Sunday 22 November 2015

Pumpkin soup

Serves 2-3

Ingredients
- ½ a small pumpkin
- 1 potato
- 2 carrots
- oil
- ¼ onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 50ml double cream
- nutmeg
- salt
- pepper

Directions
Roughly chop the pumpkin into pieces and cook it in the oven covered in tin foil for 30 minutes, or microwave it for 5 minutes, then peel it.
In a pot heat the oil, finely chop the onion and garlic and lightly them. Add the pumpkin, the potato, peeled and chopped into small pieces, and the carrots, sliced. Add the vegetable stock and let simmer for about 20 minutes or till the potato is soft. Blend everything in a blender and pour back into the pot. Add the double cream, nutmed, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread. 

Broccoli and mushroom risotto

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 160g risotto rice
- olive oil
- onion, finely chopped
- garlic, finely chopped
- white wine
- vegetable stock
- 4 portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 60g broccoli, roughly chopped
- parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat the oil in a skillet and then lightly fry the garlic and onion. When brown add the rice and a dash of white wine and let the wine evaporate. Cover the rice in vegetable stock and add the broccoli and mushrooms. Let simmer and add stock as needed for about 30 minutes. Once the rice is cooked and has dried up and grated parmesan cheese.

Friday 13 November 2015

Red bean stew

Serves 3

Ingredients
- 200g red beans, soaked overnight
- olive oil
- ¼ onion, finelu chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 50g broccoli, roughly chopped
- ½ cup passata or chopped tomatoes
- 300ml vegetable stock
- paprika
- oregano
- cumin
- salt
- pepper

Directions
In a skillet heat the olive oil and lightly fry the onion with paprika and oregano. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Cover and let simmer for about 1 hour till the beans are soft. Add water as needed. Serve with bread.

Red mullet in tomato sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 2 whole red mullets
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes or 1 tin passata and 1 fresh tomato, finely chopped
- ¼ onion, finely chopped
- olive oil
- salt, pepper, mixed herbs to taste
- 1 small fresh chili pepper, chopped

Directions
In a skillet heat the oil and lightly fry the onion and chili. Add the tomatoes, salt pepper and herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Add the fish and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve with rice or potatoes.


Cocoa and coconut cake

Serves 6

Ingredients
- 65g flour
- 35g shredded dried coconut, plus 2tsp for decoration
- 20g cocoa powder
- 100g (brown) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 30g butter, melted
- 65g milk
- 1tbsp vanilla extract
- 1tsp baking powder

Directions
In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the milk and butter, and then all the dry ingredients. Pour into a buttered cake tin and bake at 150C for about 40 minutes. Let it cool, remove from the tin and decorate with additional dried coconut.

Wednesday 28 October 2015

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients
- Pumpkin seeds
- Olive oil
- Salt

Directions
When cutting a pumpkin save the seeds and wash them to remove all pumpkin bits. Lay them out on a baking tray, drizzle them with oil and sprinkle salt over them. Bake for about 30 minutes at 120C.

Pumpkin muffins

Serves 4

Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh pumpkin
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tbsp ginger
- ¼ tbsp nutmeg
- ¼ tbsp cloves
- butter to grease the muffin tin

Directions
In a bow mix the pumpkin, egg and oil and beat lightly. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Pour the mix into a greased muffin tin and cook for 30 minutes at 160C.

Pumpkin and potato curry

Serves 3

Ingredients
- oil
- ¼ onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 300g pumpkin, chopped
- curry powder to taste
- 100g green peas
- a handful of raisins
- salt
-pepper

Directions
In a skillet heat the oil and lightly fry the onion and garlic. Add the curry powder, potato and pumpkin and cook for 15-20 minutes. If it gets very dry add ½ cup of vegetable stock. Add raisins and green peas (if using fresh green peas add them together with the potato and pumpkin) and cook for another 15-20 minutes till the potatoes and pumpkin are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with basmati rice. 

Sunday 25 October 2015

Aubergine and courgette curry

Serves 4

Ingredients
- ¼ onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 augergine
- 1 courgette
- 1 jar tomato sauce (or passata)
- 1 can coconut cream (or dairy cream)
- curry powder
- cumin
- chili powder
- cardamom pods
- salt
- pepper
- vegetable (or olive) oil

Directions
In a skillet heat the oil. Finely chop the onion and garlic and lightly fry them. Add the spices to taste. Thinly slice the aubergine and courgette and chop into quarters and halves respectively. Add them to the pan. Once they're soft, add the tomato sauce and coconut cream. Cook for about 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice. 

