Pasta

TikTok’s “viral” baked feta pasta

Belinda

I just had to post the viral TikTok recipe that is going around.

Serves 4

1 lb / 500g italian durum wheat pasta
1 block (7 oz / 200 g) Greek feta cheese
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
1/2 red chili pepper or some fried red chili flakes
1lb /500g cherry tomatoes
4 large garlic cloves, crushed
black pepper
salt
dried oregano
Grated lemon zest
large bunch of fresh basil leaves

Set the oven to 400F

Pour some olive oil on the bottom of the baking dish.
Add the tomatoes and crushed garlic, drizzle them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss until they’re evenly coated.
Place the whole feta block on top and snuggle it in. Pour more olive oil on top of the feta then add the chopped chili or chili flakes, some dried oregano and grated lemon zest.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the tomatoes are roasted and the feta is soft and melty.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente according to cooking instructions.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add chopped basil to the top. Use a spoon to break up the cheese and stir everything together to create a sauce.

Add the cooked pasta and mix until evenly coated.

Baking · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan

Rhubarb, cardamom and pistachio tart

Belinda

This vegan recipe comes from the wonderful Meera Sodha who writes recipes for the Guardian.

“I don’t believe in rules when it comes to the pairing of ingredients, but I removed rhubarb from its lifelong partner in crime, custard, with caution.

Rhubarb by character is bright, fierce, acerbic and usually not for the faint-hearted unless tamed by something soothing. In custard’s place, I’ve used its more sophisticated cousin, frangipane, a sweet cream made using almonds, pistachios and oat milk flavored with zesty orange and cardamom. (Though, if this makes you feel uncomfortable, and because there are no rules, you could always serve this tart with custard instead.)”

Makes 1 x 9 inch (23cm) tart

For the pastry
8oz (250g) plain flour
7 tbsp (105ml) light olive oil
1.5oz (40g) caster sugar
1 pinch sea salt
3 tbsp cold water

For the filling
7 tbsp (105ml) light olive oil
4.5oz (125g) caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra to finish
2oz (50g) cornflour
7oz (200g) ground pistachios
1.5oz (40g) ground almonds
4 tbsp (60ml) oat milk
1½ tsp cardamom powder
Zest of 1 orange
8oz (250g) forced rhubarb or just the top tender parts

To make the pastry, put the flour, oil, sugar and salt in a bowl, and mix with a clean hand. Add the water, mix again, then knead for three minutes. Return to the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350F/200C (180C fan)/gas 6.
After the pastry has rested, place it between two sheets of baking paper and flatten it gently. Roll to about 3mm thick and just larger than a loose-bottomed 9″ (23cm) tart tin.
Peel off the top sheet of baking paper, place a hand under the bottom sheet and flip the pastry on top of the tart tin – don’t worry if it cracks or breaks. Reserve the baking paper. Press the pastry into place, cut away the overhang and use the offcuts to fill any cracks.
Prick the base all over with a fork, crumple up one of the sheets of baking paper, unravel it and put it in the tart case. Fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice) and bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and lightly golden.
Remove, and leave to cool.

To make the filling, mix everything except the rhubarb in a bowl until well combined, then set aside.

When the tart case is cool, lift out the baking paper and beans, and scrape the frangipane mix into the tart shell. Even it out and smooth it down with the back of a spoon.
Now decorate as you wish: you could cut the rhubarb to size to lay stripes across the tart, or cut it into shorter lengths and tessellate. I like to do mine as in the photograph above by neatly arranging 1/4″ (6cm) pieces of rhubarb at the centre of the tart, then filling the gaps around it with smaller pieces, cut to size.

Sprinkle the extra tablespoon of sugar all over the top of the rhubarb, then bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is starting to bronze slightly and the rhubarb is tender. Leave to cool a little before cutting and serving.

