No, not a description of me after Sunday Lunch - A Full Tart

 

 

Just because I haven't been blogging as frequently as I might like, it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking and this particular recipe was a success, though it does differ somewhat from the original recipe as I kinda made do with what I had, but I was happy and confident to experiment with what I knew was a reliable basic recipe because it is of Ottolenghi origin.

 

For some reason, though I wasn't wrong to do this, I bought a bag of roasted Mediterranean vegetables in the supermarket and after rediscovering them in the freezer, I decided to roast about three quarters of the pack with a little olive oil, seasoning and thyme to use as the filling for this full tart. Plus, personally, I think sweet potato is a weird vegetable. I am not sure I even like it in soup, let alone as something identifiable in a quiche. Each to their own.

 

The weather here of late has been really amazing! Normally I cook something Mediterranean inspired as a form of escapism and as a stark contrast to the rain teaming down the windows during the Summer months. However, sat outside on a balmy evening, with a glass of something, bit of salad, a sense of luscious well being - you could be sat somewhere with the Mediterranean lapping up against the shore rather than somewhere in northern England. How wonderful this country could be with some decent weather!

 

Full Tart, adapted from 'Plenty' by Yotam Ottolenghi

 

Serves 4 - 6

 

My adaptations in red

 

Ingredients:

 

                                                  1 red bell pepper                                                  

1 yellow pepper

                                                100 ml olive oil                                                

1 aubergine, cut into 4cm dice

salt and black pepper

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm dice

1 small courgette, cut into 3cm dice

(or, replace the above vegetables with approximately 3/4 bag of frozen Mediterranean vegetables)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

                                              2 bay leaves                                                  

300 g shortcrust pastry (I used shop bought and had some left over which I froze)

8 fresh thyme sprigs, picked

                                              120 g ricotta cheese                                               

120 g feta

7 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 medium free-range eggs

200 ml double cream

 

Method:

 

 

 

If you are using fresh vegetables then follow the directions below, Otherwise, open the bag of vegetables, scatter them on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season and sprinkle over some herbs. Roast for about 20 - 25 minutes at 220C or until the edges of the vegetables have started to caramelise, and then head to the instructions for the pastry, or...

 

Heat the oven to 230C/gas mark 8. Cut around the pepper stalks, then lift out and discard, along with all the seeds. Put the peppers in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with oil and put on the top shelf of the oven.

 

Mix the aubergine with four tablespoons of oil and season. Tip into a big baking tin and place on the shelf below the peppers. After 12 minutes, add the sweet potato, stir and roast for 12 minutes more. Now add the courgette, stir and roast for a further 10–12 minutes. By now, the peppers should be brown and the vegetables cooked. Remove everything from the oven and turn the heat to 160C/gas mark 2½. Cover the peppers with foil and leave to cool; once cool, peel and tear into strips.

 

 

Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Sauté the onions with the bay leaves and some salt for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown, soft and sweet. Discard the bay and set aside.

 

 

 

Grease a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Roll the pastry to a 3mm-thick circle large enough to line the tin with some overhang. Press it into the edges. Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 30 minutes, lift out the paper and beans, and bake for 10–15 minutes more, until golden brown.

 

 

 

Remove and allow to cool a little. Spread the onions over the bottom, then top with roasted veg.

 

 

 

Scatter over half the thyme, dot first with small chunks of both cheeses and then the tomato halves, cut-side up.

 

 

 

Whisk the eggs and cream with some salt and pepper, and pour into the tart; the tomatoes and cheese should remain exposed. Scatter the remaining thyme on top.

 

Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the filling sets and turns golden.

 

 

 

Rest for at least 10 minutes, then trim off the excess pastry, remove the tart from its tin and serve.

Sooooooo good for you and your soul! Pork Meatballs in Chunky Tomato and Mediterranean Vegetable Sauce.

 

Meatballs. A staple in this house, not least because is usually involves spaghetti (thumbs up from the Lola and Finn jury) are therapeutic to make (thumbs up from me) and because they happen to be ready soon after Phill comes through the door after being at the business end of a pretty underwhelming day (...just about has the energy to raise thumb to anything). Not that this is the place for it, but isn't it funny that in some industries, the higher one climbs, the more inept one becomes (or maybe they were always inept, but were good at shifting their ineptitude onto others...)

 

Anyway, before I end up weirdly politicising meatballs (?) let me return to meatballs as a conduit for joy, for good ingredients cooked well, for dinners around the table, digging in, chatting about anything and everything, a glass of red wine maybe, a scrape of Parmesan. Sun's out, life IS good! A slow walk past the 'chuck outs' in my local supermarket (a weekly 'thing' of mine) further reinforced the fact that the people in my area do not know what to do with pork, unless it is a chop, because I have lost count of the pork fillets/pork mince/pork belly I have acquired at a knock down price. At varying times my freezer is chocka with bits of pig. This week, organic pork mince and lots of it! In the trolley it went!

