3 slices back bacon
Brie cheese
Thickly sliced tomatoes
Rocket
Balsamic vinegar
Bread
Butter
Fry the bacon, though after turning place a slice of brie on each slice.
Fry the tomato slices alongside the bacon.
Toast the bread. Butter.
Assemble as follows: Bread, bacon, tomatoes, seasoning, rocket, balsamic, other slice of bread.
Welcome to the blog! I write recipes here for things I have cooked, trying to include useful information.
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Sunday, 23 October 2016
Stuffed cabbage rolls in tomato sauce
(Stuffing here is indicative)
Serves c.4
8 savoy cabbage leaves
6 sausages
100g brie or other cheese
2 slices white bread without crusts
75ml milk
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
Cut the thickest stem parts out of the leaves in a V shape. Wash in cold water. Boil in a large volume of salted water for 8 minutes, turning over the pan contents half way gently. Drain in a colander and leave to dry and cool in a sink until they can be handled. Don't need to refresh with cold water. They can be quite fragile.
Soak the bread in the milk until absorbed. Slice the skins off the sausages, combine with the bread, chopped brie and some seasoning.
Place the leaf flat on a board with the V towards you. Place some stuffing across the centre. Fold the sides in first, then roll up and secure with 1 turn of cooking string.
Melt some butter and oil in a large casserole. Place in the cabbage rolls and warm through briefly. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for around 45 minutes. Lovely with potatoes.
Serves c.4
8 savoy cabbage leaves
6 sausages
100g brie or other cheese
2 slices white bread without crusts
75ml milk
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
Cut the thickest stem parts out of the leaves in a V shape. Wash in cold water. Boil in a large volume of salted water for 8 minutes, turning over the pan contents half way gently. Drain in a colander and leave to dry and cool in a sink until they can be handled. Don't need to refresh with cold water. They can be quite fragile.
Soak the bread in the milk until absorbed. Slice the skins off the sausages, combine with the bread, chopped brie and some seasoning.
Place the leaf flat on a board with the V towards you. Place some stuffing across the centre. Fold the sides in first, then roll up and secure with 1 turn of cooking string.
Melt some butter and oil in a large casserole. Place in the cabbage rolls and warm through briefly. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for around 45 minutes. Lovely with potatoes.
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Shoulder of lamb baked with provencal vegetables
1 shoulder of lamb
4 tomatoes
1 small aubergine
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 large onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Handful basil
Slice the vegetables very thickly. Sit the lamb on the vegetables, layered up as best possible with the basil in between. Pour some olive oil over the lamb and season very well. Pour a small glass of water in the tray.
Bake at 210C for 30mins to get the browning going.
Bake another 2 hours uncovered at 150C. Baste the vegetables if required to prevent burning.
Cover loosely with foil and cook for another 1-2 hours, or as desired, at 150C as before.
Allow to rest before serving with a little olive oil drizzled over.
4 tomatoes
1 small aubergine
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 large onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Handful basil
Slice the vegetables very thickly. Sit the lamb on the vegetables, layered up as best possible with the basil in between. Pour some olive oil over the lamb and season very well. Pour a small glass of water in the tray.
Bake at 210C for 30mins to get the browning going.
Bake another 2 hours uncovered at 150C. Baste the vegetables if required to prevent burning.
Cover loosely with foil and cook for another 1-2 hours, or as desired, at 150C as before.
Allow to rest before serving with a little olive oil drizzled over.
Wednesday, 6 July 2016
Italian beef stew with vegetables
1 btl red
400g large diced feather blade steak (or another stewing cut that you like)
4 small onions, peeled whole and quatered leaving the root intact (or just very small onions peeled and left whole)
2 sticks celery, cut into 1.5 inch lengths, then each lenth cut into 3 or 4 batons
2 medium carrots, peeled, qartered lengthwise and again cut into 1.5 inch lengths
4 tomatoes, halved, seasoned, oiled and roasted at 150C for approx 1 hr.
1 tbsp herbes de provence
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree/concentrate
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
Butter
To cook this in a minimum of time you need to be using two pans from the off: A wide frying pan and a stew pot. Heat a film of oil with a small amount of butter in both.
