Pesto Rice Salad

July 9, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Another gem from Delia Smith..

Just as homemade pesto does wonders for pasta so it does for rice too. This salad can be served warm as a first course and it’s really good as an accompaniment to fish or chicken main-course dishes. Served cold it makes a lovely addition to a selection of salads for a buffet.

Serves 4 -6

Italian arborio rice measured to the 8fl oz of a glass measuring jug.
1 quantity of pesto sauce, preferably homemade. (See recipe below)
16 fl oz boiling vegetable or chicken stock
5 scallions (spring onions) finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A good handful of fresh basil leaves
3 oz Parmesan Reggiano cheese shavings (made with the potato peeler)
salt and freshly ground pepper

First of all measure the rice into the glass jug then add about one quarter of the pesto sauce to it and stir it around to coat all the grains.
Tip the mixture into a shallow saucepan or frying pan with a lid and pour the boiling stock into a jug (pitcher) then pour this over the rice.
Now turn on the heat and stir with a wooden spoon adding 1 tsp salt.
Then, when it begins to boil, put a lid on, turn the heat down to low and let the rice cook for exactly 20 minutes.
As soon as it’s ready, tip all the rice into a serving bowl. then simply pour in the lemon juice, olive oil and the remaining pesto sauce.
Combine all the ingredients together stirring and tossing.
At this stage, taste and season with salt and pepper.
Finally, scatter some torn basil leaves, finely chopped scallions and then some of the Parmesan shavings over the surface f the salad as a garnish.
If you want to serve the salad cold, then add the basil, onion and parmesan just before serving.

PESTO SAUCE

2 oz fresh basil leaves
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 oz Pecorina Romano cheese, grated
salt and pepper

In a blender, put the basil,pine nuts, garlic and olive oil with some salt and blend until you have a puree.
Then transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the grated Pecorino cheese.

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Roasted red peppers with basil, garlic, tomatoes, anchovies and olives

July 9, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Make sure you have lots of crusty bread for these, as the juices are gorgeous!! This is a recipe I use a lot in the summer months and it’s from the wonderful Delia Smith.
This recipe is quite simply stunning and is better when served at room temperature. It’s important to use a solid, shallow roasting tray 16 x 12 inches, approx. If the sides are too deep, the roasted vegetables won’t get those lovely nutty, toasty edges.

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Serves 4 as a starter

4 large red peppers (green are NOT suitable)
4 – 6 medium, sweet tomatoes
8 – 10 tinned anchovy fillets, drained
6 large cloves garlic
10 dessertspoons Italian extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
A really good handful of fresh basil leaves
2 to 3 Kalamata olives per pepper half, halved or quartered (optional)
Lots of really good focaccia bread (preferably with olives in it!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Begin by cutting the peppers in half lengthways, removing the seeds but leaving the stalks intact. (They’re not edible but they do look attractive and they help the pepper halves to keep their shape)
Lay the pepper halves in a lightly oiled roasting tray. Line the base of each pepper with fresh basil leaves, then cut the tomatoes into quarters and place two quarters in each pepper half. Keep some basil for shredding and garnishing the dish at the end.
After that, snip 1 or 2 anchovy fillets per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes. Don’t be put off by the anchovy, you don’t taste it in the final dish, as it melts and just enhances all the flavors.
Peel the garlic cloves, slice them thinly and divide the slices equally among the tomatoes and anchovies. Add the Kalamata olives if using.
I sometimes put more garlic, basil and anchovy than it says to, as I love the flavors, so you can play with this a bit!
Now spoon a good dessertspoon at least, of olive oil into each pepper half and season well with ground pepper, but no salt because of the anchovies.
Place the tray of peppers in the oven and roast for at least 50 minutes and up to 1 hour. Transfer the cooked peppers to an attractive serving platter with ALL the precious juices poured over, and garnish with more fresh slivered basil.
These do need good bread to go with them as the juices are sublime!
Focaccia with olives would be perfect!

Dessert · Do-ahead

A great no-cook pud idea

July 9, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

I don’t get any marks for great photography for this picture, except to show you the container of booze with the raisins plumping up as you read this!

My favorite recipe book, “Cook Simple” by Diana Henry, has this idea in it and it’s brilliant.

There are so many uses for these raisins, in baked apples, poured over ice cream, heated or kept cold, in bread puddings, in trifles ……

Put either “Chilean Flame” raisins ( in Los Angeles, they are just called “Flame”) or good Moscatel raisins into a tall sealed jar, leaving enough room for the fruit to expand as it plumps up.

Pour over enough booze (it should be something sweet like Madeira or Marsala) to cover the fruit completely, put the lid on tightly and leave to plump up.

