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.

Arancini with an orange and pear salad

Yesterday's Beetroot and Broccoli Risotto

Arancini filled with Mozzarella and Ham



Orange and Pear Salad

I was in the mood for risotto and my mum recommended I try Aldo Zilli's risotto with purple sprouting broccoli and beetroot so I gave it a go.

I used normal broccoli as my local veg lady didn't have any purple sprouting. I found that the risotto was lacking a bit in flavour so if I make it again I will par-boil the broccoli first.

Whenever I make a risotto I like to make too much so that I have enough left-overs to make arancini.

Arancini 'little oranges' are a Sicilian speciality. There is a traditional recipe (fried rice balls covered in breadcrumbs, filled with mozzarella, tomato sauce and mincemeat) but they can also have many different fillings. I like to use left-over risotto as the rice is already flavoured and has a sticky texture which is perfect for moulding. Yesterday I filled the vegetarian's with mozzarella and added ham to mine.

Arancini

Serves: 2

Yesterday’s risotto, divided into palm size sections.

2 slices whole meal bread turned into breadcrumbs

2 free range eggs, whisked and seasoned

Buffalo mozzarella, quartered

M: Slice or two of ham

Wrap each piece of mozzarella in the risotto and mould it with your hands into the shape of a ball. Dip the rice ball into the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs until covered. Repeat with all sections of risotto until you have numerous balls.

M: Wrap the mozzarella in the ham first before following above instructions.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan until bubbling hot. Lower the heat and gently fry the risotto balls for a few minutes on each side until the arancini is golden brown all over.

Cut open and watch the mozzarella ooze out. They are pretty filling so I serve mine with a refreshing salad.

Orange and Pear Salad



Serves: 2

1/2 orange, segments peeled and pith removed

1/2 pear, sliced

Chunk of blue cheese, crumbled

Chunk of cucumber, sliced

Handful walnuts

A few lettuce leaves

Olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together and drizzle with a little olive oil. 

Warm salad with tzatziki: Feta or Bacon

Warm salad with tzatziki

I'm attempting a detox this week, which technically makes me a vegan as it cuts out meat and dairy products as well as wheat, caffeine and sugar. I went for the easiest detox I could find but it's already proving to be quite difficult. For breakfast today I had yoghurt with granola, vegetable soup with ryvita for lunch, snacks of fruit, nuts and raisons in between, and this warm salad for dinner. Usually I would serve this salad with a boiled egg, giving the vegetarian a few chunks of cheese and myself chopped up crispy bacon, this is the recipe I am giving you. I forgot to add any protein to my detox version of the salad this evening so I now blame my craving for sweet things on this. I'm not sure what happened but I found myself in the kitchen stuffing rice cakes dripping with honey (honey is allowed) into my mouth. This was not an exciting snack, I do not recommend.

Serves: 2

Handful baby potatoes

1/2 head of broccoli

Handful fresh peas

Handful green beans, halved

Handful asparagus, chopped into three

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Handful cherry tomatoes, halved

2 free range eggs

Glug olive oil

Glug ume plum seasoning

Pepper

V: Chunks of feta cheese

M: 2 slices of bacon, chopped

Boil the potatoes until tender (approx 15 minutes). Drain and half.

Steam the broccoli, asparagus, green beans and peas for 5 minutes.

Cook the eggs in water for 3-5 minutes once the water has boiled for a semi-hard yolk. Drain and half.

M: Fry the bacon until crispy.

Mix all the ingredients together adding bacon to one portion and feta to the other. Serve warm with tzatziki.

Spicy chickpea soup

This is my favorite soup, especially when I think I'm getting ill. It's full of vitamins and the chili gives a spicy kick.

Serves: 4

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 can (400g) chopped plum tomatoes
1 can (400g) chick peas, washed and drained
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 pint vegetable stock
1 red chili, deseeded and chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful coriander, chopped

F: Handful pre-cooked prawns


Heat a glug of olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and celery and fry gently for about 8 minutes or until soft, stirring often. Add the garlic and chili and fry for a few more minutes before stirring in the cumin.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, adding the broccoli for a further 4 minutes.

F: Divide the soup. Add a handful of prawns to the non-vegetarian portion/s, heat for 2 minutes.

Squeeze in the lemon juice and season to taste. Add a sprinkle of fresh coriander to each bowl.

Serve with crusty bread.