Category Vegetables and Salads

Nectarine, Basil, Balsamic & Halloumi Salad (With a side of hummus)

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Nectarine, Basil, Balsamic & Halloumi Salad (With a side of hummus)

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his dish started how many of my ‘simple’ dishes start. A long day at work and getting home later than planned leaves me wanting something easy and quick and halloumi is a great satisfying win that helps add to my increasingly vegetarian dishes.

Grabbing salad ingredients from the fridge to use up before a summer holiday, I was happy to see my favourite combination just waiting to be thrown together. Nectarine, basil, balsamic. If you haven’t tried these yet then I thoroughly recommend making this salad. Or is time is short, just try adding these 3 delights together in a bowl…and eating on some toasted buttered sourdough..and top with slow cooked scambeled eggs…OK you may need more time if you get carried away like me.

The salad is an excellent on its own, but talking of getting carried away, a side dish of warm floury flatbreads and lemony homemade hummus is never a bad idea. So while my halloumi fried, I made a quick humus. And if you have a food processor, then making hummus at home is literally a very quick job. Its the unlucky pot washer that suffers.

Serves 2 (greedy people)

  • 2 ripe nectarines, chopped into 2cm cubes
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1 small head broccoli, chopped in florets
  • 1 pack of halloumi, cubed
  • 1 little gem lettuce, chopped
  • 1 bag mixed salad – rocket, watercress, spinach etc
  • Handful basil leaves, torn
  • Handful flaked almonds, dry roasted
  • 1 lemon
  • Balsamic glaze (I like the one that Odysea sell). I’d avoid using the thinner vinegar as it doesn’t work as well here.
  • Flatbreads, homemade or shop bought, warmed
  1. Add the broccoli florets to a baking tray, season and drizzle very lightly with some sunflower oil. Roast the broccoli for 15 minutes at 200°C. Once roasted, remove from the oven and then leave to cool slightly.
  2. Add the nectarines, avocado, basil leaves, and almonds to a bowl. Season.
  3. Add the little gem leaves, salad leaves and roasted broccoli florets to a large serving bowl or platter. Add the nectarine combination and toss together.
  4. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon and then a generous amount of balsamic glaze. Toss to combine, taste and season.
  5. Fry the halloumi cubes in a little sunflower oil in a hot frying pan until golden brown. Drain on kitchen towel and add to the top of the salad.
  6. Serve with extra balsamic, warm flatbreads and some tasty hummus.

Hummus

  • 1 x can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 large tbsp tahini
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • Handful of fresh coriander
  • 1/2 green or red chilli
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp spice mix
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sumac – to serve
  1. To make the hummus, add all ingredients to a food processor and season.
  2. Blend until smooth, adding as much extra virgin olive oil to loosen to your desired texture.
  3. Spoon into a serving dish, drizzle with oil and scatter with sumac.

Seasonal Spring – Asparagus & Jersey Royals

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Seasonal Spring – Asparagus & Jersey Royals

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easonal eating for me is the sign of a cook that knows what they’re doing in the kitchen. Knowing what ingredients are in season and optimising their chance in the spotlight to get the best from them. We’re spoilt for choice in the UK. Asparagus when we want it, shipped from Peru. Avocados with so much pressure and expectation on their ripeness the moment we need them. No wonder sometimes they arrived a little bruised…they’re living up to millennial perfection!

That said, an evening in armed with hunger, but sadly not creativity, was the perfect Spring opportunity to cook seasonally. I try and only buy English asparagus but that doesn’t give me much chance to eat it. Not only does it taste delicious in season but it really is the best from our UK growers. Given its got such a small seasonal window (May!) I took the chance.

Note: You can either boil the potatoes OR roast them. You can also either steam the asparagus or pan fry. All cooking techniques are optional! 

