Posts tagged cheese

Peach, balsamic & heirloom tomato salad

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Peach, balsamic & heirloom tomato salad

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y sister and I enjoyed a version of this salad on our holidays in Greece and it’s been with us nostalgically since. I’ve sadly forgotten whether it had little cubes of salty pancetta or crumbled feta cheese in it but what I do know is that peaches and balsamic were a hit. A very valid excuse to return and I hope that little Greek taverna is still tucked away in the port of Sivota awaiting our us…

Promise me you won’t dare think about making this salad with out of season tomatoes or peaches in Winter. Its a summer salad where only juicy fresh tomatoes will do – preferably from your bounteous allotment if you are so lucky to have one! I hold no accountability for anyone making this in November and complaining about the lack of flavour…

Serves 2 (as a main / large side)

  • 2-3 large tomatoes (gorgeous ripe heritage / heirloom tomatoes look prettier here, taste amazing and make the salad interesting. Try some yellow or green ones as well as your usual red)
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 ripe peaches / nectarines
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Handful of salad leaves e.g. rocket, watercress, lambs lettuce
  • Handful basil leaves
  • Balsamic glaze
  • Flaky salt and black pepper
  • *Optional cheeses – a salty element works fantastically in this salad and a cheese is ideal.  I actually made this with fried halloumi the night before. Think about adding cubed fried halloumi pieces, crumbled feta, goats cheese, shaved parmesan or a big bulging burrata!
  1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Chop the shallot in half and then into fine half moon slices and add to the tomatoes. Sprinkle over a generous pinch of flaky salt and cracked black pepper (the salt will draw out the juices so don’t be shy here with the seasoning). Add the red wine vinegar, stir and leave to sit for 10 minutes or so.
  2. Slice your large tomatoes into rounds or big chunks – however you like. Mix up the shapes for added texture and interest!
  3. Next, slice the peaches/nectarines into chunky slices.
  4. Get a large serving plate or bowl and add your leaves. Scatter over your sliced tomatoes and peaches/nectarines and season well. Toss in your cherry tomato-shallot mixture with the juices.
  5. Give everything a good and gentle toss together and then rip over the basil leaves.
  6. If using cheese, add this now.
  7. Drizzle over your balsamic glaze and serve!

Frittata (Bacon, Onion & Cheddar)

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Frittata (Bacon, Onion & Cheddar)

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rying to explain what a frittata was to my fiancé (who is, to his defence, South African) went a bit like this…

It’s like a Spanish tortilla…

Its like a giant omelet with tasty stuff in it…

Its like a quiche without a crust…

Whilst these all helpfully describe this Italian egg dish, I feel the later is the best choice and far quicker than having to make pastry but all the satisfaction of the contents. That said it is SUCH a versatile recipe for adding in anything you’d usually do with your quiche – spinach, flaked salmon, smoked haddock, chorizo, peppers, chicken, feta, chorizo…its endless and a good fridge raider meal as long as you’ve got a pack of eggs.

It started out as our vegetarian Monday night meal…and then I added bacon. But add mushrooms & feta and it makes an excellent vegetarian sharing brunch dish. Or instead of using a frying pan, tip the mixture into individual muffin wholes for bitesized ‘frittata’ snacks! Perfect warm or at room temperature and a really quick dinner fix.

The fresh courgette salad here was the perfect light and zesty side which I’d recommend. But a simple salad would also go down a treat. I cannot stress the simplicity of this one. Sometimes going back to basics is so rewarding.

