Posts by Jess

Roasted Spicy Chickpeas & Smashed Avocado

June 15, 2018 Comments Off read Uncategorized

t is only in writing this now that I realise how few ingredients are in such a winning recipe and one that also looks so aesthetically pleasing and tempting to devour. This recipe is so time efficient and labour friendly but it is a really lovely mix of flavours and textures. Not to mention (again) that it is rather pretty with all the colours. A great quick and pleasing fix for an impromptu guest of a date night that you’d rather be buying take-out for.

I sometimes end up cooking with ingredient combinations simply because they look beautiful together. And this one helpfully also taste amazing. Creamy rich and vibrant avocado topped with crunchy and spicy ‘pop corn’ like chickpeas.

I’d also highly recommend making a double batch of chickpeas and keeping some aside for lunches or snacking when these cool and crisp up. They make a good nibble with a glass of bubbly. The avo/guacamole mixture and the chickpeas also makes a great open sandwich topping on toasted rye or soda bread. Or simply with friend halloumi or stuffed in a burger bun. The options are endless!!!

Serves 2

1 x can chick peas
2 x ripe avocados
1 lemon
1 large bunch coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, chilli flakes
1 large handful pumpkin seeds
2 x salmon fillets

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Start by draining the chickpeas and rinsing. Dry off as much excess moisture as you can and pat dry with kitchen towel (don’t worry too much about this).
Tip them into a bowl and add the ground spices, salt and pepper and a good splash of sunflower oil and toss to combine.
Tip onto a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes (cooking time will depend on the size of peas). Check during cooking and toss them around. They should be roasted, golden and turning crisp.
Meanwhile, mash the avocado in a bowl until smooth. Add all but a handful of the coriander, the juice of half the lemon and some seasoning. Mash together then set aside.
When the chickpeas are ready, remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
Heat a frying pan until hot and add the pumpkin seeds (dry pan). Toast until they start to turn brown and make a popping sound. Remove from the heat when this happens and add them to the chickpeas. Heat the pan again hot, almost smoking. Season the salmon and then add to the pan skin side down to crisp the skin. After 30 seconds or so, turn to sear the flesh side. Sear the edges too then pop the salmon into the oven and cook for 7 minutes.
Add the final handful of coriander to the chickpeas when they have cooled slightly.
When the salmon is ready, plate up! Place half the avocado in the middle of your serving dish and top with half the chickpeas. Add the salmon on top and serve with a good wedge of lemon for squeezing. (You can also serve this with a dollop of yoghurt if the spices are a bit punchy).

Spring Stew

June 4, 2018 Comments Off read Seafood, Vegetables and Salads

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.

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.
Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes only.
Add the bacon lardons and cook through until crispy.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Finally, add a good squeeze of lemon for seasoning.
Enjoy with a pan fried fillet of fish or steamed cod. Trout would be a great addition here.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

May 21, 2018 Comments Off read Poultry, Vegetables and Salads

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Remove from the heat and use forks to pull the chicken into strips.
Dress the salad quickly with the dressing.
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.
Serve with prawn crackers and devour with chop sticks.

Roasted Indian Chicken Curry

May 1, 2018 Comments Off read Poultry

oasting (especially if done slowly) always brings out a flavour that can’t be beaten by quick or lazy cooking. Combining amazing spices, some ginger heat and of course some coconut milk and popping this in a hot oven care free was the ideal way to focus my time, attention and love on a juicy glass (ahem…shared bottle) of Syrah from South Africa (see foot note). I’d recommend cooking this on a Sunday if you fancy a change from a roast but with all the depth of flavour. Feel free to experiment with different spices, cuts of meat or side dishes. My nigella seed flatbreads dipped in mango chutney would work a treat. This is also a very mild curry (note, no chilli) so don’t expect to be punched by heat! But do add accordingly if that’s how you want your Sunday evening.

TIP: This can by all means be made simply roasted in tray from start to finish with no fuss! (I opted to use a tray and then a casserole dish but this can be ignored). Roasting in a deep roasting tin then adding the coconut milk gives you crispy potatoes, chicken and minimal washing up. When you ‘roast’ in a casserole dish you don’t get the circulation of air and the crispy finish that you do when in a tray so this is preferred. However, I often like to manipulate the sauce consistency so I prefer to manage this by adding to a casserole once ready to add the coconut milk. But this is up to you!!

