Honey-Roasted Pear, Crispy Parma Ham and Dolcelatte Salad

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (August 2019) and taken from Summer Every Day by Acland Geddes and Pedro Da Silva.

Serves : 4

Ingredients :
4 pears (any type will do, but make sure they are fairly firm)
2 tblsp clear honey
50g butter, melted
6 slices Parma ham
150g Dolcelatte cheese
150g wild rocket

Step One : Preheat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6. Core the pears and cut them lengthwise into eight wedges. Toss them with the honey and melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake them on a non-stock baking tray for about 15 minutes : you want them to have begun to turn golden and caramelised, but not to have lost their bite. This is why medium-to-firm pears are essential; if they are too ripe they will fall apart in the oven.

Step Two : Place the Parma ham slices on a wire rack and roast in the oven for eight to 10 minutes. Keep a vigilant watch over them, as they can go from pink to black faster than you think. They should be rigid and deeply coloured, but not burned. Allow to cool on the rack.

Step Three : Mix together the rocket, roasted pears and crispy ham. Scatter the Dolcelatte cheese over the salad as best you can – it’s a sticky cheese, so it will resist being broken up. If you’ve had a bad day and can’t be bothered with wrestling with an uncooperative dairy product, you can always opt for the more accommodating Roquefort or Stilton – the results are just as good.

Pea and Ham Broth

A recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Most of us have a packet of frozen peas in our freezer. They are useful for using as a side dish and in soups, risottos and braised dishes. This soup is startingly simple and fast. Home-made stock makes it even tastier, but you can just as easily use a good-quality organic chicken or vegetable stock cube or powder.

Serves : 2 – Quick and Easy – ready to eat in 10 minutes 🙂

Heat 1 tblsp olive oil in a saucepan and add 70g (2 ¼ oz) cubed pancetta, a crushed clove of garlic and two chopped stalks of celery.
Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the pancetta is starting to colour and crisp and the celery softens.
Add 750ml (24 fl oz) of boiling chicken or vegetable stock or boiling water with a stock cube.
Add 300g (10oz) of frozen peas (straight from the packet) and 3 chopped spinach or chard leaves, and return the broth to the boil.
Simmer gently for about 3 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Parma Ham and Tomato Tart

Serves 4; Cals per portion: 545

Ingredients:
225g (8oz) short-crust pastry; 30ml (2 tbsp) finely grated parmesan cheese; 175mg (6oz) Parma ham; 4 large plum tomatoes; 50g (2oz) pine nuts; 45m (3 tbsp) olive oil.

Method:

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry thinly and sprinkle the Parmesan Cheese over the top. Roll over the pastry with a rolling pin to press the cheese into the pastry. Use the pastry to line a 23cm (9in) fluted flan tin then prick all over with a fork.
Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans (or dried pulses). Bake blind at 200^oC, 400^oF, Gas 6 for 20 mins. Remove the lining and the beans and bake for a further 5-10 mins until the pastry case is crisp and golden. Leave to cool.
Fill the cooled pastry case with the strips of Parma ham, tomato wedges and pine nuts. Drizzle with 30ml (2tblsp) of the olive oil and place under a pre-heated moderate grill for 5-10 mins until the tomatoes begin to soften slightly.

Cheesy Ham Flan

This crisp pastry case with a rich and cheesy filling is perfect for a family lunch.

Serves: 4; Prep: 20 mins: Cook: 30 min: Calories per portion: 618

Ingredients:
8oz (225g) short-crust pastry; 1 tbsp (15ml) oil; 1 leek, washed and sliced; 1oz (25g) butter; 1oz (25g) plain flour; 1 tsp (5ml) mustard; ¾pt (450ml) milk; salt and pepper; 4oz (125g) cheddar cheese; 6oz (175g) lean ham, chopped; 1 tbsp (15ml) white breadcrumbs; 8in/20cm flan dish

Method:

Preheat the oven to Mark 4 / 350^oF / 180^oC. Grease the flan dish. Roll out the pastry, line the dish and trim pastry.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the sliced leek for a few minutes, until it begins to soften.
Melt butter in a pan, stir in flour and mustard and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, beating thoroughly between each addition to remove lumps. Season to taste. Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
Stir in 3oz (75g) of the cheese. Mix the leeks and ham into the sauce and pour into flan. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until pastry is golden. Serve with vegetables.

Gammon Steaks with Stilton Sauce

A creamy, tangy sauce complements succulent gammon steaks

Serves: 4; Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 25 minutes; Cals per portion: 607

Ingredients:
1 oz (25g) butter; 4 x 6oz (175g) gammon steaks; 2 red eating apples; 1 tbsp (15ml) demerara sugar; 1 tbsp (15ml) fresh sage; salt and black pepper; 1oz (25g) butter; ½ oz (15g) plain flour; ½pt (300ml) dry cider; 4oz (125g) stilton cheese, crumbled; 4 tbsp (60ml) single cream; extra sage to garnish

Method:

Melt the butter and fry the steaks for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm. Slice the apples. Add to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and chopped sage. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Return the gammon to the pan. Season and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Gradually add the cider and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Stilton and stir until melted. Then add the cream and heat without boiling.
Serve the steaks and sauce garnished with sage.