Layered houmous, tabbouleh & feta salad

This is a fabulous summer dish and can be taken on picnics too really well.  Serve with some flat breads or crusty bread if you prefer.

Ingredients
2 x 200g tubs hummus
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
200g pack feta cheese, broken into chunks
handful pitted black olives
1 crisp Romaine heart
flat breads, to serve

For the tabbouleh
85g bulgur wheat
80g bunch mint, leaves finely chopped
80g bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
zest and juice 1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Method
First, make the tabbouleh. Tip the bulgur wheat into a saucepan, cover with water, season with salt, then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until tender. Drain in a sieve, rinse under cold running water, then leave to drain over the pan. Mix the mint and parsley with the tomatoes, onion and drained bulgur. Whisk the lemon zest and juice and oil together with seasoning, then toss with the bulgur.

Spoon the hummus into the bottom of a portable picnic bowl or large Tupperware (or use a large plastic mixing bowl, as you can cover it tightly with cling film later). Scatter with the chickpeas, then sprinkle with seasoning and drizzle with a little oil. Spoon the tabbouleh on top. Now top with the feta and olives, then tear over the lettuce leaves.

Cover the bowl tightly with its lid or some cling film. Put a little more olive oil in a sealed container to take with you, then chill the salad for up to 24 hrs.

To eat, drizzle the olive oil over the leaves, then scoop the salad onto serving plates, making sure everyone gets a bit of each layer. Serve with the flat breads for everyone to tear and share.

Thai style fish patties with lightly pickled salad, sweet chilli sauce and boiled rice

Had this today as it's a really hot day and Thai food works so well in the heat.  Naomi chose the original but she had chosen food all week and we wer going to have chicken 6 days in a row, so I decided to change things around!  So, this is Haddock instead of chicken and it worked really well.  I got the salad from a Thai cookbook I have and it works brilliantly on a hot day as it's fresh and crunchy.

Ingredients
400g haddock, from a sustainable source if possible
175g raw king prawns
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste - less if you don't like it hot
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 whole egg
75g breadcrumbs
180g frozen sweetcorn
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tablspoons cooking oil

Chilli sauce
4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 dessert spoon Thai fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
juice of 1 lime

Lightly pickled salad
125ml rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 red chilli
1 carrot
3 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
5cm piece cucumber

Method
Put the fish, prawns, red curry paste, egg and garlic in the food processor and whizz it until it's a smooth paste.  Put this into a large bowl with half a teaspoon of salt then add the rest of the ingredients except the cooking oil and mix well together.  Wet your hands and then shape the mixture into 12-16 patties, putting them on a large piece of cling film so you can cover them and leave them while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Now make the chilli sauce by putting all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing them together.  If it's too bitter with the lime juice, adjust it by adding more caster sugar.

Finally make the pickles.  Put the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar,  then boil rapidly for 7 minutes to form the dressing.  Put this in a bowl to cool and prepare the vegetables.  Finely slice the chilli including the seeds.  Cut the cucumber into 4 pieces lengthways then slice finely.  Cut the carrot in half lengthways then slice finely.  When the dressing is cool, add the vegetables and mix to coat them all.

Finally, start the rice and while that's cooking, heat the oil in the pan and fry the fish patties for about two minutes each side until they're nicely golden on each side.

Serve the fish patties and rice with the pickle and chilli sauce on the side.

Caramelized banana bread and butter pudding

This is another recipe that I've slightly modified from the Gilbert Scott cookbook.  So far, everything has been divine and this is no exception.  As the cookbook says, a combination of brioche, custard and banana is irresistable.  It must be, because I don't like bananas, but this is really good!  When you choose the bananas, the riper they are the better they taste, but I found left over black ones taste good but were nigh on impossible to slice.  Also, don't bother making the brioche, it isn't worth it.  I use Tesco finest, it's too big at 400g so if you can get smaller 2-300g that will do but 400g seems to be the "standard" size.  Slice it and freeze the rest for breakfast, or make two at a time :)

Ingredients
120g golden syrup plus extra for drizzling
60ml brandy
3 ripe bananas
unsalted butter for greasing
400g brioche loafcut into 1cm slices
clotted cream to serve

Custard
4 free-range eggs
300ml double cream
300ml whole fat milk
60ml brandy

Method
Make the custard first by beating the eggs until they are smooth, then add the cream, milk and brandy.  Pass the whole lot through a fine sieve and set aside for later.

Preheat the oven to 150°C, then using one of the silicone liners that are widely available, grease the inside generously with butter and then line a 900g loaf tin with it.  Place two of the slices of brioche in the bottom of the tin so that they are tight with no gaps, then pour in enough custard to cover them slightly.  You may need to add more if the bread soaks all the custard up, that's fine.

Next, heat the golden syrup in a large frying pan until it boils well, then add the brandy and stir well and reduce the heat slightly to medium/hot.  Peel and slice the bananas lengthways then place them in the hot caramel.  Check after a few minutes to see if they are well browned - this does take some time so be patient.  Once one side is well browned, turn them over and do the other side in the same way.  Turn the heat off and put the pan on a cold part of the hob while you prepare the rest of the pudding.

Place a single layer of the bananas on top of the brioche you've already prepared covering as much of the layer as possible.  Now add another layer of brioche and follow that with more custard, again covering the bread.  Once that's been absorbed, place the rest of the bananas on the brioche and repeat the process until you've reached the top of the pan.  I find this takes 3 layers of bread and two of bananas, but make sure you finish with a layer of brioche.

Once the last lot of custard has soaked in (you may have a little left over), place it in the oven nad bake for 30-35 minutes until the pudding is just set.

To serve, slice it across and plate it, drizzle with golden syrup and put it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes to heat through and serve with a dollop of clotted cream.  Yum :)

Mediterranean Potato Salad

As the weather is getting sunny and (almost) warm my thoughts turn towards more Mediterranean food.  We had a lovely, light evening meal tonight, a lamb steak sautéed in olive oil with garlic and a little salt and pepper along with a potato salad made with new potatoes, onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes and plenty of chopped basil.  Delicious.  Here's my recipe for the potato salad, enjoy!

Ingredients
500g new season potatoes
1 small to medium onion
2 cloves garlic
15 small, ripe cherry tomatoes
A good bunch of basil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus a little for drizzling
salt and freshly ground pepper
A squeeze of lemon juice

Method
Wash the potatoes and remove any imperfections leaving most of the skins on, then chop into 1cm cubes.  Boil them in salted water for 6 minutes and drain and leave to cool slightly.  While the potatoes are boiling, skin and chop the onion then crush, skin and slice thinly the garlic cloves.

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a sauté pan then add the onion, garlic and potato cubes and sauté until they are nicely browned.  Don't move them around the pan too much as this dissipates the heat, much better to turn them every 1-2 minutes and let them develop the colour.

Once the onions, garlic and potato mix re golden brown, drain them in a sieve and leave to cool until warm or even cold.  While these are cooling, prepare the tomatoes and and the basil by slicing the tomatoes in half, then separating the leaves from the stalks of the basil, then chopping the leaves  finely.

To finish, mix the tomatoes and basil with the potatoes, garlic and onion, add a splash of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Pork Pie

I've been keen to make my own pork pie for some time and have seen a number of recipes, sadly the first time I tried it I minced the pork too finely and they turned out more like sausage rolls.  I've finally managed to perfect it and this has got the seal of approval from Suzanne and Rowena, the two top pork pie aficionados in the house.  I hope you all like it too - why not try it with some home made chutney from this recipe :)

Ingredients

For the filling
600g diced pork cut into small, bite sized dice.
2 sausages of your choice (I use Cumberland), skin removed.
4 rashers smoked back bacon, chopped finely
3/4 tsp ground mace
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 dessert spoon fresh chopped sage
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground white pepper

For the pastry
290g plain flour
100g goose fat
110ml water

To finish
1 egg, beaten
2 gelatine leaves
200ml stock, I used reduced stock from boiled ham hock, but good chicken stock is fine.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C. In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients for the filling.

2. Make the pastry by putting the flour in a large bowl, then put the goose fat and water into a small pan and heat gently until the fat melts. Now stir into the flour using a wooden spoon. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, (almost immediately, it should still feel very warm) knead well until smooth.

3. Cut off 1/4 of the dough and reserve for the lid. Roll out the remaining dough to a rough circle and then place in the base of 3 well buttered 10cm ramekins. Working quickly while the dough is warm and pliable, press the dough evenly over the base and up the sides of the tin, making sure there are no holes. Fill with the meat mixture and pack down well.

4. Roll the dough out for 3 lids then Place one on top of each pie. Use the handle of a knife or fork to pinch around the edge to seal the pie. Make a couple of holes in the centre of the lide for steam to escape while cooking.

5. Cook in the oven for 30 mins then reduce the heat to 160C and cook for a further 60 minutes. Brush the top of each pie with beaten egg and return to the oven for a further 20 mins.

6. While the pies are cooling, soak the gelatine in cold water for about 5 mins, then remove and squeeze out the excess water. Heat the stock until lightly steaming then remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine.

7.When the pies have cooled (don't do this too quickly or the gelatine and stock soaks into the pastry) use a teaspoon to pour the stock and gelatine into the pie through the hole in the top (you may need to enlarge them) allowing the stock to soak into the pie. Place in the fridge to set overnight.

Chicken and mushroom risotto

We love a risotto, especially on a work evening as it's quick, easy to make and filling.  This is one I put together last week and it was one of those scratch meals that just worked beautifully, so it has to go on here.

Ingredients
8 dried Porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 rashers of smoked back bacon
2 medium onions
4 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup of rice per person
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
12 chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and sliced1 glass dry white wine
1 litre chicken stock, dissolved in 500ml water initially.
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese a tablespoon of chopped basil to serve

Method
First, prepare the Porcini mushroom.  Place them in a small bowl, cover them in boiling water and leave them to steep for 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the veg.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan big enough to hold all of the risotto. Season the chicken pieces to taste, then add them to the pan and fry until nicely browned.  Remove them from the pan keeping the cooking juices in the plan, cover the chicken with foil and keep it warm. 

Add the bacon and onions to the pan and fry until softened but not browned, then add the garlic and sauté over a high heat for 1 minute or until the garlic is cooked and the bacon is nicely browned.

Add the oregano and butter, melt it then add the rice, stir and  cook for 2 minutes, making sure the rice is well coated with cooking juices, oil and butter.

Drain the Porcini mushrooms, keeping the juice and add them to the pan with the fresh mushrooms and the white wine and season with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper.  Stir everything well, bring to a boil and cook over a medium heat until the wine has been adsorbed.

Put the chicken stock in another pan and keep it just off the boil. Add the mushroom water to the stock and make the liquid up to 1 litre.  Once the wine has been adsorbed, add the stock to the rice 2 ladlefuls at a time, waiting between each addition until the stock has been adsorbed.

Once the rice is just under cooked - it should still be slightly hard in the middle - add the chicken pieces and warm through.  Add the grated Parmesan and stir well to coat all the rice grains. Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve.

Quick onion chutney

Many of the chutney recipes take a long time to cook (and have ruined one of our best pans into the bargain) but this one takes about 30 minutes.  I had some lovely cheddar cheese (Montgomery cheddar - if you see it, buy it, a wonderful artisan cheddar totally unlike supermarket cheddar) and I wanted a cheese sandwich for lunch but had no chutney, so how to make my own?  I looked at the ingredients list on the chutney jar to get some idea of how much vinegar to use and came up with this.  It works for me, hope it does for you too.

Ingredients
½ tablespoon of olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
4 cherry tomatoes chopped
3 mushrooms, washed and chopped
3 teaspoons Worcester sauce
3 tablespoons malt vinegar
100ml tomato juice
½ teaspoon cumina pinch of dried thyme
a pinch of chilli flakes
1 dessert spoon of raisins

Method
Add the oil to a plan and heat over a low to medium flame.  Add the onions and fry until they are softened and maybe lightly browned - don't overcook them, you're looking for caramelized onions rather than fried, a lower heat for longer is much better than high here. 

When the onions are cooked, add the tomatoes and mushrooms and continue cooking over a low heat until everything is well cooked and nicely softened. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat up to medium until the liquid is almost dry.  Turn the chutney into a suitable jar or container, leave to cool and then you can start eating it.  It's very good with cheese and cold meat, or try it with some pork or game pie.