I feel a preliminary marinating phase is pretty optional here, particularly if it will sit in the fridge for a day or two between having been made and serving.
Sweat the onions in the stew pot over a moderate/high heat. When they are softened and a little coloured, add the celery, saute again for around 5 minutes then add the carrots.
Meanwhile fry the beef in batches in the pan over a high heat, aiming to well colour each surface of each cube, spacing them out as you fry, and not burn too many fragments. Remove to a dish when done. If the meat has large sinew threads going through it, then when dicing it you can try to dice it along these lines then cut out some of the sinew once it is on the surface of a cube. This is one advantage of buying the meat in a whole peice.
Add the herbes de provence to the veg pot, along with the chopped garlic. Stir for 3 seconds. Add the tomato puree. Cook until it has lost its red raw colour. Add the reserved and browned meat.
Empty excess fat from the frying pan and pour the bottle of wine into this (assuming it fits) over the heat. Scrape the base of the pan well and let the wine bubble, then empty into the pot. Add boiling water to cover if needed.
Season only lightly and bring to a simmer. Skim off any scum that arises to the surface. Adjust the heat (or lid's adjarness) to a very low simmer and leave to cook for around 1.5 hours. At this point add the roasted tomatoes then cook for another 1.5 hours. Don't be afraid to cook it for longer if it looks like it needs it, particularly if the meat is well interlaced with fat.
Just before serving add the frozen peas and simmer for a while to cook them. Taste, season generously with both salt and pepper, spoon off any excess fat from the surface (if needed; some is fine) and you can always leave the lid off to let it reduce for a while also.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. It sounds like a bit of an effort when you describe it like this but it really isn't, particularly as it needs no other vegetable accompaniment. If you make it carefully with nice meat, and I do recommend trying to find feather blade steak, then nothing could be nicer.
400g large diced feather blade steak (or another stewing cut that you like)
4 small onions, peeled whole and quatered leaving the root intact (or just very small onions peeled and left whole)
2 sticks celery, cut into 1.5 inch lengths, then each lenth cut into 3 or 4 batons
2 medium carrots, peeled, qartered lengthwise and again cut into 1.5 inch lengths
4 tomatoes, halved, seasoned, oiled and roasted at 150C for approx 1 hr.
1 tbsp herbes de provence
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree/concentrate
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
Butter
To cook this in a minimum of time you need to be using two pans from the off: A wide frying pan and a stew pot. Heat a film of oil with a small amount of butter in both.
I feel a preliminary marinating phase is pretty optional here, particularly if it will sit in the fridge for a day or two between having been made and serving.
Sweat the onions in the stew pot over a moderate/high heat. When they are softened and a little coloured, add the celery, saute again for around 5 minutes then add the carrots.
Meanwhile fry the beef in batches in the pan over a high heat, aiming to well colour each surface of each cube, spacing them out as you fry, and not burn too many fragments. Remove to a dish when done. If the meat has large sinew threads going through it, then when dicing it you can try to dice it along these lines then cut out some of the sinew once it is on the surface of a cube. This is one advantage of buying the meat in a whole peice.
Add the herbes de provence to the veg pot, along with the chopped garlic. Stir for 3 seconds. Add the tomato puree. Cook until it has lost its red raw colour. Add the reserved and browned meat.
Empty excess fat from the frying pan and pour the bottle of wine into this (assuming it fits) over the heat. Scrape the base of the pan well and let the wine bubble, then empty into the pot. Add boiling water to cover if needed.
Season only lightly and bring to a simmer. Skim off any scum that arises to the surface. Adjust the heat (or lid's adjarness) to a very low simmer and leave to cook for around 1.5 hours. At this point add the roasted tomatoes then cook for another 1.5 hours. Don't be afraid to cook it for longer if it looks like it needs it, particularly if the meat is well interlaced with fat.
Just before serving add the frozen peas and simmer for a while to cook them. Taste, season generously with both salt and pepper, spoon off any excess fat from the surface (if needed; some is fine) and you can always leave the lid off to let it reduce for a while also.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. It sounds like a bit of an effort when you describe it like this but it really isn't, particularly as it needs no other vegetable accompaniment. If you make it carefully with nice meat, and I do recommend trying to find feather blade steak, then nothing could be nicer.
