Speck, Watercress and Melon Salad

 

 

As we celebrate some glorious weather, here's a colourful and tasty Nigel Slater salad to get those tastebuds tingling. In place of speck (the Italian cured home), you could use smoked bacon or pancetta.

Speck, Watercress and Melon Salad

serves 2

Ingredients

half a large Charentais melon - chilled
watercress - 1 bunch
sherry vinegar - 1 tbs
walnut oil - 1 tbs
olive oil - 1 tbs
flat leaf parsley - 1 small bunch
speck - 8 thin slices (smoked bacon or pancetta)

Method

1. Scoop the seeds from the melon, slice away the skin and cut the flesh into six thin slices. Divide between two plates.
2. Wash the watercress, remove the tough stalks, then tuck it in among the melon. Mix the sherry vinegar with the walnut and olive oils and a little salt and pepper, then chop the parsley leaves and stir them into the dressing. Dress the melon and watercress. Lay the slices of speck over the melon and serve immediately.

 

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Herby Chicken Pot Pie

 

 

Spring is  here and everyone seems full of hope that things are at last getting back  to normal after the covid crisis. To cheer you up even more, here's a fabulous recipe for Herby Chicken Pot Pie via The Good Food website.

Herby Chicken Pot Pie

2 tbsp olive oil , plus a little extra for brushing over the pastry
bunch spring onions , sliced into 3cm pieces
250g frozen spinach
6 ready-cooked chicken thighs (or see tip, below)
350ml hot chicken stock
½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
200g frozen peas
200ml half-fat crème fraîche
½ small bunch tarragon , leaves finely chopped
small bunch parsley , finely chopped
270g pack filo pastry
 

Method
STEP 1
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large, shallow casserole dish on a medium heat. Add the spring onions and fry for 3 mins, then stir through the frozen spinach and cook for 2 mins or until it’s starting to wilt. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Shred the chicken off the bone and into the pan, and discard the bones. Stir through the stock and mustard. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 5-10 mins.

STEP 2
Stir in the peas, crème fraîche and herbs, then remove from the heat. Scrunch the filo pastry sheets over the mixture, brush with a little oil and bake for 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

 

 

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St Patrick's Day Pie

 

 

Even if you're not a vegetarian you may occasionally fancy a tasty vegetable dish.  With St Patrick's Day coming on March 17th, here's the perfect pie from the Vegetarian Society.

St Patrick's Day Pie with Colcannon

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Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
250g chestnut mushrooms, halved
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stick celery, diced
50g pearl barley, rinsed
60g Puy lentils, rinsed
2 x 400ml can Guinness or vegetarian stout
100ml vegetable stock
dried porcini mushrooms, chopped
1 ⁄ tsp vegetarian gravy granules
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pastry
500g shortcrust pastry
50g plain our, for rolling out
1 free-range egg, beaten, for brushing

Colcannon
500g potatoes, peeled and diced
50g salted butter
2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
 savoy cabbage, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3. 

To make the pies: In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the onion over a medium heat until starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrot and celery. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the pearl barley and lentils to the pan with the Guinness, vegetable stock and porcini mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook gently until the pearl barley has softened.

Mix in the gravy granules and bring to the boil for a few minutes. Check the consistency of the sauce is not too watery and season to taste. At this point, drain off some of the gravy and set aside to use for a gravy at the end.

Roll out the pastry to ½cm thickness. Use a 9 x 6 cm pie ring to cut out four bases and four lids. Roll the base out slightly larger as this must line the insides of the ring. With the spare pieces of pastry make decorations to go on top of the pie lid, such as shamrocks. 

Grease 4 separate 9 x 6cm pie rings with butter.
Place the base inside the pie ring, line with oven-proof clinglm or non-stick baking parchment. Fill with baking beans and bake blind in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Remove the baking beans and clingfilm. Carefully fill the pie with the filling mixture and attach the lid on top. Egg wash the lid and bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden.
 

For the Colcannon
In a pan of cold water, add the potatoes and then bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer until just cooked.

Using a colander, strain the potatoes and return to the pan. Mash them thoroughly for 5 minutes.
Add the butter and milk, then continue to mash for another 5 minutes.

Cook the cabbage in boiling water for 4 minutes and strain. Mix the cabbage into the mash and season to taste.

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Cheers! Gin and Tonic Cake

   

At the time writing the pubs are still closed but there is talk of a gradual return to normality. I hope that by the summer I will be sitting in the sun in my local pub garden with  a lovely gin and tonic in a tall glass with ice and lemon. I can but dream!

I tend not to drink at home, apart from the occasional glass of red wine with dinner. Even so, I was drawn to this recipe for a gin and tonic cake. It is a lovely grown-up cake with the taste of gin and tonic without being overpowering. It would make an ideal birthday cake for the G&T lover in your life.

This recipe is from the Delicious Magazine website which includes lots of lovely recipes and handy kitchen tips.

Ingredients

    225g butter, at room temperature
    275g golden caster sugar
    Finely grated zest and juice from 2 limes (put the zest and juice in separate small bowls)
    3 large eggs, beaten
    210g natural full-fat yogurt
    330g self-raising flour
    100ml gin
    100ml tonic
    150g granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling

Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3. Grease a 15cm x 30 cm cake tin and line with baking parchment.

Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and add the golden caster sugar. Add the lime zest and, using an electric whisk (or you can do it by hand), give it a quick whisk to bring it all together. Don’t worry about creaming the mix until fluffy – that’s not necessary with this recipe.

Add the eggs and yogurt to the bowl, then give the mixture another quick whisk. Add the flour then, using a metal spoon, carefully bring the mixture together. Don’t beat the life out of it – mix until the flour has just been incorporated. Spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin and smooth the top.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put 100g of the granulated sugar into a pan with the gin, tonic and lime juice. Place the pan on a medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, then let it bubble for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat.

Using a fork, carefully poke lots of holes in the top of the cake. Spoon half the syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in. After a couple of minutes spoon over the remaining syrup. It may seem as if there’s a lot of syrup, but it will all sink in to create a wonderfully moist cake – so moist it doubles up as a pudding.

Finally, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar over the top of the cake, remove it carefully from the tin, then leave to cool on a wire rack.

 

Spiced Root Vegetable Soup

 
 

It's cold; it's dreary. Most of us are locked down and in desperate need of some winter cheer. What better way to warm up a chilly day than with a big bowl of tasty soup.

Here's one made with seasonal winter vegetables, packed full of goodness and easy on the pocket.  So much better and cheaper than bought soups. You can increase the quantities and freeze the leftovers.

Serves 4
 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
75g dried green lentils
1.3l vegetable stock
425ml milk
100g Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and fry for 5 mins until softened. Tip in the remaining veg and cook for another 5 mins, adding the chilli and cumin for final 2 mins.

2. Add the lentils and stock to the pan. Bring to the boil, then lower heat and simmer for 25 mins until veg are tender and lentils are soft. Blitz until smooth with the milk and a little extra water or stock, if necessary. Season, then reheat until piping hot.

3. Ladle into bowls. If desired serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt. Sprinkle of chopped coriander.

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Cheese And Onion Rolls

Here's a great vegetarian recipe, ideal for a snack, picnic or buffet.

I used Quicke's Mature Cloth-bound Cheddar but you can substitute any strong Cheddar.

Cheese and Onion Rolls

 Ingredients

For the pastry
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp mustard powder
pinch cayenne pepper
200g block of butter, very cold

For the filling
2 medium potatoes
30g butter
2 large onions, sliced
few thyme sprigs, leaves picked
½ tsp English mustard
200g extra mature cheddar, grated
handful gherkins or pickled onions (or a mixture), roughly chopped


Method
To make the pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the mustard powder, cayenne and 1 tsp salt. Grate the butter into the flour, dipping the end of the block in flour from time to time to prevent it from clumping. Stir the flour and butter together using a table knife, then pour in 120ml ice cold water, mix and bring together to form a dough. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Cook the potatoes in a pan of salted water until tender, then drain and steam dry for a few mins before mashing and leaving to cool. Melt the butter in a frying pan until
foaming. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium heat until they’re completely soft and starting to caramelise. Add to a bowl with the potato. Once cool, stir in
the thyme leaves, mustard, cheese and gherkins or pickled onions, and season to taste. Set aside.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out into a large rectangle around 3mm thick. Cut the pastry into eight rectangles, then divide the filling equally between them, squashing it into a sausage shape down the long length of one side of each rectangle, leaving a 5cm gap at each end. Brush the exposed pastry with a little egg, then fold in the short sides of the rectangle and roll the empty half of pastry over the filling so that it is completely encased. Press the edge to seal it, then crimp the two shorter ends with a fork. Repeat with each roll, then transfer to the lined baking tray and chill in the fridge for 20 mins. Can be frozen at this point.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Take the rolls out of the fridge, brush all over with the beaten egg.  Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 40 mins or until deeply golden and crisp. Serve hot or cold.



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Leeks: Riverford Rarebit

LEEKS are in season at the moment and my brother dropped by to give me half a dozen.  I was delighted and set about making a big saucepan of Leek, Potato and Bacon Soup. This is a real winter warmer - tasty, substantial and filling.

I still had some leeks left over so for a delicious lunch the next day I rustled up Riverford Rarebit, one of my favourite dishes, the recipe for which I found on the Riverford Organic Farms website. Take a look - there are lots of wonderful recipes there.

Riverford Rarebit

Ingredients

A little oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower

3 leeks, finely chopped

2 skinless chorizo sausages, diced (the skins will peel off if you dip the sausage in cold water)

4 slices of sourdough, workers white, or malted bloomer bread

Method

In a frying pan with a little oil (you won’t need much as the chorizo will provide some fat) sauté the finely chopped leeks and a couple of diced skinless chorizo.

Toast four slices of workers white, malted bloomer or, even better, sourdough and place on a baking tray. Cover with finely sliced strong, dry cheddar. Slicing seems to work better than grating.

Put in a hot oven or under a not too fierce grill until the cheese has melted.

Spread on the leek and chorizo combo and grill/bake for another five minutes.

If you are the proud owner of anything akin to a George Foreman Grill you can scoop some of the crumb out of a bap and replace with the mix. Give it five minutes with the lid down for a crunchy panini/toastie.

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