Pork and Fennel Polpette

This evening I made an adapted version of this recipe from the Polpo book. The fennel taste works really well with the pork and the sauce is a perfect accompaniment. I’m sure it would go well with pretty much anything, but I served it with olive oil and spring onion mashed potatoes and a little salad. A little sprinkle of cheese doesn’t go amiss either.

For the Sauce: 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, pinch chilli flakes, 2 sticks celery, 50 mls extra virgin olive oil, 2 tomatoes, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp red wine, 1 tsp herbes de provence

Finely slice all the vegetables. Heat the olive olive oil on a medium high heat in a large saucepan and sweat the vegetables for 10 minutes with the chilli and season well. Chop the tomatoes into rough chunks. Add the fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, red wine and dried herbs with a pinch more seasoning. Bring to a boil then simmer for an hour covered, stirring occasionally.

For the Meatballs: 850g pork mince, large pinch chilli flakes, 1 tbsp fennel seeds – toasted and crushed, 2 eggs, 100g breadcrumbs

Put everything in a big bowl and scrunch it all together well till it’s well mixed with seasoning. Preheat the oven to 220C. Shape the mix into big balls and arrange on a lined baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes, turning over once. Add them to the simmering sauce and cook gently for another 10 minutes.

The Best Homemade Pizza

I have tried loads of different recipes in search of a good reliable pizza dough. Some come out soggy, some too dense, some too dry. Then, Alas! Jamie Oliver’s recipe that he gives in his Italy book is great and works every time. I always make a quick tomato sauce for the base and the leftovers are perfect as pasta sauce. The big crusts are really good with a simple butter bean and roasted pepper dip.

I have halved the large quantities Jamie gives to make 2 large pizzas, perfect for feeding 4-6.

For the Dough: 400g strong white bread flour, 100g fine semolina, 1/2 tsp salt, 7g sachet of yeast, 1 tsp golden caster sugar

Measure 325mls warm water into a jug. Add the sugar and yeast and swirl with a fork to dissolve the sugar and mix well. Leave this to stand for 10 minutes. In a large bowl mix the flour, semolina and salt and make a well in the centre. Pour the yeasty water in and mix with a fork till a dough is formed. On a floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, till elastic and springy. Leave it to rest covered in the bowl for 15 minutes before using.

When you’re ready to use the dough, prepare 2 oven shelves or trays with foil that has been oiled and sprinkled with semolina. Preheat the oven as hot as it will go. Flour the surface again. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll each out a little with a rolling pin. Then I suggest using your hands to stretch the dough as it is very elastic. Lay your stretched pizzas on the prepared trays and top with sauce and toppings of your choice. Then cook them high up in the oven for 8-10 minutes, swappign the shelves over halfway through.

Mini Chocolate Meringues

Lovely light and crisp meringues made using a method I’ve never used before. I sandwiched them with the leftover chocolate sauce from the other night’s churros and served them with whipped cream.

For 40 Mini Meringues: 3 egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 225g golden caster sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cornflour, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar to soft peaks. Whisk half of the caster sugar in spoonful by spoonful, then fold in the other half. Fold in the cornflour and vinegar, then swirl in the cocoa. Preheat the oven to 130C fan and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Fill a piping bag with this or spoon the mix in swirly blobs onto the trays. Bake for 50 minutes then let them cool in the oven with the oven door slightly ajar. They are ready to sandwich – this should make 20 sandwiches just remember they are quite delicate!

Thai Fish Curry

Again from the Share book, this time a recipe from Greg Wise, this was a very quick, light and surprising dish still packed full of zesty fresh flavours. I made it with salmon, but you could use whatever you like. It’s good with a splash of soy sauce, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of coriander, and I served it with thai rice.

Serves 4: 3cm piece ginger, 5 cloves garlic, 1 dried red chilli, 25g coriander, 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 can coconut milk, 500mls chicken stock, 1 tsp 5 spice powder, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 500g fish chopped into bitesized pieces, 100g beansprouts, 100g water chesnuts, 100g bamboo shoots

Whizz up the ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander and tomatoes in a food processor. Cook the mix in a heavy based pan for about 5 minutes on a medium high heat. Add the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce and 5 spice. Bring this to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes before adding the salmon and cooking  for a minute. Stir in the beansprouts, chesnuts and bamboo shoots and cook for a couple of minutes then it’s ready to serve.

