Category Vegetables and Salads

Homemade Pizza & Aperol Spritz

May 3, 2020 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

ow could we go through lockdown without making our own pizzas? With banana bread ticked off the list and endless quiz nights over Zoom completed, pizza making was next and by far the most satisfying! This weekend, when date night rolled around again, we raided our local supermarket for Aperol, oranges and tinned pineapple and made use of that coveted yeast that my mum sent us in the post…turns out you can’t buy yeast easily at the moment unless you live somewhere very middle class like Wiltshire. Ironically we have the enviable flour so I’ll keep an eye out for a grey market for bakers in the local area.

Obviously feel free to top your pizzas with whatever you like! I am unashamedly proud that one of my favourite pizzas is a Hawaiian, followed closely by a Siciliana. This dough makes great thin crust which allows more stomach space for toppings.

Makes 2 large pizzas

Dough

300g strong bread flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Tomato Sauce

1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 garlic cloves
Handful fresh basil
1 large tsp chilli flakes

Toppings – choose your favourite! We made 2 pizzas as follows:

Pineapple pieces, parma ham, grated cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella
1 tbsp capers, 1 can anchovies, 1 handful olives, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 garlic glove (grated), grated parmesan and mozzarella

To make the dough, combine the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and 200ml of tepid water. Using a fork mix well until combined.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured worktop and knead together until you form a smooth elastic dough. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place/worktop for 1 hour. (you can actually skip this step if you want and go straight to the pizza making esp if you’re after thin crust).
Make the sauce by putting the tinned tomatoes in a saucepan and add the crushed garlic, chopped basil and chilli. Mix the tomato puree with about 150ml of warm water in a jug then add this too. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Taste and season and then blend with a hand blended. Set aside.
When ready to make the pizza, heat the oven to 220 and put your baking trays in there to heat up – or your pizza stones if you’re fancy.
Knock the air out of the dough and knead gently for a few minutes to form a smooth dough again before dividing into two balls. On a floured surface, roll one ball of dough as thinly as possible (about 25cm across) but the thinner the better for a nice crispy crust.
Place the rolled dough onto a large piece of baking parchment before putting on your toppings.
Top you pizza first with the tomato sauce and then with any toppings you wish.
Remove the hot trays from the oven and carefully lift the pizza on the parchment onto the hot tray. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until crispy and starting to turn golden.
Serve chopped with a jug of Aperol Spirtz!

Sweetcorn Fritters & Smoked Salmon

April 25, 2020 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

elieve it or not, I posted this recipe in 2012 and have been making fritters almost weekly. It’s such a faithful fritter recipe and can be paired with many ‘toppings’ for any meal time (see below). Feel free to even chuck in any leftover fridge ingredients such a diced chorizo, cubed feta or even some bacon if you feel like it. I’ve disappointingly ventured into courgette fritter making but always end up with a watery soggy mess. My pea, mint and black pudding fritters come a close second and Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower & Cumin recipe is a winner if you’ve not attempted them. However sweetcorn is the one for me.

I have been pushing for “Isolation Friday date nights” to become the new norm in our new anti-social life as I search desperately to find something to look forward to in the week and focus my creative mind on. This week was my turn and we “went”….beer tasting (in our living room)! It felt good to support my local craft beer store (Ghost Wale) which I’m ashamed to say I’d never been to before now. So I ‘click & collected’ 5 new beers and set up a flight of interesting beers.

Given we eat these fritters on a weekly basis, I was keen to indulge in a favourite comfort recipe to match our beers as we ate and drank away our Friday night after a pretty busy week working and destroying my leg muscles doing squats on the balcony!

These can be eaten for breakfast (top with smoked salmon, grilled chorizo, poached eggs, hollandaise etc); lunch snack with a salad or dinner as I’ve done here. Guacamole makes a great addition with some slices of grilled halloumi to keep it vegetarian!

