Salmon and Pea Penne

You can make this creamy salmon and pea dish in the time it takes to cook the pasta, and all the ingredients are easy to find. This recipe will serve 2 people, possibly with a bit leftover for seconds. You can add some chopped parsley or chives at the end if you have them to hand.

Ingredients:

• 200g penne pasta
• 2 salmon fillets
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 250g frozen peas
• 250g quark
• Juice and zest of a lemon
• Plenty of fresh black pepper
• Salt

Method:

• Begin by putting the pasta on to cook in lots of boiling, salted water.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the frozen peas in the microwave by adding a little water to a bowl and covering with cling film. Heat on high for 4 minutes then set aside.
• Steam the salmon by adding a couple of teaspoons of water to a bowl or plate then cover the salmon with clingfilm. Cook for 4 minutes then when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the quark, spring onion, lemon zest* and lemon juice. Mix well and season with lots of black pepper and a big pinch of salt.
• Flake the salmon slightly then add to the quark mixture along with the peas.
• Once the pasta is cooked, transfer directly to the mixture with a slotted spoon (don’t drain).
• Mix well but gently until everything is combined.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
• Eat!

*if you don’t own a zester, you can use a speed peeler to take off the zest of the lemon. Just be gentle so you don’t get any of the white pith and chop as finely as you can before adding to the dish.

Burrito Bowl

There is no right way to eat a burrito bowl; you can mix and match from so many gorgeous bits and bobs but this is my perfect combination both in terms of flavours and textures. I always operate a ‘build your own’ policy in my house – just put it all out on the side and ask your guests to start a burrito conveyer belt.

My bowl starts with fluffy white rice and shredded lettuce. I accompany that with black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, chopped chicken, pickled jalapenos and a good few dashes of hot sauce to finish.  I think chicken is the best meat for this dish, but steak, pork or even salmon might work for you. I chopped up one breast from a roasted chicken and it was plenty for two of us when served in this way. The beans provide lots of protein and it’s so tasty that you’ll definitely feel satisfied! I don’t think it needs tortillas, but of course you could wrap all of the above in a soft tortilla if you wanted to.

Black Beans:

• 400g tin of black beans
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 white onion
• Salt (smoked is nice if you have it)

Start by dicing the celery and onion then fry then gently in a frying pan. After 10 minutes add the beans, cumin and tomatoes plus about half a tin of water (use the tomato tin and swirl around to get as much as possible out of the tin). Leave to simmer for at least 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary as the mixture cooks down. Done!

Guacamole:

• 1 very ripe avocado
• Juice of half a lime
• Half a green chilli
• Big pinch of salt
• Black pepper

Pulse everything in a food processor, or chop the chilli finely and mash up with everything else in a bowl until you get the consistency you like.

Pico de Gallo (Tomato Salsa):

• 7-8 baby plum tomatoes
• Half a red onion
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 jalapeno or green chilli
• Handful coriander
• Big pinch of salt
• Touch of oil (optional)

Pulse everything in a food processor or chop all the ingredients as evenly as possible and combine. Add the oil (if using), salt and lime juice – keep tasting until it blows your mind.

What’s your perfect bowl?

Creole Chicken Jambalaya

This Creole style jambalaya is my definition of warming, comforting food. The tomatoes make it Creole (as opposed to Cajun), and the addition of chorizo, while inauthentic, gives a piquancy and chewiness which I love. If you can, buy the best quality chorizo you can reasonably find and use homemade chicken stock for extra nutrition and flavour.

