July Salads

Thought I better balance out my meat fest post with some evidence  that I am still getting my five a day with plenty of lovely seasonal foods from the garden and vegebox

Broad Bean , Butter Beans , Tarragon and Feta Salad

200g of broad beans removed from the pod
200g of butter beans
100g of feta
Handful of tarragon leaves
Zest and juice of a lemon
Dijon mustard
Slosh of olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

1. Blanch the broad beans in boiling water, if the skins are tough they may need to be peeled.
2. Mix with the butter beans crumble over the feta and tarragon leaves
3. Whisk together the  lemon , mustard , olive oil  ,salt and pepper
4. Dress the salad

Roasted Aubergine, Courgettes, Tomatoes,Olives, Goats Cheese & Olive Salad
Serves two

1 large aubergines cut into 1/2cm thick slices
1 large courgette cut into 1/2cm thick slices
Handful of cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
Sliced hard goats cheese e.g. St Helen’s Farm
Handful Fresh Basil Leaves

Dressing
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of oil
Salt and Pepper

Layer the aubergines and courgettes on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with 2bsp of olive oil season with salad and pepper
Place in a hot oven 200degC for 15 minutes
Lay on a plate and squeeze over the tomatoes
Sprinkle over the basil leaves and cheese

Tomato, Red Onion Parmesan and Basil Salad
Slice the red onions and tomatoes
Dress with basil leaves grated parmesan cheese
Balsamic Vinegar , Olive Oil , Salt and Pepper

Marinated Anchovy , Green Bean and Red Onion Salad

Blanch the green beans and mix with marinated anchovies , sliced red onion and finely chopped parsley
Dress with lemon juice and olive oil

Hamper for a Camper from Natoora

I recently  got offered  a hamper from Natoora .  Hampers sometimes bring up thoughts of tinned spam and Quality Street,  but this is another league offering delicious Continental and English seasonal food, meat cheese , wine and fresh vegetables boxes,  with 24hr delivery anywhere in the UK,  its like Borough Market online

I am a total UI ( User interface) freak  , and this site is a real pleasure to use , details on each item include proper provenance,  clear pictures and  suitable accompaniments including wine  . Everything arrived perfectly packed with freezer blocks, each item wrapped in greaseproof paper with neat labels. The hamper arrived just in time for a camping trip.

I chose a range of cheeses, meat and vegetables . Although we get some lovely English cheese round here it’s pretty hard to find anything continental other than Brie . I even printed out some notes about each cheese from the website. Each cheese was a decent size ,not just tasting amount and at a good level of ripeness

(clockwise from top left)

• Langres a french cows milk cheese was deliciously oozing with background of smoked bacon
• Morbier semi-soft French cows’ milk cheese named with a layer of ash in the middle and a nutty aftertaste.
• Banon a northern Provence goats milk cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves and tired with raffia and straw. This helps to preserves the cheese which has a fruity and woody flavour

For dinner on the campsite I cooked a pasta sauce using Nduja Calabra a soft spanish salami the  flavour is at first quite sweet, then explodes with the full force of chilli pepper.

Nduja Calabra pasta sauce

Feeds 4

2 large onions
50g of Nduja Calabra
500g of tinned tomatoes
2 sprig of fresh oregano

1. Fry the onions in the Nduja Calabra til softened
2. Add the tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes , add a few leaves of oregano
3. Serve with freshly cooked pasta

Another great liver BBQ recipe this time using chicken livers and  prosciutto. from the hamper I have borrowed this recipe from from the Two Fat Ladies. Sweet, salty deliciousness especially with a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Chicken Livers and Prunes wrapped in Prosciutto

6 chicken livers cut in half
12 slices of prosciutto
12 prunes

1. Simply wrap a prune and half a raw chicken liver in a slice of prosciutto
2. BBQ or grill for just a few minutes on each side

I suspect some of my foodie freinds will be receiving gifts from Natoora over the next few months and they are offering free delivery right now ,so it’s a good time to try some new foods.