Monday, 14 December 2015
Minestrone soup (2 stage)
Basically you boil/poach the meat first then make a soup with the meat and the stock...
Serves c.8 generously
Full ingredients list
1 bacon hock (preferred), or 1 very large slice (300g) of slab bacon (like unsliced streaky bacon; not pancetta)
300g of stewing steak (eg. skirt; chuck; brisket)
1/2 btl red wine
5 onions
4 carrots
1 thing of celery
4 cloves garlic
2 cans whole plum tomatoes
Large bunch of thyme
1/2 spring or other tender cabbage
Handful green beans
Handful garden peas (assuming frozen here)
c. 100g small pasta shapes eg. little stars or orzo
3 tbsp very finely chopped flat leaf parsley (measured when chopped)
4tbsp vegetable oil
100g butter
To serve:
Grated parmesan cheese; extra virgin olive oil; ground black pepper
Stage 1
Place the bacon in a small pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Boil for roughly 5-10 minutes. This is to rid the joint of excess saltiness and is a vital (and easy) step. Dump it into a sink, wash it with cold water.
Place the bacon, beef, and some of the stock vegetables, all finely sliced, in a snug pot. Ie. 3 onions; 2 carrots; 3 sticks celery; all the thyme. Add a bay leaf/parsley stalks/whatever else you have. Pour over the wine and top up with cold water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer off any scum that arises then adjust to a very slow simmer. It takes time to adjust it to the right level, over the heat, because if your heat is at its lowest level the boil will be very sensitive to exactly how 'ajar' the lid is. Poach like this for 4 hours.
Stage 2
Empty the above into a colander over a bowl once cooled for 20 minutes. It's practical here to put the liquid and meat (separated) in the fridge until the next day. Discard all the other vegetables in the stock.
Chop all the remaining vegetables finely. In the vegetable oil sweat them adding each five minutes after the last in the following order: Onions; celery; carrots; garlic (briefly) then add the canned tomatoes. Slice these against the back of a wooden spoon. Cook like this for 5 minutes. Chop the meat small then add this along with the stock. Add more liquid if you think there isn't enough (this is bulk cooking!), and cook at this point for 1 hour.
Add the cabbage, finely shredded, and green beans cut into 1cm lengths. Simmer another 20 minutes.
Add the pasta shapes and when they are nearly done add the frozen peas which only need to simmer briefly.
Add the chopped parsley at the very last moment and season well with salt and pepper. You can also adjust the flavour with sugar if there is insufficient sweetness or red wine vinegar for acidity.
Top each serving with grated parmesan cheese, and pour a little extra virgin olive oil over then finish with extra pepper. Should work!
Serves c.8 generously
Full ingredients list
1 bacon hock (preferred), or 1 very large slice (300g) of slab bacon (like unsliced streaky bacon; not pancetta)
300g of stewing steak (eg. skirt; chuck; brisket)
1/2 btl red wine
5 onions
4 carrots
1 thing of celery
4 cloves garlic
2 cans whole plum tomatoes
Large bunch of thyme
1/2 spring or other tender cabbage
Handful green beans
Handful garden peas (assuming frozen here)
c. 100g small pasta shapes eg. little stars or orzo
3 tbsp very finely chopped flat leaf parsley (measured when chopped)
4tbsp vegetable oil
100g butter
To serve:
Grated parmesan cheese; extra virgin olive oil; ground black pepper
Stage 1
Place the bacon in a small pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Boil for roughly 5-10 minutes. This is to rid the joint of excess saltiness and is a vital (and easy) step. Dump it into a sink, wash it with cold water.
Place the bacon, beef, and some of the stock vegetables, all finely sliced, in a snug pot. Ie. 3 onions; 2 carrots; 3 sticks celery; all the thyme. Add a bay leaf/parsley stalks/whatever else you have. Pour over the wine and top up with cold water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer off any scum that arises then adjust to a very slow simmer. It takes time to adjust it to the right level, over the heat, because if your heat is at its lowest level the boil will be very sensitive to exactly how 'ajar' the lid is. Poach like this for 4 hours.
