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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category
Saturday, August 15th, 2009 by urban foodie
 This is a realy quick and easy pasta sauce, a variation of an easy pasta dish I made earlier. The tomato sauce is big and sweet, garlicky with just the hint of warmth from the chilli. It’s a great base to add to, here I have used some chorizo that was lingering in the fridge, the other version is a veggie one with very young, soft goat’s cheese, the kind that doesn’t have a skin yet.
Ingredients
1 tin whole tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 capful balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes or a whole red chilli
2 big handfuls spinach (approx 200g)
20cm chorizo or 100g young, fresh goat’s cheese
Basil/oregano
S&P, olive oil
1 Crush/chop the garlic and fry gently in olive oil for a minute, add tinned toms (don’t break them up), chilli (the powder or the pepper kept whole) and balsamic plus oregano - if using - cover and simmer for 20 minutes, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
2 After 10 minutes put pasta on to boil
3 After 20 mins break up the toms with your spoon and add washed spinach (and basil, if using), cover to wilt
4 Once wilted, add goats cheese or lightly fried chorizo with it’s pan juices (no need to use any oil in your pan the sausage has plenty)
5 That’s it! Mix in the pasta and enjoy, dinner in 30 minutes
Tags: easy supper, mmm pasta
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Saturday, August 8th, 2009 by urban foodie
 I know my title is controversial and will cause a lot of debate. I mean, of course, my perfect bacon and eggs. I much prefer poached eggs to fried, demand fresh tomatoes on the side (ketchup or tinned can be nice but are no substitute) and I think that unless you have a tip top baker, muffins are consistently the best bread option for this breakfast. They are fuller than sliced white toast but less overwhelming than a doorstep slab.
As far as bacon goes, I was a committed unsmoked back bacon girl until recently whence I have also developed a little soft spot for smoky streaky - the choice is yours, but free range only for both eggs and bacon please.
Ingredients - PP
3 rashers bacon
2 eggs
1 muffin
1 handful toms (cherry/mini plums for preference, if not 1 or 2 whole ones)
1/4 capful balsamic
S&P, olive oil, groundnut/sunflower oil
white vinegar for poaching
Serves 1
1 Start by heating the oven to 200 degrees and tossing the toms in olive oil, balsamic, S&P
2 When oven is hot pop the toms in there, you can put the kettle on now, you’ve 10 mins grace
3 Heat the grill up, pop the kettle on again and put the bacon under the hot grill
4 When the bacon is nearly done (one side cooked, the second side halfway there) cut the muffin in half and pour the boiling water into a frying pan, deep as it will comfortably take (you don’t want it swishing over the side!) and add a heafty glug of white vinegar
5 When the water is simmering gently but with a decent swell break the eggs carefully into the pan - max 4 in one pan. Put the muffins on in the toaster
6 When it pops take them out and butter them swiftly - no rush, but no dawdling either - your eggs are now ready so lift them gently from the water with a slotted spoon onto the muffins, add the bacon and tomatoes to the plate and serve with a nice cup of tea and a glass of juice and the paper
Tags: birthday breakfast, saturday breakfast, sunday breakfast
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Thursday, July 30th, 2009 by urban foodie
 As the beetroot season (July-Jan) gets well underway again make the most of this regal root in a tasty lunch or light evening supper.
Beetroot is best slow roasted where it’s sweet flavour is much enhanced, you can do this well before you need it so put them on whenever you’ll be in the house for a few hours with a free oven and keep in the fridge until needed. I love this pairing of sweet beetroot with earthy lentils and sharp, fresh goat’s cheese.