Serves 2 

  • 2 seabass/seabream fillets
  • 1 large bunch asparagus
  • 1 bowl/bag mixed salad leaves to include watercress, rocket, spinach
  • Jersey royals – enough for 2 depending on hunger
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp capers, drained
  • Knob of butter

 

  1. Boil the Jersey Royals in simmering water until just cooked but not soft. They should have a little bite to them. You can either have these boiled, buttered and seasoned when they’re hot OR roast them. I roasted mine with a splash of oil, salt and pepper at 200 for about 25 minutes or until golden and crisp. Keep an eye on them.
  2. Snap the end off the asparagus spears. They should have a natural break point when you snap them which is where you discard the end. You can by all means also eat the ends! just chop them up smaller. Pan fry them with a tiny drop of oil and some seasoning. You do not want to fry for too long, just until softening but still with bite. 
  3. Add the wilted spears to the salad leaves and toss. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and some seasoning and toss again. Set aside.
  4. Heat a frying pan to a high heat and add a splash of oil. Score the fish fillets on the skin side and season. Fry for 3 minutes, skin side down until crisp and the flesh beginning to turn operate. Flip onto the other side for the final 30 seconds or so until cooked.
  5. At the very last minute add the capers and let them fry in the oil around the fish. Remove the pan from he heat and add a knob of butter. Toss the fish in the browning butter and capers.
  6. Serve immediately with the salad and the potatoes with a wedge of lemon.

This would also be amazing with a beautiful home-made mayonnaise or tartare sauce.

Shakshuka

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Shakshuka

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ike the majority of the country, we’ve opted for a meat-free-Monday in our household of two proud carnivores. So Shakshuka was on this Monday’s menu. Except that, I’ll admit, half way through cooking I feared it might be bland and, you know, ‘tomatoey’, so I added some diced, fried and oily chorizo pieces. Oops. It tasted delicious but is by no means authentic to the true Tunisian delight. So please omit if you’ve more restraint than me. It is not bland in the slightest. As a very strong advocate of powerful, punchy flavours, plenty of crumbled rich feta and a good squeeze of lime served nicely at the table will ensure this fits for a celebratory Monday feast.

It works nicely when my boyfriend has a football game to watch so I can blog merrily in the background and offer culinary support. I’ll give him praise though. He was the one who taught me patience with eggs. I am not the patient type when it comes to eggs. Until now. Since recently perfecting my oozing scrambled, I thought it time to give this tasty dish another try. The first try post is still in my drafts…

Serving suggestion include yoghurt or labneh as a side, flatbreads, warm pittas or some crusty sourdough bread to mop up the juices. I served mine in the middle of the table so we could all dig in!

Serves 2 (greedy as a main dinner/brunch)

Serves 4 (as a light breakfast)

  • 2 red peppers, chopped (you can chop finely or chunky, depends how you want the final dish consistency)
  • 2 red onions, sliced finely
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 can tinned tomatoes
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, sliced finely
  • 1 red chilli, chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 free range eggs
  • 80g approx feta
  • 3 spring onions, sliced
  • Coriander, chopped to serve
  • 1 lime
  1. Heat a large shallow frying pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive/sunflower oil. *This will be the pan you make the final dish in so choose wisely.
  2. Gently fry the red onion for about 8 minutes until turning translucent and softening. Season.
  3. Add the sliced peppers and chorizo and cook until the peppers are soft and the chorizo releases its oils. Season.
  4. Add the garlic and chopped chilli and fry for a few more minutes.
  5. Add the spices to the pan and stir to combine. Cook out for a few minutes.
  6. Turn the heat up a touch and add the red wine vinegar. Let this bubble and reduce before adding the chopped tomatoes and the tinned tomatoes. Stir to combine. 
  7. Top up with enough hot water to form a good consistency and a nice bed for the eggs.
  8. Turn the heat right down to a low simmer and make 4 wells in the mixture. Break the eggs directly, or via a mug, and pour into the wells.
  9. Now for the patience. Let this cook gently for about 10-12 minutes on the hob. Cover with a lid or a large piece of foil after about 5 minutes to ensure the whites cook through.
  10. When the whites are just set, remove from the heat. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime. Scatter over the crumbled feta and then finally scatter over the sliced spring onions and coriander.
  11. Serve immediately with warm flatbread or crusty bread. 

