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Posts Tagged ‘Vegetarian’

Smokey Black Bean & Roast Tomato Soup

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 10 September 2018| Leave a Comment »

Smokey black bean & roast tomato soup

This is a tasty soup, but the sweetcorn salsa makes it extra special and looks great. Hearty enough to serve as a main course.

Wine Suggestion: a juicy, fruity red was the match here with the Cline Lodi Zinfandel as our choice this evening to great effect.

Smoky Black Bean & Roast Tomato Soup – serves 4

FOR THE SALSA

  • 1 small red onion, very finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 100g sweetcorn kernels
  • 1 red chilli
  • squeeze of lime juice
  • small bunch of coriander, leaves picked

FOR THE SOUP

  • 6 tomatoes, halved across the middle
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 red onions, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp chipotle paste
  • 1 tsp fresh or dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 700g cooked black beans
  • 750ml veg stock
  • squeeze of lime juice
  • sour cream, to serve

First roast the tomatoes. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the tomatoes in a single layer, cut-side up, on a baking tray. Drizzle lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt, then roast for 30 minutes.

Next make the salsa. Cook the red onion in the sunflower oil for 5 minutes until soft and starting to colour. Turn up the heat, then add the sweetcorn and chilli, stirring until the corn is toasted at the edges. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lime juice.

To make the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the onions until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, chipotle paste, oregano & cumin seeds. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the cumin is fragrant.

Add the roasted tomatoes, the cooked beans and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice, then liquidise until smooth. Check again for seasoning. Stir the coriander leaves through the salsa.

Serve the soup in warm bowls and a spoon of sour cream and salsa on the top.

(Original recipe by Alice Hart in BBC Good Food Magazine, July 2011.)

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Blistered Peppers, Pomodorini, Mozzarella & Pesto

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 2 September 2018| Leave a Comment »

Blistered peppers, pomodorini, mozzarella & pesto

Flavours of late summer and something different to use up fresh pesto. We loved this dish, so light but really tasty. Serve with salad and bread.

Wine Suggestion: We’d suggest a juicy Tempranillo with a touch of oak, like the Paco Garcia Rioja Seis; a modern style that doesn’t need food unlike some other Rioja wines. Very happily served alongside a dish like this.

Blistered peppers, pomodorini, torn mozzarella & pesto – serves 2

  • 2 large red peppers
  • 12 pomodorini or baby plum tomatoes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1  ball of buffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks
  • 4 tbsp fresh pesto

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

Cut the peppers in half lengthways, remove the seeds and rub all over with a little olive oil and seasoning.

Toss the tomatoes with some olive oil, seasoning and the garlic .

Heat a heavy oven-proof pan until hot. Put the peppers, cut-side down, into the pan and sear until blackened along the edges. Turn them over and add the tomatoes to the pan, then roast in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Put the tomatoes inside the peppers along with the chunks of mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil, then return to the oven until the mozzarella has started to melt. Put a tablespoon of pesto on each stuffed pepper before serving.

Serve with salad and bread.

(Original recipe by Alastair Hendy in Olive Magazine, August 2014.)

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Tomato & Olive Salad with za’atar & Buttermilk Dressing

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 31 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Tomato & Olive Salad

Fabulous flavours in this easy summer salad by Sabrina Ghayour. Great with barbecues – there’s still time before the cold evenings arrive.

Tomato & Olive Salad with Za’atar &  Buttermilk Dressing – serves 6 to 8

  • 800g mixed tomatoes
  • 250g pitted mixed olives
  • 15g chives, snipped
  • 200ml buttermilk
  • olive oil (Sabrina suggests a flavoured one like garlic or lemon)
  • 2 tbsp za’atar

Slice the tomatoes horizontally into 1cm-thick slices and arrange on a large platter. Spread the olives around the plate and scatter over half of the chives. Season generously with good sea salt and black pepper.

Season the buttermilk well with salt and a good slug of olive oil, the drizzle this over the salad. Scatter over the remaining chives and sprinkle over the za’atar. Serve right away.

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

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Badargani – Aubergine Rolls Filled with Pomegranate & Walnuts

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 30 August 2018| 1 Comment »

Badargani

Honey & co strikes again with a great veggie Sunday supper and fab left-overs for lunch-boxes on Monday. They suggest serving with yoghurt and green salad – we had some steamed rice too.