Coconut and honey cake

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 egg
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup flour
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ tbsp butter

For the topping:
- ½ cup dried shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup of milk

Directions
In a bowl, beat the egg, sugar and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt. Melt the butter and milk till they start to boil and add to the mix. Pour into a baking tin and cook at 180C for about 30 minutes.
While the cake is cooking, mix all the ingredients for the topping in a saucepan till it starts simmering.
Once the cake is cooked, take it out of the over, pour the topping over it and place in the oven on grill settings till the coconut is brown (about 5 minutes).

Saturday 10 October 2015

Fish pie

Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 250g fish pie mix (or chop different kinds of fish into rough pieces)
- 250g potatoes
- 150g double cream
- 80g gouda (or similar cheese)
- ¼ onion
- mixed herbs

Directions
Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Steam (or microwave) them together with the finely chopped onion. Mash the potatoes and in a bowl mix with the fish pie mix, the double cream, the cheese copped into small cubes and the herbs.
Unrol the puff pastry into a small baking tin so that you are using about ⅔ of the pastry to line the tin. Pour the mix inside and cover with the remaining puff pastry. Cook for approximately 45 minutes at 140C.

Gnocchi

Serves 4

Ingredients
- 500g potatoes
- 150g flour
- ½ egg
- salt

Directions
Boil the potatoes with the skin in salted water for 40 minutes until cooked but not too soft. Drain and remove the skin while still hot. Mash the potatoes and mix the mash potatoes, flour, a pinch of salt and ½ an egg. When you've obtained a homogenous dough, roll it into thin cylinders on a surface sprinkled with flour. Cut each cylinder into pieces approximately 1cm long. Let them set for at least 15 minutes and up to a couple of days.
To cook bring water to the boil and add the gnocchi. When they raise to the surface of the water they are ready to be scooped out. Season as you prefer, for example with double cream and grated parmesan or melted butter and sage.

Mixed vegetable quiche

Serves: 6-8 as starter, 4 as main course

Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry roll
- 2 eggs
- 100g double cream
- 50g gouda (or similar) cheese
- 1-2 tomatoes
- 2-3 portobello mushrooms
- ½ bell pepper
- 1
zucchini

Directions
Chop all the vegetables into small pieces or thin slices. In a bowl mix the chopped vegatable, cream, eggs and cheese cut into small cubes. Pour the mixture into the puff pastry rolled out in a baking tin and bake for 40 minutes at 180C.

Lemon drizzle muffins

Servings: 4 muffins

Ingredients:
- 50g butter
- 55g sugar
- 1 egg
- 60g flour
- 1 lemon

Directions:
Soften the butter and mix it with the sugar and egg. Beat well then add the flour and the zest of 1 lemon. Pour the mix into muffin liners in a muffin baking tin. Bake for about 30 minutes at 140C. In the mean time squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon.
While still hot, poke holes in the muffins with a form and pour the lemon juice on top to make the muffins moist. Cool and serve

Sunday 27 September 2015

Mozzarella, peach and ham salad

Credit: chef Algisi
Serves 2

Ingredients
- 2 peaches
- 200g mozzarella
- 4 slices parma ham
- olive oil
- optional: avocado

Directions
Cut the peaches into chunks and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until soft. Roughly chop the mozzarella and add it on top of the warm peaches. Add the ham slices on top, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Meatballs

Serves 4

Ingredients
- ¼ onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- oil
- 4 pork sausages
- 250g mince lamb
- 1 egg
- 3 spoonfuls bread crumbs
- 50g parmesan, grated
- salt
- pepper
- oregano
- ½ cup flour

Directions
Lightly fry the onion and garlic in (vegetable) oil in a skillet. In a bowl mix the sausages (after removing them form the skin), mince, fried onion and garlic, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper and oregano.
Pour ½ cup of flour on a plate. Using your hands, shape balls from the mix and coat them in flour.
Cook in the meat balls in the skillet for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs, turning them around to make sure they are evenly cooked. 

