Sweetcorn, new potato & red pepper fritters

Sweetcorn, new potato & red pepper fritters

Don't you just love dipping food. These are just so very simple to make and can be prepared and cooked in 15 minutes. I served them with sweet chilli sauce but they'd be equally as delicious with some minted garlic yoghurt if you'd prefer them that way. These would make a great first course or why not make them smaller to serve as canapés with pre-dinner drinks.

You'll need

1 large corncob, kernals removed                               
1 medium red pepper chopped reasonably finely chopped     
5 medium sized cooked new potatoes diced
3 spring onions/scallions finely sliced               
2 cloves garlic chopped                                            
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro or chopped parsley if preferred
1tsp mustard seed
½ tsp coriander powder
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large eggs
3 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
3 tbsp good oil, I used rapeseed but a good olive oil will be fine * see the note below
Sweet chilli sauce to serve


Put everything into a mixing bowl, mix well together
Leave to rest for a few minutes

Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium- hot heat
Place rounded tablespoons of the mixture into the pan ( I did this in two stages)
Flatten out slightly and fry each side for around 3 minutes
Flip them over and repeat for another 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with the chilli sauce and enjoy

                 

* Someone recently voiced their concern about the use of Rapeseed Oil in my recipe. In the USA this is known as Canola. Here in the UK we have an Artisan market for the product and it's sold rather like Extra Virgin Oil where first pressings have different qualities and health benefits.It is a premium product here and not the mass produced oil as is Canola. If you have any doubts then I'd suggest you stick to Sunflower or Groundnut Oil instead. Please read the Guardian article below

It's relatively healthy stuff, with 7% saturated fat compared to 14% in olive oil or 51% in butter. It's also high in those trendy and generally misunderstood compounds, omega-3 and omega-6. If a retailer bothers to list the provenance, it's likely to be British. Unlike olive oil, rapeseed doesn't go toxic at high heat, while a smoke point higher than that of olive oil makes it marginally more suitable for deep-frying. (Though anyone prepared to deep-fry in high-end rapeseed oil or olive oil is mad anyway.)
As a result, and in pursuit of the new as they always are, a number of serious chefs are turning to it. Perhaps the most feted chef currently working in London, Ollie Dabbous, uses it in a dazzling dish of asparagus, hazelnuts and meadowsweet. Tristan Welch of Launceston Place, Gary Jones of Le Manoir and Mark Sergeant all use it in their kitchens or serve it as dipping for bread. It's great that they're using a carefully made, high-end British product in their kitchens, but it does seem to me a case of the emperor's new lube.
  

Greek Salad Tartlettes

Reminiscent of  holiday in Samos, these little tartlettes take me right back there. We had Greek Salad almost every lunchtime in a little Taverna by the sea, sometimes with grilled fish or souvlaki other times just with a dish of  tzatziki and taramasalata with some warm bread. I think it's the addition of oregano and they almost always used dried along with the Feta cheese that makes it such a memorable salad
I am always toying for new canapés for the many cocktail parties that I cater for and I did try just adding chopped tomatoes & onions, olives, cucumber & to a pre-baked pastry case but they were awkward to eat. Either all in the mouth in one go or the filling would be flying around all over the place. By adding a typical savoury custard to the tartlettes holds everything in place and better still they are delicious served either hot, warm or cold.

This should make around 24

you will need  2 mini muffin/tartlette tins well greased

For the pastry

    
For the pastry.
6oz / 150g  flour
pinch of salt
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of cayenne pepper
3oz/ 75g butter
1oz/ 50 g grated hard cheese, cheddar or parmesan will do fine
Rub the fat into the flour then add
Bind with enough cold water to make a pliable dough.
refridgerate for half an hour.