 

 

Carrot & Red lentil Dhal

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Carrot & Red lentil Dhal

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or no reason other than me, my other half cooks…rarely. But he can cook. Well and naturally. Its the ideas bit that, like many people, makes him begrudge the thought of it, especially for someone else.

But tonight was my night! Or his night I should say. A late spinning class for me and a WFH day for him meant he was on duty and as I pumped out the sweat of a long day I thought wildy about what he had chosen.

Door open – curry house smells. Good start.

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hilst I know he can cook, I never know quite what to expect. He once told me he was making orange chicken. Yes, quite literally chicken cooked in orange juice which, after I laughed (and gagged) our way home, was delicious. So I’ve learned to trust him. And what I like most is the imagination of someone else that makes me eat things I wouldn’t have thought of.

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here are occasions when you try something for the first time, where your brain stores the sensory information and captures it with a special binding memory. These occasions when you think back to that first taste. Where the memories are supported by the moment, the place, the need or desire for that food, the weather! These are memories that get better with time and sit on thrones in your mind ready to be disappointingly not as good as you remember.

This I found out the easy way as I recreated this dish for him this evening. One which I see being a weekly dinner staple. That first taste was devine. A mix of ‘not-having-a-clue-what-on-earth-this-would-taste-like’ and pure desire.

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weet, filling, hearty and can be eaten with pillowey soft flatbreads or naan and fingers if you really want. He did. We enjoyed it.

Adapted from Healthy Food Guide (for which I will now read more often)

Ingredients

Serves 3 hungry people, add a handful more lentils for 4. 

  • 1tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 500g carrot, grated
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 100g red lentils
  • 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
  • 4 naans/flatbread (see here)
  • Coriander to serve
  • Yoghurt to serve, add some lime for a zing
  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them sizzle and pop. Stir in the carrot and the curry powder and let the carrot sweat for about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the lentils and stock and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes until cooked and reduced.
  3. Loosen the peanut butter with a bit of hot water if thick, and then whisk it into the lentil, making sure it disperses.
  4. Season and simmer for a few more minutes until a nice thick consistency (up to you).
  5. Serve on, or alongside warm pitta, naan bread or homemade flat breads. Add a dollop of yoghurt and some coriander and serve.

Green Harissa & Cauliflower

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Green Harissa & Cauliflower

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his surprising condiment needs little introduction.  A fridge of left over herbs and a quick google search led me to this ever so pleasing and fiery paste. Taken from one of my favourite food magazines ‘bon appetit‘ for which makes me wish I was American (there are not many things that make unpatriotic), this recipe needed no amendments.

Fiery, spicy, fresh and packed full of flavour. I can’t wait to devour this on cream cheese laden toast or add it to my next batch of guacamole.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 jalapeños, sliced
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • Bunch fresh coriander
  • Bunch fresh flat leaf parsley
  • Juice from 1 large lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  1. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot dry frying pan until fragrant and set aside.
  2. Add all the ingredients (except the oil) to a food processor and blend to a puree. With the motor running, add enough olive oil to get a nice loose but not too runny consistency. It should be thick like jam.
  3. Store in a jar in the fridge for a week or so. The options are endless…

Uses: Rub for fish, spread on toast with cream cheese, pimp out your guacomole, use in place of pesto for a spicy kick, stir into yoghurt to top soups, refried beans, roasted with vegetables….which leads me to my next point.

