Blog

Category: Dessert

Area: Tunisian

Ingredients:

• 1 large Orange
• 300g Caster Sugar
• 75 ml Olive Oil
• 280g Flour
• 1 tbs Baking Powder
• 4 large Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas 5. Grease a 23cm round springform tin.
Cut off the hard bits from the top and bottom of the orange. Slice the orange and remove all seeds. Puree the orange with its peel in a food processor. Add one third of the sugar and the olive oil and continue to mix until well combined.
Sieve together flour and baking powder.
Beat the eggs and the remaining sugar with an electric hand mixer for at least five minutes until very fluffy. Fold in half of the flour mixture, then the orange and the vanilla, then fold in the remaining flour. Mix well but not for too long.
Pour cake mixture into prepared tin and smooth out. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 C / Gas 2 and bake again for 30 minutes Bake until the cake is golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire cake rack.

Category: Starter

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 chopped Onions
• 2 sticks Celery
• 300g Carrots
• 500g Potatoes
• 4 Bay Leaf
• 5 tblsp Tomato Puree
• 2 tblsp Sugar
• 2 tblsp White Vinegar
• 1½ kg Chopped Tomatoes
• 500g Passata
• 3 Vegetable Stock Cube
• 400ml Whole Milk

Instructions:

Put the oil, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and bay leaves in a big casserole dish, or two saucepans. Fry gently until the onions are softened – about 10-15 mins. Fill the kettle and boil it.
Stir in the tomato purée, sugar, vinegar, chopped tomatoes and passata, then crumble in the stock cubes. Add 1 litre boiling water and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 mins until the potato is tender, then remove the bay leaves. Purée with a stick blender (or ladle into a blender in batches) until very smooth. Season to taste and add a pinch more sugar if it needs it. The soup can now be cooled and chilled for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
To serve, reheat the soup, stirring in the milk – try not to let it boil. Serve in small bowls with cheesy sausage rolls.

Category: Dessert

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 2 pint Strawberries
• 4 tbs Sugar
• 4 tbs Grand Marnier
• 1 cup Cream
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine hulled and quartered strawberries, 4 Tbsp sugar and 4 Tbsp liqueur, stir to combine then cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, stirring once or twice.

Two photos of cut strawberries in a bowl with one having sugar being added to the bowl Two photos of cut up strawberries for Strawberry Romanoff

Just before serving, in a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup cold heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, fold in 1/4 cup sour cream just until well blended.

To serve, stir strawberries then divide between 6 serving glasses or bowls. You can spoon a little syrup over the berries if you like. You can also use this syrup to soak a cake. Spoon cream over strawberries, dividing evenly. You can also use an ice cream scoop with trigger release for a nice rounded puff of cream. Serve right away or chill and enjoy within 2 hours of assembly.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 500g strawberries
• 400ml double cream
• 3 x 7.5cm meringue nests
• 1 tbsp ginger cordial
• sprigs of fresh Mint

Instructions:

Purée half the strawberries in a blender. Chop the remaining strawberries, reserving four for decoration.
Whip the double cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the strawberry purée and crushed meringue. Fold in the chopped strawberries and ginger cordial, if using.
Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into four cold wine glasses. Serve garnished with the remaining strawberries and a sprig of mint.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 30g Mushrooms
• 240g Chestnuts
• 3 Challots
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 3 sprigs Rosemary
• 500g Wild Mushrooms
• 2 tblsp Soy Sauce
• 125ml White Wine
• 350g Lasagne Sheets
• 4 tbsp Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 handful Sage
• to serve Truffle Oil

Instructions:

Soak the dried mushrooms in 350ml boiling water and set aside until needed. Blitz ¾ of the chestnuts with 150ml water until creamy. Roughly chop the remaining chestnuts.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the shallots with a pinch of salt until softened, then add the garlic, chopped chestnuts and rosemary, and fry for 2 mins more. Add the wild mushrooms, 2 tbsp oil and some seasoning. Cook for 3 mins until they begin to soften. Drain and roughly chop the dried mushrooms (reserve the soaking liquid), then add those too, along with the soy sauce, and fry for 2 mins more.
Whisk the wine, reserved mushroom liquid and chestnut cream together to create a sauce. Season, then add half to the mushroom mixture in the pan and cook for 1 min until the sauce becomes glossy. Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs, then set the mixture aside.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and get a large bowl of ice water ready. Drop the lasagne sheets into the boiling water for 2 mins or until pliable and a little cooked, then immediately plunge them into the cold water. Using your fingers, carefully separate the sheets and transfer to a clean tea towel. Spread a good spoonful of the sauce on the bottom two thirds of each sheet, then, rolling away from yourself, roll up the shorter ends. Cut each roll in half, then position the rolls of pasta cut-side up in a pie dish that you are happy to serve from at the table. If you have any mushroom sauce remaining after you’ve rolled up all the sheets, simply push it into some of the exposed rolls of pasta.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the pasta, then bake for 10 mins or until the pasta no longer has any resistance when tested with a skewer.
Meanwhile, put the breadcrumbs, the last 2 tbsp olive oil, sage leaves and some seasoning in a bowl, and toss everything together. Scatter the rotolo with the crumbs and sage, then bake for another 10 mins, until the top is golden and the sage leaves are crispy. Leave to cool for 10 mins to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce, then drizzle with a little truffle oil, if you like, before taking your dish to the table.

