Rosanna's Kitchen

Caramelised Onion and Blue Cheese Tarts

2010-01-21T22:12:00.002Z

My flatmates and I hosted a Cheese & Wine Evening a little while back and in all our excitement I think it's fair to say we went a little bit crazy with the purchasing. The fridge is now inundated with blocks of leftover cheese. Smelly. Very smelly.

I hate to see leftovers go to waste so I thought I would whip up some little quiche-like tartlets to use up the tasty slab of gorgonzola. A base of sweet caramelised onions made the perfect match for the strong, earthy cheese and I added some spinach in too so I could pass it off as semi-healthy... ish.

I used ready rolled shortcrust pastry with these as I had some in the freezer and it worked fine but I think if you have the time it's probably worth making the pastry yourself to make it extra special (see the link below for a good shortcrust pastry recipe).

RECIPE (makes 4 tarts)

300g Shortcrust Pastry
3 Onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced
160g Spinach
2 Eggs
2 tbsps Cream
2 tbsps Milk
100g Blue Cheese, left out of the fridge for a few hours to soften
Salt and Black Pepper
(4 x 10cm loose base tartlet tins)

Pre-heat the oven to 180⁰c. Roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a pound coin. Lay the tart tins on the pastry and using them as a template, cut a circle of pastry about an inch larger all round. Place the pastry into each of the tart tins and mould them into shape lightly using your fingers. Bake these blind in the oven for 10 minutes then bake them uncovered for a further 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the onions on a low heat in a little oil for about 20/25 minutes or so until caramelised, making sure they don’t burn. Pour the onions into a bowl and set aside. Place the spinach leaves in a saucepan with a little boiling water and cook until wilted. Put the spinach in a colander and run cold water over it to stop it cooking. Drain and squeeze out as much excess water as you can. Chop the spinach roughly and set aside in another bowl.

Put the milk, cream and egg into a large measuring jug. Add some seasoning. Cut the blue cheese into small chunks and add half of it to the measuring jug. Whisk the mixture until well combined.

Now on to assembling the tarts. When your pastry shells have come out of the oven, place a large tablespoon of onions into each one. Top with spinach and then scatter over the remaining blue cheese.

Bake the tarts in the oven for roughly 30 minutes or until they have nicely browned and the filling has set.

Guilt-free Pitta Bread Pizzas with Goat’s Cheese and Red Onion

2010-01-14T21:09:00.006Z

Let's be honest, we all crave a pizza from time to time. Unfortunately, our conscience usually forbids it in January. But fear not, for I have a solution... and it comes in the form of the humble brown pitta bread.

These things make excellent pizza bases. They crisp up really well in the oven, they're really tasty and - best of all - they're so much better for you than the usual thick, doughy pizza bases. By substituting the normal sugary tomato paste and calorific mozzarella/cheddar layers for this mixture of fresh, ripe tomatoes mixed in with a little light cream cheese you have all the flavour without any of the guilt!

Toppings are a personal choice of course. I've used goat's cheese, red onion and basil here, a winning combination to be sure, but feel free to use your imagination - anything works well on these.

RECIPE (2 pizzas)

2 Brown Pitta Breads
3 fresh Tomatoes, finely chopped
1½ tsps Low Fat Cream Cheese
100g Goat’s Cheese, cut into small cubes
1 small Red Onion, peeled, halved and sliced finely
A handful of fresh Basil Leaves
A pinch of Oregano
Black Pepper and Salt

Place a baking tray in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 200⁰. Put the pitta breads in a toaster until they just start to brown and go crispy.

Pour the chopped up tomatoes into a bowl , season generously and stir in the cream cheese. Place the pitta breads on the hot baking tray and spoon over the tomatoes. Top with the cubes of goats cheese and the slices of red onion. Sprinkle with the oregano and a little pepper and salt.

Cook the pizzas in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Scatter over the basil leaves and serve.

The Perfect Balance - White Chocolate, Cranberry and Macadamia Fridge Cake

2010-01-07T20:16:00.004Z

My blog has been left someone neglected over the christmas and new year period. After the usual December food binge and the piling on of pounds, I suppose I just didn't feel much up to cooking. Thankfully though, that feeling didn't last long.

So January has arrived and we are all... how shall i put it... replete. The urge to diet and detox is definitely upon us. Now I for one am a big believer in the philosophy that the best type of diet is a balanced one. Ergo, healthy nuts and dried fruit should always be balanced by naughty chocolate and biscuits!

White Chocolate, Cranberry and Macadamia Fridge Cake.

Keep this tasty little treat in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days and cut a cheeky slice off whenever you need a little pick me up!

RECIPE

300g Dark Chocolate
220g Butter, cut into small chunks (plus a little extra for greasing)
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
225g Digestive Biscuits
1 tbsp Orange Zest
75g Macadamia Nuts
75g Dried Cranberries
75g White Chocolate Buttons

Grease a loaf tin (or alternatively a large round cake tin) with a little butter. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a small heatproof bowl. Add the butter and golden syrup then place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and leave to melt, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, break the digestive biscuits into small, bite-sized pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl. Cut the macadamias in half and add these to the biscuits, along with the dried cranberries and orange zest.

When the chocolate mixture has melted, stir to blend and then add it to the biscuit mixture. Mix thoroughly so that everything is coated in the chocolate. Now that the mixture will have cooled a little, throw in the white chocolate buttons and stir again to coat. Transfer the mixture to your loaf tin and place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours or until properly set.

A Festive Feast - Sausage and Cranberry Plait

2009-12-17T20:22:00.006Z

Imagine a sausage roll. Now quadruple it in size. Twice. Whoever invented the sausage plait was a freakin' genius. Either that or he was just really, really greedy. Either way, I believe it's about time this old chestnut made a comeback.

This was not to be just any old sausage plait though. Oh no. I wanted to add some festive cheer to the dish. This is where the humble cranberry came in to play. I made a deliciously tangy cranberry sauce and grated in a little apple to sweeten it up and compliment the sausage meat.

Now I have become well acquainted with recognising the stages of reaction on people's faces when I tell them that i'm going to make a fruity sausage roll. At first, complete horror. Followed closely by confusion. Then a little contemplation, gradual acceptance and then, finally, a feverish excitement.