 

This recipe is a hotchpotch of stuff from my freezer, fridge and cupboard. I won't say store cupboard necessarily, but most of the ingredients are possibly somewhere in your kitchen. It's a pretty flexible recipe, in terms of the sauce at least. You might need to be a bit more exact when it comes to making the meatballs, so they don't fall apart. But the result was pretty pleasing. I was watching Masterchef in the week where the finalists were cooking with Mamma Agata at her cooking school in Italy with a myriad of simple ingredients, herbs, vegetables and the results looked so amazing! I can only hope that one day I could cook in such a way but for now, this is where I am at.

 

Pork Meatballs in Chunky Tomato and Mediterranean Vegetable Sauce

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad, and one other

 

Ingredients:

 

500g pork mince

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

4 slices of stale bread, blitzed to breadcrumbs

1 large egg

salt and freshly ground pepper

 

For the sauce:

 

1 large onion, diced

a selection of vegetables, such as peppers, courgettes, aubergines cut into chunks (actually, I used some of a bag of frozen Mediterranean vegetables and some frozen peppers which I had in the freezer. I used a large handful of each bag, so I would eyeball it at about 300g of chopped vegetables)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

About 300ml of chicken stock

1 tbsp sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Serve with pasta of your choice.

 

Method:

 

Firstly make the meatballs. Combine the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hand, or else pulse the ingredients in a food processor, taking care not to overwork.

 

Before shaping the whole mixture into balls, take a little and fry it (or taste it if the idea doesn't bother you) to check that you have seasoned the mixture enough. If you need more, add more.

 

 

 

Once you are happy with the seasoning, using damp hands form the mixture into balls.  Put on a baking tray.

 

Preheat the oven to 180c.

 

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. In a suitable pan, fry off the onion until it becomes translucent then add the vegetables and saute briefly. If you use frozen like I did, you will need to cook longer to allow the water to evaporate.

 

Add the tomatoes (puree and tinned) and stir to combine, then add the chicken stock and the sugar. add some seasoning now but be prepared to add more once the sauce has reduced.

 

Put the meatballs into the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

 

While the meatballs are cooking, allow the sauce to simmer for about 15/20 minutes until it has perceptibly reduced and thickened. At the end of this time, check and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

 

 

 

Once the meatballs are browned and cooked through, take them out of the oven, add them to the thickened sauce and stir them through carefully so as not to break them.

 

 

 

Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta with some Parmesan and a little basil garnish.

 

 

 

 

 

My first venture into Jerusalem: Turkey and Courgette Burgers with Sumac and Yoghurt Sauce

 

 

When I say 'Jerusalem', I mean the tremendously brilliant 'Ottolenghi' cookbook, rather than the city, but I have to say that watching the BBC Four series last year which depicted Yotam Ottolenghi's culinary tour of Jerusalem was fascinating. I'd love to go! Maybe one day... Anyway, until then I can cook my way through this glorious cookbook, full of exciting recipes to try.

 

It was natural that I was going to start here, at this recipe, because you see, the first Ottolenghi recipe I ever cooked was this one, which was a total revelation to me and everybody around me who has eaten it. I always thought that turkey mince was really a bit 'meh!', but pimping it up with some fresh herbs, vegetables and a generous amount of seasoning takes something uninspiring to something you can't get enough of.

 

Lola and Finn were a bit unsure of the yoghurt sauce and that's okay because as a kid I don't think that I would have been too keen. However, it is a lovely sauce, both zingy and cooling and a great match for the cumin infused 'burgers'. I served this with rice cooked in a little chicken stock and Lola and Finn approved.

 

So, here's the recipe:

 

Turkey and Courgette Burgers with Sumac and Yoghurt Sauce, adapted from 'Jerusalem' by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum, Dad and one other

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lb/500g ground turkey

1 large courgette, coarsely grated about 8oz/200g

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

about 6 tablespoons sunflower oil, for searing

 

Sour cream & sumac sauce

 

Approx 80ml sour cream

Approx 160ml Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

11/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sumac

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Method:

 

 

 

Make the sour cream sauce first by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the burgers except the sunflower oil.

 

Mix with your hands and then shape into about 18 rounded burgers of about 1½ ounces each.

 

 

 

Pour enough sunflower oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16-inch thick.

 

Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the burgers, in batches, on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

 

Carefully transfer the seared burgers to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just cooked through.

 

 

 

Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side

Cakes not balls: Turkey cakes with Wasabi Guacamole

The first dish I cooked from the Ottolenghi cookbook was turkey meatballs which was, frankly, a revelation. I know it's hardly some sort of haute cuisine and I daresay it isn't gracing the menus of many Michelin starred restaurants just now but the fact is that it (or they I suppose) taste totally fabulous. I also think that any recipe that manages to impart some semblance of flavour into turkey mince is one worth keeping and cooking regularly.

So when I was perusing the Guardian website for something else it was with such happiness that I saw this. Firstly, an Ottolenghi recipe. Fabulous. Secondly. Turkey mince. Well, it has to be okay doesn't it? And it was...

