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Wednesday 30 January 2008

Feta, Thyme and Mint Lamb Burgers

Servings: 2

Ingredients

200 g minced lamb/beef
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or 1/2 tl dried mint
25 g black olives, stoned and chopped
1 tsp tomato puree
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
50 g Feta cheese
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

For the salad

1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 Tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
50 g black olives, stoned
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tbsp Cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Honey, preferably Greek

To serve

2 slices rustic bread, thick cut
1/2 clove Garlic, peeled
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tbsp mayonnaise

Method

1. Put the meat, crushed garlic, mint, chopped olives, tomato puree, salt and freshly ground pepper in a mixing bowl and mix well. Divide into four portions.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the feta cheese with the thyme. It doesn't matter if it crumbles, just gently squeeze together.

3. Take a quarter of the mixture into your hand and roll into a ball. Flatten out, put a quarter of the feta in the middle and then draw the meat up around it.

4. Make sure the cheese is secure within the meat. Repeat with the other three burgers and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

5. In the meantime, make the salad by mixing the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and olives together in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

6. Whisk the olive oil, cider vinegar and honey together and pour over the salad.

7. Heat a griddle pan until hot. Rub each slice of bread with the garlic clove and sprinkle with olive oil.

8. Cook the bread on the griddle pan until brown on each sides. Keep warm.

9. Now cook the burgers on a griddle pan. Turn once after five minutes, then cook for another 5 minutes on the other side.

10. Spread the mayonnaise on the toasted bread. Top each slice with a freshly griddled lamb burger and a small handful of salad and serve at once.

Friday 25 January 2008

Moules mariniere with cream, garlic and parsley

Moules mariniere with cream, garlic and parsley

Serves 4

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Ingredients
1.75 kg mussels
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
15 g butter
a bouquet garni of parsley, thyme and bay leaves
100 ml dry white wine or cider
120 ml double cream
handful of parsley leaves, coarsley chopped
crusty bread, to serve

Method
1. Wash the mussels under plenty of cold, running water. Discard any open ones that won't close when lightly squeezed.
2. Pull out the tough, fibrous beards protruding from between the tightly closed shells and then knock off any barnacles with a large knife. Give the mussels another quick rinse to remove any little pieces of shell.
3. Soften the garlic and shallots in the butter with the bouquet garni, in a large pan big enough to take all the mussels - it should only be half full.
4. Add the mussels and wine or cider, turn up the heat, then cover and steam them open in their own juices for 3-4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every now and then.
5. Remove the bouquet garni, add the cream and chopped parsley and remove from the heat.
6. Spoon into four large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread.

Thursday 24 January 2008

Caramel Salmon

1 tbsp vegetable oil
800 g salmon steaks
1 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
115g soft brown sugar
3 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

To serve

steamed rice
lime wedges

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and fry the salmon steaks. Remove the salmon from heat and put aside to wait for the sauce.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add a little extra oil to the pan, if needed. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce.

3. Return the salmon to the pan and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce is rich, dark and syrupy. Sprinkle liberally with black pepper and stir through the lime juice.

4. Serve with steamed rice, with a little sauce drizzled over the top and lime wedges.

Aubergine, Potato and Chick Pea Balti

Ingredients
For the vegetables

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 aubergine, cut into 1cm cubes
1 potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 x 410 g tin Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric

For the sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp root ginger, peeled and grated
4 cm cassia bark, (optional)
6 whole Cloves
450 g tin chopped plum tomatoes
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp red chilli powder, to taste

To finish

4 tbsp fresh Coriander, finely chopped
200 ml water
1/2 tsp Garam masala

Method

1. For the vegetables: Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the sliced onions and cumin seeds. Cook for 3 minutes

2. Add the chopped potato, aubergine, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric. Stir to coat vegetables evenly and then cook over a high heat for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. For the sauce: Heat the oil in the pan. Add the onion, crushed garlic, grated ginger, cassia bark and whole cloves and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add chopped plum tomotoes, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt, sugar and chilli to taste. Cook on a high heat for two minutes, then lower to a medium heat and cook for a further 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

5. Remove the cassia bark and blend the sauce roughly with a hand blender, then add the vegetables to the sauce with 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander, the water and the garam masala.

6. Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with remaining chopped coriander and serve with Basmati rice and/or naan bread.

Bacon and tomato penne

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive oil
100-200 g streaky bacon, chopped
2 medium Onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
25 ml Red wine
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
150 g rigatoni or dried penne
25 g Butter
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add onions and chilli flakes. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent anything catching, until the onion is softened.

2. Add tinned tomatoes, wine and oregano and bring to the boil. Turn sauce down to a very gentle simmer.

3. Meanwhile, fry the bacon and bring large pan of water to boil. While the sauce is simmering put the pasta in the boiling water. Cook until just tender, drain and return to the saucepan. Pour over the sauce and stir in the butter. Add the bacon.

4. Serve the pasta with some freshly ground black pepper and the parmesan.

Friday 18 January 2008

Chicken Breast with Quinoa and Avocado

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skinless
80g Butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
1 small bunch Mint, leaves picked from stalks and sliced
12 rashers streaky bacon

For the quinoa and avocado salad

120g fair-trade Quinoa
200ml water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little for drizzling
3 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 lime, zest and juice
1 mild red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
75g Dried apricots, roughly chopped
50g dried cranberries
100g sun-blushed tomatoes
2 ripe avocados
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C/gas 5.

2. Lay the chicken breasts smooth-side down and lift the fillets to one side. Mix the soft butter with the ginger and one third of the mint and season well. Spread a quarter of the butter down the length of each breast in the groove left by the fillets. Fold the fillets back over the butter and season the breasts with black pepper.

3. Wrap each breast in three rashers of streaky bacon with the overlap meeting on the underside of the breast. Put the bacon-wrapped breasts onto a small baking tray with the overlapping side down and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

4. While the chicken roasts, cook the quinoa. Bring the water to the boil with the olive oil, honey, grated ginger, chopped garlic and salt. Add the quinoa and gently simmer for about 10 minutes until the germ separates. Cover and leave to absorb the remaining liquid.

5. Add the chopped chilli, the zest and juice of the lemon and lime, dried apricots, cranberries, tomatoes and remaining sliced mint. Stir well and season.

6. Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the avocadoes in half, twist gently to separate the halves then remove the stones and skins. Cut the flesh into large chunks and toss with the quinoa.

7. Spoon the salad onto four plates, cut each chicken breast into 5 slices and arrange over the salad, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Warm vegetable quinoa salad

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 red pepper, deseeded and halved
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and halved
1 courgette, trimmed and finely sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
60g quinoa grains
2 tbsp pine nuts
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
100g fresh rocket
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 lemon wedges

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Place the peppers cut side up on an ovenproof baking dish and scatter the courgette and red onion over the top. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain the quinoa and add to a medium-sized pan of boiling water, along with the thyme and rosemary. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain and put aside.

Scatter 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts over the peppers and cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the quinoa into the pepper halves.

Scatter with rocket, fresh basil and the remaining pine nuts and arrange the lemon wedges (for squeezing) on the top. Serve immediately.

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad with Harissa-style Dressing

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a starter

For the roasted vegetables:

1 small aubergine
1 medium courgette
200 g cherry tomatoes, skinned
1 small red pepper, de-seeded and cut into 2.5 cm squares
1 small bulb fennel, chopped
1 large onion, sliced and cut into 2.5 cm squares
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, torn so that they stay quite visible
1,5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
25 g pitted black olives, chopped
1/2 tablespoon capers, drained
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the couscous:

150g medium couscous
250 ml vegetable stock
50 g firm goats' cheese
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the salad:

75 g packet mixed salad leaves (such as lettuce, coriander leaves, flat-leaf parsley, rocket)

For the dressing:

50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 r teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 level tablespoon ground cumin
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

To garnish:

1 level tablespoon black onion seeds

You will also need a large, shallow roasting tin.

First prepare the roasted vegetables: prepare the aubergine and courgettes ahead of time by cutting them into 2.5 cm dice, leaving the skins on. Then toss the dice in a level teaspoon of salt and pack them into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave them on one side for an hour so that some of the bitter juices drain out. After that, squeeze out any juices left, and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth. Preheat the oven to 240°C.

Now arrange the aubergine, courgettes, tomatoes, pepper, fennel and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the crushed garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating and season with salt and pepper. Place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges.

When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and stir in the chopped olives and the capers then remove them to a plate to cool.

When you're ready to assemble the salad, first place the couscous in a large, heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling stock over it, add some salt and pepper, stir it with a fork, then leave on one side for 5 minutes, by which time it will have absorbed all the stock and softened.

Meanwhile cut the cheese into sugar cube-sized pieces. Make up the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into a serving jug. To serve the salad, place the couscous in a large, wide salad bowl and gently fork in the cubes of cheese along with the roasted vegetables. Next arrange the salad leaves on top and, just before serving, drizzle a little of the dressing over the top followed by a sprinkling of onion seeds and hand the rest of the dressing around separately.

Tuesday 15 January 2008

Caramelised toffee tofu

50 g plain flour
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp curry powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
100g tofu, sliced into 2 pieces
1 tbsp honey

Method
1. For the caramelised toffee tofu, place the flour and spices into a small bowl and mix together. Dip the tofu slices in the flour mixture.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the tofu, and fry for three minutes on each side.
3. Drizzle the honey into the pan and cook the tofu for another minute on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Serve with noodles.

Friday 11 January 2008

Gohan-riisi / Sushi-riisi

2 1/2 dl japanilaista riisiä
3 dl vettä
5 rkl sushi-etikkaa

Mittaa riisi tarkasti. Pese se kylmässä vedessä "rutistelemalla" varovasti. Vaihda vesi niin monta kertaa, kunnes riisistä ei enää irtoa valkoista vaahtoa veteen. Kaada vesi pois ja anna riisin vetäytyä puolesta tunnista tuntiin. Kaada riisit kattilaan ja lisää vesi. Aloita keittäminen keskinkertaisella lämmöllä ja käännä levy täysille sitten, kun riisi alkaa kiehua. Keitä täysillä kannen alla n. 1 minuutti.

Huom! Älä nosta kantta kesken keittämisen. Käännä lämpö pienemmälle ja jatka keittämistä n. 4-5 minuuttia. Käännä lämpö sitten kaikkein pienimmälle ja keitä riisiä kannen alla vielä 10 minuuttia. Nosta kattila levyltä ja hauduta riisiä edelleen 10 minuuttia kannen alla. Kaada riisi laakeaan kulhoon ja pirskota etikka päälle. Sekoita se riisin joukkoon.

Vinkki: Katso ohjetta myös riisipaukkausten kyljestä. Keittotavat saattavat vaihdella jonkin verran. Huom. huuhtelu on tärkeää!

Nikiri-sushi

Muotoile riisistä pallukoita. Sipaise kalan pinnalle wasabi-tahnaa ja paina kala riisipallukkaa vasten wasabipuoli alaspäin. Esim. ehdottoman tuore lohi, siika, kuha, tonnikala ja katkaravut sopivat päällysteiksi.

Maki-sushi

sushi-riisiä
50 g kylmäsavulohta suikaleina
1/4 sipuli puolikkaina renkaina
1/2 dl riisiviinietikkaa
Nori-merilevää

1.Marinoi sipulirenkaita riisiviinietikassa n. 15 minuuttia.

2. Leikkaa lohesta ohuita siivuja.

3. Levitä merilevät bambumatolle ja lusikoi toiseen reunaan vana sushi-riisiä.

4. Levitä mausteeksi hieman wasabi-tahnaa. Levitä sitten lohi ja sipuli.

5. Kääri rullalle bambumaton avulla ja leikkaa annosviipaleiksi.

Avokado-kurkku -lohirulla

1 avokado suikaleina
1/2 sitruunan mehu
1/4 tuoreesta kurkusta suikaleina
4 lohisuikaletta
Wasabi-tahnaa
Nori-merilevää

1. Kaada sitruunamehua avokado-suikaleiden päälle, etteivät ne pääse tummumaan.

2. Lusikoi vana sushi-riisiä merilevälevyn toiseen reunaan.

3. Mausta hivenellä wasabi-tahnaa.

4. Levitä viereen kurkku-, avokado- ja lohisuikaleet.

5. Kääri rullalle ja leikkaa annospaloiksi terävällä veitsellä.