Tag: Lunch

Fresh Tuna Nicoise

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (Spring 2018 edition).  Recipe taken from Feasting by Amanda Ruben.  

This more sophisticated version of your average tuna salad is a great dish for entertaining.  The rest of the salad can be assembled a few hours ahead, but leave the tuna and poached eggs until last to make it restaurant quality.

Serves:  8-10

Ingredients:
250g green beans, trimmed, 300g Kipfler (finger) potatoes, 60ml olive oil, plus extra for the tuna, 80ml vinegar, 4 eggs, 600g yellowfin tuna fillets, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 12 baby cos lettuce leaves, 200g vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved, Squeeze of lemon, Dill sprigs, to garnish, Edible flowers, to garnish (optional)

Black Olive Tapenade Dressing:
80g black Kalamata olives, pitted and diced, 1 tbsp capers in brine, drained and diced, 20g flat-leaf parsley, finely shredded, ¼ red chilli, seeded and finely diced, Juice of ½ lemon, 1 ½ tbsp olive oil

Tuna Mayonnaise:
500g mayonnaise, 200g tinned tuna, drained, 1 tbsp capers in brine, drained, Juice of ½ lemon, 4 anchovy fillets

Tuna Spice Mix:
1 tsp fennel seeds, freshly ground, 1 tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground

Method:

  1. Fill a saucepan with 2 litres of water and bring to the boil.  Blanch the beans for 90 seconds, then drain and refresh in cold water.  Drain again, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.  Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add a pinch of salt, then bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until cooked.  Drain the potatoes, then peel and cut into slices while warm.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat.  Fry the potatoes in batches, adding more oil as needed, until brown and crispy on both sides.  Drain on paper towels.
  3. Cut the tuna fillet into three pieces and rub with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat and sear the tuna for about 20 seconds on each side.  Set aside to cool.
  4. Make the tapenade dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl.  For the tuna mayo, blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
  5. Brush the tuna pieces with the mustard and roll in a bowl with the combined spice mix.  Slice into 1.5cm pieces.  Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then add the vinegar.  Reduce the heat to simmer, give the water a swirl and crack in the eggs one at a time.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Rest on paper towels
  6. To assemble, arrange some cos leaves on a plate and top with one third of the sliced tuna, beans, potatoes, tomatoes and tapenade.  Repeat with two more layers, finishing with spoonfuls of tapenade, lemon juice and the dill sprigs.  Top with eggs and edible flowers if using.  Serve with the tuna mayonnaise.

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 pizzaServes:  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 250oC /Fan 230oC/Gas 10, or as high as it will go and bake for 6-8 minutes.  Add rocket and Parmesan, and serve.

Chestnut and chorizo soup

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.

Roast chestnuts have the starchy quality of baked potato, with a smoky sweetness that is fantastic with chorizo.  You can also use pre-prepared chestnuts here, for something that is almost as good.  If you need more protein, a poached or fried egg is a great addition.

Chestnut Chorizo soupServes:  4

Ingredients: 

400g fresh chestnuts (in shells)
125g chorizo or spicy salami, skinned
1 tsp butter or duck fat
Pinch of fennel seeds (optional)
4 carrots, roughly diced
1 large onion, roughly diced
1 celery stick, roughly diced
150g Swiss chard or rainbow chard
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 tbsp tomato puree
large pinch of saffron threads
Greek yogurt and Turkish dried chilli flakes, to finish

Step One:  Preheat the oven to 220oC / Fan 200oC / Gas 7.  Make a cut in the top of each chestnut, place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender.  Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel, halve or quarter and set aside.  (It’s a lot quicker to use pre-prepared chestnuts, but you won’t get the same smoky flavour).

Step Two:  Cut the chorizo or salami into small chunks.  Heat a saucepan over a low heat and add the chorizo chunks with the butter or duck fat and fennel seeds, if using.  Cook gently for a few minutes until the chorizo oil starts to run.  Add the diced vegetables and cook gently for at least 20 minutes until they have taken on a deeper colour and smell sweet.

Step Three:  While the vegetables soften, slice the white stalk from the chard leaves and cut it into chunks; set aside.  Shred the leaves finely and set these aside too.  Add the garlic to the pan with the thyme leaves and tomato puree and cook for a couple of minutes until the tomato smell rises from the pan.  Add the chopped chestnuts, chard stalks, saffron threads and enough boiling water to cover everything by 2-3 cm.  Bring to a simmer, put the lid on and lower the heat.  Simmer gently for about 15 minutes until everything is soft.  Taste for seasoning.

