Kapoor's Kitchen

Butternut Squash, Black olive and Chilli soup

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 15:00:49 -0500

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

1 red onion

2 garlic cloves

3 red chillies

handful of black pitted olives

handful of fennel seeds

1 lime

1 vegetable stock cube

salt and pepper

olive oil

Method:

In a large deep pan on a medium heat drizzle some olive oil and add finely chopped onion, garlic and chillies. Stir and sweat for about 5 minutes until soft and golden. Then add fennel seeds and zest of 1 limes. Keep on a low heat allowing flavours to merge.

Peel butternut squash, halve and discard seeds. Chop into small 2cm square pieces and add to the pan. Crumble in 1 vegetable stock cube and 1 litre of boiling water. Stir well and cover, boil for 20 minutes.

When squash is soft use a food processor or hand blender to pulse into a smooth soup texture. Squeeze in juice of lime and stir.

Serve with warm bread and cooling dollop of yoghurt on top.

Grilled Aubergine and Potato Curry

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:15:00 -0500

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large aubergine

2 medium sized potatoes

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 red chillies

1 thumb size piece of ginger

400g tin of plum tomatoes

2 tsp garam masala

Half a teaspoon of coriander seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

Handful of coriander

Salt and pepper

1 lemon

Rapeseed oil

Method:

In a large pan, drizzle a few glugs of rapeseed oil and add the finely sliced red onion as well as finely chopped garlic, chillies and ginger. Let this sweat for about 5 minutes until they have softened and browned. Now add in a tin on plum tomatoes, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, the garam masala, turmeric powder and coriander seeds. Fill the empty tomato tin can with water and add to the pan, give this a good stir and break up the plum tomatoes with your wooden spoon, bring back up to heat.

Meanwhile wash the potatoes and chop into pieces slightly smaller than the aubergines so nice bite size pieces. Add these to the pan, bring the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid letting the potatoes boil in the sauce, for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Now get a griddle pan on a high heat. Discard the stalk of the aubergine, then chop into large chunks, roughly about 5 cm square. Place skin side up on the griddle pan and turn over after a minute when the sides have nice chargrilled lines on. Do this in batches, you don’t want to overcrowd the griddle pan.

Add the grilled aubergines to the curry with the juice of one lemon. Stir this all together, at this point the potatoes should be al dente. Cook the curry on a low heat for another 5-10 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the aubergines have soaked up the juices from the sauce.

Finally throw in a handful of fresh chopped coriander and serve with warm naan bread and yoghurt.

Neeps & Tatties Bake

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 08:46:00 -0500

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 swede peeled

2 sweet potatoes

1 white potato

1 small red onion

Good quality olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 190º C

Wash swede and potatoes, peel only the swede. Cut potatoes and swede into 2cm square cubes. Put into a large pan of salted boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile get a small pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil in. Add the sliced red onion and sweat for 5 minutes until soft.

Once the potatoes and swede is soft, drain the water then place back into the large pan. Mash roughly so you have a rustic type of mash with a few large bits and skins. Add the red onions and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Transfer to an earthenware type oven dish and spread evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes until golden brown on top.

Serve as a side dish or with a rocket and watercress salad as a main dish.

Vegetable Thai Green Curry

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:55:32 -0500

Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic

4 shallots

2 green chillies

4 stalks of lemongrass

large lump of ginger

large handful of coriander

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

dash of soy sauce

1 lime zest and juice

1 small butternut squash

1 small aubergine

1 green pepper

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

olive oil

400g tin of coconut milk

Method:

Firstly prepare the paste. Remove the outer thicker skin of the lemongrass, skin off the ginger and garlic, stalks off the chillies. Put all these in a food processor along with the zest of one lime, cumin, half the washed coriander and a dash of soy sauce. Blend together until you have a paste like texture.

Now prepare the veg. Peel the butternut squash, halve and remove the seeds. Chop into small 2cm square cubes. Remove the stalk off the aubergine and cut into pieces the same size as the squash, also cut the pepper the same size after removing the stalk and seeds.