Makes about 8 fritters

300g frozen sweetcorn
4 spring onions
Large bunch coriander, chopped
1/2 red chilli chopped OR 1 tsp chilli flakes
40g plain flour
40g polenta
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g grated cheese (I use half cheddar, half parmesan)
2 large eggs, beaten
Smoked salmon to serve
1 lemon
1 lime
1 x can black beans
1 x avocado, diced
2 large tomatoes, dressed and chopped
Creme fraiche OR Greek yoghurt to serve.

Make the fritter batter firstly by bringing the corn to the boil in a saucepan and simmering for a few minutes. Drain well and leave to cool.
Mix the spring onions, half the coriander, chilli, flour, baking powder, polenta, cheese and a seasoning of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Add about 1/3 of the sweetcorn to the bowl. Blend the other 2/3 in a food processor until chunky but blended. Add this to the mixing bowl and stir well.
Mix in the 2 beaten eggs thoroughly until the mixture is a good thick batter.
Assemble the black bean salad by draining and rinsing the black beans and adding them to a serving bowl. Add the avocado, the tomatoes, the other half of the coriander and some good seasoning. Squeeze over the juice of the lime and stir to combine.
To make the fritters, heat a tbsp of sunflower oil in a large non-stick frying pan. When hot, add a few spoonfuls of batter at a time for each fritter into the hot oil and cook the fritters for a few minutes each side until they are golden on the outside but cooked through. Drain on kitchen towel once cooked. Continue with the rest of the batter.
To serve, stack 2-3 fritters per person and top with some smoked salmon slices. Spoon over a dollop of creme friache or greek yoghurt and squeeze over the juice of a lemon and some cracked black pepper.
Serve alongside the black bean salad!

Quesadillas – Black bean, Guacamole & Cheese

February 18, 2020 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

eat free Monday at its best. There is a trend here for meat free Monday success and I think its black beans. They have such delicious properties – high in protein and they give you that ‘meaty’ savoury taste that you may want in your dishes if you’re a die hard carnivore. I just love their depth of flavour and ability to handle heaps of smoked paprika!

I love quesadillas but I’ve never actually made them quite shamefully. A bit like making pancakes or pizzas, all the effort is in getting your toppings/filling ingredients ready! You can go wild here with what you choose to put inside.

Portion size – My fiancee would say that its 1 x Q each with a side salad. I’d say I could only manage 1/2 – they are quite filling! My quantities below made 3 annoyingly. That said, if you’re not keen to just invite the better half of your favourite couple for dinner, these can be shared OR just pad them out with a few more of your favourite Mexican ingredients to make more: a tangy tomatoes salsa would be in mine next time!

Makes 3

6 wholemeal tortilla wraps
2 x cans black beans, drained, rinsed
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 lime
2 x avocado’s
1 big bunch corainder
1 large red onion
Strong, mature cheddar cheese, grated (not putting measurements here, cheese is cheese)
Tabasco (or your favourite hot sauce)
Side salad – I made a simple one using chopped gem lettuce, some baby toms, handful of sweetcorn and some mustard cress! Topped with a mustardy dressing for punch.

Prep all your fillings. Start with the beans. Put the drained beans, paprika, cumin, a pinch of salt and the juice of half the lime and some seasoning in a food processor. Pulse, adding a splash of hot water, until a paste – don’t make it too smooth OR wet but it needs to be spreadable. Taste and adjust with lime if needed.
Mash the avocados in a bowl with some salt and pepper and the juice of the other half a lime. Set aside
Chopped the red onion really finely and add to a bowl. Chop the coriander and add to the onion. Set aside.
Heat a large non stick frying pan on a medium high heat. Add a tsp of sunflower/rapeseed oil.
While it is heating – assemble Q number 1!
On a board/work surface, take 1/3 of the beans and smooth evenly and thinly over one of the wraps making sure to work right up to the edge.
Do the same with 1/3 of the avocado.
Scatter over 1/3 of the onion/coriander mix. If you want it hot, add some generous splashes of hot sauce, as much as you dare but I recommend you add some to give a bit of a kick.
Scatter over enough cheese for your liking – be generous. Top with another wrap and push down gently.
Fry the Q in the pan for about 3-4 minutes until you’re confident it had developed a nice golden crust underneath – I can only suggest you use a spatula to have a little peak. When its nearly done, give it a gentle push to make sure the top and bottom and nicely welted together with molten cheese.
Now – with some wishful thinking and dexterity, use a few spatulas if needed to flip the Q onto the other side without it going everywhere! Continue to cook and crisp the other side for a few minutes giving it a nice little push now and again to melt everything together.
Once done, slide the Q out onto a nice big chopping board and leave it to cool slightly for 2 minutes. Once not so molten, chop into quarters.
Repeat with the other 2 Q’s and then serve dipped in yet more hot sauce!

