Tuesday 29 November 2011

Turkish Tarts: Minced Lamb or Red Pepper


Turkish Tarts

This evening I had an impromptu dinner party and this dish sprung to mind. It’s light, filling and easy to make.



250g spinach
Bunch of Coriander, chopped
2 x 375g pack Ready-rolled Puff Pastry
2 Red onions, sliced
1 Lemon
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

Chunk of Feta Cheese, crumbled



V: ½ Red Pepper, sliced

M: Lamb Mincemeat

Serves:
1 Vegetarian, 5 Meat-eaters


Fry the onion in a little olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar and seasoning, until the onion starts to soften. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon. Separate 1/6 for the vegetarian and place in a smaller frying pan.

M: Add the mincemeat to the meat-eater pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until the meat has browned. Stir in the spinach, leaving a handful for the vegetarian. Cook until it starts to wilt. Leave to cool.

V: Add a handful of spinach to the smaller pan and cook until it starts to wilt. Leave to cool.

Cut each pre-rolled puff pastry into six squares. I decided to experiment and left half open and made half into parcels.


Turkish Tart


To make the parcels place a ball of filling in the middle and fold in the corners leaving a gap at the top for steam to get out.

Turkish Squares
For the open tarts, use a knife to score a line 1cm from the edge and pile the filling in the middle.

V: Add a few slices of red pepper to add a crunch to the tart. 

Puff Pastry Parcels

Crumbles of Feta and Coriander

Before serving sprinkle each parcel with coriander and crumble over some feta cheese.

Serve with a simple salad and a wedge of lemon.

Monday 28 November 2011

Chocolate, Chili and Pistachio Tart


Chocolate, Chili and Pistachio

At the moment I am craving all sorts of tarts – both sweet and savoury.

Yesterday I decided to make my own sweet tarts and began by preparing the pastry from scratch. Making pastry is a fiddly business and I had to take many deep breaths to calm myself down as the pastry kept splitting when I tried to mould it into the cases. I followed a fantastic sweet pastry recipe from Ottolenghi – The Cookbook, which, uses icing sugar and lemon zest.




Rolling The Pastry

 

The whole process took a lot longer than I thought but luckily my guests were late and the tartlets were ready just in time for their arrival. 



I realise that I could do with some training, as I am not the best pastry chef so I have booked myself onto two pastry courses in the New Year – one is at the renowned Leith’s Cookery School.

Serves: 6



500g sweet short crust pastry

Knob of unsalted butter



For the Ganache:



150g dark chocolate

100g unsalted butter, diced

1 free-range egg

1 free-range egg yolk

30g caster sugar

1 red chili, de-seeded and finely chopped

Handful pistachio nuts, chopped



Brush 6 muffin tins (5-7cm in diameter and 3cm deep) with a thin layer of melted butter, and place these in the fridge to set for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle a clean, dry surface with flour, roll the pastry to approx 2-3mm thick and use a bowl to cut out 6 circles. 

Gently line each muffin tin with the pastry and place back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Blind Bake The Pastry



Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees.

Line each pastry case with Clingfilm, fill with un-cooked rice or beans and blind bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the rice/beans and Clingfilm and place the pastry cases back in the oven for 5 minutes to cook the base.


Leave The Pastry Cases To Cool


Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.



Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees. 

Chocolate, Chili and Pistachio

Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl, set it over a pan of simmering water and leave it to melt, stirring occasionally.

Separately whisk together the egg, egg yolk, chili and sugar. Fold this into the chocolate mixture.


Fill The Cases To The Top

Sprinkle the pistachio to cover the bottom of each pastry case and pour over the chocolate mixture until each case is filled to the top.



Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Leave to cool a little, remove the tartlets from their tins and leave to cool down completely.



Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream and an extra sprinkle of pistachio nuts.


Sunday 27 November 2011

Indian Tamarind Fish/Cauliflower Curry

Indian Tamarind Fish Curry
Over a month ago I had to make a difficult decision – whether to take a freelance job or fly to a retreat in India with my mum. In the end I chose the job over the retreat, as it was an opportunity not to be missed. This was a foolish mistake as unfortunately the job ended suddenly due to lack of funding and the day it finished my mother flew back from a wonderful holiday in India. I quickly looked into booking a flight but the costs were going up and up and the only date I could afford to go (after waiting for a Visa) was the weekend I have to move house.

So... my dreams of a holiday in India have been on hold but that hasn't stopped me thinking about Indian food - I have been practising dishes all week. This is a South Indian dish with the sweet and sour taste of tamarind. I hear that giant tamarind trees grow everywhere is South India, offering shade from the very hot sun and their fruits for cooking.