Spicy Lentil and Onion Fritters

Light snack starter that was really simple to make and tasted really fresh, especially served with a simple raita. From the Share cookbook, that raises money for Women for Women International, this recipe was by Muhammad Yunnus.

Makes 12: 150g dried red lentils, 5cm piece fresh ginger peeled + grated, 1 medium onion finely chopped, 25g coriander chopped, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 ground turmeric, 1 green chilli finely chopped, 500mls oil for frying

Rinse and drain the lentils then soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain them and blend them with the ginger in a food processor to a thick paste. In a bowl mix the paste with the onion, coriander, salt, turmeric and chilli. Shape the mix into balls. Heat the oil at a medium/low heat for about 5 minutes until hot but not smoking. Fry them 4 at a time till they are golden brown all over and crispy.

Churros y Chocolate

I had wanted to make churros for quite some time, and the recipe that came in Thomasina’s book looked good. It was good. The churros are so light and crispy and the sauce is extremely rich and dark, very delicious. I will say that this makes a lot for 4 people (I underestimated), so next time I would halve the quantities – especially for the chocolate sauce, there is a whole jug left! A bit time consuming to make, but quite fun if you get a bit of help.

For the Churros: 125g plain flour, 125g self raising flour, pinch salt, 2 tbsp olive oil, 90g golden caster sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 litre sunflower oil

Sift the flours and salt into a large bowl. Mix the oil with 450mls boiling water and combine with the flour using a fork, to form a dough. Leave the dough to rest for 10 or up to an hour. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon and set to the side.
 Heat the oil in a large pan till a small amount of the churros mix sizzles and bubbles quickly and cooks in about a minute.
Using a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle, pipe long sticks of dough, chop them and let them drop into the oil. Fry the churros so there are 3 in the pan at any one time. When they are golden brown and feel crisp they are done. I reckon one takes about 2 minutes to cook. Drain the cooked ones on paper towels, then sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar when they’re not too hot. Serve them as soon as they’re all cooked dipped in the chocolate.

For the Chocolate: 200g dark 70% chocolate, 50g milk chocolate, 300mls double cream, 2 tbsp golden syrup

Chop the chocolate then heat everything in a pan gently – stirring all the time- till the chocolate is melted and a smooth, shiny sauce is created. This can be made ahead and reheated just before eating.

Rotolo of Butternut Squash, Spinach and Ricotta

So today I made a pasta dish that I thought I never would, this ‘rotolo’ – kind of large stuffed pasta – that I had seen in Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy book. It is a pretty involved process, with quite a fair number of steps, but has a very spectacular result!

The recipe is really long and detailed so I will suggest you hunt it down yourself, it shouln’t be too hard to find – or better yet buy the book! It’s a really good one that I’ve had loads of success with, I always use the pizza dough recipe and risotto recipe is fab, more unusual dishes like tuna meatballs and polenta chips are amazing too.

So, I’ll just say: I made pasta dough economically by using 300g of ’00’ flour and three whole eggs, it was still very tasty. I rolled the pasta out using a pasta machine and sticking the sheets together, as suggested, and it turned out fine. I didn’t clarify any butter, just melted some down with a handful of sage with great result. The ends of the roll will be too tough and thick to eat – the pure pasta – so just trim this away before serving. Definitely a dish to make for impressing people, but as Jamie says, you’ll feel better if you try it out on your family first. 

 

Pearl Barley Risotto with Marinated Feta

Another winner from the Jerusalem book, the first time I’ve cooked with pearl barley and the we all loved it – a really simple and very tasty vegetarian alternative to normal risotto. The feta makes a great contrast to the silky chewy grains, I served it with a salad of roasted beetroot, tomato and butter beans with coriander.

To Feed 4: 200g pearl barley, 2 sticks celery, 1/2 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 30g butter, 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 4 sprigs thyme, 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 4 strips lemon peel, 700mls vegetable stock, 400mls passata, 1 diced tomato, 200g feta, 1 tbsp caraway seeds

Rinse the barley in a sieve and leave it to drain over a bowl. Finely chop the onion, celery and garlic. Heat the butter with 2 tbsp of the oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the veg for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the thyme, spices, lemon, stock barley, passata and tomato. Season well and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 45 minutes to an hour stirring frequently till the liquid is absorbed. Whilst the barley is cooking get the feta marinating. Toast the caraway seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes, then crush them in a pestle and mortar, leaving lots of whole seeds too. Crumble the feta into a bowl and stir in the seeds and the rest of the oil. To serve, spoon the marinated feta onto the hot risotto.

