Heritage tomato, fennel and dukkah salad

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine and taken from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen by Imad Alarnab.

Pimp up your salad with Middle Eastern flavours. The better the tomatoes, the better this will taste, so splash out and get the good ones!

Serves: 2 as a main or 4 as a side

Ingredients:
1 fennel bulb
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp za’atar
Salt, to taste
300g assorted heritage tomatoes, cut into chunks
2 tbsp good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp dukkah
150g soft goats’ cheese
Small handful of fresh tarragon leaves

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200oC / 180oF / Gas Mark 6. Cut the fennel bulb into 6-8 wedges, depending on how large your fennel is. Toss in the olive oil, za’atar and salt to taste, place on an oven tray, and roast for 25-30 minutes until soft, slightly crisp and golden. Set aside to cool slightly.
Toss the tomatoes in a little salt and the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and dukkah. Roughly crumble the cheese and place on a large serving plate, followed by the roasted fennel and then the tomatoes. Finish with the tarragon leaves.

Pumpkin, Cheese and Rosemary Scones

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine and taken from Soup Broth Bread by Rachel Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Makes : 9

Deliciously savoury and gorgeously light in texture, these scones are great served with a hearty bowl of soup. You can use any squash instead of pumpkin and, if you fancy, add lardons of crispy bacon or diced chorizo to the mix.

Ingredients :

175g peeled and deseeded pumpkin (weight when peeled and deseeded)
1 tbsp olive oil
200g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
50g finely grated cheese (Cheddar or a hard cheese such as Parmesan)
1 egg
100ml milk, plus 1 tbsp extra for brushing over the top

Method :

Preheat the oven to 200oC, 180oC fan, gas mark 6. Cut the pumpkin into 1-2 cm chunks and place on a roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until tender. tip the pumpkin into a bowl (leaving the oven on) and mash very well with a fork, or blend in a food processor, then allow to cool. If using canned pumpkin puree, you’ll need 125g.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cayenne pepper into a bowl and add the rosemary, salt and all but 2 tbsp of the grated cheese, reserving the remaining cheese for scattering over the scones before they go into the oven.
Whisk the egg and mix with the pumpkin puree and milk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients add the wet ingredients then, with your hand in a claw shape, mix the two, making sure you don’t knead but simply mix until it comes together.
Tip the mixture out on to a floured surface the tidy the sides, working it into a rough square and patting the dough out to 2 cm thick. Brush a little milk over the top and scatter with the remaining cheese, then cut the dough into 3 x 3 portions to make 9 scones.
Place the scones on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. They should sound hollow when tapped on the base. Cool on a wire rack.

Courgette, Feta and Mint Salad

Recipe taken from Balance Magazine, published by Diabetes.org

4-Ingredient Lunches – simple, delicious meals you can throw together in minutes …

Serves: 2 Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 12 mins

Per Serving 146g:

Carbs: 1.7g Cals: 69 Sugars: 1.1g Fat: 4.5g Sat Fat: 2g Salt: 0.49g
Protein: 4.7g Fibre: 1.3g

1 portion of fruit and veg

Ingredients:
1 small courgette
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tsp sunflower oil
2 large handfuls rocket
25g feta cheese, cubed
Mint leaves, chopped (25g)

Method:

Preheat grill to medium-high
Cut the courgette into 0.5cm slices, toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and oil
Grill for 4-6 mins each side, until lightly browned.
Mix the courgette through the rocket, add the feta, season with black pepper and serve.

Tangy Feta and Spring Vegetable Tart

Recipe taken from the Lidl Easter brochure – April 2021.

Serves : 4; Preparation time : 15 mins Cook time : 40 mins

Ingredients :

125g feta
100g Greek-style yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
200g asparagus
200g radishes, halved
5 spring onions, cut into thirds
1 tbsp olive oil
100g frozen peas
80g pomegranate seeds
240g mixed salad leaves
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C Fan / Gas Mark 6.
To make your creamy base even more flavourful, use feta for Tang and crush 100g of it in a bowl with a fork. Stir in the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest and half the juice, seasoning with plenty of black pepper.
Unroll the pastry and score a border 1 cm from the edges. Spread the feta mix over the pastry to cover up to the score line.
For the spring veg, use asparagus for earthiness and combine with crunch radishes and sweet spring onions. Toss together in a bowl with the olive oil and some seasoning, then scatter over the top of the tart. Transfer to a lined tray and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the frozen peas in the leftover oil in the bowl and scatter them over the tart for the final 5 minutes of cooking time.
Bring an extra hit of fresh flavours before serving by crumbling over the remaining feta along with pomegranate seeds for fruitiness and a squeeze of lemon to add zing. Dress the salad leaves with another good squeeze of lemon and plenty of seasoning.

Aubergine Parmigiana

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (Spring 2021) and taken from The Shortcut Cook by Rosie Reynolds.

This easy recipe uses a combination of oil and butter, along with a Parmesan and breadcrumb topping for a quick and delicious meal. Serve with a green salad.

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

4 medium aubergines
Olive oil, for brushing and cooking
Large knob of butter, softened
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
2 x 125g balls mozzarella, cubed
30g Parmesan, finely grated
Large handful fresh breadcrumbs
Handful basil leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C fan / gas mark 6. Make deep slits, 1 cm apart, across the aubergines. Don’t cut all the way through. Use a pastry brush to coat the inside of the cuts with oil. Dot the butter over each of the aubergines and season inside and out.
Mix together the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and some seasoning – this can be done in the tomato tins. Pour the mixture into a 20 x 30 cm baking dish and sit the aubergines on top. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the aubergines start to get soft.
Remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil. Use the back of a spoon to open up the aubergine cuts and stuff with cubes of mozzarella and some of the tomato sauce.
Sprinkle over the Parmesan and breadcrumbs, then return the dish to the oven and cook, uncovered, for a final 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then scatter with basil leaves before serving.

Make ahead : Prepare the whole dish in advance and reheat in a hot oven until piping hot.

The shortcut : This meal has all the textural expectations of parmigiana, with none of the factory line-style crumbing – no salting, no dipping in egg, no frying in oil. This is one-pan, no-hassle cooking.

Spicy Spanish Chicken

Recipe courtesy of The Co-operative food magazine.

Serves : 4

Cook time : 1 hour approx

Ingredients :
1 clove garlic, crushed
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
150g Low fat soft cheese
1 tblsp mixed fresh herbs – basil, rosemary and thyme. Plus 4 small sprigs of rosemary
1/2 tsp dried chillis
Freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Serrano ham
1 tsp olive oil

Step One : Heat oven to gas mark 4 / 180oC / Fan 160oC.

Step Two : Mix crushed garlic and lemon zest into cheese. Add herbs, chillis and black pepper.

Step Three : Cut a slit into each chicken breast and stuff with the mixture. Take Serrano ham and wrap a slice firmly around each chicken breast. Poke a sprig of rosemary between ham and chicken.

Step Four : Heat oil and gently pan-fry each chicken piece for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add lemon juice and cook for another minute or two.

Step Five : Put chicken into a small roasting pan and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Serve with green leaf salad.

Caramelised Onion and Rosemary Tortilla

Recipe courtesy of The Co-operative Food Magazine.

Serves : 6

Cooking time : 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients :
4 large potatoes, peeled
1 dessertspoon olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 dessertspoon caster sugar
1-2 tblsp fresh rosemary
50g gorgonzola or soft blue cheese
8 large eggs

Step One : Heat oven to gas mark 3 / 170oC / fan 150oC.

Step Two : Parboil the potatoes, cool and then slice fairly thinly.

Step Three : Heat the oil and cook the onions over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for another 15 minutes, until the onions are golden and soft. Stir in the rosemary and cook for another few minutes.

Step Four : Grease a 20cm cake tin. Beginning with the potatoes, layer with the onions and crumbled cheese, finally finishing with the potato.

Step Five : Beat the eggs, season and pour over layers. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes to an hour.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a tuna, red onion, rocket and potato salad.

Mozzarella di Bufala con Radicchio Grigliato

Recipe courtesy of Hello Magazine – many years ago !

Buffalo Mozzarella with grilled radicchio and fresh herb dressing)

Some true Italian flavours – the creamy mozzarella contrasts beautifully with the bitter radicchio leaves, which have been lightly grilled. Caffe Calesi’s chef, Flavio Tosolini, says the best mozzarella in the world comes from Naples, which just happens to be his home town.

Serves : 4

Ingredients :
8 slices of mozzarella di bufala cheese
6 tblsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
1 tblsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tsp chopped fresh board leaf parsley
1 head of radicchio, cut into 8 wedges
Parsley sprigs, to garnish

Step One : Divide the mozzarella slices between four serving plates. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, oregano and parsley and drizzle over the cheese.

Step Two : Grill the radicchio wedges for 1 minute on each side and arrange on the plates alongside the mozzarella. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve at once.

Courgette Tart

Serves : 4-6

Preparation Time : 25 mins

Cooking Time : 30 mins

Ingredients :
4 sheets of filo pastry
2 tblsp olive oil
3 courgettes, sliced
500g (1 lb) ricotta
4 eggs, beaten
3 tblsp basil leaves, shredded
Small grating of nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
75g (2 1/2 oz) Parmesan, freshly grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Large handful of pine nuts

Step One : Heat the oven to 200oC / Gas Mark 6. Grease a large tart tin and line with 4 layers of filo pastry, brushing each sheet with a little oil and slightly overlapping the sheets. Transfer to the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until just golden.

Step Two : Heat 1 tblsp olive oil in a frying pan and saute the courgettes for 5-7 minutes until golden around the edges, then set aside. In a bowl, beat the ricotta with the eggs, basil, nutmeg, chilli flakes, two thirds of the Parmesan and the garlic. Set aside.

Step Three : Spread the pastry with the ricotta mix. Press the courgette slices into the ricotta, then scatter over the pine nuts and the remaining Parmesan.

Step Four : Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is golden. Serve warm with a green salad.

Blue Cheese and Broccoli

Serves : 4 – Prep time : 10 mins – Cook time : 18 minutes

Ingredients :
1 tbsp olive oil; 8oz (225g) tricolore penne pasta

For the sauce :
8oz (225g) broccoli florets; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 ½ oz (40g) whole blanched almonds; 1 onion, peeled and chopped; ¼ pt (150ml) dry white wine; 4 tbsp double cream; 6oz (175g) Dolcelatte cheese

Method:

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add oil and cook pasta for 10 mins, or until al dente.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Cook broccoli for 4 mins. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Reserve.
Heat oil and add almonds. Cook for 2 mins, then remove and reserve.
Add onion to pan and sauté for 4 mins. Stir in wine and cream, and bring to the boil. Boil until reduced by half.
Break cheese into pan, then add broccoli and almonds. Cook for a further 2 mins. Drain pasta an spoon sauce over. Serve.