Provencal Golden Zucchini Galette

December 4, 2012June 4, 2023 Belinda

Serves 4 – 6

Tasting this transports you immediately to the South of France, sitting outside at a large table with many bottles of Rose, great bread, salads and the sun streaming down.
I have made this recipe so many times, often for house concerts and it’s just as good hot as it is room temperature.
It works incredibly well on a buffet table and the light curry flavor is very important as it gives that certain “Je ne c’est quoi”
I have also doubled, tripled and quadrupled this recipe for large gatherings and it’s still fabulous.

1lb zucchini
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Don’t cheat and use ready grated Parmesan)
1 tsp curry powder

Preheat the oven to 375F,
Using the coarse grating blade on a food processor, coarsely grate the zucchini.
Transfer the zucchini to a colander, sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt and let sit to drain for 30 minutes.
Rinse the zucchini under cold running water, the put a good sized mound of it on an absorbent dish towel, gather it up and squeeze the heck out of it so there is lots of juice running out. Repeat until you’ve done all the zucchini and set it aside in a bowl.
This is an important stage as the galette will be too “runny” with juice it you don’t do this and it won’t set properly.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, curry powder and final tsp of salt.
Add the zucchini and stir to thoroughly coat the zucchini with the batter.
Place in a butter-greased baking dish and even out with the back of a spatula.
Place in the center of the oven and bake until golden and firm to the touch in the middle, about 30- 40 minutes.
At this point you can keep it warm in a warming drawer until ready to serve or it’s even nice at room temp.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Gorgonzola, fig and pecan cheese terrine

September 11, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is such a lovely hors d’oeuvres to serve with crackers or celery sticks.

Yields about 20 servings

1/2 cup dried Mission figs, cut into small pieces, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 cup port
1 good sized sprig fresh thyme, plus 1 bunch for garnish
1 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
1&1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
8 oz crumbled gorgonzola
2 tbsp brandy
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
Mesclun or frisee greens, for garnishing

Put the 1/2 cup of chopped figs into a small saucepan along with the port and thyme.
Let the mixture simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Drain the figs, discard the thyme and port and set the figs aside to cool.
Put the cream cheese and butter into a bowl of a standing mixer and, if using the paddle attachment, cream the mixture on medium until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the gorgonzola, brandy and salt and beat for 1 more minute.
Take care not to over beat or it won’t set properly
Spray a 1 quart loaf pan with cooking spray and line the inside with plastic wrap. Spoon half of the cheese mixture into the pan and spread it evenly, making sure to get into the corners.
Scatter the figs, pecans and chopped parsley on top evenly and cover with the remaining cheese.
Give the pan a few sharp raps on a flat surface to settle the terrine and get out the air bubbles.
Cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

To remove the terrine from the pan, turn upside down on a flat surface and pull 1 end of the plastic wrap down.
The terrine will slip out of the pan onto the top piece of plastic wrap.
Slice and fan out on a platter garnished with greens. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of figs, pecans and thyme.
Serve with crackers

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad

Lentils and quinoa with avocado, arugula and burrata cheese

August 23, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

I made this up a couple of nights ago as Ollie was coming to stay the night and he’s been trying to be vegetarian for health reasons. Since the kidney transplant he’s been recommended to minimize meat as it contains Creatinine.
I had some leftovers and wanted to make something vegetarian. It is delicious and well worth trying.
It’s also delicious for the next few days to have cold for lunch!

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1lb vacuum pack of cooked puy or green lentils (available from quite a few supermarkets and they last months in the fridge)
2 good handfuls or fresh baby arugula
1 large avocado or 2 small ones, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tub of Italian burrata cheese (it usually has 2 balls of cheese in it)

Dressing
5 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (you could try lemon juice too)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Set aside.

Cook the quinoa in the chicken or vegetable broth according to the instructions on the packet. Tip cooked the quinoa into a serving bowl.

Remove the lentils from the packaging and put into a microwave- proof container. Heat through on high for about 3 minutes. Break up lentils with a fork, then tip into the serving bowl with the quinoa and mix together with a fork. Pour in all but 2 tbsp of the dressing and mix well.

