Tag: recipes

Ingredients

long ciabatta loaf, sliced in half lengthways
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 big handfuls of rocket
8 roasted artichoke hearts from a jar, quartered
250g roasted red peppers from a jar
8 slices prosciutto
handful of basil
125g ball mozzarella, cut into slices
1/2 red onion, very finely sliced

Method

Slice the ciabatta loaf in half lengthways and heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Put the ciabatta loaf halves, crust-side down, on a large baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Pop them in the oven for a few mins until just golden and lightly toasted.

Put the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard in a bowl, then whisk them together with a fork.

Remove the toasted ciabatta halves from the tray and drizzle the bottom slice with about half of the dressing.

Arrange the rest of the ingredients in layers. Start with a large handful of rocket, then a few artichoke hearts. Next add the slices of pepper, the prosciutto, basil, mozzarella and, finally, the red onion.

Drizzle over the rest of the dressing and pop the other slice of ciabatta on top.

Press down on the sandwich to squash all the layers together.

Wrap the sandwich in baking parchment and tie it together with a couple of pieces of string.

Place a heavy baking tray on top of your sandwich and top it with weights or loaf tins filled with baking beans.

Pop it all in the fridge overnight or until you are ready to eat it. Cut and serve in slices for the perfect picnic snack.

Ingredients

500g baby new potatoes
2 onions, sliced
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
200g cooking chorizo, sliced
4 eggs

Method

Steam the potatoes for 15-20 mins or until cooked.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onions and peppers, then cook for about 10 mins until soft. Push the peppers to the side of the pan and add the chorizo, sizzling until cooked though and releasing its oils. Transfer to a plate.

Once cool enough, halve the potatoes. Heat 1 tbsp oil in another non-stick pan and tip in the spuds. Fry for about 10 mins until golden and beginning to crisp. Stir in the onion mix, heat through and season.

Meanwhile, in the onion pan, fry the eggs to your liking. Place them on top of everything, allowing 1 egg per person.

Ingredients

250g sirloin or flank steak, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
250g mushrooms, sliced
4 medium beets (about 500g), peeled and shredded
2 medium potatoes (about 200g), peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
120ml red wine
1.5l beef broth
250ml tomato sauce
chopped fresh dill (to taste)
1/2 cup sour cream (to serve)

Preparation

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pot and heat over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pot. Add potatoes, beets, cabbage, carrots, onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the reserved mushrooms, broth and tomato sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the reserved beef. Simmer, covered, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in dill. Top each portion with 1 tablespoon sour cream and garnish with more dill, if desired.

Ingredients

100ml/3½oz full-fat milk
1 heaped tsp saffron strands
1kg/2lbs 2oz braising steak, cut into bite-sized chunks
4 onions, peeled
25g/1oz fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
5 cloves
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
¼ cinnamon stick
2½ tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to season
½ whole nutmeg, finely grated
135ml/4¾fl oz sunflower oil
200ml/7fl oz natural yoghurt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp caster sugar
325g/11½oz basmati rice
4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
50g/2oz butter

To Serve
3 large free-range eggs
freshly ground black pepper
fresh coriander

Preparation method

Pour the milk into a small saucepan, add the saffron threads and heat gently for two minutes without boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside for 2-3 hours, preferably overnight.

Trim the beef of any hard fat and cut into bite-sized pieces. Heat two tablespoons of oil in the frying pan. Season the beef with salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry in 2-3 batches over a medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer to a large, lidded saucepan.

While the beef is frying, roughly chop two of the onions and put in a food processor with the ginger and chillies. Add 50ml/2fl oz cold water and blend to a smooth paste.

Put the cloves, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and 1½ teaspoons salt into a pestle and mortar. Grind until a fine powder. Grate the nutmeg into the mixture and tip into the onion paste. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.

Add a further three tablspoons of oil into the same frying pan that was used to cook the beef and fry the spiced onion paste over a medium heat for around 10 minutes until lightly browned, stirring often. Place the mixture into the pan with the beef. Stir in the yoghurt, 450ml/16fl oz water and bay leaves. Place the pan over a low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1½ hours or until the beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid from the pan and stir in the sugar. Increase the heat and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, or until reduced and thick. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the remaining two onions in half and slice thinly. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a frying pan and fry the onions for 6-8 minutes over a fairly high heat until softened and golden-brown, stirring frequently. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Half-fill a large pan with water, add one teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Put the rice in a sieve and rinse under plenty of cold water. Stir the rice into the hot water and return to the boil. Cook for five minutes and drain well. Add the coriander and stir until well combined.

Transfer half the meat and sauce into a large, ovenproof dish. Spoon over half of the part-cooked rice and drizzle with half the soaked saffron threads and milk. Top with half the fried onions. Repeat the layers once more. Dot with the butter. Cover the dish with two layers of tightly fitting foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Hard-boil the eggs for nine minutes until firm and drain in a sieve under running water until cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs and cut into quarters.

Remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil. Use a fork to lightly fluff the rice. Garnish with the freshly boiled eggs. Add a few fresh coriander leaves and serve.

Ingredients

10-12 ounces of canned white albacore tuna packed in water, drained
8-10 small radishes, cut into wedges
1 large carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 to 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (taste for heat and adjust, can also sub some chili pepper flakes)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or plain rice vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 red onion, sliced
Optional: 8 ounces (dry) soba noodles* or fresh lettuce

*If mixing in with soba noodles, cook soba noodles according to package directions, and rinse with cold water.
Method

1 Place the drained tuna, radishes, shredded carrot, ginger, chile, vegetable oil, and rice vinegar in a large bowl. Gently toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2 When ready to serve, stir in the chopped coriander and green onion.

Serve with lettuce, or mixed in with cold, cooked soba noodles.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 pound sliced white button mushrooms
4 ounces light cream cheese, cubed
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup lowfat milk
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup light sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked egg noodles or rice for serving

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the meat, onion, salt and pepper, on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the meat into small pieces, until the meat is almost cooked through but still slightly pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess grease. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and browned and the meat is cooked through, another 5 minutes or so.

Add the cubed cream cheese and let the cream cheese melt over medium heat, about 2-3 minutes, before stirring in. Mix gently until the cream cheese is incorporated throughout the meat mixture. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the beef stock and milk. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of flour remaining.

Stir the beef stock/milk mixture into the meat and cook over medium or medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Let the mixture bubble and simmer until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked egg noodles or hot, cooked rice. Sprinkle each serving with fresh parsley, if desired.