In a day or so, top up with more booze if the fruit is starting to come over the level of the liquid.

These are delicious served with vanilla ice cream, or big dollops of Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche. Scatter the serving with toasted hazelnuts, pine nuts or almonds.

Breakfast · Do-ahead

Overnight blueberry french toast

July 9, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is well worth doing and make sure you start the night before. It’s worth it!
From the blogger, “One Perfect Bite” and adapted from a Patricia Wells recipe

Serves 8 to 10

Casserole

1 (1lb) loaf day-old blueberry streusel bread, cut into1 inch cubes, or make up the Betty Crocker or Marie Callender’s blueberry muffin mix the day before.
1 8oz package cream cheese, cut into half inch cubes
1-1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided use
12 extra large eggs,organic preferably
2 cups light cream or half and half (cream is best!)
1/3 cup maple syrup

Sauce

1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp butter

Directions

Grease a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half of the cubed bread.
Dot the cubes of bread with small evenly placed pieces of the cream cheese.
Sprinkle with 1 cup of blueberries.
Cover with remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add the half and half/cream and maple syrup and mix well.
Pour over the bread mixture.
Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the reserved 1/4 cup of blueberries.
Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the fridge 30 mins before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 to 50 minutes or until puffy and golden brown before baking and the center is set.

To make the syrup;

In a saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add water and bring to the boil over medium heat.
Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in the blueberries; reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the berries have burst.
Stir in the butter. Serve over the French toast.

Makes 1-3/4 cups sauce

Cut casserole into desired portions. Transfer to plates for serving. Lightly drizzle each serving with about 1 tbsp of the sauce. Pass remaining sauce at the table
Enjoy!!

Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Lime Coconut Truffles

July 9, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

In this recipe for lime-coconut truffles, a white chocolate truffle base is infused with fresh lime zest and juice, then rolled in sweet coconut for a refreshing tropical candy. Like many truffle recipes, this recipe requires several extended periods of chilling, so be sure to plan ahead. Yield: about 12 one-inch truffles.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp cream

zest of one lime

1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice

1.25 cup (9 ounces) chopped white chocolate (or chips)

pinch salt

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup shredded coconut

Preparation:

1. Combine the cream and the lime zest in a small saucepan over medium heat, and heat until it starts to simmer and bubble around the edges. Immediately remove from the heat and cover the pan with a lid, allowing the cream to infuse for 20 minutes.

2. While the cream is steeping, combine the chopped white chocolate (or white chocolate chips), the salt, and the diced butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate and butter for 45 seconds, to begin to melt the chocolate and butter. Set aside.

3. After the 20 minutes is up, return the cream to the heat and reheat it, stirring occasionally, until it once again reaches a simmer. Remove the simmering cream from the heat, and stir in the fresh lime juice.

4. Place a wire mesh strainer over the bowl of chocolate and butter, and pour the hot cream through the strainer over the chocolate. Press down on the lime zest in the strainer with a spoon to extract all of the remaining juice.

5. Gently whisk the cream and chocolate together, stirring until the mixture is smooth and all of the chocolate has melted. Cover the surface of the chocolate with cling wrap and refrigerate the candy until firm enough to roll, 4 hours or overnight.

6. While the candy is chilling, prepare the coconut by chopping it finely by hand or in a food processor. It is much easier to roll truffles in coconut that has been finely chopped, and the texture is more palatable as well.

7. Once the chocolate has set sufficiently, use a teaspoon to scoop a ball from the chocolate and roll it between your hands until it is round. Roll the truffle in the chopped coconut until it is completely covered. Repeat with the remaining chocolate and coconut.

8. These truffles should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Properly stored, they should last for a week. For optimal taste and texture, bring them to room temperature before serving.

Baking · Do-ahead

Mary Berry’s ultimate lemon tray bake

June 12, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda2 Comments

This is similar to the previous recipe I posted, but it’s what I call a “one bowl” cake.
Everything is done in one bowl with no whipping of the butter and sugar. If you don’t have much time and want a light, moist tray bake to serve with fresh berries and cream or ice cream, nothing beats this.
This also has the lemon/sugar syrup poured over at the end. It’s more of a tray bake than a cake.

This makes about 30 squares

Ingredients

225 grams butter, softened

225 grams caster (superfine) sugar

275 grams self raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 large free range, organic eggs

4 tbsp milk

2 lemons, grated zest only (save the juice for the syrup)

For the crunchy topping

175 grams granulated sugar

2 lemons, juice only

(You can also add the grated rind of 1 large orange to this as an extra touch)

Method

Cut a rectangle of non stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a 11 by 9 by 1 1/2 inches roasting tin. (approximately, it doesn’t have to be those exact measurements)

Grease the tin with butter and line the tin.