Serves 4 

  • 6 large free range eggs
  • 3 thick cut or 6 skinny rashers smoked bacon
  • 1 large or 2 small white onions, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 bag kale or a few big handful
  • 1 large handful grated cheddar cheese (gruyere would also be amazing here 50/50 with cheddar)
  • Few sprigs rosemary or thyme (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 220.
  2. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Gently saute the onion for about 8-10 minutes with some salt and freshly ground pepper. You want it to turn soft and golden so it needs slow and low cooking (often covered with a lid if you can to create some steam). After this time the onions will sweeten.
  3. Chop the bacon into the pan in bitesized pieces and cook for a few minutes.
  4. Crush the garlic and add with the chopped rosemary/thyme if using and cook gently for a few minutes.
  5. Whilst this is cooking, bring a pan of water to the simmer and plunge in your kale. Cook for just 1 minute and then drain and leave to dry.
  6. Once the onion and bacon are cooked, add the kale and mix to combine.
  7. Whisk the eggs in a big jug with some salt and plenty of pepper. Grate in the cheese using about 1 big handful but as much as you like really.
  8. Turn the heat to a medium low on your frying pan and quickly pour oven the egg/cheese mixture evenly making sure it fills all the gaps in the pan. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds to form a bit of a crust around the edge before popping the frying pan in the oven.
  9. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden on top! It won’t take long to cook so it should be set in the middle fairly quickly and even puff up and ‘soufflé’ a little.
  10. Remove from the oven and carefully (and skilfully!) slide it out onto a serving board. If is ends up in one piece, nice job.
  11. Serve with a lovely simple salad of watercress/rocket with some lemon juice or my courgette salad below…

Courgette, Almond & Lemon Salad (Serves 4)

  • 4 large courgettes, chopped in matchsticks
  • 100g flaked almonds
  • 1 handful chopped coriander
  • Handful basil, leaves roughly ripped
  • Zest 1 lemon
  • Parmesan cheese to serve.
  1. Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Add the flaked almonds and toast for a few minutes until beginning to turn golden. Keep your eye on these, shaking often as they will burn quickly. Set aside in a bowl.
  2. In this bowl, add the coriander, basil and the zest of the lemon.
  3. Heat the frying pan again until hot and add just a small tsp of olive oil.
  4. Add the courgette matchsticks and fry quickly, shaking the pan often. You don’t want to colour them or turn them soggy, you just want to warm them and take the raw edge off.
  5. Season well with freshly ground pepper and salt.
  6. Remove from the heat and toss with the almonds and herbs.
  7. Peel over (using a speed peeler) some nice wafers of parmesan cheese. Serve!

Porcini and Chestnut Risotto, Truffle Cream

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Porcini and Chestnut Risotto, Truffle Cream

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fter the indulgence of Christmas sometimes something a little less meat-dominant, goose fat roasted or gravy soaked is required. Although don’t get me wrong, it still is a festive, celebratory and just that – indulgent – season so lets not be eating green salads and spag bol just yet. Risotto is perfect for using up leftover scraps and cheeses but can still be pimped with indulgence and provides a warming hearty bowl of soul food when the fun of Christmas is behind you but the frost and cold still linger outside. Feel free to tag team in any other ingredients you prefer or have hanging around using rice, parmesan, shallots and stock as the foundations in all variations.

This recipe was particularly perfect after Christmas when chestnuts, cheese and leftover mushrooms were lingering in the fridge! And if you were lucky enough to be given a nice bottle of truffle oil..ahem..then a spike of it here goes a long way into disguising even the greediest of carnivores into noticing that this is in fact a vegetarian supper….