:  Either leave the soup chunky or mash it a bit, leaving some texture – you’re not aiming for a smooth result.  If it’s too thick, add a little water; if too thin, uncover, turn the heat up a bit and let it bubble to reduce slightly.  Finally, add the chard leaves to the soup and bring back to the boil; this will be enough to cook them through.  Serve each portion topped with a spoonful of Greek yogurt, if you like.  If the chorizo is mild, you may want to put some chilli flakes on the table.

Seafood Bisque

BisqueIngredients:

20g (¾ oz) butter
650g (1 lb 5oz) small shrimps or prawns (in the shell)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, roughly chopped
1 stick celery roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
½ tsp fennel seeds
250g (8 oz) fillet salmon, skin and bones removed, cut into 2 cm pieces
1 tbsp tomato purée
125ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine
80g (2 ¾ oz) Arborio rice
2.5l (85 fl oz) fish stock (made with good cubes is fine)
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
100ml (3 fl oz) double cream
Ciabatta, to serve

Serves:  8    Prep time:  15 mins      Cook time:  40 mins
Cals per serving:  269      Fat: 13g

Step One:  Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and fry the prawns (in their shells), onion, leeks, celery, carrot, garlic and fennel seeds for about 6-7 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.

Step Two:  Add the salmon, tomato purée, white wine, rick, stock, bay leaf and thyme and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer very gently for about 40 minutes.

Step Three:  Let the soup cool a little and blend with an electric blender or with a hand-held stick blender until smooth.  Strain the soup through a sieve (it needs to be nice and smooth).  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Step Four:  When ready to serve, add the double cream and bring back to just under the boil.

Tip: If you’re feeling extravagant, add cooked crabmeat at step 2 for a richer flavour.

 Recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Open Lasagne with Pumpkin and Beetroot

Recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Serves:  4    Prep time:  60 mins      Cook time: 15 mins    Cals per serving:  561   Fat: 31.2g

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash; maple syrup; 8 small beetroot; pinch of saffron; 200g (6 ½ oz) fresh lasagne sheets; 2-3 tbsp cream; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed; 1 tbsp olive oil; Juice of ½ lemon; 50g (1 ¾ oz) Fontina cheese, thinly sliced; About 60g (2oz) grated pecorino cheese; Toasted pumpkin seeds, to serve; Chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Method:

  1. Heat oven to 190oC (gas mark 5).  Cut the squash into 2 cm (¾ in) pieces, removing any seeds.  Place into a greased roasting tray.  Brush with a little maple syrup and roast for about 30 minutes or until the squash is golden and tender.  Meanwhile, trim the beetroots and simmer in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender.  Remove and cool, then slip off the skins.
  2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.  Add the saffron to the water.  Cut the lasagne into 16 x 8cm (3 in) squares.  Boil 8 of the squares for 4 minutes, or until al dente.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of cold water.  Leave for about 30 seconds, then drain.  Lay flat on a dry tea towel and cover with another tea towel.  Repeat this process with the remaining squares.
  3. When ready to serve, mash 1/3 of the squash with about 10ml (3 ½ fl oz) of boiling water or vegetable stock and 2-3 tbsp cream until it forms a sauce.
  4. Cut the beetroot into quarters.  Sauté the garlic in a pan with the olive oil for a couple of minutes over a medium heat.  Then add the beetroot and sauté for a further few minutes to ensure it’s hot.  Stir in the remaining squash and lemon juice and mix well.  Lower the heat and keep warm.  Season to taste.
  5. Reduce the oven temperature to 180oC (gas mark 4).  Lay four slices of pasta on the base of a lined baking sheet, top each with a little sauce, then the squash and beetroot mixture, then a slice of Fontina and repeat.  Finish with a layer of pasta and sprinkle with pecorino.  The lasagne shouldn’t be in even layers, it looks better if it’s a little higgledy-piggledy.  Place in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.  Transfer to plats and serve sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and parsley and extra pecorino, if desired.

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.

