Tricolor Sandwich

Tricolor Sandwich

The Vegetarian brought this sandwich idea back with him after a holiday in  Rome a few years ago. I thought it was a crazy combination but the light flavours worked perfectly. This is a refreshing sandwich which is great for lunch. Look what Khloe had for lunch! (see below).

Chunk of Buffalo mozzarella, sliced

Few Broccoli florets

Tomato, sliced

Basil leaves, torn

Olive oil

Sea salt and Black Pepper

Baguette, torn to your desired length

Gently boil the broccoli in salted water for a few minutes, drain and leave to cool or rinse under cold water.

Cut the baguette length ways, drizzle with olive oil, layer with the tomato slices, broccoli florets, mozzarella, basil and seasoning.

Khloe's Lunch

Orecchiette al Cavolfiore (Little ears of pasta with broccoli: panchetta or mushrooms)

Orecchiette al Cavolfiore

This has always been one of my favourite pasta dishes. I remember, when I was younger, begging my dad to cook it for me all the time. I would take forever eating it, making sure each 'little ear' was filled with a small piece of broccoli and crispy pancetta. For this dish the 'little ears' are cooked in the water from the broccoli, absorbing both its nutrients and delicious flavour. 

Serves: 2

200g Orecchiette pasta

Handful of small broccoli florets

2 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Chili flakes

Grated Pecorino cheese

V: Handful mushrooms, diced

M: 1-2 slices of pancetta or streaky bacon, diced

Cook the broccoli in a large pan of salted boiling water for a few minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Put the Orecchiette pasta in the same pan and cook until al dente. 

V: Meanwhile, gently fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil. Add the garlic and a few chili flakes, when it starts to brown, stir in half of the broccoli. Season with black pepper.

M: Meanwhile, gently fry the pancetta in a little olive oil until crispy. Add the garlic and a few chili flakes, when it starts to brown, stir in the rest of the broccoli. Season with black pepper.

Drain the Orecchiette, pour the broccoli and pancetta or mushrooms on top, removing the garlic first, and sprinkle with cheese.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Chili Prawns or Chili Mushrooms

Asparagus Risotto with Chili Prawns

 

Risotto is an Italian rice dish, whose fame is said to have come about through jealousy and rage. In 1574 a man named Valerius was put in charge of creating the stained glass windows for the Cathedral Duomo Di Milano. The windows were amazing but people mocked him, saying that it was not his skills but the herb saffron that created the brilliant colours. Valerius was furious and wanted the townspeople to suffer, so he planned his revenge. At his master’s wedding feast, he added masses of saffron to the rice that was being served as the main dish. Instead of causing distress, the saffron rice was an instant success and everyone wanted the recipe. 

Risotto is now a staple in the Italian diet and a popular dish worldwide. It is versatile and can be prepared with a variety of ingredients. These days some dishes use saffron, and some don't. This time I decided not to.

As I love asparagus and the season is ending soon, I wanted to make the most of this delicious ingredient by adding it to my recipe. The lemon zest gave the risotto a great kick.

Serves: 1 vegetarian, 1 meat-eater

200g risotto rice

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

400ml vegetable stock

100ml white wine

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped

½ bunch of asparagus, woody bits removed, cut diagonally into 4 or 5, tips kept whole.

Few sprigs of basil, torn

Chunk of Parmesan

1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

Olive oil

Knob of butter

Black pepper

M: ½ garlic clove

½ red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

Handful of jumbo prawns

V: ½ garlic clove

½ red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

A few mushrooms, sliced

Heat a small knob of butter and a glug of olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onion, garlic and half of the lemon zest until soft.

Add the rice and stir until the grain starts to appear almost see-through. Pour over the wine and smell the alcohol as it evaporates, stirring frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Gradually add the stock a little at a time, only add more stock as the rice absorbs the liquid. Continue until the rice is cooked and the stock has been used up.

Stir in the asparagus with the final ladle of stock.

M: In a pan gently fry the chili and garlic in a little olive oil and toss in the prawns

V: In a pan gently fry the chili, garlic and mushrooms in a little olive oil for a few minutes.

Finally add the remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil leaves to the risotto and finely grate over a thin layer or Parmesan cheese. Cover with a lid and leave to stand for a minute or two before giving it a shake and serving.

Serve with chili prawns or chili mushrooms.

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

Fresh Pasta

My pasta machine working its magic

Doesn't it look pretty?

Ribbons of silk!