Serves: 3 Pescatarians, 1 Vegetarian

2tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
Pinch of fenugreek seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
Sea salt
100ml tamarind water (made of 50g pulp and 100ml water)
Vegetable Oil

V: Handful of cauliflower florets
P: Monkfish for three people, skinned and bones and chopped into chunks.
Prepare the taramind water by placing the pulp of the taramind in 100ml of boiling water and leaving it to dissolve for 10-15 minutes - using a spoon or your fingers to break it up. Sieve, retaining the tamarind water for use.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and, when they begin to pop, add the curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and garlic. Sauté for a minute and stir in the onions. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden.
Add the turmeric and chilli powder and mix well, then add the chopped tomatoes, puree and some salt. Pour in the tamarind water and about 400ml of water. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, the sauce will thicken slightly.
V: Separate quarter of the sauce and add to a different pan, stir in the cauliflower florets and cook with a lid on for 5 minutes.
P: Stir in the Monkfish and cook with a lid on for 5-7 minutes.
Serve with plain basmati rice, naan bread and yoghurt.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Suzu Sushi Class


Suzu Special Sushi

Is Sushi really as hard to make as it looks? Well yesterday I found out for myself at a Suzu sushi-making class in Hammersmith. It turns out to be a sticky business but if you have the right equipment - well oiled gloves, rolling mat, a very sharp knife and a professional to help you- it's not so tricky after all. 

Makiki Demonstrating to Class
Our teacher Makiko Mathews explained the long process of cooking the Japanese rice which involves washing the rice thoroughly, leaving it to drain in a sieve for 30 minutes, boiling the rice for 13 minutes, then leaving it to steam for 15 minutes, adding Japanese vinegar which is both sweet and sour and finally, leaving it to cool with the lid off for at least 15 minutes. Once cooked, the rice can be kept at room temperature for 10 hours. Luckily the rice had already been prepared, leaving us with the fun part of making three different varieties of sushi.

Sushi Preparations
Makiki began by demonstrating how to make Maki Sushi - cucumber rolls - helping us with the first batch and leaving us to remember for the second batch. 
Each student covered their bamboo-rolling mat with cling film, put on the gloves provided and dipped fingertips in sesame oil (it is very difficult to roll sushi without well-oiled fingers).

Maki Sushi
We then placed a sheet of seaweed on top (rough side up) and weighed out the correct amount of rice (the size of a medium egg). We evenly distributed the rice on top of the seaweed, leaving just the width of a baby finger clear at the top. 

Maki Sushi Cylinder
After placing the cucumber lengthways in the middle, we used the bamboo mat to roll the sushi into a cylinder shape.

Cucumber Maki Sushi
Using the tip of a very sharp knife we cut the cylinder in half before cutting each half into three. 

Sushi Nigiri
Our next task was making Sushi Nigiri with fresh salmon. This was a complicated business, as salmon is very delicate. We weighed out just a cherry sized ball of rice, squished it into an oblong shape and, using the crease at the base of our fingers, gently molded the slice of salmon around the rice.  

Makiki Slicing Fresh Salmon
 Makiki explained that only the freshest fish can be used for sushi; any supermarket products should be avoided, as you can never be too sure how long they have been travelling or sitting on the shelf. We were recommended Atari-Ya Foods fishmonger in London for the freshest and best quality fish. They are very accommodating and will even just cut you a slice of fish if you explain what you're making.  

My Sushi Partner Soffia- Tasting Her Creations
Finally we were taught the trickiest sushi of all (so we were told): The Western-style roll or, in this case, the Suzu special roll. As sushi became more popular over the last 50 years, these Western-style rolls, were created in North America and Europe, and are actually rarely seen in Japan. The rice is rolled outside the filling, making these the most complicated to accomplish successfully. Oblivious to me (I was too busy covering my creations in wasabi and dipping them into soya sauce before happily devouring them), Makiki had set up a competition, with the winner of the best Suzu special rolls receiving a prize at the end. 

Suzu Special Cylinder
We got to work, weighing a small avocado sized ball of rice and spreading it to cover a sheet of seaweed. We gently turned the seaweed, rice-side down and placed a baton of fresh salmon and avocado lengthways in the middle. This time we used the mat to roll the seaweed half way (to the salmon) before using our left hand to secure its position and the right hand to roll the mat, shaping the seaweed and rice into a cylinder. There was a little seaweed sticking out of the rice. I looked around and saw that most people had the same amount of seaweed or more showing. I didn’t think it looked right so I kept rolling my cylinder until the seaweed was covered and there was only rice on the outside. 

My Prize Winning Suzu Special Sushi
It turns out I did the right thing for, after Makiki had inspected them all, she walked over to give me the prize – a bottle of the best sushi vinegar - and she showed the class my creation.
Feeling like the best sushi maker EVER, I left with a box of sushi to show the Vegetarian. I also had a sheet of instructions on how to make sushi rice, a sushi rolling mat, my prize of sushi vinegar and plans for a sushi evening to share my new skills with friends.

