Grains · Vegetable-related

Roast tomatoes and eggplants with polenta, cheese and sourdough

Belinda

Creamy, cheesy polenta is the perfect base for a chunky, rich, roasted ratatouille made with eggplants and sweet tomatoes.
This recipe calls for the best tomatoes you can find – try to hunt down heritage varieties. The roasting accentuates their sweetness and character, which is a match made in heaven for aubergine, garlic and capers.

Recipe c/o “Delicious” magazine

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Serves 6

2 lbs ripe mixed heritage tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
2 eggplants, sliced into 3/4″ to 1″ thick rounds
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp small capers, rinsed and drained
2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
Pinch chilli flakes
2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
8 sourdough slices
Small handful fresh basil leaves
Small handful fresh parsley leaves

For the polenta
14 fl oz whole milk
14 fl oz good-quality vegetable stock (or chicken) preferably fresh
5 oz quick-cook polenta
4 oz hard sheep’s cheese, such as pecorino, finely grated (or a vegetarian alternative)
2 tbsp butter

Heat the oven to 350F/170°C/150°C fan/gas 31/2.
Put the tomatoes (cut-side up) and the aubergine slices on a roasting tray and scatter over the garlic, capers, fennel seeds and chili flakes, then tear over the rosemary leaves. Drizzle over the 4 tbsp olive oil and season well.

Roast for 1½ hours. Carefully stir or turn the vegetables once or twice during cooking, without breaking up the tomatoes.

Meanwhile, cook the polenta: pour the milk and stock into a large heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Pour in the polenta in a slow, steady stream, stirring well as you add it. It will thicken quite quickly but will need gentle simmering for 6-8 minutes until the grain is cooked properly. If it becomes too thick, add a dash more stock. Stir in half the cheese and all the butter, then season well to taste.

Toast the sourdough on both sides in a griddle pan, then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
Remove the tray from the oven, then roughly chop the basil and parsley leaves and scatter them over the veg.
Spoon the polenta onto 4 warmed plates or a platter.
Top with the roast veg and serve with the toast and the remaining cheese for sprinkling.

Do-ahead · Meat · Pasta

Sausage and kale gnocchi bake

Belinda

Now Fall is peeking around the corner (my favorite season) I will now start posting more substantial recipes for comfort and warmth.
This easy-to-make, quick-to-cook recipe from “Delicious Magazine” is the ultimate in midweek comfort food.

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7 oz curly kale
1 lb potato gnocchi
1 medium-sized onion
Olive oil for frying
3 good-quality pork sausages or mild Italian sausages
7 oz passata
Large handful fresh basil leaves
4 oz fontina cheese or mozzarella

Heat the oven to 400F/200°C/ fan180°C/gas 6.
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil.
De-stalk and shred the kale (if necessary), then drop into the water with the gnocchi and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse both under cold water.
Finely chop the onion.
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then crumble in the meat from the sausages (discard the skins).
Add the chopped onion and fry for 7 minutes or until just soft.
Add the passata and basil leaves and simmer for 3 minutes.
Toss the kale and gnocchi through the sausage mixture, then transfer to a 1.5 liter ovenproof dish.
Tear over the cheese and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan

Roasted carrot dip

Belinda

This recipe is from the “Ochre Bakery” in Detroit
Sweet and smoky roasted carrots are blended with chickpeas, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. It’s the perfect companion to seeded crackers or good bread. Make sure the carrots are tender to their core before you pull them from the oven for the smoothest possible texture.

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½ cup skin-on almonds
2 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled
2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; plus more
2½ tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
2 garlic cloves
½ cup canned chickpeas
3 Tbsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus leaves for serving

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool; set aside.

Cut any thick carrots in half lengthwise, then slice all carrots crosswise into 4 pieces. Toss on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Spread carrots out evenly on baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until very tender and starting to shrivel and brown (but not char), about 1 hour.

Transfer carrots to a food processor; add garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, pepper, paprika, chopped parsley, ½ cup oil, 1½ tsp. salt, and reserved almonds. Process, adding more oil as needed, until mixture is almost completely smooth. Taste dip and add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed.