The Filling.
1 green pepper finely chopped
1 red onion          "         "
12 black olives halved or 6 quartered
4 tomatoes skinned & deseeded
2 large eggs
half a pint of double cream
6 oz Greek Feta cheese
dried oregano
seasoning
grated nutmeg
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Sautee the onion & green pepper in a little olive oil until soft..
Put the 2oz of the Feta, cream, eggs, into a food processor & blitz until it starts to thicken. Season to taste
Cut the remaining Feta into small 24 small cubes
Roll out the pastry & use to line around 24  well greased mini muffin cases. use a cutter large enough so that the pastry comes up to the top of the holes in the muffin tray
Place some tomato, onion & green pepper into each case
Spoon over the cheese mixture taking care not to overfill.
Carefully add a little cube of Feta, some tomato and the halved olive on top.
Sprinkle over with a little dried Oregano
Give the trays a sharp rap on the table to settle the mixture and add a little more filling if needed.
Grate over some nutmeg
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Bake at 180c/350f/gas 4  for around 15 -20 mins or until lovely & golden . Just test to make sure the underneath of the pastry is cooked through.
remove onto a cooling rack after around 3 mins

These will freeze perfectly. I usually carefully box them up using a layer of parchment paper between each layer of tartlettes.

Spaghetti / Linguine alla carbonara

Italian food is my idea of heaven and we usually have a pasta dish of some sort or another every week.

This is one of my favourites. It can be ready in a matter of minutes using up items that most people have in their fridges & cupboards. I add some onion & mushrooms to mine which isn't traditional but I just love them with the bacon, eggs & cheese in the recipe.

here we go then.

This will serve 2 good portions

4oz/110g  pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, diced
4oz/110g sliced mushrooms. I used chestnut mushrooms
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 small onion or 2 shallots finely diced
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese grated
3 large eggs beaten
salt to taste plus lots of fresh black pepper
8 oz/ 225g either spaghetti or linguine

to serve.
more grated parmesan  and a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Put the olive oil into a pan and sautee the finely chopped onion for a few minutes on a medium heat
Add the bacon and cook for a further 4 minutes or so, add the mushrooms and continue cooking for a few minutes until they are cooked through.
Beat eggs and add some black pepper & the parmesan cheese
Meanwhile
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water with an added drop of olive oil for around 8-10 minutes until  al-dente .

Drain the pasta into a colander then put it back into the hot pan, but not on the heat.
Add the bacon & mushroom mix
Add the eggs stirring them in really quickly so they don't scramble.
The hot pasta will cook the sauce without further cooking.

Serve onto hot dishes, sprinkle over more parmesan & a few chopped chives.
I love to serve this with a tomato and roquette salad.

  

Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower Cheese

I didn't realise until yesterday when I held a Cheese Party on my Facebook Page that Cauliflower Cheese seems to be almost unheard of in other parts of the world. It's such a staple for us in the UK either served on it's own or as a side dish to a main meal. Well here's my take on it. I love to serve this for a lunch or brunch with crispy bacon, grilled tomatoes and a crusty baguette to mop up all the delicious cheese sauce.  I quite often break up the florets and add steamed brocolli to the dish to make a cauliflower & brocolli cheese bake which we almost always have with a traditional roast dinner.

This recipe is in both Metric and Imperial Weights. I have posted a conversion chart on my blog for those of you who prefer to work in cups and spoons.

A medium sized Cauliflower, around a pound or so in weight, leaves removed, the centre stem taken out but left whole.
Steam this for 10 minutes only and leave to one side while you make the sauce. If you decide to boil the cauliflower instead do so for around 7 minutes max &  please ensure that it is thoroughly drained otherwise you could end up with a very watery cauliflower cheese.

Heat the oven to 230c/450f gas 8

The Cheese sauce,
3oz/ 80g of butter
3oz/80g flour
1 heaped teaspoon of Mustard powder (I use Colmans) if you haven't got this then 1 large tsp prepared English mustard will be fine.
1 pt semi-skimmed milk just brought to the boil
4oz/ 120g strong cheddar cheese grated for the sauce
2oz/ 55g strong cheddar to sprinkle over the top
salt & white pepper to season

To make the sauce
Melt the butter in a large pan
add the flour & mustard powder and beat together
Cook for a minute and then slowly add the milk a bit at a time beating well between each addition before adding more.
When all the milk has been incorporated, simmer the sauce for around 5 minutes to cook the flour through.
Add the cheese and beat again, just cook for a minute or two, season to taste.
The sauce should be thick & glossy to coat the cauliflower and not at all runny.
If it's too solid just add a drop more milk

You can either split the cauliflower into florets at this stage or leave it whole as I have done.
Place in an ovenproof dish.
Pour over the sauce
Sprinkle over the reserved 2oz of cheese
Bake in a very hot oven for around 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the sauce bubbling hot.

