Vegetable Pastitsio

I  made this pasta dish last night after a bit of a scrabble around in the fridge. I had some vegetables lying around in the salad tray and was thinking of making some minestrone soup. But nobody wanted soup! I also had some bits of cheese - mozarella, gorgonzola and a tub of half used marscapone from the weekend. So I decided maybe some pasta was in order. So... here is my recipe which I think is rather good.

3 red onions peeled and cut into half moons
3 leeks washed and cut into 1 inch slices
3 courgettes cut into 1 inch chunks
2 bulbs of fennel - trimmed and quartered
1x500g punnet of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
salt and pepper
500g penne pasta
6 slices prosciutto cut into strips
2 tablespoons marscarpone cheese
6 oz buffalo mozarella torn into chunks
6 oz gorgonzola in chunks

Preheat the oven to Gas 7/200 degrees centigrade.

Place all the prepared vegetables in large roasting tin and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to lubricate all the vegetables well. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.
Place the tray of vegetables in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until soft.
Remove from the oven.
Place a large pan of salted boiling water on the heat and add the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta and add to the vegetables. Add the prosciutto and the cheeses. Stir the whole lot together to amalgamate the vegetables with the pasta and cheese.
Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until bubbling.
Serve with simple green salad.

Caramelised Onion Jam and Goats Cheese Crostini and Red Pepper and Goats Cheese Crostini

AS SEEN IN MARLBOROUGH TOWN AND COUNTRY MAGAZINE - JUNE 2013


A friend recently asked me to organise a cookery party for her 50th Birthday. It was going to be something a bit different with a cookery demonstration and everyone "getting their hands dirty" making some of the dishes. It was great fun and and enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

One of the canapes we made were crostinis with different toppings. They are really easy to make and the great thing about them is they can be made in advance.


Ingredients

1 french stick
olive oil
sea salt

For the onion crostini
1 jar of onion jam
4 oz piece of stilton

For the red pepper crostini
1 jar of roasted peppers
6oz soft goats cheese


Makes approximately 20 crostinis

To make the crostini bases

Slice the french bread into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay on a baking tray in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in the oven gas7, 200 degrees centigrade for about 15 minutes until the bread is lightly toasted. At this stage you can allow the bread to cool and place in an airtight container for 2 days.
When you are ready to assemble the crostinis lay them on the baking tray and spread with the onion jam and sprinkle with some crumbled stilton for the onion crostinis.
For the pepper crostinis place some roasted peppers on the bases and sprinkle with some crumbled goats cheese.
Place the crostinis in the oven gas 7, 200 degrees centigrade for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and melted and the crostinis are warmed through.

Chargrilled Halloumi and Courgette Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

AS SEEN IN WILTHSHIRE LIFE MAGAZINE

This is a recipe which I created for Wiltshire Life Magazine and it will appear in the May edition which comes out today.

The article discusses my culinary journey and how I  learnt to cook with my family. This recipe draws on the Mediterranean influences in my cooking and contains some amazing ingredients from the region.

Serves 4

9oz/250g small courgettes
8oz/ 200g halloumi cheese cut into thick slices
4oz/100g toasted walnuts
4oz/100g pomegranate seeds
4 rye crisp breads
mixed salad leaves
salt and pepper

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2oz/50g fresh mint –leaves picked and chopped

Shave the courgettes into thin ribbons with a potato peeler and place into a bowl. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour half the dressing over the courgette ribbons and set aside. 

Prepare your salad plates by placing a crisp bread in the bottom of each plate ( or you can use one large platter). The crisp bread acts as a base for your salad ensuring your salad leaves don’t get soggy and soaking up all the lovely juices from the dressing.

Place your salad leaves on top of the crisp breads.

Toast the walnuts in a hot frying pan for a few minutes. Take care to watch them carefully as they burn easily. Set aside.

Preheat the grill and place the halloumi slices under the grill and cook until brown.

   Arrange on top of the salad leaves. Sprinkle over the toasted walnuts and pomegranates and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

My Minestrone Soup

I am not a fan of fad diets or crazes. The newest diet fad is the “fasting  diet” where you eat normally for 5 days of the week and reduce your calorie intake for the other 2 days to 500 calories for women and 600 for men.

I still feel it is better to eat a healthy balanced diet as your body will balance out the calories over time anyway and this diet may be difficult to sustain for the long term.

If you are looking to eat more healthily and have a lighter meal there is nothing better than homemade soup. My Minestrone soup is packed with lots of vegetables so you are getting all your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants too.

This recipe makes a large batch but you can keep some for lunch the next day or freeze for later.

  Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic- finely chopped
3 medium leeks- finely sliced
1 small celery heart –finely sliced
4 medium carrots – peeled and chopped into small dice
1-400g tin chopped tomatoes or 1 jar of passata ( about 600g)
3 pints hot stock or water
1 medium fennel bulb – chopped into dice
1 red and 1 yellow pepper – chopped into dice
1 pack green beans – cut into short lengths
3 medium courgettes – chopped into dice
1 can mixed beans or other beans of your choice
2oz small pasta shapes or broken up bits of spaghetti
300g chard, spinach or cavolo nero
fresh basil leaves, olive oil and grated parmesan cheese to serve.

Method

Wash and prepare all the vegetables as directed above. You need to keep your vegetables as similar in size as possible to allow for even cooking.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and gently sweat the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic for about 15 minutes. This means you will cook them over a gentle heat without browning in order to soften them. Add the fennel and peppers and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes or passata and dried herbs and stir to mix.

Add the stock or water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and allow to  cook for about 15 minutes.

