Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Food’

Spicy Tomato and Couscous Soup

Posted in Food, Healthy, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 17 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

There’s hardly any couscous used here but it still manages to transform this into a really wholesome soup.

Spiced tomato and couscous soup – to serve 4

  • olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 diced carrots
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 2-3 tbsp harissa paste (depending how spicy you like it)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tin chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp couscous
  • handful of parsley, chopped

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion, carrot and celery for a few minutes until starting to soften. Stir in the harissa and cumin. Add all the other ingredients except the couscous and stir, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the couscous and simmer for another 5 minutes, then stir in the parsley just before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)


Read Full Post »

Pork with Apricots

Posted in Food, Healthy, Pork, tagged , , , , , , on 16 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

A summer version of pork and apple, the apricots add a similar sweet and acidic foil. On the table in 20 minutes.

Pork with spiced apricots – to serve 2

  • 2 large (approx. 175g) pork steaks
  • olive oil
  • 4 ripe apricots, halved and stoned
  • knob of butter
  • pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp muscovado sugar

Preheat the grill to medium and line a baking tray with tinfoil. Place the pork steaks on the tray, brush with a little oil and season. Arrange the apricot halves around the pork, cut side up. Top each apricot half with a little butter, sugar and chilli.

Grill the pork for about 15 minutes in total, turning half way through.

Great with some steamed potatoes and green veg.

Drink with: We’ve been drinking a lot of northern Rhone recently and this dish matches the Roussanne and Marsanne whites found there. They compliment the apricot flavours and have enough weight and acidity to stand up to the pork. It is a really good match, so search out these grapes from around the world as we think they are so underrated.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

Read Full Post »

Hot and Sour Watercress and Prawn Soup

Posted in Asian, Food, Healthy, Pinot Noir, Prawns, Soup, tagged , , , , , , on 14 June 2012| 2 Comments »

The watercress has finally arrived in Caviston’s, one of our favourite vegetable shops. The seasons seem to be all out this year and we can’t predict when produce will be there and at it’s freshest. The bags you buy in supermarkets just don’t taste like the real thing at all so catch it while you can as it mightn’t be here for long!

This soup can be on the table under 10 minutes if you want. We love asian soups as they have great depth of flavour and really zing with freshness.

Hot and Sour Watercress and Prawn Soup – to serve 2 

  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
  • 500ml vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp golden caster sugar
  • 2.5cm piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 300g raw peeled prawns
  • 1 bunch watercress, stalks cut off

Put all the ingredients except for the prawns and watercress into saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Cook for a minute, then add the prawns and cook until they turn pink.

Stir in the watercress and take off the heat. Taste and add another teaspoon of sugar if necessary.

Drink with: a non-Burgundy Pinot but not from a hot climate. We tried one from San Gimignano in Tuscany which had lovely juicy fruit but was still nice and light without too much tannin which tends to clash badly with chilli. A surprisingly good choice and one that will be repeated.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

Read Full Post »

Casarecce with Pistachio Pesto

Posted in Food, Grillo, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, Vermentino, Wine, tagged , , , , , , on 13 June 2012| 2 Comments »

This is a classic Sicilian dish. Casarecce is the pasta shown in the picture but you can use penne if you can’t find it. You can roast the pistachio’s in advance but don’t chop them until you are ready to make the pesto as they will go rancid very quickly once their oils are released.

Casarecce con pesto di pistacchio – to serve 4

  • 70g shelled pistachios
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 40g fresh basil
  • 200ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 30g pecorino cheese, grated, plus a bit extra to serve
  • 400g casarecce (or penne)

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Spread the pistachios out on a baking tray in a single layer and roast for about 8 minutes. Check them near the end to ensure they don’t burn.

Chop the pistachios. Take ¾ of the pistachios and the garlic and pound to a paste with a pestle and mortar. Pound the basil into the paste, then gradually add the olive oil.  Add the remaining pistachios and the pecorino and pound just briefly to make sure you keep some pieces of pistachio. Season.

Cook the pasta in lots of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and put the pasta back in the pan, reserve a little of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pesto and add a bit of the cooking water to loosen if necessary. Grate over some more pecorino to serve.

Drink with: We tried a Vermentino from Colli di Luni DOC (Hills of the Moon) in the hills of Liguria in Italy which worked very well and is a classic partner for Pesto dishes. To be even more authentic to the dish we would suggest something Sicilian made from Grillo; you need minerality, nuttiness, fresh acidity and fruitiness wrapped in a medium bodied wine.

(Original recipe from Georgio Locatelli’s Made in Sicily, Fourth Estate, 2011.)

