Roasted Butternut Squash

A very simple recipe to make a great side to lots of dishes:

1 butternut squash
parsley
butter

Cut the squash in half and place skin side up on a baking tray. Cook in a hot oven at 180 degrees until the flesh is soft and the skins have browned and blackened in places, (roughly 30-40 minutes). Chop into chunks, skins and all, and mash slightly with a fork. Stir in a little butter, some freshly chopped parsley and sprinkle generously with salt and ground black pepper.

Last night I served it with a Moroccan chicken & almond bastilla that I bought from the deli attached to Flavours Dining on my way home.

Alternatively, crumble over some feta, sprinkle with freshly roasted pine nuts and serve with a green salad as a deliciously light evening meal.

A Beef Carpaccio & A Wild Brown Trout Sashimi with Wild Garlic Pesto & A Salad of Wild Garlic Flowers.

The wild garlic season starts in the winter and continues right through the spring. In the week before Easter my boyfriend Harry and I went for a week camping and fishing in Wales and in the woods surrounding our campsite on the river Usk near Abergavenny there was lots of wild garlic to be found. The weather was amazing and during our stay we had a barbeque of meats and Harry line caught trout accompanied with this beautiful wild herb most evenings.

 With a softer garlicky flavour the leaves can be cooked down with a little butter like spinach and eaten as a great side, or chopped into risottos or salads to add a delicate garlic flavour. The flowers however are quite fiery and add a beautiful kick to a salad.

I decided to take a handful of leaves and flowers home for Easter to make my offering of beef Carpaccio with wild garlic pesto as a little starter for the Saturday evening meal.

The pesto

Take a handful of wild garlic leaves and blend in a food processor with a good glug of light olive oil, ½ a teaspoon of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, a small handful of walnuts and a pinch of sugar until you have a smooth paste.

I had never tried to make this pesto before and I have to say it didn’t add a great deal to the dish but it had an interesting flavour and the flowers in the salad made a very beautiful and tasty addition.

Beef Carpaccio

For the beef find the best piece of fillet steak you can get your hands on. Slice into thin rounds and place between two sheets of cling film. Using a rolling pin bash and roll the meat until it is wafer thin and removing from the cling film place carefully onto your serving plates and set aside.

While the beef is resting finely dice a shallot and cover with some boiling water. Allow the shallot to blanch in the water for 30 seconds or so before draining well in a sieve. Doing this will take the edge off the onion flavour and soften it a little whilst keeping the crunch.

When you are ready to eat sprinkle the shallot over the beef, drizzle with some good olive oil, a good squeeze of lemon juice and some salt & pepper. Place a handful of salad leaves, lightly dressed in vinaigrette in the centre of each plate and place the garlic flowers on top. Scatter around the pesto and serve.

Wild Brown Trout Sashimi

We had a pescatarian of sorts staying with us for the weekend so I made a fishy alternative for her. This dish also works well with salmon and rainbow trout (Wild, line caught brown trout is not easy to come by unless you have a fishing boyfriend or a posh supermarket on your doorstep) but make sure you know how fresh the fish is... more than 1 or 2 days old and I would not be trying this so buy from a fishmonger or at the fish counter in a supermarket.

 Finely slice the trout and place in a dish. Squeeze over a good amount of lime juice and salt and set aside for roughly 20 minutes. The acid in the lime will start to cook the fish. Lay the fish onto your serving plate and as with the beef scatter with the blanched shallots, some extra lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Top with the salad and drizzle with the pesto.

Chicken Teriyaki with Mixed Salad

I had a real craving for teriyaki chicken the other day so rather than popping down to the local take-away I decided to look up the marinade on line and make it for myself. I found a great recipe here at www.foogkawker.com which I adapted slightly to fit the ingredients in my cupboard.

Mix 2 tbsp of Mirin, 2 tbsp Dark soy and 1 desert spoons of sugar in a bowl. Some recipes add sake to the marinade which sounds lovely, but I didn't have any. Add some sliced chicken breast and marinade for 30 minutes or so. When ready fry on a hot griddle or in a hot frying pan until the chicken starts to crisp on the outside. Pour the marinade liquor over the chicken and bubble away until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice and this salad:

The salad is just a mixture of fresh vegetables and herbs with as much or as little as you want of the following: Bean sprouts, peppers, cucumber, fresh mint, fresh coriander,  lettuce leaves, red chili, grated carrots and spring onions.

For the dressing whisk together:

1tbsp of dark soy

1tbsp of water,

the juice of one lime,

1 dsp of sesame oil,

1dsp of thai fish sauce,

1 tsp of sugar

And either 1 hot red chili or a drop or two of Tabasco or hot chili sauce.

Back on The Blog!

(+ A never fail recipe for meringues)

It has been a shamefully long time since my last post and over the next few days I hope to rectify my lack of activity on this site. I am very grateful to be able to say that I have been extremely busy both in my new role as a chef for Flavours Dining in Tufnell Park and in my private catering endeavours and have not found a minute to write, but I hope to make up for that from now on.

The most significant event I have done recently was a birthday party for 110 guests near Hereford,

The menu was as follows:

Canapé selection:

Green Pesto Palmiers

Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Croustades

Tomato Bruschetta

-

Whole poached salmon with homemade mayonnaise

Honey glazed ham

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Creamy New potato salad

Couscous, Roasted vegetables & feta salad with mixed herbs and Cumin

Seasonal remoulade

Green bean salad

Mixed Leaves with Balsamic Dressing

-

Dessert  selection

Lemon Possets 

Pot Aux Chocolat

Miniature Pavlovas with Fresh Fruits

The event was a great success and I had loads of fun cooking along with my trusty Sous chef Harriet! 

Meringues

Mini Pavlovas are my absolute favorite and I always use my mothers recipe for the meringue that has never failed me yet!

With only two ingredients they are so easy to make. There are just a few simple rules to make sure they always work.

1.Before you start make sure the bowl you are using to beat the egg whites is really clean without any grease in it (rubbing a slice of lemon around the inside of the bowl will make sure).

2: Don't break the yolk when you separate the eggs, any yolk at all will stop the whites from stiffening properly.

3: Weigh your whites!

For 1 1/4 ounces of egg white use 2 ounces of caster sugar. (I usually make them in batches of 5 ounces of whites to 8 ounces of sugar as it makes weighing them so much easier).

Beat the whites with an electric whisk until really stiff and forming into peaks.  Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue to beat with the electric whisk for 30seconds until the mixture has a silky glaze. Using a spatula gently fold in the rest of the sugar a third at a time until it is all combined. Put in a piping bag and make into shapes on a baking sheet with baking parchment.  Bake on the lowest setting on your oven until the meringues are hard to the touch, turn them over and continue to dry out until they are completely set. This can take quite some time and really depends on how low your oven goes but essentially you are not cooking the meringues simply drying them out. Taste a meringue to see if they are done; if you are a 'chewy-in-the-middle' kind of person take them out early, if not keep on cooking...

These meringues should keep for weeks in an airtight container. 

And On The Eighth Day God Created Tasty Morsels

And On The Eighth Day God Created Tasty Morsels

Wiley young Eve with the cupid’s bow lips

took a bite from the apple and as she did

into her pretty head floated a thought

that it would taste nicer with a slice of pork.

“You’re naked,” gawped Adam. “You to,” said she.

“Just jump in the bushes so no one can see.”

“But I need  a fig leaf,” wailed A in distress.

“Stuff fig leaves,” snapped Eve, “I would rather a dress.”

Nearby was a hillside of daisies and  bees

and darling young lambkins all frolicking free.

“I have it,” cried Eve, “ I’ll weave us some cloth

from the back of the baa lambs. Then we’ll eat broth,

followed with lamb shanks oven roasted through,

served on a reduction of fine lambkin jus.”

The bush leaves and boughs, the twigs and a nest

all quivered and shook as Eve tackled her quest.

Then she rose, like a Phoenix,  into the light,

attired in a Toque and  an apron in white.

“I’m starving,” cried Eve. “ I’ll make us a meal.

I quite fancy fish and some tenderised veal.”

“But we’re vegan,” gasped A. “God willed it so.

He has given us grain and herbs we can grow.”

Eve fluttered her eyelids but made it quite plain

she was Chef, and the culinary arts her domain.

“Herbs  for flavouring, I quite agree.

Let’s tie some together for a bouquet garni,

but protein’s what’s needed for be-getting a son.

So  go slaughter the cow, tonight’s filet mignon.”

By Anthea Kentish. (She just had to let me put this poem up I loved it so much!) Thank you Mum!

Lamb Chops

With Salsa Verde

1 tsp Capers
4 Anchovy fillets (in oil)
1 clove of garlic
3 small pickled gherkins
A handful of parsley
A handful of mint
1 tsp Dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon.
1 tbsp of olive oil.
A pinch of salt and some black pepper
Lamb chops - 2/3 per person

Blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor. Place 2/3 of the salsa in a large mixing bowl and rub evenly over the lamb chops. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. Grill the chops for 3 minutes or so on each side. Spoon over the remaining salsa.

Pancake Day = Pancake Cake

Ok, so I'm a good week late in getting this on the blog but we had so much fun last Tuesday that I really feel the need to share. My sisters, Emily and Alice and their partners came to join us for supper and we all enjoyed a family favorite: Pancake Cake!

Traditionally served by our parents at dinner parties to vegetarian guests, pancake cake has since become a staple celebratory meal requested by my sisters and I, particularly by my younger sister Alice.

Tuesday's pancake cake was a real joint creation between Alice and myself as it does take a little while to prepare. On the Monday evening I made 20 or so pancakes from a traditional crepe recipe and on the Tuesday Alice made the two sauces that make up the filling.

The crepes:
450ml mix of cold water and milk. 1:1

4 eggs

250g plain flour
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt

Put the liquid, eggs, milk and salt into a mixing bowl or liquidiser. Whisk in the flour followed by the butter. Beat to a very light cream. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so.

Use a good flat, non stick frying pan and cook the crepes. If after making your first crepe it seams a bit heavy beat in a little more water.

Set the pancakes aside until you need them, they will last a good day or two covered in the fridge.

Sauce 1 - Tomato and Basil.
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1`bunch fresh basil leaves

Heat some olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the onions and garlic. When the onions are soft add the cans of tomatoes and bubble away for 30min until the sauce has reduced a little.Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and tear in some fresh basil.

Sauce 2 - White sauce with mushrooms and spinach.
75g Butter
3 tbsp plan four
1 pint milk, warmed in a pan with 1 bay leaf
1 tub of button or chestnut mushrooms, chopped and fried in a little oil or butter
1 bag of frozen spinach cubes. Defrosted
100g grated cheddar.

Make a standard white sauce by heating the butter in a sauce pan. Add 3 tablespoons of plain flour and mix into the butter. Then a little at a time add the milk stirring all the time to make sure you don't get any lumps, until your sauce is the consistency of thick custard. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove 1/3 of the sauce and set aside. To the other 2/3 stir in the spinach and the mushrooms.

In the bottom of a large shallow baking dish lay one pancake. Spoon a little of the tomato mixture on top and spread evenly over the pancake. Lay over another pancake and spread with a spoonful of the spinach and mushroom mixture. Continue to layer the cake using alternate sauces until you run out of sauce or pancakes, making sure you have one plain pancake for the top layer. Spread the remaining 1/3 of white sauce over the top and down the sides of the cake. Cover with grated cheddar and bake in a hot oven at 180 degrees for 40mins until the top in brown and crispy.

Slice as you would a cake and serve with a green salad.