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Posts Tagged ‘pancetta’

Bacon, Chestnut, Rosemary & Potato Soup

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Soup, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 11 February 2023| Leave a Comment »

We have a reputation for using things up, and hence were donated a friends’ leftover chestnuts from Christmas: they thought we would probably use them. No probably about it … here they are in the loveliest Provençal soup recipe by Alex Jackson.

Wine Suggestion: And if you feel inspired then try a La Clef du Recit Menetou-Salon to accompany this dish. A Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, the soils and aspect give this wine an extra super depth and richness, while maintaining the purity and clarity of expression to make it an excellent match.

Bacon, chestnut, rosemary & potato soup – serves 4

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 60g smoked pancetta lardons
  • 2 medium white onions, finely diced
  • ½ head celery, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled, green middle removed and finely sliced lengthways
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp picked rosemary leaves (no more)
  • a few dried ceps, soaked in boiling water and roughly chopped (reserve the soaking water)
  • 100g cooked chestnuts, broken in half
  • 500g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm chunks
  • 1 litre homemade chicken stock or water
  • best extra virgin olive oil, to serve
  • grated Parmesan, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan, then add the pancetta and cook over a gentle heat until well browned but not crispy. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and fennel seeds. Add a good pinch of salt and fry slowly for at least 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and sweet.

Finely chop the rosemary, then add to the pan and allow to cook for another couple of minutes. Add the chopped porcini and cook for a few minutes before adding the chestnuts and potatoes. Pour in the liquid from the mushrooms, then add stock until the vegetables are just covered by about an inch of liquid (you can add more as it cooks if you need). Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash the chestnuts against the edge of the pan to mush them up a bit. The soup should have some liquid but otherwise be quite thick.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve in warm bowls with Parmesan and olive oil drizzled over the top.

(Original recipe from Sardine by Alex Jackson, Pavilion, 2019.)

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Asparagus, Rice & Pancetta Soup

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Soup, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 29 May 2022| Leave a Comment »

This soup recipe by Skye Gyngall is delicious. Make it while you can get local aspragus and serve with some crusty bread.

Asparagus, rice & pancetta soup – serves 4

  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • 2 red onions, finely chopped
  • a small bunch of thymes, leaves stripped and stalks discarded
  • 5 slices of pancetta, chopped into small pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 100g white rice
  • 1 litre good chicken stock
  • 500ml water
  • 12 green asparagus spears, snap off the woody ends and cut into short lengths on the diagonal
  • 100g Parmesan, freshly grated
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan. Add the onions, thyme and a pinch of salt and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the pancetta and garlic and continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the rice. Pour in the stock and water and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down low, then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

Add the asparagus to the soup and cook for a few minutes until just tender, then stir in the Parmesan. Season to taste with lots of black pepper and salt to taste.

Ladle into warm bowls and top with the parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

(Original recipe from My Favourite Ingredients by Skye Gyngell, Quadrille Publishing Limited, 2008.)

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Butternut Squash & Pancetta Pasta

Posted in Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , on 26 October 2021| 2 Comments »

This dish even looks like Autumn! Roast any leftover squash on another night.

Wine Suggestion: A light, earthy red or a richer, oaked Chardonnay. A good Burgundy might be a bit extravagant for a Monday but equally it’s a good match.

Butternut squash & pancetta pasta – serves 4

  • 80g pancetta cubes
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 750g butternut sqush, remove the seeds and cut into 2cm cubes
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 350g fusilli pasta
  • 100g young spinach, roughly chopped
  • grated Parmesan, to serve

Cook the pancetta in a large, dry frying pan until really crisp. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan.

Add the oil to the pan, then the squash, rosemary, chilli and garlic. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Season well and gently crush some of the squash pieces with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of salty boiling water, then drain but keep the cooking liquid. Add a ladle or two of the pasta water to the squash and bubble for a few minutes. Tip in the pasta and toss. Stir through the spinach until wilted, then divide between warm bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food.)

