Strawberry and basil ice cream

February 14, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from Diana Henry
Basil, which is sweet and has cinnamon notes, is very good with strawberries. You need  to use sweet,  ripe berries  for this

550g ripe, sweet strawberries, hulled and sliced
130g caster sugar
300ml double cream
200ml milk
2 broad strips of  lemon zest
20g basil leaves
3 large egg yolks
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp lemon juice  (add to taste)

Put the strawberries and 20g of the caster sugar into a bowl, cover and leave to macerate overnight in the fridge.
You can make the custard to chill overnight too, or on the day you make the ice cream. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan then add the lemon zest and basil leaves. Heat to just under boiling, then remove from the heat and leave the basil and lemon to infuse for about 90 minutes. Strain the mixture, pressing the basil to make sure you extract its flavor.
Put water into a basin, or into your kitchen sink, and set a large bowl in it. If you have ice, throw some into the water.
Beat the yolks and the remaining sugar until thick and pale, either in a food mixer or using an electric hand mixer. Add the infused cream and milk, whisking all the time, to the beaten yolks, then transfer this to a clean saucepan.

Set over a very low heat and heat gently, stirring all the time. You have to cook the custard but you must not let it boil or the eggs will scramble. You can use a sugar thermometer to help you. When it reaches 82C, pull the saucepan off the heat and immediately pour the custard into the bowl sitting in the iced water.

If you don’t have a thermometer you should be able to see that the custard has thickened. When you drag your index finger through the custard on  the back of your wooden spoon it should leave a  clear channel. Leave the custard to  cool, stirring from time  to time, then cover and chill in the fridge.

The next day, blend the strawberries with the balsamic vinegar until the mixture is really smooth. Add it to the custard then taste to see how much lemon juice you need to add. Lemon juice makes  the ice cream ‘sing’ but  if you add too much  you can overwhelm the basil flavor.

Churn in an ice-cream machine. If you don’t have a machine transfer the ice cream to a container that will fit in your freezer and cover it. Churn it, either by beating it with an electric whisk or by throwing it into a food processor and whizzing the mixture, about three times during the freezing process. Do this first after about 90 minutes, when the ice cream is setting around the edges.

This ice cream can set quite hard, so take it out of the freezer about 10 minutes before you want  to serve it.

Butternut squash and eggplant caponata with burrata

February 14, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

Diana Henry’s autumnal dish of chunky butternut squash and fried eggplant with capers and green olives, served with creamy burrata.

Serves 4 as a light lunch or 6 as a starter

1 large eggplant
400g butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
100ml olive oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Pinch of dried chili flakes
400g tin cherry tomatoes in thick juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
30g capers
50g green olives, pitted and halved
3 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp chopped parsley
250g burrata or mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Cut the eggplant and squash into 2.5cm(1″) cubes. Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based sauté pan. Fry the vegetables in batches until golden-brown, about four minutes. Transfer them to a bowl. Add more oil and sauté the celery and onion to pale gold then add the garlic and chili and cook for two minutes.

Add the tomatoes and vinegar, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the fried vegetables, capers, olives and sugar to the pan and season. Add 50ml of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is soft and the mixture thick. Remove from the heat and bring to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season.

Serve topped with a chunk of mozzarella or burrata. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Salad

Cucumber salad with peanuts, coconut and lime

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022 Belinda

A refreshing chopped cucumber salad loaded with peanuts, spices, toasted coconut, and chiles.
You can prep all the components ahead of time, but don’t toss the salad until just before serving. If you do the peanuts will lose their crunch because the cucumbers give off a good amount of water. If you use two chiles and leave the seeds/veins in – this is quite a spicy salad, so feel free to adapt for your tastes. You can just use one chile, and if you’re still worried, remove the seeds and veins. It can be made vegan by substituting sunflower oil for the ghee.

3 medium cucumbers, partially peeled, like a zebra
1-2 green chiles, stemmed and minced
1/2 cup / 2.5 oz freshly roasted peanuts
1/3 cup / 1.5 ounces / 45 g dried large-flake coconut, toasted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp natural cane sugar
1 tbsp, ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
a handful cilantro, chopped

Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and chop into pieces roughly the size of pencil erasers. Just before you’re ready to serve, transfer to a mixing bowl and toss gently with chiles, peanuts, coconut, lemon juice, and sugar.

Over medium heat melt the ghee in a small skillet. When hot stir in the mustard seeds. They are going to sputter and spit a bit, and when this starts to happen, add the cumin for 15-30 seconds, just long enough to toast the spices. Cover with a lid if needed. Remove from heat, stir in the salt, and immediately stir this into the salad. Turn out onto a platter topped with the cilantro.

Asian flavors · Curry · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Soup · Vegan

Brothy Thai Curry With Silken Tofu and Herbs

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022 Belinda

Recipe by Kelly Marshall for The New York Times.

A jarred red curry paste is the central flavor of this wonderfully restorative and nourishing broth. Coconut milk lends a subtle creaminess, and the cherry tomatoes become bright little jammy bursts. You can use fresh tomatoes when in season, but canned tomatoes do just as well. Ladle the piping hot broth over seasoned tofu pieces and fresh herbs: The delicate silken tofu used here will absorb big flavors from the surrounding liquid.