Read Full Post »

Beautiful Bean and Bacon Salad

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , on 12 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

This simple salad makes a tasty main meal.

Bean, Bacon & Spinach Salad – to serve 4

  • 12 rashers streaky bacon
  • 4 tbsp Sherry vinegar
  • few handfuls of roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and sliced
  • 2 cans of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
  • bag of baby spinach leaves

Heat a large frying pan and fry the bacon, without adding any extra oil, until brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. If there is a lot of fat pour some off but leave a tablespoon or so. Tear the bacon into bite-size pieces.

Add the Sherry vinegar to the pan and let it bubble for a few seconds. scraping any crispy bits form the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the beans and peppers and season, then stir gently until heated through. Take off the heat and stir through the spinach and bacon.

Drink with: a nice dry but fruity rosé from Provence or a rosé made from Syrah from the northern Rhône.

Read Full Post »

Spaghetti with Scallop, Garlic & Hot Pepper Sauce

Posted in Food, Gruner Veltliner, Italian, Pasta, Shellfish, Wine, tagged , , , , on 10 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

This is a delicious recipe from Marcella Hazan’s The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Marcella recommends using canestrelli which are tiny little sweet scallops which are also know as Queen Scallops or Queenies. We didn’t have canestrelli to hand when we made this but achieved a similar effect by chopping up larger scallops so there are lots of little pieces through the dish. Serve the sauce with spaghettini if you can get it, but thicker spaghetti will work too.

Scallop Sauce with Olive Oil Garlic and Hot Pepper – to serve 6

  • 450g fresh queen or deep-sea scallops
  • 8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp very finely chopped garlic
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • chopped hot red chilli pepper, to taste
  • salt
  • 450-675g pasta
  • 45g dry breadcrumbs, lightly toasted in the oven or a dry pan

Wash the scallops in cold water, pat dry with a tea towel and cut into little pieces about 9mm thick.

Put the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan, turn the heat to medium and cook until the garlic becomes pale gold, add the parsley and chilli. Stir and add the scallops and a couple of large pinches of salt. Turn the heat to high, and cook for about 90 seconds, stirring often, until the scallops become opaque and loose their shine. Careful not to overcook them or they will be tough. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, remove the scallops with a slotted spoon, and boil down the watery juices. Return the scallops to the pan, turn quickly, then take off the heat.

Toss well with the cooked spaghettini, add the breadcrumbs and toss again.

Drink with: An easy, simple and fruity Grüner Veltliner (GV) works well by not overwhelming this delicate sauce and the spicy white pepper spices in GV complement the spices and chilli in the dish. Don’t spoil the balance by getting a powerful and complex GV.

Read Full Post »

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

Posted in Food, Healthy, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 10 June 2012| 1 Comment »

We like to take these to work in our lunchboxes but it would also make a nice veggie main with some salad. Very easy to double the recipe too.

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers – to serve 2

  • 1 large red and 1 large yellow pepper, halved and deseeded
  • 85g couscous
  • 25g pine nuts, toasted
  • handful black olives, roughly chopped
  • 50g feta, crumbled
  • 50g semi-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tbsp shredded basil

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Microwave the peppers on a plate on Medium for about 5 minutes or until they are almost soft.

Put the couscous in a bowl and cover with 125ml boiling water. Stir, then cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 10 minutes. Break the couscous up with a fork, then add the pine nuts, olives, feta, tomatoes and basil. Pile the stuffing into the peppers, put on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

Read Full Post »

Chorizo Pilaf

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , on 9 June 2012| 2 Comments »

This is another successful low-calorie dish as it fills you up and is dead simple to make. We’re getting near the end of this diet we promise!

Chorizo pilaf – to serve 4

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 250g cooking chorizo, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 250g basmati rice
  • 600ml stock
  • 1 lemon, zest peeled off in thick strips, plus wedges to serve
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • handful parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a large shallow pan with a lid. Add the onion and cook for 5-8 minutes until soft and golden. Push to the side of the pan and add the chorizo. Cook until lightly browned and the oils have started to release into the pan.

Stir in the garlic and paprika, then add the tomatoes. Bubble over a medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the rice, stock, lemon zest and bay leaves. Stir well and bring to the boil, then put the lid on and cook over a very low heat for 12 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave to sit for a further 10-15 minutes. Stir through the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.

Wine Suggestion: Look for a spicy Spanish red, like a Jumilla or a Montsant, as they tend to be good value. They tend to be a bit richer and full-bodied but their inherent juiciness from good producers and ripe, juicy tannins should provide an excellent match for the flavoursome chorizo, paprika and lemon flavours in this dish.