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 12 March 2021| 2 Comments »

Somewhere along the line we forgot about spaghetti carbonara, but remembered it again last night. This really is a store-cupboard dish. We’re never without pasta, eggs or Parmesan and more often than not there’s a half packet of pancetta or bacon lardons in the fridge needing used. Thursday night might turn into carbonara night!

Wine Suggestion: An open bottle of Edetaria via Terra red, made from Garnache Tinta grown in Terra Alta south of Barcelona was a joyful accompaniment. Fresh with refined spices and tannins; a gourmand wine. We don’t know whether it was the night or the wine but we had the chats all night after this food and wine.

Spaghetti Carbonara – serves 2 – though you can of course double to serve 4

  • 200g spaghetti
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g pancetta cubes or bacon lardons
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 25ml vermouth or white wine
  • 1 large egg
  • 50g grated pecorino or Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cook the spaghetti in lots of very salty water according to the timings on the pack.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the pancetta over a medium heat until crispy. Add the garlic and cook gently for a couple of minutes before the vermouth or white wine and bubble until well reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the egg into a large bowl and beat it with a fork. Add a little salt and plenty of black pepper, then add the cheese and stir to combine.

Drain the pasta in a colander and immediately transfer to the bowl with the egg and cheese, don’t be too fussy when you’re draining as a little of the pasta cooking water will help make a silky sauce. Stir together until the spaghetti is coated in a glossy sauce, then add the pancetta and stir again.

Serve in warmed bowls and sprinkle with the parsley.

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Sautéed Potatoes with Bacon Lardons & Persillade

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 25 January 2021| Leave a Comment »

We often end up with all sorts of odds and ends after cooking at the weekend. So a regular Monday night dinner for us is lots of veggie side dishes, all served together. It’s a bit like a roast dinner but you really don’t need the meat and you get to try lots of new dishes too. We served these with Cooleeney & tarragon cauliflower cheese, roasted parsnips and steamed sprouts. Don’t worry to much about the herbs, just use what you have, parsley on it’s own would be fine.

Sautéed potatoes with bacon lardons & persillade – serves 6 (easily halved)

  • 1kg potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 300g smoked bacon lardons (we used pancetta)
  • 25g unsalted butter

FOR THE PERSILLADE:

  • small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2tsp chopped chervil
  • 1 tarragon sprig, leaves chopped
  • 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Put the potatoes into a large saucepan, just cover with boiling water, then simmer for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry.

Mix all of the persillade ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat, add the bacon or pancetta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly caramelised. Add the potatoes, then the butter.

Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden brown all over. Stir in the persillade, then serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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A Creamy Quiche Lorraine

Posted in Cheese, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 18 April 2020| Leave a Comment »

Creamy Quiche Lorraine

A quiche that wobbles, just set, is a wonderful thing and this almost oozes. It feels luxurious and decadent, despite having simple ingredients and we’d cook this in any season. We used a local flour mill, Dunany in Drogheda for a non-bleached plain flour which accounts for the colour in the crust. Serve with a green salad.

Wine Suggestion: our choice would be an Alsace Pinot Gris, or if you can find it a dry Muscat like Zind-Humbrecht’s Grand Cru Brand Muscat. Coming from the amazing Brand vineyard this is reliably dry and will redefine for you what Muscat is. Neither of us were fans of this grape, but as always, the right wine can change opinions.

If stuck open the latest vintage, but if you are able to wait a year, or two, or more this will reward you ten-fold. The musky spices, texture and flavours match the cream, cheese and pancetta in a way nothing else will quite achieve. Failing this a close second is a richer Pinot Gris, which may be easier to find.

Quiche Lorraine with butter pastry – serves 6

  • 200g cubetti di pancetta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 250ml double cream
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • 100g gruyère, coarsely grated

FOR THE PASTRY:

  • 225g plain flour
  • 150g chilled butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 egg yolk

Make the pastry first by putting the flour and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Whizz until it looks like breadcrumbs then add the egg yolk and 2½ tbsp of iced water and whizz until it comes together. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll the pastry out thinly and use to line a 20cm x 4cm deep, straight-sided, loose-bottomed tart tin. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the sides. Chill again for another 20 minutes.