Happy New Year everyone. If not made before 2017 this is certainly one to make in the cold and bracing January days!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 350g arborio/risotto rice (about 4 large handfuls)
  • 3 shallots/2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 30g butter and tbsp olive oil
  • Large glass dry white wine
  • Hot vegetable stock (about 700ml)
  • 30g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, chopped roughly
  • 100g parmesan, grated
  • 50g butter, diced
  • Large bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 180g pre roasted and peeled chestnuts, finely chopped or grated.
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • 200g mascarpone/creme fraiche
  • Truffle olive oil (You can also use fresh shaved truffle here!)
  1. Begin by soaking the dried porcini mushrooms in a jug with enough boiling water to cover and leave for about 15 minutes until softened and hydrated again.
  2. Next, heat 15g of the butter and a splash of olive oil in a large high sided frying pan or saucepan. Soften the chopped shallot gently on a low heat until translucent and soft. After about 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
  3. Next add the rice and turn up the heat to medium and toast the grains while stirring consistently. The grain should begin to turn translucent too and ‘toast’.
  4. After a minute or so of toasting, add the white wine which will bubble briskly and stir until just absorbed.
  5. Drain the soaked mushrooms, chop and set aside. When draining, reserve the mushrooms soaking liquid but discard the final part that will contain any grit from the mushrooms.
  6. Use this hot liquid first before using the hot stock to add to the rice. Stir in the liquid ladle by ladle absorbing the liquid into the rice before adding the next but ensure it does not dry out. Add the liquid after 3/4 of the ladle before has been absorbed. This should take about 18 minutes stirring consistently.
  7. Meanwhile, heat the other 15g of butter and a splash of oil in another frying pan. Fry the chopped chestnut mushrooms until golden and then set aside until needed.
  8. When the rice is just al dente to taste, add in the chopped porcini and continue adding the stock until the rice is cooked to your liking and the texture is still loose. (Don’t allow it to stiffen). Taste and season as needed with plenty of black pepper.
  9. Once the rice is cooked, add in the fried chestnut mushrooms, the chopped parsley and chestnuts and stir to combine.
  10. Finally, scatter over the parmesan, the 50g diced butter and the juice of the lemon. Cover the pan with a lid and remove from the heat and allow it to rest.
  11. Meanwhile, combine the mascarpone/creme fraiche with about 1 tbsp truffle oil or enough to taste depending on the strength that you like it.
  12. Once done, remove the lid from the risotto and stir in the melted cheese to combine evenly. If the texture is a little stiff, add a splash of hot stock to loosen so you get an ‘oozing’ consistency.
  13. Give the risotto once final stir to combine and then serve in warmed shallow bowls and top with the truffle cream and any reserved chopped parsley.

Quadruple Tapas

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Quadruple Tapas

I know the concept behind tapas is to eat each dish as it is ready- picking at little morsels of delicious oily, salty and punchy delights to give all your taste buds a go on the flavour dodgems. A long evening should be spent savouring tapas with no where to be and sipping delicious wine in the summer sun. However, I decided to make a selection for dinner and couldn’t find the relaxing side of constantly running back and forth to the kitchen to fry a croquetas or bake some fresh bread or turn off one of 100 timers. So I made a selection all to be eaten and enjoyed together with some delicious wine. I won’t lie, my way took a strong organisation and a large accommodating hob but I managed it. In addition, I have a new found respect for tapas bars….the amount of work that goes into the prep to bring together all the aspects and flavours of just one small dish is huge,-all requiring those little details to make them perfect. I won’t be opening a tapas bar in the near future but what can be gained from this experiment is that 1) I LOVE tapas but will leave it to the experts and 2) I won’t be so horrified at the staggering prices of a few small tapas dish from now on as I venture out to dine thinking that ‘tapas is just a cheap meal right?’.

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Croquetas (Makes about 9 large croquetas)

I first saw a recipe for these in a Jamie Oliver book which this recipe is based on but they are a common little tapas dish and various flavours and recipe derivatives can be found elsewhere. They are essentially a cheesy flavoured bechamel sauce that is cooled and set and rolled in breadcrumbs and fried so that the inside in a hot molten cheesy mixture hugged lovingly in a crispy coat. You can actually use anything to add flavour to the sauce such as different cheeses, smoked fish, anchovies, different herbs or spices. Go wild!

