Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 07:08AM
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Ingredients
- 16 halved pearl onions
- 300g frozen peas
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 Baby Gem lettuces , finely shredded
Method
- Cook the pearl onions for 5 mins and the peas for 2 mins in separate pans of boiling water until the onions are soft and the peas are just cooked.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, brown the onions, then add the peas and shredded Baby Gem lettuce. Cook just to heat through lettuce, then season and serve.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 07:04AM
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Ingredients
- 400g fusilli pasta spirals
- 225g bag of baby spinach
- 1 garlic clove
- 250g tub mascarpone
- juice of ½ large lemon
- 30g grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
- 55g pine nuts , lightly toasted
Method
- Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile put half the spinach in a food processor with the garlic, mascarpone, lemon juice and parmesan, then whizz to a smooth sauce.
- Drain the pasta thoroughly and return to the pan over a low heat. Stir in the sauce, pine nuts and remaining spinach, until the spinach has just wilted. Season and serve with extra parmesan sprinkled over.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 06:55AM
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Ingredients
- 500g spring greens or spinach, roughly chopped
- olive oil
- butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g risotto rice
- 150ml white wine
- chicken stock fresh, cube or concentrate made up to 600ml, hot
- 4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 150g blue cheese (such as dolcelatte), crumbled
- 25g pine nuts , toasted
Method
- Boil 600ml water with a pinch of salt and cook the greens for 1 minute. Drain, reserving the liquid.
- Heat a large pan and add 2 tbsp oil and a small knob of butter. Heat until the butter is foaming then add the onion and gently cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and heat through for a few minutes until the grains are shiny and coated. Pour in the wine and cook over a high heat for 1 minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate, stirring constantly.
- Turn down the heat to medium and begin to add the liquid from the spring greens, a ladleful at a time, allowing it to be absorbed into the rice before adding more. When the liquid is used up, continue the process with the stock. It should take 20 minutes.
- When the texture is creamy, but each grain is still firm to the bite in the centre, the risotto is ready. Take it off the heat and stir in the greens, parsley, blue cheese, pine nuts. Season. Leave to rest with the lid on for a few minutes then serve immediately.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 06:46AM
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Ingredients
- 850ml milk
- 50g plain flour
- 50g butter , plus 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100g extra mature cheddar , grated
- 25-50g blue cheese
- ½ tsp finely grated nutmeg
- 250g penne
- 1kg Cauliflower (2 medium ones), cut into florets
- 750g Spinach (whole leaf), if using from frozen, squeeze dry
- 25g toasted pine nuts
For the Tomato Sauce:
- 4 garlic cloves, 3 sliced, 1 left whole
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 700g jar tomato passata (or you can make your own)
Method
- For the tomato sauce, cook the sliced garlic in the oil for 1 min, then add the passata. Season, half-cover the pan and simmer for 20 mins until rich.
- Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Put the milk, flour and 50g butter into a pan. Heat, whisking non-stop, until smooth, then bubble for 3 mins, stirring to make sure any flouriness is lost. Cool for 5 mins, then stir in the mustard, most of the cheddar, half the blue cheese and half the nutmeg.
- Boil the penne and cauliflower for 8 mins in salted water until the pasta is almost cooked and the cauli is tender. Keep 2 tbsp water from the pan, then drain. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan, add the whole garlic clove, spinach, remaining nutmeg, salt and lots of black pepper. Stir for 2 mins, then remove the garlic clove.
- Set aside 300ml cheese sauce and mix the rest into the cauli and pasta. Divide half the tomato sauce between 6 dishes and top with some spinach. Fill with cauli mix, top with more spinach, then the rest of the tomato sauce. Top with the cheese sauce, cheeses and pine nuts. Cover with cling film, cool and chill for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To cook, defrost if frozen. Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Cook on a baking sheet for 18-20 mins until golden and bubbling. Good with green salad or garlic bread.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 06:38AM
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 plump red chilli , seeds removed if you want, finely chopped
- thumb-sized piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 large waxy potatoes (such as Desirée), peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 tbsp curry paste (Patak's Cumin & chilli is good)
- 1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthways
- 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds (optional)
- large handful of roughly chopped fresh coriander
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Method
- Heat a large, deep non-stick frying pan, wok or shallow saucepan over a low heat. Add the oil, stir in the onion and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden.
- Stir the chilli, garlic and ginger into the onion mixture and fry for 2 minutes. Raise the heat a little, add the potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the outsides are just softening. Stir in the curry paste, cook for 1 minute, then toss in the cauliflower and stirfry for a further 1 minute to coat.
- Pour the coconut milk into the pan and stir thoroughly. Add some salt, raise the heat and bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then half cover the pan and reduce to a slow simmer. Cook the curry for 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the vegetables are tender.