Ingredients (easily serves 4):

• 250g long grain rice
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes or passata
• 450ml chicken stock
• 2 cooked corn on the cobs or handful of frozen sweetcorn
• 150g chorizo, sliced (best quality you can get)
• Leftover roast chicken, chopped (I used the meat from both legs)
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 white onion
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 green peppers
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
• Black pepper
• Salt (smoked salt is great in this recipe if you have it)
• Knob of butter
• Drizzle of oil for frying
• 4/5 spring onions to garnish

Method:

• Finely chop the celery, onion and green pepper (or pulse in the food processor).
• Heat a small amount of oil and a knob of butter in your biggest frying pan and add the chopped vegetables, then turn down the heat and gently soften for about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and wipe down the pan, then turn up the heat and add the chorizo. When the chorizo has released its bright, punchy oil add the vegetables back in to the pan and pour in the rice. Stir everything to coat in the oil.
• Add the spices and herbs including a really good amount of black pepper.
• Add the crushed garlic and mix well.
• Fry the mixture gently for another few minutes then add most of the stock and the chopped tomatoes. Turn down the heat to allow the pan to simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Cut the kernels of sweetcorn from the cob by standing the cob on its end then using a sharp knife to push downwards.
• Chop the cooked chicken and add to the rice mixture along with the sweetcorn.
• Stir well and taste the rice – you can add a bit of water or stock if it looks a little dry.
• Cook until the rice is tender and until you’re happy with the seasoning.
• Serve in big bowls with spoons, finished with a generous handful of sliced spring onion.

Peanut and Lime Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

Do you ever get obsessed with a specific meal? I really do. Sometimes I’ll eat the same thing every night for a week and not become bored. This peanutty, limey stir fry is my latest obsession, I hope you enjoy as much as I have recently!

https://twitter.com/CharCooks/status/603632297418596354

Ingredients here are for one portion but you can double, triple or quadruple as required:

• 75g nest of rice noodles
• Roughly 200g of stir fry veg (about half a supermarket bag)
• Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 medium red chillis
• 1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• Juice of half a lime
• Sliced spring onion to garnish
• A little oil for frying (your choice, I use coconut oil for pretty much all cooking)

Method:

• Soak the noodles in some boiling water and set aside until you’re ready to add them.
• Cut the green stems off the chillis and bash in a pestel and mortar with the garlic and ginger until you have a loose paste.
• Heat some oil in a large frying pan (or wok if you have one) and fry the paste on a medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Be careful not to burn it as it will go bitter.
• Throw in the vegetables and toss well in the paste, fry for another few minutes until the vegetables loose a bit of volume.
• Add the soy sauce, lime juice, peanut butter and noodles.
• Toss well until everything is coated in the sauce. If you think it’s too dry add a splash of water and keep tossing and mixing.
• Tip the stir fry in to a shallow bowl and scatter over lots of sliced spring onion.

This is a vegetable dish but if you feel the need to add meat, sliced pork loin or chopped chicken thigh fillets work really well.

Roasted Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Salad with Chive and Cashew Pesto

Ah beetroot…my old friend. Having fallen out of love with beetroot after cooking it so much in preparation for MasterChef, I decided this weekend was the right time for us to reconnect. I’ve been subject to a lot of nagging from friends and family to recreate my quarter final dish so I created this jazzed down version which I thought would be perfect for feeding our friends at the weekend.

Serves 6 for a light lunch with a big baguette.

Ingredients:

12 Fresh beetroot with stems and leaves intact if possible

2 125g soft goat’s cheeses (I like soft mould but any soft will work well)

For the pesto:

30g chives

50g unsalted cashew nuts

120g manchego

Zest of half a lemon

Bag of pea shoots

Bag of baby watercress

Juice of an orange

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Splash of white wine vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Light olive oil for roasting

Salt

Fresh black pepper

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 190 degrees.
• Trim the stems from the beetroot leaving about 2cm left then wash and peel the beetroot with a speed peeler. (You might choose to do this in the sink under running water to avoid alarming purple hands which last a couple of days).
• Wash the stems and pat them dry with kitchen paper ready for sautéing later.
• Season the beets with salt and pepper then place in a roasting tin and drizzle with some light olive oil or similar oil. Give them a shake about to make sure they’re all coated then cover loosely with foil and roast for 45 minutes. When they’re cooked, leave them to one side to cool.
• In a food processor, combine the manchego, cashews and lemon zest then pulse until the ingredients start to look like fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the chives and about 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil along with a good pinch of salt. Keep pulsing until the pesto starts coming together – you can add more of anything if you think it needs it, just trust your own taste and keep stopping to dip your spoon in to check.
• For the dressing pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive in to a container with a lid (a little Tupperware box is perfect), add the juice of an orange, the mustard, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and a generous amount of fresh black pepper. Shake vigorously until the mixture emulsifies and there is no layer of oil on the top. Taste it and adjust to your tastes.
• Choose the best stems, discarding any that look a bit tired. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté the stems for about 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as you put them in the pan.
• To assemble, spread the pea shoots and watercress across your biggest plate then dot teaspoon amounts of the pesto evenly in between the leaves.
• Trim the tops off the beets and slice them top to toe to reveal the beautiful marbled pattern inside.
• Arrange the beet halves over the leaves and top with the sautéed stems.
• Spoon the dressing all over the salad then cut the goat’s cheese in to slices, placing them gently on top.
• Slice up a fresh baguette and place the gorgeous big plate in the middle of the table so you can chat, eat and enjoy.

Rose Harissa

I love huge, bold flavours that grab you by every sense and leave a lasting memory on your palate. Just the thought of this harissa is enough to make my mouth water. I promise you it will make pretty much any meal a whole lot more interesting; these flavours are best friends with grilled meat and are perfect for a BBQ.

I made this harissa as part of a middle eastern style BBQ with Tzatziki and some beautiful prawns which were marinaded in sumac, lemon, garlic and coriander. The prawn recipe is courtesy of Sabrina Ghayour. Her book, Persiana is the most beautiful recipe book I own and is my go to place for inspiration.

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh red chillis
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• Salt

Method:

• Place the rose petals in a small bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to soak.
• Put a dry frying pan on a medium heat and add all the seeds.
• Toast them for a minute or two – give them a couple of shakes and don’t walk away while they’re toasting! You’ll know they are done when your kitchen starts to smell gorgeous.
• Tip the seeds in to a pestle and mortar and bash to a fine powder.
• Chop the stalks off the top of chillis but leave the seeds in.
• Put the everything (including the soaking water) in a food processor and blend to a paste. If you prefer, you can bash everything up in your pestle and mortar until you have the consistency you want. You can add a bit more tomato puree to make it thicker, or a few drops of water to loosen.
• Taste and add some salt if you think it needs it but go easy as the flavours will mature further over a few days or even hours.

The harissa is perfect to eat straight away but it’s even better the day after. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge and it will keep for a couple of weeks.

Bruwer Raats – Family Cabernet Franc 2010

Really enjoyed this post having tried Cabernet Franc for the first time recently. Cheers!

Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce

This is the dish I cooked for previous MasterChef contestants and arguably the one that won me a spot in the quarter finals. Since the show went out I’ve been inundated with requests for the recipe so I’ve written it up below.  If anyone would like a printable step by step guide which includes timings and lots of detail just get in touch via the site and I will whizz one over to you! I’m a very methodical person (except when I’m in the MasterChef kitchen apparently) so I made myself detailed guides to help me stay on track with timings. If you’re making this at home, it’s probably not necessary unless your co-eaters intend to time you to exactly 60 minutes!

Ingredients:

Pork:

• 350g pork tenderloin  (outdoor reared is best if you can)
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• 250ml crème fraiche
• 50ml whiskey
• Salt
• Olive oil for frying
• Black pepper
• Tablespoon dried sage
• Tablespoon dried parsley
• 25g parmesan

Vegetables:

• Chanteney carrots (allow a few per person)
• Teaspoon of sugar
• 60g butter
• 3 baby leeks
• 3 baby parsnips
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds

Apple sauce:

• 1 granny smith apple
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon honey