Ingredients
2/3 small to medium beetroots
200g puy lentils (the little greeny-blue ones)
100g soft goat’s cheese
1 handful fresh basil, thyme, parsley or any combination of the three
olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard
S&P
Serves 2
1 Wash the beetroots, trim off all but an inch of their tops, leave the skin and root intact and wrap in foil, roast in a 150 degree oven for 2.5 hours
2 Remove the foil and slip off the skins with your fingers (wait until they have cooled to warm and wear surgical gloves if possible). Store in the fridge if not using immediately
3 Rinse the raw lentils under the tap and cook in boiling water for 30 minutes
4 Whilst the lentils are cooking make the dressing - a forkful of mustard, oil and vinegar to taste (2 to 1 approx) then S&P
5 Chop herbs and slice the goat’s cheese and beetroots
6 When the lentils are cooked rinse under cold tap to cool to warm and mix in all but the goat’s cheese, laying this last on top of the salad. Serve with a hunk of bread
N.B Great to take to work or on a picnic, you can assemble the night before and just dress before you leave the house.
Tags: picnic salad, work lunch
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 by urban foodie
 It’s the night before holiday (Spain, and it was lovely thanks), there isn’t much left in the fridge except some slightly sad spinach, it certainly won’t last the week, and a store cupboard full of beans and pulses. I decided to adapt a curry we’d had before inspired by one my sister makes. What a success, it was a real delight - easy to make and truly, truly scrumptious. Our only sadness was that we wouldn’t get to enjoy leftovers tomorrow as we’d be in sunny Spain (honestly, I was quite sad about it).
The secret is in the raw lemon/ginger mixture that is added right at the end to make the dish quite unique. This is one that you have to stop yourself from having a third bowl - except that it has nothing but goodness in there and as cheap as chips to make so go ahead, eat your fill.
Ingredients
1 tin chick peas
1 tin chopped toms
1 medium onion
1 bag spinach (250-300g)
1 green chilli
1 thumb of ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 lemon
1 Weight out coriander, turmeric and cumin together and garam masala and cayenne together, chop the onion, chilli and ginger finely
2 Put 1/3 of the onion, all the chilli, ginger, juice from the lemon and half the salt into a bowl, set aside
3 Heat some flavourless oil (a decent 15-20cm pool) and fry the rest of the onions gently
4 When they start to turn brown (10 mins) add the tomatoes and coriander, turmeric and cumin
5 Cook for 5 mins then add the drained chickpeas, the rest of the salt and the last of the spices (garam and cayenne)
6 Simmer very gently, lid off, for 20 minutes - you can put the rice on about now too - in the last few minutes add the spinach and cover to wilt
7 Lastly stir in the ginger, lemon mixture, mix well and serve with rice, a roti (or other bread) and lime pickle
Tags: chickpeas, curry, spinach
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Thursday, July 9th, 2009 by urban foodie
 Some evenings you just haven’t got time to cook but you don’t fancy a ready meal or a takeaway. There’s only one thing for it - stir-fry.
All you need is a couple of different vegetables, a type of onion (spring is best but any will do), ginger, garlic and chili and a protein and you’re away. Dinner in 20 minutes, sooner if you’re a fast chopper!
This is beef one is one of my favourites, you don’t need much meat with stir-fry so you can afford a really good cut. You marinade for just a few minutes whilst you prepare the rest, but with delicate meat or fish that is plenty, I’m not that up on cooking with tofu but I’m pretty sure that the same principles will apply here too.
serves 2
Ingredients
200g highest quality lean beef steak
1 carrot
2 small heads pak choi
2 or 3 spring onions
small thumb of ginger
1 chilli (I like a big red one)
1 fat clove garlic
glug of soy sauce
glug of dry sherry
splash of seasame oil
glug groundnut (or other flavourless) oil, for cooking
1 Cut steak into very fine strips, chop garlic, ginger and chili finely - if you’re having rice I’d put it on now too
2 Mix in beef strips with garlic, ginger, chili, seasame oil, sherry and soy sauce, leave to marinade whilst you prepare veg
3 Wash and chop veg into bite size strips
4 Heat the groundnut oil in a wok until very hot, swirl round to cover the whole of the wok
5 Open some windows, its about to get smoky - add spring onions and carrots to the pan cook for 30 seconds
6 Add pak choi and then 15 seconds later the beef with its marinade
7 Cook until beef is just no longer pink, serve with rice and chopsticks - they’re much more fun than forks
Tags: beef stir-fry, Quick Supper
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Thursday, June 18th, 2009 by urban foodie
This is a classic summer staple, it takes minutes to make and is satisfying enough for a proper supper meal. You’ll feel full with hearty protein and veg without the lethargy of carbs which is ideal in these lovely long summer evenings when you want to be active until much later in the day.
