Categories
Love food Salads Vegan

Green veg salad with Asian dressing

A lovely fresh salad which we had with the salmon in my previous post. The eagle eyed among you may notice (if you take a look at the recipe) that I forgot to add the chili. So annoying as I really do like a good scattering of chili. As Liora will attest to, I regularly miss out a key ingredient of a dish. It’s probably down to trying to do everything too fast.

You will see that I have changed the title of this salad from the original. That is because it works just as well without lentils if they are not something you especially like. However, if you don’t have a strong view either way then you should definitely add the lentils. Lentils have great health benefits so are definitely worth eating. It also makes the salad a more substantial side.

The recipe

Some tips

  • While the recipe asks for puy lentils, unless you’re happy to buy the pre-cooked pouches, these are not always easy to find. Green lentils do the job just as well though.
  • Make sure you don’t over boil your lentils, you want to make sure the lentils retain their shape and not turn mushy. I boiled my green lentils for 20 minutes. I also didn’t use stock, just water.
  • Don’t dress your salad too early as the acid from the dressing starts to ‘cook’ the veg. 10 to 15 minutes ahead of serving is perfect.
Categories
Fish Love food Main event

Salmon with Pomegranate & herbs

Thank you to Pete Evans for this wonderful beautiful dish, in taste and looks. This dish is easily halved, as I have done here. All the components can be made ahead of time and assembled at the last minute. If you have any left overs this will keep in the fridge for a few days and still taste wonderful.

Link to the recipe

Some tips

  • I recommend not adding the olive oil to the herb crust until you are ready to dress the salmon. The olive oil will over a long length of time reduce the freshness of colour from the herbs.
  • I don’t add the full amount of olive oil to the crust, it is not necessary. The purpose of the oil is to bind the crust ingredients together. Pour in a bit at a time and mix until you feel it is the right consistency.
  • Note that only half the quantity of the tahini sauce is needed for the salmon. The recipe suggests using the other half to serve on the side. Personally, I don’t think this is needed so I just make half the quantity
  • and finally, the recipe suggests using a food processor for making the tahini sauce. What a waste of washing up! You only need a fork to mix up the tahini ingredients. Note that it should be a fairly thick paste as it forms a layer on top of the salmon for the herb crust to stick to.
Categories
Love food Main event

Summer vegetable & pesto tart

For most of you, you would not be making this for a weekday family meal but as a dish to impress this is a great tart. I give it 10 out of 10 for looks and flavour. It’s a bit of a faff but you can prepare each of the elements ahead of time. Just assemble and cook when you are ready to eat.

The recipe can be found on BBC Good Food.com. They don’t though give you the rocket pesto recipe, any fresh shop bought recipe can be used but really it is so simple to make, I’ve given you a recipe below. I think this probably makes more than the 150g needed for the recipe but it keeps well in the fridge if you know you will use it within a few days, otherwise freezing works very well.

I found that the vegetable strips took a little longer to cook in the microwave than the recipe suggested but that really wasn’t a big issue.

Rocket Pesto: blend all ingredients below in a blender or food processor

  • 50g chopped rocket leaves
  • 25g pine nuts
  • 40g parmesan
  • 8 tbsp olive oil

A couple of pictures here before the tart went in the oven and half eaten, in one sitting between three of us!

Categories
Love food Salads

Tomato & pomegranate salad

Another great Ottolenghi salad. As with many salads it is very often the dressing that makes it. It is especially true of this salad and so you can feel very comfortable swapping out some elements and adding in others. For example in the version I made here I swapped out some of the tomatoes for a diced yellow pepper. A greater ratio of peppers to tomatoes has the advantage of reducing the tendency for the salad becoming too watery in the fridge, if you make ahead of time or have any left overs.

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