Mexican-Style Chile Con Carne

My first recipe made from Thomasina Mier’s book Mexican food made simple. Another really nice book, with so many good looking recipes it was a struggle to choose where to start. I love chile, but I usually stick to a very basic method using chilli paste, minced beef and kidney beans so this recipe was very intriguing. The result is unlike any chile I’ve ever had – fresh tasting and bursting with flavour and spice. I’m giving my adaptation according to what ingredients I could get.

 

To Feed 6-8: 1kg shin beef cut into 5 pieces, 2 large onions, 4 cloves garlic, 225g chorizo, 2 tsp each of ground cumin, allpsice and dried oregano, 1 tsp cloves, 1 large cinnamon stick, 2 small red chillies chopped finely, 1 tsp salt, ground black pepper, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 tsp dark muscovado sugar, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 200mls red wine, 2 tins borlotti beans

Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a very large casserole. Brown the beef all over. Meanwhile you can chop the chorizo into bitesized chunks. Take the beef out and add the chorizo to pan to brown it and let the fat render out. Meanwhile chop the onion and garlic finely. Take the chorizo out, leaving the red oil in the pan. Fry the onion and garlic with all the herbs and spices in the oil till soft. Season this with the salt and lots of pepper. Stir in the vinegar, ketchup, sugar and tomatoes. You should preheat the oven to 120C  at this point. Add the meat back to the pan then stir in the wine and 200mls water. Bring this to a simmer then cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. Add the beans at this point, give it a good stir, then return to the oven for another hour. Before serving, take out the chunks of meat and shred them before returning to the sauce.

I served it with basmati rice, and topped it with shredded cabbage dressed with a little lemon juice and oil, fresh coriander, a squeeze of lime. I made fresh salsa also to accompany it, and put grated cheese and soured cream on the table for people to add their own.

 

I took an idea for the salsa from the same book. It made plenty and had just the right amount of kick.

For the salsa: 4 vine tomatoes, 1/2 large onion, 1 jalapeno chilli, small handful coriander leaves, juice of 1 1/2 limes, salt and pepper, 1 tsp demerara sugar

Quarter the tomatoes and take the juicy seeds and flesh out, you can save them for another time. Dice up the remaining flesh. Dice the onion and chilli very finely, mix these together with the tomato in a bowl, stir in the lime juice and sugar and season well to taste.

Coriander and Lime Chicken and Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges with Chipotle Mayonnaise

I have been really inspired by south american, especially mexican food recently after a couple of trips to London’s Wahaca. I love how fresh and vibrant the food there is: all the different smoky, sweet and sharp flavours combining with exciting textures and spice – it’s really fun food to make and eat. I’ve made these sweet potato wedges a couple of times now and they’re fab, especially with my little sister M’s zesty and hot mayonnaise. The chicken was improvised just using what I had in the house but the result was really tasty.

For the Chicken: 6 chicken thigh pieces (on the bone), juice of 1/2 lime, large bunch chopped coriander, 2 tbsp white wine, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tbsp garlic oil, 1 tbsp coriander oil, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper

Sit the chicken pieces in a baking tray so they are packed quite snugly close to each other. Mix all the other ingredients well in a small bowl, season well with salt and pepper and add a splash of water. Spoon the mix over the chicken so they’re all covered. You can slice up the squeezed lime wedges and bake alongside the chicken if you like for extra flavour. Bake in an oven preheated to 190-200C fan for 40 minutes.

For the Wedges:  6 big sweet potatoes, chilli oil (or plain oil), garlic oil, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground mixed spice, salt and pepper

You’ll need the oven preheated to 190-200Cfan. Chop the potatoes into wedges and lay them in a large baking tray, making sure they can sit in one layer – if they’re are too many just use 2 trays or leave them out. Drizzle them with 1 1/2 tbsp each of the oils and season them well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over all the other spices and, using your hands toss the potatoes till they’re all coated in spice and oil. Make sure thay are all layed out in one layer before baking in the oven for 40 minutes, turning them once halfway through.

For the Mayonnaise: mayonnaise, 1 lime, chipotle paste, garlic oil

Basically mix the mayonnaise with the chipotle paste to taste, add the zest and juice of the lime – as much as you like- and a small splash of garlic oil.

Yummy served with a simple salad of shredded lettuce, beetroot, tomato and carrot. An amazingly simple to do weeknight meal.