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Scrape the skin off the carrots using a sharp knife and wash the parsnips.
• Half the parsnips lengthways and toss in oil, salt, black pepper and celery seeds. Tip on to a roasting tray and put them in the oven, they’ll take about 30 minutes.
• Combine 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, herbs and parmesan in a small bowl and mix well. Use a pastry brush to coat the meat all over then set aside.
• Peel and chop the apple in to 2cm chunks then heat in a small pan with the juice of half a lemon. Once the mixture is soft and the apples are cooked, pass through a fine sieve and set aside.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork on all sides until well browned, then transfer to a roasting tin and cook for 12-15 minutes. Don’t wash the pan; you’ll need it for your sauce!
• Once the cooking time has finished, transfer the meat to a board and cover loosely with foil to rest. A general rule is to rest the meat for the same length of time you’ve cooked it for.
• Place the carrots in medium saucepan then add enough water to just cover them. Add a big pinch of salt, a big pinch of sugar and 30g of butter. Turn the heat up and cook for around 15 minutes until the carrots are cooked through.
• Slice the leeks lengthways and give them a really good rinse under cold water. Slice them up and add a big knob of butter to a frying pan, leave the heat low and sauté until soft.
• Take the pan you cooked your pork in and put on a high heat. When hot, add the whiskey and a knob of butter.
• Once you can see the liquid has reduced slightly add the rest of the Dijon and the wholegrain mustard to the pan and give it a stir.
• Add the crème fraiche, turn down the heat and allow to bubble. Taste and season if necessary (add more mustard if you like).
• Slice the pork thickly and arrange on the plate with the vegetables.
• Give each plate a couple of teaspoons of apple sauce then pour plenty of mustard sauce over the whole dish.

Garlic Spatchcock Chicken with Creamy Orzo and Rocket

This is a really easy tea with notably very little washing up! We have served this as a crowd pleaser for friends in the past but tonight I’ve made it for two. You can add your own twist with different vegetable sides or by using a regular soft cheese if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 medium chicken (around 1.4kg)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 5 tablespoons light olive oil
• 250g orzo pasta
• 150ml half fat crème fraiche
• 100g soft goat’s cheese
• 2 lemons
• 70g fresh rocket
• Small bunch of parsley
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 200 degrees.
• Flip the chicken so the breast is facing down then use a strong pair of scissors to cut down the back bone. Once you’ve cut all the way down turn the chicken over and use your hands to push down until you hear a crack and you feel the bird flatten out.
• Place the chicken in a large roasting tin.
• Bash or blend the garlic with the oil until completely smooth (any pieces of garlic will burn in the oven) then pour over the chicken and rub in all over.
• Season the chicken on both sides with plenty of salt and pepper then roast for 1 hour basting 2 or 3 times with the juices from the tin.
• Once the chicken is out of the oven, cover loosely with foil while you prepare the orzo.
• Cook the orzo in plenty of boiling, salted water for 7 minutes then drain keeping about a mug full of the cooking water.
• Add the crème fraiche, goat’s cheese and juice of 2 lemons then mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
• Allow to simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes then taste again. Adjust flavourings to your own preference (salt, pepper, lemon) then stir through the rocket and turn off the heat.
• Roughly chop the parsley and stir through the orzo.

How you eat this is down to you! I removed the breasts and legs from the chicken then served on top of the orzo but this could work equally well in the middle of the table so people can help themselves. If you’re making this for a crowd chicken thighs would be ideal on or off the bone. I don’t tend to cook chicken breasts but if you prefer them, a griddled breast sliced on top of the pasta would also work well.

Easter Croquembouche

My Easter centrepiece is a croquembouche, a stack or tower of profiteroles bound together with caramel. It does involve a little bit work, but I felt extremely proud of myself when it was finished and my friends were diving in for seconds, thirds and fourths. I have wanted to make one for ages, mainly for the challenge as there are lots of techniques involved, but also because a profiterole filled with smooth custard then coated in a thin crispy caramel just sounds delicious.

I’ve gone with an Easter theme and decorated mine with some little wafer flowers from The Cooperative Food home baking range and some Easter pralines in the shape of eggs, hens and rabbits (also from The Cooperative Food). I went a bit crazy and decided to make a nest out of spun sugar but I’m not going to detail how to do that here. My average sized kitchen was a little bit sugary and sticky by the time I’d finished and working with hot sugar can be really dangerous! If you’re an experienced baker then go for it, but if you’re more of a novice I’d recommend that you go for more is more on the other decorations.

