Roasted Veg with Halloumi

This recipe is from one of those cards that they have in Waitrose. I love halloumi - it always reminds me of being on holiday, and it cooks really well - keeping a good texture, not melting away.

This is such a simple recipe I haven't added to it. It makes a great meat free meal - or a side dish for something more substanstial!

Serves 4
500g new potatoes - halved length ways
3 mixed peppers
1 tbsp olive oil
25g pack of basil - stalks removed
1 Lemon - zest 1/2
125g cherry tomatoes - halved
1/2 250g pack of halloumi (waitrose suggested Waitrose Cypriot Light Halloumi)

1 Preheat oven to 200c.
2 Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for 5 mins - drain and tip into a large baking tray
3 Slice the peppers and scatter over the potatoes
4 Place the olive oil, basil leaves, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice into a small blender and blend until coarsely chopped. Pour over the vegetable and toss to coat.

5 Roast for 20 minutes.

6 Turn the heat up to 220c. Add the halved tomatoes and sliced halloumi and roast for a further 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.

7 Serve straightaway

Hopefully bringing back memories of the Med........

Marinated roast quails with spiced yoghurt

This is based on a Lucas Hollweg recipe from the Sunday Times last year -I kept the recipe as I had never cooked quail - and it looked so good.

There is somthing about quail that seems decadent - and they look great cooked - but I am sure this recipe would work just as well with some a bit more workaday - I think it would be great with drum sticks.

Serves 4

150 ml olive oil

4 garlic cloves- crushed

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Juice of 2 lemons

salt 

8 quails

350 ml greek yoghurt

1 pack corinader leaves 

splash of milk

1 Mix together the oil, garlic and spices with the juice of 1 lemon and salt

2 Put 3/4 of the mixture in a bowl large enough to hold the quails, add the birds, and mix everything together

3 Cover and leave for at least 1 hour

4 Add the rest of the oil mixture to the yoghurst, together with chopped coriander. Add the lemon juice, and thin with  little milk, if needed.

5 Leave in the fridge.

6 Preheat the oven to 220c

7 Remove the quail from the marinade, giving them a last coating, and pin the legs together with a cocktail stick

8 Arrange on baking trays, making sure to leave a bit of space between them. (At this point they look like they are sunbathing - which was a bit off putting....)

9 Sprinkle generously with seasalt and put in the over for 25-30 minutes, or until the skin is puffed and crisp.

10 Serve together with the yoghurt - its a bit of a messy eat - but well worth it!

World Cup Food - England v Costa Rica - Gallo Pinto

I had hoped that this journey would go on quite a bit longer - as England won their way through the various stages - but it was not to be.
This Costa Rican rice dish is - perhaps appropriately - the most humble of the dishes so far - but well worth a try. Gallo Pinto is an every day dish in Costa Rico - the beans providing a good source of protein.
I think you could subsitute the beans for any others - and perhaps add some fresh chilli for a kick.
More World Cup recipes to come........

Ingredients

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion - chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
200g rice
1 can black beans
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
salt and peppers (be generous)
1 small pack fresh coriander - chopped
1 small bunch spring onions - thinly sliced

1 Cook the rice as per normal instuctions
2 Heat the oil in a large frying pan - or wok
3 Add the onion, and cook until it becomes translucent
4 Add the garlic, and continue to cook until the onion begins to take on some colour
5 Add the spices and mix well
6 Add the worcestershire sauce
7 Mix really well - then add the beans and rice
8 Stir well - make sure the beans, rice and onions and well combined
9 Season well
10 Garnish with the coriander and spring onions

World Cup Food - England v Uruguay - Pascualina

So here we go again - for the second match I have a Uruguayan pie! Pascualina is a typical Uruguayan pie - apparently it came to Uruguay with Italian immigrants. The Italian version is eaten during Lent only - but in Uruguay it is eaten all the time.

Make before and eat cold - or at room temperature. Good and filling - should soak up a few pints - celebratory this time!

Pascualina

250g plain flour
80g butter or margarine
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pack chard 300g
1 pack spinach 200g
1 red pepper
2 onions
1 clove garlic
6 eggs
100g grated cheddar
100g ricotta

Before I start the recipe I should say this is a mixture of various recipes - some used only chard - some only spinach. Some used less cheese - some used different varieties. For a quick cheat you could use ready made pastry - I think puff pastry would be good.