(Original recipe by Lizzie Harris in BBC Good Food Magazine, June 2012)

Read Full Post »

Easy Cheesy Soufflé

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 7 June 2012| 7 Comments »

Soufflés are not that hard to make despite their intimidating reputation. Maybe try it yourself first before serving at a dinner party, just in case. Ideally you need a 2 pint soufflé dish (ours was a bit bigger and it still turned out great – it just won’t rise up above the rim of the dish as much). Tastes fab!

Easy cheesy soufflé – to serve 4

  • 50g butter, plus a bit for greasing
  • 4 eggs
  • 100g firm goat’s cheese, with rind
  • 300ml milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50g plain flour
  • 50g grated Parmesan
  • 15g packet chives

Put a heavy baking tray on the shelf below the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 190C/fan 180C/gas 5. Grease the inside of a soufflé dish with some soft butter. Put the egg whites in a large clean bowl, and the yolks in a small bowl. Finely chop the goat’s cheese.

Put the milk into a large saucepan, then add the bay leaf, butter and sprinkle in the flour. Put the pan over a medium heat and whisk vigorously continuously until the milk comes to the boil. Once the sauce bubbles and starts to thicken, continue to whisk for a further minute until it is very thick, then remove from the heat.

Throw away the bay leaf. Stir in the goat’s cheese and Parmesan, keeping 1 tbsp Parmesan. The mixture will look pretty lumpy but don’t worry about this. Stir in the egg yolks, one at at time. Snip in the chives using a pair of scissors, then season with salt and pepper. Stir well and set aside.

Whisk the bowl of egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed for 2-3 minutes until they stand in soft peaks. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without the eggs sliding out. Careful not to whisk them past this point. Use a wooden spoon to stir two spoonfuls of the egg whites into the cheese sauce in the pan.

Use a spatula or large metal spoon to gently fold the remaining egg whites into the cheese sauce until they are evenly mixed in. Take your time and stop when a few streaks of egg white are still visible.

Pour the mixture into your soufflé dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Run your thumb lightly around the inside edge of the dish to make a deep groove in the mixture. Gently place onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until risen and golden. Shake the soufflé gently to check if it is cooked, if it wobbles a lot, bake for another 5 minutes. Serve straight away as it doesn’t keep!

Wine Suggestion: We suggest trying a rich, mouth-filling white from the northern Rhône. Try a Condrieu made from Viognier, or for something a little different we highly recommend Pierre Gaillard’s St Joseph Blanc made from 100% Roussanne.

(Original recipe by Jeni Wright, in BBC Good Food Magazine, June 2001.)

Read Full Post »

Moroccan Chicken Wings with Herby Couscous

Posted in Beer, Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , on 6 June 2012| 1 Comment »

Delicious and speedy after-work dinner.

Moroccan Chicken Wings with Herby Couscous – to serve 4

  • 1kg chicken wings
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp harissa paste, plus extra to serve
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
  • 1 medium orange, zested and juiced (you need about 6 tbsp)
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 150g couscous
  • large bunch mint
  • large bunch coriander
  • preserved lemon, enough to give 2 tbsp when finely chopped
  • 0% fat Greek yoghurt to serve

Heat the grill to high. Put the wings into a large roasting tin and grill for 15 minutes, turning once, until golden.

Mix the maple syrup, harissa and cumin with the zests, half of the orange and lemon juices and some seasoning. Pour this over the wings and give the tray a good shake to coat everything, then return to the grill for another 15 minutes until browned and stick, turning once.

Add the rest of the citrus juices to the dry couscous, then add enough boiling water to cover. Clingfilm the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Roughly chop the herbs.

Stir the couscous with a fork to separate the grains, then add the herbs, preserved lemon, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning. Serve with the wings and a spoonful of yogurt mixed with a bit more harissa.

Beer Suggestion: Choose once of the fuller-flavoured lagers such as Kirin from Japan, it’ll work a treat.

Read Full Post »

Jamie’s Favourite Coleslaw

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 5 June 2012| 28 Comments »

This is really fresh and tasty and a million miles better than the gloopy shop bought stuff. It’s also really handy to make if you have a food processor; use the slicing attachment for the cabbage and onion and the julienne attachment for the carrots and apples. Great side dish for a barbecue.