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

Fry the pancetta in a little olive oil until cooked then drain on kitchen paper. Beat the whole eggs, egg yolks, double cream and crème fraîche together and season.

Line the pastry tin with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Trim off the excess party with a sharp knife.

Turn the oven down to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.

Scatter the bacon most of the grated cheese over the pastry base, add the egg mixture and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until just set and lightly golden. Leave to cool for a bit before serving.

(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes in Olive Magazine, April 2014.)

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Asparagus Carbonara

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 15 April 2019| 2 Comments »

Asparagus Carbonara

Classic carbonara is in no way sullied by the addition of asparagus and in our house at the moment it’s asparagus with everything!!

Wine Suggestion: A difficult decision given the awkwardness of asparagus and wine, plus the creamy richness of the sauce. We settled on the delightful Chateau les Charmes Godard, a Sauvignon (Blanc & Gris) and Semillon blend from Bordeaux and were reminded why we love whites from this region, especially with food.

Asparagus Carbonara – serves 4

  • 200g pancetta or streaky bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 350g pasta
  • 2 bunches of thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • a large handful of grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the pancetta and fry for about 5 minutes, or until turning crispy.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salty water to the boil. Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain and reserve some of the pasta cooking water.

Add the asparagus and garlic to the pan with the bacon. Season with lots of black pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the asparagus is cooked (it will take a bit longer if your asparagus is thick).

Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with the Parmesan and a splash of the cooking water.

Add the cooked pasta to the asparagus pan, then remove from the heat and stir in the egg mixture to combine. Add another splash of cooking water if needed to make a sauce.

Serve right away with extra Parmesan.

(Original recipe from New Kitchen Basics by Claire Thomson, Quadrille, 2019.)

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Roast Chicken, Pancetta & Mushroom Orzo

Posted in Chicken, Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 11 April 2019| Leave a Comment »

Roast Chicken, Pancetta & Mushroom Orzo

We really liked this easy recipe for leftover roast chicken, a very tasty dish for midweek.

Wine Suggestion: mid-week, or weekend, this works great with a Pinot Noir-Gamay blend like you can find in Cheverny in the Loire; freshness from Pinot and smoothness from the Gamay … both earthy and the right flavours for this dish. Our choice tonight was an old favourite Domaine Bellier.

Roast chicken, pancetta & mushroom orzo – serves 4

  • 15g porcini mushrooms
  • 30g pancetta cubes
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 50g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 50g button mushrooms, sliced
  • 300g orzo
  • 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 300g roast chicken, skin removed and shredded
  • Parmesan, shaved to serve

Soak the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl of boiling water for 15 minutes.

Heat 2tbsp of olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. Cook the pancetta until golden, then scoop out with a slotted spoon.

In the same pan, cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Add the fresh mushrooms and fry until golden. Add the drained porcini, reserving the liquid, and cook for a minute.

Add the orzo and thyme and stir to coat in the oil, then add the porcini’s liquid and enough stock to cover. Simmer gently for 10-12 minutes, adding stock as needed, until tender.

Add the chicken and heat through, then serve with the pancetta and some Parmesan shavings sprinkled over.

(Original recipe by Justin Turner in Olive Magazine, April 2012.)

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Broad Beans with Pancetta

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 10 May 2018| 1 Comment »

Broadbeans with pancetta

A tasty side dish that works at any time of the year provided you’ve a stash of broad beans in the freezer.

Broad beans with pancetta – serves 4

  • 500g frozen broad beans
  • 70g cubetti di pancetta
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • a small bunch of flatleaf parsley, chopped

Cook the beans in boiling water for 2 minutes then drain and remove from the skins.

Fry the pancetta in a dry pan until the fat runs, then turn the heat up and brown well. Add the shallots for a couple of minutes to soften, then add the broad beans to heat through. Stir through the parsley and season before serving.