Drizzle a glug of olive oil in a large pan or wok on a medium heat. Finely slice the shallots after removing the skin and add to the pan with the coriander seeds. Sweat these for about 5 minutes until soft and then add the vegetables. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir fry the veg for about 10 minutes. Now pour in the tin of coconut milk making sure you give the tin a really good shake first and also add the green paste with the juice of the one lime, then give it all a good stir and bring to the boil. You should get a really pastel gentle green coloured curry now. Bring the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Finally stir in the rest of the finely chopped coriander and serve with fluffy basmati rice.

Roasted Vegetable Middle Eastern Tagine

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:59:00 -0500

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic

2 small or one large white onion

2 Peppers any colour

300g closed cup mushrooms

1 Aubergine

5 Baby Potatoes

Handful of green olives (pitted)

400g Tin of cannellini beans

400g Tin of chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoons of Vegetable stock

2 teaspoons of Bart Baharat Middle Eastern Spice mix

4 Half tea spoons: 1 half a tea spoon of Paprika, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper

Method:

This would be traditionally done in a Tagine but as I do not currently own one I attempted a make shift oven baked version inspired by a conversation I had with the chef at Food for Thought in Covant Garden, after I tried their Vegetable Tagine done in this way.

Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5

Take a large oven tray / casserole dish and put over as many hobs as you can on a medium heat. Drizzle a glug of olive oil around the tray and add in crushed or finely chopped garlic. Whilst these gently brown add in sliced white onion and sweat for about 5 minutes until soft.

Wash all the vegetables ready to chop and go in.Firstly quarter the baby potatoes and add to the tray as they will cook the longest. After a few minutes follow with peppers, mushrooms and the aubergine all roughly chopped the same size. Olives also halves and to be added then give this all a good stir and keep these cooking for about 10 minutes.

After this time add the tin of cannellini beans with the water in, the tin of chopped tomatoes followed by a tin full of water. Add two table spoons of vegetable stock and two table spoons of the spices. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir well.

Bring the sauce up to heat until you see the sauce bubbling up at the sides of the oven dish. Get a large sheet of tin foil and place on top of the tray shiny side down. You want the foil to be tight around the edges leaving quite a big dome on the top which is why you need a large sheet. You are almost trying to replicate the tagine lid but with foil, however don’t go too big otherwise you will not be able to fit it in your oven.

Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. When its ready remove the foil and allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve in nice earthy bowls with toasted wholemeal pitta, cous cous or a type of cous cous like bulghar wheat or quinoa.

Fig, Goats cheese, Pear and Rocket Salad

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:27:00 -0400

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

5 figs

70g goats cheese or goats curd

1 semi ripe pear

70g bag of rocket

good quality extra virgin olive oil

half a lemon

pinch of salt and black pepper

Method:

In a large salad bowl add the bag of rocket and crumbled/cut up goats cheese. Wash the figs and pear and cut the ends off. Quarter the figs and add to the bowl, then quarter the pear, cut the centre part out, then finely slice and also add to the bowl then toss everything together.

In a small jar or cup squeeze the juice of half a lemon then three times the amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper then mix or shake well. Either pour over the salad and mix now to serve straight away or serve with the dressing on the side to serve later.

Fennel Risotto with Lemon and Chilli

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:20:00 -0400

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

olive oil

handful of fennel seeds

1 bulb of fennel

1 red chill

1 lemon

2.5 litres of vegetable stock

100g unsalted butter

1 large onion finely chopped

500g Arborio risotto rice

salt and pepper

60g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method:

Heat a glug of olive oil in a medium size pan on a medium heat. Lightly crush some fennel seeds in a pestle and motor and add to the pan for about a minute. Finely slice the fennel and finely chop the chilli then add to the pan. Give a good stir, turn the heat down a little and allow to sweat for about 10 minutes, then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, then sweat for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

Meanwhile make the plain risotto. Firstly prepare your stock in a pan or large jug according to instructions, usually about 4 teaspoons of stock in 2.5 litres of boiling water.