Stage 2
Empty the above into a colander over a bowl once cooled for 20 minutes. It's practical here to put the liquid and meat (separated) in the fridge until the next day. Discard all the other vegetables in the stock.
Chop all the remaining vegetables finely. In the vegetable oil sweat them adding each five minutes after the last in the following order: Onions; celery; carrots; garlic (briefly) then add the canned tomatoes. Slice these against the back of a wooden spoon. Cook like this for 5 minutes. Chop the meat small then add this along with the stock. Add more liquid if you think there isn't enough (this is bulk cooking!), and cook at this point for 1 hour.
Add the cabbage, finely shredded, and green beans cut into 1cm lengths. Simmer another 20 minutes.
Add the pasta shapes and when they are nearly done add the frozen peas which only need to simmer briefly.
Add the chopped parsley at the very last moment and season well with salt and pepper. You can also adjust the flavour with sugar if there is insufficient sweetness or red wine vinegar for acidity.
Top each serving with grated parmesan cheese, and pour a little extra virgin olive oil over then finish with extra pepper. Should work!
Friday, 11 September 2015
Bruschetta
This is definitely very tasty relative to the effort involved!
Tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Bread
Clove of garlic
Halve each tomato vertically through the stem attachment, then remove the stem attachment bit from each half of tomato with two deftly angled cuts.
The knife needs to be very sharp for this next part, though a serrated bread knife can sometimes do the job well... place each tomato half in turn flat surface down, slice up in one direction then again at 90 degrees to that.
(If you have a very large chopping board, and knife, so that you may 'pass the knife' through a big pile of tomatoes at once, avoiding a flood of juice, then kudos to you and please carry on.)
Place in a bowl with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
Toast the bread (a radiant grill is particularly good for this), rub one side with a cut surface of the garlic clove, pour a little extra oil straight onto the bread then pile on the tomato mixture generously.
While on holiday in Greece recently I did a version with lots of dried oregano, chopped black olives, capers and some lemon juice, toasting the bread over charcoal - see below!
Tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Bread
Clove of garlic
Halve each tomato vertically through the stem attachment, then remove the stem attachment bit from each half of tomato with two deftly angled cuts.
The knife needs to be very sharp for this next part, though a serrated bread knife can sometimes do the job well... place each tomato half in turn flat surface down, slice up in one direction then again at 90 degrees to that.
(If you have a very large chopping board, and knife, so that you may 'pass the knife' through a big pile of tomatoes at once, avoiding a flood of juice, then kudos to you and please carry on.)
Place in a bowl with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
Toast the bread (a radiant grill is particularly good for this), rub one side with a cut surface of the garlic clove, pour a little extra oil straight onto the bread then pile on the tomato mixture generously.
While on holiday in Greece recently I did a version with lots of dried oregano, chopped black olives, capers and some lemon juice, toasting the bread over charcoal - see below!
Spanish tomato bread
...if you have arrived at this post via the 'rice-stuffed tomatoes' post, then great!
Spooned out liquid and pulp from large tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Bread
Garlic clove
Ham (optional)
Either place the liquid and pulp from the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse a few times, or fish the pulp from the liquid with a slotted spoon and chop it roughly on a board.
Following either option add some olive oil, salt and pepper to the mixture.
Toast the bread well. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub one side of the bread with the cut surface. Pour some olive oil on the bread, then spoon over the tomato mixture.
Top with a slice of cured ham (optional).
Spooned out liquid and pulp from large tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Bread
Garlic clove
Ham (optional)
Either place the liquid and pulp from the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse a few times, or fish the pulp from the liquid with a slotted spoon and chop it roughly on a board.
Following either option add some olive oil, salt and pepper to the mixture.
Toast the bread well. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub one side of the bread with the cut surface. Pour some olive oil on the bread, then spoon over the tomato mixture.
Top with a slice of cured ham (optional).
Rice-stuffed tomatoes with ham and cheese
Large tomatoes
Risotto rice
Onion
Butter
Ham
Cheese
Peas
Wash and slice the tops off the tomatoes. Spoon the insides out as much as possible with a spoon, retaining the juice and pulp (see: 'Spanish tomato bread').