 

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Spaghetti with Parsley, Pancetta & Parmigiano

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , on 21 April 2017| 1 Comment »

Spaghetti with parsley, pancetta & parmigiano

We’re never surprised at how reliable the cookbooks from River Cafe are as in general they celebrate fabulous ingredients with simple cooking methods; our favourite way to cook too. This is a rich dish and works best served in small portions as a starter.

Wine Suggestion: The richness and parmesan cry out for higher acidity in the wine. We combined this idea with the almost bacon-ny yeasty and almondy autolysis of a sparkling Trento DOC, the Ferrari Perlé Nero Riserva. Body, richness, nuttiness and freshness; a great combo with the pasta.

When choosing between Italian sparkling wines we find the Trento DOC area has a bit more body and richness than the creamier and refined Franciacorta. This is not to say that top producers like Ferrari don’t have refinement, they do in spades, but that there is a lightness and elegance to be found in Franciacorta. Too light for this dish. Both areas produce some stunning wines.

Spaghetti with parsley, pancetta & parmesan – serves 6

  • 8 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 medium red onions, finely chopped
  • 200g pancetta, finely sliced, then cut into 5mm pieces plus an extra Rose 6 thin slices (one each)
  • 400g spaghetti
  • 150g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 dried red chilli or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes
  • olive oil
  • 120g Parmesan, grated

Gently heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and cook gently for 15-20 minutes, then add the pancetta and garlic. Turn down the heat, stir and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes. You can turn up a bit again at the end if you want the pancetta to crisp up.  Season well with salt, pepper and the dried chilli. Stir in the parsley.

Heat a small frying pan, brush with oil, and fry the slices of pancetta to crisp them. Drain on paper towels.

Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, but scoop out a few tablespoons of the cooking water first. Throw the spaghetti into the warm parsley mixture and toss, adding a little of the pasta water to help the sauce coat the pasta.

Serve with lots of Parmesan and a slice of pancetta on each bowl.

(Original recipe from River Cafe Green by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Martin Gray, 2000.)

 

 

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Herb-roast Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 14 November 2016| Leave a Comment »

Herb roast chicken

This is an easy solution for feeding a crowd and almost everyone likes roast chicken. All you need is some new potatoes or creamy mash on the side. We love the fresh tarragon with the peas but you could use mint if you prefer. The combination of the peas, shallots, herbs and pancetta really add extra depth to the chicken and lift even ordinary chickens to feast-like levels. Of course, if the budget allows, get a good, free-range one as the extra flavour is really worth it.

Wine Suggestion: As this dish is a bit richer than your standard roast chicken it demands more than most white wines can deliver. We find Pinot Noir a good choice. This time we chose the Justin Girardin Santenay 1er Clos Rousseau and the earthy flavours danced with the salty, crispy pancetta and sweet peas. The tarragon made it all the more reminiscent of holidays in France.

Herb-Roast Chicken – serves 8-10 (easily halved)

  • 200g cubetti di pancetta
  • 800g shallots, trimmed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 chickens (about 1.5kg each)
  • 500ml hot chicken stock
  • 800g peas (frozen will be fine)
  • small pack tarragon, roughly chopped

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

Fry the pancetta gently in a heavy frying pan until crisp – if you start with a cold pan you shouldn’t need to add any oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan and fry in the pancetta fat for 10-15 minutes or until golden and starting to soften. Tip the shallots into a very large roasting tin.

Rub the olive oil over the chickens and season well with salt and pepper, then place the chickens into the roasting tin with the shallots. Roast for about 1 hour 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove the chickens from the tin and cover with foil.

Put the roasting tin directly onto the hob and stir in the stock. Bubble for a few minutes and scrape any sticky bits off the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon. Add the peas, pancetta and most of the tarragon to the stock and bubble for a few minutes or until the peas are cooked, then season.

Meanwhile carve the chicken into large pieces. Transfer the peas to a warm serving platter and serve the chicken on top with the rest of the tarragon sprinkled over.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2010.)