Melt half your butter in a large pan on a medium-high heat, add the finely chopped onions and lightly fry for about 10 minutes until golden and soft. Add the Arborio rice and coat the rice in the butter and keep in the pan for a few minutes until the rice starts to look slightly translucent and you can heat a crackling noise. Then add your white wine and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has burnt off.

Now add the stock ladle by ladle, avoid drowning the rice just make sure each ladleful has been absorbed before adding the next. Keep adding the stock and cooking the risotto for another 15 minutes until all the stock has been used and the rice is al dente.

By now the fennel will have cooked nicely. Add the fennel to the risotto rice with the juice of the other half lemon, the rest of the butter and three quarters of the Parmesan and stir slowly until they have mixed well and the cheese has melted into the rice. Serve with a sprinkle of the remaining Parmesan on top.

Tagliatelle, Rainbow Chard and Potato Bake

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:09:00 -0400

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

200g Tagliatelle (5-6 ribbons)

8 baby potatoes

200g (Large bunch) of Rainbow chard stalks and leaves

good quality olive oil

5 shallots

2 cloves of garlic

1 red chilli

salt and pepper

large handful of grated parmesan

Method:

Preheat oven to Preheat the oven to 190c / 200F/ gas mark 5 and put a large deep pan on high heat with boiling salted water.

Firstly dice the baby potatoes into small pieces, the smaller ones into quarters and larger further so they are roughly the same size. Cut the stalks off the chard keeping them to one side and roughly chop up the chard but gathering them and slicing through them 1 cm apart.

Put the chard leaves, potato and the Tagliatelle into the boiling water together and boil for about 10 - 15 minutes until the pasta and potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Heat a glug of olive oil in a medium pan, finely slice the shallots, garlic, chilli and add to the pan. Sweat for about 5 minutes until soft and slightly browned. Discard the very ends of the rainbow stalks and finely slice the rest and add to the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes then switch off.

Once the potato, pasta and chard is cooked drain leaving a small cup of starchy water. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir well adding a few dashes of the pasta water to loosen the pasta. Now put this into a large earthenware oven dish, shake it out so its spread evenly and cover the top with grated Parmesan.

Place in the oven for about 10 minutes until the Parmesan has melted and golden on top. Serve straight away.

Spicy Steamed Aubergines with Feta

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:04:00 -0400

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium sized aubergines

olive oil

2 shallots

1 clove of garlic

1 small piece of ginger

1 red chilli

salt and black pepper

handful coriander

handful of crumbled feta

Method:

Prepare a steamer or make a steamer using a pan of boiling water with a colander on top and the pan lid on top of that. Halve your aubergines down the middle length ways and place them face up in the steamer. Steam for about 10-15 minutes until soft and spongy.

Meanwhile make your sauce. In a large pan or wok on a medium heat add a glug of olive oil. Add finely chopped garlic and shallots and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and browned. Then add finely chopped ginger, chilli and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook for another 5 minutes.

When the aubergines are cooked, remove them from the steamer, remove the stalks and then chop into roughly 2cm square pieces, be careful as they will be hot. Then add these to the large pan with your sauce and toss for a few minutes until they are nicely covered. Add some finely chopped coriander and serve with crumbled feta on top.

Tomato and Toasted Ciabatta Salad

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:39:00 -0400

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

200g ciabatta (about half a load)

handful of rosemary (leaves picked)

small handful of fennel seeds

salt and pepper

good quality olive oil

600g of ripe tomatoes (as many different shapes, sized and colours as you can)

handful of fresh basil

1 clove of garlic

1 red chilli finely chopped

good quality extra virgin olive oil

dash of red wine vinegar

handful of grated parmesan

Method:

Cut your tomatoes in random large chunks, small ones in half, larger ones in quaters and leave some really small ones whole and put in a large serving bowl. Add a decent glug of extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped chilli, pinch of salt and pepper and a dash of red wine vinegar. give this all a good mix and leave for all the flavours to mingle.

Meanwhile break up the bread into large chunks and place in an oven dish. Drizzle with olive oil and dress with a pinch of salt and pepper , fennel and rosemary then give it all a good mix. Place in a grill on a high heat and put the bread in the grill for about 5-6 minutes until the bread has toasted and is golden brown, toss every couple of minutes so they don’t burn.

