Yotam Ottolenghi's Suprise Tatin

Yotam Ottolenghi's Suprise Tatin

Yotam Ottolenghi's Suprise Tatin

Yotam Ottolenghi's cooking never fails to excite me. I look forward to reading his recipes in the Guardian each week and I have used his cookbook ‘Plenty’ for want of a better word, plenty of times!

Ottolenghi inspires me in the kitchen and has helped me be more and more creative with vegetarian food. The Vegetarian of course gives him credit too as he has had the pleasure of eating his dishes along the way.

This savoury Surprise Tatin is another great creation. The tomatoes are oven baked at a low heat giving the dish a sweet but slightly sour taste. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly this time, caramelising the onions separately instead of making a caramel base first. I also added capers for a salty crunch.

Not only does it look great but it tastes delicious too. Today I served it as the vegetarian option at a family party and was surprised to see that all the meat-eaters decided to have a slice  – good job I made double as everyone came back for seconds.

I managed to locate the recipe online and you can view it on the Telegraph website here. The recipe notes that you can use sun-blushed tomatoes but I really would recommend that you oven bake the tomatoes yourself.

Red Lentil Dhal

Red Lentil Dhal

This is a very simple dahl recipe that’s cheap and doesn’t take long to cook. The garam masala adds a delicious sweet taste to the red lentils. Dahl is a great accompaniment to most curries but can be eaten as a main too.

Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side

250g red lentils

1tsp turmeric

1 onion, grated

2 garlic cloves, grated

1cm ginger, grated

1tsp chilli flakes

1tsp garam masala

Groundnut oil

Put the lentils and turmeric in a pan and add water to cover with about an inch of water. Season and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. The lentils soak up the water quite quickly so keep an eye on them and add more water if necessary.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for a few minutes. Add the garam masala, and cook for a minute.

Stir the onion mix into the cooked lentils.

Serve with lemon rice and raita.

Fruit Slice – Bande Aux Fruits

Fruit Slice - Bande Aux Fruits

My mid-week treat. Why not treat yourself too?

Serves: 4

2 eggs

100g caster sugar

50g plain flour

10g custard powder

½ litre whole milk

A few drops vanilla essence

250g puff pastry

1tbsp apricot jam

Fruit topping of your choice

For the pastry:

Roll out the pastry until its about 1/2 cm thick and 35cm long.

Cut the pastry into a strip that’s about 12cm wide.

Place the pastry on a lightly oil baking tin.

Moisten the two edges with egg wash and lay two strips of 2cm wide pastry on top. Seal firmly and mark with the back of a knife.

Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork to stop it from rising in the oven.

Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 215 degrees.

Bake in the oven for 12-15minutes. Check the pastry half way and if the base has risen use a spatula to gently press it back down.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

For the Pastry Crème:

Whisk the eggs and caster sugar together until almost white. Mix in the flour, custard powder and vanilla essence.

Carefully heat the milk in a pan until a few bubbles rise to the surface then mix the milk into egg and flour mixture.

Return the mix to a clean pan and carefully heat stirring constantly until it turns into a thick custard.

Leave to cool slightly before spreading the pastry crème over the base of the puff pastry. Decorate with the fruits of your choice.

Finally, to seal everything together, make an apricot glaze by bringing to the boil the apricot jam and a little water to cover. Whilst still hot, brush the apricot glaze over the top of the fruit.

2012 Began in Berlin

Teuflesberg, Berlin

The Vegetarian and I decided on an impromptu trip to Berlin to see how our good friends Graeme and Alex had settled into their new lives there.

Perhaps New Year’s Day was not the best day to arrive as the city was sleeping after the celebrations. The weather was close to freezing with short bursts of rain throughout the week so a lot of our time was spent layering-up and de-layering as we walked around. 

Teuflesberg

One morning the sun came out for a few hours so we quickly jumped on a train to Teuflesberg (Devil’s Mountain) located in West Berlin. Teuflesberg is an artificial hill built out of the rubble that was left in the city after the Second World War. It is estimated to contain about 12 million cubic meters of rubble, which is the equivalent of 400,000 buildings!

Teuflesberg Listening Tower

In the late 1950s a listening post was built at the top of the hill for the West to listen in on Eastern bloc military traffic. The station stopped operating after the fall of the Berlin wall but the abandoned tower has become the hub for street artists from around the world.

Teuflesberg Street Art

Teuflesberg Abandoned Tower

Teuflesberg

Teuflesberg

Inside the big dome on top even the tiniest sound echoes – you’re aware of every noise you make – from a sigh to the sound of a violin. It’s an amazing experience, and on one side you can see the city of Berlin spreading in front of you and on the other there is an endless forest.