  • 50g butter
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 75g plain flour ( and extra for coating)
  • 300ml milk
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 50g hard cheese- Cheddar/Manchego, grated finely
  • 3 slices of cooked smoked bacon/parma ham, chopped finely
  • Handful of chives, chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 100g breadcrumbs
  1. Melt the butter and the oil in a pan over a low heat until liquid. Spoon by spoon, incorporate the flour and stir in until you have a thick paste.
  2. Add the milk, splash by splash stirring in vigourously until smooth and lump free. Once all the milk is added, keep on the heat and keep mixing to prevent lumps but to really thicken the sauce.
  3. Once thick, remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, lots of seasoning, the bacon, cheese and finally the chives.
  4. Place into a chilled bowl and pop int he fridge until set. (NOTE: Mine was a little loose for moulding into croquetas so I popped it in the freezer about 30 mins before using to make it easier to handle)
  5. Get 3 plates and add the beaten egg, flour and breadcrumbs to each.
  6. Use a spoon to scoop and roll croquetas of your cooled mixture. Coat in first the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Continue you have done all and then cover and chill.
  7. Heat some oil in a pan, or use a deep fryer. When hot enough, fry the croquetas until golden and crisp on the outside. Make sure it is not too hot or the outside will colour before the inside is warm.
  8. Drain on kitchen paper and scatter with flaky salt and serve immediately.

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Morcilla Broad Beans

This recipe is open to quantities so as long as there is a nice balance it will taste great. Don’t skimp on the morcilla however as it adds bags of flavour and depth and feel free to use black pudding which works just as well.

  • Morcilla, sliced
  • Broad beans, boiled and podded
  • Peas
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  1. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and gently fry the red onion until soft
  2. Add the morcilla/black pudding slices and fry until cooked on each side.
  3. Tip in the broad beans and peas and stir to combine, breaking up the morcilla as you stir to distribute evenly. Season and then serve.

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Crisp Cod and Smoky Aioli

  • 2 cod fillets or any other firm fish
  • Plateful of polenta (seasoned with salt and pepper)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Flour for coating
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 garlic clove, grated finely
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ lemon, zest
  • 1tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • About 250ml sunflower oil
  • Flat leaf parsley for garnish
  1. Begin with the polenta coated cod which benefits from some time resting once coated. Skin the fish fillets and cut the fillets into chunky strips cutting with the ‘grain’/flakes.
  2. Get 3 plates and place the beaten egg, flour and seasoned polenta onto each.
  3. Coat the fish fillets in the flour, egg and then a good coating of polenta and then place the fillets on a polenta coated plate while you do the rest. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours once done to allow the polenta to swell a bit and form a good crust.
  4. For the aioli, place the egg yolks, lemon and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and turn it on to blend together. With the motor running slowly and constantly add the oil in a thin stream to allow the yolks and oil to emulsify.
  5. As it starts to thicken, add the paprika and some good seasoning and have a taste. Continue to add as much oil as you like to obtain a thin/thicker texture.
  6. When ready to serve, fry the fillets in a little hot oil with a knob of butter for a few minutes on each side until cooked with a golden crust. Serve immediately garnished with parsley and dipped indulgently into the aioli.

Chorizo

This is now my new favourite way to enjoy chorizo, partly due to this sweet tangy glaze that coats it here. The sauce is wonderful when used a dipping sauce for the olive pittas or some qwilling bread to mop up the juices like an edible sponge.

  • 150g chorizo- raw or cooked
  • 1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tsp runny honey
  • Large sprig of rosemary
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  1. Cut the chorizo into chunky horizontal slices and fry in a hot pan (you can add a tiny drop of oil to get it going is needed).
  2. Peel and crush the garlic cloves coarsely with the back of a knife. If using cooking (raw) chorizo, make sure it is nearly cooked but if using cured chorizo, as it starts to colour and crisp add the garlic to the pan in the oily juices and fry for a few minutes.
  3. Add the picked rosemary leaves and fry for a few more minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and add the sherry vinegar and the honey and stir to coat the chorizo.
  5. Return to the heat and very gently simmer the sauce until a little more syrupy and thick but not too reduced. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm while you do the rest of your dishes as this one will keep.
  6. Serve with the olive pittas or some fluffy bread dipped into the beautiful oily juices

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Olive Pitta

  • See here for pittas recipe– Don’t add the nigella seeds but instead, add a good pinch of sweet smoked paprika.
  • Once the dough has risen, add in a small handful of both chopped black olives and sun dried tomatoes.