Roasted Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients (Serves 3-4 as a side dish)

  • 1 whole cauliflower, florets picked and chopped if large
  • 1 big sweet potato (add another if cooking for hungry guests), peeled and cubed into dice size
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
  • Handful flaked almonds
  • 2 x little gem lettuces
  • 1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, flaked chilli
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • Green harissa
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Mix the chopped cauliflower, sweet potato and onion on a large flat baking tray.
  3. Sprinkle over the ground spices and drizzle with a good glug of sunflower oil. Season and stir to combine and coat everything well.
  4. Roast for about 20 – 30 mins or so in the oven until crisp and deliciously golden. Blast them at 220°C for 5 minutes at the end if you want them really crisp.
  5. While they are roasting, toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan until beginning to turn golden. Remove and set aside.
  6. Finely chop the little gem lettuce into thin shreds and scatter oven a large serving dish. Squeeze over the lemon juice. Add a few small spoonfuls of green harissa and mix the lettuce to coat in the paste.
  7. As soon as the vegetables are ready, remove from the oven arrange on top of the salad leaves.
  8. Scatter with the almonds. Finally, add small spoonfuls of green harissa across the roasted platter ensuring that each bite receives some spicy sauce! Serve with some lightly fried fish, or some tender chicken.

Butterbean ‘Hummus’ with Broccoli, garlic, almonds & chilli

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Butterbean ‘Hummus’ with Broccoli, garlic, almonds & chilli

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ne of the bonus’ for both me and my family & friends is that a cookery book is always a well received gift. Especially if its Middle Eastern inspired. My latest addition is both extremely enlightening and beautifully and factually written! ‘The Jewelled Table’  by Bethany Kehdy.

Having claimed a Middle Eastern ‘style’ to my own food with a heavy twist from almost everywhere, it was interesting to learn some truths about some of the dishes that are now such staples in our UK diets. Hummus most notably. 

  1. ‘Hummus’ means ‘chickpeas’. Hence why this recipe isn’t technically hummus but simply steals the tahini and lemon juice components that make our traditional hummus.
  2. No one country owns hummus. Thus, I think its OK to cook it with your own interpretation.

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hilst I adore Bethany’s recipes, I’m never one to simply follow and obey. That and I had less time on my hands than a few of her hummus’ called for so I adapted. Mainly from her recommendation to use dried chickpeas. I’ve found a fantastic brand (Napolina) which I will always use so sadly I am a little to lazy to follow this hearty advise.

I’ve have interpreted her ‘Mock hummus’ and added a few bits of my own. I’ve also topped it with the topping from another recipe (‘Butter Hummus’). But admittedly, the delicious and inspiring toppings in this book will make you simply want to create and heat upon a pot of supermarket…’hummus’? 

I hope you’re not confused about hummus. 

Adapted from ‘Mock Hummus, The Jewelled Table’.

Serves 2 (as a side)

Hummus

  • 1 can butter beans, drained.
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 2-3 tbsp tahini
  • 1-2 lemons, juice
  • 1 tbsp spice mix (see tip below). Equally you could use any spices you feel like.
  • Salt and pepper

  1. Blend the butter beans, tahini, juice of 1 lemon, spices and seasoning in a processor until smooth. 
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning or add more lemon if needed.
  3. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl and keep at room temperature.

Braised Broccoli

  • Tenderstem broccoli
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1/2 red chilli, sliced
  • Handful flaked almonds
  • 3 sundried tomatoes, drained and sliced thinly
  • 1 handful parsley, chopped

 

  1. Heat a frying pan on medium high and add a splash of rapeseed oil. Stri fry the broccoli for about 5-8 minutes until beginning to cook and crisp.
  2. Add the garlic and chilli and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until just beginning to turn golden (careful not to burn the garlic)
  3. Add the flaked almonds and fry until golden.
  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs and the tomatoes.
  5. Elegantly place on top of the hummus and serve immediately.

I served mine with fired halloumi and some warm flatbreads for dipping!

Enjoy.