Transfer dip to a small bowl, drizzle with more oil, and top with parsley leaves.

Do Ahead: Dip can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead

Marinated Feta With Herbs and Peppercorns

Belinda

Recipe by Alexa Weibel from the New York Times.

The best recipes often make a good ingredient great through minimal effort. For this easy appetizer, start with good-quality feta, preferably in brine, which is creamier than the squeaky supermarket varieties. Many commercial fetas use only cow’s milk and can taste somewhat one-note, so look for one that contains both sheep’s and goat’s milk, which provide the cheese’s signature tang. Dice the feta, toss it with preserved lemon, peppercorns and chili, and refrigerate overnight.
Spoon it onto crostini, or serve it alongside eggs, fish, salad, grilled or roasted vegetables or atop a bowl of pasta.

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¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon, or 4 strips fresh orange zest plus 1 tbsp juice (from 1 orange)
1 red Serrano chili, very thinly sliced (optional)
4 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp any combination of whole pink, green, white and black peppercorns, crushed or coarsely chopped
8 oz firm Greek feta, in brine
Crostini or crackers, for serving

In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, parsley, preserved lemon, chili, oregano and peppercorns.
Cut the feta into 1/2-inch cubes and add them to the olive oil mixture. Gently fold together until feta is evenly coated. Transfer to a jar or lidded container and drizzle with more olive oil, if needed to immerse the feta. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow solidified olive oil to return to liquid form.
Serve with crackers or crostini, or spoon on top of seared fish, grilled or roasted vegetables, pasta or salad.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead

(Almost) no-bake chocolate mousse pie

Belinda

Who doesn’t like an “almost”non-bake chocolatey dessert?
Recipe by Sue Moran from the food blog “The View from Great Island”

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Serves 12

For the chocolate mousse pie
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I used 24 Nabisco chocolate wafers)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups heavy whipping cream
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Garnish
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Cocoa powder or extra chocolate cookie crumbs
Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan
In a food processor, grind the chocolate wafters until they become fine crumbs. You’ll want 1 1/2 cups of crumbs total, this was just exactly 24 Nabisco chocolate wafters for me. If you want to save a little for dusting on top of the final pie like I did, you can add one or two more and reserve a tablespoon or so.
Add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir together until evenly incorporated.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and up the sides a little bit (about 1/2 inch). Using a flat-bottomed measuring cup to tamp them down is an easy way to get a nice, even layer.
Bake the crust for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream over medium or medium-high heat until it just begins to boil.
Take the cream off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, salt, and vanilla extract.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
Set the ganache aside to cool at room temperature, or place in the fridge once it’s cooled down a bit.

Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and the sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. You don’t want to over beat it, but you want the peaks to stand up on their own without flopping over.
Gently fold the room temperature ganache into the whipped cream until completely mixed, and there are no streaks.
Pour the mousse into the springform pan, and spread out evenly. You can shake the pan a bit to get it to even out a little more, but you don’t want to knock too much of the air out of the mousse.

Refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.

To garnish, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and spread in the middle of the cake. Top with cocoa powder or extra chocolate cookie crumbs.

Breakfast · Egg based · Fish

Baked eggs with hot-smoked salmon and herbs

Belinda

Dip generously buttered toast into the oozy yolks of these decadent hot-smoked salmon baked eggs. We’ve spiked them with horseradish to cut through the richness but feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan. From “Delicious Magazine”

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Serves 4

A knob of 
butter (the size of your thumb)
1 finely chopped onion
2 tbsp creamed horseradish
7 fl oz (200mls) double cream

7 oz (200g) hot smoked salmon, flaked
A small handful of 
chopped fresh parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
4 medium free-range eggs
Small handful of grated parmesan cheese
Hot buttered toast, to serve

Heat the oven to 400F.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the chopped onion and fry for 5-8 minutes until soft. Turn off the heat and add the creamed horseradish, double cream, hot smoked salmon, chopped parsley and lemon juice.
Season to taste, then divide the mixture evenly among 4 small ovenproof dishes. Make an indentation in each mixture with the back of a spoon, then crack 1 egg into each. Grate over parmesan, loosely cover with foil, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the egg white has set. Serve straightaway with hot buttered toast.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Vegetable sides

Sticky miso and tahini eggplant wedges

Belinda

Gooey caramelized miso and sesame-baked aubergine wedges are finished with the sweet-sour tang of pomegranate molasses to make this more-ish vegetarian side dish. From “Delicious” magazine.

