Blog

  • Fresh sardines

    Fresh sardines

    Category: Side

    Area: Croatian

    Ingredients:

    • 500g Sardines
    • Dash Vegetable Oil
    • To Glaze Flour
    • Dash Salt

    Instructions:

    Wash the fish under the cold tap. Roll in the flour and deep fry in oil until crispy. Lay on kitchen towel to get rid of the excess oil and serve hot or cold with a slice of lemon.

  • Cajun spiced fish tacos

    Cajun spiced fish tacos

    Category: Seafood

    Area: Mexican

    Ingredients:

    • 2 tbsp cajun
    • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 4 fillets white fish
    • 1 tsp vegetable oil
    • 8 flour tortilla
    • 1 sliced avocado
    • 2 shredded little gem lettuce
    • 4 shredded Spring Onions
    • 1 x 300ml salsa
    • 1 pot sour cream
    • 1 lemon
    • 1 clove finely chopped garlic

    Instructions:

    Cooking in a cajun spice and cayenne pepper marinade makes this fish super succulent and flavoursome. Top with a zesty dressing and serve in a tortilla for a quick, fuss-free main that's delightfully summery.

    On a large plate, mix the cajun spice and cayenne pepper with a little seasoning and use to coat the fish all over.

    Heat a little oil in a frying pan, add in the fish and cook over a medium heat until golden. Reduce the heat and continue frying until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Cook in batches if you don’t have enough room in the pan.

    Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients with a little seasoning.
    Soften the tortillas by heating in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Pile high with the avocado, lettuce and spring onion, add a spoonful of salsa, top with large flakes of fish and drizzle over the dressing.

  • Keleya Zaara

    Keleya Zaara

    Category: Lamb

    Area: Tunisian

    Ingredients:

    • 4 tbs Olive Oil
    • 750g Lamb
    • 1 1/2 tsp Saffron
    • 1 Large Chopped Onion
    • 25 ml Water
    • 30g Parsley
    • 1 tbs Butter
    • 1 Lemon

    Instructions:

    Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Season with saffron, salt and pepper to taste; stir in all but 4 tablespoons of the onion, and pour in the water. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 15 minutes.
    Uncover the pan, stir in the butter and allow the sauce reduce 5 to 10 minutes to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour into a serving dish. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped onions and parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

  • Beef Banh Mi Bowls with Sriracha Mayo, Carrot & Pickled Cucumber

    Beef Banh Mi Bowls with Sriracha Mayo, Carrot & Pickled Cucumber

    Category: Beef

    Area: Vietnamese

    Ingredients:

    • White Rice
    • 1 Onion
    • 1 Lime
    • 3 Garlic Clove
    • 1 Cucumber
    • 3 oz Carrots
    • 1 lb Ground Beef
    • 2 oz Soy Sauce

    Instructions:

    Add'l ingredients: mayonnaise, siracha

    1

    Place rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse until water runs clear. Add to a small pot with 1 cup water (2 cups for 4 servings) and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15 minutes. Keep covered off heat for at least 10 minutes or until ready to serve.

    2

    Meanwhile, wash and dry all produce. Peel and finely chop garlic. Zest and quarter lime (for 4 servings, zest 1 lime and quarter both). Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Halve, peel, and medium dice onion. Trim, peel, and grate carrot.

    3

    In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, juice from half the lime, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, a pinch of garlic, a squeeze of lime juice, and as much sriracha as you’d like. Season with salt and pepper.

    4

    Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add beef, remaining garlic, and 2 tsp sugar (4 tsp for 4 servings). Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce. Turn off heat; taste and season with salt and pepper.

    5

    Fluff rice with a fork; stir in lime zest and 1 TBSP butter. Divide rice between bowls. Arrange beef, grated carrot, and pickled cucumber on top. Top with a squeeze of lime juice. Drizzle with sriracha mayo.

  • Koshari

    Koshari

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Egyptian

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 cups Brown Lentils
    • 1 1/2 cups Rice
    • 1/2 tsp Coriander
    • 2 cups Macaroni
    • Can Chickpeas
    • 1 large Onion
    • Sprinking Salt
    • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

    Instructions:

    Cook the lentils. Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot or saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender (15-17 minutes). Drain from water and season with a little salt. (Note: when the lentils are ready, they should not be fully cooked. They should be only par-cooked and still have a bite to them as they need to finish cooking with the rice).
    Now, for the rice. Drain the rice from its soaking water. Combine the par-cooked lentils and the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add warm water to cover the rice and lentil mixture by about 1 1/2 inches (you’ll probably use about 3 cups of water here). Bring to a boil; the water should reduce a bit. Now cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and both the rice and lentils are well cooked through (about 20 minutes). Keep covered and undisturbed for 5 minutes or so.
    Now make the pasta. While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the pasta according to package instructions by adding the elbow pasta to boiling water with a dash of salt and a little oil. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain.
    Cover the chickpeas and warm in the microwave briefly before serving.

    Make the crispy onion topping.

    Sprinkle the onion rings with salt, then toss them in the flour to coat. Shake off excess flour.
    In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat, cook the onion rings, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown. Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes).