TIP: Spice mix: Made by toasting all whole spices in a hot frying pan until fragrant. Then grind in a pestle and mortar. (The cinnamon can be removed and any empty cardamon pods) 1tbsp of each fennel; cumin; coriander; fenugreek; black/yellow mustard seed; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 cardamon pods; 1 star anise 

Provence & Tuna Tomato Salad

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Provence & Tuna Tomato Salad

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t has taken me over a week to write this post. Firstly because I’ve been nursing some holiday blues but secondly because I’ve been thrawling through my photos from the holiday to choose the best memories. Alas, this task painfully didn’t help the holidays blues… I’ve been reminiscing since. I’d also like to take this early opportunity to admit that many of these photos were taken by talented holiday date.

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rovence. Where do I start. After what can only be described as the most perfect, special and stereotypical week in the South of France I was inspired to cook and create. France is so full and generous in its freshness, variety and produce. From wine to vegetables, cheese to meat. After staying in a self catering apartment among bee laden lavender bushes and luscious green climbing vines, I relished the chance to cook with these fantastic products every evening with a different local bottle of rose to sample – research. It’ll be a few more weeks before I welcome the tomato salad back into my weekly menu, after devouring one too many,  but the variety and freshness really was stunning. That said, there is a recipe at the end of this post. I promise. But first a whistle stop tour through some highlights of the trip. My top foodie, wine and scenic experiences that I would highly recommend.

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e visited so many markets with character and charm. We drifted through the cobbled streets of Provence, stopping for coffee and to people watch. Whilst we saw some magical towns, it was Aix that stole my heart for food and life…and Saint-Remy-de-Provence for style, design and utter class. The Saturday market in Aix made my eyes glow and my culinary pulse race like a kid in a candy store. We bought fresh beans – green, white and red, and a rainbow of tomatoes. Purple basil, giant lemon and handfuls of sun dried tomatoes. Olive bread, charcuterie, and sunflowers.

The saucisson was to die for…we made it through on samples alone.

Following the markets, the days were filled with exploring the region, tasting the local rose and dining on the greatest of lunches. One of the highlights of the trip was the beautiful Chateau La Coste where we did just that. Tasted the best wines on offer followed by a rustic feast on ‘The Terrace’. (There is a more formal dining area, but ‘The Terrace’ offered both charm and ease – Chateau La Coste)

As if we were in need of better nourishing, a special and romantic lunch at the foot of Mount Ventuox after a morning absorbing Sénanque Abbey and its lavender moat, we visited somewhere rather special that I could not ignore. Hotel Crillion le Brave. You’d certainly not be in short supply of decadent hotels in Provence but this was quite the experience. And just a lunch experience I might add. A night will set you back a months worth of rent so we settled for cold rosé, more tomato salads and a feast for two while we settled in and wrote our postcards.

If you’re wishing to visit, it is also interesting at the foot of Mount Ventoux. So if you’re committed to working off that lunch then you can always challenge yourself to a fearful cycle.

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op experiences for a week in Provence:

  • Chateau La Coste – lunch, art, wine tastings
  • Aix-en-Provence – tour the town, visit the markets, people watch. Coffee in the garden of the gorgeous Hotel Pigonnet.
  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence – stylist and beautiful town for great interior shops, design pieces and fabrics
  • Senanque Abbey – stunning and magical. Go early – before 9am if possible as otherwise you’ll be swamped with coach tours
  • Gordes – clifftop town with stunning views. Have a coffee overlooking it.
  • Calais – a boat tour to the Calanques (I would do the 3/5 calanques trip. The 8 would be overkill). If its not too hot, hike to 1 & 2. (About 1-2 hours in total depending on fitness)
  • Hotel Crillion le Brave – something special for me but if you’re keen to also explore it, its a great lunch spot.
  • Lavender fields  – I’d avoid any tours, just visit any fields you drive past
  • Vineyards – stop in at as many as your can that you pass on the roadside. They all have something different to offer. They will all be welcome to host you!
  • Hot air ballooning – we did this at 5am-9am for sunrise over the region. Stunning and special. Champagne and pastries on landing. *Note, wind can disrupt bookings during the summer so prepare to be flexible.
  • La Bastide des Amandiers –  we stayed in this lovely self catering apartment. I could not fault it. (No children allowed. There are 3 x apartments. One sleeps 4, the others sleep 2). 
  • Transport – you’ll need a car for any travel you’ll want to do and especially if you’re staying at Le Bastide des Amandiers.
  • Marseille – we flew into Marseille airport and spent a night there before heading out to Provence. We spent 2 romantic evening in this jazz bar – La Caravelle – which is quite literally the hidden gem of the town, overlooking the harbour. They offer great cocktails and sharing meat, cheese and bread boards.

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ow I promised you a recipe and here it is. A simple and rustic tomato salad with a lightly grilled tuna steak.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • 2 tuna steaks
  • 4-5 large heritage tomatoes. (Different colours if you can find them) – room temperature.
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 large handful of green/purple basil
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1/2 loaf stale baguete/bread
  • Extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar
  • 1 lemon
  1. Start by preparing the tomatoes (its important they are at room temperature). Cut them in various sizes. I like to slice some into chunks, some into slices and some finely. Place in a large serving bowl.
  2. Deseed the cucumber and chop as you wish and add to the bowl.
  3. Finely slice the onion into half moons and half again and add to the bowl.
  4. Roughly chop the basil and add this too with plenty of seasoning and the juice of 1/2 the lemon.
  5. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar/glaze on serving.
  6. Cube the bread into croutons sized pieces and fry in hot oil in a frying pan with plenty of seasoning until golden. Drain and add to the tomato salad.
  7. To cook the tuna, heat a griddle, grill or non stick frying pan until hot. Season the steaks and cook for around 1 & 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side so just seared not he outside and pink in the middle.

Serve with a fine rose or a nice red. The red goes well with the beefy tomatoes and the tuna.

 

Glamorous Little Gems & Chicken

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Glamorous Little Gems & Chicken

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ts been one of the hottest days in London and I’m wishing I was anywhere else. Regardless if this is a “technically” true stat, for me, an outrageously and inhumane (#dramaqueen) commute home on a train only partially cooler than an incinerating furnace left me feeling like a spit roast chicken…without the delicious golden skin (which we all know is the best part). I power walked home with nothing but a swimming pool and a cold beer on the mind. To do just that. I love it when a plan comes together. After a refreshing lengths session in the local pool with the lane to myself and only one drifting plaster in sight I counted this as a good exercise sessions (it is also Thursday…most people have better things to do). I was feeling energised, refreshed and ready for the start of my evening round 2. Beer on the mind I wondered aimlessly around Co-op. Again, depressing for a Thursday evening I know. Inspiration at a stand still.

I’m convinced some of my favourite recipes are created out ofspontaneity and the need to EAT! And tonight, I was in one of those rare moods where (yes I’ll admit) I just want to eat and don’t care to much for the show business of blogging and aesthetics. Needless to say….I inevitably eyed up my camera as I always do as the meal was coming together and…well here you are. Thursday evenings creation. I am, if you are keen to know, enjoying a cold beer as I write this. I likely won’t be proofreading so please don’t be that ‘helpful’ reader who comments to advise of my grammatical errors….