Serves 2

4 x chicken pieces on the bone (2 x thighs and 2 x drumsticks)
1 large red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g small potatoes/new potatoes (halved if needed)
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 x can coconut milk
Handful curry leaves
150g frozen peas
Large handful green beans
1 lime
Bunch coriander, chopped

Marinade

Knob of ginger, freshly grated – 2 tbsp
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 limes, zest only (reserve for serving)
1 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 large tsp ground garam masala
Sunflower oil

To serve

Popadoms
Mango chutney
Chopped coriander
Lime wedges (from marinade)

Start by marinating the chicken (at least 30 minutes before, overnight if possible). Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add the chicken and potatoes. Add a few tsp of sunflower oil and use your hands to fully coat. Cover and refrigerate.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C.
This can be made in either a roasting tray OR a large flameproof casserole dish however I found the combination of the two the best (see above tip). Drizzle a little oil in the roasting tray and add the sliced red onions and garlic. Remove the chicken and potatoes from the fridge and add to the dish. Make sure the skin of the chicken is facing upwards and that the chicken is sitting on top of the everything.
Roast in the oven for 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a high heat and dry fry the fennel, coriander, cumin and mustard seeds for a few minutes, just until fragrant. Remove form the heat and grind in a pestle and mortar.
Add these spices and the ground spices to the coconut milk and whisk. Add the curry leaves.
After 50 minutes, remove the tray from the oven. Transfer the contents to a large casserole dish, ensuring your scrap all the delicious goodness off the bottom.
Add the coconut milk (avoiding soaking the crispy chicken skin if you can) and ensure again that the chicken pieces are facing upwards, skin on the top.
Bake in the oven for another 30 minutes.
After this time, add the beans, peas and a generous squeeze of lime. Return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes.
When ready to serve, scatter over the chopped coriander. Serve with popadoms and mango chutney.

WINE: We devoured this with a delicious Syrah from South Africa from the gorgeous Vrede en Lust. Benefits from decanting.

Malva Pudding

April 17, 2018 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

his cheeky African delight was introduced to me over Easter. And I’ll openly admit it was a surprising delight and one that I instantly fell in love with. Not just because our version was soaked in brandy.

Significant to many a South African upbringing I’m told, I’m still unsure if brandy should be your choice of liquid for your soaking sauce. I was persuaded otherwise and failed to argue the point. After a brief research it didn’t seem out of the question but I’m led to believe a more water/sherry/orange juice based option is popular. However…I encourage brandy. And I encourage brandy in this dessert.

Malva is the equivalent of the English sticky toffee pudding except sticky toffee is significantly sweeter and made with dates. This moist, dense, almost caramelised texture is amazingly moreish. Once the seemingly normal sponge mixture has baked, commitment and speed are needed to lather the hot baked cake in a rich creamy sauce to the point where its almost swimming in liquid. Patience is then required to let this soak thoughtfully through the many layers. What you’re left with is a warm, dense, moist and gorgeously decadent pudding. Unlike sticky toffee (which I avoid on most occasions), this doesn’t come with a sickly sugary sauce. But don’t be fooled. It needs custard…and plenty of it. Malva swimming in custard would not be a crime.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

Cake

30g unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vinegar
125ml milk
200g caster sugar
2 free range eggs
1tbsp apricot jam
190g self raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch salt
Custard, to serve

Sauce

250ml double cream
115g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
125ml brandy

Preheat the oven to 180°C Grease a large baking dish.
Sift the flour and bicarb together with a pinch of salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric whisker if you have one, whisk the sugar and eggs on a high speed for a few minutes until pale and fluffy.
Mix in the apricot jam and vinegar.
Add the melted butter
Add a third of the flour and fold into the egg mixture.
Add a third of the milk and fold this in too.
Continue alternating between flour and milk until you have a well mixed batter.
Pour into your baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
When you have up to 10 minutes left on your baking, prepare the sauce.
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Keep warm.
As soon as the sponge has baked, remove from the oven and pierce all over with a skewer, particularly around the edges.
Pour your hot sauce over the top gently at first allowing it to seep through and then add all of the mixture. It may seem like a lot but don’t panic. It will seep in eventually and be delicious. Leave to rest and absorb for about 20 minutes or ideally pop back in the oven with the heat off and let sit until ready to serve.

Serve warm liberally bathed in hot custard! This is also perfect to reheat if there should by miracle be leftovers.