  

CONVERSION CHART (courtesy of Delia Smith)

All these are approximate conversions, which have either been rounded up or down. In a few recipes, it has been necessary to modify them very slightly. Never mix metric and imperial measures in one recipe; stick to one system or the other.

All spoon measurements on this site are level, unless specified otherwise.
All butter is salted, unless specified otherwise.
In Delia's recipes she uses large eggs, unless otherwise stated.
All recipes are tested using whole milk, unless specified otherwise.

Weights		Dimensions
Imperial	Metric	Imperial	Metric
½ oz ¾ oz 1 oz 1½ oz 2 oz 2½ oz 3 oz 4 oz 4½ oz 5 oz 6 oz 7 oz 8 oz 9 oz 10 oz 12 oz 1 lb 1 lb 8 oz 2 lb 3 lb	10 g 20 g 25 g 40 g 50 g 60 g 75 g 110 g 125 g 150 g 175 g 200 g 225 g 250 g 275 g 350 g 450 g 700 g 900 g 1.35 kg	¹⁄₈ inch ¼ inch ½ inch ¾ inch 1 inch 1¼ inch 1½ inch 1¾ inch 2 inch 2½ inch 3 inch 3½ inch 4 inch 5 inch 5¼ inch 6 inch 6½ inch 7 inch 7½ inch 8 inch 9 inch 9½ inch 10 inch 11 inch 12 inch	3 mm 5 mm 1 cm 2 cm 2.5 cm 3 cm 4 cm 4.5 cm 5 cm 6 cm 7.5 cm 9 cm 10 cm 13 cm 13.5 cm 15 cm 16 cm 18 cm 19 cm 20 cm 23 cm 24 cm 25.5 cm 28 cm 30 cm

Volume		Oven Temperatures
Imperial	Metric	Gas Mark	°F	°C
2 fl oz 3 fl oz 5 fl oz (¼ pint) 10 fl oz (½ pint) 1 pint 1 ¼ pint 1 ¾ pint 2 pint 2½ pint 4 pint	55 ml 75 ml 150 ml 275 ml 570 ml 725 ml 1 litre 1.2 litre 1.5 litre 2.25 litres	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	275°F 300°F 325°F 350°F 375°F 400°F 425°F 450°F 475°F	140°C 150°C 170°C 180°C 190°C 200°C 220°C 230°C 240°C

If using a fan oven you will need to reduce the oven temperature in a recipe by 20 degrees.

American Cup Conversions			Liquid Conversions
American	Imperial	Metric	Imperial	Metric	American
1 cup flour 1 cup caster/ granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup butter/margarine/lard 1 cup sultanas/raisins 1 cup currants 1 cup ground almonds 1 cup golden syrup 1 cup uncooked rice 1 cup grated cheese 1 stick butter	5oz 8oz 6oz 8oz 7oz 5oz 4oz 12oz 7oz 4oz 4oz	150g 225g 175g 225g 200g 150g 110g 350g 200g 110g 110g	½ fl oz 1 fl oz 2 fl oz 4 fl oz 8 fl oz 16 fl oz	15 ml 30 ml 60 ml 120 ml 240 ml 480 ml	1 tbsp 1/8 cup ¼ cup ½ cup 1 cup 1 pint

Note: A pint isn't always a pint: in British, Australian and often Canadian recipes you'll see an imperial pint listed as 20 fluid ounces. American and some Canadian recipes use the the American pint measurement, which is 16 fluid ounces.