Zucchini and taleggio cheese quiche

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry
- ¼ onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 zucchini, sliced
- 100g taleggio cheese
- 70g parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 eggs
- 150ml double cream
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- ground nutmeg

Directions

Lightly fry the onion in olive oil in a skillet. Add the zucchini and cook for about 10 minutes till the zucchini are cooked but still crisp. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set to a side.
In a bowl mix the eggs, parmesan cheese, double cream and nutmeg. Add the taleggio cheese cut into small cubes and the zucchini.
Unroll the puff pastry into a baking tray and pour the mix inside. Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes until brown.

Lemon posset

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 150ml double cream
- 40g sugar
- juice of 1 ½ lemons
- strawberries (or other fruit) for decoration

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat stir the double cream and sugar, and bring to the boil. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the lemon juice. Pour into clear glasses or bowl and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
Decorate the top with strawberries and serve.

Prawns and Scallops in tomato sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 200g prawns
- 200g scallops
- 4 spoonfuls flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- ½ onion
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup fish stock
- 100g passata
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- 5 leaves fresh basil
- zest of ½ a lemon
- bread

Directions
Lightly coat the scallops in the flour seasoned with salt and pepper. In a skillet heat the olive oil and butter, then brown the scallops and remove them from the pan.
Lightly fry the onion, garlic and chili flakes in the skillet. Add wine, fish stock, passata, cherry tomatoes and saffron. When it starts boiling, add the prawns. Once the prawns are cooked, return the scallops to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
Serve topped with basil and lemon zest and accompanied by bread.

Friday 21 August 2015

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
60g butter
30g caster sugar
60g brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
175g flour
100g chocolate, chopped into small bits

Directions
Melt the butter and mix with the caster sugar and white sugar. Add the egg, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt, mixing. Gradually add the flour and finally the chocolate. Place dollops of dough on a baking tray at least 5cm apart and bake for 30 minutes at 180C.

Couscous Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
1/2 cup couscous
mixed leaf salad
beetroot, shredded
carrot, chopped
capers
sweet corn
1/2 can tuna
1 pear
olive oil
salt

Directions
Pour boiling water over the couscous and let it rest for 10 minutes till cooked. Mix all the ingredients and season with olive oil and salt.

Saturday 15 August 2015

Spicy bean stew

Serves 3

Ingredients
- 200g passata
- onion
- garlic
- olive oil
- 1 chili pepper, sliced
- curry powder
- cumin powder
- 1 glass coconut milk
- 200g cannellini beans (any bean will do)
- 100g green peas
- 100g spinach
- 180g basmati rice

Directions
Finely chop the onion and garlic and lightly fry in a large pan. Add curry and cumin powder to taste. Add the passata, beans, peas and pinach and siimmer for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and the chili pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
Cook the basmati rice in water and serve with the stew. 

Saturday 8 August 2015

Nectarine tart

Serves 8-10

M shaped for Mathilde's birthday
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- 250g flour
- 200g sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 spoonfuls marmelade
- 3 nectarines

Directions
Mix the melted butter, flour, sugar and egg with your hands to form a ball. Flatten it with a rolling pin and cut it into any shape you like. Spread a thin layer of marmelade on top. Cut the peaches into thin slices and place the slices over the pastry slightly overlapping and covering it entirely.
Bake at 180C for 40minutes.

Tuna and zucchini quiche

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 2 zucchini
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cans of tuna in water
- 100g cream cheese
- 20g chedder
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- parmesan cheese

Directions
In a frying pan heat the olive oil and lightly fry the onion and garlic, finely chopped. Then add the zucchini cut into cubes. Cook till tender but not too soft.
In a bowl mix the eggs, tuna, cream chees, chedder chees cut into small pieces, and salt and pepper to taste. When the zucchini are ready let them cool and then add them to the mix.
Unroll the pastry onto a baking tin, pour the mix and grate some parmesan on top.
Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes.

Monday 3 August 2015

Pineapple upside down cake

Serves 3

Ingredients
For the topping:
- 25g softened butter
- 25g sugar
- 4 canned pineapple rings
For the cake:
- 40g sugar
- 50g flour
- 30g softened butter
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp juice from the canned pineapple

Directions
For the topping: mix the butter and sugar till obtaining a smooth cream. Spread on the bottom of a cake tin and 2cm on the sides. Place the pineapple rings on the bottom of the cake tin. Break one ring into pieces to cover all of the bottom of the tin.
For the cake: Mix all the ingredients and pour in the tin.
Bake for 40 minutes at 175C. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes and then turn upside down to serve.