Feeding the masses

A few weeks ago I went for dinner with my boss and one of our advisors , Dave, after a couple of glasses of wine Dave mentioned a conference  his university were running and invited us to the fringe event buffet to be held in his flat in Exeter.
“We are not sure who is doing the catering?”
Quick as a flash my boss said with a slightly evil glint in his eye,  “You should get Becky to do the food”, not for the first time I thought it may have been a mistake to tell my boss about my blog.
However we were eating dinner at the Anchor and Hope , I was in foodie paradise and did I mention the wine.
so somehow I found myself saying,  “Alright then, no problem”

A few weeks later  I was busy wondering how I am going to make a buffet for 40 people, 200 miles from my home. I decided on large trays of salad which could be prepared during the day, that would mean once prepared I could enjoy the party, thankfully Ikea sell large plastic tray for just 99p though I looked a bit strange buying twelve of them.

Dave welcomed me at 7am and showed me the basics , like the crazy Star Trek oven and once the ingredients arrived, only missing a few items , requiring a little innovation on my part. Later after many hours of chopping , roasting and grilling and with a new found respect for Masterchef contestants I loaded the fridge with groaning trays of food.  Cooking such large volumes of food requires serious patience and organisation what I wouldn’t give for a prep chef.  In fact after 6 straight hours on my feet  I managed to forget to photograph all the salad in the excitement of the party starting but they included

• New Potatoes in vinagrette
• Grilled chicken with steams green beans ,grapes and tarragon in a lemon dressing
• Salmon with lentils and wilted spinach.
• Grilled Courgettes with Mint and Feta.
• Roasted Aubergine, Peppers , Artichoke Hearts, Olives and Goats Cheese with basil leaves and balsamic vinegar
• Roasted Butternut Squash with toasted chick peas , chilli , grilled haloumi with fresh coriander and tahnini dressing (recipe below)
• Marinated Beetroot with rocket , thyme, toasted walnuts in a creamy horseradish dressing (recipe below)

For pudding I had a flash of inspiration in the morning and decided that with a some international visitors,  I wanted to give them a  homage to a Devon cream tea layering up fresh strawberry jam , whipped cream and fresh strawberries

It was really lovely seeing everyone eating my food and I blushed a lot at the compliments and shared many recipes. An American said he had been dreading English food , our reputation proceeds us , but my food had changed his impression completely. I don’t think I will be going professional just yet, or ever, but I am really glad I challenged myself.

Roasted Butternut Squash with toasted chick peas , chilli , grilled haloumi with fresh coriander and tahnini dressing

1. Cut the butternut squash into 1cm cubes, place in roasting dish and drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.
2. Cut the chillis in half and remove seeds , roast with the butternut squash for 20 minutes at 190degC
3. In a seperate tray toss the chick peas in a little oil and paprika & cook in the oven for the same time as the butternut squash
4. Slice the haloumi in 1/2cm thick slices , heat a griddle pan and grill the haloumi until brown on both sides and firm
5. Add mix the haloumi with a little fresh lemon juice let it down with a little water
6. Lay the squash , chickpeas together on the tray and layer over the haloumi roasted chillis and some fresh coriander .
7. Dress with tahini dressing

Marinated Beetroot with rocket , thyme, toasted walnuts in a creamy horseradish dressing

1. Boil the beetroot for 20 minutes til soft still warm dress with a little pepper , olive oil and  balsamic vinegar.
2. Toast the walnuts in the oven at 190degC  or in a hot pan for a few minutes
3. Mix together equal parts horseradish and creme fraich add a few springs of thyme
4. Layer beetroot and rocket on on a tray with scatter over the walnuts and dress with the horseradish dressing
5. Delicious served with cold roast beef.

Scones

225g self raising flour
55g butter
25g caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz milk

Method
1. Heat the oven to 220C
2. Rub the butter into the flour
3. Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough.
4. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm thick. Use a 2cm cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.
5. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.