BBQ Pork Ribs

March 13, 2018 Comments Off read Meat

ith busy week schedules and weekends packed full of entertainment and fun, its often hard to find the time needed to invest in a long slow cooked dish (if you’re without a slow cooker that is…I’ve still not invested in one. Must I?) Whilst there is often some precious time for a quick casserole or slow cooked curry, dishes that need that extra bit of TLC on the timer often get cast aside. Left only as a dreamy thought on the horizon of menus and craved all too late in the day. Pork ribs for example. Covered in a sticky BBQ glaze. Marinated and slow slow cooked for hours until the bones can be plucked effortlessly from the tender pork handcuffs.

So, with that much valued time on the clock, a craving for these juicy ribs and a bowl of avocado and corn awaiting, it seemed like time to bring out my favourite BBQ marinade. I’ve used this recipe on many occasions to be slathered on nearly any meat – barbecued or oven roasted. See here for my Mexican/BBQ chicken for example. These ribs need a good marinade and then can be easily left to surrender to the oven, tightly wrapped in foil on a low heat for a good 3 hours. Basting once or twice if you can.

I served mine with some pureed sweetcorn and crispy lettuce leaves and avocado salad dressed simply in lemon juice.

Serves 2-3

Ribs

2 racks pork ribs
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
4-5 cloves 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

Sweetcorn puree

400g sweetcorn
Large knob butter
1 lime
Bunch coriander
(Salad and lemon to serve)

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl big enough to hold the ribs and stir thoroughly. Add the pork ribs (cutting in two if needed) and coat fully in the mixture. Leave to marinade for a few hours if possible. This recipe works best if the pork ribs are left to marinade for some time. But worry not, 20 minutes is better than nothing if you’ve limited time.
Preheat the oven to 150°C when ready to cook. Line a deep roasting tray in non stick baking parchment or similar and spoon over a little marinade to cover the base of the dish. Pile in your pork ribs ensuring all the marinade is slathered over the top and around.
Cover with foil tightly to allow the steam to remain inside but allow for some circulation.
Cook for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, basting the ribs in their juicy marinade from time to time if possible.
Just before you’re ready to eat, simmer the sweetcorn for 2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer quickly to a food processor. Add the butter, lime and coriander and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until you have a chunky but smooth looking mixture. Keep warm.
Serve the ribs with a spoonful of the sweetcorn, a jug of any left over marinade in the base of the baking tray and a simple green salad dressed liberally with lemon juice, salt, pepper and avocado if you feel the need. (I always feel the need).
Devour with plenty of napkins.

Passionfruit Crème Brûlée

February 19, 2018 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

ith Valentines Day heavy on the February agenda and a strong committed desire to stay at home and cook up a feast, this dessert made a perfect and suggestively named addition. Personally, the thought of going out for dinner on Valentines Day fills me with dread! The busy restaurants, the ‘special menus’, the overpriced deals and the crowds of daters and lovers. Understandably, showing your love with your cooking is not for everyone. And I’ll admit, for someone who loves nothing but spending a month menu planning and an entire evening in the kitchen, creating a 3 course feast was selfishly high on my priorities. This also being the way to a/my man’s heart, it seemed like a win-win…

When thinking of a menu, creme brûlée and passion fruit were the first things on the list being two of my beloved guests favourites. A decadent, creamy and light end to a meal that finished off a French themed super perfectly. Call me cliche with the theme but I didn’t hear any complaints…

I always fail to remember how easy creme brûlée is to make. And this year I finally, FINALLY invested in a cooks blowtorch. And an investment I wish I’d done long ago. A cheap and tremendously useful kitchen addition. Gone are the days of burnt creme brûlées shamefully neglected under the grill. Sweet creme brûlée, a mans gadget and the involvement of flames…again…a win-win dessert. And who doesn’t love the first crack of the sugary top!?

Serving suggestion: I failed to make these on the night but I’d serve these with mini coconut shortbreads. See here and instead of adding the rosemary, replace with 2 tbsp of lightly toasted desiccated coconut.

Serves 5 (I reused the infamous ‘Gu’ ramekins and this made 5)

500ml double cream
100g caster sugar
6 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
6 passion fruit
6 tbsp caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Find a deep roasting tin and get your ramekins ready in the tray.
Add the double cream to a saucepan and scarp in the seeds of the vanilla pod using a teaspoon and add in the pod too. Scald the cream. I.e. Heat until just below the boiling point. It should be just ready to bubble but not simmer. Remove from the what and let the vanilla infuse for a few moment while you whisk the eggs.
In a large bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar and the pulp from all the passion fruits. Whisk well to combine.
Place a tea towel underneath the bowl to prevent it moving and then, whilst whisking continuously, pour in the hot cream in a slow stream. Continue whisking until well combined.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a good pouring jug or saucepan. Discard the vanilla pod husk and the passion fruit seeds.
Pour the mixture evenly among the ramekins in the roasting tray filling to the top.
Fill the tray with hot water, pouring until the liquid comes about halfway up the ramekins.
Carefully so as not to spill, place the tray in the centre of the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until just set and with a very slight wobble in the centre. Leave to cool completely before chilling in the fridge.
When ready to eat, remove from the fridge and scatter a thin, even layer of caster sugar over the top. Using your blow torch, glaze the surface and the sugar will begin to caramelise. Rotate the ramekin as it melts to ensure it evenly caramelises being careful not to burn. Sit for about 1 minute and then enjoy! With shortbreads if you wish.

