Tag: grapes

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Salad

Creamy broccoli, grape and almond salad

Belinda

This lovely salad lasts for several days in the fridge and you have so many optional add-ins. You don’t have to be religious about the amounts. Do whatever your taste buds fancy

Serves 6-8

5-6 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized florets (about 2-3 large crowns)
2 cups red seedless grapes, halved (about 9oz)
3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
3/4 cup sliced dried apricots
1/2 cup red onion, or 6 scallions finely chopped
3 scallions chopped, dark green parts only, or similar amount in chopped chives
1 large avocado, cubed

OPTIONAL TO ADD
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/3 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
Crumbled goat cheese
Other dried fruits and nuts
1-2 not too ripe diced avocados

DRESSING
1 cup good quality mayonnaise
¼ cup granulated sugar or equivalent in honey or agave syrup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, to taste
1 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and pepper

Whisk well all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside

The original recipe uses the broccoli raw, but I like to blanch it for 1 1/2 mins in boiling, salted water, then shocking it in chilled water to keep the color and stop the cooking. I then drain it and lay out the florets on kitchen towel to take as much moisture out as possible.

In a large mixing bowl combine the broccoli, grapes, onion, dried apricots, almonds, avocado, scallion greens and any optional add-ins. Toss gently.
Pour half the dressing (or more to taste) over the salad. Toss gently to combine.
For best flavor, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
To serve, toss the salad well, taste, adding more salt and pepper if desired and adjust with more dressing if it needs it.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Nuts

Whipped goat’s cheese & roasted grape toasts

Belinda

Sweet roasted grapes and creamy goat’s cheese come together superbly in this fabulous vegetarian lunch or starter

Serves 2 but can be augmented

6oz sweet red seedless grapes
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 oz walnuts
5oz soft goat’s cheese
3 tbsp goat’s milk yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
½ unwaxed lemon, zest
4 thick slices sourdough or another good quality bread, toasted
3 lemon thyme sprigs, leaves picked

Preheat the oven to 350F/180 °C, gas mark 4.
Toss the grapes, oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a small roasting tin and roast for 8 minutes. Shake the tin to turn the grapes, then put the walnuts on a separate baking tray and add to the oven with the grapes for a further 8 minutes, until the grapes are soft and juicy, and the walnuts toasted. Set both aside to cool.

Use a wooden spoon to beat together the goat’s cheese, yogurt and lemon zest; season. Spread over the toasted bread and top with the grapes and any roasting juices, the broken walnuts and the thyme leaves.

Cook’s tip
The roasted grapes work in both savory and sweet dishes (omit the salt if serving as a dessert). Try them in a feta salad or spooned over vanilla ice cream.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Soup · Vegetable-related

Cucumber and green grape gazpacho

Belinda

A beauty from Alexandra Stafford at alexandracooks.com.

Screen Shot 2019-06-01 at 7.40.44 AM

Serves 4

1/2 lb. plus a handful for garnish seedless green grapes, rinsed
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 English cucumber, seeded by halving lengthways and running a small teaspoon all the way down the middle, scraping out the seeds.
2 scallions (white and light green parts)
1 clove garlic (start with a small clove as it gives a good bite)
3 Tbsp fresh dill (or more)
2 Tbsp cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 to 2 Tbs. white-wine vinegar, or 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the grapes in a bowl and put it in the freezer.
Tear the bread into chunks and chop it in a food processor until it’s reduced to fine crumbs. Put the crumbs in a small bowl, stir in 1/3 cup cool water, and set aside.
Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients:
Cut off and discard the cucumber ends. Thickly slice the cucumber. Roughly chop the scallions, garlic and dill.
In a food processor, chop the garlic and 1/4 cup of the almonds until very fine. Add the breadcrumbs and cream cheese and process until well blended.
Add the cucumber, scallions, dill, milk, vinegar, and the grapes from the freezer.
Process until puréed as finely as possible, 1 to 2 minutes.
With the machine running, pour in the oil.
Taste and season with salt and pepper. I ended up adding a teaspoon of kosher salt and an extra tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar. Chill until ready to serve.
Garnish with a few halved grapes and the remaining toasted almonds.

Meat

Roasted sausages with grapes and chestnuts

Belinda

Now Fall is coming, I think of roasted and baked dishes, especially this one with the woodsy flavor of the roasted chestnuts and sticky sweetness of the grapes along with the divine sausages. Some simple mashed potato would suffice here.

Serves 4

8 good quality pork sausages
7 oz cooked vacuum packed chestnuts
10 oz Portobello mushrooms, cut into thick chunks
9 oz sweet seedless grapes
1 large onion, cut into half moon shaped wedges
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, all the cloves separated but not peeled
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 good sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
10 fl oz red wine
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F

Put everything except the red wine into a broad, shallow ovenproof dish.
Turn the ingredients over so that they get coated in the olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, crush about half of the grapes so they release their juices into the pan.
Put into the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Put in the red wine, mix well and cook for another 25 minutes or so. You can turn the sausages halfway through the cooking so they get colored on both sides.
The sausages and vegetables will cook and brown beautifully and the wine will reduce, leaving you with a gorgeous dark and bubbling dish.

 

Gluten Free · Vegetable-related

Roasted black grapes!

Belinda
 

These are gorgeous spooned over a  double cream Brie or a St Andre triple cream on a cracker!!

Preheat the oven to 425 F

1 heaping cup of sweet black seedless grapes, rinsed and dried
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white Balsamic vinegar
juice of half a small lemon
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
fresh thyme leaves

Toss the whole grapes with salt and pepper, a little olive oil, white balsamic, a splash of lemon juice and fresh thyme.
Toss everything together and spread it out on a baking sheet.
Roast the whole lot in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, giving the pan a shake a couple of times during the cooking.
It will end up slightly squishy and shrivelled with an intense grape flavor and a beautifully sweet sauce.

Transfer to a pretty serving dish, making sure you get all the good sauce and serve with cheese and plain crackers or crusty bread.

Do-ahead · Nuts · Soup

Bobby Flay’s chilled white gazpacho

Belinda

Very refreshing and luxurious!

1/2 cup lightly toasted almonds
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 & 1/2 cups white seedless grapes
1 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups country white bread, crusts removed and cubed
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 – 3 tbsp verjus (vermouth, champagne vinegar or a medium white wine are all good substitutes)
2 -3 tbsp walnut oil
chopped chives for garnish
toasted slivered almonds for garnish
small, champagne grapes are also lovely for a garnish

Place almonds, pine nuts, garlic, grapes, grape juice, water and bread in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl. Chill the soup for at least 30 minutes.

Remove soup from the refrigerator and fold in the cream to the soup.
Finish with a tablespoon a few tablespoons each of the walnut oil and “verjus”
Ladle into serving bowls and garnish each with chives, almonds and grapes if desired.