Peperoncini in padella: Sautéed Peppers

Baked egg with sautéed peppers

The salvaged lemon-roasted potatoes!

I was extremely excited this evening as I knew the Vegetarian would be at band practice so I was looking forward to a meaty feast.  The rain was pouring down and I had forgotten my umbrella so instead of taking my time visiting the butcher, veg lady and Mediterranean store I darted into my local supermarket. I spent ages choosing which meat I wanted to eat and finally decided I was in the mood for chicken. I wasn’t sure how I was going to prepare it so I bought a few options and walked up the hill thinking about all the different delicious things I could cook. When I got home, now completely soaked, I discovered the Vegetarian was there along with the band as practice had been moved to our sitting room, and in all my earlier excitement I had forgotten to buy the chicken! Not wanting to face the rain again I opted for a vegetarian dinner after all. But luckily I found some sneaky salami in the fridge to tide me over for the night.  

I managed to concoct a tasty pepper dish which I planned to serve with lemon-roasted potatoes but unfortunately disaster struck again at the last moment when instead of tossing the potatoes, I threw them into the air along with my grandma’s serving dish and both came crashing to the floor.

To top things off, whilst I was salvaging what I could of the potatoes, my friend Catherine sent me a text with a photo of her and her newly purchased Ginger Pig sausages!

2 sweet red peppers, de-seeded, de-skinned and sliced into thin strips

1 small onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed and sliced

Handful cherry tomatoes

2 celery stalks, sliced

Few leaves of basil, torn

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp liquid from caper jar

2 free range eggs

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Heat the oven to 180º/ Gas mark 4.

In a large frying pan gently fry the onion, garlic, celery and peppers until soft. Add the cherry tomatoes, capers and liquid from the jar the capers were in. Season and stir in the torn basil. Continue to fry over a medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked through and the liquid has evaporated.

Divide the sautéed peppers into two small round dishes. Make a well in the middle of each dish and break an egg into it. Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes.

Serve with lemon-roasted potatoes and dip asparagus into the egg yolk.

Catherine and her Ginger Pig sausages

Puttanesca Sauce

400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Handful black olives, stoned and chopped

1tbsp capers

1tsp cayenne pepper

Olive oil

2tbsp fresh parsley chopped, to garnish

Parmesan, finely grated

P: 5 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped

Heat a glug of olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes over a medium heat until it starts to brown, stirring frequently. Add the olives, capers, chopped tomatoes and cayenne pepper to taste.

P: Divide the mixture into two and add the anchovy fillets to one, use a fork to mash them to a pulp.

Cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta (click here for my fresh pasta recipe) and toss with the puttanesca sauce before sprinkling with the parsley and finely grated Parmesan.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta

Bruschetta was originally created in Italy in the 15th century as a way of salvaging bread that was going stale but now it is a very popular starter across the country and found on the menu of most Italian restaurants, if not all. There are many variations for the toppings but I have created a basic recipe below. 

6 plum tomatoes, diced

¼ red onion, finely chopped

1tbsp parsley, chopped

A few sprigs fresh oregano, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

1 garlic clove, halved

2 ciabattas, halved

For the topping, place the red onion, chopped tomatoes and olive oil into a bowl and mix well. Add the parsley and oregano and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Toast the ciabatta under the grill for a few minutes on each side, rub the garlic in, drizzle with a little oil and spoon over the topping. Serve.

Ratatouille with Crumb Topping

Ratatouille with Crumb Topping

Fillet of Sea Bream, Ratatouille and Roasted Baby Potatoes

I had a craving for vegetables so I decided to make a delicious ratatouille. This dish can end up quite mushy so to avoid this, make sure the vegetables aren't cut up too small. The breadcrumb topping on this particular recipe adds a lovely crunch.

 

Serves: 4

Ratatouille:
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 aubergine, chopped into chunks
1 red onion, quartered
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 courgette, halved then cut into chunks
Handful cherry tomatoes

A few sprigs rosemary

A few sprigs thyme
1 tin chopped tomatoes

Handful, capers

Olive oil

Sea salt & pepper

Crumb Topping:
300g spinach
15g roughly chopped basil
3 slices brown bread
Chunk of butter

Chunk of Parmesan, finely grated 

Heat the oven to 180º.  Place all ratatouille vegetables except the tinned tomatoes and capers in a dish, sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and scatter with the fresh herbs. Roast for 35 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and capers to the dish, stir the ingredients together and return to oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the bread and then place in a food processor and turn into crumbs. Wilt the spinach in a pan then add the bread along with the butter and basil. Stir until the butter is melted then remove from heat.

Add the crumb topping to the dish, sprinkle with Parmesan and return to oven for 10 minutes.

I served this with a fillet of sea bream, the vegetarian had a poached egg and we both had a few roasted baby potatoes. There were some leftovers from the ratatouille which I heated for lunch the next day.

Around the world in recipes

Val d'Isere

The recession has hit me badly and I can't afford to travel, instead I have decided to cook myself around the world in recipes. As it is the ski season, I will start my journey in the French Alps. 

Raclette cheese

I will begin my French feast with a raclette. Raclette cheese originated in the French speaking alpine areas of the Valais in Switzerland. According to local legends, the trend of melting this semi-firm, cow's milk cheese began when the local farmers set up camp for the night and the cheese accidentally melted next to the fire. One farmer, not wanting to waste any, quickly scraped it off the rock and discovered it tasted even more delicious. The trend quickly spread and is now very popular among the Valais ski resorts. 
The traditional dish is served with boiled potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions and a selection of dried meats.
I don't have a fancy raclette melting device so I just melted the cheese under the grill and served with roasted vegetables.

Serves: 2
Big chunk of Raclette cheese, chopped
Handful, baby potatoes
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into chunks
1/2 courgette, sliced length ways
1 red pepper, chopped into chunks
4 garlic cloves, peeled
6 mini gherkins
Olive oil
Honey
Sea salt and black pepper

V: 1 parsnip, quartered length ways.

M: Selection of dried meats: salami, proscuitto, Viande des Grisons

Heat the oven to 180º. Put the carrot, pepper, courgette and garlic into a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning. 
Separately place the parsnip in an ovenproof dish. 

V: Drizzle with olive oil, honey and seasoning. 

Place both dishes in the oven for approx 20 minutes.
Boil the potatoes until soft but firm (approx 15 minutes). 

Divide the chunks of raclette cheese between two oven proof dishes and grill until melted (approx 5 minutes). Serve straight away as the cheese quickly hardens.

M: Serve with dried meat selection.


 

Green Beans with Parsley and Garlic

Leek fritters, halloumi and green beans

Green beans with parsley and garlic

So the detox didn't last very long, I met friends for dinner and accidentally ordered wheat, meat and dairy in one dish! I've decided to try again next week as I couldn't resist having a few glasses of wine too. Today I made leek fritters from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty. I followed the recipe exact apart from adding spinach to the Vegetarian's mix and bacon to my portion. Ottolenghi suggested mixing the batter in with the vegetables which saved the fiddly mess that usually occurs when you try to dip the mix into the batter. I served the fritters with corriander and parsley yoghurt dip, grilled halloumi cheese and this simple but very tasty green bean dish.

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Handful parsley, finely chopped

Handful green beans

Small knob of butter

Sea salt and black pepper

Par-boil the green beans for about 5 minutes, drain.

In a frying pan melt the butter, add the rest of the ingredients and fry together for a few minutes. Season with sea salt and black  pepper.

Stuffed Pepper

Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 2

2 peppers, 1 red, 1 green
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Handful coriander, chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 artichoke hearts, quartered
sea salt and black pepper
dash of balsamic vinegar
dash of Tabasco
olive oil
Chunk of goats cheese


Put the onion, coriander, tomatoes, garlic, artichokes, seasoning, balsamic vinegar, Tabasco and glug of olive oil in a bowl. Leave to marinate. Heat the oven to 200C.


Halve the peppers length ways and brush with olive oil before stuffing them with the tomato mix and placing them on an oven-proof tray, in the oven for 25 minutes.

Place a slice of goats cheese on each pepper and return to the oven for 5 minutes.


Serve with couscous.

Mixed bean stew: Sweet potato or Chorizo

Mixed bean stew with sweet potato

Serves: 4

1tsp paprika
1tsp cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
Small bunch thyme
Small bunch rosemary 
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can borlotti beans, drained
1 can chick peas, drained

200g puy lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
Squish of tomato puree
1 red pepper, chopped into chunks
1 green pepper, chopped into chunks
4 celery sticks, chopped into chunks
1 large onion, finely chopped 
2 cloves of garlic
1 pint vegetable stock
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
Sea salt and black pepper
Glug of olive oil
Glug of red wine (optional)


M: Chunk of chorizo, chopped
V: 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks


Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion, celery and garlic until they start to soften. Add the chili, ground coriander, cumin and paprika and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the lentils, beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, red wine, herbs and seasoning. Leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary (the stew should be almost covered in water at all times). Divide the stew into two adding potatoes and peppers to each dish.


V: Add the sweet potato to one dish.
M: In a pan, fry the chorizo for a few minutes. Add the chorizo to other dish.

Cook each stew for a further 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. 

Serve with crusty bead and dollop of yogurt.

Sweet potato Falafel with couscous salad and tzatiki

Sweet potato falafel

This sweet potato falafel recipe is based on one from the Leon cookbook but I have speeded up the process by boiling the sweet potato instead of roasting it. The sweet potato falafel tastes great in a pitta with tzatziki and a couscous salad.

Serves: 4 

2tsp cumin

2tsp ground coriander

1tsp cayenne pepper

handful coriander, chopped

150g gram flour

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

Boil the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, mash and leave to cool. Stir in the spices, fresh coriander and gram flour. Place covered in the fridge for 30minutes until mixture is easier more sticky than wet.

Heat the oven to 180C.

Roll mixture into balls and place on an oiled tray. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve with wholemeal pitta pockets, couscous salad and tzatiki. 

Couscous with feta and walnuts

Serves: 4

 

The Ume plum seasoning used as a dressing adds a refreshing zesty flavour.

Handful walnuts

Handful coriander, chopped

Handful mint, chopped

Handful mung bean sprouts

Handful, feta, chopped

¼ zest of lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt and Black pepper

Pinch of saffron

200g Couscous

Ume plum seasoning

Put the couscous in a bowl and sprinkle over sea salt, black pepper, saffron, a glug of olive oil and just cover with boiling water. Stir once and cover with clingfilm for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

Use a fork to fluff up the couscous and stir in the lemon zest, feta, mint, coriander, walnuts and mung beans. Dress with a glug of olive oil and a few dashes of ume plum seasoning.

Tzatziki

Serves: 4 

Tub of greek yoghurt

Handful mint, chopped

¼ cucumber, finely chopped

Sea salt

1 garlic clove

Olive oil

Add a good glug of olive oil to a mixing bowl. Crush the garlic with a large pinch of sea salt and finely chop, keep crushing and chopping until you have a salty garlic paste. Add the garlic paste to the olive oil and stir in a little of the yoghurt at a time, making sure the garlic and olive oil are evening distributed.  Add the mint and cucumber, stir and season to taste.

Morrocan style rice: Chicken or Sweet Potato

Morrocan Style Rice with Chicken

Morrocan Style Rice with Sweet Potato

I was lost and staring aimlessly at the ingredients in my cupboard this evening when my friend Claudia called with the genius idea of mixing them all together with a bit of spice. The vegetarian was happy with his sweet potato combo while I enjoyed a tasty bit of free-range chicken. 

Serves: 2 with leftovers for lunch

200g rice
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic

2 peppers 1 green, 1 yellow, chopped into chunks

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp chilli flakes

Handful parsley and mint, roughly chopped

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Boiling water

V: sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

M: 1 free range chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft then stir in the spices until distributed evenly. Add the peppers and fry for a few minutes. Divide the mixture between two pans.

V: Par-boil the sweet potato in salted water, about 7 minutes, drain and stir into one of the pans along with the vegetable stock cube and 100g of rice.

M: Add the chicken to the other pan and fry for a few minutes until the colour changes then stir in the rice and stock cube.

Pour boiling water into each pan to just cover the rice. The ratio 2:1 can help which means adding about 200g of boiling water into each pan. Stir, season and cover each pan using tin foil and a lid to ensure minimum steam gets out. Cook on a low heat for 12 minutes and leave to stand for 5 minutes before stirring in the chopped herbs and serving.

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup

I made this soup for friends after my mum insisted I helped get rid of a massive pumpkin that had appeared in her kitchen over Christmas. I'm usually not a big fan but the pumpkin and butternut squash worked well together and the chilli added a spicy kick. All my friends asked for the recipe so I hope that means I did something right.

Serves: 6-8

1 pumpkin, deseeded and chopped into large chunks
1 butternut squash, deseeded and chopped into large chunks
2 onions, chopped
1 knob ginger, chopped
6 garlic cloves, 3 peeled and left whole, 3 chopped
Chilli flakes, sprinkle
Handful sage leaves, chopped
1 litre veg stock
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Heat oven to 180C. Toss the pumpkin and butternut squash in a roasting tin with a glug of olive oil, seasoning, the 3 whole garlic cloves and roast for 30 mins until golden and tender. Leave to cool and scoop out the pulp.


Meanwhile, gently fry the onions, ginger and remaining garlic until soft. Add the pulp, roasted garlic sage and a sprinkle of chilli before covering with the veg stock. Simmer for an hour partially covered (add more water if necessary, the vegetables should stay covered).


Gzoozh with a hand blender until smooth. Serve with homemade rolls and a dollop of crème fraiche.