1 Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and butter, first with a spoon and then with your hands, until it is as mixed a possible
2 Add water a little at a time t make a dough. Once it forms a fairly smooth dough put in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
3 Wash the chard and cut into ribbons. Discard the stalks.
4  Wash the spinach and cut any large leaves.
5 Chop the onions, garlic and red pepper into fairly small pieces
6 Heat the oil in a large pan, and add the onions, garlic and red pepper.
7 Cook until the onions are becoming translucent.
8 Add the chard and spinach and allow to cook down.
9 When the chard and spinach has softened take off the heat.
10 Put the mixture in a bowl, allow to cool a bit.
11 Drain off any excess liquid
12 Mix in one beaten egg, and add the grated cheddar.
13 Break the ricotta into small pieces - add the mixture and mix well.
14 Take out your dough. Cut in two - one 'half' slightly bigger than the other.
15 Roll out the larger to cover a 22cm cake tin with removeable bottom. - you want to line the tin, and leave a bit of an overlap. The height of mine was 8cm  - this was probably a little too high.
16 Gently add your filling to the pie.
17 Make four holes in the mixture, and add a raw egg to each one.
18 Roll out the remainder of the dough for he lid. Place gently over the mixture.
19 Crimp the edges of the pastry together.
20 Use the last egg, beaten, as an egg wash for the top of the pie.
21 Place in an ove at 180 until the top has gone golden - approximately 30 mins - but keep an eye on it from 20 minutes
22 Allow to cool to room temperature

It sounds like a lot of work - but it wasn't really - and makes a really filling pie.
Costa Rica to go - lets hope that is something to go with a celebration!

England -v- Italy : Italian Sausage and bean casserole / Tomato and Mozzarella bites

In an attempt at reverse psychology I am going to be putting up some suggestions for pre / post match grub, and half time snacks - based on England's opponents.
I am looking at one pot wonders - or anything that won't need any effort on the night - and food that will help soak up a few beers - celebratory of course.
So England v Italy - I have gone with an Italian Sausage and Bean casserole which is an old favourite -  on the blog from last June: - http://hannahs-kitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/this-is-simply-one-of-my-favourite.html

For a half time snack I have gone for something really quick and straightforward - but still packs a flavour punch.

Tomato and Mozzarella bites

20 cherry tomatoes
20 mozzarella bocconcini - or mozzarella cherries
Small bunch of basil
Juice half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
good pinch salt
cocktail sticks

1 Put the basil, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt in a mini blender and whizz
2 Halve the tomatoes
3 Thread a mozzarella ball between 2 halves of tomato - as above
4 Drizzle with the basil dressing

If made ahead of time they would probably benefit from marinating in the basil dressing - but mine didn't last that long.......


So - here it begins - England v Italy - hope you enjoy.
Think I will have my work cut with Uruguay and Costa Rica!!

Prawn and Chorizo Skewers

This is a really quick recipe - one for the BBQ.
It was based on a Waitrose weekly recipe - where they included flatbread and tomato passata - but I think these are better on their own.
I have included the coriander and lemon dressing - which does add something.
A quick, but classy, dish to liven up a barbie - or a great starter.

200g raw jumbo king prawns
70g Chorizo de Leon cut into slices £1 coin thickness
2 tbsp olive oil
Small bunch of coriander
Juice of 1 lemon

1 Thread the prawns and chorizo on to 8 skewers (if using wooden skewers soak them beforehand)

2 Brush with olive oil

3 Place the coriander ,lemon juice and remaining oil into a mini food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

4 Place the skewers on the grill and barbecue until slightly charred, an cooked right through.

5 Serve with the coriander and lemon as a dressing.

Prawn Molee

PRAWN MOLEE

This is  a reat recipe from Rick Stein's curry book - I have hardly deviated from the recipe - I used vegetable oil instead of coconut oil - and tend to use minced garlic and minced ginger (following a tip from my curry guru Mira) - rather than slicing and shredding fresh, and I left in the seeds of the chilli, which were removed in the original recipe.

I have seen various recipes for this - and various spellings (!) - though never remember seeing it on a menu.

Quite straightforward - and makes a lovely rich Keralan curry, not too hot -  with a subtle sour note.

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 green cardammons bruised with a rolling pin

6 cloves

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp minced garlic 

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 green chillis, slit lengthways

salt

Small handfull curry leaves ( I used dried as could not get fresh)

Pinch turmeric

400ml coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

500g large tail on prawns 

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced, to garnish

Boiled basmati rice to serve

1 Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and add the pepper, cardamons and cloves and fry for one minutes until fragrant.

2 Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic, ginger, chillies, salt and curry leaves and fry for an additional minute.

3 Add the tumeric, coconut milk and vinegar, bring to a simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes, until reduced.

4 Add the prawns - if using raw cook for 4-5 minutes until cooked - if using cooked simply allow to warm through. 

5 Turn off the heat, cover and set aside for 3-4 minutes.

6 Serve with the rice, and garnish with the tomatoes - as above.

ENJOY!