Baked honey mustard chicken with vegetables

Serves 2
Mostly eaten... too tasty to wait ;)

Ingredients
- ¼ chichen
- ½ onion
- garlic
- 1 courgette
- a handful of carrots, cut into batons
- 1 potato
- a handful of portobello mushrooms
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
For the seasoning:
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried basil

Directions
Coat the chicken in salt and pepper, and bake for 30 minuutes at 180C.
Mix the ingredients for the seasoning. Cut all vegetables into chunks and drizzle oil and salt over them. Take the chicken out of the oven, cover in honey mustard seasoning and place back in the oven, together with the vegetables for another half hour.

Wednesday 29 July 2015

Spicy vegan curry

Serves 3

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- garlic, crushed
- ¼ onion, diced
- 1 tbsp garahm masala powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 2 tbsp ginger powder (or fresh ginger)
- 1 chili pepper, chopped
- 400g tinned tomatoes or passata
- 200g spinach
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 1 glass cocunut water
- ¾ cup couscous
- parsley, finely chopped


Directions
Cook the lentils in cold water for 20 minutes. When they are cooked drain them.
In the meantime, in a large frying pan heat the oil, then add the onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the garahm masala, cumin, ginger and fry for another minute. Add the passata and the chili pepper, cook for a few minutes then stir in the spinach, lentils and cocunut water. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Pour boiling water over the couscous and cover for 5 minutes, then mix in the parsley.
Serve the curry over the couscous.


Monday 27 July 2015

Zucchini and potato quiche

Serves 4

Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 1 potato, sliced
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 2 eggs
- 100ml cream
- 80g cream cheese
- 40g blue stilton, crumbled
- salt
- pepper

Directions
Steam the potatoes, or lightly fry with some onion and garlic for more flavour. Let the potatoes cool and in a bowl mix the zucchini, eggs, cream, ccream cheese, salt and pepper.
Unrol the puff pastry and place it on a baking tray. Place the potatoes flat on the pastry covering it entirely. Add the crumbled stilton. Pour the remaining ingredients on top and bake at 140C for 30 minutes.

Sunday 26 July 2015

Shrimp and pineapple curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 fresh chili pepper, finely chopped
- juice of ¼ of a lemon
- 100g canned pineapple, chopped
- 200ml coconut water
- 200g shrimp
- 200g basmati rice

Directions
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garam masala, cumin and chili powder and fry for a minute. Then add the fish sauce, pineapple and cocunut water. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the shrimp, chooped chili pepper and lemon juice. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Cook the rice in water separately. You can add some cocunut water to the rice to give it a cocunut flavour.
Serve the curry over the rice. 

Friday 24 July 2015

Goat cheese and salmon quiche

Serves: 8 (starter) or 4 (main course)

Ingredients:
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 1 leek
- 180g smoked salmon cut into small pieces
- 3 eggs
- 150ml milk
- 100 ml cream
- 130g fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- black pepper

Directions:
Thinly slice the leek and lightly fry it.
Unrol the puff pastry and spread it over a baking tin.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then pour into the puff pastry.
Bake in the oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes until the crust is slightly brown


The math of baking

It turns out there's some basic rules to make sure cakes have the right consistency. If the basic math is there, you can play around with the other ingredients. So, the rules are:


1. Sugar = flour. weight (not volume!) should be the same.

2. Eggs = fat (oil or butter). An egg weighs about 50 grams.

3. Eggs + liquid (milk) = sugar.

Also good to know: for every 140g flour (1 cup) use 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Tuesday 7 July 2015

Carrot and spinach flan

It tastes better than it looks!
Serves: 2

Ingredients
- 200g spinach
- 2 medium size carrots
- 2 eggs
- 30g cheddar chees
- 90g cream cheese
- pepper





Directions

Steam the spinach, slice and steam the carrots.
In a blender mix spinach, carrots, eggs and cream cheese.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the cheddar cheese cut into small cubes and pepper to taste.
Pour into a tin and bake in the oven at 120C for 20 minutes.

Sunday 5 July 2015

Stuffed avocado

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 tomato
- a spoonful of feta cheese
- a spoonful of capers 
- olive oil
- salt

Directions
Slice the avocado in half longitudinally and remove the pit.
Cut the tomato in small cubes, and in a bowl mix the tomato, crumbled feta cheese, capers, olive oil and salt.
Pour the stuffing over the avocado halves and serve.