Wine Suggestion: a conundrum in matching this with the slight bitterness from the walnuts, the earthy, smoky, velvety aubergine and the sweet-sour-crunchy pomegranates. In the end we went with the Chapelle en Rosé from Chateau St. Jacques d’Albas in Minervois which was red-fruited, sappy and minerally dry. If you can’t find this then open a dry rosé made in the style of Provence.

Badargani – Aubergine rolls filled with walnuts & pomegranate – serves 4

  • 4 large aubergines, trimmed
  • olive oil

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 1 large red onion, diced finely
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 100g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped (keep 2 tbsp for garnish)
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated
  • 15-20g parsley, chopped
  • 100g fresh pomegranate seeds (keep 2 tbsp for garnish)
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7.

Slice each aubergine into 5 or 6 slices lengthways. Keep the outside slices for the filling and the long inner slices for the rolls. Brush a couple of baking trays with oil and lay the inside aubergines slices flat on them. Drizzle with more oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until golden and soft, turn the trays around mid-way to make sure they cook evenly. Set aside to cool.

Cut the aubergine trimmings into small dice (similar to the onion). Fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat until starting to soften, then add the diced aubergine and salt. Cook until the aubergine goes very soft. Take the pan off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and season again if needed.

Put a large spoon of filling at the end of each aubergine slice and roll into thick sausages. Put the filled rolls into an ovenproof serving dish. Spoon any leftover filling around the edges. Put into the oven for 5 minutes to warm through before serving.

Sprinkle the rolls with the reserved walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve about 3 rolls per person with a dressed green salad, some yoghurt and steamed rice.

(Original recipe from ‘Honey & Co. Food from the Middle East’ by Sarit Packer & Itamer Srulovich, Saltyard Books, 2014.)

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Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream

Posted in Dessert, Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 27 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Strawberry and buttermilk icecream

We’re getting late in the strawberry season, so they’re both cheaper and have great flavour. This is an easy ice cream by Diana Henry with a texture similar to sorbet. Great on its own but we also loved this with some rich chocolate truffle ice cream laced with rum.

Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream – makes 1 litre

  • 500g strawberries
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
  • 375ml buttermilk
  • 115g sour cream
  • pinch of sea salt flakes

Remove the green tops from the strawberries, then slice and put into a bowl with half the sugar and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Leave to sit for half an hour.

Pour the fruit and all its juice into a food processor with the remaining sugar and whizz to a purée. Push the purée through a nylon sieve to remove the strawberry seeds. Mix with buttermilk, sour cream & salt.

If you have an ice cream machine you can churn in that or alternatively transfer to a shallow container and put straight into the freezer. You will need to churn it manually by putting back into the food processor after an hour, then twice more at 2 hour intervals. The ice cream must be covered with a lid or cling film in between churning and when you store it.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to allow soften a bit.

(Original recipe from How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2018.)

 

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Tortellini with Creamy Tomato & Mascarpone Sauce

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 22 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Creamy marscapone tortellini

Because we had leftover marscapone … we love using leftover ingredients. It’s ok to cheat sometimes with some shop-bought fresh tortellini and the result is dinner in minutes!

Wine Suggestion: this works with young, fresh red wines. If you feel like Italian then the Rocca delle Macie Chianti Vernaiolo which is unoaked and vibrantly full of fruit is a good choice. We, however, threw a Pike & Joyce Rapide (unoaked) Pinot Noir from the Adelaide Hills into the fridge for 30 minutes. A good match too.

Tortellini with Creamy Tomato & Mascarpone Sauce – serves 2-4

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp vegetable stock powder (we never are without Marigold Swiss Bouillon) or ½ cumbled stock cube
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • few basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp mascarpone plus a bit extra
  • fresh tortellni – we used spinach & ricotta

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and gently fry for 1 minute. Add the tin of tomatoes, the stock powder, tomato purée and sugar, then bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Tear in the basil leaves and stir in the 2 tbsp of mascarpone.

Meanwhile, cook the tortellini in boiling salted water as per the timing on the pack, then drain well and tip into a small ovenproof dish.

Pour the sauce over the tortellini and top with a few more spoonfuls of mascarpone, then bake until bubbling at the edges.

(Original recipe by Gareth Morgans IN: BBC Good Food Magazine, August 2008.)

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Fragrant Yellow Rice with Cashews and Peas

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 16 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Fragrant yellow rice with cashews and peas

This fragrant rice is great with curries and it looks nice and bright on the plate.