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Chicken Patties with Rosemary & Pancetta

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 8 October 2016| Leave a Comment »

Chicken patties with rosemary & pancetta

Try these delicious chicken patties by Nigel Slater. Some of our favourite dishes are those where a sticky caramelised crust forms in the pan. Nigel suggests some lemon wedges and a spinach salad to serve.

Wine Suggestion: a 100% Grenache red actually is the business with this dish. While we see Grenache in quite a lot of blends when on it’s own it has a lovely spice, and if not too alcoholic and jammy (it ripens to high levels if untamed) a wonderful lightness of touch with soft, velvety tannins. If you’re exceptionally lucky an old (15-20yo) Chateau Rayas would be a treat. We drank, instead, the delightful l’O du Joncier Cotes du Rhone made by Marine Roussel in Lirac; a biodynamic, wild yeast treat that both treads lightly on the earth and tastes great.

Chicken patties with rosemary & pancetta – serves 2-3

  • 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • a thick slice of butter
  • 100g cubed pancetta
  • leaves from 3 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
  • 450g chicken mince (if you have a mincer buy some chicken thighs and mince your own)
  • groundnut oil for frying
  • 250ml chicken stock

Warm the butter over a medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook until softened and golden. Stir in the pancetta and rosemary and cook for a few minutes or until coloured. Empty the contents of the pan into a large bowl and allow to cool a bit.

Add the chicken mince to the onion mixture, season generously with pepper and a little salt, and mix well (your hands are the best tool for this). Shape the mixture into six little burgers and set aside for about 30 minutes to rest.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas 5.

Wipe the onion pan clean with a piece of kitchen towel and put back on the heat until hot. Add a small amount of oil and brown the patties for about 3 minutes on each side, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Pour the stock into the dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the patties are sizzling and the stock bubbling. Serve with some of the hot stock spooned over.

(Original recipe from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2005.)

 

 

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Buttered Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Posted in Food, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , on 2 January 2014| 1 Comment »

For those who eat brussels sprouts more than once a year. This is a gem of a dish that we’ve done a few times now and an easy feature in any winter meal.

Buttered Sprouts with Pancetta – to serve 6

  • 100g cubed pancetta
  • 750g brussels sprouts
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 25g butter

Fry the pancetta in a non-stick frying pan for about 5 minutes or until crispy. Add the sprouts and cook for another minute. Add the stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the sprouts are tender and the stock has reduced. Add the butter and season well but be careful with the salt, as the pancetta and stock should make this fairly salty already.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Leek & Pancetta Quiche

Posted in Food, tagged , , , , , , on 22 April 2013| 6 Comments »

Leek & Pancetta Quiche – serves 4-6

  • 200g pancetta lardons
  • olive oil
  • 2 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 tbsp double cream
  • 100g Gruyère cheese, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

FOR THE PASTRY:

  • 200g plain flour, plus a bit extra
  • pinch of salt
  • 100g butter, at room temperature, cubed

First make the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a large bowl. Then using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour, lifting the mixture up and dropping it back into the bowl. Keep doing this until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then mix in 2-3 tbsp of cold water. Bring the mixture together and knead lightly on a floured surface until you have a smooth ball of pastry. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6.

Oil a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin.

Roll the pastry out onto a floured work surface until about 3mm thick. Line the oiled tin with the pastry and leave some hanging over the edges, then prick the base with a fork. Chill for another 10 minutes.

Line the chilled pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until golden. Trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife.

Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a large frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until coloured and almost crispy. Add the leek and sauté for 3-4 minutes until soft and cooked through. Drain to remove any excess oil.

Mix the eggs and cream together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add three-quarters of the grated cheese, stir in the leek mixture and add the parsley. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry case, sprinkle the top with the leftover cheese and cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden and set.

Allow the quiche to cool for a bit before serving.

Wine Suggestion: We tried a lovely Bott-Geyl Pinot d’Alsace which worked superbly. A great combination of Pinot Blanc 35%, Pinot Auxerrois 35%, Pinot Gris 15% and Pinot Noir 15% (vinified as white wine). Rich and complex but with the freshness  and texture to balance the quiche perfectly.

