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.

Screen Shot 2017-07-16 at 2.04.24 PM

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!

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.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad

Cucumber and avocado salad with lime, mint and feta cheese

June 10, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This comes from another great food blog ‘Kalyn’s Kitchen”

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and chopped English cucumbers (3-4 medium sized ones or 2 large)
salt, for drawing water out of cucumber
1 – 2 ripe (but not too squishy) avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 – 2 tsp fresh lime juice, to toss with the avocado pieces
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint, measure after chopping
1/2 cup crumbled Greek (not French) feta, make sure you buy the solid block, not the crumbled.

Dressing Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

Peel the cucumbers and scrape out the seeds, if they are large. Cut the cucumber into half inch pieces and put into a colander. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and let it sit for 30 minutes. make sure you put a bowl underneath as there will be a fair amount of liquid that the cucumbers give off.
After 30 minutes use paper towels to blot the moisture and salt from the cucumbers.

While the cucumber is draining peel the avocados and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Put the avocado into a large salad bowl and gently toss with the 1 to 2 tsp fresh lime juice.
Wash the mint and chop finely.
Whisk together the olive oil and lime juice to make a dressing and measure out 1/2 cup of crumbled feta.

Add the drained cucumbers, mint and dressing to the avocado and combine.
Then gently stir in the crumbled feta into the salad ingredients.
Serve immediately.

This salad doesn’t do well sitting in the fridge for too long

Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Roasted squished baby potatoes

June 5, 2012January 7, 2017 Belinda1 Comment

This is simply divine!! Try and just have one of these.

Makes 4 servings but can easily be doubled, trebled ……

12 whole new potatoes, or other small round ones
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Minced fresh rosemary or other fresh herb to taste

Preheat the oven to 475
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, put the potatoes still in their skins in lightly salted water and boil for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool slightly. Working one at a time, place the potatoes on a clean dish towel, fold the towel over the spud and press down gently until you can hear the skin pop and it squishes down in the form of a disk.

Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet, lightly coating it and place the cooked potatoes on it.Roll the potato disks in the oil on the baking sheet so they are well coated on their bottoms then drizzle more oil over the tops of them and liberally sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper on each one.
If you want to add a fresh herb, do so halfway through the roasting, otherwise the herbs will burn in such a hot oven.

Roast for about 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes over after about 15 minutes, (adding the herbs at this point) so they crisp on each side.

Variations:

My dear friend Marilee read this recipe and suggested topping each one when serving with a dollop of sour cream then caviar, or was it sour cream and a dollop of caviar!? Outrageous!!
You can also put a pat of butter and grated sharp cheese or Parmesan cheese on top before baking.

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

Easy cheesy zucchini bake

June 5, 2012March 4, 2023 Belinda

I guess I’m going for some of the easier recipes at the moment. This is simple but very effective and even the children will like this. probably something to do with the cheese!

Makes 4 – 6 servings but can easily be doubled or trebled.

2 medium sized zucchini, cut in slices or half moon slices.
2 medium sized yellow squash, cut in slices or half moon slices.
4 tbsp of fresh chopped basil. (You can use less if you’re not a huge fan of basil)
2 – 4 tbsp thinly sliced fresh scallions (spring onions) depending on taste
1/2 to 3/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp garlic powder or more according to your taste
3/4 cup plus another 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar, or any mixture of cheeses as long as there is plenty of flavor in the cheese.
1/2 to 3/4 coarsely grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8 x 8 (or thereabouts) baking dish with oil or non stick spray
Wash the squashes and cut into slices or half moons. Wash the basil and spin dry or dry gently on paper towels and finely chop. Slice the scallions (spring onions)
Combine the sliced squashes, chopped basil, sliced green onions, dried thyme, garlic powder, both cheeses (remember to hold back the extra cheese for the topping) and stir with the vegetables until they are well coated with the cheese and herbs and well distributed.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes.

When the zucchini dish is nearly cooked through, take the baking dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.
Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and the zucchini melted.
Serve hot.

Do-ahead · Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Greek chicken with olives and lemons. (Kotopoulo Lemonato)

May 25, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is one of the best recipes I think I’ve ever tried because it’s packed with flavor, is easy and is fairly quick.

There are two parts to it, however. The lemons have to be made ahead of time, but you can keep them in a glass jar for weeks and weeks, but the minimum time is 3 days that is the only thing you have to know before you start.

Here is the lemon part of it first, because these lemons are incredible and they are the shortcut way of making preserved lemons without any salt, just olive oil and cloves. When you make this, try to treble the lemon recipe and do it with 3 lemons, then you have two marinating in your pantry waiting for another occasion!

1 large lemon. (make sure the lemon’s skins aren’t too think as they can get bitter)
6 cloves
Extra virgin olive oil to cover the lemon

Place the lemon in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (Turn the lemons occasionally while cooking, so they get all sides covered.)

Remove from the water and pat dry gently with kitchen towels. Press the cloves gently into the lemon and place in a glass or sturdy plastic container. Cover with the olive oil, seal well with a lid and leave to marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 3 days.
When ready to use for the chicken dish, remove the cloves from the lemon and discard the cloves. Cut the lemon into 8 wedges, retaining all the lemon and juices and use with the following recipe!!
Easy isn’t it!

Chicken with olives and Lemons (Kotopoulo Lemonato) serves 4

The preserved lemon (see above)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, preferably organic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
6 large shallots, sliced
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup good chicken, turkey or veal stock
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Heat the 1 tbsp oil and butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper on both sides and add to the skillet in 2 batches and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the sliced shallots to the pan and cook until golden, about 5 – 8 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the drained olives, and stock. Bring to the boil over medium heat then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add the lemon wedges and any juices and the chopped thyme and simmer , stirring occasionally for another 15 minutes.
Place the chicken in a deep serving dish and spoon the sauce over.
garnish with fresh thyme sprigs and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

Note

This is also lovely served with a rice pilaf made with chopped sauteed leeks, dried dill weed and chicken broth.
Garlic mashed potato is another lovely side dish, so long as you have something that can soak up all those gorgeous juices, that is all that matters!
Heavens, maybe even orzo or a pasta might work. Let me know!!
All my recipes are a work in progress and there is no such thing as the “finished product.
It’s all about tweaking and sharing!

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegetable-related

Middle Eastern Chopped Salad (CleanCuisine)

December 30, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

My step daughter Candice, made this last night and everyone fell upon it. After the heavy Holiday eating it was so refreshing. I would give it 6 out 5! The only thing you could add, maybe, is pitted Kalamata olives, but it was perfect as it was. It’s an Ina Garten recipe.

Serves 4 – 6
10 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1lb ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored and 1/2 inch diced.
1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthways, seeded and 1/2 inch diced
1 16 oz (or as near as possible) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1 tbsp minced garlic, (3 cloves)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
8 oz good Greek feta cheese, 1/2 inch diced
Toasted pita bread, for serving
Some optional additions are; halved pitted Kalamata olives or chopped avocado

Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, parsley, mint and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.
Ina small bowl or measuring cup whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt and 1 tsp of pepper.
Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the dressing over the salad tossing gently to coat all the vegetables. ( You might not even want to put all the dressing on, depending on how much you like. I held some back)
Add the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently.
Serve the salad with the toasted pita bread.