Baking · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Easy whole orange and almond cake

Belinda

This is a wonderful recipe from the ladies who used to own the Post Office Café in Bundanoon, N.S.W, Australia.
A dusting of powdered sugar and served with blueberries and either créme fresh or mascarpone are the best accompaniments…

2-3 oranges , unpeeled. If they are really large, then just use 2. But the more “orangey-tasting” the more oranges!
250g (8oz) almond meal. (FYI, almond meal is made from raw, unpeeled almonds and is a coarser grind than almond flour, which is made from blanched peeled almonds)
6 large eggs
250g (8oz) sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Set the oven to 180C (350F)
Boil the oranges whole for about 30 mins or until soft. Remove from the water and let cool to room temp or enough so the eggs wont turn to scrambled eggs when they’re added to the orange.
Put the soft oranges into a blender and blend to a pulp, then add the eggs and sugar and blend until thick and pale
Add the almond meal and baking powder and mix well.

Put into a well greased cake tin and bake for 1 hour. Leave to cool a little and remove from the tin to a wire rack.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Poultry

Easy Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken

Belinda

Recipe from Nigella lawson
“This is one of those recipes you just can’t make once: that’s to say, after the first time, you’re hooked. It is gloriously easy: you just put everything in the roasting dish and leave it to cook in the oven, pervading the house, at any time of year, with the summer scent of lemon and thyme – and of course, mellow, almost honeyed garlic.
I got the idea of it from those long-cooked French chicken casseroles with whole garlic cloves and just wanted to spritz it up with lemon for summer. The wonderful thing about it is that you turn the lemon from being a flavoring to being a major player; left in chunks to cook slowly in the oven they seem almost to caramelize and you can eat them, skin, pith and all, their sour bitterness sweetened in the heat.

Serves: 4-6
1 chicken (approx. 2.25kg / 4½lbs) cut into 10 pieces, or 4 1/2 lbs of just thighs and legs (my preference)
2 large heads of garlic (separated into unpeeled cloves)
2 good-sized unwaxed lemons (preferably thin-skinned) – cut into chunky eighths
1 handful fresh thyme
3 tbsp (or more) olive oil
⅔ cup white wine
black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon fine flowing salt

Pre-heat the oven to 325F.
Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.

Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper and sprinkle over the kosher salt, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavor-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours

Remove the foil from the roasting tin, and turn up the oven to 400F.
Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.
I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting tin: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dish out.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Frizzled Chickpeas and Onions with Feta and Oregano

Belinda

Alison Roman’s recipes are truly beautiful and always different.

Serves 4 to 6

½ cup olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
4 sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano, plus more leaves for garnish
2 oz Greek, Bulgarian, or French feta, very thinly sliced or crumbled

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, and is just starting to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, garlic, red pepper flakes, and half the marjoram leaves. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat in the oily business. Continue to cook, shaking the skillet occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking and that the chickpeas are getting equal attention from the oil and heat, until the chickpeas are golden brown and appear fried around the edges and the onion is a deep golden brown and looks somewhere between fried and caramelized, a term we now call “frizzled.”

Taste a chickpea or two and make sure it’s plenty seasoned, adding salt, pepper, and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes, if you like things on the spicier side.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving platter. Top with the feta and remaining marjoram.

DO AHEAD: Chickpeas can be made a few hours ahead, kept covered loosely at room temperature. Feel free to reheat in a skillet over medium-high heat before serving, as they’ll lose a bit of their crispness as they sit.

Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Creamy Cauliflower And Onion Gratin With Sesame Bread Crumbs

Belinda

Another super recipe by Alison Roman from her book “Nothing Fancy” I recommend you buy it!

This gratin smothers thick slabs of tender cauliflower in a creamy sauce and lots of cheese. The bread crumb studding is optional, but a highly delicious addition.

 

1 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 –3-pound cauliflower, leafy green parts removed
1/2 small sweet or yellow onion, very thinly sliced
6 oz Gruyère or white cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
Red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups fresh coarse bread crumbs or panko (optional)
3 tbsp white sesame seeds
1/4 cup olive oil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bring the cream, butter and garlic to a simmer in a small pot over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Slice the cauliflower into ½-inch-thick slabs (some of the bits will fall away and crumble into tiny florets; this is fine).

Place the smallest bits of cauliflower on the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan (I like the roundness of the pie plates and cake pans, but a 2-quart baking dish of any shape will work). Scatter with some of the onion, followed by some of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower, onion, and cheese until all of it is used, ending with the cheese.

Pour the cream mixture over (leave the garlic in or remove), followed by a good sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, if using.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the cauliflower is tender and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

If using the bread crumbs: now is the time to put them to use. Combine the bread crumbs, sesame seeds, and olive oil in a medium bowl (alternatively just use sesame seeds). Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is bubbly and golden and the cream is mostly reduced, another 15 to 20 minutes (it will look slightly runny and creamy in the oven but will set and thicken once you take it out of the oven and let it cool a few minutes).

Scatter the bread crumb mixture (alternatively, just scatter the sesame seeds) over the top and bake until those are deeply and thoroughly crispy and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Do-ahead tip

Gratin (sans bread crumbs) can be baked 2 days ahead, then kept covered and refrigerated. To reheat, place in a 400°F. oven, uncovered (adding bread crumbs, if using), until returned to its bubbling, golden state, 10 to 15 minutes

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Crushed peas with burrata, black olives and mint

Belinda1 Comment

This is a wonderful and really interesting recipe from Alison Roman from her book, “Nothing Fancy”.

1/4 cup oil-cured black olives or Castelvetrano olives, pitted
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed!) English peas
2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups spicy greens, such as mustard greens or arugula
1 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup fresh parsley, tender leaves and stems
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 balls burrata cheese, drained (you can also use mozzarella; just expect a different visual)

Combine the olives and olive oil in a small bowl; set aside.
Place half of the peas in a medium bowl. Using your hands (or, if you’re more refined and/or own one, a potato masher), crush the peas. You’re looking for crushed, not a puree, so don’t bother using a food processor. Add the remaining peas and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper.
Toss the greens, mint, chives, parsley, and lemon juice together in another medium bowl, and season with salt and pepper and a bit more lemon juice if you like.
Tear the burrata into pieces and arrange on a large serving platter or in a shallow bowl (you can also cut the burrata, but tearing it is much easier). Scatter the crushed peas on and around the burrata and top with the olive mixture, followed by the spicy greens and herbs.

DO AHEAD Peas can be seasoned a day ahead, covered tightly, and stored in the refrigerator.

Baking · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Grains

Jim Haley’s no-knead bread

Belinda

This is the easiest and best no-knead bread recipe you will ever need and you can enjoy adding whatever flavorings you like to this recipe, like cheese, olives, herbs, cranberries etc
Recipe by Jim Lahey adapted by Mark Bittman for the New York Times.

3 ⅓ cups/430 grams all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
¼ tsp instant yeast
2 tsp kosher salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed

In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons/390 milliliters water, and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and sticky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.

Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, the dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put a 6 to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K.
Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned.
Cool on a rack.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Rocky Mountain avalanche bars

Belinda

Recipe from “House of Nash eats” food blog

Rocky Mountain Avalanche Bars are part rice krispies treat, part peanut butter fudge, and part white chocolate bark. These totally addicting bars are perfect for a special treat.

4 cups white chocolate, chopped (about 24 oz)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
3 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Melt the white chocolate in a microwave on 50% heat in 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until melted.
Stir the peanut butter into the melted white chocolate until combined, then pour over the Rice Krispies in a large bowl and gently stir to coat.
Cool for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice until the melted chocolate is no longer warm to the touch.
Fold in the marshmallows and mini chocolate chips, then gently press into a 9×13-inch pan lined with a parchment paper sling or buttered on the bottom and sides.
Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes, then cut into squares.

Chocolate · Do-ahead

Bittersweet chocolate pots de creme

Belinda

Recipe from Melissa Clark for the New York Times

“This is restaurant-grade pudding you can make at home. It’s dense yet buoyant with a profound chocolate flavor thanks to the use of bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate. A healthy dose of salt balances it all out.”

Serves 4-6

1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp sugar
⅛ tsp kosher salt

Crème fraîche or whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate into yolks. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl.
Divide mixture among 4-oz espresso cups or small ramekins. Set filled cups in a large roasting pan that has been positioned on center rack of oven. Add hot tap water to pan, halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil; use a fork to prick holes in foil.
Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check) but center is still jiggly — it will set as it cools — 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer cups to a wire rack to cool completely.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving with crème fraîche or whipped cream.