Half cook a risotto with the butter, onion and rice. Of course if you have stock, white wine, celery or whatever else available you can use those in this. Cook it for about 10 minutes rice cooking time. At the time you finish there should be roughly the same amount of liquid as rice in the saucepan (add more if there isn't).
Cube the cheese and ham and mix this with the rice along with the peas (still frozen is fine). Spoon this filling into each tomato, again so that rice comes half way up each tomato and liquid fills the remainder. Put the lids back on each tomato, pour over a little vegetable oil to held prevent burning and dryness and bake at 170C for 40 minutes. Baste and cover if you need to.
Filling the tomatoes doesn't actually need that much rice so I would suggest you keep cooking the rest of it!
Lots of variations possible. Nice served with salad leaves, fried potatoes, bread or as they are. Warm or room temperature I would suggest.
Risotto rice
Onion
Butter
Ham
Cheese
Peas
Wash and slice the tops off the tomatoes. Spoon the insides out as much as possible with a spoon, retaining the juice and pulp (see: 'Spanish tomato bread').
Half cook a risotto with the butter, onion and rice. Of course if you have stock, white wine, celery or whatever else available you can use those in this. Cook it for about 10 minutes rice cooking time. At the time you finish there should be roughly the same amount of liquid as rice in the saucepan (add more if there isn't).
Cube the cheese and ham and mix this with the rice along with the peas (still frozen is fine). Spoon this filling into each tomato, again so that rice comes half way up each tomato and liquid fills the remainder. Put the lids back on each tomato, pour over a little vegetable oil to held prevent burning and dryness and bake at 170C for 40 minutes. Baste and cover if you need to.
Filling the tomatoes doesn't actually need that much rice so I would suggest you keep cooking the rest of it!
Lots of variations possible. Nice served with salad leaves, fried potatoes, bread or as they are. Warm or room temperature I would suggest.
Monday, 7 September 2015
Tomato, olive and anchovy sauce
2 tins Italian plum tomatoes (whole)
1 clove garlic
50g tin of anchovies
100g pot of mixed, pitted, olives (marinated in something)
Handful flatleaf parsley
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Several grindings of pepper
Small pinch salt
Finely chop the garlic and very roughly chop the anchovies, olives and parsley.
Put everything in a pan including the marinade from the olives if it looks nice. Slice through the tomatoes a few times with a sharp knife.
Simmer gently for 15 minutes only, stirring again gently regularly. If you simmer olives for too long they release a bitter flavour.
I'm pretty sure this would be nice with thick freshly made pasta but I don't know how to make that!
Thursday, 19 March 2015
Provencal tomatoes
Large vine tomatoes. I think the Sainsbury's T.T.D. ones are nice.
Garlic
Flat leaf parsley
Salt
Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Wash the tomatoes. Halve them across their equators and remove the core as a conical plug with a small knife. Hold each half upside down over a sink in turn and, with a finger, roughly remove a little bit of the juice/pip filling from each half. Place in a roasting tray cut surface up.
Garlic:
Cut off stem attachment.
Crush lightly to split skin.
Remove skin.
Halve across widest area.
Remove and discard green sprout (if applicable).
Flatten fully with the blade of a knife and the base of your palm.
Chop finely.
Wash and shake dry the parsley. Pick the leaves from the stem or you can cut the leaves away from a large bunch without too many consequences. Chop finely then chop both garlic and parsley together.
Sprinkle a small amount of this mixture (persillade) on each tom half. Season with salt and pepper. Finely drizzle each surface with extra virgin olive oil, using about 1/2 tbsp. per half.
Slide the tomatoes around in the tray a bit so they don't stick. Bake at 150C for around 50 minutes or until they look done basically! Half way through cooking (or several times if you like) it is vital to baste them with the liquid/oil mixture that should be in the base of the tray.
It's also important to let them cool a little bit even if they are to be served warm. They are nice at pretty much any temperature between fridge cold and warm.
A nice accompaniment to sausages and creamy mash I think.