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Cheese Straws

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Cheese Straws

I made cheese straws for a Christmas party at uni one year and they became an infamous crowd pleaser specifically with my favourite girlies on Tyndell’s Park Road! So exam time called for supplies to fuel everyone on!

This batch included simple mature cheddar with a kick of cayenne but I also made a sage, cheddar and cumin seed variety so feel free to add whatever you like. Thyme, rosemary, Dijon mustard or marmite. I’ve left quantities out as they can literally be made with any leftover puff pastry scraps and any lonely cuts of cheese!

  • A block/leftover puff pastry (see here if you want to make your own)
  • Mature cheddar cheese (or any other strong hard cheese)
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. Simply roll out your puff pastry into a rectangle to a few millimetres thick. (If using marmite, mustard, pesto or any type of spread, brush the sheet with a very thin layer at this point). Brush the sheet with beaten egg.
  3. Grate over a thin layer of cheese making sure you don’t leave the edges bare. Season with a little salt and black pepper and sprinkle with cayenne if you like (At this point add any other herbs, seasonings, spices etc)
  4. Use your rolling pin to gently press the cheese onto the pastry to keep it stuck down and cut the pastry into strips about 1.5cm wide.
  5. Take the strips at both ends and twist into a spiral and place on the tray, squashing the ends onto the tray to help them stick and hold their shape. Brush any exposed pastry with beaten egg and bake for about 15minutes checking now and again until golden.

Avoid the urge to devour the lot alone. Best eaten warm but also amazing dipped into any spicy dips or spreads or served as a canape in mini form. Their greasy buttery taste goes particularly well with a glass of Champagne and Prosecco so any excuse for a glass of fizz naturally calls for these. Try this Biancavigna, Prosecco Spumante Brut NV available at Armit Wines

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Pea and Smoked Ham Tart with Parmesan parsnips

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This is a pleasingly alternative and delicious use of Christmas leftovers after exhausting the usual recipes with the turkey. My brief from the family for dinner was a light, fresh but tasty meal after a heavy week of Christmas delights, rich meats and glasses of guilt. So, with a fridge full or assorted cheeses, a cooked smoked ham and a few of our giant allotment parsnips that were looking very sorry for themselves, I enthusiastically took up the mission.

Cheesey Shortcrust pastry

  • 100g wholemeal flour
  • 150g plain flour
  • 125g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 70g cheddar cheese, grated plus and reserved handful
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cold water