If you’re keen for a French showstopper then I also made this pork cassoulet for main.

Creamed Spinach & Goats Cheese Crumble

February 5, 2018 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

appy New Year! This was quite rightly a while ago now. January has come and gone and I’ve yet to even blog a shortbread biscuit or mince pie. But I’ve been sunning myself on South Africa’s beaches, drinking from their vineyards and eating…biltong. I don’t regret my absence. However, it has been a shameful while since I’ve given FITP some loving attention. Importantly I must confirm it is NOT because I’ve stopped cooking or experimenting. My pans continue to earn their keep and my fellow friends kept fed and watered. Its been quite an adventure over the past months and that combined with the lack of natural light, I’ve had limited time to take pictures worthy of my perfectionism and blogging standards. Recent stressful distractions at the later end of 2017 have sucked my what would have been ”recipe daydreaming time” for my blogging creations. More so I have sadly (?) opted for either comfort eats or trusty go-tos. That said there have been some blog worthy comfort eats that will have to grace these pages before the summer…

But this Monday evening in early February once again faded into another dark quiet Monday with nothing to excite me except the idea of coming home for dinner and a round of ‘Silent Witness’ (Judge as you will). That coupled with the tight budgets I’ve restricted myself to in order to fund my tenacious sun worshiping this year means that experimenting is also not such an attractive prospect for the bank balance. This dish therefore fits quite nicely. Its amazing what a £1.20 bag of frozen spinach can make and just how far it’ll go. You’re skeptical about spinach going a long way…I can tell. But this could feed a vegetarian army if such a thing exists.

Tip – opt for a larger more shallow baking dish for a better eat. Mine was a little deep and small.

Serves 4-6 (Adapted from Jamie O’s classic here)

Ingredients

1kg frozen spinach ‘blocks’
1 red onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Nutmeg
150g soft goats cheese
100g breadcrumbs OR bread
100g oats
100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
50g flaked almonds
250ml creme fraiche
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 180.
Start by sweating the onion in a little oil in a large frying pan until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a few more minutes.
Add the spinach ‘blocks’ and turn up the heat to a medium setting. You want to cook out the spinach for a out 10 minutes until the blocks have melted down and you have evaporated the majority of the water.
Meanwhile, blitz the bread in a processor into breadcrumbs. Season well.
Add the oats and pulse lightly just to combine.
Add the cubed butter and blend until you have a crumb like texture.
Stir in the almonds and reserve this topping for later.
Once the spinach has reduced in moisture, grate in a good few gratings of nutmeg. Add the mixture to the food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and season well.
Add the creme friache and the zest of the lemon and pulse to combine. (These steps are optional. If you don’t have a processor you can simply stir the creme friache and spinach together to achieve a more textured mix).
Tip a third of the mixture into a shallow baking dish (In hindsight, the one I used was a little deep). Crumble over a third of the goats cheese.
Repeat with the next layer alternating with goats cheese and spinach. (Alternatively, you could add the goats cheese to the spinach mixture and pulse lightly. I preferred having nuggets of goats cheese rather than an overall flavour throughout).
Once you’ve used up all the mixture, top the spinach evenly with the crumble.
Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the crumble turns a golden brown and the juices from the spinach are starting to bubble up around the edges.
Dive in!

Orange Polenta Cake (free-from)

October 6, 2017 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

ollowing on from chapter 1 – “Hoisin, Soy and Ginger Meatballs” (previous post) you’ll know that a heavy weekend of exercise required some calorie replacement. Cue dessert. I’m not a big cake eater but any cake that’s doused in syrup is one that I can get on board with.