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • 4 chicken thighs, deboned
  • 8 slices thin chorizo
  • 1 large garlic clove, diced
  • 2 little gem lettuces
  • Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Zest 1 lemon
  • Two large handfuls breadcrumbs
  • Sunflower oil
  • Lemon juice & yoghurt to serve (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Start by deboning the chicken thighs as most come sold with bone in. Easiest way is crudely with a pair of scissors. Heat a frying pan until hot. Season the skin side of the chicken well and then fry skin side down until really crisp and golden (like that spit roast…).
  2. Place the 8 slices of chorizo in a baking tray. When the chicken skin is temptingly crispy, seal the flesh side in the pan by flashing it on the heat before placing on top of the chrizo slices skin side up and putting the tray into the oven for 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the frying pan again and add a little oil. Fry the breadcrumbs and the diced garlic until golden and crisp, set aside in a large bowl.
  4. When the breadcrumbs have cooled slightly, to the bowl, add the lemon zest, as much finely grated parmesan as you like, the finely chopped parsley and some good seasoning.
  5. Heat a griddle pan or the same frying pan again and add a small splash of sunflower oil. At 5 minutes before the chicken is ready, halve the little gems, discarding any tatty outer leaves, and char these cut side down for a few minutes until just beginning to soften and the outside is golden (these are ideally done charred on a BBQ but a griddle works well. I actually did mine using a frying pan so this is also fine and effective). Remove from the heat.
  6. To serve, place the crispy chorizo on a plate and top with the chicken. Serve with the little gems scattered generously with the breadcurmb/cheesy crumb.

A cooling lemony yoghurt works well here drizzled over the little gems to add some clean acidity as most of the elements here are greasy. Some freshly boil peas also add a nice clean taste and addition. This also works well as an excellent side dish to many other proteins and salad. The textural contrast is the best!

Spring Stew

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Spring Stew

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his green spring stew celebrates vegetables but warms the stomach and is a nice transition from a cold Spring day to a Summer evening! You can absolutely experiment with adding different vegetables such as those listed below – weights and measures are also very rough here. Use your hands and throw things in! Just be concious of the cooking times of the different vegetables you choose – asparagus will need to just touch the heat before its overcooked, while green beans will need a little more time. So add these along the way accordingly. Open to variation but the lardons and garlic provide a good foundation and depth of flavour to build on so I recommend these as a must.

I cooked and served this with a delicately fried piece of seabass but a pan fried fillet of soft pink trout would be an excellent and seasonal choice. Topped with a dollop of homemade and indulgent hollandaise (see here) if you want to take this to a higher level or add another dimension.

Serves 2

  • 2 x seabass/seabream/trout fillets
  • 300g frozen garden peas (approximate weight)
  • 2 x little gem lettuce, chopped roughly
  • 200g smoked bacon lardons
  • 200g sugar snaps peas/green beans/asparagus tips/chopped courgettes (or a mixture of them all)
  • 1 red onion, sliced thinly
  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped finely
  • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, juice only
  • 1/2 stock cube
  • 1 tbsp soft unsalted butter (For the beurre manie, see Cheffy Tip!)
  • 1 tbsp flour

Cheffy Tip: I often use a ‘beurre manie’ (aka, kneaded butter) when I want to thicken a sauce but not make a white sauce or a roux. When you make a casserole and the sauce is a bit thin, or when you want to make the juices in a pan a bit thicker this is your tactic! When you mix the butter and flour into a paste, you coat the flour in butter particles. That way, when you stir this paste into hot sauces and liquids, the butter melts and distributes the flour particles evenly ensuring there are no lumps! (Ideally). You can make a small bowl and then add in tablespoons bit by bit until the thickness desired.

  1. Heat a splash of olive/sunflower oil in a frying pan and sauté the red onion for 8-10 minutes until translucent and softening. Continue cooking until they begin to turn a little golden but don’t burn. Season well.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes only.
  3. Add the bacon lardons and cook through until crispy.
  4. Crumble the half stock cube into a mug and add some hot water (about 300ml but its not exact, you won’t use it all, it will have to be used by eye)
  5. Add the frozen peas and toss briefly. You now need to work quickly as the pea, sugar snaps and lettuce will cook fast and you don’t want soggy overcooked fresh greens! Ideally the vege/lettuce should be al dente.
  6. Pour a good splash of the hot stock into the frying pan, enough so that there is a ‘sauce’ that will simmer you veges but not so that its swimming! You don’t need to use all the stock but its there to balance the sauce as you wish. Bring to a simmer.
  7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mash the soft butter with the flour to a paste until dough like (this is called a ‘beurre manie’). Whisk this quickly into the liquid in the frying pan – I stress quickly to ensure no lumps. This ‘paste’ will thicken the sauce but ensure no lumps. Simmer very gently and you should see the sauce start to thicken a touch. Make/add more more paste as needed if you’ve added lots of stock.
  8. Once you’ve done this, add the chopped little gems and the vegetables of choice and cover the pan with a lid. Let the heat and sauce steam the veges just a touch to let it warm but not go too soggy.
  9. The ‘stew’ should have a thick gravy like sauce but its shouldn’t be swimming in moisture so if it is, just turn the heat up a notch and reduce some of the liquid down. Remove the pan from the heat when ready, check and season as needed and scatter in the chopped parsley.
  10. Finally, add a good squeeze of lemon for seasoning.
  11. Enjoy with a pan fried fillet of fish or steamed cod. Trout would be a great addition here.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