For the pastry (makes about 40)

• 150g unsalted butter
• 200g plain flour
• 450ml water
• 4 large eggs
• 75g golden caster sugar
• Pinch of salt

For the filling

• 6 large egg yolks
• 600ml whole milk
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 150g The Cooperative Fairtrade Ghanaian dark chocolate (85% Cocoa)
• Pinch of salt

To assemble

• Lots of caster sugar (at least 400g just to be safe and as insurance in case you burn a batch by mistake)
• The Cooperative Wafer Flowers
• The Cooperative Spring Pralines

You can find lots of lovely things in The Cooperative home baking range, have a look here: http://www.co-operativefood.co.uk/groceries/home-baking/

Start with the pastry crème which will fill the profiteroles – it must be completely cold before piping. You can do this step a day in advance if it helps!

• Put the milk in a large pan and start to heat gently.
• Separate 6 eggs (keep the whites for something else, they freeze really well!) and beat in the sugar.
• Tip in the flour and salt then mix thoroughly until there are no lumps and the mixture looks like a paste.
• Once the milk has started to bubble slightly at the edges, pour half over the egg/sugar/flour paste and mix together.
• Pour the mixture back in to the pan with the other half of the milk, stir well and turn the heat to medium.
• At this point, the MOST important thing to do is to stir constantly, even if your arms start aching!
• The mixture will take about 10 minutes to thicken; you’ll know it’s ready when it’s the consistency of traditional thick custard. Remove it from the heat at this point.
• Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie) or for 60 seconds in the microwave then stir through the pastry crème.
• Cover the pastry crème immediately either with a dusting of icing sugar or with tightly fitting cling film. This will stop a skin forming. Leave in a cool place while you prepare the choux, or if you’re making in advance, wait until it’s totally cold then refrigerate.

To make the profiteroles (this can also be done in advance, either freeze or keep in an airtight container until you’re ready to fill.)

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 200 degrees.
• Melt the butter in a large pan and add the water. Bring to the boil.
• Tip in the flour and salt then turn off the heat, beat the mixture together quickly (wooden spoon is your best friend for this job) until it comes together. It should come away from the sides of the pan and look smooth.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl. You’ll need some energy for this next part, or you might choose to rope in a mate to take over when your arm hurts.
• Beat the egg in to the dough until combined, and then gradually keep adding until the dough is smooth and silky.
• Grease a couple of baking sheets and spoon on teaspoon sized amounts of the dough leaving a few centimetres between each. Dab each mound with a bit of cold water then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The buns should rise and be golden brown.
• Take the buns out of the oven then pierce a hole in the bottom of each bun before leaving to cool on a wire rack.
• At this point you might need to make another batch depending on the size of your oven and baking sheet(s).
• Once the buns have cooled, put them back in to the oven for a further 5 minutes to crisp up.

To assemble!

You do need a piping bag to get the filling in to the buns, but if you really can’t get hold of one you can slice open the choux buns and spoon in the custard however it could make assembly a little tricky. You’ll need a 5mm plain nozzle for the piping bag. You’ll also need a mould of some description; I made mine out of a piece of cardboard, held together with a few strips of tape. The one I made was 25cm tall and measured 60cm round at the base. I covered the whole thing in greaseproof paper.

• Fill each bun with the chocolate filling, be generous, and don’t scrimp here.
• When all the buns have been filled, you can start on the caramel.

I found this easiest to do in 3 or 4 batches as caramel is tricky to get right if you’re not well practised.

• Tip some caster sugar in to a shallow frying pan and turn up the heat.
• You’ll see little beads of sugar start to melt at the edges and the sugar will start to turn golden, don’t be afraid to give it a bit of swirl if some parts aren’t melting but avoid stirring with a spoon.
• Once the sugar has all melted and the colour is golden brown, bring the pan over to the buns and mould.
• CAREFULLY dip each bun in to the caramel then work quickly to stick the buns round the mould.
• If you need to, make more caramel and carry on until all the buns are coated and your croquembouche starts becoming recognisable!
• Use a bit of leftover pastry crème to decorate with the wafer flowers and pralines.
• Stand back and admire your work!