I’ve made a few drizzle cakes and polenta loaves in the past but the use of whole oranges in this recipe really makes a difference and bumps this one up the leader board! It doesn’t require a huge amount more effort but means this cake is moist and packed with orange flavour. It also make an excellent dessert unlike a Victoria sponge style cake as you can serve it warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.

nintentionally this recipe is also dairy and gluten free! Which I think leads smoothly onto the news that I have now officially left the wine industry which has served me well for the past 4 years in London! But I’m more than excited to be entering a fresher, more creative and healthier career with Deliciously Ella. So next week starts the second chapter of my London life. Who knows what it has to hold and what recipes these blog posts might contain in the near future.

Adapated from a recipe by ‘John Torode’

Ingredients

2 large oranges
2 lemons
200g ground almonds
4 eggs
170g caster sugar
150g polenta
80ml olive oil
10g baking powder

Sticky Syrup

3 oranges, juice (150ml juice)
75g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 23cm cake tin (springform recommended or loose bottomed)
Place 1 orange and 1 lemon in a saucepan of water so they are completely submerged and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the fruit from the pan and cut in half. Remove any unwanted seeds.
Place in the bowl of a food processor and add the juice only of the other orange and lemon. Blend into a thick smooth paste.
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until foaming. Add the sugar and beat again.
Next add the orange paste, almonds, oil and combine well.
Add the polenta to the baking powder then fold these dry ingredients into the wet.
Pour into your lined baking tin and bake for about 50 minutes.
While cooking, make the syrup. Heat the sugar and juice on a medium heat until beginning to bubble and turn glossy. Keep warm.
When the cake is ready pour over the syrup liberally whilst still in the tin. I like to pierce the whole cake with a cocktail stick (especially at the edges and middle) to allow the syrup to seep into the cake better. This prevents it running off the top and collecting round the edges.
Once the syrup has soaked in thoroughly, remove from the tin and turn out onto a serving plate

Serve warm with ice cream or at room temperature. The cake will keep well for about a week if stored well and become more moist!

Hoisin, Soy and Ginger Meatballs

October 2, 2017 Comments Off read Meat

ntil this recipe, I’d really underestimated minced pork. I like pork. I appreciate a good sausage (…ahem..) and I would fight you greedily for the crackling on a hog roast but I rarely cook with it. However my love of Asian-fusion recipes, the need for a warming Autumnal meal and some timely inspiration resulted in this tasty, moreish and speedy meatball dish.

It was an intense weekend. In training for 15km run round Lake Garda in October, it was decided that a smaller practice run was on the Saturday morning agenda. Two hours of enthusiastic and competitive running later, we’d clocked up 13 miles, some sore joints and a feisty appetite. So Sunday welcomed warm showers, relaxation and calorie replacement. And this recipe did a fine job.

Warming, comforting, firey, hoisin-sweet and punching in flavour, it was like an Asian hug in a bowl after a hectic weekend. It also makes a super speedy mid week meal and fantastic leftovers. I’m eating them as I write and they are just as good the second time round on a bowl of vegetable stir fry or raw courgette.

Rice – serve on your rice of choice. I’d recommend a jasmine or a sticky rice to avoid too many flavours. I do however like to squeeze a generous lime into the rice once cooked to add some contrast to the sweet hoisin here.

Serve 4

Meatballs

600g minced pork
30 self raising flour
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic gloves, grated
1 small red chilli (as hot as you like)

Sauce

1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
125ml chicken stock

To serve

Steamed pak choy, broccoli,/any green vege
Bunch coriander, chopped
Steamed coconut/jasmine/brown/sticky rice (of choice)
1 lime

Start by combining all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Use your (clean) hands, combine the mixture together so that everything is mixed well. Don’t overwork and pound the meat or it’ll give you rubbery meatballs. Chill for about 15 minutes.
Once a little chilled, heat your oven to 240°C.
Start cooking your rice now.
Roll your pork into meatballs – golf balls size (about 16)
Get a large frying pan on a high heat and add a splash of sunflower oil. (I like to fry mine to give a crispy outside then finish them off in the oven. Alternatively you can avoid this step and jump straight to the oven). Flash fry your meatballs for a few minutes until they form a dark golden crust on the outside. Place into a lined baking dish and add to the oven for about 10 minutes to finish cooking.
Meanwhile make your sauce. Add a splash more oil to your frying pan and fry the spring onions on a medium heat to soften slightly. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for another minute.
Add the hoisin and the soy and stir well. Finally add the stock and simmer gently until the sauce thickens slightly.
Remove your meatballs from the oven and add them to the frying pan and coat them liberally in the sauce.
Add a good squeeze of lime to the cooked rice if appropriate and serve about 4 meatballs per person on top of this. Spoon over some of the excess sauce.
Scatter with coriander and a squeeze of lime if needed.
Serve alongside your fresh greens.