Gently mix the arugula leaves and avocado cubes into the quinoa/lentil mixture, so the avocado is covered with the dressing and the arugula starts to wilt in the heat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
When you are about to serve, break the burrata cheese into big chunks and dot over the salad. Pour the reserved dressing over the burrata and serve

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Gluten Free · Nuts

Goat cheese stuffed radicchio

July 9, 2012February 7, 2016 Belinda

Again, I am so keen to get this out, that I haven’t yet got a photo. Although I’ve made this several times and always to raves, I keep forgetting to have my camera handy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 heads radicchio

8 ounce goat cheese

1/2 cup pistachio nuts, lightly toasted and chopped

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaved parsley

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve radicchio heads down the middle. Cut out hard core and remove

several layers of inner leaves to hollow out a small hole for stuffing. Chop up radicchio leaves and combine

with goat cheese, pistachios, shallots, parsley and olive oil; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Fill

radicchio halves with stuffing. Bake until hot and golden, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Butternut squash and tahini spread

June 12, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is a recipe from the incredible Yotam Ottolenghi who has several restaurants in London.

Serves 6 to 8

This squash spread is very moreish and will keep in a jar in the fridge for several days. In which case, when you want to serve it, bring it back to room temperature before piling on pita bread or crusty bread like hummus.
Date syrup is a wonderful sweetener and has a great depth of richness. If you can’t find it, don’t worry, you can do without it but it adds huge dimension to this dish it is also available on Amazon and is not expensive.

1 very large butternut squash (2lbs roughly) peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Just under 1/3 cup tahini paste (The recipe says 70g, so I am trying to convert it.)
Just under 1 cup of greek Yoghurt (The recipe says 120g)
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp mixed black and white sesame seeds (or just white if you don’t have black)
1 1/2 tsp date syrup
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)

Hest the oven to 350F. Spread the squash out on a medium sized baking tray, pour over the olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon and salt.
Mix well, cover the tray lightly with aluminum foil and roast for about 70 mins, stirring once during the cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
transfer the cooled squash to the bowl of a food processor along with the tahini, yoghurt and garlic.
Roughly pulse so that everything is combined into a coarse paste- you don’t want it too smooth.
You can also do this by hand using a fork or a masher.
To serve, spread the butternut in a wavy pattern over a flat plate and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, a drizzle of the date syrup and the chopped cilantro.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers

Caramelized onion tart with gorgonzola and brie

June 10, 2012February 7, 2016 Belinda

If you can’t find fresh tarragon you can use crushed fennel seeds (about 1/2 tsp) and sprinkle over the tart. to replace the tarragon.
Makes 9 – 12 appetizer sized squares

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups sliced onions, sliced root to top into 1/4 inch slices (about 2 large onions)
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground pepper
8 oz frozen puff pastry, (defrosted in the fridge for a couple of hours)
3 oz chilled brie, rind removed and diced
3 oz gorgonzola or other blue cheese, diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 tsp or so of crushed fennel seeds)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large deep pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes or until wilted and stating to brown. Add the sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes or until richly caramelized.
Add a little water if the onions look like they’re starting to dry out. Cool.

Roll the pastry into a 10 by 14 inch rectangle, or whatever shape you want. Place the pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Prick with a fork at a couple inch increments to prevent the pastry from forming big bubbles while baking.

Spread the onions over the pastry, all the way to the edges of the pastry. Dot with the cheese, sprinkle with the tarragon. Refrigerate if not baking immediately.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 18 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the pastry is crispy.
Cool for 5 minutes then cut into wedges or squares and enjoy!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Tomato Terrine

December 29, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

And now for something completely different and light.

This is a very elegant starter, especially when the heirloom tomatoes are at their best.

2 carrots, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
1 shallot, halved
1 garlic clove
10 flat leaf parsley sprigs
10 black peppercorns
3 fresh bay leaves, or 1 dried

6lbs large firm ripe tomatoes, peeled. (a mix of colors makes the terrine look great)
1 tsp kosher salt plus more for extra seasoning
1 1/2 tbsp unflavored gelatine
1/4 cup thinly sliced chives
2 tsp red wine vinegar
non stick vegetable oil spray
sea salt

You will need two 8″ x 4 1/2 ” loaf pans

Bring the first 8 ingredients and 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the stock yields 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.
Set a fine mesh strainer over a large measuring cup and strain the stock, discarding the solids. Cover and keep hot.