View From The Top Of Teuflesberg

On our way back to Berlin we were hungry and ready for lunch. I had missed the German markets in London this winter so was excited to be in the country itself and on a mission to find the best German sausage in town! But alas everything seemed to be shut after the New Year celebrations; also the three vegetarians I traveled with did not share my desire for meat. 

Evil Curry Weisser

 

Finally I stumbled across a fast food spot in Alexanderplatz, which sold the famous Curry Weisser (curry sausage) I had been told I had to try. It was not the delicious snack I had dreamed of and actually I couldn’t finish it; I was left feeling empty and a bit sick. I gave up on my search after this, fearing I would only be disappointed further.

Having eaten Italian, Indian and way too many sandwiches with salad cream (my least favourite condiment), I was determined to have a good meal before I left Berlin. Luckily we stumbled across Sauvage – A Paleolithic restaurant with a menu based on the dietary habits of our prehistoric ancestors. Sauvage doesn’t mimic how prehistoric man ate but uses the basic ingredients of Paleo cooking - vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, oils, nuts, seeds and herbs. All the ingredients come from organic farming or wildlife. Another term could be stone-age food – cooked without sugar, processed grains or milk.

The menu was simple with two meat dishes and one fish dish, and there was a vegetarian version for each. Not only did it satisfy my needs, the vegetarians were happy too.  

To start with we had an antipasti board with gluten-free garlic bread and goats cheese, garlic carrots and mushrooms, sauerkraut, rocket pesto, ginger paste, tomato and cucumber salad and gluten free crackers.

Sauvage Mushroom Pate

Sauvage Steak

For my main I had a steak cooked to perfection, red wine jus, celeriac mash, caramalised onions, capers, garlic carrots and salad.
The Vegetarian had the same but with a herb infused mushroom and roast nut pate and a chopped mushroom topping. The portions were plenty, leaving no room for a dessert.


All accompanied by a delicious glass of Pinot Noir and the evocative sounds of Edith Piaf.

I had a fantastic break in Berlin but sadly it ended with a horrendous cold. Luckily I discovered a German trick to help me get rid of it. Instead of the usual honey and lemon drink this version uses ginger aswell, creating a refreshing, fiery taste that wakes-up all those sleeping tastebuds.

Ginger, Lemon, Honey Drink

2inch ginger, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

1tbsp manuka honey

2 cups water

Place the ginger in a pan, cover with the water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Squeeze in the lemon and stir in the honey.

Pour through a strainer into mugs.

Optional: Make the drink even more refreshing by adding a few sprigs of fresh mint to each mug.

Asian Spiced Masala – Cauliflower or Prawn

Asian Spiced Masala With Prawns

This recipe comes from Kerala in Southern India. The Vegetarian loved the contrast of the soft potatoes against the crunch of the cauliflower. For an extra protein boost (and because the Vegetarian likes to eat as much as possible) I added a boiled egg. He happily gobbled it all up.

The variety of spices made an enticing dish and left me wanting more.

Black tamarind looks like dried prunes. An Indian chef told me that once added to the dish it can be removed and kept in the fridge to be used again several times.

Serves: 1 Vegetarian, 2 Pescatarians

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic, crushed and finely chopped

2.5cm ginger, peeled and chopped

5 fresh curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chili

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

2 black tamarind

400g Tin of chopped tomatoes

400g pasata

Olive oil

V: ½ potato, diced and par-boiled

Handful cauliflower florets

1 free-range egg, hard-boiled (optional)

M: 2 handfuls pre-cooked king prawns

Heat a glug of oil until very hot, add the onion, fry until brown. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute.

Toss in the mustard seeds until they pop. Stir in remaining spices and fry for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes and pasata sauce. Cook for 10 minutes over a medium heat.

Divide the sauce between two pans.  Remove the tamarind.

V: Boil the potatoes until tender (approx 10 minutes). At the same time add the cauliflower to one of the pans with the tomato based sauce and cook over a medium heat. Drain the potatoes and stir into the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the egg, if using, to warm through before serving.

P:  Add the prawns to the other pan and cook for a few minutes until piping hot.

Serve with basmati rice, yoghurt and a selection of chutneys.

Aubergine, Pea and Potato Curry with Butter beans or Lamb

Aubergine, Pea and Potato Curry

After a long and exhausting day moving house and driving all over the place, my friend Bert offered this soul-saving, heart-warming dish. It was so delicious and just what we needed; I immediately asked for the recipe.

The best curry is always cooked in advance so that the spices mingle with the food and the flavour is full. This is a mild curry, add more chili if you like it hot.