Thai Style Prawn & Chicken Noodle Soup

Lemon Ice Box Pudding

A lovely light and refreshing end to any meal & so very simple to make. 

Recipe to serve approx 6-8
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A regular sized loaf tin or 6/8 mini loaf moulds or something similar
line with cling film
half a packet of ginger nuts crushed to a crumb
6 eggs separated
450ml - 3/4 pt double cream
175g - 6 oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
grated rind & juice of 4 regular or 3 large lemons

place half of the ginger crumbs into the base of the tin,
Beat the yolks with the sugar,
beat the whites until stiff but not dry,
beat the cream until lightly whipped
gently mix the cream into the egg yolks & sugar adding the lemon juice & zest
Fold in the beaten egg whites
pour into the loaf tin
cover with the remaining crushed gingernuts
Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight
remove from freezer about 5-10 minutes before serving

Spicy Meatballs with Homegrown Tomato Sauce, Spinach and Tagliatelle

to serve 4
1lb minced beef
1 egg
1 large onion chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2lb ripe tomatoes skinned (failing this 1 tin chopped tomatoes)
small glass of white wine
cup of beef stock
2 tsps sugar
fresh thyme & basil
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 red chilli finely chopped
tsp chilli flakes
2 large tsps Dijon Mustard
1 tsp each of cumin & coriander
half tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp tomato puree
seasoning
& towards the end of cooking time:-
packet of egg tagliatelle (cook as per instructions on the packet)
4 large handfuls of washed spinach quickly sweated in a little olive oil in a hot frying pan
Parmesan to serve.

To make the sauce:-
Sweat the onion & half the garlic in the olive oil, add the wine & reduce by half
add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree & herbs, sugar & chilli flakes,& stock & cook slowly for around 20 mins
add a little water if too thick. Check the seasoning.

While the sauce is cooking make the meatballs:-
place the mince, the remaining garlic, the chopped fresh chilli, the mustard,cumin & coriander, cinnamon, salt, pepper & the egg in a large bowl, mix really well squeezing everything together. Divide into around 16 balls. Fry in a little olive oil for around 10 mins until thoroughly cooked through.

Just assemble everything together, grate over lots of parmesan and scoff the damn lot xxx

Banana & Walnut Cake with Toffee Sauce

So damn easy and a great way to use up those manky bananas

For the sauce I use Rachel Allens easy peasey recipe

110gms Butter
250g Light brown sugar ( even Demerara will do if thast's what you have)
275g Golden Syrup
225 ml double cream
half a tsp vanilla extract

just put everything into a pan and bring to the boil, simmer for 4/5 mins & that's it.

For the Cake, grease & line a 19cm / 7 and a half inch cake tin with parchment. If it's a good quality heavy, non-stick tin then you probably won't need to line it, just grease.
set the oven to 180c/160cfan, gas 4
2 medium sized ripe bananas mashed
4oz /100gms sultanas
5oz/ 140g Walnuts leave around 10/14 whole to decorate the top and chop the rest.
1tsp mixed spice
5oz/140g of softened butter or margarine (I always use Stork it's perfect for cakes & sponges)
5oz/140g of soft brown sugar (light or dark whatever you have, you can even use caster sugar if that's what you have in)
2 medium eggs beaten
8oz/ 225g Self raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream the butter/margarine with the sugar either by hand or with a electric beater
add the eggs a little at a time until combined
sieve together the flour, mixed spice, salt & baking powder

add the bananas, chopped walnuts & sultanas to the egg mixture and mix in,
stir in the dry ingredients and gently mix through using a figure of 8 motion.
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Pour into the cake tin and arrange the whole walnuts on top.
Bake in the centre of the oven for around 1hr or until a skewer leaves to cake clean.

Cool for round 15 mins, turn out and leave until completely cold.

Drizzle the cold toffee sauce over the top and some more on the plate when serving.

It can be microwaved for round 45 seconds per slice on high if you like a hot cake and sauce.

This cake is perfect for freezing just wrap it well in foil.