Prawn and Samphire Risotto

Samphire is only available from May to August and is naturally very salty as it grows by the sea. Combined with prawns or other sea food, it brings a soft sea flavour to your table. Crack open a bottle of fine white wine and enjoy this simple, easy, special risotto.

600gm large cooked prawns
80gm washed and trimmed Samphire 
50gm butter 
3 shallots finely chopped 
l litre fish stock 
50ml white wine 
2 garlic cloves crushed 
250gm of Arborio rice 
30gm freshly grated parmesan cheese  
50ml single cream or plain yoghurt

Add a bit of the butter to a pan and heat gently then add the shallots, garlic and cook very gently for about ten minutes. 
Add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated then add half the stock and close the lid. Stir gently and cook for about 15 minutes, then pour in the wine and stir again until it has all been absorbed. Add a rest of the stock and prawns and continue stirring until all the liquids have been absorbed, usually another 10-15 minutes. Add the samphire in the end and cook it in the mix for about 2 minutes. At the very end and when the heat is very low or even completely switched off add the cream/ yoghurt. Serve immediately with parmesan on top.

Garlic Potatoes With Juniper Berries

Strong flavoured roasted potatoes, great to serve with wild rice, chicken, asparagus or just with yoghurt on the side. 

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dried juniper berries, lightly crushed
8 large garlic cloves
600g tiny new potatoes

You will also need the juice of one medium lemon, coarse-grain sea salt and black pepper, finely chopped fresh oregano to serve. 

Heat the oven to 180 c (gas mark 4).

Pour the olive oil into a heavy shallow baking dish large enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle the juniper berries over the oil and place the dish in an oven for a few minutes to warm.

Trim off the stem ends of the garlic cloves and rub off any feathery outer skin.
Place the potatoes and garlic in the warm dish and roll them in the olive oil to lightly coat.
Bake 10 minutes and roll the potatoes and garlic in the olive oil once more.
Reduce the oven temperature to 150c (gas mark 2) and bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender.
Roll the potatoes in the olive oil to coat once more and transfer to a warm platter.
Sprinkle with the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and oregano.
Serve hot or warm, with toast, meat or rice if desired.

Salmon Teriyaki With Honey, Lime and Corriander

My best friend cooked this the other day and it was so good I cooked it twice in the same week. Now we will try to quit salmon for a while. I even dreamt of the fish the other night.
It sounds like a complicated recipe but it is not. Takes only 20 minutes to cook and serves 4.

4 pieces of salmon fillet (one per person)
2 limes
fresh coriander
500g pasta (I used gluten free fusilli but noodles or plain rice are perfect too)
200g green beans or 150g asparagus

for the sauce
4 tablespoons soya sauce
1 tablespoon runny honey

In a wide frying pan heat a little bit of olive oil and put the salmon fillets in. Close the lid and let it cook in it's own juices for 5 minutes. If the olive oil starts going mad, lower the heat. Cook the pasta or noodles in a different pot at the same time according to package instructions.
Make the sause while the pot and the pan do their job. Keep stirring the sauce till you finally pour it over the salmon, which should be starting to turn white by now. At the same time put the green beans /asparagus on the sides to cook by the salmon. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the fish looks ready.
Put equal amount of pasta on every plate, one piece of salmon on top of each and pour the sauce on with some of the greens on the side. The juice of half a lime per person is ideal. Let everyone mix their own plate and enjoy with some fresh coriander on top.

Spaghetti Without Parmesan Is Possible

After a two-week holiday abroad, eating cheese every single day, both my boyfriend and I decide not to buy or use any cheese for a week. Ok, we lasted only four days but during that short period of time we discovered this light, wonderful, spaghetti recipe. It can be eaten without the use of parmesan, pecorino or manchego, something that up to now seemed impossible to do. Serves 4.

Ingredients
    •    400g dried spaghetti (we used Dove Farm gluten free)
    •    6 tbsp olive oil
    •    3 garlic cloves, crushed
    •    2 medium-hot red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped (if you don't fancy spicy food you can skip this part)
    •    150g vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or tomato paste)
    •    Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon, plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
    •    300-400g cooked and peeled tiger prawns, thawed if frozen
    •    150g rocket leaves


1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to pack instructions.
2. Shortly before the spaghetti is ready, put the oil and garlic into a large deep frying pan or shallow saucepan over a medium-high heat. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add the chillies and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for a further minute. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, prawns and some seasoning and cook for 1.5-2 minutes, until the prawns are heated through.
3. Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan of prawns with the rocket and toss together well. Divide between 4 warmed pasta bowls and serve.

Pasta with kale, lentils & caramelized onions

250g green lentils (I used black Beluga lentils instead)
water
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
1-2 tablespoon good quality runny honey
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
450g kale (or you can go for cavolo negro a.k.a. black cabbage)
250g pasta of your preference

While lentils simmer- I am lazy so went for a packet of Merchant Gourmet- heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion with pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and honey, stirring for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook until soft and golden.
While onion cooks, cut out and discard stems and inside ribs from kale. Steam kale until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer kale with tongs to a colander to drain, pressing lightly. Keep the water at a boil in the pot covered.
Coarsely chop kale and add to onion along with lentils, then simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add pasta to kale-cooking liquid and boil following package instructions. Drain pasta. Toss everything together. Serve with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Leek, Wine & Parmesan Risotto

• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 3 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 250g Arborio rice
• 1 glass (or two) white wine
• 750ml good vegetable stock
• 25g Parmesan (veg option can be found in shops these days), finely grated 

This is dead easy but there is one thing you need to be careful with: if you are planning to drink the rest of the white wine, buy a good quality bottle. I bought an average one and now I am writing this with a toddler running around my feet, trying to grab my laptop while I 'm typing and a banging headache.
Bring the stock to a simmer. Heat a large wide pan and add half the butter and the olive oil. Add the spring onions, leeks and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Then add the rice and stir to coat. Tip in the wine and bubble until reduced. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring until the rice is tender with a little bite and oozy. When the rice is almost done, stir in the Parmesan and the rest of butter and season. Serve with green salad.

Vegan Paella

It is always a pleasant challenge to cook for vegan friends and Paul is the latest to join the vegan club. So we had him and his girlfriend over for dinner last night. I found three different recipes for vegan paella online and made this by combining all. Yes, one of them was an apparently well known Gwyneth Paltrow recipe. Do not let that little fact put you off - she cooks better than she acts - this is so nutritious and tasty, carnivores will love it too.
Ready in 35 minutes.


1 red, and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

olive oil

½ Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cayenne

250g easy cook rice

100ml sherry (optional)

1 tsp saffron strands

500ml boiling vegan stock

Sea salt200g tender stem broccoli

200g organic nice mushrooms

200g sweet peas

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

a jar  of artichokes

200g broad beans

roughly chopped parsley

4 lemon wedges, to serve

Heat the oil in a paella or other shallow frying pan and fry the onion. When golden add the peppers and mushrooms and fry for about 8 minutes over medium heat until soft.  Add the garlic, cook for a minute, then add all the spices, stir, add the rice and the green beans and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the sherry and saffron, boil down for a minute, then add the stock and a third of a teaspoon of salt. 

Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 7 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

Taste and add salt if needed then scatter the artichokes, kidney beans and broccoli over the rice and cook for another 7 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. 

You can also replace rice with quinoa and get even more big vegan smiles. 

The Butter Bean & The Chorizo

I made this stew for the 'welcome back' party of a dear friend who just came back from Spain.
I don't know what I was thinking with the chorizo. I bet he must be so fed up with it, but I guess I thought it would make him feel like home.
I also thought it would be a very heavy dish but it wasn't at all. It is a stew that -apart from the initial preparation, chopping etc- you can let it do it's own thing and just stir occasionally.


180g dried (or canned) butter beans
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
250g raw chorizo sausage (available at every good deli), cut into 5mm-thick diagonal slices
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
paprika
400g can chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken stock, hot
dried oregano
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Soak the butter beans in a bowl of water overnight.
The next day, place the beans in a saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and simmer rapidly for 1 hour until just tender. Drain. You can always use tinned butter beans instead.
Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole and fry the raw chorizo for 2-3 minutes until starting to brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and paprika to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is beginning to soften.
Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, oregano and lemon zest and add the chorizo and beans to the casserole. Mix well, bring to the boil and simmer, partially covered, for 1¼ hours or until the sauce is thick and the beans are tender. Check the seasoning.
Serve with crusty bread and leaf salad and of course Rioja.

Fresh Courgette Spaghetti

People who call courgette, 'snozcumber' and refuse to even try it, do finally surrender to this simple but tasty combo.
It is one of the quickest and freshest recipes, really cheap too. I made it with gluten free spaghetti and vegetarian parmesan. You can add bacon for a non-veggie version.
• 3 medium courgettes grated
• zest and juice of half a lemon
• spaghetti
• grated parmesan
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 3 gloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• salt and pepper
• half a pot of crème fraîche
Put the spaghetti into boiling water along with the stock cube and 1 peeled garlic clove.
While the pasta is boiling, grate the courgette or ask your kitchen bitch to do it. Then grate the parmesan.
In a frying pan put the grated courgette and the rest of the garlic, finely chopped.
Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until just wilted.
Stir in the lemon zest and crème fraîche. Simmer for a few minutes – it will look quite runny. Season to taste and keep over a low heat.
Remove pasta from the pan, get rid of the garlic clove and drain well.
Return to the pan and add the courgette mixture. Toss well until the pasta has soaked up the sauce, then stir in the lemon juice and toss again. Serve hot with parmesan on top.

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.