When they are toasted add the bread to the tomatoes along with some teared basil, and with your hands mix and toss together to all the lovely juices get into the bread. Dress with some small whole basil leaved and grated Parmesan. Serve straight away.

Squash, Puy Lentil, Courgette and Feta Salad

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:25:00 -0400

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

1 clove of garlic

1 small red onion

2 courgettes

dash of white wine vinegar.

handful of pitted green olives

400g tin of Merchant Gourmet Put Lentils

50g feta

handful of rosemary (leaved picked)

Method:

The quickest way to cook squash is to steam it. Firstly peel the skin off the squash, chop in half and scoop out the middle flesh and seeds. Then dice into 1cm cubes and put into a colander. Get a large pan on a high heat with about 2 cups of boiling water in. Put the colander in this pan so it sits above the boiling water but not touching it, then put a lid on the top of the colander to hold the steam in. Keep this on for 10 minutes until the squash is al dente.

Meanwhile get a large pan on a medium heat with a glug of olive oil in. chop your red onion in quarters, then slice and add to the pan with the garlic. Whilst the onions are sweating, discard the ends of the courgettes and slice in half down the middle, then slice up into semi circles about 1 cm thick and add to the pan with the rosemary. Also drain the water out of the puy lentils, wash and add to the pan.

Keep this on heat for 10 minutes tossing occasionally.

When the squash is al dente and soft enough to put a knife through, add to the large pan of courgettes and onions and mix together well. Either serve hot and crumble feta on top or refrigerate for and serve cold with crumbled feta on top.

Quinoa, Rocket and Tomato Salad

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:16:00 -0400

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

half a cup of quinoa

salt and pepper

good quality extra virgin olive oil

juice of half a lemon

large handful of rocket

handful of cherry tomatoes halved

5-10 shavings of parmesan

Method:

Put the quinoa and 1 cup of water in a small pan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Watch the quinoa and when it looks slightly translucent and has sprouted turn the heat off and cover the pan with a lid for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile half the tomatoes and wash the rocket (if its not already washed). Once the quinoa has soaked all the water add a decent drizzle of good quality olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper, juice and zest of half a lemon.

Either put this in the fridge to cool and mix in the tomatoes and rocket for a completely cold salad, or mix and serve straight away. Finish with some shavings of parmesan using a speed peeler. A nice dollop of cottage cheese is also nice with this salad

The Perfect Roast Potatoes

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:22:00 -0400

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1.5 kg Maris Piper potatoes

1 bulb of garlic

bunch of fresh rosemary

good quality olive oil

red wine vinegar

salt and black pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5

Peel the potatoes and cut in large chunks so halving the smaller ones and the bigger ones into thirds r quarters, roughly about the size of two squash balls put together. Wash off the starch in cold water, then put in a pan of cold water seasoned with a generous amount of salt. Bring to the boil and par boil the potatoes for 10 minutes.

Once they are par boiled drain and then shake and toss them about in the colander to create some extra texture on the surface of the potato that will crisp up well. Take an earthenware oven dish, drizzle the bottom with a good quality olive oil, then add the potatoes in, season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, another drizzle of oil on top. Put this in the oven for about 30 minutes until they have started to get golden brown.

Meanwhile break up the bulb of garlic into cloves keeping the shell on and pick the leaves off your rosemary. Put these both in a bowl with a decent drizzle of olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar. After the potatoes have been in for 30 minutes, take them out and using a potato mashed just very gently squash the potatoes but without splitting them, you just want to make them a little wider by gently pressing down on them with the potato masher. Then spread your rosemary and garlic over the potatoes and return to the oven for another 25-30 minutes or until you feel they are ready.

Sweet Potato and Feta Mash with Homemade Baked Beans

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:48:00 -0400

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes

1 lemon

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

handful of crumbled feta

salt and black pepper

1 clove of garlic

1 small red onion

sprig of thyme

400g of plum tomatoes

400g Cannellini beans (drained)

salt and black pepper

teaspoon of marmite

Method:

Wash the sweet potatoes, chop the ends off and discard, then chop into large chunks. Put in a large microwave safe bowl with half a lemon, cover with a double layer of cling film and put in the microwave ready to go.