(Original recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course, Hodder & Stoughton, 2012.)

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Quiche Lorraine

Posted in France, Riesling, Uncategorized, Wine, tagged , , , , , , , , on 5 August 2011| Leave a Comment »

So good that our friend’s David & Nicola fed this to their two-year old son Theo and he had seconds! We had trouble with the pastry, but the humid day really didn’t help. If you’re having trouble put the pastry in the fridge after bringing it together in the food processor to keep it cold, it will really help.

We served this at a French-themed dinner party where everyone brought a course and a complimentary wine to go with it. There was Quiche Lorraine for starter, leg of lamb roasted with lots of garlic and served with dauphinoise potatoes, an apple tarte tatin and some French cheeses. We are now all on a diet!

Quiche Lorraine – cuts into 8 slices

For the pastry:

  • 175g plain flour
  • 100g cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 egg yolk
For the filling:
  • 200g pancetta, sliced into cubes
  • 50g Gruyère
  • 200ml carton crème fraîche
  • 200ml double cream
  • 3 eggs, well beaten
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  1. For the pastry, put the flour, butter, egg yolk and 4tsp cold water into a food processor. Use the pulse button to process until the mixture binds. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a smooth ball, then roll out as thinly as you can. Line a 23 x 2.5cm loose-bottomed, fluted flan tin with the pastry. Trim the edges with scissors so it sits slightly above the tin – this way it will not shrink below the level of the tin (don’t throw the trimmings away yet). Press the pastry into the flutes, lightly prick the base with a fork, then chill for 10 minutes. Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat oven to 200C/fan 189C/gas 6.
  2. Line the pastry case with foil, shiny side down, fill with dry beans and bake on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and bake for another 4-5 minutes until the pastry is pale golden. If there are any small cracks or holes use your pastry trimmings to patch them. This part can be done the day before.
  3. Heat a small frying pan and fry the pancetta for a couple of minutes. Drain off any liquid, then continue cooking until they start to colour, but aren’t crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Cut three quarters of the cheese into small dice and finely grate the rest. Scatter the diced cheese and pancetta over the bottom of the pastry case.
  4. Using a spoon, beat the crème fraîche to slacken it then slowly beat in the double cream. Mix in the beaten eggs. Season, but go easy on the salt, and add nutmeg. Pour three-quarters of the filling into the pastry case.
  5. Half-pull the oven shelf out and put the tin on the baking sheet. Quickly pour the rest of the mixture into the case – so you get it right up to the top. Scatter the grated cheese over the top, then carefully push the shelf back in. Lower the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden and softly set (the centre doesn’t need to be too firm). Let it settle for 4-5 minutes before removing from the tin.
Wine Suggestion: it is quite hard to match egg dishes with wine, but the addition of the cream, crème fraîche and pancetta helps. You need to balance the saltiness from the pancetta and the creamy and rich filling; so a white from Alsace with a touch of sweetness balanced by fresh acidity is a good match. We had a Clos Saint Landelin Grand Cru Vendange Tardive Riesling from 2001 – this is a late harvest wine that in most years is very sweet, but in 2001 had great fruit but ended up being just off-dry. With a beautiful balance of acidity and a mellowness from 10 years of age this worked a real treat and had layers of flavours that complimented the quiche superbly.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Festive side: No. 1

Posted in Food, Side dish, tagged , , , , on 12 November 2010| Leave a Comment »

Because we had pancetta, chestnuts and parsley that needed to be used in the fridge we thought we’d try out our first festive side of the season.

The result … yum!

  • Cook 500g of brussels sprouts in boiling water for around 5 minute or until cooked.
  • Meanwhile cook 125g pancetta in a little bit of vegetable oil until bronzed and crisp.
  • Add a large knob of butter and 100g cookedchestnuts – squashing the chestnuts to break them up a bit.
  • Add 25ml Marsala and reduce to a syrup.
  • Add the drained Brussel Sprouts, toss and add some parsley and lots of black pepper.
  • Enjoy.

Credit to Nigella – recipe from Feast.

Jono

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