Vegetarian Laksa

January 28, 2020 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

aksa has been on my to do list for ages. I’m not noodles biggest fan (ramen and udon my biggest peve) so its slipped to the bottom.

That said, my fiancé is an udon and all things ‘pad Thai’ lover (compromise) so, being an excellent wife in training I made him noodles for dinner. We’ve been focusing on vegetables this month so I ditched the chicken and prawns here and made this dish with some tasty, crunchy vegetables. The sauce is the star of the show so you won’t even miss it! I’d happily just eat this sauce with prawn crackers for dipping!

This one was adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Laksa recipe which I was really impressed with! I decided to add some crunchy, sweet soy roasted cashews to the top which, if entertaining, also make an excellent nibble with drinks.

NOTE: You can use whatever vegetables you like here. Just ensure you don’t overcook them so add them into the sauce at the right stage as necessary. See method below for this and adapt accordingly.

Serves 4

1 vegetable stock cube
Half cauliflower, cut into bitesize florets
1 x packet baby sweetcorn
1 x packet sugar snap peas
2 cloves garlic
5cm piece ginger
1 red chilli
1 tsp tumeric
Bunch spring onions
1 heaped tsp peanut butter
4 dried kaffir lime leave
Small handful fresh coriander
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
200-300g noodles – half vermicelli, half plain rice noodles. I used these and used 4 blocks in total.
1 x 400g can coconut milk (good quality)
3 limes

Soy Cashews

100g cashew nuts
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp desiccated coconut

Start with the cashews. Preheat the oven to 200. Mix the honey, soy and nuts in a bowl. Tip onto a lined baking tray. Bake for about 5 minutes before turning. At this stage, add the coconut and coat well. Continue to roast for a further 5-7 minutes until crispy and golden. set aside.
Next make the paste. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric, 3 spring onions, the peanut butter, kaffir, half the coriander, sesame, soy and fish sauce to the bowl of a food processor (Or pestle and mortar). Blend to make a paste.
Heat 800ml of water in a large pan until simmering. Crumble in the stock cube and then add in the cauliflower and corn. Simmer for 1 minute.
Add the paste and stir. Add the noodles and bring to a simmer for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and the sugar snap peas and stir thoroughly.
Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and taste. Add more lime if needed.
Chop the remaining coriander and spring onions and scatter on top followed by the cashews.
Serve and enjoy!

Warm Broccoli & Pesto Salad

November 14, 2019 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

love cold crisp salads with warm roasted vegetables. The contrast is so comforting. Adding pesto to warm roasted vegetables is just an extra level up! Tossed with a handful of my favourite salad ‘accessories ‘ I’ve added toasted seeds and croutons here.

Because pesto is one of the main events, I highly encourage you to make it! If you have a processor its a 5 minute job so don’t be put off.

Serves 2-4 (depending on hunger!)

1 packet tenderstem broccoli
1 little gem lettuce
1 bag rocket
2 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower etc), toasted in a pan
2-3 slices of stale breadcrumbs/a chunk of bread torn up
2-3 tbsp homemade pesto
1 lemon

Pesto

1 garlic clove
1 large bunch basil
1 handful pine nuts
1 handful of parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon, juice only
Extra virgin olive oil