Serves 6

2 (14-ounce) packages silken tofu, drained
2 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 shallots, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and grated
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 (14-ounce) can cherry tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes
1 quart vegetable stock
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
Salt
¼ cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups mixed fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil and dill
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges, for squeezing

Pat the tofu blocks dry with a clean kitchen or paper towel. Cut each block into 3 slices.
Heat a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add the oil and shallots, and stir until softened, 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste, stir, and cook until fragrant and the paste turns deep red, 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomato juices thicken slightly, 4 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock, stir, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer to slightly reduce the liquid, 10 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk, season to taste with salt and remove from the heat.
While the broth is simmering, divide the soft tofu into 6 bowls.
Break each slice into 4 or 5 pieces. Season each bowl of tofu with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and a few cracks of black pepper, and top with about ¼ cup of the fresh herb mix.
Ladle the hot broth and tomatoes over the bowls of silken tofu.
Top with sliced scallions and serve hot, with lime wedges for squeezing.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Fish · Soup

Rapid salmon ramen

February 7, 2022January 21, 2024 Belinda

This can be made in just 10 minutes. Add whatever green vegetables you want (see suggestions, below).

6oz salmon fillet
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7oz ramen noodes
1 heaped tsp white miso paste
¾ tsp chili flakes
3 slices of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
2 pak choi, quartered lengthways
3 sprigs of cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C (200C non-fan).
Start by cooking the salmon. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the pan is hot, place the salmon in the pan, skin side down, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the salmon after 1 minute, then cook for a further minute and transfer to the oven to cook for 8 minutes.

Whisk 1 heaped tsp miso paste into 10 fl oz (300 mls) boiling water, add chili flakes, ramen noodles and ginger. Place the pan over a medium heat and stir. Add the pak choi and cook for 3 minutes.
Pour all the ingredients in a bowl and place the cooked salmon on top. Sprinkle the cilantro on top and enjoy.

Choose from: spinach, spring onions, shredded cabbage, peas, baby kale, purple sprouting broccoli or sliced mushrooms. Instead of salmon, meaty fish such as hake or cod also work well.

Gluten Free · Salad · Vegetable sides

Warm lentil salad with goat’s cheese

February 7, 2022February 7, 2022 Belinda

How gorgeous does this salad look?
Made from lentils that you can store in your cupboard (a good staple to have in there), and livened up with juicy, sweet beets, radicchio, creamy goat’s cheese and fresh herbs, it’s a really filling salad, which is super-healthy and a no-fuss, no-stress supper.

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 x 250g packet of pre-cooked Puy lentils
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cooked beets, halved and cut into wedges
Half a radicchio, roughly torn
50g soft goat’s cheese, broken into chunks
50g pecans
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp mint, roughly chopped

For the dressing
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and gently fry until the garlic is just turning a light golden color. Stir in the lentils and warm through. Season to taste.
To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
Toss the dressing, beetroot and torn radicchio leaves through the warm lentil mixture and transfer to a serving dish.
Scatter over the goat’s cheese, pecans, parsley and mint and serve.

*Note Torn mozzarella or burrata or crumbled vegan feta cheese are good alternatives for the goat’s cheese.

Asian flavors · Curry · Dairy-free · Gluten Free

Creamy vegan chickpea and spinach curry topped with cumin roasted parsnips

February 5, 2022February 5, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

For the parsnips
4 large parsnips, cut into batons
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
Salt and pepper
Toss the parsnip batons in the oil and seasoning and roast at 375F in a roasting tin for 40 mins or until soft and browned

For the curry
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tbsp tomato paste (puree)
1 1/2 tbsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp roasted ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
pinch chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1 1/2 cans full-fat coconut milk
2 cans (800mls) chickpeas, drained, or the equivalent in dried, soaked and cooked if you make them yourself
4-5 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 lime, juiced

For the toppings
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
thinly sliced red onion
Plain yoghurt to drizzle
chili flakes
Rice or naan to serve with it

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.
Add the chopped red onion to the pan, fry for a few minutes before adding the minced garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute until fragrant and the onion is soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes have broken down. Help by squishing them with the back of a wooden spoon when soft.

Add the tomato paste, all the spices, salt and a drizzle of oil. Stir and cook for a minute until fragrant and it resembles a paste.

Now add the coconut milk, stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and add after 10 minutes. continue cooking for a further 20 minutes.

Add the spinach and stir well.

When serving, sprinkle with the lime juice, top with the roasted parsnips and the other toppings.

Baking · Do-ahead
Almond Miso Oatmeal Cookies

February 5, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

These Almond Miso Oatmeal Cookies come out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with salty and nutty flavor addition from white miso paste.

1 cup unsalted butter (225 g), softened
1/4 cup white miso paste
1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
1 cup brown sugar (200 g)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g)
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats (270 g)
1 cup sliced almond (110 g)

Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.

Prepare 2 baking sheets and grease or line them with parchment papers or baking mats.
In big bowl, cream butter, miso, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

In different bowl, combine all purpose flour and baking soda. Stir in the dry ingredient into the wet ingredient. With a spatula, stir in the oats and almond slices until incorporated.

With ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop the dough on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches apart.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to prevent the cookies from spreading.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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