add some sea salt and lots of freshly ground white pepper (black pepper will do fine if that’s what you have).

(Original recipe from Feast by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2004.)

 

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Broccoli Walnut & Blue Cheese Pasta

Posted in Cheese, Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 17 August 2017| Leave a Comment »

Broccoli, walnut & blue cheese penne

We almost always have a bit of leftover blue cheese in the fridge and much as we love a cheese board, we don’t tend to have them on weeknights. So here’s a simple weeknight pasta – broccoli, walnuts & blue cheese – yum!

Broccoli Walnut & Blue Cheese Pasta – serves 2

  • 200g penne pasta
  • 250g broccoli florets
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • a handful of chopped walnuts
  • 100g blue cheese e.g. dolcelatte, cubed
  • 1 lemon

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salty water and add the broccoli 4 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and gently fry the walnuts for a minute.

Scoop 4tbsp of the pasta cooking water out and add to the walnuts before draining. Return the pasta to the pan and add the walnuts and blue cheese. Stir gently until the cheese melts. Squeeze over some lemon juice before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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BBQ Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 14 August 2017| Leave a Comment »

BBQ roasted cherry tomatoesA revelation of a dish that we’ve been cooking all summer. Much tastier than expected and goes with pretty much anything you cook on the barbecue.

Roasted tomatoes & red onions – serves 6

  • 2 red onions, halved and sliced
  • 500g mixed small tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, bashed
  • 3 thyme sprigs

Put the onion in the middle of a large square of double thickness foil. Fold the sides of the foil up to form a baking tray (or you can use a foil tray like we did).

Scatter the tomatoes over the onions and drizzle with about 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add the bashed garlic cloves and thyme sprigs and season with salt and pepper. Put the foil onto a rack on the barbecue and cook for about 15 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are tender.

If the weather gods don’t shine you can put all the ingredients onto a roasting tray and bake in the oven at 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 for 20 minutes.

(Original idea from BBC Olive Magazine, June 2005.)

 

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