Category: Breakfast

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 2 tbs White Wine Vinegar
• 2 English Muffins
• To serve Butter
• 8 slices Smoked Salmon
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp White Wine Vinegar
• 3 Yolkes Egg
• 125g Unsalted Butter

Instructions:

First make the Hollandaise sauce. Put the lemon juice and vinegar in a small bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk with a balloon whisk until light and frothy. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until mixture thickens. Gradually add the butter, whisking constantly until thick – if it looks like it might be splitting, then whisk off the heat for a few mins. Season and keep warm.

To poach the eggs, bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the vinegar. Lower the heat so that the water is simmering gently. Stir the water so you have a slight whirlpool, then slide in the eggs one by one. Cook each for about 4 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon.

Lightly toast and butter the muffins, then put a couple of slices of salmon on each half. Top each with an egg, spoon over some Hollandaise and garnish with chopped chives.

Category: Side

Area: Turkish

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Lentils
• 1 large Onion
• 1 large Carrots
• 1 tbs Tomato Puree
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Mint
• 1/2 tsp Thyme
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 4 cups Vegetable Stock
• 1 cup Water
• Pinch Sea Salt

Instructions:

Pick through your lentils for any foreign debris, rinse them 2 or 3 times, drain, and set aside. Fair warning, this will probably turn your lentils into a solid block that you’ll have to break up later
In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté the olive oil and the onion with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, then add the carrots and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir it around for around 1 minute. Now add the cumin, paprika, mint, thyme, black pepper, and red pepper as quickly as you can and stir for 10 seconds to bloom the spices. Congratulate yourself on how amazing your house now smells.
Immediately add the lentils, water, broth, and salt. Bring the soup to a (gentle) boil.
After it has come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot halfway, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils have fallen apart and the carrots are completely cooked.
After the soup has cooked and the lentils are tender, blend the soup either in a blender or simply use a hand blender to reach the consistency you desire. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
Serve with crushed-up crackers, torn up bread, or something else to add some extra thickness. You could also use a traditional thickener (like cornstarch or flour), but I prefer to add crackers for some texture and saltiness. Makes great leftovers, stays good in the fridge for about a week.

Category: Chicken

Area: Thai

Ingredients:

• 225g new potatoes
• 100g green beans
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 tsp Thai green curry paste
• 400ml coconut milk
• 2 tsp Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 450g boneless Chicken
• 2 fresh kaffir leaves lime
• handfull basil
• Boiled Rice

Instructions:

Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Throw in the beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, by which time both should be just tender but not too soft. Drain and put to one side.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil until very hot, then drop in the garlic and cook until golden, this should take only a few seconds. Don’t let it go very dark or it will spoil the taste. Spoon in the curry paste and stir it around for a few seconds to begin to cook the spices and release all the flavours. Next, pour in the coconut milk and let it come to a bubble.
Stir in the fish sauce and sugar, then the pieces of chicken. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Tip in the potatoes and beans and let them warm through in the hot coconut milk, then add a lovely citrussy flavour by stirring in the shredded lime leaves (or lime zest). The basil leaves go in next, but only leave them briefly on the heat or they will quickly lose their brightness. Scatter with the lime garnish and serve immediately with boiled rice.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 3 tbsp Cacao
• 1 Avocado
• 2 tblsp Honey
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tbsp Water
• pinch Sea Salt

Instructions:

1. Blend all the mousse ingredients together in your food processor until smooth. Add the cacao powder first and, as you blend, have all the ingredients to hand in order to adjust the ratios slightly as the size of avocados and bananas varies so much. The perfect ratio in order to avoid the dish tasting too much of either is to use equal amounts of both.

2. Taste and add a few drops of stevia if you feel you need more sweetness.

3. Fill little cups or shot glasses with the mousse, sprinkle with the cacao powder or nibs and serve.

Tip If you don’t have a frozen banana to hand you can just use a normal one and then chill the mousse before serving for a cooling dessert.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 175g/6oz digestive biscuits
• 75g/3oz butter
• 200g/7oz Bramley apples
• 75g/3oz Salted Butter
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 75g/3oz ground almonds
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Put the biscuits in a large re-sealable freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin into fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the biscuit crumbs and stir until coated with butter. Tip into the tart tin and, using the back of a spoon, press over the base and sides of the tin to give an even layer. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You can do this in a food processor if you have one. Process for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, then add the ground almonds and almond extract and blend until well combined.
Peel the apples, and cut thin slices of apple. Do this at the last minute to prevent the apple going brown. Arrange the slices over the biscuit base. Spread the frangipane filling evenly on top. Level the surface and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden-brown and set.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Remove the sides of the tin. An easy way to do this is to stand the tin on a can of beans and push down gently on the edges of the tin.
Transfer the tart, with the tin base attached, to a serving plate. Serve warm with cream, crème fraiche or ice cream.