Look at it though. Tasty, peppery sausage meat smothered in a sweet, tangy cranberry sauce, wrapped up in a gorgeously crisp, flaky pastry served with a bed of cheesy creamed leeks. You know it makes sense.

RECIPE (serves 4)

For the Cranberry Sauce
150g Cranberries
90g Sugar
90g Water
½ sweet Apple, grated

Place the cranberries, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil while stirring. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have all popped and collapsed. Add the grated apple and stir to blend. Leave the sauce to cool.

For the Plait
A small knob of Butter

A dash of Olive Oil
1 small Onion, peeled and finely chopped
10 good quality Pork Sausages
500g Puff Pastry
1 Egg, beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 200⁰c. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped onions and heat through on a low heat for about 8-10 minutes so they go lovely and caramelised. Set them aside to cool. Remove the skins from the sausages and discard. Place the sausage meat in a large mixing bowl and add the onions. Mix throroughly with your hands.

Roll the pastry out to about 12" by 10" (you want it to be about he same thickness as a pound coin). Place the sausage meat in a thick vertical line down the centre of the longer stretch of the pastry. Spread the cranberry sauce generously over the top of the sausage.

Cut indents 1cm away from the sausage meat at a 90⁰ angle, about 3cm apart down both sides of the uncovered pastry. Brush the pastry with egg. Fold the top and bottom part of pastry neatly over the meat. Take the first strip of pastry from left hand side and fold it over the meat and then take the top strip from the right and fold that over the top.

Repeat this process working your way down the rest of the strips overlapping each one as neatly as possible. Take a look at this video if your slightly confused by my directions! Brush the finished plait with the beaten egg.

Transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Turn the temperature down when it reaches a nice golden colour.

For the Creamed Leeks
4-5 Leeks
Milk
Water
1 tbsp Flour
1 tbsp Butter
150g Cheddar, grated

Place the leeks in a saucepan and pour over enough milk and water (at the ratio 2:1) to cover them. Bring to the boil and cook until just tender. Drain the leeks in a sieve over a measuring jug and set the leeks aside, covered with a tea towel to stay warm.

Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and whisk in the flour and butter until the mixture thickens. Stir in the grated cheese. Place the leeks back in the pan, stir, and cook for a few minutes to heat them through.

Total Challenge Part 2: Minted Lamb Kofta Wraps with Tzatziki

2009-12-10T21:13:00.001Z

So after the success of the banana cake, I wanted to come up with an idea for using the Greek yoghurt in a savoury dish. One of my favourite dips, the traditional Greek mezze tzatziki, was an obvious choice.

The garlicky, herby, fresh cucumber yoghurt is a perfect accompaniment to meat and bread so I made these lovely little lamb koftas (meatballs) flavoured with plenty of mint and cumin, rolled them up in a flour wrap with a pile of fresh salad leaves, red onion, fresh coriander and topped it with a generous helping of the gorgeous tzatziki. It was bursting with flavour, so tasty!

It makes a great lunch or a nice light dinner. So healthy that I didn't feel at all guilty when afterwards I proceeded to polish off a few banana and chocolate muffins which I made with all the leftover ingredients from the cake last week (must post the recipe soon - they were absolutely divine!).

RECIPE (makes 4 wraps)

For the Tzatziki
½ Cucumber
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
200g Greek Yoghurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
A small handful of Fresh Dill, finely chopped
2 tsps Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsps Olive Oil

Peel, deseed and finely chop the cucumber. Squeeze the cucumber pieces to get rid of excess water and place it in a sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and red wine vinegar and mix. Leave it to stand for 30 minutes.

Place the cucumber in a bowl and add the yoghurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and add a little more garlic, dill or lemon juice if desired.

For the Koftas
500g Lamb Mince
1 large clove of Garlic, peeled and crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp runny Honey
1 generous handful of Fresh Mint, finely chopped
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
Freshly ground Black Pepper and Salt

Place the mince in a bowl and add the garlic, honey, mint, ground cumin and coriander. Season generously with the pepper and salt. Kneed the mixture with your hands until it is well combined.

Take small handfuls of the mixture and form them into balls then flatten them to make little round or oval shaped patties. You should be able to make about 6-8 koftas. Place under a hot grill (or on a grill pan) and cook for a few minutes on each side until nicely browned.

For Making the Wraps
4 Flour Wraps
4 Large handfuls of Mixed Salad Leaves
A small Handful of Fresh Coriander Leaves
½ Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ Red Pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

Lay the wraps flat on a plate and place your salad leaves in a vertical line down the centre third of the wrap leaving a little gap at the bottom. Scatter over the coriander, red onion and pepper. Place 2-3 koftas, either torn in half or left whole, on top of the salad and top with a generous portion of tzatziki.

Turn up the uncovered part at the bottom of the wrap and then fold over one side of the wrap followed by the other. You may want to wrap a paper napkin round the bottom to hold it in place.

The Total Challenge - Spiced Banana Cake with Greek Yoghurt & Honey

2009-12-03T20:14:00.004Z

Earlier on in the week, I received a huuuge batch of Total greek yoghurt (12 pots to be exact!), courtesy of Fage and a lovely PR lady, to do some experimental cooking, eating and reviewing with. Needless to say, this month will feature a number of recipes containing greek yoghurt! After a bit of brainstorming, you come to realise just how versatile it is - it could work in so many dishes, sweet and savoury. The first experiment was a great success...

This is a great recipe (adapted from the the Good Food Channel's site) for a gorgeously moist banana bread - I've just added a bit of mixed spice to give it some warmth and make it feel a little more wintery.

Creamy, thick and slightly sour greek yoghurt and a dash of hunny make a fantastic match for the sweet, spicy banana loaf. There are two different ways of serving this, depending on whether you want banana bread or more of a cake. Both are equally lush!

The first way is to keep the bread as it is, cut slices off at whim and spread with the yoghurt and a drizzle of honey - makes a delicious breakfast or mid-afternoon snack with a cuppa.

Alternatively, make up the yoghurt and honey icing, whip it until thick and then spread it over the top. Scatter with some crushed pecans to make an impressive looking cake. This makes a fantastic dessert and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

RECIPE

For the Cake
100g soft Butter
200g granulated sugar
2 Eggs
2-3 mashed Bananas (I use 3 - the more banana you use the more moist it will be)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2 tsps Mixed Spice
1 tsp Salt
250g plain flour

For the Icing
300mls Total 2% Greek Yoghurt
4 tsps Icing Sugar
3-4 tsps runny Honey
A handful of Pecans, broken into small pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 150C and grease a loaf tin with a little butter. Beat together the butter, sugar and eggs and then combine the mashed bananas with the mixture.

Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, mixed spice and flour and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin.

Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes until the cake has risen and is golden. It is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Do not overbake the bread or it will dry out. Cool it in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

If you are not planning on icing the top of the cake, put it in a plastic bag or wrap with foil or cling film while the bread is still slightly warm to help to keep it moist.

National Curry Week

2009-11-25T11:55:00.013Z

This week is national curry week, apparently. So I decided that for this week’s recipe I would try my hand at making a curry from scratch. Now, admittedly, this is a first in my culinary career to date. But, ever the optimist, I convinced myself that I did at least have one thing going for me: although I may never have made a curry myself before - I’ve certainly eaten more than my fair share of them!

In researching different curry recipes for ideas, I stumbled across the bbc’s introduction to Indian cooking - I definitely recommend taking a look at this site if you are keen to learn about the basics of different key ingredients and dishes and how to prepare and cook a great curry.

For this recipe, I basically took inspiration from a number of different recipes that I came across, it’s a bit of a mish-mash if you will, but man it was good! Nice and chunky with the different textures of okra and onion, tasty chicken thigh meat, lots of aromatic spices blended with lime and coconut, a little kick but not too spicy.

The list of ingredients may seem a little daunting at first but the great thing is that once you’ve bought all the spices, you can store them in the cupboard (and freeze the ginger) so that you have the means to instantly alleviate any future curry cravings!

RECIPE (Serves 4)

Marinating the Chicken
500g skinless Chicken Thighs
1/2 tbsp Ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 small Red Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Plain Yoghurt
½ tsp Salt

Combine the ginger, garlic, chilli, yoghurt, salt and garam masala in a bowl and mix together. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces, add these to the bowl and stir to cover it with the marinade. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Making the Curry
1½ tbsps Vegetable Oil
1 Onion finely chopped & 1/2 Onion, chopped into bite size pieces
1 tbsp peeled and chopped fresh Ginger
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsps Cumin
2 tsps Ground Coriander
1 tsp Turmeric
1-2 tsps hot Chilli Powder (depending on how hot you like it)
2 tsps Garam Masala
30g Creamed Coconut
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1 Bay Leaf
300mls Water
200g Okra, chopped into bite size peices
1 Lime
A small handful of fresh Coriander Leaves to serve

Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over a low heat and add all of the onion. Fry for 3-4 minutes and then add the ginger and garlic and fry for a further few minutes. Add the cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. Fry for 2 minutes and then add the chicken, chopped tomatoes, creamed coconut, garam masala, water and bay leaf.

Turn up the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the okra and a squeeze of lime and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and serve with rice and maybe some naan and yoghurt.

Chocanoffee Tarts

2009-11-19T20:13:00.006Z

The inspiration that lay behind this delightful little take on the classic banoffee pie was the universally accepted principle: chocolate makes everything better. It certainly did with this recipe! This is such an easy dessert to make and yet it's so amazingly tasty.

So think about it for a moment: you have your luscious, silky banana slices and smooth caramel toffee centre topped with naughty, dreamy whipped cream. What would hold this better than a crisp, crunchy chocolate biscuit base? I find the traditional digestive biscuits can be a bit sickly and using chocolate instead gives it that extra dimension that takes the pudd from good to incredible. A little sour cream mixed into the whipped cream topping helps to cut through the sweetness and make it more manageable too.

I used 10cm loose base tartlet pans to make cute little individual tarts - perfect for a dinner party and also, let's face it, there's something so satisfying about having a whole pudding to yourself, isn't there? However, if you can't find little tins then a large baking tin works just fine too.

RECIPE (makes 4 small tarts)

200g Bourbon biscuits
80g Butter
1 can of Nestle Carnation Caramel (397g)
2-3 Bananas, sliced finely
300mls Whipping Cream
1 tbsp Sour Cream
Dark Chocolate to decorate

Place the bourbon biscuits in a blender and whizz until they turn into fine crumbs. Place them in a bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a bowl over hot water and then add to the biscuit crumbs. Stir until combined. Grease the little tartlet tins (or one big tin) and spoon the mixture in. Flatten and compact the mixture with the back of a spoon to form an even base, using your fingers to mold the mixture up the sides of the tin. Place the tins in the freezer for 5 minutes to help the base set.

Spoon some caramel onto the biscuit base and flatten it into an even layer. Place the banana slices in a layer over the caramel starting from the outside and working in, overlapping them slightly so there are no gaps.

Place the whipping cream and sour cream in a large bowl and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Spoon this over the bananas and smooth over with a spoon. Grate some dark chocolate and sprinkle it over the top to decorate. Leave the tarts to chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Autumn Leaves

2009-11-12T17:08:00.003Z

This week's recipe is a salad.

Now I know what you’re thinking: a salad? From the same girl who brings us brownies and cheesecakes, hearty pastas and casseroles? Really?

Well, yes. But this isn’t just any salad. It is a salad to end all salads. It is so sumptuous and flavoursome that it doesn’t really feel like you’re having a salad at all. In fact, it feels like a naughty treat. Gorgeous creamy blue cheese, tangy and salty, mingles with the heavenly, sweet, caramelised pears and earthy, crunchy walnuts, all sitting on an oppulent bed of chicory and peppery watercress, dressed to perfection with a spectacular honey and shallot vinaigrette.

The great thing is that because it is essentially a salad, health food, you can justify heaping it on your plate like there’s no tomorrow. Or… do what I do, and serve it along a nice juicy sirloin steak ;) A match made in heaven.

Chicory, watercress, pears and walnuts are all at their best right now and this is such a quick and easy dish that makes the most of these ingredients. It makes a tremendously tasty light lunch or a real treat for dinner with that steak. Go on, make it happen.

RECIPE (serves 2)

1 ripe Pear (I use Rocha)
2 tsps Caster Sugar
A small quantity of Butter
100g Gorgonzola, cut into small cubes
1 Handful of Walnuts, roughly chopped
2 bulbs of Red Chicory
2 handfuls of Watercress
3 handfuls of other Mixed Salad Leafs (I use Lambs Lettuce, Rocket & Raddichio)
Freshly ground Pepper and Sea Salt

For the Honey Vinaigrette
3 tbsps Olive Oil
1 tbsps Honey
2 tsps finely chopped Shallot
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Freshly ground Pepper and Sea Salt to taste

First, make the vinaigrette. Add all of the the ingredients into a measuring jug and whisk thoroughly to combine.

Core the pear, cut it in half through the top and slice it into about 3mm thick slices. Heat a little butter in a frying pan and sprinkle in the sugar. When the mixture starts to caramelise, add the pears and cook on a low to medium heat for a couple of minutes, fliping them occasionally. Add the walnuts to the pan and cook for a 5 minutes or so until the pears soften and start to turn brown. Set these aside while you assemble the salad.

Pour your vinaigrette into a large mixing bowl. Add the salad leaves and gorgonzola and toss together with your hands to coat everything with the dressing. Plate up the salad and scatter the walnuts and pears over the top. Add more seasoning if required. You are now ready to serve, hopefully alongside a juicy, medium-rare sirloin steak. Enjoy!

Sunday Market Kitchen at La Cucina Caldesi

2009-11-05T18:48:00.003Z

One of my brothers, who shares my infatuation with good food and cooking, recently treated me (and himself of course!) to an Italian cookery class for my birthday. Big brownie points! The class was held at La Cucina Caldesi cookery school in Marylebone, London, which sits beside the Caffé Caldesi restaurant.

We turned up one sunny Sunday afternoon, joined by about fifteen other “students” who were mostly couples, friends or family members in pairs, and were introduced to our skilful tutor, the enchanting Stefano. After a brief potter about the charming local food market in Marylebone, we proceeded to cook a mouth-watering 3 course meal under Stefano’s instruction and guidance, before sitting round a large table together with plenty of wine and devouring the fruits of our labour.

The whole meal was simply delicious but if I had to choose the highlight of the meal, it would be the starter. Stefano taught us how to make and roll our own pasta sheets from scratch. The dish we made was truly spectacular - Ravioli stuffed with Beetroot and Ricotta with a Walnut Pesto.

So inspired was I by how simple and fulfilling it was to make fresh pasta that I went straight out and bought myself a pasta machine! Well... ok, so technically speaking my boyfriend actually got so tired of my incessant ramblings about the merits of home-made pasta that he caved in and bought it for me but anyway, I now own a pasta machine - yay!

I just tried out the recipe from the class at home the other day and it worked a charm. (If you don’t have a pasta machine don’t let that stop you – just roll the pasta out very thinly by hand, it just requires a bit of elbow grease!)

Here is the recipe for the Ravioli stuffed with Beetroot and Ricotta with a Walnut Pesto, courtesy of Cucina Caldesi.

RECIPE (serves 4)

For the Pesto
100g Walnuts
50g fresh Parsley (I used Basil at home, also works very well)
1/2 clove of Garlic
50g Parmesan, grated
270mls Olive Oil
2 tbsps Ricotta
Salt and Pepper

To make the pesto, preheat the oven to 200c, spread the walnuts onto a tray and toast for 6 minutes. Once toasted, place the walnuts with the rest of the ingredients into a blender and whizz until smooth.

For the Filling
2kg Beetroot, cleaned and large stalks removed
500g Ricotta
1/2 tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
Parmesan to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the beetroot in salted water until a knife slides through easily (approximately 40 minutes). When the beetroot is cooked, drain it and allow it to cool before peeling off and discarding the skin. Mash the beetroot, or chop it finely, and place it in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, nutmeg and parmesan, season generously and mix.

For the Pasta
200g '00' Flour, plus a little extra if necessary
2 medium Free Range Eggs, preferably corn-fed for colour (I used 1 Egg + 3 Egg Yolks at home for a richer flavour)

Pour the flour onto a flat surface or into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mound. Crack the eggs into the centre of the well. Using a table knife, gradually mix in the egg and flour. When the dough has become like a thick paste, use the fingertips of one hand to incorporate the rest of the flour. Discard any dry little crumbs left over. The dough should be like playdough, pliable but not too sticky. If it is still sticking to the palm of your hand, add a litle more flour.

Lightly flour a clean work surface and start to knead the dough with the heel of one hand, stretching and turning the dough after each knead. Work the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and leave it to rest for at least half an hour.

Assembling the Ravioli

Pass the dough through a pasta machine starting from the thickest setting until you reach the thinest (or roll it out with a rolling pin), dusting with flour if it gets too sticky. Measure and cut the pasta in half so you are left with two equal sized lengths of pasta.

Using a teaspoon, place little portions of the beetroot filling along one of the lengths of pasta, leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each one. Using a brush or your finger, dab water on the pasta all around the beetroot filling. Carefully place the second length of pasta over and push down with your fingers around the filling to enclose it. Using a ravioli cutter or knife, cut the pasta into squares.

Place the pasta in salted boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, until al dente. Drain and toss gently in the walnut pesto or if it looks too fragile spoon the pesto over. Top with grated parmsean and serve imediately.

Jamie's Chocolate Brownies

2009-10-29T18:37:00.001Z

Now I can't take any credit for this one - when it comes to baking the perfect brownies, soft and chewy and densely chocolately, Jamie Oliver's "Bloomin' Brilliant Brownies" recipe from his Little Book of Big Treats is the only way to go. I mean Jamie really knows his brownies. These little beauties come out of the oven all soft and gooey in the middle and then turn gorgeously chewy when cooled. Seriously, the world needs to know about these brownies.

The recipe I have included below is exactly the same as Jamie's except for one thing - I've reduced the quantity of butter just a little. I mean we all know I'm a little fat girl at heart but come on Jamie, a recipe that contains a WHOLE block of butter? That's just obscene. Putting that extra 50g back in the fridge makes me feel almost rightious and the recipe doesn't suffer at all for it.

RECIPE (serves 20... apparently... or just 4 girls in my experience?)

200g unsalted butter
200g dark Fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up
80g cocoa powder, sifted
65g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
360g caster sugar
4 large free-range or organic eggs

optional extras:
75g dried sour cherries
50g chopped nuts
optional: zest of 1 orange
optional: 250ml crème fraîche

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares.

These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.

Stew On This!

2009-10-19T18:24:00.000+01:00

So I’ve noticed that there’s been a bit of a recurring theme running through my posts of late - tomato soup, wild mushroom risotto, spiced plum jelly - all of them scream comfort food.

I make no excuses for this though; that’s the kind of food I love to cook and the kind of food I love to eat and I believe it’s what good home cooking is all about. Besides, never is it more welcome than at this time of year when the evenings are getting progressively darker and colder.

Consequently, this week’s recipe will be no exception to the trend – another heart-warming, calm-inducing, life-enhancing comforter of a dish.

Sausage, Bean and Butternut Squash Casserole.

This is a simple, honest dish but it's really quite something. Sweet, mellow, melt-in-your-mouth cubes of butternut squash team perfectly with the salty pancetta and peppery sausage and the tender barlotti beans add a real heartiness to the casserole. After spending the best part of an hour roasting slowly away in the oven, bathing in the red wine, rosemary and thyme, the flavour is simply mind-blowing.

Best served unadorned in a big bowl with some crusty bread or alternatively with some creamy mash and greens.

RECIPE (serves 3-4)
1 large Red Onion, chopped into large chunks
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
75g Pancetta cubes
1 small Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
6 Chipolata Sausages, each cut into three peices
1 tsp Cumin
1 glass of Red Wine
1 tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1.5 litres Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 or 2 sprigs of Rosemary
2 tsps fresh Thyme leaves
1 tin of Borlotti Beans
Freshly ground Black Pepper and Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 170°c. Heat some olive oil in a pan and gently saute the onions for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the sausages, pancetta, butternut squash and cumin and fry on a moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture into a large ovenproof dish and season generously.

Pour the red wine into the frying pan from which you have removed the sausages to deglaze the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes and leave to reduce for 2 minutes. Pour this liquid over the casserole and add the stock, rosemary and thyme leaves. Stir gently and then place in the oven.

After 40 minutes, remove the casserole and add the borlotti beans. Stir and add a little more stock and seasoning if necessary. Place the casserole back in the oven and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the beans are cooked through and the butternut squash is tender.

Turkish Delights

2009-10-09T18:21:00.005+01:00

On the coast of the Mediterranean sea, hidden away in the Turkish mountains, sits a little village called Turunç. It’s a fairly secluded little spot, full of character and charm and authentic Turkish culture. Warm, clear waters, beautiful scenery and friendly people make it a place you can’t help but fall in love with.

A generous assortment of restaurants line the waterfront, displaying their daily catches and drawing you in with their mouth-watering menus. Now for those who have never had the pleasure of visiting Turkey, the term “Turkish cuisine” probably conjures up little more than images of greasy kebabs filled with a disturbingly unidentifiable grey shredded meat. Having just got back from Turunç, however, I can vouch that there is far more to this nation’s culinary fare than most suspect.

Here are a few of the best dishes.

Handmade Poppy Seed Pitta Bread is stretched and baked in outdoor ovens in front of your eyes in most restaurants. Hot from the outdoor oven, it stretches across the length of your table inviting you to rip off large chunks and dip it in herby butter or tzatziki. Crispy Filo Pastry Rolls filled with feta cheese and herbs make a tasty start to a Turkish feast.

Sizzling Meatball Casserole in a Rich Tomato Sauce (Izmir Kofte). Simple but delicious. Meatballs are a Turkish favourite and likely to be found in nearly all restaurants, no matter how basic or upmarket!

Mixed Kebab Meats on a bed of Yoghurt, Tomato Sauce and Bread with Fiery Green Peppers. A little classier than the British equivalent of the kebab, no?

Seafood Crepe. Bursting full of fresh prawns, salmon and mussels, topped with cheese, baked in the oven and served with a creamy white wine sauce. To die for!

So...time to book your flights?

The Best Medicine

2009-09-30T18:17:00.002+01:00

It’s been an absolute shocker of a day. You got no sleep last night. You woke up, got undressed and stepped into the shower only to find there was no hot water. You trod in dog poo on your way into work and every single traffic light turned red on your approach. You then spent the day switching between being berated by your boss over a rubbish piece of work you submitted and being berated by your boss’s boss over the rubbish piece of work you submitted.

After piling in to your (very delayed) train home and standing like a squished sardine in amongst a sea of foul-smelling armpits for the duration of the (very slow) journey, you finally arrive at your doorstep. You are completely deflated, wallowing in self-pity, convinced that the whole world is conspiring against you.

But you step through the front door and you are home. You have the house to yourself so you put on some comfy clothes, pour yourself a (very large) glass of wine and contemplate what to have for dinner. At times like these, there really is only one choice.

Risotto. The ultimate comfort food.

Risotto, you see, has mysterious healing powers. The glorious taste and melting texture of a delicious, creamy bowl of risotto are enough to banish all worries and stress from the mind. The comfort is not just in the eating of it either; the cooking of the dish plays an equally, if not more, important role. Standing by the stove, with a glass of wine or a gin and tonic in hand, slowly stirring away at the rice, feeding it a little stock every now and then and tenderly nurturing the rice into its glorious creamy culmination, there is something so beautifully therapeutic and serene about the whole process.

The brilliant thing is, of course, that you can put anything at all in a risotto and really experiment with different flavours. Having it plain with nothing but a good handful of parmesan is delightful but you can also choose to spice it up with some chorizo, posh it up with some scallops, add pumpkin for an autumnal feel or keep it light and summery with some courgettes and peas. For me though, there is one version which remains a revered classic for very good reason.

The one, the only, Wild Mushroom Risotto.

I serve mine straight from the pan into a bowl and sprinkle over some fresh pea shoots and plenty of parmesan. The porcini mushrooms make the dish deliciously rich and earthy and I find the fresh, sweet flavour of the pea shoots compliment it perfectly.

RECIPE (serves 2)

2 large knobs of butter
Olive Oil
1/2 medium Onion, finely chopped
200g Carnaroli Risotto Rice
1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 glass dry White Wine
A few sprigs of fresh Thyme, finely chopped
25g Dried Porcini Mushrooms
1 litre Chicken Stock
50g Oyster Mushrooms, halved
50g Shitake Mushrooms, halved
60g Parmesan, freshly grated
A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
A pinch of Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Serve with:

A small handful of Pea Shoots
Plenty of freshly grated Parmesan

Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl, cover with hot water and leave them to soak and rehydrate for 15 minutes.

Heat a large knob of butter and a little oil together in a large, non-stick pan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the rice and stir until it turns transparent.

Add the garlic, pour in the wine and stir through until it has been absorbed. Next add the thyme, porcini mushrooms and a ladel of the porcini water and stir until absorbed. After this, add chicken stock one ladel at a time and stir constantly, only adding another ladel when the previous has been absorbed. The rice should be cooked for about 15 - 20 minutes until it is al dente.

With a few minutes to go until the rice is done, quickly fry the shitake and oyster mushrooms in another pan with a little oil on a relatively high heat until cooked through. Add the cooked mushrooms and parsley to the risotto and stir in another large knob of butter. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Take the risotto off the heat and stir in the parmesan.

Serve the risotto into a bowl and top with a small handful of pea shoots and a generous sprinkling of parmesan.

Sit back, relax, savour and let all your troubles melt away...

Seeking Solace

2009-09-17T15:13:00.010+01:00

Is there anything more soothing than a bowl of warm tomato soup?

Tomatoes are still in season at the moment and it’s glorious to see market stalls overflowing with a vibrant abundance of sweet-smelling, ripe tomatoes in all different sizes and colours. There is surely no better way to make use of them (other than simply eating them raw) than to roast them up with some garlic and herbs and blend them in to a rich, creamy soup.

A bowl of good tomato soup will always offer a little comfort. A bowl of exceptional tomato soup, however, will reach out and soothe your very soul, evoke your innermost emotions, warm the very cockles of your heart and render you momentarily motionless and speechless in its wake. This is my recipe for the latter.

Roasted Tomato and Mascarpone Soup. Chunky and fresh, bursting with rich, ripe tomatoes, subtle undertones of garlic, thyme and basil, lovingly mellowed with a touch of creamy mascarpone.

Best enjoyed on a cold, rainy evening from the comfort of one’s own sofa, preferably positioned by a window where you can watch less fortunate people struggling with their umbrellas and being splashed with dirty water outside (it helps with the inner-warmth thing).

RECIPE

800g large Vine Tomatoes
400g small Cherry Tomatoes
1 Brown Onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled and halved
1½ tbsps Olive Oil
5 or 6 sprigs of Thyme
200mls Chicken Stock
A handful of Basil
2 Tsps Mascarpone
Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200°c. Place the onion, garlic and thyme in a roasting tin. Chop the large tomatoes in half and place in the tray along with the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle over the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, and mix together with your hands to coat everything with the oil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Heat the chicken stock. Meanwhile, wait for the tomatoes to cool slightly then peel off the skins and discard along with the thyme sprigs.

Place the contents of the baking tray into a blender, along with the basil leaves and mascarpone. Blend at a high speed whilst gradually adding the stock until you have a consistency which you are happy with.

Serve warm with crunchy ciabatta smothered in real butter.

A Farewell to Summer

2009-09-10T16:50:00.004+01:00

This is just to say
I have eaten the plums
that were
in the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

- William Carlos Williams

Plums are wonderful, aren't they? I love the image this poem creates: a man leaves a note on the fridge door for his wife late one night, a tremendously insincere apology - clearly the plums were just too good for him to actually feel any remorse whatsoever for having eaten them!

Anyway, plums are out in full force now and that can only mean one thing - Autumn is on its way. The trees are beginning to turn beautiful hues of red, yellow and brown. They shed their leaves, forming piles on the ground which the little children in their little wellies like to shuffle through and kick up in the air.

Yes, summer appears to be all but over now and yet most of us are not quite ready to let go. So I've designed this dish to help ease us into the new season gently! Jelly is usually thought of as a light, summery dessert but the flavour of the plums, poached in red wine with cloves, cinnamon and allspice, add a warming autumnal twist to this recipe.

Spiced Plum and Blackberry Jelly

The role of the blackberries is threefold here. They add a little bite and texture to the dish and their tartness helps to balance out the sweetness of the plums. Also, they just look so cute bobbing about in the jelly!

True, jelly and ice-cream is usually thought of as kiddies food but why should us adults miss out on all the fun? Serve in pretty bowls with vanilla ice cream and sit back and revel in the glorious childishness! The little ones won’t want to miss out either though so for a kid-friendly version try substituting the red wine for apple juice.

RECIPE (makes 4/5 individual jellies)

1kg Plums (I used Victoria Plums)
150g Caster Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Clove
½ tsp Allspice
100mls Red Wine
300mls Water
100g Blackberries
4 Gelatine Leaves

Chop the plums in half and discard the stones. Place in a saucepan along with the sugar, cinnamon stick, clove and allspice. Pour over the red wine and add the water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 8 minutes.

Pass the mixture through a sieve and retain the liquid in a measuring jug. (This recipe doesn’t use the stewed plums that remain in the sieve but don’t throw them away! Discard the cinnamon stick, clove and plum skins from the mixture and leave it to cool - store it in a container in the fridge. The sweet stewed plums are delicious served with ice cream or as a filling for a sponge cake).

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until softened and then lift them out and gently squeeze out excess water. Add the gelatine to the measuring jug with the hot strained liquid inside. If the liquid isn’t hot then reheat it first. Stir in the gelatine until it has melted.

Leave the jelly mixture to cool for about ten minutes. Put a small handful of blackberries into each of your individual jelly bowls and pour over the liquid. Transfer the bowls to the fridge and leave until set. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

A Very Strange Fruit Indeed

2009-09-04T15:10:00.006+01:00

Kiwis are tragically underrated. They are one of the most extraordinary fruits in look, taste and texture and so often they are overlooked in favour of oranges and apples and other more “normal” fruits.

They really are remarkable looking things, their hairy brown skins concealing a brilliant green flesh with a bright white centre, speckled with rows of tiny black seeds. That slightly perfumed, slightly zingy, otherworldly taste, and the soft texture cut through with the little crunchy pips - the kiwi is quite incomparable to anything else.

So how come, when faced with this wondrous, distinct fruit, the most inventive thing most of us can think of doing with it is just to chop it up and toss it in a fruit salad?

Well, always with a keen eye for a bargain, I went a bit mad at the fruit and veg market the other day and ended up bringing home over a kilo of kiwis because they were selling gigantic bowls of them for just £1.00. I was feeling very smug about my purchase until I was dragging them up a huge hill on my way home and it suddenly dawned on me... what the hell was I supposed to do with 20 ripe kiwis?? And it was in this unremarkable way that the following recipe came to be born.

Kiwi and Lime Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis.

My whole family goes crazy for a baked cheesecake. We can't get enough of the stuff! Usually we go with a vanilla based recipe but I thought I would try mixing it up with some kiwis and lime for a more lively, tropical flavour. It worked beautifully. The tartness of the lime balances out the sweetness of the kiwis and they make a great combination. It makes for a delicious dessert, a lovely afternoon snack with a cup of tea and a rather wonderful, if slightly extravagant, breakfast (I never was one for following rules!)

RECIPE

For the Kiwi & Lime Cheesecake

175g Digestive Biscuits
75g Butter
5 large Eggs, separated
100g Caster Sugar
500g Cream Cheese (room temperature)
100g Soured Cream
2 tbsps Plain Flour, sifted
10 Kiwis, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 Lime, juice only

For the Raspberry Coulis

300g Raspberries
100g Icing Sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Pre-heat the oven to 160⁰c. Grease a 9” greased springform baking tin with a little butter. Place the digestive biscuits in a blender and break them down into fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a heat-proof mixing bowl and stir in the biscuit crumbs. Pour the mixture into the tin, press down slightly with the back of a spoon to compact it and pop it into the freezer for 2 minutes to help it set.

Place the chopped kiwi fruit into a blender and puree until smooth. Pass the kiwi mixture through a fine sieve into a measuring jug.

Beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth and then add the sugar and eggs and beat again until smooth. Stir in the soured cream. Fold in the strained kiwi juice and lime juice.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and then gently fold them into the cream cheese mixture.

Pour the mixture into the tin and place in the oven for 1 hour - the centre should still be slightly wobbly. Cool completely before transferring to the fridge (leaving it in the warmth stops cracks appearing in the filling).

Delicious served with a raspberry coulis. To make the coulis, just put the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a sieve and serve.

Reclaiming the Stuffed Pepper

2009-08-26T16:57:00.018+01:00

The term ‘Stuffed Peppers’ tends to conjure up terrifying images of sour green peppers filled with a bland minced beef mixture, baked for hours in the oven only to create an unrelentingly tough, bitter pepper shell filled with a nasty, dried out filling. Retro? Yes. Tasty? Hell no. No-one should be subjected to such a monstrosity of a dish. In fact, not to put too fine a point on it, but green peppers are just generally offensive and should not be allowed in the kitchen. Too often they are found chopped up and thrown in sauces, stews and salads and it is always to the detriment of the dish.

Red and yellow peppers however - now these are a different matter entirely.

Roast them long enough in the oven and they break down to produce the most gorgeous, soft, fleshy little things, oozing sweet juices. I bought some from the market the other day and devised this recipe. I hope that my vibrant and summery take on this dish, bursting with fresh Mediterranean flavours, will restore your faith in the stuffed pepper. It certainly did for me.

Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers with Chorizo and Feta.

Plump little pepper boats, sweet and juicy, laden with spicy chorizo and feta cheese, amidst a mound of exceptionally tasty rice favoured with herbs, wine, tomatoes and the oils of the chorizo. These little beauties are bursting full of vibrant flavours and are so juicy and fresh. Delish.

The peppers are heavenly served straight from the oven with a rocket salad but because they are so juicy and moist that they are also fantastic cold (I’ve been taking them into work for lunch all week, much to the envy of my fellow colleagues) or heated up (in the microwave rather than the oven so as not to lose any of the moisture).

RECIPE

3 Red Peppers
3 Yellow Peppers
150g long-grain Rice, cooked in vegetable stock
1 large Clove of Garlic, finely chopped
1 Red Onion, finely chopped
125g Chorizo, chopped into about 1cm cubes
100g Feta Cheese
2 tbsp Red Wine
2/3 tin of Chopped Tomatoes
200mls Vegetable Stock
A handful of fresh Rosemary, Basil and Parsley, roughly chopped
Olive Oil
A pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180⁰c. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise through their stalks, rub a little olive oil onto their skins and place them skin side down in a deep baking tray (you will need probably need two trays to fit them all in).

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a deep frying pan or casserole dish, add the onion and allow to soften for 3-4minutes. Add the garlic and chorizo and heat to release the oils in the chorizo and then add the rice and wine.

Allow the wine to reduce for a minute and then pour in the chopped tomatoes. Heat through for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh herbs, salt and pepper along with half of the feta and mix well.

Transfer the rice mixture into the pepper shells, press down with a spoon to compact it slightly, and top with the rest of the feta. Drizzle the peppers generously with olive oil and place the trays in the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes (possibly slightly longer for larger peppers) or until the peppers have gone soft and ‘collapsed’ slightly.

A Little Bowl of Sunshine

2009-08-18T15:33:00.014+01:00

The English weather and our apparent complete inability to predict it never ceases to amaze me. We rejoiced, at first, when we were told we would have a long, hot, scorcher of a summer. It then looked like we were going to have to resign ourselves to the fact that our "summer" consisted only of those two weeks of sunshine we had back in June! Amazingly though, the last few days have been gloriously sunny and so I have decided to share one of my favourite summer-time dishes.

Crab Tagliolini with Lemon and Chilli.

Crab is in season at the moment and this simple but heavenly recipe is the perfect way to enjoy its sweet, succulent flavour and texture. I have to admit I have cheated here slightly by buying fresh pasta instead of making it but seriously - who wants to be toiling away in the kitchen for hours when it’s so gloriously sunny outside?

Behold... fresh hot twirls of tagliolini with chunks of sweet, white crab meat, specks of fiery red chilli, doused in lemon, garlic and olive oil, scattered with a handful of fresh parsley. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

This dish takes only minutes to make, so whip it up tonight and get outside in the sunshine to soak up the last of those rays! Oh and, by the way, an accompanying glass (or bottle) of chilled white wine is absolutely mandatory.

RECIPE (serves 2)

175g undressed white Crab Meat
1½ tbsp Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
1 Red Chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 Lemon, juiced
A handful of fresh Parsley, roughly chopped
300g fresh Tagliolini
Sea Salt and freshly ground black Pepper

Put the white crab meat in a bowl and add the lemon juice and parsley. Mix gently with a spoon, trying to keep it in nice big chunks rather than break it down too much.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on a low heat and add the garlic and chilli. Cook gently for a minute, moving the pan around to really infuse the flavours into the oil. Do not let the garlic turn brown as it will taste bitter.

Put the pasta in a big saucepan of boiling water and cook according to instructions - it should only take one or two minutes. Drain the pasta and then place it back in the saucepan.

Pour the garlic and chilli oil over the pasta, season with the salt and pepper, and then gently but quickly mix in the crab mixture. Serve immediately and add another sprinkling of parsley and a dash of lemon juice to finish.

Something Fishy Going On

2009-08-13T14:18:00.033+01:00

I LOVE smoked mackerel. Really love it. I mean it would definitely feature in my death row favourites as a starter in some form (you get to pick three courses, right?) The hot, peppery, intensely-fishy flavour gets me every time. Unfortunately, my other half is tiring of it so I've had to come up with a way of disguising it.

My solution... Smoked Mackerel Pâté with a Beetroot and Apple Salad. Voila.

Now it's basically sacrilege to serve up smoked mackerel, in any form, without beetroot. Smoked mackerel without beetroot is like bangers without mash - inexcusable. Throw a Granny Smith in the mix too and you're laughing. The succulent, sweet and sour combo of the beetroot and apple "salad" in this dish makes a perfect match for the salty, peppery, creamy fish pâté. Crisp, crunchy bread hot from the oven makes, as ever, a great serving implement (well, you can't eat a fork, can you?)

The good news is that it's incredibly easy to make and it tastes sublime. There is no bad news. Here is the recipe:

RECIPE (serves 4)

For the Pâté

300g good quality Smoked Mackerel
250g full fat Cream Cheese
1/2 tbsp. Sour Cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A good pinch of cracked Black Pepper
Chives to garnish

Remove the skins from the mackerel and flake the fish into a mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese and sour cream and mix with a fork, breaking down the fish as you go. Add the lemon juice and black pepper and stir through. Transfer the pâté into 4 small ramekins and garnish with chives.

Tip: If you have guests round and want the dish to look extra polished then you may want to remove the browner parts of the fish to give the pâté a more pristine look and mix it in the blender to make it smooth.

For the "Salad"

2 Granny Smith Apples
3 large cooked beetroot
1 tsp lemon

Core the apples and grate them into a mixing bowl. Grate the beetroot in with the apple and add the lemon juice. Mix with a fork and serve alongside the pâté.

For the Toast

1 Baguette
A liberal glug of Olive Oil
Pepper and Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºc. Slice the baguette at a sharp angle into about 1.5cm thick slices and place on a baking tray. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the bread and season from a height with a good sprinkling of pepper and salt. Place in the centre of the oven for about 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned at the edges.

Hello!

2009-08-13T12:02:00.016+01:00

So here it is, my very first post on my shiny new blog - yay!

Starting a food blog was an obvious step for me really, considering that not only am I a fanatical foodie but I also love to write. I just know that combining the two like this is going to bring me a ridiculous amount of pleasure.

Now I suppose I should start by introducing myself...

This is me above (please note that the glass of wine is not meant to be representative in any way, I just struggled to find a picture where I wasn't holding one...) My name is Rosanna and I work as an Office Manager for a high-end catering company in London. Highly fortunate, as my tendency to daydream about food for hours on end could easily get in the way if I were working in any other industry.

I have always been DEEPLY passionate about food.

I come from what can only be described as a family of serious eaters. My parents were not the type to serve us up the appallingly bland “kiddy” food that so many seem to mercilessly thrust upon their children these days. While most of our friends were subjected to a diet of cardboard-tasting fishfingers, micro-chips and frozen pizzas, my brothers and I grew up feasting on delicious, home-made food, dishes from all over the world such as beef bourguignon, paella, stroganoff, moussaka and curry. So from a very early age, I learnt to appreciate all sorts of different flavours, ingredients and cuisines. My parents are largely responsible for my enduring love of good food and for this I remain eternally grateful to them.

Just eating good food was never enough for me though. I wanted to be able to create that which had the ability to bring so much pleasure to me and to others. Over the years I have developed a great love of cooking and some of my happiest moments now are when i’m working away in the kitchen.

So... after years of salivating over mouth-watering photos, recipes and articles on other people’s fabulous food blogs I have been inspired to set up my own. This blog is the means through which I intend to chronicle my culinary adventures, recipes, memories, travels and thoughts and share these with other foodies. To any readers out there (hi mum), I hope this blog manages to bring you even just a fraction of the interest that it will bring me to compose it.

That’s enough about me though. I will now leave you with a quote from the great Pavarotti - an observation which I consider to be particularly astute:

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
- Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, from ‘Pavarotti, My Own Story’

Wise words indeed from a man who clearly enjoyed his food.