Filling

  • 250g frozen peas
  • 3 eggs
  • 75g creme fraiche
  • Juice of half lemon
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard (optional)
  • A few large handfuls of smoked ham, cubed or flaked into pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • Splash of milk
  1. Begin with the pastry. Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a food processor, combine all the pastry ingredients, except the water, and blitz to form a breadcrumb-like texture. Or rub the butter into the flour by hand.
  2. Tip out into a bowl and add cold water, spoonful by spoonful, and mix in with a knife until you have a mixture that forms a dough when your gently press together with your hands. Form a ball of dough.
  3. Roll into a disc shape, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, line a tart tin (I used one about 23cm wide but use whatever is to hand) with parchment and butter the sides. This recipe in my case lined two tart tins so I made two and froze one for another time.
  5. After 30 minutes, thinly roll out your pastry on a floured surface and use it to line the tin, pressing the pastry up the sides. Prick all over with a fork to prevent it rising up while baking.
  6. Line the tine with parchment and fill snugly with baking beans or rice if your don’t have any beans.
  7. Blind bake for about 20 minutes until the edges are golden.
  8. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for another 5-10minutes until the base is cooked and crisp. Brush with a bit of beaten egg to seal the fork pricks and return for 1 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.
  9. Make the filling. Boil the peas for a few minutes until cooked. Drain and cool thoroughly with cold water.
  10. Reserve a handful of the peas and puree the rest in a processor or mash with a fork until you form a coarse paste. Add the lemon juice, seasoning, mustard, eggs and creme fraiche. Blitz again in the processor to mix thoroughly.
  11. Add a splash or so of milk to form a texture that is loose but not too watery, a bit like custard.
  12. Sprinkle the base of the pre-baked tart case with the flaked ham and the reserved whole peas.
  13. Fill this with the egg custard until distributed evenly and full but making sure it dose not overflow the edges of the pastry case. You may not need it all.
  14. Scatter over the remaining grated cheddar and bake in the oven at 190°C for about 25-30 minutes until the middle is cooked and set.
  15. Grate over a bit of lemon zest and serve with a green salad and some crispy baked Parmesan coated parsnips in my case….!

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Parmesan Parsnips

  • 2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into batons shaped
  • 200g brown bread crumbs
  • 100g finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • Handful of flour
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • Sunflower oil or light olive oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
  2. Boil the parsnips in water for about 4-5 minutes until tender and soft when pierced with a knife but still with a bit of resistance.
  3. Drain and allow to steam for a few minutes.
  4. Set up 3 bowls. Fill one with seasoned flour, another with beaten egg and the third with the breadcrumbs combined with the grated cheese.
  5. When the parsnips have cooled slightly, dip into the flour, then the beaten egg and finally coat in the breadcrumb mix.
  6. Repeat this with the remaining parsnips and place them on a lined baking tray.
  7. Drizzle generously with sunflower oil and bake in the oven, turning halfway through, for 30 minutes until crisp and golden

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Cauliflower Cheese Soup With Sage and Chestnuts

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Cauliflower Cheese Soup With Sage and Chestnuts

Time for another comforting winter soup. I love cauliflower cheese so this soup was sure to please. As chestnuts were also in season and getting ready to be roasted on a humble fire, I thought I’d save them the pain. As they were screaming naughtily at me to eat them, I topped my soup with their creamy, crumbled texture and some crispy sage leaves for some delicate crunch.

  • 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Large knob of butter
  • 1 garlic clove sliced
  • small bunch of sage leaves, picked
  • 700ml hot stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • 100g or so of strong mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • Sage leaves to fry
  • Olive oil
  • Chestnuts
  1. Begin by getting the chestnuts on to boil. Pop them straight in, they should take about 15 minutes to soften. After this, drain and allow to cool. You can score the top with a cross to make them easier to peel if you like. Once soft, drain and set aside to cool.
  2. Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a pan. Once hot, soften the onion for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the sage leaves and the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add the cauliflower florets and stir to coat in the onion. Season.
  4. Add the hot stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is really soft when pierced with a knife.
  5. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender.
  6. Add a spoonful of creme fraiche or replace some of the stock for milk for a creamier texture if you like. Add the cheese.
  7. Replace back on the heat on low and stir until the cheese had melted. Season to taste
  8. Now heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan until really hot. Lightly fry the sage leaves until crispy and drain on kitchen paper. Season with a scatter of salt. This oil can now be kept and used as ‘sage-scented oil’ to top your soup or for other recipes and dressings.
  9. Serve the soup topped with crumbled chestnuts, crispy sage leaves and a drizzle of the fragrant oil!

