Potato Salad with Spring Onions

his is really quick and easy to do and so tasty!



1kg salad potatoes
freshly ground black pepper
2tbsp sea salt
vinaigrette
1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water. I always add black pepper to prevent bloating, no matter whether I use new potatoes or not. That way I don't forget :) It may seem like a lot of salt but most of it will be drained with the water at the end of the cooking process, which takes about 20-25 minutes. But IMO, there is nothing worse than sweet tasting potatoes because that happens if you don't add any or too little salt.

2. Drain the cooked potatoes and transfer into a bowl to cool. Chop them roughly while they are still warm and douse with the vinaigrette. Toss gently.

3. When the potatoes have cooled completely sprinkle on the spring onions and mix them in.

Green Beans with Tomatoes and Black Olives

This is one of the variations of the basic green bean recipe using the following ingredients:

5 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
pitted black olives

Ciabatta Pizza

This is supposed to be a quick meal but somehow I never manage to cook anything quick :) though using a ciabatta does cut the preparation time considerably. If I make a pizza dough in the breadmaker, the process still takes 90 minutes. So here are some ideas for toppings - all of which I had at hand tonight. I actually didn't use a ciabatta but a home-made baguette, that's why there are three pieces.

Tomato sauce:
1 440ml tin of chopped tomatoes in thick juice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped (optional)
1tsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 bayleaf, fresh or dried, rolled up and fixed with a cocktail stick (this makes it easier to find in the sauce.



Topping Suggestions:
black olives
1 mozzarella, halved, then sliced
1 courgette, sliced and browned without oil in a non-stick pan
2 tomatoes, sliced and deseeded
sliced mushrooms
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
1 red pepper sliced
2 onions, sautéd with the following:
- freshly ground pepper
- fresh thyme (dried if fresh is not available)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 ciabatta, split lengthways

Preparation:
1. Tomato sauce
Heat the olive oil and add onion, garlic and red peppers (if used). Sauter until the veg is almost tender. Season with pepper. Add the tinned tomatoes, vinegar and bayleaf. Season with salt and simmer for 15-20 minutes over a lowish heat to infuse the sauce with all the flavours. Don't cover as this will cause condensation and prevent the sauce from being nice and dry. Set aside until ready to use.




2. Sautéd red onions
Heat a little olive oil and add the onions, garlic, thyme leaves and sauter over a high heat for a couple of minutes. Then cover and turn the heat down. Sweat until the onions are soft. If liquid has accumulated, take of the lid and turn up the heat until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside until ready to use.

3. Assembling your ciabatta pizza
Spread both ciabatta halves thickly with the tomato sauce. Put on a layer of mozzarella.

Top one half with the onions, chilli and a few black olives on top of and around the mozzarella.

Top the other half with a layer of all the other ingredients. Optionally drizzle the veggies with a tiny bit of oil and season with pepper.

Cook in a hot oven, approx. gas mark 7/220°C, until the cheese has melted and the raw veggies have browned. Serve immediately.



Variations:
1. Feta instead of mozzarella with sautéd red onions. The sweetness of the onions and the saltiness of the feta really complement each other.

Carrot Dip

As a pescatarian, I just love things like hummus so watch out for some lovely recipes for spreads, patés and dips over the next few weeks. I used call this one a mousse although it really is not a mousse as there is nothing to make it fluffy but it's not thick enough for a spread (though I eat it on bread for my lunch) or paté and so much more than a dip. Can't wait for lunch tomorrow!

Update February 2018: I have finally turned this into a mousse! You could whip up 3-4 of egg whites and fold them in but if you don't have any use for the egg whites that's not going to happen, is it? Well, I've discovered aquafaba, the liquor from tinned pulses (you can also make your own but since there are just two of us I prefer to use tins), which can be beaten into stiff peaks that don't taste "beany" and can be used instead of egg whites. So, if you want to turn the recipe below into an mousse, beat the liquor of a 400-g-tin of any pulses (approx. 120-150 ml) into stiff peaks and fold them into the cooled down carrot puree.

1kg carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3cm long pieces
1tsp freshly ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Cook the carrots in as little water as possible with pepper and salt until soft. I managed to have less than a tablespoon of liquid left, tonight ;) Drain and leave to cool.

2. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or beaker for a hand-held blender and purer.

Serve with crudités, on bread, steamed or roasted veg, even fish. Delish!

Summer Squash and Pasta

As so often on a Monday night, cooking dinner is more of a chore than pleasure. So it's got to be something quick without compromising on taste and healthy ingredients. And we've still got an organic summer squash from last week as well as a couple of packets of fresh filled pasta in the fridge.

1 summer squash, roughly the size of a large grapefruit, cut into segments
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to fry for the squash
balsamic glaze
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
a couple of packets of fresh, filled pasta - any flavour will do
salted boiling water
about a dozen fresh sage leaves, cut lengthways into strips
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to infuse with the sage leaves

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the squash segments at a medium to high heat on both sides.

2. Season with pepper and salt. You could serve it now still slighlty raw but hot through and with a bite. Or, put on a lid and keep cooking until the squash is tender. Whichever you prefer, drizzle with a little balsamic glaze before serving.

3. Boil the pasta in salted water according to instructions. Most fresh pasta only takes a couple of minutes.

4. Meanwhile heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add the sage leaves. Stir for a minute at a low heat.

5. Drain the pasta, return to the saucepan and carefully mix in the sage and olive oil. If the pasta is quite rich, the sage will help make it seem less heavy.

Arrange on warmed plates and serve immediately. This is lovely with a fresh leafy salad.



Variation:
If using other fresh pasta or dried, such as tagliatelle, rigatoni, etc., you could use a little butter to cook the sage in instead of olive oil. In Bologna, they even serve tortelloni with butter and sage and it's delicious.

Fruit and Flower Salad

After the torrential rain from this morning almost completely ruined my small crop of baby spinach leaves, I needed something to bulk up my salad bowl and decided to give nasturtiums a try at last. Here's the tasty result.

mixed baby lettuce leaves
1/2 large ripe nectarine, cut into segments
half a dozen fresh nasturtium blossoms

Dress with the trusty vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Blueberry and Banana Smoothie

All my smoothie recipes have the same base: 100% pineapple juice instead of ice cubes. And I rarely use dairy products. Does that make them fruit shakes instead?

This summer zinger for two is packed with anti-oxidants and Vitamin C and filling to boot.

250ml pineapple juice
150g fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (organic) banana

Blend. Pour. Drink immediately.