Now start the beans, note here that we aren’t actually baking them but everyone knows the tinned beans as ‘baked’ beans. Prepare a saucepan with a glug of olive oil in on a medium heat. Finely chop the garlic and onion and lightly fry in the saucepan for about 5 minutes until soft and golden. Add the sprig of thyme and juice of the other half lemon, stir and leave for another minute. Then add the tin of chopped tomatoes, tin of beans, teaspoon of marmite and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir this in and use your stirring spoon to break up the plum tomatoes. Now turn the heat low and allow to simmer.

Whilst the beans are simmering put the potatoes in the microwave on full heat for 15 minutes. Keep occasionally stirring the beans and pressing down on the plum tomatoes to break them up and also taste for flavour and add more salt, pepper, lemon juice to your preference, maybe a pinch of sugar if it tastes too sharp.

When your potatoes are done, spread them out over a cool plate or chopping board. Add a drizzle of olive oil, your crumbled feta and pinch of salt and pepper. Then using a large knife or even a fork, just roughly chop and mash everything together. Serve on a nice plate with a few spoons of your homemade beans.

Homemade Chilli Jam

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:50:00 -0400

This recipe is for four small jars

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

glug of olive oil

8-10 red chillis

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

large lump of root ginger

6 cloves of garlic

4 red peppers

4 red onions

teaspoon of ground cinnamon

teaspoon of salt

teaspoon of black pepper

150ml red wine vinegar

100ml balsamic vinegar

700g brown caster sugar

Method:

In a large deep pan on a medium heat, roast finely chopped garlic in a glug of olive oil until golden brown (not burnt), add finely chopped red onions and the balsamic vinegar, sweat for about 10 minutes until soft and glazed.

Meanwhile cut stalks off the peppers and chills, wash and deseed the peppers only, also skin the ginger. Put chills, ginger and peppers in a food processor and blend until finely blended in very small pieces, then add to the large pan with the onions and garlic. Now add the rest all of the other ingredients to the pan and put on a low heat so it slowly bubbles.

Keep this boiling for one and a half hours until its thick and sticky, stirring occasionally and remove any froth that forms on top.

Whilst this is boiling, sterilise 4 empty jam jars, Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Wash jars and lids thoroughly in hot water then put in the oven for about 15 minutes until dry, then take out and allow to cool.

Once the jam has cooked, allow to cool for about an hour, then spoon into the sterilised jam jars and allow to cool further until room temperature. Decorate your jam jars, add stickers, ribbons, some cool paper and store in a cool dark cupboard.

Serving suggestion:

Put some large baked potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes. Mean while preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. When the potatoes are done in the microwave, place on a baking tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, make sure you move them around until they are coated in the oil.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown and the skin is crispy, test they are ready by stabbing them with a sharp knife making sure they are soft inside.

When serving, slice a cross in the top of the potato and push from four sides to open up the potato, drizzle with good quality olive oil, grate over mature cheddar or a nice smoked cheddar and a large table spoon of your chilli jam.

Gnocchi and porcini mushroom bake

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:30:00 -0400

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

500g potato gnocchi

Large handful of dried porcini mushrooms

Olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 red chilli

400g tin of plum tomatoes

Handful of basil

Salt and pepper

Handful of grated Parmesan

Handful of breadcrumbs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Firstly you need to rehydrate the porcini mushrooms so add boiling water to a bowl with the dried mushrooms in and leave to soak for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile add finely chopped garlic to a large pan with olive oil, on a medium heat and sweat the garlic untill they start to brown. Then add a finely chopped red chilli, a tin of plum tomatoes and a handful of torn basil, then keep on a medium - low heat for about 10 minutes.

Prepare a pan of generously salted water on a high heat until it starts to boil then keep on a medium heat. When the porcini mushrooms have rehydrated, spoon only the mushrooms out directly into the sauce but do not spill the water it was soaking in. Using a fork or the back of your wooden spoon, crush the plum tomatoes and break them up whilst stirring in the mushrooms and turn off your sauce as it is ready.