Start by making the croutons. Break the bread into bitesize chunks and toss in a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Add to a baking tray and roast for about 10-15 minutes in a hot (190) oven until crisp and golden. Set aside.
Next make the pesto. Add all the ingredients except the oil into a food processor with some seasoning. You can also use a pestle and mortar here. Blend or pound the ingredients into a rough paste. Slowly add enough oil to loosen to your desired consistency, don’t be tempted to add too much. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan to a medium high heat and toast the seeds (no oil, use a dry pan). When they start to pop, remove and set aside.
Add a splash of oil to the pan now and add the broccoli and fry for 5-10 minutes until beginning to crisp and soften. Season.
Roughly chop the outer leaves of the little gem lettuce and then simply ‘flake’ the inner leaves off the stem and add to a large serving bowl. Combine with the rocket.
Mix the salad leaves with 2-3 tbsp of the pesto and mix thoroughly to combine. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some seasoning.
Add the broccoli and toss to combine.
Top with a scattering of seeds and the croutons. Serve!

This is a great side dish to many things, salmon, fish etc. Its also lovely with extra treats thrown in such as feta, crumbled goats cheese, avocado etc.

Mushroom & Cavolo Nero Lasagne

November 3, 2019 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

asagne is a warming comfort dish perfect for these soggy Autumn days. But with increasingly more vegetarian recipes out there to be experimented with I couldn’t resist the sound of this combination with a stringy cheese sauce and some soft sheets of pasta. The Italians might have something else too say about this but I think you can make ‘lasagne’ with anything as long as your have plenty of cheese, a white sauce and pasta. Throw in any meat ragu or roasted vegetable combination you like.

Serve 6-8

About 9 x sheets fresh lasagne pasta sheets (dried will work also)
About 300g cavolo nero, chopped (woody stalks removed)
500g mixed mushrooms (I used a pack of chestnut and some chanterelles) sliced
Handful of dried mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
Few sprigs thyme, leaves picked
60g butter
60g plain flour
750ml milk
100g grated cheese (I used 50/50 cheddar and gruyere
Parmesan cheese for grating on top

Start by making the white sauce. Heat 50g of butter in a saucepan and melt slowly. Next, add in the flour and mix throughly until you have a paste. Cook out this paste for a minute or so.
Next, add a good splash of milk and use a whisk to mix throughly. It will start to thicken fast so whisk fast and constantly. Add more milk and repeat until you’ve added all the milk and the sauce is smooth. Season well with plenty of freshly cracked pepper. Simmer on a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes until the side thickens and its smooth. Taste and season if needed.
Add all but a handful of the grated cheese, mix and remove from the heat. Add the chopped cavolo nero and stir. Put a lid on top and set aside. The heat should wilt the greens, ready for the lasagne.
Soak the dried mushrooms in water (enough to cover) and leave for 20 minutes.
Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and add the remaining 10g of butter and a dash of sunflower/olive oil (Never cook with Extra virgin – it should not be heated). Add the chestnut mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until they are beginning to brown and the water they release has been evaporated. Season well. Add the chanterelles, chopped garlic and sage for the final few minutes. Remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 180.
Drain the soaked mushrooms, keeping the liquid, and chop roughly. Add to the pan of cooked mushrooms.
Get yourself a rectangular lasagne dish, about 28x22cm approx.
Spoon a small amount of white sauce on the bottom of the dish. Cover with 2-3 lasagne sheets, depending on your dish size. You don’t want any overlapping so cut them up to fit if needed.
Spoon over 1/3 of the white sauce with the cavil nero followed by half of the mushroom mixture and spread evenly.
Top with another layer of lasagne sheets and repeat the process adding 1/3 white sauce and the other half of the mushrooms. Top with the final layer of lasagne sheets (3 laters in total).
You should be left with 1/3 of the white sauce. Spoon this over the top of the pasta, making sure to moisten all the sheets so they don’t dry out in cooking.
Finally, scatter over the handful of cheese you reserved and grate a generous coating of parmesan over the whole thing. I don’t hold back with the parmesan. It creates a beautful golden crust and tastes amazing.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden on top and the white sauce is bubbling underneath.]

SERVE: with a crisp little gem, chicory and rocket salad coated in a smooth Dijon mustard dressing.

Spanish Tortilla with Burrata & Herbs

October 21, 2019 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

t’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe but I’ve certainly not stopped cooking. Engaged life has had me practicing my wife skills after all…!