Fragrant Yellow Rice with Cashew Nuts & Peas – serves 4 to 6

  • 100g cashew nuts, toasted
  • knob of butter
  • 1 small onion, very finely chopped
  • 1 tsp mild curry powder or paste
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 350g basmati rice, well rinsed
  • 50g coconut cream
  • 75g frozen peas

Heat the butter in a pan and sauté the onion for a few minutes or until softened. Stir in the curry powder or paste and turmeric and continue to cook for another minute.

Add the rice to the onions with a good pinch of salt, then pour in the coconut cream and freshly boiled water to cover the rice by about 2 cm, about 600ml. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then turn the heat to very low and simmer gently for another 8 minutes.

Remover the rice from the heat and tip in the peas and cashew nuts, then set aside to steam for another 4 minutes. Fluff up with a fork before serving.

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

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Spinach & Courgette Lasagne

Posted in Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 1 August 2018| 1 Comment »

Spinach & Courgette Lasagne

We loved this easy veggie lasagne that celebrates courgettes – one of our favourite summer vegetables. An excellent family dish for mid-week.

Wine Suggestion: We had a Bergerac blanc from Le Tap at hand from our recent holidays. It was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and a touch of Muscadelle and had the right kind of freshness and body.

Spinach & Courgette Lasagne – serves 6

  • 400g spinach
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 250g mascarpone
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 100g Parmesan, grated
  • 9 lasagne sheets
  • 100ml double cream
  • 3 large courgettes, sliced lengthways

Put the spinach into a colander and pour over boiling water to wilt it. Leave until cool enough to touch, then squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and soften for a minute. Add the nutmeg and cook for another minute before adding the mascarpone, spinach, half the cream and half the Parmesan. Mix together and season well, then set aside.

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

Spread a third of the filling over the base of a 20 x 30 cm baking dish, cover with 3 lasagne sheets, then add a layer of courgettes. Repeat two more times. Pour the remaining cream over and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the pasta is cooked. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Pistachio Pesto

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 31 July 2018| Leave a Comment »

Pistachio pesto

Our fabulous friends have a weekender in the country with loads of space for growing herbs and veg. We are the very happy recipients when there’s more produce than one family can eat and we put it to good use. So if you have a prolific bed/windowsill with parsley and basil growing you should make this delicious variation on classic pesto. It’s especially good with roast chicken (drumsticks for us) but would also be nice with fish or vegetables.

Pistachio Pesto – serves 4

  • 50g pistachios
  • 25g flatleaf parsley leaves
  • 25g basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • zest and juice of a lemon
  • 100ml olive oil

Put the nuts in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave for a few minutes then drain and tip onto a clean tea towel. Give the nuts a good rub with the tea towel and skins should slip off. Throw the skins away and save the bright green nuts.

Put the nuts in a dry frying pan and toast over a medium heat until lightly coloured all over and smelling fab. Keep a watchful eye as they can turn from toasty to burnt in an instant. Put the nuts on a plate to cool.

Put the herbs and pistachios in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped (you could pound in a pestle and mortar but parsley is much more difficult to pound than basil so we recommend the processor if you have one). Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse briefly – you want to leave a bit of texture. Taste and season. Cover with oil and put in the fridge until needed.

(Original recipe from ‘The Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure’ by Si King & Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2017.)

 

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Linguine with Creamy Tomato, Rosemary & Caper Sauce

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 23 July 2018| Leave a Comment »

Linguine with Creamy Tomato, Rosemary & Caper Sauce

Super simple weeknight pasta that tastes delicious.

Wine suggestion: A youthful Sangiovese from Tuscany is our pick with the wine at hand the Rocca delle Macie Vernaiolo which we find a great unoaked and fresh red wine. We like to put it in the fridge for 30 minutes before opening at this time of the year.

Linguine with creamy tomato, rosemary & caper sauce – serves 2

  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp chopped rosemary
  • 1 tin of plum tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 3 tbsp double cream
  • 150g linguine
  • Parmesan, grated, to serve

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chilli & rosemary and cook for another minute. Add the tin of tomatoes.

Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, squashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon occasionally so they break down into a thick sauce. Add the capers and cream and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to the pack, then drain well. Tip the pasta into the sauce and toss together. Serve in warm bowls with some Parmesan for sprinkling over.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe IN: BBC Olive Magazine, May 2015.)

 

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Courgette & Lemon Risotto

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 23 June 2018| 1 Comment »

Courgette & lemon risotto

A weekend lunch treat for the three of us as we had courgettes lying around begging to be used.

Wine Suggestion: a crunchy white was demanded here and an old favourite was opened to match; the Chateau du Hureau Saumur Blanc “Argile”. A vibrant Chenin Blanc with texture, vibrant, crunchy, apply fruit plus a real sense of place.

