Chargrilled Halloumi with Chilli Pesto

A little taste of summer to keep me going through the winter. I am a great one for collecting magazines and not reading them for months. Therefore this recipe from the Summer Waitrose magazine was waiting in a stack to be read and when I eventually got around to cooking it we were in winter rather than summer but who cares?  The recipe may be intended for summer barbecues but all of the ingredients can be found at any time and it worked perfectly as a starter for us.

Supposedly served 4-6 but I halved the pesto mix and we had a generous amount for two of us. For the halloumi I just bought the pack size in the supermarket and sliced it evenly for the two of us. I have a very gung ho approach to cooking that used to worry me and now I embrace it!

Ingredients: 

• 750g halloumi, thickly sliced lengthways
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juice

For the Pesto:

• 150ml light olive oil
• 75g pine nuts
• 2 red chillies, roughly chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed (I didn't bother halving this ingredient)
• 50g mint leaves
• 50g basil leaves

Method:

• First, make the pesto. Put the oil, pine nuts, chillies, garlic and a pinch of sea salt in a food processor, then blend to a coarse paste. Alternatively use a pestle and mortar and a fair amount of effort.
• Set a dry frying or griddle pan over a high heat (or prepare your barbecue so that the coals are at a medium-high heat). Brush the halloumi slices on both sides with olive oil, grill for 2 minutes on each side, until golden and lightly charred. Lay them on a warmed serving plate, spoon over the pesto, squeeze over the lemon juice and serve at once.

Duck with Spiced Plum Jam and Watercress

I'm a little late in posting this but it was a meal served for Valentine's Day and went down exceedingly well. I'm usually a bit reticent about cooking duck at home as I once filled the kitchen with black smoke from all the fat. However, this was easy to cook and divine to eat with no nasty smoke to ruin the mood.

Photography is not my strong point ...
the perspective implies enormous pak choi and tiny duck 

The recipe is one that I've had sitting neglected in a file for a while, but now it has been given the attention that it so rightly deserved. So get to the butcher and order juicy duck breasts and get quacking!  As always the recipe is designed for four but I amended it to suit the two of us. I used a whole breast each but the recommended three would work well for four as we were very full!

Ingredients: 

• 2 heads pak choi
• 3 duck breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a bunch of watercress to garnish

    for the plum jam:

• 200g caster sugar
• 200ml white wine vinegar
• 1 medium chilli, chopped
• pinch of chilli powder
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• squeeze of lime juice
• splash of soy sauce
• 6 plums, stoned and chopped
• 1 Tbsp chopped coriander
• salt and ground ginger

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180*C / gas mark 4. Break the pak choi into individual leaves, then split each leaf down it's length. Set aside.
• Prepare the duck breasts by removing any sinew from the underside of the breast; use a very sharp knife to score the skin with a series of slashes, being careful not to cut too deeply and cut into the flesh.

• ** This is where I would skip to the plum jam and start making that before setting off on meat cooking ... timings will overlap so read through the recipe thoroughly and decide how you want to time things**

• Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add the breasts, skin side down; and cook for about 3 minutes until the skin has caramelised. Pour off the excess fat and reserve.
• Lay the duck breasts, skin side down, in a roasting pan and place in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
• Pour the reserved fat and any fat in the roasting tin back in the frying pan and set over a medium heat. Once hot add the pack choi and toss in the hot duck fat. Remove from the pan and season with salt and pepper.

** To make the plum jam:

• Heat the sugar and vinegar in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cook until the mixture starts to thicken.
• Add the chilli and chilli powder, garlic and lime juice and soy sauce. Then stir in the plums and cook for 20-30 minutes until tender.
• Add the coriander, then remove the pan from the heat and season with salt and ground ginger.

Carve the duck into slices and divide between four plates, then serve with the pak choi and plum jam, garnished with watercress.

We both loved this, particularly the plum jam; we decided it would work really well with pork chops too ... see what you think.

Vietnamese -style Caramel Ginger Chicken

Another recipe torn from a Waitrose Magazine and then left to languish in a folder for over a year. It has finally seen the light of day and was a great success. My only reservation was the mess it left in the bottom of the pan when it caramelised. I have learnt that it is a thin line between caramelised and burnt.

It was tasty and worth the effort to make. It was even worth the washing up.  We halved the recipe and it worked well enough. I'm not a great one for accurate measurements and it isn't easy to halve small quantities so some of the spices were not adjusted proportionately and it tasted great.

Serves: 6; Preparation: 20 mins plus resting; Cooking: 55 mins

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs (I used them whole and didn't bother to joint)

5 Tbsp unrefined light brown soft sugar

4 Tbsp nam pla fish sauce

1/2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground

2 Tbsp vegetable or groundnut oil

100g fresh root ginger, peeled and thickly sliced

1 red onion, finely sliced

8 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

3 salad onions, finely sliced

Method:

• Divide the chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks (please yourself!), trimming off and discarding any excess skin. Toss in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, 1 Tbsp of sugar and 1 Tbsp of fish sauce, set aside. Mix the remaining 4 Tbsp and 3 Tbsp fish sauce with black pepper and a pinch of salt, set aside.
• Heat 1 Tbsp oil in  a very large, wide casserole (or heavy based frying pan) and fry the ginger, red onion and garlic over a medium -high heat, until soft and lightly golden - about 8-10 minutes, remove and set aside on a plate. 
• Heat the remaining  1 Tbsp oil in the pan and add the chicken, skin side down. Cook in batches if needed over a medium - high heat for 4-6 minutes, until the skin is deep brown and caramelised.
• Turn the chicken and repeat, caramelising in on the other side, then return the onion, ginger and garlic to the pan. Pour in the fish sauce and sugar mixture, cover the pan and gently bring to the boil. Uncover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup and the chicken is cooked through; add a splash of water if it starts to catch. Cover and rest for 5 minutes, then scatter with the chilli and salad onions. Serve with rice and greens if liked.  (I served it with chilli and garlic roasted broccoli as I can never get enough chilli)

Saag Aloo

My intention to cook new recipes is tying up perfectly with my stack of torn out recipes; ... this time from a Tesco magazine. I have often ordered side dishes from my Indian take-away involving spinach so this was perfect to try at home.

Fresh spices, chilli and ginger ... I just know that I will love this

Serves 6 as a side (We had it as a main dish just as it was)

Ingredients:

1 kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces (I rarely peel potatoes as most of the nutrients lie beneath the skin)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsps mustard seeds

1 onion, finely sliced

3 large garlic cloves, crushed

3cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 Tbs tomato puree

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp hot chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

250g bag spinach

1 red chilli, finely chopped

Method:

• Simmer the potatoes for 10 mins our until tender (I steam everything as I never boil) Drain and leave to steam dry
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, lidded pan over a medium-low heat. Add the cumin seed and mustard seeds and fry for 1 minute or until they start to sizzle. Add the onion; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato puree, the remaining spices and 1 Tbsp water. Cook, uncovered, over a low heat for 5-10 mins until softened. Add the potatoes and stir to coat.
• Add a large handful of the spinach and 100ml boiling water; cover and cook for 2 mins or until the spinach wilts. Add the remaining spinach. 
• Scatter with chopped chilli to serve.

A little blurred due to the steam rising off it.

Leek and Potato Soup

This is an old classic but one that never fails. It is quick and easy to make and uses minimal ingredients. I've had the recipe for so long now that I cannot remember who was the original author to credit them. I do recall that it is supposed to be a quantity suitable for four people ... that doesn't apply to our family.  Depending on the size of the servings and the hunger experienced by the diners it could be a starter for four but I tend to double the quantities and there is always enough with a little left over for another lunch.

An impressive soup from three simple ingredients

Ingredients:

1 pint / 550ml stock 

4 oz / 100g chopped onions

4 oz / 100g sliced leeks (thoroughly washed to shift any grit)

8 oz / 225g chopped potatoes (I often leave skins on for extra nutrients)

1 oz / 25g butter or oil

salt and pepper

Method:

• Cook the onions and leeks slowly in the butter for 10 minutes
• Add the rest of the ingredients and stock
• Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 40 minutes until all vegetables tender
• Allow to cool slightly and liquidise

I like to liquidise about half or more and leave some as it is. This provides a little more texture and interest without it being a sloppy broth with bits which I'm very good at spilling in transit from spoon to mouth!

Lurkin' Squeaky Pie

I challenged myself to try a new recipe each week and now I've taken it up a level ... I've invented a new recipe.  As a new invention it had no name so I had to start somewhere. I looked to see what was lurking in the fridge at the end of the week and considered making Bubble and Squeak. I'm never sure which ingredient is the bubble and which the squeak but I didn't have cabbage. I then thought I'd like it to be a complete meal so it needed a bit extra to make it more substantial.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Left over vegetables from Sunday roast (I used roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips)
More potatoes, steamed or boiled (I didn't have enough left over potatoes - we'd been too hungry on Sunday!) No quantities ... just what looks right for two people
oil for frying
1 Onion, chopped
1 courgette, grated
Chunk of Parmesan cheese, grated 
Chunk of Cheddar, grated (approximately 60g)
knob of butter
1 tomato, sliced
Celery Salt
Garlic granules
Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180*C
• Steam or boil scrubbed potatoes until soft 
• Gently fry onion in a little oil until soft
• Using food processor roughly chop left over roast vegetables (alternatively mash with potato masher). Tip into large bowl
• Use food processor to chop and bind steamed potatoes and onions when cooked, add a knob of butter. Tip into bowl with other vegetables
• Add grated courgette and grated Parmesan and mix together (easiest to use clean hands) until fully incorporated
• Season with celery salt, garlic granules and salt and pepper to taste. I tend to just sprinkle in with a gung ho attitude but approximately 1/2 tsp celery salt and 1 tsp garlic granules. This is a new invention so add whatever takes your fancy.
• Spoon into a shallow dish and level baking dish and smooth out surface.
• Cook in centre of oven for 25 minutes and then remove to add grated cheddar and sliced tomato. Return to oven and cook for further 10 minutes until cheese melted and top browned.

I served this topped with a poached egg. There are no photos of the served meal because it did not maintain its structural integrity well. However despite it's appearance it was incredibly tasty and will definitely be made again. 

Embrace your inner inventor and see what's lurking in your fridge.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

I love soup and have always followed recipes when making one. This soup is the exception as I could not find one in my collection of recipe books. I turned to the internet for instruction but did not have a leek as specified in the first recipe I looked at. As an avid soup maker my next thought was "how hard can this be?"

I've never been great at paying too much attention to measurements ... perhaps this is why I'm not very good at baking cakes!  So ... this is what I did:

Ingredients:

1 Litre of chicken stock (I made my own from the Sunday roast carcass)

Oil for frying

1 onion, finely chopped

3 small - medium potatoes, diced (not peeled because I'm trying to keep as many nutrients as possible)

1 head broccoli - stalk finely chopped, remainder chopped

Half a pack of Stilton (approx 120g)

Salt and pepper

Method:

• Fry onion in a little oil on a medium heat until soft but not browned (approx 5 mins)
• Add diced potatoes and finely chopped stalk from broccoli and fry for 2-3 minutes. 
• Cover and reduce heat and sweat for 10 minutes. 
• Add stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 10 -15 minutes until vegetables tender
• Add rest of broccoli and cook for further 5-10 minutes until soft. I added garlic granules at this stage to make up for the fact that I didn't have a leek.
• Puree all soup in batches and return to pan
• Season to taste
• Add crumbled stilton and heat gently until Stilton is melting (perhaps leave a few small lumps)
• Serve hot but not boiling

It surprised me how good it was; the perfect texture and filled with flavour. It must have been really good because my friend kept repeating how tasty it was, and my husband complained that he hadn't been given enough!  So I must have done something right.