Posts tagged parmesan

Chestnut Risotto with flaked almonds

January 7, 2021 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

adore a creamy, rich risotto on a cold evening. I’ll admit, with no sign of any greens, its not a nutritionally packed or balanced dinner in the slightest but it was a warm hug in a bowl we need right now on chilly weekday evenings when we’re house bound. It really did hit the spot and provided a festive hangover of creamy chestnut and garlic.

Whilst I’m no vegan, I would certainly urge any vegan missing their cream or cheese to try chestnuts as a replacement for that texture. They make a great hummus and are devine in desserts with caramel.

Chestnuts add a really natural creaminess to this one so you can use less cheese if you like but I always add a good handful or two of grated parmesan. Its subtle in flavour so don’t be tempted to overpower the topping too much.

Serves 4

200g risotto/Arborio rice
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
Sprig rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
25g butter + 1 large knob
200g chestnut puree – make your own by blending chestnuts or use this one from Merchant Gourmet
1 small glass Marsala wine (or brandy/white wine)
1 stock cube (made up to 500ml or so of hot stock)
50g approx, grated Parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Flaked almonds, lightly toasted
Garnish – crunchy breadcrumbs/croutons – optional but adds a much needed crunch.

Heat the knob of butter and a tbsp of oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Once melted, add the chopped onion and celery and gently sweat for about 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the rosemary and stir with some seasoning.
Get your hot stock in a saucepan nearby on a low but constant heat.
Crush in the garlic and cook for a further few minutes
Add the rice and turn up the heat to medium high. You are aiming to toast the rice and cover it in the fat. After about a minute the grains should start to change colour. Add the alcohol of choice which will bubble away quickly.
Add a ladleful of hot stock and stir. Bring the heat to a gentle simmer and simmer gently, adding more stock from the pan as it begins to be absorbed for about 18 minutes – time this and as you near 18 minutes keep tasting the rice. It should be just cooked but with a slight bite and most of your stock used. The mixture should be ‘sloppy’ for want of a better word.
Once you feel the rice is ready, add the chestnut puree and stir well to incorporate, it will thicken so add a splash of stock to thin if needed.
Seaosn with plenty of black pepper.
Remove from the heat. Add the grated cheese and the butter and put a lid on. Leave for 2 minutes. Stir well to mix in the melted cheese and butter and add all but a handful of parsley.
Serve in warm shallow bowls topped with the remaining parsley, roasted almonds and crunchy breadcrumbs/crouton!

Glamorous Little Gems & Chicken

July 26, 2018 Comments Off read Poultry, Vegetables and Salads

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)

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…).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!

Porcini and Chestnut Risotto, Truffle Cream

December 30, 2016 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

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!)

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.
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.
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’.
After a minute or so of toasting, add the white wine which will bubble briskly and stir until just absorbed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Once the rice is cooked, add in the fried chestnut mushrooms, the chopped parsley and chestnuts and stir to combine.
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.
Meanwhile, combine the mascarpone/creme fraiche with about 1 tbsp truffle oil or enough to taste depending on the strength that you like it.
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.
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.

Cheesy Breaded Hake

November 22, 2016 Comments Off read Seafood

his recipe is a perfect Monday night dinner to start the week on a healthy note and get some flavour after perhaps (I mean I’m just suggesting….) a boozy weekend…ahem..? The fresh delicate flavour of the fish, the slight decadence of the greasy fried cheesy breadcrumbs with a good squeeze of lemon and the sharp tang of a few gooey capers satisfied all my cravings in one. With a fresh crunchy salad with yet more lemon it cheered a soggy Monday after what was the worst day of rain we’ve had in long time. So after laying out my running shoes and the entire contents of my running rucksack to dry I cracked on with priority two….dinner.

I’ve left the measurements vague. Its really dependant on how many you’re cooking for and how cheesy you like it. And I’ll admit, after a soaking run home I wasn’t really in the mood to measure for the sake of this blog post as that really does take away the ease and love of this recipe for Monday night. No rules, no orders, just guidelines…..Experiment!

