Category: Love food

Categories
Love food Sweet stuff

Pistachio & pink grapefruit cake

This cake is gluten and dairy free. It makes a great dessert cake but is equally good with your morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea. I think of it as quite a sophisticated cake. Not sure why but I think its because the grapefruit and virgin olive oil flavours mean that it is definitely not a taste that children would appreciate.

Ingredients

  • 150 g unsalted pistachios
  • zest of 1 and 1/2 pink grapefruits
  • Juice of 1/2 pink grapefruit
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • 50g polenta
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 4 eggs
  • 200g extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 10 g shelled salted pistachios (about 20), roughly chopped, to serve

Method

Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Whizz the unsalted pistachios in a food processor until fairly finely ground. Finely grate the zest of the grapefruits and add this and the sugar to the processor, whizz briefly to combine, then stir in the polenta, baking powder, cardamom and a pinch of salt.

Whisk together the eggs and oil and stir these into the dry ingredients. Scrape into the tin. Put into the oven and turn it to 180C (200C non-fan) — trust me, you don’t need to preheat it for this one. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until set on top.

Towards the end of the cooking time, juice the half grapefruit and heat this, together with the honey, in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then take off the heat. Put the cake, still in its tin, onto a plate with a rim and pour over the syrup, a little at a time, adding more once each lot has been absorbed. Leave to cool, then turn out and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios

Categories
Breads, muffins etc Breakfast/brunch

Corn bread

Ottolenghi does it again with this wonderful corn bread. We had it for lunch with a couple of salads, so so delicious. I halved the recipe (to serve 5) and cooked it in a 25cm cast iron frying pan. As well as via the link given here, the recipe can be found in Simple, page 19.

Categories
Love food Main event

Asparagus cream pasta

Its British Asparagus season and so out comes one of my old favourites – published in Good Food Magazine in 2007! It is quick to make, very easy (even by my standards) and full of great asparagus flavour.

Recipe link. Do take note that the quantities given in the recipe are for 2 people.

Categories
Fish Love food Main event

Sea bass in crazy water

An easy and fool proof way to cook a lovely piece of fish. Crazy water is a translation of ‘acqua pazza’ – the Italian name for this way of poaching fish. It is traditionally done with whole fish but I know many of you are squeamish about whole fish and would prefer to use fillets. If you do this, just remember to reduce the cooking time for the fish. You can also use bream.

Recipe for 4

  • 4 whole small seabass, gutted
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove very finely sliced
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 500g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
  • a glass of white wine
  • handful of capers
  • small handful of flat parsley, chopped
  • small handful of basil leaves, torm

Method

  • If needed, rinse the fish clean and pat dry in a tea towel
  • In a frying pan that you can put a lid on to, heat a good glug of oil and then lay the fish side by side. Sprinkle over the garlic, chilli and two pinches of salt.
  • After 4 minutes, turn the fish over, add the tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes
  • Now add the wine and capers and cook for a further 4 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
  • Remove the fish from the pan to plate up. Add the parsley and basil to the pan and turn up the heat for a minute or two to reduce the sauce. Pour over the fish and enjoy.
Categories
Love food Main event

Sushi salad plate

This is a salad that you can make your own, adding whatever takes your fancy – salmon, tuna, tenderstem broccoli, edamame, nori pieces….. mine had rice, edamame, fresh salmon, smashed cucumber, sliced avocado and garnished with red chill, spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. To add to its versatility you can have this as a main salad plate or make up smaller portions for a starter. Either way, it’s perfect for a hot summer’s day.

Below is what you need for the rice, the salmon and the cucumber to serve four people as a main course.

Rice – make this early enough for it to cool

  • 250g sushi rice
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt

Rinse your sushi rice to get rid of the starch. Add cold water to approx one cm above the rice. Hrat the rice with a lid on and simmer up until the point the water has just been absorbed. Take off the heat and leave for 10 mins with the lid on. In the meantime, add the sugar, rice vinegar and salt into a jar and give a good shake. 10 mins after the Stir through the rice when the 10 mins is up and let it cool.

Salmon – this needs to be made up no earlier than 10 mins before eating

  • 4 pieces of salmon fillet skinned and cubed
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 tsp light soy sauce

Mix the lemon and soy sauce in a dish big enough to hold the salmon. Add the salmon and leave for no more than 10 minutes, the salmon cures in the sauce and so the texture will change.

Smashed cucumber – make this at least 15 mins in advance for the flavours to develop.

  • 1/2 to 1 cucumber
  • 1 tbsp Chinese black rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp chilli oil
  • 1/2 tbsp caster Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 finely chopped small clove garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

With a rolling pin smash a cucumber so that it breaks up a little before using a knife to cut into cubes. Toss with the dressing ingredients and leave for 10 mins, longer is good too.

Categories
Love food Salads

Avocado, grapefruit & cashew salad

This is one of the many Sabrina Ghayour recipes, from Feasts, we keep returning to – it is a perfect combination of ingredients. The rose harissa in the dressing is an essential ingredient recipe and should not be substituted for regular harissa.

I’m not sure why but while regular harissa can sit in my fridge for a long time after opening, rose harissa seems to develop beyond the edible stage after a few weeks. Its not a cheap ingredient so I now freeze whatever is left in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a freezer bag to use as needed in the future.