Fried Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Olives

ReFried gnocchi with tomatoes and olivescipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Serves:  3-4   –   Prep time: 10 mins   –   Cook time:  10 mins   –   Cals per serving: 427   –   Fat: 21g

Ingredients:  1 tblsp olive oil; A pinch of dried, crushed chilli; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 500g (1 lb) gnocchi; 100g (3 ½ oz) semi-dried tomatoes, chopped; 150g (5oz) good-quality black olives, pitted; Zest of ½ a lemon; handful of fresh basil leaves, torn; 50g (1 ¾ oz) Parmesan, freshly grated; Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the chilli and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
  2. Add the gnocchi, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden. Add the tomatoes, olives, lemon zest and basil and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
  3. Stir through the Parmesan. Serve drizzled with a little oil and garnished with extra basil leaves, if desired.
Tip: This works best with ready-made gnocchi, which are more robust and suitable for frying than home-made gnocchi.

Baked Ricotta on Toast

Recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Baked ricotta on toastServes: 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.

  1. Heat the oven to 190oC (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.
  2. Spread this mixture on the slices of bread.
  3. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the cheese has puffed and is golden.
  4. 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.

Fattouche (Middle Eastern crunchy salad)

This recipe is courtesy of Easy Living Magazine and taken from the book Arabesque by Claudia Roden.   

Serves: 4-6   –   Prep time: 25 mins, plus standing time   –  Cook time: 5 mins
Cals per serving: 161 cals   –   Fat : 8g

Ingredients: 
2 pitta breads or Lebanese breads; Olive oil for brushing; 3 baby cos lettuces; 1 red onion, finely sliced; 4 radishes, sliced; 200g (6 ½ oz) cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 cucumber, peeled and diced; 1 red pepper, finely diced; 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 4 tbsp mint, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp ground or crushed Sumac; ¼ tsp allspice; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the dressing: Juice of ½ lemon; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 tsp Ras el Hanout (optional)

Method:

  1. Heat the oven to 180oC (gas mark 4).  Split the bread in half and brush each piece with olive oil.  Bake for 5 minutes until crisp.
  2. Slice the lettuce crossways into 1cm (½ in) strips and place in a large bowl with the onion, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, parsley and mint.  Season well.  Sprinkle the sumac and allspice over the top, then drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.  Toss well and set aside for 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
  3. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small screw-top jar and shake to combine.
  4. Pour enough dressing over the salad to lightly dress it, and toss it through.  Break the bread into pieces and mix through the salad.  Divide the salad between four plates and serve immediately.

Chicken Skewers

chicken skewersThis recipe is courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Serves : 4   –   Prep time : 15 mins plus at least 1 hour to marinate   –   Cook time : 25 mins
Cals per serving : 210   –   Fat : 9g

Ingredients:  8 large chicken thights, boneless and skinless; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 heaped tblsp Baharat (combination of cumin, paprika, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon); bunch of coriander, chopped; 200g (6 ½ oz) plain yogurt, to serve: Lemon wedges, to serve

  1. Cut each thigh into 3 strips and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the garlic and the Baharat.  Mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to 6 hours).
  2. Using two metal skewers about 5cm (2in) apart, thread half the meat onto the skewers.  Repeat with an extra two skewers and the remaining meat.  Make sure the meat in packed quite tightly.
  3. Heat the oven to 220oC (gas mark 7).  Roast until golden and cooked (about 25-30 minutes).  Rest for 5 minutes then sprinkle with coriander and serve with yoghurt and lemon wedges and the cooking juices.

Baharat:

A clever little cooker for kebabs 🙂

Manaeesh (Flatbread, also known as manakeesh)

manaeeshThis recipe is courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Makes: 4   –   Prep time : 15 mins, plus 2 hours standing time   –   Cook time : 20 mins

Cals per serving: 173   –   Fat : 2g

Ingredients: 7g (1/4 oz) sachet quick-acting dry yeast; 750g (1 ½ lb) white bread flour; 2 tsp salt; 2 tblsp olive oil

For the topping: 125g (4oz) za’atar spice blend mix

  1. Place the yeast, flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Add olive oil and 420ml (13 fl oz) of tepid water.  Mix using a dough hook for about 5 minutes until the mixture comes together and forms a really soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, then shape into a large ball.  Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth or cling film and leave in a warm place for 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
  2. Heat the oven to 240oC (gas mark 9). Punch down the dough with your fist to expel the air.  Knead on a lightly floured surface for 1 minutes and then shape into four balls.
  3. On a lightly oiled surface, use a rolling pin to shape each dough ball into thin 5mm (¼ in) rounds, then transfer to two baking sheets.  Make a few indentations in the dough with your fingertips.
  4. Brush the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Slide the manaeesh off the trays onto the oven shelves and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until crusty.

Spices

Other recipes for za’atar