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Vietnamese Chicken Salad

T

his recipe was required on a warm summer evening when a healthy dinner was the priority but sustenance was a must. I took inspiration for this from one of the simplest and freshest salads I greedily devoured at an Asian supper club I went to last year. If you haven’t been to or heard of Uyen Luu and her culinary adventures then I highly encourage you to head over to her website (see here). But not yet…read my blog post and cook this recipe first!

This recipe is all about the freshness, variety and abundance of herbs – these are vital and will either make or break the dish. Uyen’s version is far cleaner, using poached chicken that she shreds and stirs throughout the salad. This is ideal as a fresh starter but my hunger and craving demanded something crispier and oiler so I opted to fry my tender succulent chicken strips. I also opted for a punchier dressing, using lime, sesame and soy, than Uyen’s simpler version but both are eqaully as delicious.

One thing we do share is the need for prawn crackers here. Personally if you can’t get hold of the big, golden ones they offer in the best Thai restaurants, then the cheaper the better! And I suggest you buy 2 bags as if you’re anything like me the first bag gets demolished during cooking.

Tip – If you really want to make this salad to its best (and generally for a must-have in the any keen cooks kitchen pantry) then I strongly recommend you buy a julienne peeler noted below. They might occasionally shave your fingers off (beware – they’re sharp!) but hey…its worth it for such a great salad.

Serves 2

Salad

  • 2 chicken breast, cut into thin strips
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 courgettes
  • Large bunch basil, leaves picked
  • Large bunch mint, leaves picked
  • Large bunch coriander
  • Large handful salted, roasted peanuts, lightly crushed.
  • Prawn crackers to serve

Picked Onions

  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 3 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 3 tsp caster sugar
  • Salt and pepper

Dressing

  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp runny honey
  1. Start with the onions. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a shallow bowl and add the sliced onion. Season, combine and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
  2. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a jam jar and shake well. Taste. This is vital as everyones soy sauce is different (low salt, normal, high quality, low quality etc) so all dressings will taste different. Add more lime/soy/fish sauce to taste. Don’t be afraid to go punchy as it will need to told its own when applied to the salad.
  3. Make the salad. (Using a julienne peeler will give you the best results here (see here), but if you’re patient, then you can very very finely slice the carrots and courgettes into strips. Alternatively, you could use a courgetti machine but it won’t give you quite what you want here.) Julienne the carrots and courgettes into a large bowl. Chop the herbs roughly together and add 3/4 of them to the bowl. Add the roasted, chopped peanuts.
  4. Drain the onions after 20-30 minutes of steeping and add all but a handful of these to the salad. Mix all to combine well and set aside while you cook the chicken.
  5. Heat a frying pan until hot and add a splash of vegetable/sunflower oil. Season the chicken strips and fry on a high heat until just cooked and golden but still moist.
  6. Remove from the heat and use forks to pull the chicken into strips.
  7. Dress the salad quickly with the dressing.
  8. Divide the salad between two bowls and top with the succulent chicken (or you can stir the chicken throughout the salad). Scatter over the raminaing handful of red onions and herbs.
  9. Serve with prawn crackers and devour with chop sticks.