When preparing the grapefruit, make sure you use a sharp knife to make the job of segmenting and removing the pith and membrane between each segment easier. The right knife will give you beautiful segments, with very little wastage.

Ingredients (serves 4-6): salad

  • 100g rocket leaves – can use spinach or a mix of the two
  • 2 large red or pink grapefruits
  • 2 large avocados
  • 100g toasted cashews

Ingredients: dressing

  • 2 tbsp rose harissa
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 1 tbsp wine vinegar (red or white)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp water
Categories
Love food Main event Vegan

Aubergine cannelloni…

… with walnut pesto

This recipe was pubished in The Sunday Times back in 2016 and I have been making it ever since. This can easily be made vegan by omitting the cheese, it will still be yummy. I always serve this sprinkled with more parmesan on top as it comes out of the oven. Serve it with some roasted new potatoes and some green veg for a thoroughly delicious meal.

This meal can be made ahead of time and heated when needed.

Ingredients: this quantity is for 2, just multiply up as you need.

2 aubergines, ½cm-1cm thick
Olive oil

For the tomato sauce
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
300g tomato passata
1 tsp dried oregano

For the pesto
100g walnuts
50g fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6 tsp grated parmesan
3tbsp olive oil


Heat the oven to 200C . Brush the aubergine slices on both sides with oil, place on a nonstick tray and bake in the oven until golden on both sides and soft enough to roll, but not so soft they fall apart.

For the sauce, heat a little oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt, and sauté until the onion softens. Add the passata and oregano and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place all the pesto ingredients in a food processor, season to taste and pulse until coarse.

Place a dollop of pesto in the centre of each aubergine slice, then roll up.

Put the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, add the rolled cannelloni on top and bake in the oven. If eating straight after preparation, you will need to heat for approx 15/20 mins. If you made ahead of time then it will take longer to bake. You may need to cover with foil during baking.

A sprinkle of parmesan as it comes out of the oven finished it off beautifully.

Categories
Breakfast/brunch Love food

Kimchi fried grains, and fried egg

This is one of our favourite Sunday lunch/brunch meals. I always make extra grains to use in a salad later in the week.

Ingredients: serves 2

  • 2 tbsp flavourless oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
  • 1 carrot, cut into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
  • 2 heaped tbsp kimchi
  • 250g of cooked grains – you can cheat by buying a pouch of pre-cooked mixed grains
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 toasted nori sheet, crumbled togarashi, furikake or nori flakes, to serve (optional)

Method

  • In a frying pan or work heat some oil and over a high heat add the white parts of the spring onions, carrot ribbons and kimchi. Stir-fry for 2 mins
  • Add the grains, soy sauce and sesame oil, then stir-fry until the grains are hot; about 2 mins.
  • In a second pan, heat some oil until fairly hot. Crack the eggs in and fry until the outside edges of the white are crispy
  • Plate up with the grains, top with an egg and garnish with the green parts of the spring onions, the toasted nori sheet and the togarashi, furikake or nori flakes, if using. Togarashi, Furikake and nori flakes are all Japanese types of seasoning. Togarashi is a spicy mix, Furikake is a rise seasoning and nori flakes are nori flakes!

Categories
Love food Main event

Quick Broccoli & blue cheese quiche

This recipe comes from a recipe book called The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer, bought for me by my lovely friend Tania. It was the combination of broccoli and blue cheese that spoke to me, and then I was sold on it when I read further and saw it used a ready rolled sheet of puff pastry. It is so quick and easy to make. Its a definite winner on all fronts.

Ingredients: serves 4

  • 320g ready rolled puff pastry
  • 300g broccoli florets, halved
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 125g blue cheese, crumbled
  • 30g walnuts, chopped
  • 100ml single cream
  • 4 eggs
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 clove crushed garlic

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • Line a small deep roasting tin with baking paper and cover with the pastry
  • Scatter the broccoli florets, red onion, chilli flakes, walnuts and blue cheese evenly over the pastry
  • Beat the cream, eggs, lemon zest, salt & garlic together. Pour over the broccolli and cheese
  • Bake in the oven for 30 mins
  • Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.
Categories
Fish Love food Main event

Tuna burger

This recipe comes from BBC Good Food Magazine. It oozes juice and tastes amazing. In fact the raw mix is so good I can imagine serving that as a starter in a bed of lettuce. We always have this with sweet potato fries. You can get me on the trade description act though here because I roast them not fry them., coated in some oil, salt, smoked paprika and then dusted with semolina.

Ingredients: for two people

  • 300g fresh tuna steak
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • small knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • handful coriander leaves, chopped (of course I substitute for some parsley)
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • burger buns, lettuce leaves, sliced tomato and avocado, to serve

Method

  1. Chop the tuna into small chunks, then carry on chopping until the tuna is roughly minced. If you have one, a large rocker chopper (for herbs) is great for this.
  2. Tip the tuna into a bowl and mix with the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and coriander. Shape into two burgers, place on a plate, then freeze for 10 mins to firm up.
  3. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, then cook the burgers for 1-2 mins on each side or until done to your liking. To be honest though, I wouldn’t actually bother with this recipe if you want it to be cooked thoroughly all the way through. You will lose all the lovely juiciness.
  4. Serve the burgers in toasted buns with lettuce, tomato and avocado