I’ve shamefully never cooked a Spanish tortilla so I felt it was about time I added it to my repertoire. I have historically not had the best track record with eggs. Ask my fiancee..ahem. This is mainly due to my impatience but I’ve apparently gotten better! Wife points! I’ve forever ooooed at the prepacked tortillas in the supermarket ‘delis’ confidently telling myself I’ll make one so I’m glad I finally have because this really is a dish that is so simple and so delicious and much better made at home.

Makes the perfect Monday night dinner or the centre stage of a casual tapas feast for guests with lots of other Spanish treat.

*I am very aware that I’ve tainted the Spanish authenticity in this classic dish with Italian burrata but I challenge any of you to say you won’t be adding it and it doesn’t taste good!

Adapted from ‘Half Baked Harvest‘. I rather non traditionally but with my health in mind, roasted the potatoes slices to soften them rather than frying in oil!

Serves 6

8 eggs
3 potatoes (I used Maris piper), sliced to 1/2cm slices
1 onion, finely sliced
Handful thyme & rosemary, leaves picked, chopped
1 packet/bunch chives, chopped
1/2 pack flat leaf parsley, chopped
Handful basil, leaves chopped
Handful dill, chopped
Olive oil
4 slices parma ham/prosciutto
1 packet rocket leaves
1 ball fresh burrata – the best you can afford (use buffalo mozzarella if you can’t get burrata but don’t use normal/cheap mozzarella, it just won’t be the same!)
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Slice the potatoes and spread them evenly on a baking tray. Season and drizzle over some oil and roast for about 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown but not crisp. They should be soft at this stage but not falling apart. Set aside to cool.
Heat a nonstick large frying pan on a medium heat- it is vital its non stick else you’ll have a scrambled egg mess. Add a splash of oil and gently fry the onion until soft and beginning to caramelise. Now, add the chopped rosemary and thyme and fry for a few more minutes. Set aside to cool.
Turn the oven heat up to 220°C.
In a bowl mix all the fresh herbs with the fried onions. Add the potatoes. Whisk the eggs well in a separate bowl and season well. Pour then eggs over the potatoes and gently stir making sure you don’t break the potatoes up.
Preheat the frying pan you used for the onions on a medium heat. Pour in the potato-egg mixture moving the egg around gently at the start and then quickly spread the potatoes into an even layer.
With the heat on medium low, let the eggs cook for about 5-10 minutes using a spatula now and again to tease the edges away from the sides. The aim is to let the bottom cook gently so its important not to have it too hot. Shake the pan gently now and again.
Once there is a good crust around the edges and the eggs are beginning to cook in the middle, place the pan in the oven and cook for about 8 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through.
Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes.
When ready, carefully invert the pan onto a serving platter.
Top with the rocket leaves and squeeze over a little lemon.
Top with the parma ham and finally the burrata.
Drizzle with some lovely extra virgin olive oil and serve! Ideal at room temperature.

Spinach & Cheese Spiral

July 16, 2019 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

ilo pastry is one of my favourite pastries. Its light, crispy, buttery and gives the most amazing texture contrast when baked with a soft filling. Its not only ideal for savoury pies such as here but impressive when cooked with a sweet filling. This very spiral can be packed with a sweet almond frangipane and dusted with icing sugar for a delicious dessert.

This a a spiral version of the traditional Greek spanakopita that can be made in a round tin also. This may look more complicated but its actually a lot easier if you don’t have a tin to hand! It can be a bit tricky to manipulate however I promise once baked it will look like stunning. As someone who grumpily shoved the raw pie into the oven, cursing at how it looked “nothing like the recipe photo” and “how on earth can that be expected to work” it came out looking like a model spanakopita. I felt smug.

Serve with a simple fresh green salad with plenty of lemon juice and a scoop of Greek yoghurt.

TIP: Keep the filo pastry under a damp tea towel when not using to stop it drying out. It WILL dry out in minutes and break apart if not.

TIP: Use plenty of melted butter. Don’t leave any raw pastry un-buttered. It will make it easier to form into a spiral, prevent cracks and taste better.

