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.

Cabbage Rolls

This is simple, nutritious and great value. It’s also a welcome side step from the usual mince recipes like chilli or cottage pie. You can use pork or beef mince and adapt the sauce with flavours of your own like garlic or fresh green herbs. Here’s the recipe I like!

Ingredients:

• 1 savoy cabbage
• 500g beef or pork mince
• 1 mug of basmati rice
• Half a teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 x 500g cartons or jars of passata
• 1 medium red chilli

Method:

For the rolls:

• In a large saucepan, pour out a mug of rice and add two mugs of boiling water. Put a lid on and turn up the heat for a minute, then turn the heat down simmer for 5 minutes. Now take the pan off the heat, leaving the lid on and don’t touch it! The rice will continue to steam and should separate out nicely! (If you’re short on time or not confident about doing that, you can use 3 of the pre-cooked packets of basmati instead.)
• Prepare the cabbage by gently pull away the leaves, keeping them as intact as possible! I find it easiest to make incisions at the base of the cabbage using a sharp knife – this helps the leaves come away whole.
• Boil a big pan of salted water and drop in the cabbage leaves a few at a time. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from the pan and set aside on to a plate.
• Once the rice has cooked and cooled, combine with the mince, nutmeg and a big pinch of salt and black pepper. You can also add other flavours here if you want to; try finely chopped onions, peppers or even chopped nuts.
• Spoon a tablespoon of the mixture in to the centre of each cabbage leaf and wrap it around the filling. It doesn’t have to be neat but it does have to wrap all the way round so take some filling out if you need to.

Steam the rolls for 15 minutes. They are now cooked and can be eaten plain, but I like to accompany with a smooth, spicy sauce.

For the sauce:

• To make the sauce, simply add touch of olive oil and a chopped a chilli (seeds in or out) to a frying pan and fry gently for a few minutes.
• Add the passata and season well with salt, black pepper. Add a pinch of sugar and and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar then simmer for at least 10 minutes.

To serve:

 

You can serve this any way you like, but I usually pour half the sauce out in to a roasting dish then put the rolls on top of the sauce. Pour over the rest, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can pour the sauce out on to a big platter then put the rolls on top; the colour contrast is fantastic. Either way, they’re just so simple and satisfying! I served some garlicky green beans on the side for crunch and extra flavour.

Stuffed Jalapenos!

Sure you can buy a version of these from the supermarket and stick them in the oven, but seriously, these are SO much better, cheaper and you’ll know exactly what’s in them. This recipe makes 18, which would be just enough for me on my own – they’re really that good.

Ingredients:

• 9 fresh jalapeno peppers
• 2 big tablespoons cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan (about 25g)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 slice of dry bread (I always save the crusts of a loaf for stuff like this) or 4 heaped tablespoons of shop bought breadcrumbs
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Method:

• Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees or gas mark 6.
• Half the peppers lengthways and scrape out the seeds and white pith. Leave the stems on (for decoration and eating apparatus).
• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with the paprika, salt and pepper. It should loosen up quickly to make it easier to spoon.
• Blitz the bread and parmesan in the food processor, or just mix the shop bought breadcrumbs together with grated parmesan if you’re cheating.
• Using a teaspoon, push the cream cheese mixture in to the hollow of the peppers until you’ve filled them all generously.
• Tip the breadcrumbs out on to a plate then one by one, push the peppers (cheese side down) in to the breadcrumbs.
• Place the peppers on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
• Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before serving unless you want third degree burns of the mouth.

Serve as part of a platter or just for a snack. beware that the heat of the peppers can be unpredictable so grab some water or beer to put the fire out if necessary.

Auntie Rachel’s Savoury Rice

As my father-in-law is originally from Sierra Leone, special occasions in our family are often filled with amazing African food. This weekend saw a big reunion as my sister-in-law celebrated her marriage; this called for massive celebrations and equally massive amounts of the tastiest food. Auntie Rachel was kind enough to walk me through her mixed vegetable savoury rice which she makes every Sunday to eat with pretty much anything throughout the week. The hard bit was trying to keep track of quantities, as her style of cooking is traditionally African and she can confidently throw all the ingredients in together after years and years of practice.

I woke up the next morning and straight away thought about the tasty rice and now there is a big pan in my fridge as well!

8 Generous portions

Ingredients

• 3 medium white onions
• 3 table spoons of oil (we used olive oil)
• 4 cups of basmati rice
• 3 cups of boiled water
• 3 knorr stock cubes
• 1 table spoon all purpose seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of white pepper
• Pinch of saffron
• 500g mixed veg chopped into small pieces (we used a frozen bag of carrots, peas and sweetcorn)

Method

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan on a medium-low heat, and add the onions, keep stirring until the onions have softened. Try not to let them colour.
• Crumble in 3 stock cubes, all purpose seasoning and white pepper. Stir the onions so they are coated in the flavours and continue to fry on a low heat for a couple more minutes.
• Whilst the onions are frying, put the rice in a colander and rinse in cold water to remove the starch. It’s best to rinse the rice twice to give extra fluffy rice.
• Add the rice to the pan stirring through all the onions making sure the rice is coated in the flavours, add the boiled and water and sprinkle in the saffron.
• Give everything a good stir (contrary to popular advice, Auntie Rachel had no concerns about stirring the rice as much a she felt it needed).
• Make a lid out of tin foil and cover the rice tightly. Put the lid on the pan and turn the heat down to low.
• After 10 minutes stir through the vegetable and recover with the foil on the pan lid.