Preheat the oven to 300F

Put all (except the crunchy topping ingredients) the ingredients for the tray bake in a large bowl and beat well for 2 minutes. An electric mixer is best for this.

Empty all the mixture into the prepared tin and level it off with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the middle of the oven for around 40 to 45 minutes until golden and the sponge springs back when lightly pressed.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes and remove from the tin using the parchment paper to help.

Carefully remove the paper and allow to cool on a rack.

For the crunchy topping, mix the ingredients together in a measuring jug or small bowl until the sugar dissolves and pour it evenly over the cake while it’s still just warm.

Cut into squares when completely cooled and serve.

Baking · Do-ahead · Nuts

Nigella’s lemon and almond polenta cake

June 12, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Serves 16

Everyone needs this recipe in their life as it’s so moist, rich and lemony with the fresh lemon syrup poured over the cake after baking so it stays unctious!
(Sorry about the metric measurements)

1 cup (200 grams) soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing the cake tin
1 cup (200 grams) caster sugar or the very fine white sugar.
1 cup (200 grams) ground almonds
1/2 cup (100 grams) fine polenta or cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten free if you like)
3 large organic, free range eggs
zest of 2 lemons, save the juice for the syrup

For the syrup

Juice of 2 lemons
125 grams icing (powdered) sugar
1 x 9″ spring form cake tin

Line the base of your cake tin with parchment paper and grease the side with butter.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Beat the room soft butter and sugar together till pale and whipped. You can use a freestanding mixer or just a wooden spoon.

Mix together in a bowl, the almonds, polenta and baking powder and beat some of this into the butter/sugar mixture, followed by 1 egg then alternate dry ingredients and eggs, beating all the while.

Finally beat in the lemon zest and pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

it may seem a bit wobbly when you take it out but if you can put a skewer or dry piece of spaghetti through it and it comes out clean, it’s ready. Also the edges of the cake will have started to shrink away from the sides of the cake tin.
Remove the cake from the oven and put on a cooling rack but leave it in the tin.

Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and icing sugar in a smallish saucepan.
Once the icing sugar is dissolved into the juice, you’re done.

Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester or another dry piece of spaghetti, pour the warm syrup all over the cake and leave it to cool and soak in before taking it out of it’s tin.

Note
I love to serve this with a mixture of creme fraiche and lemon curd mixed together with some grated lemon rind added.
There you have the ultimate lemon experience!!

Do-ahead · Egg based · Vegetable-related

Cauliflower cake

June 12, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

This is another Yotam Ottolenghi recipe. I would post the whole book (Plenty) if I could as all his recipes are divine and different.

Serves 4 to 6

This is lovely served as a light supper alongside a salad of sliced cucumber, dill, mint, a little sugar, cider vinegar and rapeseed oil.
Kept chilled the cake will taste even better the next day. I am constantly amazed at what one can do with the humble cauliflower. We eat it in so many different ways and I will eventually enter all the different recipes.
Again Ottolenghi’s recipes are in metric, so I have tried to convert them, but to be safe, have added the metric measurements too.

1 medium cauliflower (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1 large red onion, peeled
a couple of tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
10 large organic, free range eggs
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (20 grams)
1 1/2 cups plain flour (180 grams)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 to 2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (220 grams)
Salt and black pepper
melted butter for greasing
2 tbsp black sesame seeds, black onion seeds or white sesame seeds

Heat the oven to 350F.
Break the cauliflower into medium florets, put them in a pot with 1 tsp salt, cover with water and simmer for 15 minutes or until very soft.
Strain and leave in the colander for 10 minutes to get rid of all the water.

While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the batter.
Cut a few 1/4 inch rings off one end of the onion and set aside. These will go on top of the cake. Coarsely chop the rest of the onion.
Heat the oil in a pan and on a low heat saute the chopped onion and rosemary for about 8 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool down.
Add the eggs and basil and whisk.

Sift the flour, baking powder and turmeric into a large bowl and add the parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 tsp salt,
and plenty of ground black pepper.
Add the egg mix and whisk to eliminate any lumps. Add the cauliflower and stir gently, trying to keep some of the cauliflower florets whole.

Line the bottom of a loose bottomed 9 inch diameter with baking parchment then brush the sides of the tin with melted butter and sprinkle the sesame seeds onto the sides of the tin so they stick to the sides.
Tip in the cauliflower mix and arrange the sliced onions on the top.

Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown and set. Serve just warm or at room temperature.

Note This would be lovely served with my other eggplant cake (also on my blog) as a lovely lunch or supper party served with a salad. Very inexpensive too!

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.