Set a fine mesh strainer over another measuring cup. Cut each peeled tomato into 4 wedges. Place wedges, cut side up, on a work surface. Cut away seeds and pulp from the tomato and transfer to a strainer.
Place the filleted tomatoes on a double layer of paper towels to drain; sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt. pat tomatoes with more paper towels. let stand for 30 minutes.

Press on the seeds to yield 1/2 cup of tomato juice. Sprinkle gelatin over the juice let stand for 10 minutes to soften. Add to the hot stock, whisk vigorously to dissolve the gelatin. Stir in 1/4 cup chives, vinegar and kosher salt to taste.

Spray 1 loaf pan with non stick spray, line with plastic wrap allowing for a 3″ overhang on each side.
Smooth out the plastic to remove any wrinkles as they will show on the finished terrine.
Pour 1/2 cup stock into the prepared pan. Chill until set, about 40 minutes. Arrange 1 layer of tomatoes in the pan, pressing down gently, then drizzle 2 tbsp stock mixture over. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes and stock. Pout the remaining stock over the fill the pan.
Cover the terrine with plastic wrap. Place on a small rimmed baking sheet.
Place the second loaf pan on top of the terrine, weigh down the terrine by placing 2 – 3 small canned goods in the top pan (some liquid mixture in the bottom pan may spill out). Chill the terrine until set, about 6 hours.
Do ahead. This can be made 2 days ahead but keep it chilled.
Uncover the terrine when ready to serve and invert onto a platter. Remove pan and plastic wrap.
Slice the terrine and transfer to the plates. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with chives and sea salt.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Gluten Free · Nuts

My quick pesto mushroom starter

October 8, 2011February 7, 2016 Belinda

This is ever so quick and tasty, especially if you have your own homemade pesto, but a good brand of store-bought pesto works really well too. I haven’t given measurements as it’s a recipe to be creative with!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Serves 4

4 large portobello mushrooms
about 2 tbsp pesto sauce per mushroom (preferably homemade)
2 large balls of fresh mozzarella (the ones in water)
good olive oil
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
ground pepper
lightly toasted pine nuts, (about 1 tbsp per mushroom)

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, do not wash under running water, remove the stalks and put on a baking tray dark side up.
Sprinkle each with olive oil then put in the pesto sauce.
Top the pesto with torn up pieces of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle the pine nuts over.
Season with ground pepper and a little kosher salt. Add grated parmesan cheese, about 1-2 tbsp per mushroom.
Put under a broiler first and cook on a medium heat so as not to burn the pine-nuts, then if the mushrooms are still too raw, put them on the top shelf in the oven for about 10 minutes to soften them.

Serve!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Gluten Free

Roasted butternut squash with sweet spices,tahini, lime and green chili

July 14, 2011June 11, 2024 Belinda

This is the most amazing mouthful of flavors! A great way to start a meal. Make sure you serve it cold and follow it with a light main course.
Thanks to chef “Yotam Ottolenghi”

Serves 4-6

2 whole limes
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 3/4 lbs to 2lbs)
2 tbsp cardamon pods
1 tsp ground allspice
4 oz Greek-style yoghurt
1 oz tahini paste
1 tbsp lime juice
1 green chilli, finely sliced,
a good handful picked cilantro leaves
sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim off the limes’ tops and tails using a small sharp knife. Stand each lime on a chopping board and cut down the sides of the fruit, following it’s natural curves, to remove the skin and white pith.
Quarter the limes from the top to bottom and cut each quarter into thin slices. Place them in a small bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive, stir and set aside.

Next, cut the butternut in half lengthwise scoop out the seeds and discard. Cut each half in half,and then into 1 cm thick slices, cutting away the peel and lay them out on a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.

Place the cardamon pods in a mortar and pestle and work with a pestle to get the seeds out of the pods.
Discard the pods and work the seeds to a rough powder.
Transfer to a small bowl, add the allspice and the remaining 3 tbsp of oil, stir well and brush this mixture over the butternut slices.
Sprinkle over a little salt and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until tender when tested with the point of a knife.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yoghurt, tahini, lime juice, 2 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt. The sauce should be thick but runny enough to pour; add more water , if necessary.

To serve, arrange the cooled butternut slices on a serving platter (I prefer individual dishes as it’s neater and prettier) and drizzle with the yoghurt sauce.
Spoon over the lime slices and their juices and scatter the chilli slices over the top.
Garnish with the cilantro and serve.