Courgette & lemon risotto – serves 2

  • 50g butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 180g risotto rice
  • 1 litre of hot vegetable stock
  • zest and juice 1 lemon
  • 2 lemon thyme sprigs
  • 250g courgette, diced
  • 50g parmesan, grated
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche

Melt the butter in a deep frying pan and gently fry the onion until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute. Pour in the rice and stir for a couple of minutes until it glistens.

Add a ladle of the stock to the rice, along with the lemon juice and thyme. Bubble over a medium heat, stirring constantly. When almost all the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladle and continue to stir. Tip in the courgette and keep adding the stock, stirring every now and then until the rice is just tender and creamy.

Season to taste and stir in the lemon zest, Parmesan and crème fraîche.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Feta & Cucumber Bites

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Party Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 10 June 2018| 1 Comment »

Feta & Cucumber Bites

We served these on New Year’s Day with other canapés but by the time we’d typed up the recipe we thought everyone might be a bit partied out. So we’ve saved this post for summertime when these tasty bites would be delicious served outside with cool drinks before dinner.

Feta & Cucumber Bites – makes 24

  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 200g feta
  • 100g ricotta
  • 4 tbsp chopped dill, plus extra fronds, to garnish
  • 1 large cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scooped out and discarded

Whizz the garlic, feta, ricotta and dill in a food processor until smooth but thick.

Fill the scooped out cucumber with the cheese mixture and smooth over. Cut into 3-cm thick slices. Grind over some black pepper and garnish with some more dill.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food.)

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Watercress & Scallion salad

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 2 May 2018| Leave a Comment »

Watercress & Scallion salad

We love this green salad with barbecues as the scallions taste amazing and you’re not likely to get the barbecue out just for a green salad.

Watercress & scallion salad – serves 8 to 10

  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 shallots, sliced into fine rings
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 3 bunches scallions, trimmed
  • 4 bunches of watercress (or failing that a bag of mixed salad leaves as we had to resort to this time but it we prefer it with watercress)

Heat a pan over a medium heat, then fry the shallots for a few minutes with a splash of oil, then add the sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil, then set to one side.

Toss the scallions in a little oil then cook on a hot barbecue for a a couple of minutes on each side (use a griddle pan if that’s easier). Put the scallions in a bowl with the shallots and the rest of the olive oil. Season and toss with the watercress.

(Original recipe by James Martin IN: BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2008)

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And another idea for wild garlic…

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 24 April 2018| 3 Comments »

Wild Garlic Omelette with goats cheese

We just loved this simple omelette with lots of wild garlic and some melting goat’s cheese. You could leave the goat’s cheese out and it would still be a super supper dish with some salad and crusty bread.

Wild Garlic & Goat’s Cheese Omelette – serves 2

  • a good handful of wild garlic leaves – about 50g
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten (beat 2 eggs in 2 separate cups for ease)
  • 25g butter
  • 50g goat’s cheese crumbled

Finely shred the wild garlic and season the eggs.

Heat half the butter in a nonstick frying pan. Add half the wild garlic and wild for about 20 seconds, then add half the eggs. Leave for about 15 seconds, then tilt the pan and gradually scrape up the set bits of omelette around the edge into the middle of the pan, letting the raw egg run out to the edges.

When the omelette is still a bit liquid on top but set underneath, put half the cheese over one half. Fold the other half over the filling, then let the cheese melt for about 20 seconds before turning out onto a warm plate.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make another omelette, then serve right away.

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

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Potato Pie with Beaufort Cheese

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 23 March 2018| 5 Comments »

Potato Pie with Beaufort Cheese

What can we tell you about this pie? Well first of all it doesn’t look remotely like the picture in the book and there were a few moments of panic when the cream started to run out the sides. Despite our wholly inadequate pastry skills and some last minute patching to stop the leaks, it tasted pretty good and didn’t look half as bad when it came out of the oven as it did going in. If you have a similar leak we advise remaining calm and sticking some pastry over the hole – pronto!

If you have trouble finding Beaufort,  Gruyere is a good substitute. Serve with a green salad.

Wine Suggestion:  an oaked white with a good freshness and texture is the best match for both the cheese and pastry. If you can find a white from Jura or Savoie you’re in for a treat but otherwise there are plenty of options. For something a little different we tried both the Sartarelli Balciana Verdicchio from the Marche in Italy and the Soalheiro Alvarinho Reserva from the Melgaço in Portugal and had a great match with both.