My Favourite Coleslaw – to serve 6

  • ½ a white cabbage, core removed and cut into quarters
  • 1 small red onion, peeled
  • 3 carrots, peeled
  • 2 red apples, washed and cored
  • a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • juice of 1-2 lemons
  • some mayonnaise
  • 1 heaped tsp English mustard

Slice the cabbage as finely as possible or slice using a food processor. Then slice the onion in the same way and mix with the cabbage in a large bowl.

Julienne the carrots and apples with a mandolin or food processor or cut into matchsticks. Add to the bowl along with the chopped parsley, a few dollops of mayonnaise and the mustard. You can adjust the quantities of lemon juice and mayonnaise to how you like it. We just added the juice from one lemon and a few good dollops of mayonnaise. Season to taste and toss together.

Et voila!

(Original recipe by Jamie Oliver in, Cook with Jamie, Penguin Books, 2006.)

Read Full Post »

Peppered Mackerel, New Potato & Watercress Salad

Posted in Fish, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , on 4 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

Stock up on your oily fish with this delicious and easy-peasy dish. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day.

Peppered mackerel, new potato & watercress salad – to serve 6

  • 750g baby new potatoes
  • 5 tbsp mayonnaise
  • small bunch chives
  • 100g bag watercress
  • 270g peppered mackerel fillets

Boil the potatoes until tender, then drain and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Snip most of the chives and mix with the mayonnaise.

Scatter half the watercress on a serving platter, chop the rest roughly and mix with the mackerel, potatoes and mayonnaise.

Pile the mackerel and potato mix on top of the watercress and snip the rest of the chives over the top.

Wine Suggestion: Oily fish is difficult to match with wine – go for a crisp white with fresh acidity, such as a Sauvignon Blanc.

Read Full Post »

Pea and Mint Soup

Posted in Food, Healthy, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 3 June 2012| 1 Comment »

Finally we have warm enough weather to stop thinking about soup so much. This is more of a warm weather soup. Nice and light with really fresh flavours. You can even eat it chilled if you like.

Pea and Mint Soup – to serve 4

  • 1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
  • 850ml vegetable stock
  • 900g fresh peas in their pods – you should get around 250g peas (or use frozen)
  • 4 tbsp chopped fresh mint
  • large pinch caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
  • 150ml buttermilk or soured cream

Put the scallions, garlic, potato and stock in a large pot and bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potato is very soft.

Blanch 3 tbsp of the shelled peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, put in a bowl of cold water and set aside to use as a garnish at the end.

Add the rest of the peas to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the mint, sugar and lemon/lime juice, then blend until smooth. Stir in the buttermilk or soured cream and season and reheat gently if necessary (don’t let it boil though or it might curdle). Garnish with the drained peas to serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

Read Full Post »

Spring Pea Risotto

Posted in Food, Italian, Sauvignon Blanc, Vegetarian, Wine, tagged , , , , , , on 2 June 2012| Leave a Comment »

A bit of a celebration of peas. The original recipe also suggested topping it off with pea shoots at the end but unfortunately we couldn’t find any today. Not as tasty as some of our richer risottos (with much more butter and cheese) but very nice all the same.

Pea risotto – to serve 4

  • 50g butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 300g cooked fresh peas
  • 1.7 litres hot vegetable stock (you might not need it all)
  • 350g risotto rice
  • 200ml white wine
  • 25g Parmesan, grated

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes until very soft but not coloured.

Whizz about a third of the peas in food processor with a ladle of stock to make a purée.

Stir the rice into the onion, turn up the heat, then sizzle and stir for about a minute. Add the wine and bubble until it has all be absorbed, stirring the whole time. Continue cooking this way, adding a ladle of stock at a time and stirring continuously until the rice is tender and creamy. It should take between 20 and 30 minutes.

Stir in the pea purée, the remaining peas, Parmesan and seasoning, then turn off the heat and leave to stand for a few minutes. Drizzle with a splash of good olive oil before serving if you like.

Wine Suggestion: A Sauvignon Blanc should complement the fresh green pea flavour you can often find similar characteristics in the wine. We prefer the more subtle versions from the Loire Valley but there are some excellent examples from Marlborough in New Zealand that don’t go too over the top, like Morton Estate.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

Read Full Post »

Panzanella

Posted in Food, Healthy, Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 31 May 2012| 2 Comments »

A delicious Tuscan salad which is usually made with stale bread – we think the bread in Tuscany may contain less preservative as our bread rarely gets a chance to go stale. This version uses baked croutons for a similar effect. Make sure you leave the salad for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to mingle.

Panzanella – to serve 6

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 large mild red chilli
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • pinch of sugar
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 600g ripe tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper
  • ½ large cucumber
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • ½ red onion
  • 4 thick slices from a country-style loaf
  • a small bunch of basil

Crush the garlic with a little bit of salt in a mortar, then deseed and chop up the chilli and crush with the salt and garlic until you have a coarse paste.