It was one of the first meals I learnt to cook (at a later age than you might expect - this foodie used to be known as the girl who could burn water - how times have changed!). I love the huge dressing, all creamy salt and sharpness, against the crunch of the Cos (call it Romaine if you prefer, they are the same plant - Lactuca sativa).
Caesar Salad is great for summer entertaining as you can make the dressing and prepare all the bits well in advance, just taking a few minutes to flash fry the chicken and assemble at the end. And if you have pescatarian guests simply omit the chicken (no good for veggies because of the anchovies in the dressing I’m afraid).
Serves 2/3
Ingredients
1 medium head Cos/Romaine lettuce
2 small/med breasts of chicken
1 packet croutons (put in as much as looks right)
Parmesan, grate quite a lot with a potato peeler - again to your taste
Dressing
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
1 splash Worcester Sauce
4/5 anchovy fillets (or a tablespoon of anchovy paste)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (not balsamic, use cider vinegar if you haven’t got red/white wine vinegar)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Big squeeze of lemon juice
1 In a bowl, mash up anchovy fillets and then add all other dressing ingredients and mix well - taste and adjust oil/vinegar until you have a happy balance of creamy, salty sharpness.
2 Wash and break/chop up Cos into a bowl, shave parmesan onto a side plate until you have a good pile
3 Chop chicken breasts into thin short strips
4 When you are ready to eat heat a little oil in a frying pan and put in the chicken, leave it to fry on a high heat whilst you assemble the salad
5 Dress the lettuce, mix well, then add parmesan and croutons, mix again
6 Back to the chicken, turn and continue to flash fry until it is cooked through and both sides are nicely browned. Throw onto salad and serve immediately with some bread and a nice rose.
Tags: Chicken, easy supper, Quick Supper, salad
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Monday, May 25th, 2009 by urban foodie
 It’s spring and those lovely green onions are at their biting best.
Treat yourself to a proper breakfast/brunch tomorrow with a tasty salmon and spring onion omelette. Ready in an instant and totally satisfying with a hunk of brown buttered bread or a few wilted greens.
Salmon scraps will do, if you’re feeling extravagant have it with a glass of bubbly and your main squeeze on the side.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 spring onions
4 eggs
80-100g salmon scraps/pieces (small packet)
olive oil, pepper
1 Chop spring onions into 1/2 cm pieces
2 Fry gently in a little olive oil for 3-4 minutes
3 Whilst the onion is frying beat the eggs adding a splash of water, a grind of pepper and the salmon bits
4 Pour over the onions ans swosh around the pan to cover evenly, cook for 3-4 minutes or until bottom is nicely brown
5 Finish by either flipping over with a spatula or popping under a hot grill until top is also nicely tanned - serve with buttered brown bread or some wilted greens
Tags: brunch, omelette, salmon, spring onion
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Saturday, April 18th, 2009 by urban foodie
 I like chard, that sometimes maligned poorer cousin of the spinach, but it can be a little overpowering in its earthiness. I think it needs absolutely to be matched by other strong flavours to mellow it out a bit. If you are wondering what to do with the chard in your veg box (I don’t know many who buy it in the shops), or you fancy a bit of an adventure with a new veg then this omelette with its bold olives, sharp feta and barely cooked garlic is the easy supper treat for you.
It takes under 30 minutes and is a sure fire winner in our house, full of flavour and freshness.
Ingredients
1 medium onion
handful black pitted olives (super plain, tinned are best here, no kalamatas here please)
4 medium eggs
two big handfuls of chard
2 medium cloves garlic
splash balsamic vinegar
1 chop onion into thin strips (cut in half top to bottom then slice across thinly)
2 in a frying pan, sautee the onion gently in a 10cm pool of oil and a mean splash of balsamic (about a tablespoon)
3 after about 10 minutes wash chard, chop olives add to pan
4 crush garlic into pan and mix well, cover with a flat baking tray and cook for 3 minutes until chard is properly wilted
5 meanwhile beat eggs, S&P the mixture and put the grill on
6 add eggs to pan (when chard is done) and crumble feta on top
7 cook on hob for a few minutes and finish off under the grill - serve with bread, salad and a nice table wine
Tags: chard, easy supper, feta, omelette, Quick Supper
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Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 by urban foodie
 Last week I found myself with a glut of browning bananas - not sure how it happened as usually the bananas run out just before the veg box day, but this time there were just tons.
Rather than see them waste away I decided to make a banana loaf, a classic hearty cake that is perfect for a teatime treat. As it also lasts for ages you can enjoy the treat well into the working week.
As always with classic recipes I turned to Delia and the Good Housekeeping (a vintage gem, ours has hilarious photos of endless beige food, mostly in aspic, but is a great reference). Delia had a lovely easy version with bananas and walnuts. It really is a doddle, just assemble and bake. I didn’t have a loaf tin but the £1 shop down the road had packets of aluminium take out trays that were just perfect for the job (12cmx20cm at top).
Now I’m no baker but you’ve got to admit that is a pretty fine loaf, and it tasted as good as it looked. Not too sweet with a rich nuttiness and fruity banana flavour cut through by the citrus zest.
Ingredients
From Delia’s Complete Cookery
75g very soft butter/margarine
1 teaspoon baking powder
110g caster suger
1 large egg
225g plain flour
4 ripe medium bananas
1 orange
1 lemon
50g walnuts
1 Preheat oven to 180 C, Grease loaf tin, roughly chop walnuts, beat egg and zest lemon and orange
2 Put butter, sugar and egg into a large mixing bowl
3 Sift in flour and baking powder
4 Mix well (it will look a bit dry but don’t worry the bananas will sort that out)
5 Mash bananas with a fork and add to mixture with lemon and orange zests and walnuts
6 Mix well and pour into tin
7 Bake on middle shelf for 50-55 mins (it’s ready when it looks golden and springs back when pressed)
8 Cool in tin for 10 mins before turning out onto cooling rack (use a knife to loosen the edges) - store in kitchen roll in a cake tin for up to 4 days (maybe longer, it was finished by then in my house). Serve with a nice cup of tea
Tags: banana, banana bread, banana walnut loaf, walnut
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 by urban foodie
 Trying to fit in your weekly portion of oily fish can sometimes be a bit of a strech for the imagination. For some reason I never cook salmon, don’t know why, it seems to have dropped off my radar. Maybe I should think about a salmon recipe next… But this is a delicious and easy recipe that uses smoked haddock or mackerel.
Traditionally it is a breakfast recipe, great for Saturday lunch/brunch, but I also like it for a weekday supper. A tasty dish that makes you feel like a Victorian!
When I want to make a traditional recipe I always turn to the master Delia and this is an adaptation of one of hers.
Ingredients
150ml rice (measure in a measuring jug)
300ml water/poaching liquid
450g smoked haddock/smoked mackerel
70g butter
1 onion
3/4 teaspoon hot curry powder
2 eggs
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
100g peas
1/2 lemon
S&P
1 Put the room temperature eggs into just boiling water and simmer for 1 minute, take off heat and cover, put to one side to finish cooking
2 If using smoked haddock poach for about 7 mins in about a pint of water - if using smoked mackerel skip this step
3 Chop onion and fry gently for 5 mins in 2/3 of the butter, add curry powder, fry for half a minute
4 Add rice and stir, add the water/cooking liquid, stir once and cover, simmer very gently for 15 minutes.
5 After 10 minutes add peas
6 Flake fish, chop eggs and parsley and add to pan with a squeeze of lemon and the last knob of butter. I like it piping hot but it can also be eaten warm.
Tags: curry, easy supper, Eggs, oily fish, Quick Supper, rice
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | 1 Comment »
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