Now add the green beans, courgettes and pasta and allow to  cook for 30 – 45 minutes until the pasta and vegetables are tender. If the soup is becoming too thick add a little more water or stock.

Add the canned beans and chard or spinach and cook for 10 more minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Serve in deep bowls, drizzled with some peppery olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese. Some good chewy crusty bread goes really well with this soup.

Filo Pastry Pie with Spinach, Feta and Herbs

I made this recipe today as I had some spinach which I wanted to use up.  I wanted something a bit more substantial for us to have for lunch rather than a traditional spanakopitta so came up with this recipe which is a sort of amalgamation of a spanakopitta and a quiche. In Greece and Cyprus there is a similar version of this pie which is made using wild greens which are foraged from the mountainside. I used other types of green stuff which I thought would be a suitable substitute. Even my children loved it which I was quite surprised about as it had so much "green" in it!

1 pack of filo pastry sheets -about 200g -( the one I used had 8 sheets of filo)
3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion chopped

100g of chicory chopped
100g wild rocket
200g spinach

25g fresh mint - leaves picked and chopped
25g fresh dill- chopped

200g feta cheese crumbled
200g ricotta cheese

4 eggs lightly beaten
80g melted butter
50g breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
a good grating of fresh nutmeg.

28cm/11" round tin with a removable base

Heat the oven to gas 180 degrees centigrade/gas 7

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onion and cook over a low heat until the onion is soft. Add the chicory, rocket and spinach and allow all the greens to wilt down for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped herbs, crumbled feta cheese and ricotta. Mix in the eggs and lightly season with salt and pepper ( as the feta is quite salty) and the nutmeg. Set aside.

 Place on sheet of filo pastry into the base of your tin and brush with melted butter. Layer another 3 sheets into the pan allowing the excess to hang over the sides of the tin. You will need to fold these over to enclose the filling later. Brush each sheet with melted butter as you go. Sprinkle the base of your filo pastry with the breadcrumbs. These will absorb any excess moisture which will come out of your greens and ensure your pie does not have a "soggy bottom".

Pour in your prepared filling and fold over the excess filo pastry. Make a top for your pie by lightly "scrunching" the remaining filo sheets and lightly placing them on top of the filling. Again brush each sheet with melted butter.

Place your pie on a baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes to an hour. Keep an eye on your pie. Check it after about half an hour and if it is browning too quickly lightly cover the top with a piece of foil.

When your pie is cooked remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing the side of the tin. Serve hot or cold cut into wedges.

Valentines Day Menu

I have designed this menu for Valentines day which you can cook yourself at home. It is simple to prepare and most of the menu can be made in advance allowing you to be relaxed and enjoy your Valentines Day meal without feeling flustered and running in and out of the kitchen. The recipes given here serve 2 but you can always increase the quantity if you are serving more people. 

Starter

 

Asparagus wrapped in Parma Ham

12 asparagus spears

12 slices parma ham

olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan shavings to serve.

Prepare the asparagus by washing it and snapping off the woody ends. You can do this by just bending the asparagus stalks at their base and they should just snap off where the stalk is woody.

Blanch the asparagus stalks by plunging them into a pan of boiling, salted water for 2 minutes. Drain the asparagus in a colander and allow them to drain and cool.

When the asparagus has cooled wrap each spear in a slice of parma ham. Place on a baking tray.

You can prepare this stage in advance and put aside until you are ready to cook.

When you are ready to cook the asparagus preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200 degrees centigrade. Drizzle the asparagus with some olive oil and season  with pepper. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes until the ham is crisp and the asparagus is tender.

To serve sprinkle the asparagus with a little more olive oil, some balsamic vinegar and parmesan shavings.

Main Course

Greek Style Spiced Beef served with tagliatelle

This is a Greek inspired dish. It is really easy to make and if you make it the day before the flavours improve and all you have to do is make some pasta.

400g lean beef braising steak- cut into 2" cubes
2tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic- thinly sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 wine glass red wine ( about 4-6 floz)
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf

Heat the oil in a casserole pan and fry the garlic cloves over a gentle heat until theyare fragrant and soft but not brown.

Add the beef and quickly brown it all over.

Add the red wine and allow to come to the boil. Add the tinned tomatoes, bay leaf and spices and season with salt and pepper.

Allow to come back to the boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer and allow to cook slowly for about 2 hours until the beef is really tender.

If you are making this in advance allow the beef to cool and place in the fridge.
The next day remove from the fridge about an hour before you wish to eat and reheat for about 20 minutes until it is hot all the way through.

Serve with some pasta -  I have mentioned tagliatelle but any pasta is good.
Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan and a lightly dressed rocket salad.

Dessert

Spiced Chocolate Pots

These little chocolate mousses are quite rich so only a small serving is required. I serve them in little coffee cups and saucers. These are best made the day before to allow them to set properly overnight.
I have used a good quality ready flavoured chocolate with orange and ginger but you can use any chocolate you like flavoured or just plain as long as it is about 70% cocoa solids.

100g good quality chocolate ( flavoured or plain)
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs separated

Place the chocolate, broken into small pieces into a bowl over a pan of simmering but not boiling water. Add the tablespoon of water and the golden syrup and allow to melt.

Meanwhile whisk the egg whites until stiff.
When the chocolate mix has melted remove from the heat.
Allow to cool slightly and then beat in the egg yolks.
Fold the egg white into the chocolate mixture until it is thoroughly incorporated.

Place the mousse into small ramekins, coffee cups or other small dishes of your choice and place in the fridge to set overnight.
Serve with some crisp sweet biscuits on the side.