Serves: 2 Vegetarians, 2 Meat-eaters

4 tbsp sunflower oil or knob of ghee (clarified butter)
4 potatoes, cubed
1 small aubergine, cubed
1 handful peas
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp fennel
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder
1 bay leaf

Sea salt

V: 200g pre-cooked butterbeans

M: 200g shoulder of lamb, cubed


Fry the spices in the oil until the mustard seeds start to sputter.
Add the cubes of potato and aubergine and fry for just a few minutes. Divide between two pans.

M: Meanwhile stir-fry the lamb for a few minutes until it browns all over. Add the lamb to one of the pans and just cover with water. Stir in half the sugar and season with salt. Simmer until the lamb is soft and tender (around an hour). Add half the peas for five minutes at the end.

V: Add the butter beans to the other pan. Add enough water to just cover the vegetables and simmer until the vegetables are soft and tender. Add the remaining peas for five minutes at the end.

Serve with chapatti, yoghurt and homemade chutney.

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!

 

Pasta with a Spanish twist: Manchego cheese or Serrano ham

Pasta with a Spanish Twist

After a long day at work this is a very simple dish to make and a great way of adding a Spanish twist to your evening meal. I absolutely love both Manchego cheese and Serrano ham so will often add both to my bowl.

Serves: 1 vegetarian, 1 meat-eater

Orecchiette (little ears) pasta (Approx 100g per person)

2 handfuls spinach, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chili, de-seeded and chopped

Handful pine nuts

¼ juice of lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

V: Shavings of Manchego cheese

M: Slice or two of Serrano ham, torn into strips

Boil the pasta in lots of salted water until al dente (approx 1o minutes). Drain.

Meanwhile, dry pan fry the pine nuts for a few minutes, until golden brown and set aside.

In a separate frying pan, fry the garlic and chili in a glug of olive oil for one minute. Stir in the spinach until it starts to wilt, then season.

Add the drained pasta to the pan, squeeze over the lemon, fold in the pine nuts and mix the ingredients together. Include extra olive oil, sat and black pepper if necessary.

V: Serve with a sprinkle of Manchego cheese

M: Serve with torn Serrano ham

Pub Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, Stamford Brook

The Duches of Cambridge (formally The Brook)

On Sunday I travelled across London for the soft launch of the new venue and menu of The Duchess of Cambridge in Stamford Brook.

The friendly yet nervous staff greeted us and handed over the menus. There was a fantastic wine list and an extensive selection of beer.

The Vegetarian (my brothers girlfriend) was pleased with her nut roast. It was good to see a meat free option, a vegetarian friend was at pub down the road from the Duchess of Cambridge the other day and was dismayed to discover that out of the 14 dishes, not one was vegetarian!

The starter we chose to share was dissappointingly bland; a puff pastry with four cherry tomatoes. The roast beef main meal would have benefited from less salt and more flavour. We later discovered the gravy was Bisto based which, was a huge disappointment too. This was a soft launch so hopefully the food will improve soon.

There is scope for the future and news of a new beer only bar, a cheese week which, launches the cheese board and a beer festival in the pipe line.
Fingers crossed everything pulls together - having grown up in the area, we are all keen to see this work.

Let me know if you have a different experience. There is a sandwich menu during the week, which I am yet to see or taste so perhaps this is where they will shine.

Coca de Trempo – Pepper and Onion Coca

Coca de Trempo

Coca comes from the Balearic Islands: it’s very similar to a slim-line pizza (no cheese!) but served at room temperature and equally delicious. A bread dough topped with traditional Spanish ingredients, makes Coca a great breakfast, lunch, tapas or snack. When I’m on holiday in Mallorca I like to buy a slice from the panaderia (bakery) for brunch to nibble on my long walk down to the beach. There are many different varieties of Coca (both sweet and savoury) and here is a recipe for a simple Coca de Trempo – pepper and onion coca. To mix it up I sometimes add artichoke hearts, olives or anchovies too.

Serves: 4, vegetarians and/or meat-eaters.

For the dough

250g strong plain flour

1 ½ tsp dried yeast

1tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

A pinch of sugar

200ml warm water

A knob of butter, melted

For the topping

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

4 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and chopped

Handful fresh parsley, chopped

Olive oil

Whisk together half of the warm water with the yeast and sugar and leave to stand for about 10 minutes until a frothy head forms.

Mix the flour, salt, yeast mixture, oil and butter, and add a little at a time of the remaining water to make a soft, pliable dough. Knead for 10 minutes and place covered in a bowl in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees, gas mark 6. 

Meanwhile, mix together the peppers, tomatoes, onions, parsley, a glug of olive oil and season with sea salt to taste.

Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick and curl up the edges to make a border. Place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle the mixed vegetables over evenly. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool and serve at room temperature.