- Half bury the eggs yolk-sides up in the sauce, then cover and continue to simmer gently for a further 1-2 minutes to heat through. Serve with a scattering of toasted almonds, if liked, and coriander.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 06:23AM
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- I onion chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 200g basmati rice
- 50g red lentils
- 3 tbsp Korma paste
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 100g frozen peas
- few toasted cashew nuts, to serve
- natural yogurt , to serve
- mango chutney , to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and carrots, then fry for 5 mins until lightly coloured. Stir in the rice and lentils, cook for 1 more min, add the curry paste and 900ml water, then bring to the boil. Cover, then simmer for 10 mins.
- Stir in the cauliflower, then cook for 10 mins more until the rice and lentils are tender. Add the peas 2 mins before cooking time is up, stirring through. Top with the nuts, then serve with yogurt and mango chutney in bowls.
Monday, January 25, 2010 at 10:04AM
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Ingredients
Salmon (alternativley a small tin red salmon, drained and flaked)
750 ml fish stock (stock left over from poaching salmon if using fresh, made up to 750ml with a little milk)
2 leeks, chopped, rinsed and drained
Groundnut or sunflower oil
1 Little Gem squash + 1 Delicata squash, halved..., deseeded, peeled and cubed
1 large floury-variety potato, cubed but not peeled
1 bay leaf
Sprinkling of dried tarragon
Handful sprouted seeds
Paprika to taste
Method
Fry the leeks in oil until soft
Add the cubed squashes and potato, stir until well combined, then add the stock and herbs
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, adding the salmon half-way through
Let it cool slightly, then blend
Return to the pan, stir in the sprouted seeds and reheat
Season with paprika
(serves 2-3)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 02:04PM
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Baking Gem Squash
Baking gem squash is one of the simplest ways of serving them. Being small, gem squash work particularly well and they bake evenly.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a side dish - ½ squash each
- 2 medium to large gem squash
- Some aluminium foil
Method
- Chop the gem squash in half. You'll need to use a sharp, heavy knife. Sometimes the skins are quite tough, so it is essential to be careful.
- Remove the stalk and use a dessert spoon to scoop out all the seeds. If you leave them in, the squash can taste bitter.
- Put the two halves of the squash back together and wrap loosely in foil. Make sure you are allowing any steam to escape, but not letting the juices leak.
- Bake at 180 degrees C for about 1/2 hour, or until the orange squash flesh is soft.
For a spicier version, you could drizzle with chilli oil before baking. (Not got any gem squash? This recipe also works well with butternut squash)
You could stuff with garlic mushrooms, part way through cooking. Or you could serve stuffed with a salsa of fresh tomato, olive oil and basil, which you could spoon in at the end of cooking.
Little Gem boiled in Water
Prick the skin in a few places and simmer in water for 20 minutes. Cut it in half and serve with butter and ground black pepper.
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 02:56PM
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National Geographic BEST pictures of the year
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 03:42PM
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Ingredients
For the curry
- 4 large aubergines
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bag of spinach
- 3 tins of chopped plum tomatoes
- 1 bunch of coriander
- vegetable oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
For the spices
- 2 tsp of ginger powder
- 2 tsp of cumin powder
- 2 tsp of garam masala powder
- 1 tsp of tumeric powder
- 1 tsp of chilli power
- 1 tsp of mustard seeds
For the quinoa
- 1 pack of quinoa (a handful of quinoa per person plus one for good luck!)
- 1 fresh lemon
Method: How to make mashed aubergine and spinach curry with quinoa and chapatti bread
For the curry
1. Preheat oven to 200°c
2. Gently fry the chopped onions in four tablespoons of oil, add the spices and stir well. Once the onions have softened, set the pan to one side.
3. Put some oil on a piece of kitchen paper and rub the aubergines all over, then prick them about three times with a fork, place on a baking tray and put in the oven on a high heat for about 30 mins. Check them after about 10 mins and turn them over until they're slightly charred on the outside.
4. Take the aubergines from the oven and cut them down one side and take the tops off. Open them up and carefully scoop the flesh out and place in a bowl. Mash the flesh with a fork.
5. Now put the spice and onion mixture back on the hob and heat gently, add the mashed aubergine and stir well.
6. Wash the spinach, break it up into small pieces and add to the pan. Stir well then add your chopped tomatoes.
7. Leave for about 10 mins on a low heat then add your crushed garlic and coriander, stir well and gently heat for another 15 mins.
8. If possible leave the curry for a couple of hours to stand and reheat just before serving.
For the quinoa
1. Put the quinoa in a pan and add just enough boiling water to cover the grains.
2. Boil until translucent and simmer gently with the pan covered for about 5 mins.
3. Remove from the heat and leave the pan covered.
4. Add the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon and keep covered until serving time.
5. Once ready to serve scoop out with a drainer spoon to remove any excess water and serve immediately.
For the Chapattis
Remove chapati's from the packet and gently heat each side over a gas flame. Keep turning them over until they slightly bubble, serve immediately.