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Barbeque Chicken and an Italian Stuffed Flatbread

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Barbeque Chicken and an Italian Stuffed Flatbread

 

Balmy summer evenings and a seduceable glowing barbeque like this evening, consistently bring out this beauty of a recipe and reinforce my opinion that Jamie Oliver, is in fact, descended from God! Ok…….this may be taking it a little far, but this cheeky barbeque marinade from ‘Jamie at Home’, is without doubt my most favourite and not a summer goes by that we don’t devour this, with smiles and sticky faces. Its great for coating a leg of lamb, rack of pork ribs or, in our case, a spatchcoked chicken- its devine. Served alongside a fresh, cleansing coleslaw and a cry-worthy Italian stuffed bread, supper is done and dusted……

Marinade

  • 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 5 cloves
  • bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
  • zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1 bulb garlic, crushed
  • 4 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 130ml tomato ketchup
  • 8 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 spatchcoked chicken or your chosen meat
  1. Grind the cumin, fennel seeds and cloves in a pestle and mortar with some salt and pepper.
  2. Chop the thyme and rosemary leaves and combine with the orange zest, juice and garlic and place into a large bowl with the spices. Mix together.
  3. Add the rest of the your ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  4. Now add your chosen meat and coat completely with the marinade to cover all the surfaces. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinade for as long as possible or at least an hour.
  5. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C. Cover the chicken with foil and roast for about 1 hour to cook the majority of it and release the juices. Finally, finish the cooking on the barbeque, which will crisp the skin and the outside and give a crunchy texture. Use the excess marinade to baste the chicken as it cooks.

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This flatbread is absolutely delicious. I filled mine with a rich, punchy blue cheese but any good melter does the job. A (and I stress- good quality) buffalo mozzarella is stringy and mild or a personal favourite for its meltworthy quality, taleggio is tasty and gooey but here I have used a blue cheese which is just down-right decadent and rich. It was a little overpowering if I’m honest but it makes a lovely alternative to a hunk of filling, stodgy bread as it is lighter, crispier and doesn’t steal the show from the main event- the chicken (did I mention is was amazing yet…………?)

  • 200g strong white bread flour
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 150g cheese, taleggio, buffalo mozzarella, blue cheese or any other good quality melting cheese
  • Flaky maldon salt
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked
  1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add the oil, a pinch of salt and 100ml of warm water.
  2. Mix with a spoon or fork until combined into a smooth dough (you may need a splash more water depending on your flour). Form into a smooth ball and place in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave for 30 minutes
  3. Then, knead the dough for a few minutes until elastic and smooth. Divide into two and place back in the bowl to rest for 15 minutes, covered.
  4. Preheat the oven to 225°C . Roll one half of the dough as thinly as possible (a couple of mm) into a large circle and place on a lined baking tray. Grate the cheese over the top and a pinch salt if you want.

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  5. Roll out the other halve of the dough to the same size and place over the cheese. Pinch the edges together to seal in the cheese.
  6. Scatter the top with salt, rosemary and a drizzle of oil. Make a couple of slits in the top to let out the steam.image
  7. Bake for 25 minutes until crisp and golden. You may need to check the underneath of the bread to check it is crispy towards the end. If not, return to the oven directly onto the racks without the tray for a few minutes.

Finally, a lovely tangy coleslaw. Any, in fact, will do but I however got carried away and opted for a lovely Thai infused/Asian Slaw which- I know, I know, does not go ideally with a barbeque chicken and an Italian, cheesy bread, but, all the same, our hungry stomaches didn’t protest too much….

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Slaw

  • ½ a red cabbage
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 bunch coriander
  • 1 handful of salted peanuts

Dressing

  • 8 tbsp lime juice
  • Zest from 1 lime
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 good pinches of brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 large bunch of chopped basil and coriander leaves
  1. Using the shredding attachment on a food processor, shred the cabbage and carrots, separately, then combine in a large bowl.
  2. Slice and finely chop the spring onions and add to the cabbage mix and add a handful of chopped coriander.
  3. To make the dressing, mix together all the ingredients in a jam jar and shake thoroughly together until combined. When ready to serve the salad, coat the cabbage in the dressing and top with the salted peanuts.
  4. Serve!