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2 medium eggplants, cut lengthways into wedges
Olive oil to drizzle
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp pomegranate molasses (from the world food section of large supermarkets)
Large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Greek yogurt to serve (optional)

For the dressing

3 tbsp white miso paste
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tahini
Juice 1 lemon

Heat the oven to 400F.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the eggplants wedges and toss to coat well.
Transfer the eggplants and dressing to a large roasting tray, drizzle over a little oil and season with salt and ground black pepper.
Roast the eggplants for 35-40 minutes until golden, sticky and soft.
Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds briefly in a dry frying pan until pale golden. When the wedges are cooked, arrange on a serving platter.
Drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and scatter over the sesame seeds and fresh chopped herbs.
Serve with a dollop of yogurt if you like.

Do-ahead · Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

One-pot cheesy tomato and gnocchi bake

Belinda

Dig into this easy-to-make family meal; it’s a one pot wonder made with gnocchi and the classic tomato, basil and mozzarella flavor combination from “Delicious” magazine

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1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 sliced mixed peppers
A large handful of basil leaves and stalks, chopped, plus extra to serve
400g tomato passata
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
14 oz (400g) fresh potato gnocchi
2 x 4oz (125g) balls of mozzarella, drained and sliced

Heat the oven to 400F
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based ovenproof braising dish.
Add the onion and garlic, then cook over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes.
Add the eggplant, and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the peppers and basil, then cook for 5 minutes more.
Add the passata and stock cube dissolved in 6 fl oz (200ml) boiling water. Stir well, then pour into the dish.
Stir in the gnocchi, top with mozzarella, then bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Scatter over a few more basil leaves to serve.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Frozen Margarita pie

Belinda

This recipe is from “Bon Appetite”. Your favorite cocktail in pie form—what’s not to love? Just keep in mind that you’ll need to freeze the pie at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, for the ideal texture, so be sure to plan ahead.

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Serves 8

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
10 graham crackers
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt. divided
¾ cup chilled heavy cream
5 limes, divided
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp. tequila blanco

Melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let cool slightly.
Crumble 10 graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Add 3 Tbsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, and melted butter to bowl and process until mixture resembles wet sand.
Transfer the graham cracker mixture to a shallow 9″ pie pan. Using a measuring cup, press firmly into bottom and up sides of dish. Freeze 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk ¾ cup heavy cream in a medium bowl until cream begins to thicken to the point you see ripples and stiff peaks begin to form, 3–5 minutes.
Cut 4 limes in half and juice into a fine-mesh sieve set over a glass measuring cup (you should have about ½ cup juice). Pour lime juice into another medium bowl and whisk in 14 oz. condensed milk, 3 tbsp tequila, and remaining ¼ tsp salt until smooth.
Fold half of whipped cream into lime juice mixture, carefully folding under and over while turning the bowl. Add remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until no streaks remain.

Remove the pie pan from the freezer and pour in the filling. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread filling to edge of crust.

Using a microplane, zest half of the remaining lime over pie.
Freeze the pie at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

Dessert · Fruit

Rosemary and Marsala strawberries with lemon creme fraiche

Belinda

I don’t know about you, but I often buy strawberries from the supermarket that really don’t taste of much.
Here is a great and easy way to change that and it’s lovely served hot or cold.
Recipe from Delicious magazine

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1lb hulled, halved strawberries
7 fl oz sweet marsala
3.5 oz caster sugar
2 good sized rosemary sprigs
7 oz pot of crème fraîche
2 tbsp icing sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice

Heat the strawberries, marsala, caster sugar and rosemary in a large pan. Stir and simmer for 3-4 minutes to soften the fruit slightly, then remove from the heat.
Mix the crème fraîche with the icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Spoon the warm berries and juice into 4 bowls, top with the crème fraîche and devour.