Visit Makiko Matthew’s Japanese Tapas restaurant Suzu in London (http://www.suzuonline.co.uk), join her sushi-making classes (http://www.meetup.com/Japanese-cooking-class/) or have her serve sushi at your next event or dinner party: makiko@suzuonline.co.uk.




Monday 14 November 2011

Rainbow Trout with Caper Sauce



The Vegetarian was out this evening so I invited round a friend and had a feast of Rainbow Trout with a caper sauce. 

Serves: 2 pescatarians

2 Rainbow Trouts, gutted
2tbsp capers
Knob of butter
1 lemon
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Cut the lemon in half and cut a slice from each half.
Season the Rainbow Trout and pan-fry for 2 minutes on each side.
Place the Rainbow Trout in an oven-proof pan with the half lemons. Squeeze the lemon slices over the Rainbow Trout and place inside on the bones of the fish. Add a little more seasoning and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the fish from the pan and in the same pan place a knob of butter, drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon and the capers. Swizzle the pan until the butter melts and pour the sauce over the top of the Rainbow Trout.

Serve with the warmed wedge of lemon, new potatoes and green beans.

Friday 11 November 2011

French crepes

Crepe With All The Trimmings


We have been celebrating Shrove Tuesday for 500 years yet considering that pancakes are such an important part of our food mythology isn’t it strange that we don’t eat out in pancake houses? The French have creperies in every part of town, but we don’t have any pancakeries.

In France it is quite common to have a whole meal based around crepes; with savoury crepes (made with buckwheat flour) and a huge selection of fillings for the main meal and sweet crepes (made with white flour);drizzled with lemon and sugar, chocolate spread or jam for dessert.



Last weekend my French cousin Caroline and her boyfriend Alize came to stay with me in London.  I made them a Sunday Roast with all the trimmings (neither had tried before and were unaware of our tradition!), and in exchange myself and my flat-mates were treated to a feast of savory and sweet crepes, French wines and a fantastic selection of cheese from Grenoble - the foot of the French Alps. 

Mmm French Cheese


Savoury crepes

70g buckwheat flour
10g White flour

1 egg
1/2 liter Milk
Water
Sunflower oil

Put the flour in a large bowl, make a hole in the middle, break in the egg and gently mix together.
Stir in the milk and a little water a bit at a time until you get a good texture. If it’s too heavy the crepes will be too thick and if it’s too watery you won’t be able to make them into crepes. Add a dash of sunflower oil at the end.

Pour a little sunflower oil into a bowl and dab a piece of kitchen paper in it.
Place a crepe pan or frying pan on a medium heat until it is very hot. Rub the pan with the oil soaked kitchen paper and pour over a small ladle of batter.
Quickly, swirl the pan, so that the batter evenly distributes in a thin layer.

Cook over a low heat until the crepe starts to brown (about two minutes). Turn over the crepe (tossing the pan is the best way as it’s quite a fun element to the cooking process but this can be pretty tricky to get right first time so be prepared to waste a few!) and start adding your fillings. Fold the crepe in half at the end before serving with a garnish of salad.



There are many options of what you can serve your crepe with. We had the following options:



Mushrooms in a garlic cream sauce

Buttery leeks

Caramalised red onions

Blue cheese

Cheddar cheese

Ham

Crème fraiche

Eggs



I was intrigued by the egg option and asked my French cousin Caroline to demonstrate, as I hadn’t tried this before. She broke the egg into the middle of the crepe and placed cheese around the outside to stop the egg from running off. She then added all the other options I wanted in my crepe (I had a bit of everything on the first one!). After a few minutes she placed a lid over the top to cook the egg through and finally folded the crepe in two before serving with a side of salad. 




Sweet Crepes

100g White Flour

1 egg

1/2 liter Milk
Water

Sunflower oil



Put the flour in a large bowl, make a hole in the middle, break in the eggs and gently mix together.
Stir in the milk and a little water a bit at a time until you get a good texture. If it’s too heavy the crepes will be too thick and if it’s too watery you won’t be able to make them into crepes.

Pour a little sunflower oil into a bowl and dab a piece of kitchen paper in it.
Place a crepe pan or frying pan on a medium heat until it is very hot. Rub the pan with the oil soaked kitchen paper and pour over a small ladle of batter.
Quickly, swirl the pan, so that the batter evenly distributes in a thin layer.

Cook over a low heat until the crepe starts to brown (about two minutes). Turn over the crepe (tossing the pan is the best way as it’s quite a fun element to the cooking process but this can be pretty tricky to get right first time so be prepared to waste a few!) and start adding your fillings. Fold the crepe in half at the end before serving.



We had the following filling options:

Nutella

Sugar

Lemon

Selection of jams



Caroline what impressed with my favourite filling: Nutella, lemon and a sprinkle of sugar (to add a crunch). She had never tried lemon with Nutella before but loved it and has decided to take this delicacy (?) back with her to France.
Bon Appetit!