White fish fillets – use a meaty fish here. I used hake but cod, haddock, tilapia, whiting, monkfish etc all work too (skinned)
Breadcrumbs
Grated parmesan cheese
Parsley, chopped roughly (reserve a handful for garnish)
Lemon, zest and juice (1 between 2)
Egg, beaten (Around 1 per fillet)
Plain flour
1 heaped 2tsp capers per person
Sunflower oil, 1 large knob butter

Preheat the oven to 180°C..
Place the flour in a small bowl and the beaten egg in another.
The measurements for the coating are loose….use as many breadcrumbs as you require for the number of fish fillets. Use about a quarter of the weigh in breadcrumbs for the cheese and as much parsley as you dare. One very large handful of breadcrumbs usually accommodates 1 fillet but it depends on size and if you’re double dipping (see step 4)! Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Taking your fish fillets, dip first in the flour and dust off the excess then dip in the egg. Then plunge the fillets straight into the breadcrumbs and coat well. Repeat with a second layer of egg and breadcrumbs if you like a thick coating. It will be a messy job, press the coating into the fish as best you can.
Place the fillets on a plate and chill for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a large deep saucepan with a good layer of sunflower oil and a knob of butter.
When hot but not smoking, add your chilled fish fillets and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Flip and repeat until you have a toasted solid golden crust. Either continue to cook throughout in the pan or finish in the oven until cooked to your liking (depends on the fish size but around 7-8 minutes).
Whilst finishing cooking or whilst the fish rests, chop the capers roughly with the remaining parsley. Add the zest of the lemon and combine. Garnish over the crispy fillets with half a wedge of lemon on the side to squeeze over.

Serve with fresh vegetable, salad or some big sweet potato wedges. A tartare sauce wouldn’t go amide here either…or a lemony yoghurt. Being in the wine trade, I’m also dying to advise a wine that would go perfectly here but seeing as its Monday and a healthy start I won’t. But if you were to open a bottle of something sharp and zesty like a Chenin Blanc then you wouldn’t be going far off…ahem….cheers.

Ricotta Gnudi with Chorizo and Peas

June 27, 2016 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

hese little gnudi pillows are a lighter take on the chewier gnocchi – a potato based recipe – and instead use creamy ricotta and very little flour to form a creamy and lovely textured equivalent. Historically they are known in Italy as ‘naked’ ravioli. Use your imagination….these ones however are clothed in a simple buttery lemon sauce. A delicious end to whats been a temperamental June weekend. Glorious sun one minute and torrential rain the next. Since the gardens and parks are in full green bloom with all the nourishing rain, a dinner inspired using fresh summer vegetables here makes them not an addition to the gnudi main event but an equal partner.

This recipe is speedy to knock up especially once you’ve fried the gnudi. Simply toss together the blanched vegetables in some buttery lemon and voila…you have a perfect summers meal!

Feel free to use any range of vegetables. Sliced blanched asparagus would be glorious here when in season perhaps with pancetta instead of chorizo. Or try string in some last minute wild garlic leaves, basil or mint.

Serves 2

Gnudi

250g ricotta cheese
60g plain flour
1 large egg, beten
20g finely grated parmesan (plus more for garnish)
Grated zest 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Sauce

1/2 lemon
100g peas
100g broad beans, podded (or any other summer green veg enough for 2)
100g chorizo, sliced on the diagonal
40g unsalted butter
Handful chopped chives

Begin making the gnudi. Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined.
Tip out onto a floured surface and roll into a log shape (as thick as you like). Add a little more flour if needed. The texture should come together and not be wet but it will be very soft and pillowy like dough. Quite fragile.
Chop into gnudi pieces (mine were about 2 inch long) and place on a tray until ready to cook
Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch your vegetables of choice and then drain and set aside.
Using the same pan, season the water and poach the gnudi for a few minutes. They will rise to the surface and float once cooked and ready. When this happens, use a slotted spoon to drain and place on a lined tray. Keep the water for the sauce.
Heat a frying pan and add half the butter and a little oil. Heat on a high heat and then fry the gnudi until golden brown all over. Place on a warm plate and keep warm once golden.
In the same pan, add the sliced chorizo and fry just until beginning to crisp.
(You need to now work quickly to prevent the vegetables decolouring). Add the vegetables – peas and beans – to the chorizo in the pan and season.
Next add in the rest of the butter and stir to emulsify the sauce. Add a splash of the gnudi poaching water.
Simmer and then add the gnudi to the mixture and warm through and coat in the buttery juices.
Finally, when all warmed through, squeeze over the lemon juice and the chopped chives.
Serve in deep warm bowls topped with any reserved chopped chives and some more grated parmesan