Potato pie with Beaufort cheese – serves 4 

  • 500g medium-sized waxy potatoes – we used Charlotte
  • 100ml double cream
  • 2 cloves of garlic, lightly bruised
  • 25g-30g butter
  • 375g ready-made puff pastry in 2 sheets
  • 75g Beaufort cheese, very thinly sliced (a vegetable peeler works well)
  • ½ tsp thyme leaves
  • 1 egg beaten, to glaze

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

Steam the potatoes until tender, then cool and peel. Slice moderately thickly and set aside.

Put the cream into a small saucepan with the garlic and bring to the boil, then take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse.

Lightly smear a baking sheet with some of the butter. Roll out 1 pastry sheet thinly (about 2-3mm) and lay onto the baking sheet. Mark a circle on the pastry about 20cm in diameter. Cover the circle with half of the potatoes, arranging in a slightly overlapping layer. Season with salt and pepper then cover with half the cheese and thyme leaves, adding a few flecks of butter. Repeat these layers, then brush the pastry edges with beaten egg.

Roll out the other sheet and place over the filling. Clamp down the edges with your fingers and either trim to a round or if it’s easier fold in the extra pastry to create a thicker edge.

Brush the pastry all over with the egg and decorate with a fork (the decorating was beyond us and may have caused the hole so skip this step if you like). Make a hole in the centre of the pie about 5mm in diameter. Remove the garlic from the cream, then slowly pour into the pie using a small funnel. Do this slowly and allow the cream to settle before adding more. Stop when no more will fit – you might have a bit left over.

Put the pie into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Continue to bake for a further 20 minutes – cover loosely with foil if the pastry browns too quickly.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving in wedges with some dressed salad leaves.

(Original recipe from The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson, Quadrille Publishing Ltd, 2012.)

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So it’s still winter even though it’s March – make soup!

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 28 February 2018| 1 Comment »

Winter root vegetable soup

So here we are almost March and we are experiencing an artic blast. The snow is piled up at the back door and Dubliners have been advised to stay indoors tomorrow as more is on the way. Soup seems like our only defence. Nothing fancy here but full of fresh vegetable flavours. It will protect you against almost all weather eventualities, or at least both fill and warm you up.

Winter Root Vegetable Soup – serves 6 to 8

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 litres vegetable stock
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 parsnip, chopped
  • 1 small celeriac, peeled and chopped

Melt the butter in a large pot over a medium to high heat. As soon as it has melted and started to froth, add the onion, leek and potatoes. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then cover and sweat over a low heat for 8 minutes.

Add the stock, the rest of the vegetables and some salt and pepper (white pepper would be our preference), then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, partially covered. Taste the vegetables to check that they are completely soft, then check the seasoning before serving.

(Original recipe from Fresh by Donal Skeehan, Hodder & Stoughton, 2015.)

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Cheesy Kale Bake

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 25 February 2018| 2 Comments »

Cheesy Kale Bake

Kale is everywhere and not our choice to put in a smoothie, but absolutely delicious when smothered with cheese sauce.

Cheesy kale bake – serves 4

  • 400g curly kale, remove the stalks and thickly shred
  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 400ml milk
  • 250g Cheddar or Gruyère cheese (or a mixture), grated
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

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

Put a large pan of water onto a high heat, add a tsp of salt and bring to the boil. Tip in the kale and cook for a couple of minutes or until almost tender. When it has cooled a bit squeeze the leaves with your hands to remove excess water and spread out in an ovenproof dish (20 x 25cm).

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and cook for a minute or until bubbling. Gradually add the milk, whisking or stirring all the time, then reduce the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat, add half the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the cheese sauce over the kale and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

(Original recipe from Rachel’s Everyday Kitchen by Rachel Allen, HarperCollins, 2013.)

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Spiced Sweet Potato, Puy Lentils and Rocket with Honey-roasted Walnuts

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 23 February 2018| Leave a Comment »

Spiced Sweet Potato, Puy Lentils and Rocket with Honey-roasted Walnuts

We picked up an amazing salad book, called Community, on our last trip to Australia which really pushes salad to centre stage. The recipes can all be served as a main course or as a side and they portions are accordingly generous. This one is good but the predominant flavour is honey so if that’s not your thing then perhaps give it a miss. We thought it might be nice with some roast pork.

The honey-roasted walnuts are a nice snack on their own too, so don’t be afraid of making too many.

Wine Suggestion: We went a little left-field for this and opened a Colterenzio Lagrein, a spicy, earthy red from Alto Adige – Südtirol; choose something a little earthy with a little spice and good fruit.

Spiced sweet potato, puy lentils and rocket with honey-roasted walnuts – serves 4 to 6

  • 2 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 250g Puy lentils, rinsed
  • 1 x 250 ml cup of soft herbs e.g. mint, parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives, dill or coriander – finely chopped
  • 2 x 250ml cups of  baby rocket leaves
  • 50g Parmesan, shaved

SWEET VINAIGRETTE:

  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

HONEY-ROASTED WALNUTS:

  • 2 tbsp honey
  • ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • pinch sea salt
  • 2 x 250ml cups walnuts

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Combine the sweet potato, olive oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin and allspice in a large bowl with some salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and turning golden.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then simmer the lentils for about 20 minutes or until tender but still with a little bite. Drain.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the sweet vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Stir the vinaigrette through the lentils while they’re still warm.

To prepare the honey-roasted walnuts, combine the honey with the chilli flakes, turmeric, salt and just enough water to make a thick paste. Toss the walnuts in the paste and spread over a baking tray. Roast for 15 minutes or until they are crunchy. They will still be a bit sticky. Watch very carefully after the first 10 minute as they can go from toasted to burnt in seconds.

Combine half the chopped herbs with the rocket, sweet potato and lentils and season well. Scatter over the walnuts, the remaining herbs and the Parmesan before serving.

(Original recipe from Community: Salad recipes from Arthur Street Kitchen by Hetty McKinnon, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2014.)

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Rigatoni with Tomato & Rosemary Sauce

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 19 February 2018| 2 Comments »

There is a rosemary bush in our front garden and it often comes to the rescue when we have pretty much nothing for dinner. Provided you have a rosemary bush at your disposal this is pretty much a store cupboard dish and also handy for using the end of a jar of cream. This is surprisingly tasty and a great throw together weeknight dish.

Wine Suggestion: this dish suits a rustic red wine with a bit of “garrigue”, the southern French earthy, herby, spice that is a bit wild and untamed. This time we opened a wine that has this in spades, the Mas Conscience “le Cas” which is 100% old vine Carignan, which is all black fruits hints of hot rocks and earth, and wild Languedoc spices. Not shy in character but a good match nonetheless.

Rigatoni with Tomato & Rosemary Sauce – serves 4

  • 4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped and stalks discarded
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • 400g rigatoni or penne
  • 100ml double cream
  • 1 tsp sugar

Fry the chopped rosemary in a tablespoon of olive oil for about a minute. Stir in the tinned tomatoes and the chilli flakes, then simmer hard for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of salted boiling water according to the time indicated on the pack.

Stir the double cream into the sauce along with the sugar and plenty of seasoning, then mix in the drained pasta and serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, February 2011.)

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Beetroot & Dill with Crème Fraîche & Walnuts

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 16 February 2018| 3 Comments »

Beetroot & Dill with Crème Fraîche & Walnuts

This is a great winter salad that feeds a crowd and goes really well with lamb. You could also serve on it’s own or with some baked potatoes and leftovers make good lunchboxes. Roast the beetroots earlier in the day so you have very little to do to assemble at the end.

Wine Suggestion: An earthy, lighter bodied red works here and a good Beaujolais, Burgundy/Pinot Noir or Northern Rhône Syrah would be a nice choice. We opened a Loire red made from Cabernet Franc, a Chinon, as we were also barbecuing some lamb to accompany it.

Beetroot & dill with crème fraîche and walnuts – serves 4 to 6

  • 12 beetroots (about 1.5kg), peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 3 scallions, finely sliced
  • 2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
  • 150g walnuts, toasted in a dry pan, then crumbled
  • a large handful of dill fronds, finely chopped

FOR THE DILL CRÈME FRAÎCHE

  • 250g crème fraîche
  • a large handful of dill fronds, finely chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Tip the beetroot into a large roasting tin and drizzle over the balsamic vinegar & olive oil. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and mix well. Roast until tender. Start checking at about 45 minutes but it could take up to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

For the dill crème fraîche, whisk the crème fraîche with the dill, lemon juice and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

Mix the beetroot with the scallions and baby spinach in a large bowl, then add a good drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Fold the dill crème fraîche through the beetroots – a kind of marble effect looks good so toss gently. Top with the roasted walnuts and sprinkle with more dill to serve.

(Original recipe from Commmunity: Salad Recipes from Arthur Street Kitchen by Hetty McKinnon, Pan MacMillan Australia, 2014.)

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