Murder Salads : Roasted Cauliflower With Grapes

Winter salad that can be served with quinoa or brown basmati rice. You will need: 

1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
90ml olive oil

Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp red grape vinegar1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp honey         
100g seedless red grapes, halved
80g grated cheddar
30g sesame seeds 
40g toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Toss the cauliflower with half the oil, salt and some black pepper. Spread on an oven tray and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven, pour in serving bowl and mix with the grated cheddar, so the cheese will melt with the warm cauliflower. 

In a small bowl or glass whisk the remaining oil with the vinegar, mustard, honey and a pinch of salt. Add the pumpkin, sesame seeds and the grapes into the bowl with the cauliflower and the cheese. Pour over the dressing, toss gently, adjust the seasoning to taste and serve. 

If it is snowing outside like it is here today, it will taste somehow a bit better. I can't explain why, but trust me on this. It will. 

Drunk Mushrooms

Lets assume you do not mind peeling onions and garlic cloves. Good. So keep on reading then. If you also do not mind Ouzo in your food then go for it.
It is an old Ottolenghi recipe that I decided to turn Greek, mostly because a few ingredients were missing from my supply cupboard.
It is unusual but very tasty.

olive oil

80g butter

25 shallots, peeled

25 garlic cloves, peeled

dried thyme 

2 cinnamon sticks

200g portobello or oyster mushrooms, chopped

250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

100g buna-shimeji or wild mushrooms

pinch of chilli flakes

200ml vegetable stock

1¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

100ml Ouzo

dried parsley & dried oregano

250g ricotta or (hard to find in the UK) Manouri cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

Heat the olive oil and two-thirds of the butter in a large pan and gently sauté the shallots, garlic cloves, thyme and cinnamon for about five minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the portobello and chestnut mushrooms, stir well so the mushrooms pick up the oil, and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium-high heat. Add the buna-shimeji and chilli flakes, and cook for a further minute.
Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer over a high heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost disappeared, and the shallots and garlic are cooked through. Season, then pour in the Ouzo. Cook for a minute or two to allow the alcohol to evaporate, then stir through the remaining butter and all the chopped herbs.
Mix the ricotta (or manouri) with the lemon zest in a small bowl. Divide the warm mushrooms between four plates and top each serving with a quarter of the ricotta mixture. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with watercress or other leafy salad and rice.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Today I had one of those 'panic moments'. Had to think of something quick and easy and also delicious to cook, without having the chance to go shopping. I used whatever we had in the fridge. It worked!

• 300g chopped broccoli
• 250g easy cook rice
• 500g good quality cream of mushroom soup
• 250ml water (veggie stock cube can be used)
• 200g cheddar cheese, cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 bunch celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• salt and pepper

Steam broccoli and cook rice according to package directions. Preheat oven 175 degrees C, gas mark 4.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix cream of mushroom soup and water. Gradually stir in cheese until melted. Be careful that the cheese doesn't burn.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute celery and onion until soft.
In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, rice, soup and cheese mixture, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly brown.

Feta Saganaki Is Not A Japanese Recipe

It sounds Japanese but is Greek and I am homesick (again) so I cooked it today. With sesame seeds and honey. For a moment I was magically transferred to my favorite place in Athens, eating with Anna. Here is the way to make it :

• 250g feta
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoons ground paprika
• olive oil

• flour (used gluten -free all purpose and it was great)
• sesame seeds

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 3 tablespoons honey

Cut the feta into long chunks, so they look like little fingers and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. It is very important to do that so they wont break while cooking.

Mix the egg, pepper, paprika and oregano in a bowl and beat well. Roll each piece of feta in the egg mixture, then roll in the flour. Once you have done all of them, roll each piece in the egg for a second time, then roll in the sesame seeds.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and cook the feta on each side until golden. Once they are ready remove and drizzle with a little honey and serve immediately.

Generally speaking feta saganaki is harmful for your heart to have every day and for your figure too, but if you serve it with something healthy like asparagus you can reduce the levels of guilt.

Mascarpone Dreams

Roast squash with mascarpone, Parmesan & sage
For lazy days - so easy to make

1. Spoon olive oil into each half of butternut squash, add the dried sage and finely chopped garlic. Salt & pepper.
2. Roast at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for 40-50 minutes or until tender and toasted around the edges.
3. Spoon the mascarpone into the hollows and stir, season and scatter with Parmesan. Stick in the oven for another 15 minutes till cheese melts nicely. Add fresh chopped parsley on top and serve. Chives work too.

Sweet Potato Mash with Haloumi and Chili

Dead easy this one. And a winner.
Steam the sweet potatoes and the parsnips and then mash them with a fork and add a bit of butter and milk. Play it by the ear, that is the easiest method for the best mash. If it looks thirsty, feed it with more milk and salt and pepper.
Fry the sliced haloumi till it goes dark on both sides and put on top of the mash. Prepare the 'sauce' separately by chopping the chillies and fry them for a few minutes, squeeze the limes and add the lime zest. Then just pour on top of the mash and haloumi.

All in all you will need:
3 big sweet potatoes
3 parsnips
milk
butter
chilies
haloumi
1 lime

It 's all in the squash

Butternut Squash with honey and feta cheese

This lovely stuffed butternut squash recipe is simple and super tasty. Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
2-3 garlic cloves chopped finely
olive oil
200g feta cheese
100 g chopped walnut halves
2 tbsp of runny honey

Wash and cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and pour a bit of olive oil, add the garlic in the little holes and season. Bake for an hour until the flesh is soft but not too soft. Scoop the flesh and the garlic and olive oil mix out and put in a bowl. Leave about 1 cm thick of the outer layer of the squash. In the bowl add the feta cheese and the walnuts and season. Then spoon back into the halves and pour the honey on top. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. Serve with quinoa or plain rice. One big squash serves four.