Adapted from delicious magazine.

Serves 4

1 pack filo pastry (about 6-7 sheets)
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds

Filling

1 large red onion, sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 x 400g bags spinach leaves
300g feta, crumbled
150g goats cheese, crumbled
40g parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 free range eggs
Bunch dill, finely chopped
Bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
Pinch chilli flakes
1 lemon, zest and juice
75g pine nuts, toasted
Nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 190 and line a baking tray with parchment.
Wilt the spinach in batches in your biggest pan with a splash of water. Drain, cool and then squeeze out any excess water. Then, using a muslin cloth or tea towel, tightly squeeze the remaining water (you’ll be shocked at how little spinach you end up with).
Roughly chop the remaining spinach and add to a big mixing bowl. Set aside.
Fry the red onions for about 5 minutes until soft. Season and add the balsamic. Let this sizzle and cook and coat the onions until they become sticky. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Add all the cheeses, the eggs, the dill (save a handful for serving), mint, chilli, lemon, pine nuts and a pinch of nutmeg to the spinach bowl. Season well. Finally, add the onions and mix well.
Melt the butter if not already done so.
Put one sheet of rectangular filo on a clear work surface and brush generously with butter. Top with another sheet and brush as before. Add 1/3 of the spinach mixture in a line against the long edge of the pastry. Roll into a cylinder, brushing with butter to cover any raw pastry.
Twirl the long roll into a coil keeping it tight at the centre. Ensure its generously buttered or it will crack. Don’t worry if it does, you can patch it up with extra buttered filo before baking.
Repeat this step with the other pastry sheets and the other 2/3 of mixture adding the rolls to the coil making it larger as you go.
Brush the whole wheel liberally with butter. If there are any large cracks and the filling is exposed, take a spare piece of pastry, butter and then patch it up as best you can. Finally, scatter with a pinch of salt and the sesame and nigella seeds.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown and cooked.
Serve scattered with extra dill.

I like to cut mine into a slice like you would a quiche. Some serve by the roll, pealing off bits of the spiral. As you like. My way you end up with a higher pastry ratio!

Sesame Crusted Salmon & Spicy Corn Salsa

June 11, 2019 Comments Off read Seafood, Vegetables and Salads

pending on how well you know me or how avidly you follow my instagram, you may or may not know that I’m currently training to be a sports masseuse. I’ll spare you the details, but it involves me having to practice on about 30 willing clients for free before qualifying. (Please get in touch is you’re a commute from Brixton and would like one!)

So this evening after work was massage night. On these evenings, real work to homework, I need a quick healthy dinner and salmon always comes to mind. I picked up a few pieces and used up the fridge remains on this occasion. I wanted crunch, flavour and spice. This salsa-come-salad is a combination of some of my favourite tastes with some added croutons for crunch amongst the soft textures. That and croutons always make any meal better. A bit like butter…

oating the salmon adds a really nice change to marinading or doing whatever it is you usually do with salmon. My pet hate (besides “English bolognese”) is the length of time people cook salmon! Dry, dry, dry! In a hot 220 oven it needs only 7 minutes at most for the supermarket vat-pack sized pieces. Soft in the middle and just cooked. If you pan fry it first to crisp the skin, knock another minute off in the oven as I do here. Tip. If you see that white creamy looking juice coming from the salmon…it’s already overcooked. Sorry.

P.S. Don’t let this put you off cooking salmon for me if i’m ever over for dinner. Just cook it right…;-)

Serves 2

*Measurements done on judgement. Use more of less of each as desired.