Scallops with Fennel Puree, Sweet Potato and Charred Spring Onions

Ok, so it’s not exactly a midweek tea, but it is very easy and looks fancy. Allowing 3 scallops per person will make a perfect starter or very light supper with drinks and pudding.

Ingredients:

• 6 scallops
• 4 spring onions, washed and trimmed
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 sweet potato
• Bag of pea shoots or mild salad leaves of your choice
• Handful flat leaf parsley
• 1 medium red chilli
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method:

• Chop the fennel in to 8 pieces and boil in salted water until tender (usually about 10 minutes).
• Drain the fennel very well and transfer to a food processor. Blend until very smooth then taste and add more salt or a squeeze of lemon if required.
• Transfer the puree to a bowl and cover until you’re ready to eat.
• Peel and dice the sweet potato in to 1cm cubes, then add to a frying pan with butter, salt and black pepper. Fry gently to caramelise the outside slightly but be careful not to burn it. They will take about 10 minutes and will need to be tossed about every couple of minutes to ensure even cooking.
• Heat up your griddle pan until very hot then lay the spring onion in the pan, pressing down slightly to create the lovely markings and create even more taste! These will also take about 10 minutes to become soft.
• Now make the dressing by finely chopping the herbs and chilli, then adding the juice of a lemon and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust to your own liking!
• Fill a big bowl with cold water and drop the pea shoots in, pushing them gently down with your hands.
• Heat a frying pan and add a drizzle of olive oil, then sprinkle a touch of chilli powder on to both sides of the scallops. Add a pinch of salt too.
• Fry the scallops in the pan for a minute on each side, then turn off the heat. Leave for another minute in the pan while you plate up. Take your time and make it look beautiful!
• Gently lift the pea shoots out of the water with your hands, then lay on to some kitchen paper.
• Spoon the puree in the middle of the plate, then add the sweet potato round the edges along with some pea shoots or any salad leaves you like. The dressing goes on next, then finally the scallops and spring onions.

Enjoy!

 

 

Spiced Up Soup

It’s getting cold now, so time to reignite our love of warm, winter food. This recipe uses some pre-chopped vegetables which saves time, but of course you can buy them loose and chop them up yourself. If you don’t have a hand blender, you can pick one up for about £5 in the supermarket; you’ll be surprised how often you use it.

Ingredients:

• Two supermarket bags of soup mix (carrots, swede, leeks and onions)
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tablespoons medium curry powder
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Handful of fresh coriander
• 1 medium red chilli

 Method:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan then tip in all the vegetables and sweat them down on a low heat for about 10 minutes..
• Add the garlic, curry powder and cumin and stir well to ensure everything is coated.
• Crumble in the stock cubes and add enough water to just cover the vegetables.
• Cook on a low – medium heat for 15-20 mins until the vegetables have completely softened, then blend in the food processor or using a hand blender until you reach your desired consistency (we like to very smooth).
• When you’re ready to serve, roughly chop the coriander and stir through, then slice up the red chilli and sprinkle over the soup.

To make a complete meal, serve with warmed garlic and coriander naan bread.

Tomato and Feta Salad with Herby Dressing

I tend to make variations of this salad all the time, but I thought this particular one was blog worthy! There is a great range of vinegars in the supermarket these days, and because they’re inexpensive, you can have a whole variety in your cupboards without spending very much. Sherry vinegar is lovely in place of white wine vinegar in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Large handful of cherry or baby plum tomatoes
• Half a block of feta
• Half a red onion, very thinly sliced
• 4 or 5 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3/4 shallots
• Small handful of fresh mint
• Small handful of flat leaf parsley
• Tablespoon of capers
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• To make the dressing, combine the oil and vinegar with the mustard and a couple of twists of black pepper then set aside.
• Peel and finely chop the shallots – it’s worth taking your time to do this properly 🙂
• Chop the herbs together and add to the dressing along with the shallots and capers. Combine well and taste to check the seasoning.
• Half the fresh tomatoes and place in the serving bowl with the sundried tomatoes and red onion. Crumble in the feta using your fingers to get a range of sizes which makes for a lovely texture.
• Dress the salad with your lovely herby dressing.
• Enjoy with pretty much anything (especially wine).

Try your own combination or experiment with green herbs to find your perfect version.