Fresh Strawberry Jam

200g of strawberries sliced
20g of sugar

1. Bring the strawberries to a gentle simmer til they have broken down
2. Add the sugar
3. Leave to cool

Strawberrys, Brownies and Meringues cheating with readymade meringues this was a big hit with a bowl of cream on the side.

Lettuce, Lentil, Bacon and Walnut Salad

Back from camping and after a quick scope round the garden hungry for lunch. Surprisingly some  bacon leftover from camping fry ups and for some pretend healthiness a little salad.

There was only a little lettuce left in the bottom of the salad drawer, not enough to make a proper salad,  so I cooked up some lentils. With a balsamic vinegar dressing dressing and few toasted walnuts. Chicory or fennel would work perfectly in this dish too.

Lettuce Lentil and Bacon and Walnut Salad

Serves two

1/2 head of lettuce
150g of puy lentils
1 stick of celery finely chopped
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
2 rashers of bacon
1 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of walnut pieces

Dressing

2 tbsp of fresh parsley finely chopped
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cover the lentils, bay leaf & celery with boiling water.
2. Simmer gently for 20minutes , they should still have some bite to them.
3. Once cooked cover with cold water.
4. Chop the bacon,  garlic into slices fry until the bacon is crispy for the last few minutes add the walnuts,
5. Mix together the vinegar , honey, oil , mustard , parsley & salt and pepper,  to make a dressing.
6. Dress the lentils in the dressing
7. Layer the lettuce and lentils in a bowl.
8. Top off the salad with the bacon, garlic and walnuts.

Sardines with Fregula Sarda Salad

The weather cannot quite decide,  if its being hot or cold but this was a dish for one of the warmer evenings.  I bought a very large bag of fregula sarda a Sardinian cous cous .Larger than the more common morrocan cous cous, which until a few years ago I thought was a grain . Cous Cous is made by  rubbing wet semolina wheat into little balls which are dried then toasted. I have been looking for this pasta for a while and I was delighted to find a massive bag for sale at the Continental Market which is being held on Fridays in Lower Marsh Market

Fregula sarda is lovely in soup like pearl barley or another small pasta orzo  but I wanted to try it in a summery salad , it needs boiling rather than soaking like normal cous cous a few minutes in a pan of salted water. You can then add a a range of delicious ingredients .

Grilled Sardines

1. Slash the sardines , season with salt and pepper and brush with a little oil
2. Grill for a few minutes either side under a hot grill or on the BBQ
3. Serve with a squeeze of lemon

Fregula Sarda Salad

200g of Fregula Sarda ( Italian Cous Cous)
1 tbsp of preseved lemon finely chopped
1 medium avocado , chopped into 1cm peices
100g of broad beans removed from the pods
3 tbsp of sundried tomatoes , finely chopped
1 handful of fresh parsley roughly chopped
Twist of pepper
1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Simmer the fregula sarda in a pan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes.
2. Steam the broad beans over the top of the water once cooked peel the broad beans.
3. Once the fregola is cooked rinse it in cold water and peel the broad beans
4. Mix in the preserved lemon , tomatoes , broad beans , parsley
5. Season with pepper and a slosh of olive oil.

New Potato , Asparagus , Bacon & Duck Egg Warm Salad

There are so many delicious new potatoes around this spring and to end this spring salad the  last of the asparagus , the season which  is apparently  ending early this year, both of these are delicious warm with a vinegary dressing

I could not resist a dozen Ducks egg from Nottingham Market , ever so slightly blue they have thicker shells than chicken eggs in texture they are creamier. Soft boiled eggs are delicious with asparagus soldiers but here bulked up with salty  bacon and black pudding left over from the boyfriends weekend grill up.