Leek and Parmesan Arancini, Smokey Bacon Mayonnaise

March 13, 2016 Comments Off read Extras, Vegetables and Salads

hen I first say James Martin make this mayonnaise my mind immediately jumped to all the decedent foods it could accompany. Surprisingly it only briefly lingered on the monstrously unhealthily nature of mayonnaise and bacon!? But once in a while, a Saturday evening needs a decadent dish lovingly and patiently made – think of it as a culinary pat on the back for a hard working week. James Martin is one of those humble chefs that I trust when it comes to recipes (not to mention our matching appreciation for the use of butter) so all that was needed here was something to accompany it. One of my favourite staple flavour combinations being leek and bacon and a need for something fried and crispy for this gourmet mayo, arancini sprang to mind. In preparation for my up and coming supper club where arancini feature as my starter I thought a little more practice couldn’t go amiss. So out came the rice, butter and wooden spoon, the Italian red was decanted and dinner was set…

Serve with a lovely lemony rocket salad to cut through the oil.

Makes 15 large arancini (2-3/person)

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
70g butter
200g Alborio rice
1 large glass dry white wine
1 litre hot vegetable or chicken stock
5 leeks
50g grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon
200g breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten well
100g plain flour
Sunflower/Vegetable oil for deep frying (About 1 litre)

Arancini

Begin by making the risotto either in the morning before eating these or a day ahead of when you want to serve them.
Melt 20g of the butter in a large saucepan or high sided frying pan with a teaspoon of olive oil.
When hot, sweat the onion and garlic, lid on, for about 5-10 minutes until softened and translucent. You shouldn’t allow it to colour.
Turn up the heat and add the rice. Fry for a few minutes until the rice starts to turn translucent. While the pan is still hot, add the wine and allow to bubble vigorously and absorb into the rice. Immediately turn the heat down to a medium low.
Now add the hot stock ladle by ladle once each liquid addition has been absorbed. Between each spoonful allow to bubble at a very gentle simmer. Cook the rice in the stock in this way for about 20 minutes testing the rice after about 18 minutes by which time it should be soft with a slight bite but not mushy.
Meanwhile while the rice is cooking fry the leeks. Melt 20g of the butter in a frying pan with a teaspoon of olive oil. Top and tail the leeks then slice in half and chop on the diagonal into thin slices. Fry on a medium heat with plenty of salt and pepper for about 10 minutes until soft and just starting to caramelise and colour. Set aside once done.
Once the rice is cooked and most of the stock is absorbed you should still be aiming for a loose consistency. Remove from the heat and add plenty of seasoning to taste and then then tip in the leeks. Add the grated zest of the lemon and the juice of half.
Add the parmesan and the rest of the butter and place a lid onto the pot and set aside for 2-3 minutes. After this time remove the lid and stir in the melted cheese to combine.
Tip the risotto onto a shallow dish/baking tray levelling it out thinly to allow it to cool quickly and place in the fridge to chill.
Once chilled, take just bigger than golf ball sized spoonfuls (or smaller depending on how you want to serve them. I suggest one large one each as a starter or 2-3 for a main) and roll into rounds. Arrange your flour, egg and breadcurmbs into 3 bowls in front of you. Dip the risotto balls first into the flour then the beaten egg and finally coat in breadcurmbs and place each on a plate. Continue until you have used up all the rice. This should make about 15 balls.
Place in the fridge until ready to fry.
When ready, heat a saucepan full of the vegetable oil (deep enough to immerse the arancini by at least half) or turn on your deep fat fryer. You will know when it is hot enough as a cube of bread added to the oil will sizzle and turn golden in a matter of minutes.
When the oil is hot enough, fry the aracini, turning as needed, until golden brown and crisp all over. Once golden, remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel. Keep warm while you fry the rest.

Smokey Bacon Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks, room temperature (this is important to prevent it splitting)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
6 rashers streaky smoked bacon, chopped into pieces
1/2 lemon
350 ml rapeseed or olive oil

Begin by frying the bacon in a hot pan ahead of time until really crisp. Set aside in a bowl with the fat juices and cool in the fridge completely.
Next, place the eggs yolks, mustard, juice of 1/2 the lemon and the white wine vinegar in the bowl of a food processor and set the motor running.
In a very steady stream add the oil. The more slowly you add it the less chance it will split. The mixture will begin to thicken the more oil you add. Continue until you have combined all the oil and the consistency is thick and smooth.
Next add some freshly cracked pepper and tip in the bacon pieces. Pulse until mixture to combine the bacon.
Spoon into a small serving bowl and cover at room temperature until ready to use.

WINE: By no means do you need to fork out on an extravagant Italian bottle such as the below ‘Gaja Conteisa’ that I devoured these with. But there is something quite ironic about a greasy and mayonnaise laden ball of buttery risotto with a Super Tuscan that I won’t lie….went down like a house on fire. Italy, you made my weekend.

Pea and Ham Soup, Parmesan Croutons

January 11, 2015 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Bit of a belated recipe post for a festive Christmas soup to use up those leftovers and freshen the taste buds after an indulgent feast! Apologies if the posts have been a little thin on the ground recently. I haven’t stopped eating or reverted to a juice only January diet that some of my friends (sorry acquaintances) have been doing (!?). I also haven’t stopped cooking….or taking photos! Far from it. But the combination of a broken laptop and a delicious adventure to Paris over New Year stole my attention temporarily.

I’m no killjoy so don’t worry, the health benefits of the peas in this recipe can be couteracted slightly if you’ve invested some well worth time into cooking a delicious succulent sugar glazed ham and have any straggling leftovers to pop in. Simialry this can be countereacted with some cheese saturated paremsan croutons. Alternatively continue the alcohol themed festivities and serve with a delicious door-stop wedge of my served ’Boy Beer Bread’ slathered with salted butter.

Pea, Mint and Ham Soup

Serves 4

550g frozen peas (50g reserved)
750ml hot stock
1 onion, chopped finely
1 large clove garlic, diced
1 large knob butter
Small handful thyme, leaves stripped
Handful fresh mint
Large handful of leftover shredded or chopped ham or ham hock
Serve with parmesan croutons below of butter slathered bread. E.g. a wedge of my ’Boy Beer Bread’

Heat the butter with a splash of oil in a large saucepan until beginning to sizzle.
Slowly cook and soften the onion for about 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a few more minutes.
Next, turn up the heat and add the peas and mix. Add 600ml of the hot stock and half the mint leaves
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes.
After this time remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender. Add more stock if you want it thinner, this with vary on how you like you’re soup.
Chop the reminaing mint leaves and then add to soup and blend again.
Return the soup to the hob and add the reserved whole peas and stir in the ham.
Heat through for a few minutes then enjoy!

Parmesan Croutons

250g stale bread, cut or ripped into large croutons
4 large dessertspoons of grated parmesan
About 4 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Douse the bread in the olive oil in a large baking tray. Cover with the parmesan and mix. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

Spinach Pearl Barley Risotto

November 3, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Today felt like a Tuesday. Never good if its Monday! After spending half my weekend at work for various reasons, today was a really long and eventful day. I was looking forward to nothing better than stirring a glossy silky risotto in the kitchen all day. I think I may actually prefer pearl barely here (or this evening anyway). Although not as creamy as those made with Aborio rice, barely gives an added texture and bite here. Served healthily and simply, meat free with a soft poached egg it could not have hit the spot better!

NOTE: Same risotto making rules apply…see tips here for the best!

Serves 2

150g pearl barley
Chicken/vegetable stock (about 800ml)
1 onion, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 large knobs of butter
1 large glass dry white wine
150g spinach
Handful chives, chopped
Large generous handful of fresh grated parmesan (plus extra for garnish)
Zest 1 lemon, juice of half
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, fresh and at room temperature
Additional extras to add: Handful of rocket; scatter with fried chorizo; shaved parmesan; top with fish or chicken…

In a large saucepan melt a knob of butter with a tsp of oil until starting to sizzle. Add the onion and cook slowly and gently until soft and translucent. Meanwhile, heat your stock in a saucepan on low.
Add the garlic to the onion and cook for a few minutes before adding in the pearl barely. Turn the heat up and fry the barley for a minute or so.
Pour in the wine and allow the alcohol to burn away slightly and absorb. Once this is done, reduce the heat and add your first ladleful of hot stock. Keep at a light simmer and continue adding stock as soon as the previous addition has been absorbed. Never let it get dry though. Keep stirring to release the starch to give a creamy risotto.
Keep adding until the pearl barley is cooked with a slight bite. This may vary and will be longer than risotto rice. Mine took about 30 minutes. Make sure the texture remains loose.
Meanwhile, blend your spinach and chives in a food processor of chop finely, with a little oil to loosen.
When the barely is ready and the mixture is like a runny porridge, add the spinach, lemon zest, juice and some seasoning – lots of black pepper! Get another saucepan on to simmer gently for the eggs.
Stir the risotto until thick but still unable to hold its shape – there is nothing worse than risotto that ‘sits’ on the plate like mash. It should always need a bowl!
Remove from the heat and add the cheese and the remaining butter and pop a lid on and leave to rest.
While resting, poach your eggs in barely simmering water for a few minutes until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny.
Stir the melted cheese and butter thoroughly into your risotto and serve in shallow bowls topped with your soft poached eggs!

And served with a delicious Chilean Riesling available here

Creamy Dijon Lentil Gratin

July 7, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Like many of my dishes this one came about from a fridge of leftovers and a willing pantry. With a craving for a side dish with a little extra added effort I knocked out this gratin. In an almost ‘mystery box’ Masterchef challenge, some simply simmered lentils, a dousing of deep creamy Dijon dressing, some soft goats cheese speckled with parsley and all liberally blanketed in some cheesy breadcrumbs and butter and baked could only taste delicious.

Serves 2

4oz Puy Lentils
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
4 tbsp creme fraiche OR 4 large tbsp creamy goats cheese e.g. Chèvre
Handful chopped flat leaf parsley
2 large handfuls breadcrumbs
1 large handful grated parmesan
Knob of butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Simmer the lentils in boiling water for about 20 minutes or until soft but with a slight bite and not mushy
Drain and return to the pan. Stir in the parsley, creme fraiche, mustard and plenty of cracked black pepper and salt.
Spoon into an oven proof dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese in a bowl and season. Scatter over the lentils and top with a few knobs of butter.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden and crispy on top.

WINE: If using Sancerre’s famous Chèvre, this dish is perfect with a beautiful crisp Sancerre wine to match. Try Fernand Girard, 2014 Sancerre which is available at Armit Wines.

Wild Garlic Pesto

April 29, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Free ingredients feel cheekily delicious. Whether its that buy one get one free packet of salad, that suspect lemon that apparently didn’t scan in the hands of the conveniently incompetent cashier or, in this case, the hand foraged bunch of wild garlic my sensitive foodie nose kindly led me to on a country walk this Easter. Growing in the hedgerow and just dying to be plucked and cooked these leaves are fragrant with a garlic punch.

Wild garlic should be treated more like a herb- a hardier basil. It can be sauteed in butter but not cooked as hard as a cabbage. I decided to make pesto which can be made in a pestle and mortar and I always find this satisfying and a lovely idea where you really can adjust the consistency, taste and vitally the texture to your own preference steadily and carefully. However my solid granite pestle and mortar weights a tonne and after a long day at work and a run home I wasn’t in need of a weigh session or the horrors of having to unsuccessfully scrape my delicious pesto creation into a bowl and wash up my granite weight. So….shamefully the magi mix came out to do the job for me. I bought a beautiful Godess-like pot of bushy Greek basil on the way home today and couldn’t resist adding a handful to the mix as a nod to the classic pesto but go easy as it is punchy and will overpower the beautiful garlic leaves if added too heavy handidly.

Enjoy with – roasted fish, meats, roasted sweet potato jackets, mixed into pasta sauces, stirred into soups, mixed in salad dressings. I served mine here with pan fried seabass and red camargue rice.

Makes a small bowlful (depending on the amount of oil)

100g wild garlic leaves, cleaned if foraged
Optional – a small handful of basil leaves
1 garlic clove, chopped
50g finely grated Parmesan
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted (or walnuts)
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice
Olive/rapeseed oil (up to 150ml. See note*)

First, if foraged from the bushes, carefully wash the garlic leaves in cold water and pat dry or spin dry in an old school salad leaf drier.
Place in a food processor with the pine nuts, garlic and basil (if using). Blend until chopped finely.
Add the cheese and season.
Now slowly drizzle in the oil until you get the desired consistency. I think I used about 2 tbsp for mine.
Alternatively, bash the leaves with the nuts in a pestle and mortar before adding the cheese and stirring in the oil.
Add seasoning to taste and adjust with whatever you think it needs, a hint of lemon juice perhaps!

NOTE* – the amount of oil will depend on a few things but I personally like my pesto thick as its more concentrated and punchy in flavour and healthier as it uses less oil. It will also depend on how long you want to keep it. If you plan on storing in your fridge for a bit, pop into a sterilised jar and make sure there is enough oil to cover and seal it from exposure and oxidation.