Sunday 13 September 2009

Stuffed Mushrooms


If you're serving this as a side with meat, 1 mushroom per person should be sufficient. As a vegetarian main course, serve 1-2 mushrooms per person baked on a bed of rice.

Portabello mushrooms, stalks removed and diced
cooked rice
1 small onion, diced
4 spring onions, sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pointed red pepper, diced
1 courgette, diced
1 tin beans (kidney, black-eye, black - no added salt or sugar), drained and rinsed
a couple of handfuls of spinach, coarsely shredded
optional: a small handful of black olives, quartered
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
dried oregano

1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the onion, spring onion, garlic and herbs. Sauté for a couple of minutes before adding the pepper, mushroom stalks and courgette. Sauté for a few more minutes, then add the beans. Season with pepper and salt and heat through before adding the spinach. Add the rice last.

2. Brush the outside of the onions with olive oil. Season the underside with pepper and salt. Fill with the rice mix.

3. Brush and oven-proof dish with a little olive oil and either place the mushrooms straight into the dish or set them into a bed of rice.

4. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake at 200-220°C for 30 minutes or until piping hot.

Serve with a green salad or a garlicky tomato salad.

Asparagus and Mozzarella Bruschetta


This was a spontaneous starter I made tonight. We didn't get an organic box this week - they didn't get our email order - so I decided to throw the whole 'buy seasonal' to the wind and bought some lovely veggies for my favourite style of cuisine: Mediterranean!

I just love green asparagus and in spring we eat it by the truck load so it was a pleasant surprise to find it half-price at the supermarket yesterday. I bought two bunches and despite the fact we've been eating rice the last couple of days I think the second bunch will be turned into an asparagus risotto tomorrow.

But tonight, it made a lovely, luxurious bruschetta.

250g green asparagus
rocket leaves
garlic clove
1 mozzarella, sliced
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
ciabatta or baguette slices
1 fresh fig per person (optional), cut into segments

1. Prepare the asparagus by getting rid of the woody bits. Bend each asparagus spear, it'll snap leaving the tender part of the spear. Discard the rest.

2. Brush the asparagus with oil and place under a hot grill (or on the BBQ) about 10cm away from the grill elements. Turn after about 5 minutes. This'll give you a good idea of how long it'll take till it's cooked. Season with pepper and salt before placing it on the bruschetta.

3. When the asparagus is almost done, place the bread slices under the grill also.

4. Once the bread is toasted, rub with garlic and transfer to a hot plate. Top with rocket leaves, asparagus, mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil. Add the fig if used and serve immediately.

Tomatoes filled with pesto rice and grilled fillet of plaice

Another FastFeast to start the week with. If you have some left-over rice - great. If not, it can still be quick using any variety of white as it'll only take 10 minutes to cook. Preparation for this takes minutes, the cooking time takes a little longer but for the most part this can happen on its own.

plaice fillets
boiled rice
2 vine tomatoes per person
pesto, shop-bought or home-made
freshly ground pepper
sea salt
lemon
lettuce
vinaigrette

1. If necessary, boil some rice. Mix the rice with pesto.

2. Cut the top off the tomatoes and set aside to use as a lid. Core the tomatoes and discard the seeds. Optionally season the inside of the tomatoes with pepper and salt. Stuff with pesto rice and put the 'lids' back on. Drizzle with a little oil.

3. Lightly oil an oven-proof dish and spoon some rice into it. Place the tomatoes onto the rice base, pressing them in so they don't fall over. Cover with tin foil and cook in a pre-heated oven (200°C/gas mark 5) for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, turn up the heat a notch and bake for another 5 minutes to brown.

4. Meanwhile season the fish with pepper and salt and drizzle with olive oil.

5. Cover the rack of the grill pan with tin foil and lightly oil. Place the plaice skin side down onto the tin foil.

6. Preheat the grill and grill the plaice at a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until done. You'll know the fish is cooked when it comes away easily from the skin.

7. Either serve each portion with a lemon wedge or squeeze some lemon juice over the fish. Serve on warm plates with the stuffed tomatoes and some additional rice and a crispy salad.

Home-made ciabatta


When I was a student and shared a flat I baked bread quite often because I'd just started getting into whole foods and of course, there were enough people who'd eat it before it went stale. Decent bread was the one thing I never stopped missing after moving to the UK so a few years ago I bought a breadmaker and have never looked back. Nowadays, for quickness, I mostly use bread mixes but I still have that first bread making book (Anneliese Eckert: Mehr Freude und Erfolg beim Brotbacken)from over 20 years ago and one of these days I will start a sourdough instead of using yeast.

While fresh yeast is easily available in German supermarkets, it is not sold in the UK. One way to get it is to ask at the baker's in large supermarkets - they usually give it out for free but while that's great as a one off it's a bit tedious to do once a week or even more frequently. So I eventually gave in and tried my luck with dried yeast which is available in either 7g sachets or 100g tins.

One of the recipes in the book is for baguette and I often make this at the weekend - using the bread maker for the dough, of course ;). I've played around with it a bit replacing some of the white bread flour (up to half) with stone ground wholemeal flour and adding oil to get a ciabatta-style bread.

750g strong white bread flour (or for a wholemeal bread replacing up to half with stone ground wholemeal flour)
10g dried yeast
2-3tsp salt (I've opted for the smaller quantity)
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500ml of tepid water
milk or egg yolk for brushing

1. In the breadmaker:
1. Add water, salt and oil first, then the flour and yeast. Select the dough-making programme, which on my breadmaker takes 90 minutes.

2. After the programme is finished, prepare a work area for shaping the bread. I just sprinkle some flour on a clean kitchen worktop. Remove the dough from the tin. Fish out the kneading hook(s) and place on the worktop. Split in half and shape both halves into ciabattas.

3. Oil an oven tray and place the ciabattas on it. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven. Meanwhile brush the two loaves with milk or egg yolk. Bake at 220°C/gas mark 5/160°C in fan-assisted oven for 35 minutes. My gas oven does not seem to be that hot so when I want the bread to brown I actually bake it at the highest setting.

5. Transfer onto a rack to cool.

Tip:
To find out whether the bread is done, remove from the baking tray, turn upside down and lightly tap it with your fingers. If it sounds hollow, it's ready.

Making the bread by hand:
These instructions are based on my trusty German breadmaking book.

1. Place flour into a large bowl, sprinkle salt and yeast over the top and mix all the ingredients together.

2. Stir in the lukewarm water and keep stirring until the dough is coming away from the bowl. Shape into a ball and knead vigorously on a floured board or kitchen worktop for 10-15 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and starts to form bubbles.

2. Dust the base of the bowl with flour and place the dough ball back into it. Place the bowl into a large plastic bag, cover the whole thing with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes until doubled in size.

3. Split into 2 halves and knead through thoroughly. Shape into two ciabattas.

4. Oil an oven tray and place the ciabattas on it. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven. Meanwhile brush the two loaves with milk or egg yolk. Bake at 220°C/gas mark 5/160°C in fan-assisted oven for 35 minutes. My gas oven does not seem to be that hot so when I want the bread to brown I actually bake it at the highest setting.

6. Transfer onto a rack to cool.

Fig and Mozzarella Salad


One of my friends was keen to try this salad with the first ever figs from her fig tree after I mentioned it to her and has since made and enjoyed it using lambs lettuce. Here in the picture, there's the last few leaves of lettuce from the garden mixed with some rocket. I probably won't be able to try it with lambs lettuce as there won't be any figs when I get the first crop later in the autumn.

2 figs per person
1/2 mozzarella per person, cut into segments or just roughly torn
baby lettuce leaves
freshly ground pepper
sea salt
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2tsp maple syrup, to taste

1. Make the dressing. This should be enough for 4 servings.

2. Scatter the lettuce leaves on a large plate or on individual plates.

3. Cut the figs into segments but don't cut right through so they're still attached to the base and fall open like a flower. Arrange the figs and mozzarella on top of the lettuce.

4. Drizzle with the dressing.

Serve on its own or with warm ciabatta.

Thursday 10 September 2009

Speckled Broadbeans with Cumin


I'm 'borrowing' this idea from a friend as I was intrigued by his use of cumin with green beans. No idea how he prepares the beans but this is how I did it.

These beautiful broad beans already had some nicely sized beans inside which gave the dish a lovely, comfort food texture. Sadly, the speckles were all gone after cooking.

250g broad beans, sliced diagonally into 2 - 4 cm long pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2tsp whole cumin seeds
1 sweet red chilli, halved lengthwise and sliced
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
sea salt

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add onion, garlic and chilli and sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion turns translucent.

2. Add the cumin seeds and wait for them to pop, then add the beans. Stir to ensure the beans are well coated with the mixture. Season with pepper and salt.

3. Pour in a little water, just enough to cover the base of the saucepan. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Check half way through that there is enough water left to prevent them from catching at the bottom of the saucepan.

4. Once the beans are tender, turn out into a serving dish. With a little luck you won't have to drain away any liquid but enjoy the remainder as a sauce.

I noticed that the cumin was much more noticeable after covering the cooked beans and leaving them for half an hour. Though, by that point they were only just warm.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Béchamel Sauce

The following recipe makes a relatively small amount of a thick sauce that can be served with a side dish of kohlrabi, cauliflower, broccoli, leafy vegetables such as savoy cabbage, cavolo nero, spring greens or spinach etc.

It's also an essential ingredient when making lasagne or moussaka.

2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp wholemeal flour
150-200ml semi-skimmed or whole milk
50g parmesan, coarsely grated
1(free-range organic) egg yolk
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

1. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan.

2. When the oil is hot, sprinkle in 1 tbsp of wholemeal flour. Stir the flour into the oil and wait till it bubbles.

3. Slowly start pouring in the milk while constantly stirring to avoid lumps.

4. Keep stirring, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat.

5. Stir in the egg yolk and the parmesan. Season with black pepper and keep stirring until you have a thick smooth sauce. Taste to check the seasoning, you may not need to add any salt.

Multi-layer vegetable bake


In our last organic box, we received four small, purple turnips, a veg I wouldn't normally buy because not having grown up with it I wouldn't know what to do with. But I couldn't let it go to waste. After doing some internet research and not finding an appealing recipe I raked around in the fridge some more and unearthed courgettes, pointed red peppers, boiled potatoes, tomatoes, red oak leaf lettuce and beautiful red speckled broad beans, the latter also from the organic box, the rest just ordinary shop bought veg. Still unsure what to do with all this, I started washing and peeling, chopping onions and garlic, letting my mind wander, thinking about a vegetarian courgette moussaka I made in the past...ending up with this hearty, warming, not to forget tasty vegetable bake topped with a wholemeal béchamel just for the fun of it.

It's a bit time consuming but can be prepared in advance so you have more time for your dinner party guests.

Vegetables for the bake:
3 small courgettes, cut diagonally into slices (about 5mm thick)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
5 tomatoes, cut into 4 slices each
4 small turnips, peeled and sliced
500g boiled potatoes, sliced, skin on or removed
2 pointed red peppers, cut into strips
extra virgin olive oil
dried basil or oregano
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Béchamel Sauce:
extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp wholemeal flour
200ml semi-skimmed or whole milk
50g parmesan, coarsely grated
1(free-range organic) egg yolk
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Optional topping:
50g parmesan, coarsely grated

Preparing the veg:
1. Peel and slice the turnips while boiling some water. Place the turnip slices into a saucepan and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain into a colander and leave to cool. They'll just still be parboiled.

2. Slice the courgettes, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.

3. Chop the garlic and onion.

4. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan and start frying the courgette and turnip slices in batches until golden adding oil as needed. Transfer onto layers of kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil. Lastly, quickly fry the pepper strips over a high heat until they start to brown. Not all of them have to brown and the pepper should still be crisp. Drain them on kitchen paper as well.

5. Assemble the bake by layering the vegetables in an oven-proof dish starting with the turnip. Season with pepper and salt.

6. Next, add the tomatoes. Season with pepper and sprinkle with dried basil or oregano, the chopped onion, most of the garlic and chilli.

7. Follow with the courgette slices seasoning them with pepper.

8. Then add the pepper strips seasoning them with pepper.

9. Lastly, top with potato slices. I didn't add any seasoning to the potatoes as I'd boiled them in salted water to which I'd also added black pepper.


Set aside while you're making the béchamel.

Preparing the béchamel sauce:

1. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan.

2. When the oil is hot, sprinkle in 1 tbsp of wholemeal flour. Stir the flour into the oil and wait till it bubbles.

3. Slowly start pouring in the milk while constantly stirring to avoid lumps.

4. Keep stirring, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat.

5. Stir in the egg yolk and the parmesan. Season with black pepper and keep stirring until you have a thick smooth sauce. Taste to check the seasoning, you may not need to add any salt.

Putting it all together:

1. Pour the béchamel over the potatoes. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes at gas mark 5-6/200-220°C.

2. Remove the tin foil and bake for a further 10 minutes.

3. Then optionally sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place either under a hot grill or back into the oven until the cheese has melted and is starting to brown.


Serve with a crisp salad as a main course for four or as a side dish with meat or fish for six to eight people.

Tomato Salsa

I love the freshness of the tomatoes, the slight heat and the versatility of this tomato salsa. It goes so well with a tray of roasted root vegetables, fish, chops and is great as a dip with tortilla chips.


5 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped and optionally deseeded
1 small red onion or shallot, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

1. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, boil some water and pour the water over the tomatoes. After a minute, remove the tomatoes and take their skins off.

2. Cut the skinned tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and place the tomato quarters into a colander to let them drain.

3. Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl.

4. Chop the onion and chilli and add to the tomatoes.

5. Season with pepper and salt and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least half an hour before serving.

Tip:
Any leftovers can be used in a sauce the next day.

Saturday 5 September 2009

Braised Cavolo Nero with Chickpeas

Cavolo nero with its curly, dark green, almost black leaves is used in many Italian dishes and now more widely available in the UK. Even the suppliers of our organic box grow it. If you can't get hold of it Savoy cabbage is a good alternative. If you don't like the taste of white cabbage (like myself) you may be pleasantly surprised as neither cavolo nero nor Savoy cabbage taste very cabbagy at all.


olive oil
cavolo nero, roughly chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1 440ml tin of organic chickpeas (no salt or sugar added), drained and rinsed
dry white wine (or water, if preferred)
juice of one lemon

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cavolo nero. Place the garlic and chickpeas on top and and sauté for just a minute.

2. Then add a couple of tablespoons of wine, pepper and salt and cover.

3. Turn regularly to ensure the cavolo nero cooks evenly adding more wine or water if it threatens to stick.

4. When the cabbage is tender, transfer to a serving dish and optionally drizzle with a little more olive oil before adding the lemon juice. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Thursday 3 September 2009

Tsatsiki

I love this Greek dip with roasting trays, fish, potatoes as it's fresh and light and so very tasty.


300ml Greek or ordinary natural yoghurt
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

freshly ground pepper
sea salt
cucumber, skinned, deseeded and coarsely grated

1. Place the grated cucumber in a sieve to drain of as much of the liquid as possible. Leave for about 15-20 minutes. After that, transfer onto a clean tea towel and squeeze out any remaining liquid.

2. Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt, garlic, pepper and salt and stick in the fridge.

3. Stir the cucumber into the yoghurt and either chill until ready to serve or serve immediately.

Bean Pot

I can't remember when I came up with this but it's a firm favourite at any time of the year as it can be serve hot or cold. There are actually 2 versions of this dish: one with kidney beans and one with butter beans. I admit that we make the butter bean version a lot more frequently though with the rain lashing against the windows I opted for kidney beans - this variation feels kind of more warming and autumnal today.


version 1:
1 440ml tin of organic butter beans (no added sugar or salt), drained and rinsed
a good gug of dry white wine

version 2:
1 440ml tin of organic kidney beans (no added sugar or salt), drained and rinsed
a good glug of red wine

2-3 medium onions, halved and sliced - you may use ordinary or red onions or a mixture of both
2-3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan - I prefer my Le Creuset for this. Add the onions and garlic and fry over a high heat until the onions start to brown. Keep stirring to brown all the onions and to prevent them burning. The Le Creuset's sides also start getting that caramellised look, which will dissolve when adding the wine.

2. Add the wine, the beans,the fresh thyme and bring briefly to the boil. Season with pepper and salt and turn down the heat and cover. At this point, I usually move the saucepan to the smallest gas ring and turn the heat right down.

3. Gently simmer with the lid on for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally.

4. To finish, remove the thyme, check the seasoning and serve hot or cold.

Things you may want to add:
1. A couple of handfuls of coarsely chopped fresh spinach. Just add the spinach when the dish is ready and the heat turned off, it will wilt when mixing it in. This works well for both varieties.

2. With the butter bean pot, I sometimes add the following:
- black olives
- chopped sun dried tomatoes
- anchovies
- halved cherry tomatoes (approx. 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time)

Variation:
Use fresh broad beans, boiled or parboiled if they are quite large, instead of butter beans.