Garlic
Flat leaf parsley
Salt
Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Wash the tomatoes. Halve them across their equators and remove the core as a conical plug with a small knife. Hold each half upside down over a sink in turn and, with a finger, roughly remove a little bit of the juice/pip filling from each half. Place in a roasting tray cut surface up.
Garlic:
Cut off stem attachment.
Crush lightly to split skin.
Remove skin.
Halve across widest area.
Remove and discard green sprout (if applicable).
Flatten fully with the blade of a knife and the base of your palm.
Chop finely.
Wash and shake dry the parsley. Pick the leaves from the stem or you can cut the leaves away from a large bunch without too many consequences. Chop finely then chop both garlic and parsley together.
Sprinkle a small amount of this mixture (persillade) on each tom half. Season with salt and pepper. Finely drizzle each surface with extra virgin olive oil, using about 1/2 tbsp. per half.
Slide the tomatoes around in the tray a bit so they don't stick. Bake at 150C for around 50 minutes or until they look done basically! Half way through cooking (or several times if you like) it is vital to baste them with the liquid/oil mixture that should be in the base of the tray.
It's also important to let them cool a little bit even if they are to be served warm. They are nice at pretty much any temperature between fridge cold and warm.
A nice accompaniment to sausages and creamy mash I think.
Note: I have since done this with long thin tomatoes, baked on their sides, and using dried herbes de provence and rapeseed oil. These were very nice indeed.
Sunday, 29 June 2014
Roast tomato sauce for spaghetti
It's worth making a big batch of this as it's pretty versatile and tasty. Nicest thing I've cooked in a while anyway. I'm sure you can work out quantities yourself.
Tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Garlic
Basil
Spaghetti
Parmesan
Dressed rocket to serve with
Wash the tomatoes then de-stem by removing a conical plug with a paring knife. Place in a tray in a single layer, pour on some oil, work around with your hands then roast for 1 1/2 hours at 140C or until they look nicely concentrated without being burnt - or even coloured at all really - and most of the liquid in the tray has evaporated. Some liquid in the tray is absolutely fine though. Remove and leave to cool in the tray for at least 20 minutes before emptying into a bowl. Add finely chopped garlic, salt, pepper and sugar to taste, with some additional olive oil. Shouldn't need too much sugar but a little bit is nice. Break them up a little with a spatula. They will improve if stored in the fridge like this for several days.
When ready to serve, boil spaghetti until very under-done (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Wash the basil, pick leaves off the stem and roll the leaves up together to allow you to slice it finely. In a large wide open frying pan or wok, warm the sauce with the basil. Ladle a spoon of the pasta's cooking water into the pan too and then the pasta when drained. Cook over a medium heat until the spaghetti is nicely al dente, tossing as it cooks. Toss with parmesan cheese off the heat just before serving, and serve with extra cheese, black pepper, some olive oil poured over and the dressed rocket. Hope you like it!
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Simple vegetable curry
This was the
result of needing to cook for a vegetarian and a spin round a North
London greengrocers.
3 baby
aubergines
1 small
cauliflower
1 small
courgette
Handful okra
1 red pepper
1 yellow
pepper
5 dried apricots
2 medium
onions
4 cloves
garlic, finely chopped
1 piece of
ginger
1 large
green chilli
4 tbsp
vegetable oil
1 ½ tbsp
madras (or other) curry powder
1 tsp fine
salt (or equivalent amount of flaky)
Ground
pepper
1 tin
chopped tomatoes
Chop the
onions very finely and sweat in the oil over a medium/high heat until darkly
browned, having seasoned with salt.
Meanwhile,
halve the peppers, cut out white parts and stem, rub with oil and grill at a
distance of 10cm from a grill, skin side up, until thoroughly blackened AND
cooked to a good level of softness.
Place into a plastic bag to cool.
Peel most of
the knob of ginger, leaving a section unpeeled to hold on to, which enables you
to grate it finely. De-seed the chilli
and chop finely. Add around 1 tbsp of
the grated ginger, the chopped garlic and the chilli to the onions and stir and
fry for 1 minute.
Add the
curry powder and stir for another minute.
Add the aubergines,
cauliflower, okra and courgette, all washed and chopped. Cook like this for around 5 minutes to
concentrate the flavour of the vegetables and get the other flavours into them.
Peel and
discard the charred skins from the peppers, chop into squares and add, along
with the apricots and the tin of tomatoes.
Simmer
uncovered for around 15 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and the
juice from the tin of tomatoes has reduced into a lovely coating for the
vegetables. Taste now and adjust for
salt and pepper.
Serve with
steamed basmati rice and chopped coriander.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Fish gratin with tomatoes and olive oil
In Andalucia this summer I was staying opposite a bakers, who showed me round his bakery on arrival. On the floor was a crate of enormous tomatoes that felt hot, soft and heavy in the hand, and reeked of the sun. I would only really want to do this recipe if I had tomatoes of similar quality.
Fish gratin with tomatoes and olive oil
Spinach (not baby spinach)
Cooked new potaotes
Parsley, finely chopped
White fish, filleted, skinned, boned and cut into 2cm cubes
Milk
Cream
Lemon juice
Flour
Butter
Excellent quality extra virgin olive oil
Large tomatoes, stem attachment removed, sliced into 1cm slices, some of the seeds removed, salted lightly and left to drain on a biscuit cooling rack over your sink's draining area for 20 minutes
Dried red chilli, chopped finely or crushed
White breadcrumbs
Fish stock
Salt and white pepper
To make the fish stock just cover some fish trimmings (not eyes, gills or guts), sliced onion, carrot, celery, fennel or fennel seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf with cold water, bring to a simmer, skim and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then strain through a fine seive/muslin. This bit is easy, just ask a fishmonger for some trimmings.
Wilt the spinach in some olive oil then place in the base of a large, fairly shallow, buttered gratin dish. Lay the new potatoes on top, sliced into 1cm rounds. Sprinkle over the parsley.
Make a white sauce as explained in the macaroni cheese post, using half milk, half slightly reduced fish stock. Enrich with some cream, season well and sharpen with lemon juice. To acheive the right thickness it's easier to make more sauce than you need, so start off with a decent amount of butter/flour for the roux.
Pour some sauce over the potatoes then mix more sauce with the fish in a bowl. This is the next layer of the gratin, and should be fairly liquid.
Lay the tomato slices on top and pat very gently down into the surface, without overlapping them.
Toast the breadcrumbs in a frying pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and some dried chilli. Cover the tomatoes with a fine and even layer of the chilli breadcrumbs, then drizzle (awful word) some more olive oil on top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 180C. Serve on its own, followed by a salad.
Fish gratin with tomatoes and olive oil
Spinach (not baby spinach)
Cooked new potaotes
Parsley, finely chopped
White fish, filleted, skinned, boned and cut into 2cm cubes
Milk
Cream
Lemon juice
Flour
Butter
Excellent quality extra virgin olive oil
Large tomatoes, stem attachment removed, sliced into 1cm slices, some of the seeds removed, salted lightly and left to drain on a biscuit cooling rack over your sink's draining area for 20 minutes
Dried red chilli, chopped finely or crushed
White breadcrumbs
Fish stock
Salt and white pepper
To make the fish stock just cover some fish trimmings (not eyes, gills or guts), sliced onion, carrot, celery, fennel or fennel seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf with cold water, bring to a simmer, skim and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then strain through a fine seive/muslin. This bit is easy, just ask a fishmonger for some trimmings.
Wilt the spinach in some olive oil then place in the base of a large, fairly shallow, buttered gratin dish. Lay the new potatoes on top, sliced into 1cm rounds. Sprinkle over the parsley.
Make a white sauce as explained in the macaroni cheese post, using half milk, half slightly reduced fish stock. Enrich with some cream, season well and sharpen with lemon juice. To acheive the right thickness it's easier to make more sauce than you need, so start off with a decent amount of butter/flour for the roux.
Pour some sauce over the potatoes then mix more sauce with the fish in a bowl. This is the next layer of the gratin, and should be fairly liquid.
Lay the tomato slices on top and pat very gently down into the surface, without overlapping them.
Toast the breadcrumbs in a frying pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and some dried chilli. Cover the tomatoes with a fine and even layer of the chilli breadcrumbs, then drizzle (awful word) some more olive oil on top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 180C. Serve on its own, followed by a salad.
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