Add the vinegar and sugar and mix then tip into a large salad bowl. Add the olive oil and beat together.

Chop the rest of the salad ingredients into bite-size chunks or slices.

Tear the bread into small chunks and bake in a moderate oven until golden and crispy, then add the salad bowl.

Tear over the basil and add to the bowl with a bit of salt and pepper, then toss lightly and leave to stand for about 30 minutes. Toss again before serving.

Wine Suggestion: Wines from a region tend to complement the foods from that region (kind of like a chicken and egg thing). A glass of straightforward Chianti will have the right sort of acidity and rusticity to complement this perfectly.

(Original recipe by Alastair Hendry in Olive, June 2010.)

Read Full Post »

Crispy New Potatoes

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 30 May 2012| 5 Comments »

My Dad keeps talking about these potatoes that I made before which he says I squashed a bit and then put them in the oven to crisp up. I had no recollection of these squashed, crispy potatoes until I came across these. Is this them Dad? If so I’ll make them for you next time I see you.

Crispy New Potatoes – to serve 4

  • 16 smallish new potatoes, leave the skins on
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • paprika

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, drain and then put back on the warm ring to dry off. Spread the potatoes out on a baking tray and squash them a bit using a potato masher. Be careful here as you only want them a bit squashed and not completely smashed (though I smashed one or two and it just made them even more crispy so don’t worry too much).

Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle over a little paprika, salt and pepper. Now roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until nice and crispy.

Read Full Post »

Summer Barbecue Chicken

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , on 28 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

At last summer has arrived in Dublin and you can smell barbecues everywhere. Here’s a healthy alternative to sausages and burgers and it tastes delicious!

Summer Barbecue Chicken – to serve 4

  • 4 skinless chicken breasts (not too big)
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • grated zest of 1 orange

Slash the chicken breasts a few times across the top. Put the rest of the ingredients in a shallow dish and swish together. Then add the chicken and turn it over a few times until completely covered. If you have time you can leave it in the fridge for up to 24 hours to marinade (cover the dish with cling film), if not it will still taste great cooked straight away.

Cook the chicken on a barbecue turning once and brushing on any marinade left in the dish. Ours took about 8 minutes in total but cook them longer if necessary.

Serve with a salad and some new potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: We would try a light red here rather than a white wine to complement the chicken. Barbecues intensify flavour and a white wine can easily become overwhelmed. Try an Italian Valpolicella which has a bit of spice and should be able to stand up to the powerful flavours.

Read Full Post »

Cream of Tomato Soup

Posted in Food, Healthy, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 28 May 2012| 4 Comments »

We’ve made a few quick tomato soups recently so we should maybe describe this as a slow one. This takes about 40 minutes but is worth it and gives a much more home-made flavour, super-healthy too.

Cream of tomato soup – to serve 4

  • 2 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 500g plum tomatoes
  • 200ml passata
  • 400ml vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large sprig of thyme
  • a small handful of basil leaves (if you have them)
  • 100ml single cream

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, garlic and carrot over a low heat fro 6-7 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, passata, stock, bay leaf and thyme, then bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme stalk. Season and add the basil. Whizz until smooth with a hand blender, stir in the cream and serve.

(Original recipe by Annabel Karmel in BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2004.)

Read Full Post »

More Courgettes!

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 26 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

We eat tonnes of courgettes over the summer months so it’s good to try some new ways to cook them. This makes a great side dish for a barbecue.

Courgettes with crispy cheese crumbs – to serve 4

  • 6 courgettes, cut into chunky batons
  • pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 85g dried or stale breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp grated Parmesan
  • 4 tbsp passata

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the courgettes in a baking dish or roasting tin and toss with the chilli, thyme and 1 tbsp oil and seasoning.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Mix the rest of the oil with the garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan and some seasoning.

Stir the passata into the courgettes, sprinkle with the cheesey crumbs and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crispy.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

Read Full Post »

Zucchini Fritte

Posted in Food, Healthy, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 24 May 2012| Leave a Comment »

This is a really simple courgette side dish. Don’t worry about cooking the courgettes at the last minute as they taste just as good at room temperature, so cook them a little in advance.

Fried courgettes – to serve 6

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 courgettes, sliced
  • ½ red chilli, sliced into rings
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • handful parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the courgettes for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown.

Add the chilli and garlic and fry for a further minute. Season with salt, then toss with the parsley and serve.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »