Tag: Summer Eating

Categories
Mains Recipes

Roast Veg Tartlets

Warm ’em up, or eat ’em cold. Either way, these individual vegetarian tartlets will provide an attractìve, appetising, tasty and nutritious lunch. They’re also a great way to use up leftovers.

Servings

2 tartlets, so a light lunch for 2.

Timings

30 mins to roast the veg while you make the pastry and the tomato sauce, then 15 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • A couple of individual sized flan/tartlet dishes
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 3 – 4 chestnut mushrooms
  • Half a red pepper
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • A sprinkle of dried mixed herbs
  • 110g plain wholemeal flour
  • 50g butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 – 3 tbsp cold tap water
  • Half a red onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 – 4 tbsp tomato passata
  • Half a 400g tin of kidney beans
  • Black pepper
  • Strong hard cheese, like mature cheddar or parmesan, for grating

Method

  1. Turn a fan oven on to 180C.
  2. Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1 – 2 cm sized chunks. Quarter the mushrooms, and cut the red pepper into pieces the same size as the sweet potato. Place all in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with the herbs and drizzle with oil, then place in the oven for 30 mins.
  3. While the veg is roasting, get started on the pastry. Sieve the flour into a food processor with blade fitted. Chop the butter into small cubes and add to the flour with a pinch of salt. Pulse a few times until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Drip in the water and pulse again, until you have a ball of soft dough. Remove, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge while you make the tomato sauce.
  4. Warm a few drops of the oil in a saucepan. Crush in the garlic and add the onion, finely chopped. As it softens, add in the passata and kidney beans. Give it a few twists of black pepper. Stir to mix and let reduce for a few minutes, until you have a thickish consistency.
  5. Grease the individual tartlet dishes with butter. Take the pastry dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface, then use to line each pastry dish. Prick each a few times with a fork.
  6. When the veg has finished roasting, scrape it all into the saucepan and mix in with the tomato and kidney beans. Leave the oven on.
  7. Spoon the veg and tomato mixture into the tartlet cases, then top with the grated cheese. Place in the oven for 15 mins until baked, with the cheese browned.
  8. Serve up with seasonal steamed veg, or let cool and enjoy with salad.

Customise it!

Swap in an̈y leftover veg you may have that is good for roasting: parsnip, carrot, celeriac, green or yellow pepper. Chop up a few celery stalks and add to soften in the tomato sauce. Try grating Stilton over to give another taste twist.

Recently, I’ve been revisiting the great REM albums from the 1990s. I played these a lot when first released and have always admired the band’s music. I feel quite privileged to have seen them play live on two occasions when they visited the UK. Here’s one of many fave tracks, this one from the New Adventures in HiFi album: Bittersweet Me.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Sesame Miso Shrooms

This is a meal where speed is definitely of the essence.

Now that the summer weather is here, I am often out exercising or playing sport with friends in the early part of the evening, returning home later, hungry and ready for a quick, tasty dinner. This dish is perfect for that situation, as it can be thrown together in the kitchen just before my lift arrives, and flash cooked in minutes when I arrive home, famished.

If you are looking for some instant food that is a healthier option than a microwaveable ready meal, then give this a try.

Servings

This is a main meal for 1.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, and 10 mins to stir fry.

You Will Need:

  • 8 or 9 chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
  • 1 carrot, cut into 2 – 3cm long thin batons
  • 2 scallions (spring onions) cut into pieces the same length as the carrot batons
  • 1 celery stick, also cut into fine batons
  • 2 – 3cm piece of root ginger, skinned and finely chopped
  • 1 medium chilli cut into fine discs
  • 2 tbsp of couscous or quinoa, prepared as per packet instructions

For the Stir Fry Sauce

  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

To Serve

  • a handful of sesame seeds

Method

  1. Place all the chopped veg in a bowl and cover.
  2. Put the Stir Fry sauce ingredients in a clean screw top jar, and leave beside the bowl of veg.
  3. When you are ready to eat, heat some oil in a wok and, once it is hot, tip in the veg. Stir until softened and browned.
  4. Shake the jar well to mix up the sauce, then pour on to the veg. You should get an immediate sizzle and a blast of a delicious aroma. Tip in the couscous or quinoa.
  5. Stir to combine, then serve on a plate, topped with the sesame seeds sprinkled over. It should look like my photo at the top of the post.

Customise It!

Stick with the shrooms, but swap in other veg if you wish. Long slices of red onion or sticks of red, green or orange pepper will go brilliantly. Add in a crushed clove of garlic if you can’t resist. To go vegan, simply replace the honey with a suitable sweetener.

This week I enjoyed choosing the vinyl now playing on the turntable at a local coffee shop. They have a wonderful collection of albums from the golden age of vinyl in the 70s, in an era long before CDs and streaming. I chose David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane – a timeless classic – with my Long Black. Here’s the closing track on Side 1: Cracked Actor.

Categories
Recipes Sides Starters

Chunky Guacamole

Here is another recipe that is ideal for outdoor summer eating. This avocado dish goes well as a starter with a barbecue, or side with a salad eaten al fresco, particularly if accompanied by an ice cold bottle of Mexican beer. It is based on a recipe for guacamole by those motorcycling masterchefs, those culinary cruisers, those grooming gastronomes (Ed: that’s enough alliteration, thank you) the Hairy Bikers.

Servings

This will make enough as a starter, or side, for 4.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, no cooking involved.

You Will Need

  • one mild chilli pepper, seeds removed
  • bunch of coriander leaves
  • two medium sized tomatoes
  • half a red onion
  • juice of half a lime, plus slice to garnish
  • 2 – 3 fresh avocados

Method

  1. Put the ingredients in a food processor with blade fitted, and blitz until well blended, but still with chunks of veg visible.
  2. Er, that’s it. Scrape into a bowl and serve.

Customise it!

Serve with tortilla chips or with veg crudites, like carrot and celery sticks. The idea of leaving it a little chunky is so that you can pick up some identifiable pieces of the veg, coated in the creamy green sauce. It’s important not to over pulse it in the food processor to the extent that you lose the chunks and it takes on the consistency of baby food!

Enjoy this while the sun is shining on us – it won’t last forever. ‘Avo’ nice day!

Categories
Mains Recipes

BBQ-Baked Fish

Our weather this weekend was just ridiculous – 30+ degrees C every day – so cooking out of doors was definitely on the agenda.

Fish baked on the barbecue is an idea I first came across in a recipe book by legendary outdoor chef, Keith Floyd. For me, this was a different way to cook fish and I have done this several times since.

Servings

This is a meal for two.

Timings

5 mins prep, 15 mins to cook.

You Will Need

  • Tin foil
  • 2 fillets of fish
  • handful of spring onions
  • juice of half a lemon
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • cherry tomatoes on the vine
  • sprinkling of herbes de provence

Method

  1. Start by tearing off a large sheet of foil, and brush it lightly with oil.
  2. Place a couple of fish fillets in the middle (I used cod loins, but other fish will do just as well)
  3. Give the fish a topping. This can change depending on what’s in season and what you have to hand. I had a good crop of spring onions from the garden, so chopped these over the fish, adding the juice of half a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few twists of black pepper.
  4. Then gather up the sides of the foil to form a parcel, crimping the edges together in a pasty-type shape.
  5. Place the parcel on the griddle plate of the barbecue and close the lid. Leave it for about 10 – 15 mins.
  6. We have a glut of cherry tomatoes in the garden at the moment, with all this hot weather, so I snipped off a vine and cooked this also on the griddle, alongside the fish parcel. I brushed the vine and tomatoes in olive oil and gave them a sprinkling of herbes de provence. They look great on the plate and provide a rich, squishy sauce to complement the fish.
  7. Take care when opening the fish parcel as there will be a sudden escape of heat. The flesh of the fish should be in flakes, and some parts of the underside will be lightly charred (see the photo above, taken as the parcel was opened). This is a really nice part of the dish, as it gives it a taste and texture you will not normally get when cooking fish in a more conventional way, like in an oven or a pan. Don’t overdo it though, or the fish will burn!

Customise it

There’s lots of scope for playing around with the topping – parsley goes well if you have it, and also a few capers.

My BBQ-baked fish and tomatoes was served with a few new potatoes and lightly steamed summer green veg, washed down with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc – dining al fresco, of course!

As for the musical accompaniment to this post, the last time I blogged about a barbecue meal I opted for The Doors’ Light My Fire. This great track by The Prodigy was in close contention, so here it is in its own right, now added to the ADK Playlist. It’s the song every barbecue chef should be humming as they warm up their grill, and guaranteed to get the party going:

I’m a Firestarter!

Hey, hey hey!


Categories
Desserts Recipes

Heatwave

There seems to be no sign of our UK summer heatwave relenting: new record temperatures, and forecast to stay very hot again this weekend. On top of that, we are now (in my region) officially in drought, so alongside all the good advice we’re getting to plan ahead, stay out of the sun, drink water etc, we are now instructed not to use hosepipes for watering gardens and washing cars, to protect our river levels. All very sensible, of course.

Now I have some good advice of my own to impart: make strawberry ice cream.

There you go – some practical, free public health guidance that I am pretty certain you will not be receiving from any official government agency. Don’t mention it – you’re welcome.

To enjoy the cooling effects, just follow the steps below.

Servings

This will make around 1kg, so usually enough for 9-10 servings.

Timings

15 mins prep and 35 mins churning.

You Will Need

  • an electric ice cream maker
  • 400g fresh strawberries
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 220g granulated sugar
  • 220ml full fat milk
  • 400ml double cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Ensure the drum of the ice cream maker is completely frozen. I leave mine in the freezer for 24 hours before making.
  2. Chop the strawberries and combine in a bowl with the lemon juice and 70g of the sugar. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  3. Remove from the fridge and strain through a sieve, saving the pink liquid. Mash half the strawberries and mix with the liquid, keeping the other half aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the rest of the sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved, and then stir in the mashed strawberries and vanilla extract. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  5. Remove from the fridge and pour into the drum of the ice cream maker. Proceed to churn for 35 mins. Add the remaining chopped strawbs during the last 5 mins of churning.
  6. Switch off, and scrape into a plastic container. Seal and place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours.
  7. Place 2-3 scoops in a bowl, serve with a piece of shortbread if you like.

    Find a shady spot and enjoy – ideally with this seasonal track from The Jam on your headphones.
Categories
Mains Recipes

Light My Fire

It’s the season of outdoor cooking, so why not crack open a beer or soft drink and get some skewers roasting on the barbecue?

Mine shown in the photo are made from 5 marinaded chicken breasts cut into chunks, one red pepper and one courgette sliced. The marinade ingredients were a crushed clove of garlic, a finely sliced chilli, some chopped root ginger, a handful of fresh coriander leaves, juice of a lemon, a grind of seasalt, a twist of black pepper, a dollop of olive oil and a squidge of tomato puree to give it some colour. I left the marinading meat in the fridge for about 18 hours in a tight lidded casserole dish. Be warned that an impatient lifting of the lid will release an incredible aroma that will have you salivating and invoke an instant craving for hot food!

I threaded the meat and veg on to 8 wooden skewers about an hour before cooking. The skewers had been soaked in water for about an hour to stop the exposed ends from burning up in the heat. Use a basting brush to coat the slices of veg with the residue of the marinade so that they cook nicely rather than burn.

About 15 – 20 mins on the barbecue should do it, turning the skewers every so often so they cook evenly all over. Serve up with salads plus aforementioned soft drink or beer.

After exploring a few options for a track to add to the ADK Playlist with this post, I’ve settled on this classic from the Doors. To any fans of the Prodigy who may be following, all I’ll say is it was a close-run thing, and I guarantee there will be at least one more bbq-related post for you before the summer is out!

Categories
Blog Recipes Starters

Yellow

Today’s starter is a lemon hummus, based on a recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I added a little less lemon juice than the recipe, and added fresh coriander to the usual base of blitzed chickpeas, tahini and olive oil. Topped off with a sprinkle of ground cumin, and served up with breadsticks and crudites, accompanied by a glass of prosecco. Mmm!

Pitched into this yellow earthenware bowl, I think I enjoyed the bright summer sunshine colour of the dish almost as much as the fresh taste. Kept reminding me of this great track from Coldplay, now the latest addition to the ADK Playlist.

Categories
Desserts Recipes

Blackcurrant Ice Cream

Regular visitors will know that this week I’ve been researching how to turn a lovely fresh crop of blackcurrants into ice cream. Well, my photo shows a few scoops of the results! I relied heavily on an old Delia recipe, and updated it for the age of the electric ice cream maker. There is really very little added other than sugar and cream, leaving this tart and vibrant coloured summer fruit to be the star of the show.

Servings

This will make 500g of ice cream, so comfortably enough for 5 – 6 servings.

Timings

15 mins preparation, and 35 mins churning.

You Will Need

  • 400g freshly picked blackcurrants
  • 175g granulated sugar
  • 150ml water
  • 300g double cream
  • an electric mixer
  • an ice cream maker

Method

  1. Place the drum of the ice cream maker in the freezer to get really frozen. I usually allow 24 hours.
  2. Press the blackcurrants through a sieve with a bowl beneath. The bowl will fill with divine purplish juice, leaving behind the pips and skins in the sieve, which can be discarded.
  3. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, dissolving the sugar. Simmer for a few minutes, then switch off. Combine with the blackcurrant juice and leave to cool.
  4. Whisk the double cream with a mixer.
  5. Place both the bowl of whipped cream and the bowl of blackcurrant juice in the fridge for a couple of hours to get really cold. Then remove from the fridge and combine, stirring it through so that all the cream takes on a purplish colour.
  6. Remove the frozen ice cream maker drum from the freezer. Tip the blackcurrant/cream mix into it and churn for around 35 mins.
  7. Switch off and spoon/scrape the ice cream out of the drum into a plastic container. Seal and place in the fridge for a good few hours before serving. The longer it has the more it will set.

And finally, a reminder of how it all began…

Categories
Blog Mains

Soup-ermassive

Today’s crop from the local community farm had soup written all over it – turnip, swede, carrots, potatoes and a handful of flatleaf parsley. I added onion and celery, and defrosted 1 litre of chicken stock from a previous Sunday roast. Throw in around 100g of pea and barley soup mix and simmer for 40 mins. Plunge in the handheld blender for a few blitzes to give it just the right consistency. Served with a loaf of sourdough for dipping, and eaten (again) al fresco.

This harvest of fresh, natural ingredients made enough for two hearty servings, with about 3 – 4 left over. Soup-ermassive! Earlier in the day I had been lying in the warm sun listening to Muse’s Black Holes and Revelations album on my headphones, so it seems apt to add this latest track to the ADK Playlist. Take it away, Muse.

Categories
Blog Mains

Both Ends Burning

Well, that’s a good description of how it’s felt this last few days in the UK heatwave. After lots of no-cook meals and salads recently, the temperature in the kitchen finally subsided sufficiently, so that we could contemplate turning the cooker back on again.

It had to be something quick, however, so as not to undo the good work of the increasingly refreshing afternoon breeze coming across the back garden. Cue the classic midweek standby – the omelette. This one had a Spanish feel to it, using up some leftover Jersey new potatoes (from the potato salads), half a sweet red pepper and a few chopped black olives. I mixed in the rest of a dish of ricotta with the eggs, chopped fresh spring onions from the garden and some grated cheddar. Served up with seasonal freshly picked steamed green veg on the side – on this occasion french beans, mange tout and broad beans.

Eaten al fresco to stay cool. And speaking of staying cool, let’s add some Roxy Music to the ADK Playlist: