Stilton and Walnut Wholemeal Loaf

Recipe courtesy of Ocado Life Magazine and taken from 100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood.

This recipe tastes delicious with cheese.

Prep time : 2 1/2 hours
Cook time : 30 mins

Ingredients :
100g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
400g wholemeal flour
10g salt
50g butter, softened
300ml water
100g Stilton cheese, crumbled
125g walnuts, chopped

Step One : Put the flours, salt, yeast and butter into a bowl. Add the water, a little at a time, and gradually incorporate all the flour from the sides of the bowl.

Step Two : Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. Put back in the bowl and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Step Three : Line a baking tray. Add the Stilton and walnuts to the dough and mix well together. Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each one into a long sausage. Plait the dough – place the three strips side by side and join them at the top, then bring the right strip over the middle strip, then the left strip over the middle strip, and continue until the plait is complete. Put on the tray and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Step Four : Preheat the oven to 230oC / Gas 8. Bake the loaf for 30 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Marille with Peas

Marille was designed by pasta loving Giugiaro, the famous Italian car designer. Its ribbed tubular shape holds lots of sauce. If you can’t buy marille use penne or rigatoni.

Serves : 4 – Prep time : 20 mins – Cook time : 25 mins

Ingredients :
2oz (50g) butter; 5oz (150g) smoked bacon, rinded and cut into strips; 1 lb (450g) carton or bottle of passata, or 4 large ripe tomatoes, skinned and deseeded; 7oz (200g) frozen petits pois or small fresh peas; 13oz (375g) Marille, penne or rigatoni; 8 basil leaves; 5oz (150g) mascarpone cheese; Salt and fresh ground black pepper; 3oz (75g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Heat the butter and fry the bacon until crisp. Add the tomatoes and petits pois and cook for 5 minutes (or cover and cook for 15 minutes if using fresh peas).
Meanwhile cook pasta for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Add the basil and mascarpone cheese to the sauce and stir until just warmed through and the cheese has melted. Season to taste.
Drain pasta, add to sauce and mix with the Parmesan cheese.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Pasta recipes in the Pasta Volume 1 book. A recipe card is also available for download here.

Beetroot Salad and Grilled Goat’s Cheese

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (June 2014) and taken from Fresh and Light by Donna Hay.

For a nourishing lunch, this vibrant salad is full of energising ingredients to avoid an afternoon lull.

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
4 large beetroots, peeled and trimmed
1 carrot, peeled and trimmed
100g baby or small beetroot leaves
300g firm goat’s cheese, cut into 8 rounds
Vegetable oil, for brushing

For the horseradish dressing:
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp freshly grated horseradish
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Method:

To make the horseradish dressing, place the white wine vinegar, olive oil, horseradish, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Thinly slice the beetroot and carrot, and place in a bowl with the beetroot leaves. Add the dressing and toss gently to coat. Divide the salad between serving plates.
Brush the goat’s cheese with a little oil and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Cook under a preheated hot grill for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Serve the goat’s cheese with the salad.

Pasta with Broccoli and Smoked Cheese

Time to prepare : 20 mins

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion and 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 500g (1 lb) fresh pasta and
6 Lapsang Souchong Tea Bags; 500g (1 lb) broccoli, divided into bite-sized florets; 400g (14oz) can of chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree; 125g (4oz) either smoked or herby cheese; black olives; 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme; 125g (4oz) smoked mozzarella, sliced.
To serve: sliced tomato and fresh basil leaf salad

Method:

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and tea bags, stir well and cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain well and keep warm. Discard the tea bags.
Cook the broccoli florets in boiling salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and garlic, and cook gently until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, olives, broccoli and thyme, and cook for about 3 minutes.
Gently toss this sauce with the pasta then add the sliced mozzarella and serve before the cheese melts with a tomato and basil salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Pasta recipes in the Pasta Volume 1 book. A recipe card is also available for download here.

Pea and Orzo Risotto

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (Spring 2019) and taken from Skinny Pasta by Julia Azzarello.

Orzo tends to be a bit starchier than other tiny pastas, so makes a lovely risotto. It is also easier than using Arborio rice, as you don’t have to stir it so vigilantly. The addition of pea shoots at the end gives it a sweet crunch.

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, minced; 300g orzo; 100ml dry white wine; 400ml vegetable or chicken stock; 150g frozen peas; 50ml single cream; 50g ricotta salata or pecorino Romano, grated, plus extra for sprinkling; 10g fresh mint, chopped; 4 sprigs of tarragon, chopped; 40g pea shoots, to garnish

Method:

Warm a large, deep pan, then add the oil and shallot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Tip in the orzo and stir around for 1 minute more, then add the white wine. Once the wine has evaporated pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. The orzo should take about 9-10 minutes to cook, but keep an eye on it and stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
When it is creamy and cooked, stir in the peas, single cream, grated cheese and herbs and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with some extra grated cheese and the pea shoots.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Pasta recipes in the Pasta Volume 1 book. A recipe card is also available for download here.

Cauliflower Soup with Blue Cheese and Chutney

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (April 2014) and taken from The Ginger & White Cookbook by Tonia George, Emma Scott & Nicholas Scott.

When cooked for a long time, cauliflower has a beautiful velvety texture with a nutty and slightly spicy flavour. It goes excellently with blue cheese, but needs some sharpness to stop the whole thing getting too cloying, so add some lemon and a dollop of chutney as a garnish.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 onion, diced
Sprig of fresh thyme
50g butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium cauliflower (about 600g), trimmed and broken into 3-4 cm florets
1 litre vegetable stock
200ml double cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
250g Dorset blue or Stilton cheese
4 tblsp chutney (pear or apply chutney)
Freshly ground black pepper
Slices of toasted granary bread, to serve

Step One : Place the potatoes and onion in a large saucepan. Add the thyme and butter, cover and cook over a low heat until the potato is tender and the onion, translucent. Add the garlic and cauliflower, stirring to coat in the butter, and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, then cover and simmer very gently for 30 minutes – or until the cauliflower is tender.

Step Two : Remove from the heat, blend the soup to a smooth puree, then return it to the saucepan and loosen with a little water if necessary. Add the cream and heat through. Season well and add lemon juice to taste.

Step Three : Set out your soup bowls. Crumble a little bit of blue cheese or Stilton into each one, then spoon on the chutney and pour the soup around it. Add a twist of black pepper on top and serve with slices of toasted granary bread.

Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Stacks with Hemp Pesto and Butterbean Mash

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (September 2017)

Psychologies Nutrition Editor Eve Kalinik has written Be Good to Your Gut: The ultimate guide to gut health – with 80 delicious recipes to feed your body and mind.

Unpasteurised goat’s cheese is packed with natural probiotics; it goes beautifully with the sweet taste of beetroot, which is a great source of fibre and antioxidants that support the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Serves: 2 (with extra pesto)

Ingredients:

2 medium beetroots
50g unpasteurised soft goat’s cheese, cut into thin slices
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Herbs, to garnish

For the hemp pesto:

65g cashews, soaked for 2 hours
Handful of fresh basil leaves
25g shelled hemp seeds
50ml extra virgin olive oil
4 tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
Pinch of mineral-rich salt and black pepper

For the Butterbean mash:

150g cooked butterbeans
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 1/4 clove fresh garlic)
1/2 tsp onion powder (or 1 finely chopped spring onion)
4 tblsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of mineral-rich salt

Step One: Wash the beetroot and place in a steamer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked through. Remove from the heat, leave to cool slightly, then peel away the skin. Slice into 1cm slices (each beetroot should make around six slices) and put to one side.

Step Two: While the beetroot is cooking, make the pesto and mash. Drain the soaked nuts and rinse with filtered water, then place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended but not too smooth. Put into a sealable glass or ceramic container. Rinse the processor.

Step Three: To make the butterbean mash, put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until you have a mash-like texture.

Step Four: To assemble, start with a beetroot slice, add a thin slice of goat’s cheese and a generous teaspoon of pesto; stack another beetroot slice on top and repeat the process, finishing with a slice of beetroot. There you have your stack. Repeat this process to make more stacks. Serve a generous dollop of the butterbean mash alongside. Finish each stack with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with fresh herbs.

Margherita Pizzas

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (February 2016) and taken from the book River Cottage Gluten Free written by Nutritionist, cook and River Cottage teacher Naomi Devlin.

This is a thin-based pizza, sparingly spread with a simple tomato sauce and baked until the base is invitingly crisp and the cheese is bubbling.