A final gentle nod to a classic salad with a selection from the garden crop exploding after all the weekend rain

New Potatoes , Asparagus , Bacon & Duck Egg Salad

2 duck eggs
6 spears of asparagus
2 rashers of bacon
2 handfuls of new potatoes
a few handfuls of Salad Leaves

1. Bring the potatoes to the boil
2. Add the duck eggs for the last three minutes
3. Slice each bacon rasher into three wrap it around the asparagus
4. Grill the asparagus and black pudding until cooked
5. Mix the potatoes with the salad leaves lay over the eggs , potatoes and asparagus
6. Dress

Dressing
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of honey
1tsp of wholegrain mustard
Twist of black pepper

Black Bream with wild watercress sauce , asparagus and new potatoes

Carrying on with the promise to have as many BBQs as possible and its Bank Holiday weekend. Its just so lovely sitting outside . I think i might be time to buy a Chiminea to keep warm though.

After a stunning time in Lyme Regis last summer I am a convert to fish on the BBQ , Nick had managed to get hold of some Black Bream its a firm white sweet tasting fish thats is fantastic cooked whole and has large easy to remove bones. Caught of the UK coast , Black Bream is also farmed  in the UK and Europe. If you are greedy like me one each is plenty.

To cook I descaled the fish,  slashed its  sides to ensure and even cooking since the fllets were large  and rubbed it with salt and pepper , it was cooked with a few minutes on either side .  I had gathered some wild watercress its grown nearly a foot high now and whipped up some watercress  butter which melts well over warm fish or potatoes

Watercress Butter

2 handfuls of watercress
1 clove of garlic
Zest and juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp of butter

1. Plunge the watercress into a boiling water and drain
2. Puree the watercress the lemon , garlic and butter
3. Spoon over the cooked fish

We also some asparagus grilled over the BBQ , it gives it a delcious rich woody flavour . Thought we might need a bit of carbs and since I had a cake in the oven I finished the plate of with some roasted new potatoes , just 30 minutes at 180degC with a small dash of olive oil gives these new potaotes and caramlised papery skin and buttery tasting inside.

White wine is traditional with fish , and this is a change from the
Pinot Grigio a Scicilian white wine, it was quite lemony, I prefer
these to the more oaky Chardonnays.

More fish or watercress recipes

Charcoal Grilled Spiced Leg of Lamb

Yesterday was just about my ideal day , delcious breakfast, long walk full of the joys of spring; lambs skipping everywhere , meadows full of flowers ,picnic in the sunshine .

To finish off the perfect day it had to be a BBQ in the evening ( first of the year) .  I have been reading Claudia Roden Picnics and other outdoor feasts, I found it reduced to 2.50, published in the early 80s and  lacking the glossy pictures of modern tomes its packed with tonnes of delicious recipes from the Middle east to classic British Jellied meats its inspirational and already well thumbed.

Claudia describes grilling a butterflied leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic,  inspired I decided I would try moving beyond my safe zone of kebabs and fish , in part since  the BBQ often stays hot a long time and these foods cook very quickly making me feel a but wasteful.  I decided to got a  bit middle eastern using what has become one of my favourite flavours  Ras al hanout ( blend of roasted cardamom, cloves, cinnamon,parpika ,coriander, cumin, tumeric and rose petals ) .

I couldn’t believe how delicious this was , the lamb had stayed moist it stayed to moist but with that only a charcoal BBQ can give sweet crunchy  smokiness on the outside ( feeling mere twinge of guilt having watched zillions of lambs hop skip and jump there way around the Dales all day). Will be trying this again with some other marinades . Served with a salad made from chargrilled veges and cous cous

Its still a bit cold once the sun goes down so we were wearing hats ,
drinking warming red wine and a bit huddled round the BBQ but the food
tasted amazing so good I think I had thirds.

Charcoal Grilled Spiced Leg of Lamb

1. Rub 3 tbsp of  Ras al hanout spice and half a preserved lemon all over the leg of lamb with 2 tbsp of olive oil, leave for a few hours
2. Once the BBQ is ready to cook .
3. Grill the lamb for 5 minutes on each side close to the coals on each side to sear the meat
4. Moving the meat to the top tier of the BBQ cook for 25 minute on each side
5. Wrap the meat in foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
6. Slice thinly and serve with plenty of pitta bread , salad and hummus

Roasted Cauliflower & Cous Cous Salad

BBQ kebabs of cauliflower , pepper and aubergine brushed with a little chilli oil
Once grilled with cous cous , red peppers , olive oil , lemon juice fresh parsley

Some other lovely BBQ recipes

Lamb Steaks with Warm salad of Purple Sprouting Broccoli and new Potatoes dressed with lemon, garlic and anchovies

These lovely Lamb steaks were suppose to be cooked in the camping stove in lovely rural Derbyshire , but it was insanely cold and  with a predicted frost and rain we had to give up and  dig the car out of the swampy campsite.

All this meant these  lamb steaks  marinated for 48hours which meant they were deliciously tender

Lamb , rosemary and anchovies just get on so well  I often rub  anchovies over a leg of lamb before roasting but here I kept them separate in a delicious warm salad of seasonal vegetables with new potatoes and purple sprouting broccoli

I could eat this as a simple salad perhaps with the addition of a little feta cheese or a poached egg.

Marinated Lamb Steaks with rosemary

2 Lamb Leg Steaks
Bunch of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic crushed
4 tbsp of red wine
Salt and pepper

1. Mix together the rosemary, garlic , red wine and salt and pepper in a plastic bag
2. Add the lamb steaks and leave for at least 24 hours
3. Grill or fry until cooked, for medium rare 5 minutes either side

Warm salad of Purple Sprouting Broccoli and new Potatoes dressed with lemon, garlic and anchovies

30g of tinned anchovies – finely chopped
Zest and juice of halt a lemon
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 clove of garlic grated/crushed
Salt and Pepper

1. Make the dressing by mixing  together the anchovies, lemon juice and zest, olive oil and garlic .
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Boil the new potatoes and steam the purple sprouting broccoli
4. While hot toss the cooked potatoes and broccoli in the dressing and leave for a few minutes .

First Picnic of the Year.. in the Garden

Last night when cooking the tagine I popped a chicken in the oven . This morning I was up early making salads and filling up the tiffin carrier using some of the cold chicken.

We were going to head out,  but the garden was so lovely with bird flying around and the bees busy pollinating the blackcurrant bush. That we picnic’d in the garden

 I lay in the garden reading for a couple of hours and finally dragged myself up to sort out the camping gear for Easter weekend, which I have cunningly planned to be next to a food-award winning pub .

In summer  I made a lot of salad and the fridge it full of ingredient to pull together bit it is still only spring so there is not a lot of salad vegetables around . I was really please to see radishes are coming into season and found this onion and radish salad . From a Hairy Bikers recipe. 

Onion and Radish Salad
Onion ( 1 large – thickly sliced soaked
in boiling water for a few minutes, plunged into cold water) , radish (
4 – finely sliced) , fresh parsley ( handful – roughly chopped) ,
chilli powder ( 1 tsp) , cider vinegar ( 2tbsp).

The caulflower salad is made from leftovers from last nights tagine

Caulflower and Cous Cous Salad
Cauliflower ( 1 handful
steamed but still al-dente) , saffron scented cous cous (10 heaped tbsp
- soak in a few strands of saffron in 200ml of boiling water ) ,
toasted sesame seeds, lemon juice ( 2tsbp ) fresh coriander/parsley (
finely chopped)

Worn out from winter vegetables slow cooked this salad uses carrots and cabbage but is light and refreshing also a good way to use up leftover chicken

Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Salad
Shredded Carrot , red cabbage , onion , cooked chicken, lime juice coriander red chilli

Using my standard jar of sundried tomatoes and olives that lives in olive oil in the fridge this is a real throw together

Orzo , chicken and Mediterranean vegetables
Orzo ( 100g orzo cooked til al dente)  ,cooked chicken (50g )  , sun dried tomatoes ( 2 tbsp roughly chopped )  ,roasted peppers ( 2 tbsp)  olive oil ( 2bsp)  mixed herbs ( 1tbsp) , salt and pepper.