Indian pea soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic clove
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilli
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 shallot finely chopped
200 g peas
400 ml vegetable stock
1 bunch coriander (leaves only)
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
Method
Heat the sunflower oil and add the cumin seeds. When they start popping, add the finely chopped garlic, green chilli, ginger and shallot and gently fry for about 2 minutes (do not let it colour).
Add the peas and fry for 2 minutes. Add the stock and cream to the peas, bring to the boil. After a couple of minutes, add the coriander, garam masala and season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat. Blend the soup in a blender until smooth.
For the "Indian Caviar"
Heat the sunflower oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, lower the heat and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Parsnip Risotto
Ingredients
3 pork sausages
900g parsnips
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 large onion
300g risotto rice
45g mascarpone
40g grated Parmesan
1 small bunch sage
1 tablespoon truffle paste
4 tablespoons olive oil
60g butter
1 glass white wine
salt and pepper
Method
1
Preheat an oven to 220°C. Remove the sausage meat from the skins and shape into small meatballs. Peel the parsnips and cut half of them lengthways into 6-8 pieces. Place in a roasting dish together with the sausage meatballs. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until the meatballs and parsnip are cooked and golden brown.
2
Grate the remaining parsnips and finely chop the onion. Dissolve the stock cubes in a pan with 1,5 litres hot water and keep just under boiling point over a low heat.
3
Heat a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 30g of butter. Sweat the onion for about 6 minutes. Add the grated parsnip and fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add a glass of white wine and allow to reduce until all but 1 tablespoon wine remains. Add the stock, a soup ladle at a time, until the rice has absorbed the stock. Stir gently every so often. When the bouillon has been absorbed, it’s time to add the next ladleful. In total, this process should take about 17 minutes.
4
Add the mascarpone, grated Parmesan and truffle paste to the risotto. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the risotto with a lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat a frying pan over medium heat with 30 gr butter and fry the sage leaves until crisp and until the butter is nut brown in colour.
5
Divide the risotto between 3 bowls. Lay the roasted parsnips and sausage meatballs on top. Spoon over the crisp sage leaves and brown butter and serve.
lychees in indian sugar syrup
Ingredients
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 kg lychees, peeled and deseeded
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
110 g castor sugar
Method
Place the sugar with 110 ml water and all the spices in a pan. Bring to the boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
Meanwhile, place the lychees (or fruits, see below) on a flat dish and pour the syrup over the fruit. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.
This can also be made into a fruit salad using the following fruits and quantities instead of only lychees.
1 pineapple, cut into large pieces
1 mango, cut into thin slices
2 kiwis, cut into thin slices
1 blood orange, peeled and sliced
5 lychees, halved
½ papaya, chopped
Sate with homemade peanut sauce
A twist on the classic chicken satay with the best homemade peanut sauce.
Ingredients
1 kg of beef bavette
chilli pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper
SAUCE
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
chilli pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons ketjap manis
250ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
100g peanut butter
Method
1
Cut the bavette into long strips. Mix in a bowl with the chilli, garlic, soy sauce, some salt and pepper. Set aside.
2
Make the sauce. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and sweat the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another 1 minute. Add the ketjap manis and reduce lightly. Add the coconut milk and sugar and bring to a boil.
3
Turn off the heat and add the peanut butter, mixing well. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin the sauce.
4
Thread bavette the pieces on skewers and grill them in a grill pan for several minutes. They must remain pink inside.
5
Heat the peanut sauce. Serve spooned over with beef satay and micro herbs and crispy onions.
Creamy polenta with radicchio and mushrooms
A warm and comforting wintery dish. Make it vegetarian by substituting the pancetta with raddichio
Ingredients
5 g dried porcini mushrooms (5 grams)
500 ml milk
500 ml vegetable stock
125 g polenta
6 slices pancetta or 1 radicchio
2 portobello mushrooms or 500 g mixed wild mushrooms
10 g fresh oregano
1 bunch winter purslane
50 g soft goat cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
50 g butter
50 g grated Parmesan
Method
1
Put the dried porcini in a small bowl and add enough warm water to cover the mushrooms. Soak the porcini until they are soft. Put 30 ml of the soaking liquid aside. Finely chop the porcini. Cut the portobello into thin slices or wash and tear the wild mushrooms.
2
Place the milk and stock in a pan. Bring to boil. Stir in the polenta and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the polenta becomes thick and creamy.
3
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the pancetta for 2 minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate. Alternatively, cut the raddichio in half, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan for 2 minutes on each side. In the frying pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Fry the portobello or wild mushrooms together with the porcini and half of the oregano for 2-3 minutes. Add the porcini soaking liquid and let it reduce slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
4
Put the mushrooms in a bowl and carefully mix in the winter purslane.
5
Stir the butter and grated Parmesan through the polenta and season with salt and pepper. Divide the polenta between 2 plates. Spoon the mushroom mixture on top and place the fried pancetta or grilled raddichio on top. Sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese and the remaining oregano leaves. Drizzle over some olive oil over it and serve immediately.
membrillo
Ingredients
2kg quince, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 lemon juiced and zest pared (use a vegetable peeler)
about 1½ kg sugar
knob of butter
Method
- Put the quinces and lemon zest and juice in a large heavy-based pan. Add enough water to cover the fruit. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hr until the quinces are very tender. Strain through a jelly bag or muslin-lined colander. Do not press out the juice – just leave it for at least 4 hrs, or ideally overnight, until the juice has dripped through.
- To make the jelly, put three saucers in the freezer. Measure the juice and return it to the pan (reserve the leftover fruit for the membrillo paste). For each 1 litre juice, add 750g sugar (or for each 100ml juice, add 75g sugar). Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then boil hard until set. This could take between 5 and 20 mins. To test for set, spoon a little onto a chilled saucer, leave for 1 min, then push your finger through the juice. If it wrinkles, the jelly is set. If not, return to the heat and boil again for a few mins, then test again.
- Remove from the heat and skim off any surface scum with a slotted spoon. Stir in the butter to dissolve any leftover sediment, then stir in the rose water. Pot into sterilised jars, seal and label. Store in a cool, dry place for up to one year.
- To make the membrillo, line a 16 x 24cm shallow oblong tin or tray with baking parchment. Tip the reserved fruit into a food processor and whizz to make a smooth-ish paste. Weigh the paste and for each 1kg paste, add 750g sugar (or for each 100g paste, add 75g sugar).
- Tip the paste and sugar into a large heavy-based pan and heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and cook, stirring regularly, for 30-45 mins until the paste is thick and golden, and leaves a gap when you run a wooden spoon across the base of the pan. Be careful as the mixture will spit at you and can burn. Spoon into the tin or tray and smooth the top. Leave to cool, then chill overnight until it is very firm.
- Wrap the paste in fresh baking parchment, then over-wrap in foil and store in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.
Pannetone Bread Pudding
The best way to use Pannetone over the festive season. Be sure to buy an organic brand if you are able to find it.
Ingredients
125 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
4 tablespoons demarara sugar
750 g panettone
1 vanilla pod
300 ml of double cream
300 ml whole milk
5 large free-range eggs
100 g caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Lightly grease an oven-proof dish with butter. Coat the dish with 2 tablespoons demarara sugar.
Thinly cut off the edges of the panettone and use them to coat the base and sides of the dish, press down firmly to create a pastry-like base.
Halve the vanilla pods lengthwise and scrape the seeds out, then put the seeds and the pod in a pan over a medium heat with the cream, milk and butter and simmer for 5 minutes or until the butter has melted.
In the meantime, whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl for 2 minutes until smooth. Add the warm cream mixture to the bowl and whisk until combined. Discard the vanilla pod.
Pour a third of the egg mixture into the bottom of the cake and let it soak in for a few minutes.
Tear all remaining panettone into large pieces, leave them for a minute or two in the custard (the more it soaks up, the better!), then place it in to the oven dish. There is no need to be neat about it, you want a both soft and crispy pieces..
Pour over the remaining custard, soak a little longer if you want and sprinkle with the remaining demarara sugar.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until set. Let the pudding rest for 10 minutes and then serve with cream, custard or ice cream if you want - it is also delicious served cold!
Easy Cinnamon Buns
Cinnamon buns are everywhere at the moment. It takes time and patience to make your own which is definitely worth. However, we're all often short of time. If you want a quick fix but haven't go the time, try these easy cinnamon buns with ingredients available at any store.
Makes 12 buns
Ingredients
240 g can ready-made croissant dough
50g unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
Method
Heat oven to 170C. Line a 20cm cake tin with a square of baking paper so the corners stick up (this will help you to lift the buns out).
Unroll the croissant dough from the can and lay it out on your work surface. Cut it into three sections along the dotted lines, but don’t cut the diagonal line. Spread over half of the butter.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Using one square of dough at a time, sprinkle over 2-3 tsp of the sugar and roll up the dough. When you have three rolls, cut each one in half and then each half in two. Arrange the rolls in the tin – they will rise and spread a little. Stick the end bits in among fatter pieces from the centre of the rolls so they cook evenly. Bake for 15-18 minutess or until the buns are risen and cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining sugar-cinnamon mix with the remaining butter until you have a thick caramel (don’t worry if some of the butter separates out, it will soak into the dough). If it's too grainy, add a little boiling water from the kettle to the it down and smooth it out.When the buns are cooked, brush over the caramel. Leave to cool a little, then eat warm.
Hummus
Hummus is an amazing dish. It's cheap to make, full of protein, healthy, vegan and can be taken in all directions with the addition of different spices and herbs.
Here is the definitive basic recipe for hummus.
Serves 6
Ingredients
250g dried chickpeas
10g baking soda
2 cloves garlic, crushed
275g raw tahini
the juice of 1-1,5 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
selection of toasted seeds -we used equal quantities pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
olive oil
Method
Soak the chickpeas for a minimum of 12 hours in water with 5g of the baking soda. Drain off the water and bring the chickpeas to a boil with fresh water and the remaining 5g baking soda. Ensure that the chickpeas are covered with at least a 3cm layer of water. Once boiling, cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat. The chickpeas are ready when they start to fall apart, about 45 minutes but don't be alarmed if it takes double the amount of time.
Drain the chickpeas but make sure you save all the cooking water. Allow to cool slightly and blend the chickpeas in a food processor. Add the garlic, raw tahini, and the juice of 1 lemon. Blend for at least 10 minutes in the food processor. Add small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid to thin the hummus. Make sure to leave it a little thicker than the creamy puree it will eventually become.
Season with about 1 teaspoon salt and a little extra lemon if necessary. Only when the hummus is perfectly seasoned, then you can thin it down for the last time with some of the reserved cooking liquid.
If you're not going to eat the hummus immediately, store covered in the refrigerator. Taste the hummus before your serve it. It will most likely need a little extra salt and lemon juice and a touch of the cooking liquid to get the right consistency.
Smear the hummus with the rounded part of a spoon neatly on to a plate. Make crator in the middle. The trick is to hold the spoon still while your turn the plate. Garnish the hummus with parsley leaves, the toasted seeds and olive oil.
You can also garnish with cooked chickpeas, parsley and paprika powder, slow cooked pulled beef or hard cooked eggs.
"Homemade" marinated olives
To make a great quick to go with wine or drinks, take some good quality olives and mix them together with extra virgin olive oil, a split chilli pepper, a sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary, a smashed garlic clove, lemon and orange rind a bay leaf.
Leave to marinade in the fridge overnight and serve in a bowl.
These keep well in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but make sure that the olives and flavourings are all covered in olive oil.