Margherita pizza Serves: 3-4

Ingredients for the Pizza Base:-

70g sorghum flour; 10g fresh yeast (or 3g quick dried)
140g potato starch
40g tapioca starch
25ml olive oil
1 large egg
1 scant tsp sea salt
1 tsp light Muscovado sugar
1 tsp xanthum gum or 2 tsp ground psyllium husk
1 tsp cider vinegar
Fine polenta or rice flour

Ingredients for the Topping:

400g tin plum tomatoes
2-3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
50ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few drops wine vinegar (optional)
2-3 mozzarella balls, each about 125g
Thyme, or oregano leaves for sprinkling (optional)
Rocket leaves and Parmesan shavings

Step One: For the pizza base, mix the sorghum flour, yeast and 120g tepid water in a bowl until smooth, then cover. Set aside at room temperature for an hour to ferment.

Step Two: For the tomato sauce, chop the tomatoes and put in a pan with the juice from the tin. Add the garlic and cook, covered, over a medium heat, for 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, a couple of pinches of salt, a few good grinds of pepper, a pinch of sugar and a little vinegar if you think the flavour needs lifting. The oil will take a bit of stirring to get it to emulsify with the tomato. If the sauce is too thin, cook uncovered for a few minutes. Set aside to cool.

Step Three: When you are ready to make the dough, beat the remaining pizza base ingredients, except the polenta or rice flour, into the sorghum mixture, until smooth.

Step Four: Sprinkle flat baking sheets and work-surface with fine polenta or rice flour. Scoop up a quarter of the dough with floured fingers, roll into a ball, then roll out on your floured surface into a thin circle, about 5mm thick. Pick up an edge gently and slide a floured rolling pin underneath to help you transfer the delicate dough to the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Step Five: Spread the sauce between the pizzas using the back of a spoon. Slice mozzarella and lay on top. Sprinkle with thyme or oregano and drizzle any exposed dough with a little olive oil. Leave to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, until the dough looks puffy. Preheat the oven to 250^oC /Fan 230^oC/Gas 10, or as high as it will go and bake for 6-8 minutes. Add rocket and Parmesan, and serve.

Baked Ricotta on Toast

Recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Baked ricotta on toast Serves: 4 – Prep time: 12 mins – Cook time: 10 mins
Cals per serving : 336 – Fat: 20g

Ingredients: 175g (6oz) ricotta; 1 egg, beaten; 1 egg yolk; 4 tbsp cream; 50g (1 ¾ oz) Parmesan, freshly grated; 4 slices rustic white bread or ciabatta, split; 2 tbsp baby basil leaves; ready-prepared grilled peppers or sun-blush tomatoes, to serve. Rocket leaves, to serve.

Heat the oven to 190^oC (gas mark 5). Combine the ricotta, egg, yolk, cream and Parmesan in a small bowl. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Spread this mixture on the slices of bread.
Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the cheese has puffed and is golden.
Scatter with the basil and serve alongside the grilled peppers or tomatoes. Serve with rocket leaves.

Tip: The topping mixture can be made and chilled for up to 1 hour before cooking if desired.

Penne Baked with Chard

This recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Comfort Food – Italian Style

Serves : 4 – Prep time : 10 mins, plus standing time – Cook time : 50 mins – Cals per serving : 1099 – Fat : 48.4g

Ingredients:
1.5l (48 fl oz) milk; 1 bay leaf; 400g (13oz) Penne; Olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 8-10 leaves chopped chard or spinach; 60g (2oz) butter; 4 tbsp plain flour; 250g (8oz) grated cheddar; 50g (1 ¾oz) grated Parmesan; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 60g (2oz) fresh breadcrumbs

Method:

Heat the oven to 190^oC (gas mark 5). Place the milk and bay leaf in a large saucepan over a low heat and bring to just under the boil. Remove and set aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Discard the bay leaf.
Cook the penne in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until it is al dente (check the cooking time on the packet). Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and chopped chard and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chard or spinach has reduced in size and is soft. Squeeze out any moisture.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan, then sprinkle on the flour, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for 1-2 minutes until the flour has browned slightly. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly until there are no lumps. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Add the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Pour the white sauce over the pasta. Add the chard or spinach and stir until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon the mixture into a large, shallow, ovenproof dish and scatter with the remaining Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until heated through and the topping is golden.

Tip: Chop 4 rashers of streaky bacon, mix with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top before baking for a finishing touch.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Pasta recipes in the Pasta Volume 1 book. A recipe card is also available for download here.