To cook the gnocchi, add to the boiling salted water and allow about 3 minutes for the gnocchi to rise, and as soon as it does, using a spatula with holes in, take the gnocchi out and put straight into your sauce. Once all the gnocchi has cooked and is in the sauce, then add about two table spoons of starchy pasta water and two table spoons of mushroom water into the pasta to thin out the sauce.

This dish can either be eaten like this with grated Parmesan on to but we poured the pasta into a large earthenware type oven dish, topped with Parmesan and bradcrumbs and then put in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes to brown on top so you have a soft gnocchi and mushroom dish with a crunchy layer on top.

Take out of the oven when golden brown and crispy on top, allow to cool for a few minutes and serve.

Antipasti Special

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 09:33:00 -0400

Time: 40 minutes

Antipasti is a mixture of small starters to have before a main meal. Here we have made traditional baked lemon dish from the Amalfi coast of Italy, with Sicilian style arancini balls and a lovely roasted pepper dish. We prepared the lemons and arancini balls first and put these in the oven together, then whilst these were cooking in the over we made the peppers so everything was ready together

Amalfi Baked Lemons

Ingredients:

2 large unwaxed lemons

good quality ball of mozzarella

6 fresh basil leaves

3 cherry tomatoes

dried chilli flakes

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6

Cut the ends off the lemons and cut the rest into thirds so your left with six large 1 inch thick lemon slices. Then using a small knife cut out the lemon flesh leaving you with hollow circles of just lemon skin.

Take some greaseproof paper and use this as the base of your skins to keep everything in (traditionally done with the lemon leaves so use these if you have them). Now slice the mozzarella into roughly 12 slices and halve the cherry tomatoes. What you’re going to do is fill the inside of the lemon wheels starting with mozzarella at the bottom, then a basil leaf, then half a cherry tomato, a small pinch of dried chilli then mozzarella on top. Do this for all six, place them on a baking tray and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the mozzarella is golden and bubbling. Serve on their own or with some warm bread and simply scoop out the lemon infused mozzarella filling.

Oven Baked Arancini Balls

Ingredients:

400g of left over risotto of any kind (see saffron risotto)

good quality olive oil

handful of breadcrumbs

handful of Parmesan

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6

Mix together a handful of grated parmesan and a handful of bread crumbs in a bowl. Take a good handful of left over risotto and using your hands pat and roll into a ball shape.

Then coat the outside of the balls in olive oil and straight away put them in the bowl of breadcrumbs and parmesan, then roll, toss and turn the ball in there until its completely coated.

Do these for all your balls, place on a baking tray and place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, turning over occasionally until they are golden brown all over. Serve straight away.

Roasted Peppers

Ingredients:

Good quality olive oil

2 peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)

2 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

splash of white wine vinegar

fresh basil

Method:

Halve your peppers, discard the seeds and flesh, then wash. Drizzle a glug of olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat, cut the peppers in large chunks and add to the pan.

Skin two cloves of garlic then with your flat palm just press them against your chopping board to crush them and then add them to your pan of peppers. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, mix in and slightly lower your heat.

Keep this slowly cooking for about 10 minutes tossing around the pan every couple of minutes until there is a nice smooth glaze in the pan from the juices of the peppers, and the pepper skins have toasted slightly.

Then add a splash of white wine vinegar and cook for another few minutes. Tear in some fresh basil and serve straight away.

Saffron Risotto

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 07:29:00 -0400

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2.5 litres of vegetable stock

Large pinch of saffron strands

100g unsalted butter

1 large onion finely chopped

100ml dry white wine

500g Arborio risotto rice

salt and pepper

60g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method:

Firstly prepare your stock in a pan or large jug according to instructions, usually about 4 teaspoons of stock in 2.5 litres of boiling water.

In a small dry frying pan on a low heat, lightly toast your saffron strands for a few seconds but make sure you do not burn them.

Melt half your butter in a large pan on a medium-high heat, add the finely chopped onions and lightly fry for about 10 minutes until golden and soft. Add the Arborio rice and coat the rice in the butter and keep in the pan for a few minutes until the rice starts to look slightly translucent and you can heat a crackling noise. The add your white wine and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has burnt off.

Now add the stock ladle by ladle, avoid drowning the rice just make sure each ladleful has been absorbed before adding the next. Note the key to risotto is to keep stirring as literally risotto means ‘continuously stir’ so slowly keep slowly stirring the stock into the rice. After about 10 minutes add the saffron and a pinch of salt and pepper. Keep adding the stock and cooking the risotto for another 10 minutes until all the stock has been used and the rice is al dente.

Finally add the rest of the butter and three quarters of the parmesan and stir slowly until they have both melted into the rice. Serve with a sprinkle of the remaining parmesan on top.

Vanilla cheesecake

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:27:00 -0400

Time: 20mins

Ingredients:

1200g full fat soft cheese (4 tubs)

150g tub mascarpone cheese

150g double cream

100g caster sugar

large table spoon of vanilla extract

50g unsalted butter

200g plain digestives

50g dark chocolate

Method:

Use a food processor and firstly do the base. Blend the digestives with 50g of melted butter. Blend until you get a biscuit base of nice small chunky bits, not too bit but not like a powder. Spoon these out into a large cake tin, cover with cling film and in the fridge straight away to set. Give your food processor container a quick rinse as you’ll be using it again.

So now put everything else apart from the chocolate into the food processor and blitz it all up until you have a nice cheesecake texture. Taste a cheeky finger full for sugar, add more if you have more of a sweet tooth.

Get your biscuit base out of the fridge, remove the cling film and spoon all the cheesecake mixture on top of it and push it down gently and evenly around the tin. Decorate with grated dark chocolate and put back in the fridge to chill for an hour before serving.

Wholemeal Pizza's

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:16:00 -0400

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Pizza base:

2 cups wholemeal self raising flour

1 cup water

pinch of salt

olive oil

Tomato sauce:

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

handful or fresh basil

extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper

Toppings:

6 asparagus stalks

handful of button mushrooms

200g good quality mozzarella

basil pesto (jar or homemade which can be found on previous posts)

handful of fresh basil

handful of grated parmesan

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

dash of balsamic vinegar

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6

Base:

To make the pizza base you need a food processor. Add the flour and 2/3^rd of the water, drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt. Blend this until the mixture creates the pizza dough, add water if its too dry, the consistency you’re looking for is quite light but held together so when you hold it up, it starts to slowly stretch.

Dust your surface with some flour, cut the dough in half then roughly make each into a ball with your hands and then using a rolling pin start rolling the dough out into a nice thin circle (doesn’t have to be perfect, just a rough circle). Leave your two pizza bases to the side to settle whilst you do your toppings.

Toppings:

Firstly prepare your asparagus. Wash the asparagus, trim and discard the bottom of the stalks then steam for about 5 minutes until al dente (if you don’t have a steamer just boil some an inch of water in a pan with a colander on top and a lid on top of the colander. Meanwhile brush the dirt off the mushrooms, slice finely then shallow fry in olive oil with black pepper, salt and balsamic vinegar. Keep tossing for about 5 minutes. The mushrooms and asparagus should be done at the same time, once they are leave to the side.

Now to make the tomato sauce. Simply put all the tin of chopped tomatoes, crushed garlic, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor and blitz until a smooth sauce texture. Now to prepare your pizzas, start off the same by topping the pizza base firstly with tomato sauce spread evenly, small torn pieces of mozzarella, and dollop a few spoons of pesto in and between the mozzarella. Top one pizza with the asparagus stalks and the other with sliced mushrooms. Then finish with grated parmesan, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Add the pizzas to the oven, make sure you use something that will cook the bottom of the base so a circular non stick oven tray or a Jamie Oliver oven pizza stone like we used.

Cook the pizzas for about 10 minutes, dress with fresh basil, a sprinkle of parmesan and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Slice into quarters or 6 and serve straight away.