2 salmon fillets
Sesame seeds (about 3 tbsp)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp runny honey
1 avocado, chopped
1 packet cherry tomatoes, quartered
180g sweetcorn
1 bunch coriander, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped finely
4 spring onions, chopped finely
1 lime, juice and zest
Leftover stale bread, chopped OR 2 slices bread, cubed
Sunflower oil (for frying) & Extra virgin olive oil (for dressing)
Yoghurt to serve

Start by preparing the salmon and preheating the oven 220. Place the soy sauce and honey in a bowl and mix. Add the salmon to coat.
Scatter the sesame seeds on a place in an even layer. Take the salmon from the soy and place flesh side down on the sesame seeds. Turn to coat the fleshy edges. Don’t coat the skin. Repeat on the other salmon and set aside.
Cube the bread and put it in a baking tray. Season well and drizzle with some sunflower/rapeseed oil. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden and crispy and oily! Remove and set aside.
Make the salsa by combining the tomatoes, avocado, corn, coriander, spring onion and chilli. Grate in the zest of the lime and squeeze in the juice. Add a tsp of extra virgin oil. Season well.
When ready to cook the salmon, heat a non-stick frying pan to a high heat. Sear the salmon skin side down for about 30 seconds. Flip and sear the sesame fleshy side and the edges for only 20 seconds or so to seal and turn the seeds golden. Place on a baking tray lined with some oiled oil and bake in the oven for 6-7 minutes.
While these are cooking, add the croutons to the salsa and mix well. By the time you serve some will have absorbed the tasty juices and some will be crunchy and delicious.
Serve the salmon with a spoonful of salsa, a wedge of lime and some fresh yoghurt.

Ta-da.

If anyone would truly like a free massage (free depending on if you read this in September 2019…in which case I will be charging) then please get in touch on my contact page.

Green Shakshuka

June 10, 2019 Comments Off read Breakfast, Vegetables and Salads

say this a lot but what a dish. A new favourite. Please make it. Breakfast, lunch or dinner appropriate. It thus needs little said about it (added to the fact I was back at work today after a two week holiday and I’m feeling a bit tired for “words”). I love shakshuka but I also love my greens. This combination of sweet, slowly cooked leeks, fresh crisp pea crunch and subtle spice and chilli in the background is such a comforting mix. Topped classically with feta and unclassically with dill and sumac. Ottolenghi would be proud. Luckily since I’ve detoured from his new book on this one.

Its my Mum’s birthday today so I cooked with her in mind as I often do as she is ultimately where I learnt my craft. This weekend I will return home for birthday hugs and to cook her a birthday meal. She today requested my previous post – Salmon & Salsa. However, perhaps this will be not he menu after tonight?

Serve with your preference of bread. Toasted pitta, flatbreads, warm sourdough chunks…anything to scoop up those gooey yolks.

Serves 2 (greedily for dinner, 4 for brunch with bread)

4 spring onions, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1-2 green chillis, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 leeks, sliced thinly
150g “ish” spinach leaves (this was a guess…it was just enough to fill my pan!)
100g peas (frozen, blanched in hot water)
4 free range eggs
1/2 packet feta cheese
1 lemon, zest (wedges for serving)
1 small handful coriander, leaves chopped finely
1 small handful dill, chopped finely
Sumac to serve
Pita/flatbreads/toasted chunky bread to serve for “scooping”

heat a large fry pan and toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove from the pan and crush in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Heat some olive/sunflower/rapeseed oil in a large frying pan (never extra virgin oil! Do not cook with this ever, a post to follow on this). Add the spring onions and soften for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and fry gently careful not to catch/burn the garlic.
Add the cumin and coriander mix. Stir to combine.
Add the chopped leeks and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a gentle temperature and let the leeks soften down for about 10-15 minutes until beginning to caramelise. Add a lid if you like to help them along.
Add the spinach leaves and toss with the leeks and allow these to wilt with the heat. Add the peas.
When the spinach is wilted, make 4 wells inside the mixture. Crack your eggs carefully into each well and reduce the heat a little. Eggs need long and slow cooking! Season the eggs and then let them gently cook. Cover with a lid or foil towards the end to help the whites along their way.
Whilst the eggs cook, get all your garnish ready if you haven’t already so you can serve immeidaelyy.
The eggs are ready when the whites are just beginning to set on top and the yolks are still runny. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle over the coriander, dill, lemon zest, feta and finally a pinch of sumac over each yolk.
Serve immediately with your warm bread and a wedge of lemon!

Gooey, runny, sumac and dill sprinkled yolks. Food porn.