  • Chicken Couscous

    Chicken Couscous

    Category: Chicken

    Area: Moroccan

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
    • 1 chopped Onion
    • 200g Chicken Breast
    • pinch Ginger
    • 2 tblsp Harissa Spice
    • 10 Dried Apricots
    • 220g Chickpeas
    • 200g Couscous
    • 200ml Chicken Stock
    • Handful Coriander

    Instructions:

    Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion for 1-2 mins just until softened. Add the chicken and fry for 7-10 mins until cooked through and the onions have turned golden. Grate over the ginger, stir through the harissa to coat everything and cook for 1 min more.

    Tip in the apricots, chickpeas and couscous, then pour over the stock and stir once. Cover with a lid or tightly cover the pan with foil and leave for about 5 mins until the couscous has soaked up all the stock and is soft. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and scatter over the coriander to serve. Serve with extra harissa, if you like.

  • Pancakes

    Pancakes

    Category: Dessert

    Area: American

    Ingredients:

    • 100g Flour
    • 2 large Eggs
    • 300ml Milk
    • 1 tbls Sunflower Oil
    • to serve Sugar
    • to serve Raspberries
    • to serve Blueberries

    Instructions:

    Put the flour, eggs, milk, 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter. Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time, or start cooking straight away.
    Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper. When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
    Serve with lemon wedges and sugar, or your favourite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.

  • Provençal Omelette Cake

    Provençal Omelette Cake

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: French

    Ingredients:

    • 10 Eggs
    • 1 tbs Olive Oil
    • 2 finely chopped Courgettes
    • 3 finely chopped Spring Onions
    • 4 Red Pepper
    • 1 clove peeled crushed Garlic Clove
    • 1 Red Chilli
    • 300g Cream Cheese
    • 6 tblsp Milk
    • 4 tbs Chives
    • 2 tbs Basil
    • to serve Rocket
    • to serve Parmesan

    Instructions:

    Break the eggs into two bowls, five in each. Whisk lightly and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan, add the courgettes and spring onions, then fry gently for about 10 mins until softened. Cool, then stir into one bowl of eggs with a little salt and pepper. Add the roasted peppers to the other bowl of eggs with the garlic, chilli, salt and pepper.
    Heat a little oil in a 20-23cm frying pan, preferably non-stick. Pour the eggs with courgette into a measuring jug, then pourabout one-third of the mixture into the pan, swirling it to cover the base of the pan. Cook until the egg is set and lightly browned underneath, then cover the pan with a plate and invert the omelette onto it. Slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining mix to make two more omelettes, adding a little oil to the pan each time. Stack the omelettes onto a plate. Make three omelettes in the same way with the red pepper mixture, then stack them on a separate plate.
    Now make the filling. Beat the cheese to soften it, then beat in the milk to make a spreadable consistency. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper. Line a deep, 20-23cm round cake tin with cling film (use a tin the same size as the frying pan). Select the best red pepper omelette and place in the tin, prettiest side down. Spread with a thin layer of cheese filling, then cover with a courgette omelette. Repeat, alternating the layers, until all the omelettes and filling are in the tin, finishing with an omelette. Flip the cling film over the omelette, then chill for up to 24 hrs.
    To serve, invert the omelette cake onto a serving plate and peel off the cling film. Pile rocket on the top and scatter over the cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a little freshly ground black pepper. Serve cut into wedges.

  • Roast fennel and aubergine paella

    Roast fennel and aubergine paella

    Category: Vegan

    Area: Spanish

    Ingredients:

    • 6 small Baby Aubergine
    • 4 small Fennel
    • 1 thinly sliced Red Pepper
    • 1 medium Courgettes
    • 1 finely chopped Onion
    • 300g Paella Rice
    • 1 tsp Paprika
    • pinch Saffron
    • 200ml White Wine
    • 700ml Vegetable Stock
    • 100g Frozen Peas
    • 1 chopped Lemon
    • Handful Parsley
    • pinch Salt
    • pinch Black Pepper

    Instructions:

    1 Put the fennel, aubergine, pepper and courgette in a roasting tray. Add a glug of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss around to coat the veggies in the oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, turning a couple of times until the veg are pretty much cooked through and turning golden.

    2 Meanwhile, heat a paella pan or large frying pan over a low– medium heat and add a glug of olive oil. Sauté the onion for 8–10 minutes until softened. Increase the heat to medium and stir in the rice, paprika and saffron. Cook for around 1 minute to start toasting the rice, then add the white wine. Reduce by about half before stirring in two-thirds of the stock. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes without a lid, stirring a couple of times.

    3 Stir in the peas, add some seasoning, then gently mix in the roasted veg. Pour over the remaining stock, arrange the lemon wedges on top and cover with a lid or some aluminium foil. Cook for a further 10 minutes.

    4 To ensure you get the classic layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, increase the heat to high until you hear a slight crackle. Remove from the heat and sit for 5 minutes before sprinkling over the parsley and serving.

  • Burek

    Burek

    Category: Side

    Area: Croatian

    Ingredients:

    • 1 Packet Filo Pastry
    • 150g Minced Beef
    • 150g Onion
    • 40g Oil
    • Dash Salt
    • Dash Pepper

    Instructions:

    Fry the finely chopped onions and minced meat in oil. Add the salt and pepper. Grease a round baking tray and put a layer of pastry in it. Cover with a thin layer of filling and cover this with another layer of filo pastry which must be well coated in oil. Put another layer of filling and cover with pastry. When you have five or six layers, cover with filo pastry, bake at 200ºC/392ºF for half an hour and cut in quarters and serve.