Greek Easter Cookies ( Koulourakia)

These cookies are traditionally made for Easter. Two strands of dough are twisted together or formed into “s” shapes before being glazed with egg wash and baked. Flavoured with orange and vanilla they are lovely with a cup of coffee.

8oz/200g butter – allowed to soften for about 2 hours at room temperature
8oz/200g caster sugar
4 whole eggs  + 2 yolks
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
grated rind and juice of one orange
1oz/25g baking powder
2llbs/800g plain flour
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk to glaze

Makes 40 cookies

Heat oven to 200◦ C/ gas mark 6

2.       Beating  continuously, add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition and then mix in the two egg yolks. Then add the vanilla extract and orange rind and juice.

3.       Fit the mixer with a dough hook or use a wooden spoon gradually add the flour and baking powder.

4.       Keep mixing until the mixture begins to form a soft dough.

5.       The mixture should be soft but not sticky.

6.       Using your hands break off pieces of the dough and roll into long thin sausage shapes about the thickness of a finger. Fold the sausage shape in half then twist the two ropes together or form the dough into “s” shapes.

7.       Place the cookies onto  greased baking sheets. Glaze them with the egg/ milk mixture. Space them well apart as they will expand during cooking. Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Spaghetti with Crab

Spaghetti with Crab

As seen in Marlborough Town and Country Magazine

This is my go to recipe when I have to make something quick for the family. It is one of those dishes that are so quick and easy to prepare that it can be made in the same time as it would take you to order a takeaway and wait for it to be delivered.

It is also the sort of dish which can be made from your store cupboard as long as you keep the main ingredients to hand so you don’t even have to go shopping. It is a great standby dish, it tastes amazing and is a little bit more interesting than your average pasta dish.

I make this dish using squid ink spaghetti but that is not to everyone’s taste.  I have also made it with plain spaghetti and it is equally delicious.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
60ml/2floz white wine
small pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 x 600ml/ 1 pint jar of passata
2 x170g/ 7oz cans of crab meat
500g/1lb, 2oz squid ink or plain sphaghetti
basil leaves to serve.

Firstly put on a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a shallow frying pan and cook the garlic until fragrant but not coloured.
Add the white wine and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes.
Add the passata and allow to warm through.

While that is warming and the water for the pasta has boiled add your pasta to the pan and cook for about 10 -12 minutes until cooked but still has a little “bite” in the middle of the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking,  drain the crab meat and add to the tomato sauce. Allow to warm through over a low heat.

When the pasta is cooked drain in a colander and return the pasta to the pan.

Stir  the crab sauce into the pasta and sprinkle with basil leaves to serve

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Serves 4

For the tomato sauce.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion- finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

For the meatballs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion- finely chopped
1 small red chilli – finely chopped and seeds removed.
500g minced beef ( or a mixture of pork and beef)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper

1.       To make the sauce heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry gently to soften and lightly brown. Add the tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper and the sugar. Allow to cook gently for about 20 minutes while you make the meatballs.

2.        To make the meatballs heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the chilli flakes and cook for a few seconds. Place this in a bowl with the minced meat. cinammon and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix it all up with your hands. Form the meat mixture into meatballs with your hands.

3.       As you make the meatballs place each one onto a baking tray. When you have made all the meatballs place them in a hot oven ( gas 200◦C/gas mark 6) for about 15 minutes to brown. This saves you frying the meatballs and is also healthier. When the meatballs are done place them all in the tomato sauce as well as any juices which have collected in the baking tray. Cook in the sauce for about 15 minutes.

4.       Serve with pasta ( penne or spaghetti or whatever you like).You will need about 100g /4oz per person. Traditionally the Italians will mix the sauce and meatballs in with the pasta. Tear over the fresh basil leaves and sprinkle with parmesan cheese to serve.

"Crunchie" Cupcakes

3oz ( 75g) dark chocolate broken into pieces
8oz (200g) butter
8oz (200g) caster sugar
3 eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
6oz (150g) flour
1oz (25g) cocoa powder
2oz (50g) honeycomb chunks ( or 50g of crunchie bar smashed into small pieces)

Frosting
8oz(200g) milk chocolate ( melted over hot water)
4oz ( 100g) butter( softened)

Makes 24 small cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 200ᵒ C/ gas mark 6. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot water.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Stir in the sugar until well blended. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and gradually add to the chocolate mixture stirring well until you have a smooth batter.

Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the batter and mix until smooth.

Fold in the honeycomb chunks.

Fill the cases to ¾ full.

Cook in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
 Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Cream the butter until light a fluffy using an electric mixture or wooden spoon.

Add the melted chocolate and beat until you have a creamy frosting.

Decorate the top of the cupcakes. Sprinkle with more honeycomb bits, broken crunchy bar and chocolate chips.

Chicken and Asparagus Risotto with Sauteed Mushrooms

50g/2oz butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

4 chicken breasts cut into 1” pieces

1 onion chopped

450g/1lb, 2oz asparagus cut into 1” lengths

250g/ 10oz chestnut mushrooms

120m/4 fl ozl white wine

500g/1lb,4oz risotto rice

800 ml/ 1 ½ pints chicken stock ( kept hot in a saucepan on the stove)

60g/2 ½ oz grated parmesan cheese

 Heat the olive oil in  a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms until they are brown and a lot of the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and fry the chicken pieces until they are browned adding a little more oil if necessary. Set these aside. Keep the mushrooms warm.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the risotto rice to the onions in the pan and stir around so that the rice becomes coated in all the buttery onions. Add the white wine and cook stirring continuously until the wine has been absorbed.

Add a ladleful of the chicken stock and keep stirring your rice so that the stock slowly becomes absorbed into the rice as the rice cooks. Continue adding a ladleful of stock to the rice and stirring for about 15 minutes until the rice is just tender. Season with some salt.

When the rice is  a few minutes from being cooked add the asparagus spears and cook for  2 more minutes. Add the chicken and stir through the rice to warm through for about a minute. Add the parmesan cheese.

To serve ladle the risotto into bowls and top with the sautéed mushrooms and more parmesan cheese as required. The risotto should be “sloppy” and have a soupy consistency.

Chicken Parmigiana

This is my variation of melanzane parmigiana which is made only with aubergines. I include chicken in my version as this makes for a complete meal. The Mediterranean flavours of tomatoes, garlic and basil remind me of warm Italian summers. It is delicious served with crusty bread and salad.

Serves 4

About 4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
100 ml dry white wine
1 bay leaf
small bunch of basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
3 aubergines, cut into slices about ½ inch thick
4 chicken breasts, bashed with a rolling pin to slightly flatten them.
2 x 150g balls of mozzarella, thinly sliced
100 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200⁰ C. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the chilli, chopped tomatoes, wine and herbs. Add salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat.

To prepare the aubergines, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a griddle pan until hot. Char grill the aubergine slices on each side until they are soft. Repeat until you have cooked all the aubergines adding more oil as you need it. When all the aubergines have been prepared griddle your chicken breasts in the same pan until they are just cooked through and nicely marked with the griddle lines.

To assemble your chicken Parmigiana place a spoonful of the tomato sauce in an ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of the aubergines, then a little more sauce. Sprinkle over some of the cheeses.  Continue with another layer of the aubergines, cheeses and tomato sauce and sprinkle over some chopped basil

. Place the chicken in a single layer and then continue with your aubergine, cheeses and sauce until you have used all your ingredients. Finish the dish with a good sprinkling of the cheese.

Bake in the oven for 30 -40 minutes until the dish is bubbling and brown on top.