I am listing the ingredients and the method but the quantities are loose and depends on how many people you will feed.
tortilla wraps
marinara or any other tomato-based pasta sauce
salami or pepperoni
mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves
a hard cheese like parmesan
Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Once the cheese has melted (about 15 minutes) the tortilla snack is ready to serve.
200g + 50g feta, crumbled
100ml milk
350g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small cucumber, diced
a handful of basil, chopped
half an onion, finely chopped
30ml balsamic vinegar
30ml olive oil
20g pine nuts, toasted
Crumble the feta into a blender’s cup and add half the milk.
Blitz with an immersion blender until it becomes emulsified – add the rest of the milk a little at a time, aiming for a creamy consistency that will sit on a plate.
Crumb the 50g feta into the whipped feta and spread on a serving plate.
Add the halved tomatoes, cucumber, basil and onion to a mixing bowl and pour over the balsamic, olive oil and salt and pepper.
Mix together and spoon on to the whipped feta.
Scatter over the toasted pine nuts and a few extra basil leaves.
45ml butter
30ml olive oil
4 leeks, washed and sliced in coins
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
15ml sugar
5ml salt
500ml vegetable stock
60ml cream
a handful of basil leaves
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the butter and olive oil.
Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until just before the leaks start to caramelise.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the tomato, sugar, salt and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Blitz the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and place it back on a medium-high heat.
Pour in the cream and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Scatter over the basil leaves and serve with toasted cheese sandwiches.
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
50g tomato paste
1kg beef mince (ground beef)
1 aubergine, diced
500ml beef stock
15ml thyme leaves
5ml salt
Scone layer:
60ml vegetable oil
15ml sugar
100ml milk
1 egg
1 x 400g tin of corn kernels
250ml flour
1,2ml salt
8ml baking powder
30ml thyme leaves, chopped
Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and pour in some vegetable oil.
Add the onion and carrots and cook until the onions are soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the tomato paste, minced beef and aubergine and stir to break up the mince.
Pour in the stock, add the thyme and salt and simmer for 30 minutes or until the mixture is dry.
Spoon the beef mixture in to a 28cm x 21cm ceramic dish and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the vegetable oil, sugar, milk and egg to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the corn kernels, mix through and set aside.
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
Scrape the corn mixture into the bowl and add the thyme leaves.
Mix through – you will have quite a stiff dough.
Spoon the scone mixture on to the beef mixture and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Serve the pie with a garden salad on the side.
350g green beans, sliced into 1cm lengths
200g flour
10ml baking powder
5ml curry powder
2,5ml ground turmeric
5ml salt
2,5ml white pepper
2 eggs
half an onion, very finely chopped
90ml water
vegetable oil for frying
Place the prepared green beans in a saucepan oven medium-high heat, add about 500ml water and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside to cool.
Add the flour, baking powder, curry powder, turmeric, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl and stir together.
Add the cooled beans and mix again.
Add the eggs, onion and water to a bowl and whisk together.
Pour into the bean mixture and stir to form a batter.
Place a pan on medium-high heat, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom and wait for it to heat up.
Fry spoonfuls of the mixture for 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve the fritters warm.
Yields about 60 rusks.
250g butter, room temperature, cubed
300g sugar
6 eggs
4-5 lemons, 80ml of finely grated zest
4 x 250ml self-raising flour
5ml salt
80ml poppyseeds
500ml cultured buttermilk
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line two 23cm loaf tins with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well to incorporate. Scrape the mixture down once or twice.
Add the lemon zest and mix through.
Now add the flour, salt and poppyseeds to another mixing bowl and stir through.
Alternatively add a few spoonfuls of flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Mix on high speed for one minute.
Spoon the mixture into the loaf tins and bake for one hour.
Remove from the baking tins and cool on a cooling rack.
Cut the loaf into slices about 2 cm thick and then cut each slice into three pieces.
Space the rusks evenly on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at 100℃ for 3-4 hours.
Cool completely and store in a glass container.
140g flour
12,5ml baking powder
1,2ml salt
a pinch of smoked paprika
100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
250ml milk
1 egg
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a mixing bowl.
Add the grated cheddar and mix through.
Add the milk and egg to a jug and whisk together.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix together to form a batter.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
30ml olive oil
30ml rosemary
15ml thyme
1 lemon, zest finely grated
5ml salt
1 kg chicken breast, skin and bone removed
190ml panko breadcrumbs
80ml parmesan cheese, finely grated
Warm dressing:
125ml olive oil
60ml butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
60ml lemon juice
30ml parsley, chopped
2,5ml salt
wooden skewers
Pour the olive oil into a large bowl and add the rosemary, thyme, lemon zest and salt and stir through.
Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks (about 4 pieces of chicken should go on to one skewer).
Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix through with your hands so that all the chicken get coated.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan over and mix again.
Skewer about 4 pieces of chicken on to a skewer.
Place a heavy-bottom pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Grill 4 – 5 skewers at a time for 4 minutes, flip them over and cook for another 4 minutes.
Keep the cooked chicken warm.
For the warm dressing:
Add the olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and salt to a small saucepan.
Place on the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring every now and then for 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the heat.
Place the chicken on a serving platter and drizzle over the warm sauce to serve.
250m vegetable oil
15 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of rosemary
a few sprigs of thyme
2 egg yolks
5ml English mustard
juice of half a lemon
5ml salt
Pour the vegetable oil into a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
Add the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme and wait for the oil to start simmering.
Turn the heat down so that you have the lowest simmer possible.
Simmer for 40 minutes, remove from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes.
Remove the garlic cloves and strain the oil. Set the oil aside to cool completely.
Place the garlic on a chopping board and cream it by pushing the flat side of the blade of a utility knife onto it. Lift the blade, push down and drag. Repeat until you have no lumps and the garlic is smooth.
Add the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and garlic to a small bowl.
Blitz together with a stick blender.
Drizzle the cold oil into the bowl with the stick blender running.
Keep drizzling and blitzing until all the oil has been added and you have a thick mayonnaise.
Spoon the mayo into a pretty bowl and serve with potato chips or wedges.
250g smoked bacon, diced
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, cut into small dice
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 x 400g tin of corn kernels
500ml water
60ml white wine
450g haddock fillets, cut into chunks
2,5ml salt
2,5ml white pepper
15ml flour
250ml cream
fresh parsley/dill to garnish
Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and add a small amount of vegetable oil to it.
Add the bacon pieces and cook until crisp.
Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Add the onion, carrots and bay leaf to the bacon fat (add more oil if you need it) and cook until the onion is soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the potato, corn, water and wine and bring it all to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
Now add the haddock, salt and pepper and simmer for another 20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Add the flour to a cup and pour in 30ml of cold water. Stir until smooth.
Drizzle the flour mixture into the chowder while stirring.
Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
Pour the cream in, add the cooked bacon and stir to heat through. Do not allow the chowder to boil, it will split!
Garnish with parsley/dill scattered over and serve immediately.
My Whisk and I 