Wasabi and kids don't do really go together and I'll be honest I didn't even try. I gave Lola and Finn a little guacamole before I put wasabi into it which they tried but weren't massively excited by. That's okay, Phill isn't greatly excited by it either. However, the addition of a little wasabi just transformed the guacamole into something with pizazz, which married well with the turkey cakes. Phill was pleasantly surprised.

Lola and Finn really enjoyed the turkey cakes. I suppose what makes these cakes rather than balls is that they're flat rather than round and are baked. I also think you could make these into burgers and they would be lovely topped with feta and a tomatoey, chilli relish.

Turkey Cakes with Wasabi Guacamole from The Guardian website

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad generously.

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

2 courgettes, coarsely grated (net weight 250g) (Two medium ones for me)Salt and black pepper
600g minced turkey, or chicken (I used 500g)2 medium free-range eggs
1½ tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp chopped coriander
3 tbsp chopped mint
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
60g chopped spring onion
Sunflower oil, for frying
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp mirin
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds (which I forgot to use!!)

For the wasabi guacamole:

2 ripe avocados, peeled (net weight 300g)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp wasabi paste
20g chopped spring onion
Salt

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

 Put the grated courgette in a sieve, mixed with a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and leave to drain for about 15 minutes.

Squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands, then put the courgette in a large mixing bowl along with the turkey, eggs, cumin, coriander, mint, garlic, three-quarters of the spring onion, a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Mix together well. then shape into 12 patties weighing about 80g each (or just eyeball it, like I did)

Because turkey mince is so bland, I always worry about whether I have seasoned the meat enough. Fr that reason I take a little of the mixture and fry it off to taste for seasoning. If I need to add more, then I do so. You'd be surprised how much salt you might need to make turkey mince taste of something  When you're happy with the seasoning then shape into 12 patties weighing about 80g each (or just eyeball it, like I did).

Heat two tablespoons of sunflower oil in a large frying pan and fry the patties for four minutes, turning once, until nice and brown on both sides.

Transfer to a baking tray and finish off in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

I confess, I like it chunky!

While the turkey cakes are in the oven, make the guacamole: mash the avocado with a fork and mix together with the lime juice, wasabi, chopped spring onion and half a teaspoon of salt.

Mix the sweet chilli and mirin in a separate bowl, and brush this over the turkey cakes as soon as they come out of the oven.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top (if you don't forget!) and serve with the guacamole on the side.

Gorgeously Greek and very tasty! Greek Lamb Tray Bake

I've decided that this is the meal I envisage cooking next time I am slumming it in some villa in Greece. (Slumming it; I wish!!! To be there is an absolute joy!) Most people think I am just a tad peculiar for actually enjoying cooking on holiday and I would like to stress here and now that it isn't always the case. I enjoyed being wined and dined as much as the next mum, but I do, it has to be said, gain far more satisfaction that I probably should by taking cookbooks on holiday, already stuffed with post it notes, ready for a mooch round the local market or such like, looking for things I can rustle up whilst the kids are splashing around or whilst Phill has is head in one of those pile of books people (i.e. me) keep getting him for Christmas but he never ever gets around to reading until the Summertime when all the important day to day stuff happily disappears from view for a couple of weeks.

Here I get the best of both worlds: I've cooked dinner and it's looking after itself in the oven whilst I'm all over a glass of wine and I am watching the kids play. Fabulous.

This recipe is from the BBC GoodFood website, and is amazingly easy to make, even the meatballs, which I always think is a beautifully theraputic activity in itself. Pick really tasty tomatoes if you can and season the mix well, particularly the meatballs which will taste a bit like cotton wool if you are too shy with the seasoning.

I left out the mint. I quite like it but Lola and Finn think it's a bit weird if it is not with chocolate in ice cream. I can understand that notion. I substituted parsley. I also upped the meat content because 250g mince is a bit stingy. I also upped the potato content and added some oregano to my meatball mix.

Greek Lamb Tray Bake, adapted from the BBC GoodFood website

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum, Dad plus one other

Ingredients:

 

50g fresh white breadcrumbs

250g lamb mince (though I used 500g)

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp oregano

2 onions, halved

A handful of mint, chopped, (though I substituted parsley)

2 large potatoes, cut into wedges (though I used 3 as we all love potatoes)

2 courgettes, cut into batons

12 cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

50g feta cheese, crumbled

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c/Gas 6.

Put the breadcrumbs, lamb mince, egg and plenty of seasoning on a bowl. Add half of a finely chopped or grated onion and half of the parsley and the oregano. Mix everything together until well combined and then form into meatballs. I make slightly smaller ones for the kids, but somewhere between a walnut and golf ball size.

Cut the remaining onion into wedges and put onto a suitable baking tray or dish with the potatoes, the courgettes, the meatballs and the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season well once more.

Bake for about 40 minutes, turning things around about half way to ensure even cooking.

When ready, sprinkle with the feta and the remaining parsley.