I was so very tired after work yesterday, I just wanted to curl up on the sofa and watch TV but strangely enough I found myself in the kitchen making pasta from scratch! My talented Italian friend Nadia Romano (renowned for her amazing reclaimed furniture), who I met when I lived in Barcelona recently gave me her fresh pasta recipe which has been passed down from generation to generation within her family. It has been playing on my mind for a while so this evening I decided to use it to make tagliatelle. I have attempted making pasta a few times but this was the most successful batch yet. My flatmate Zanna said it was like eating 'ribbons of silk', that's got to be a good thing, non?

I served mine with a puttanesca sauce.

Serves 2 plus leftovers

200 grams of 00 flour

2 eggs

Olive oil

Salt

The ratio is 1 egg for every 100 grams of flour.

Pour the flour into a large bowl, make a hole in the centre and break in the eggs. Add the salt and glug of oil and stir well. Use your hands to mould the dough into a ball. The final texture of the dough should be firm and springy – it shouldn’t be too dry that it breaks, or too moist that it sticks to your hands.

Place the ball of dough in greaseproof paper in the fridge for at least half an hour before rolling out into the pasta shape you want.

Begin with the widest setting on the pasta machine and gently roll through the dough. Lightly dust the pasta with flour if it sticks at all. Click the machine down a setting and roll the pasta dough through again. Fold the pasta in half, click the pasta machine back up to the widest setting and roll the dough through again. Repeat this process a few times and you’ll start to feel a difference in the dough – it will become silky.

Next, work the dough down from the widest to the narrowest setting. Then choose the shape of pasta you wish to make.

Fresh pasta only takes a few minutes to cook.

One of the first things I remember my dad teaching me was how to cook pasta properly. The trick is to use lots and lots of boiled water. Salting the water makes the pasta taste even better by bringing out the natural flavor.

Aubergine Parmigiana

Aubergine Parmigiana with lemon chicken and green veg

Aubergine Parmigiana

I was first introduced to Aubergine Parmigiana by my Italian ex-flatmate Alessio. He cooked it early in the morning, leaving it to cool before we took turns to carry it across London to a picnic in Victoria Park. It smelt amazing and I couldn’t wait to try the dish. We tore pieces of baguette and spooned the intensely flavoured aubergine into our hungry mouths. It was delicious, so I quickly wrote down what I remembered from Alessio’s cooking (as he refused to share his grandmother’s secret). I have now cooked my version many times and not had one complaint – even Alessio was impressed when I made it for him.

Serves: 4 as a side dish

2 aubergines, sliced to discs with ½ cm width

2 cans (approx 400g each) chopped tomatoes

Handful fresh herbs – parsley, thyme, rosemary

1 bay leaf

2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

Tomato puree

1tsp sugar

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Chunk of Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Sprinkle the aubergine disks with a little salt and leave the moisture to be absorbed while you make the tomato sauce.

In a medium sized pan heat a glug of olive oil and fry the onion gently until it starts to brown, add the garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, almost fill one of the empty tins with water and add that to the pan too. When the tomatoes start to bubble add a squidge of tomato puree, a teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle over the fresh herbs. Stir everything together and season to taste. Leave on a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, brush a large frying pan with olive oil and gently fry the aubergine disks for a few minutes on each side. They will start to appear almost translucent. Leave these to drain on kitchen paper and repeat the process until you have used all of the aubergine.

Heat the oven to 180º/Gas mark 4.

Layer a baking dish with tomato sauce, aubergine discs, more tomato sauce, a little seasoning and cover with a layer of finely grated cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

I like to cook this dish a few hours/a day in advance, letting the flavour intensify before re-heating again just before serving. 

M: I was in the mood for Chicken so cooked up a few chicken thighs (they are cheaper and have more flavour than chicken breasts).

2 chicken thighs

Juice of ½ lemon

Few sprigs of rosemary

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Gravy: Knob of butter

Tbsp flour

Heat the oven to 180º/Gas Mark 5.

Rub the chicken thighs with the olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, sea salt and black pepper and place them into an ovenproof dish along with the leftover lemon peel.  Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

5 minutes before serving make a little gravy by melting a knob of butter in a pan and off the heat quickly stir in the flour until you have a paste. Gently add the juices from the chicken and return the chicken to the oven. Mix the gravy together over a medium heat and season to taste.

V:  The vegetarian was at work late so he had his dish with a simple poached egg and green veg (cooked similar to this)when he got in.