Vegetarian Carbonara Verde

This is a totally inauthentic and totally delicious recipe that used up my leftovers. It is also one that I will definitely be repeating as it take 15 minutes maximum! It is a delicious meal that happens to also be vegetarian and lactose free. I initially thought it was a bit of a gamble with the pesto but my 'not really hungry but I may have a little bit' flatmate scraped the pot clean!

I used (feeds 3):
One bag of rocket, spinach and watercress (fresh spinach would also be fine, or all rocket, all watercress etc)
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Pasta (100g per person)  (I know carbonara traditionally uses spaghetti, but I think this works much better with 'shapes' and used conchiglie (seashells) which is currently my favourite. Which is lucky as I bought loads of it on special offer!)
Two good teaspoons of green pesto (leftover and in urgent need or being used up). If you don't have this, add some grated strong cheese (e.g. parmesan/ pecorino/ strong cheddar/ gruyere) or a garlicy/ herby creamy cheese (e.g. roule/ boursin) with a glove of crushed, diced garlic and diced basil if you have it. 
Freshly ground black pepper
Pine nuts (handful) - optional (also sunflower seeds).
Juice of half a lemon.
Olive oil.

To make:

• Put pasta on to boil according to the packet instructions.
• Beat the eggs with the lemon juice, pesto (if using) or cheese/ garlic/ basil if not. Add the salt (unless the cheese is very salty) and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
• Roughly chop the rocket, spinach and watercress
• Drain the pasta when it is cooked, but not completely i.e. there should still be a little water left in the some of the shells.
• Put the pasta in its original pan back on a medium heat with a glug of olive oil (slowly add the egg, stirring the pasta to ensure it is coated. Add the chopped green leaves and stir until wilted. The water left over from boiling the pasta and the lemon juice in the egg should mean that this is a light, creamy sauce. 

N.B. this principle could be used to make a light creamy pasta sauce for people who are lactose intolerant and can't take cream all over their pasta!

Culture Through Cookery: Spanish Sunshine!

Al freir de los huevos lo verá
The proof of the pudding is in the tasting (literally translated: It will be seen in the frying of the eggs)

We made some Spanish classics - gazpacho and tortilla de patata. Both of these are simple dishes which maximise on flavour. Gazpacho is a brilliant summer soup - make it when it is warm and tomatoes are cheap! Tortilla de patata is a wonderful dish- a cheap crowd pleaser whether served as a main course, as we ate it, with a salad, or at a party cut into small cubes as a tapa or nibble.

We finished with the alarmingly more-ish and wow-ishly simple crema de limon. Three ingredients, and around three minutes work make this into a most delicious pudding. Serve in ramekins as individual portions and your guests will never guess how easy it was!

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Gazpacho
Like many classic recipes, each family will have a slightly different version. This recipe made plenty for 6, with most of us having second (and third) bowlfuls and more leftover.

Time: 20 minutes (+ time to cool- it is best if made the night before and cooled overnight, when the flavours can also intensify)

Around 1kg beef tomatoes (you can substitute for others) the riper the more flavoursome.
70g (6 slices) of baguette or similar
50ml white wine vinegar
1 large green pepper
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled
1l cold water
1/4 cucumber
pinch of salt

To serve:
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
chopped jamon
croutons

To make:

Put 1l of water into a large bowl with the vinegar and the slices of bread.
Chop the cucumber, tomatoes and pepper.
Put the vegetables and garlic into a large bowl and blend with a stick blender (or put into a blender).
Add the bread when it is soft as well and blend.
Blend as finely as possible.
Add salt to taste.
Refridgerate

When you serve, put the chopped onion, pepper, croutons and jamon into small bowls (separately). People can then add them onto their soup as desired.  

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Tortilla de Patatas

Ingredients:
(serves 6)
6 eggs
1.5 kg potatos
4 onions
salt
olive oil
Time: about 1 hour

To make:
Peel the onions, cut them in half and slice them in thin slices.

Put some olive oil in a large frying pan which is on a low heat. and when it is warm put the onion in.  Cover the pan with a lid.
While the onion is cooking (or before if you are well organised!) peel the potatoes and slice them into thin slices (about 2-4 mm thick).
After about 10 minutes the onion should be translucent and cooked. Remove the onion from the pan and place it aside in a large bowl.

Place the frying pan back on the low heat and add a generous quantity of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is warm add the sliced potatoes, once again covering the pan with a lid. Leave the potatoe in the pan at low heat for 30 minutes approx. They should not brown.
After 30 minutes they should be cooked. Remove them from the pan and place them with the onion in the bowl.
In another large bowl break the eggs and beat with a whisk until they have a uniform consistency.

Pour the mixture into the bowl with the potato and onion and stir and add salt (at your discretion).
Put more olive oil back into the frying pan and when warm, pour in the mixture, covering the pan with the lid. Leave to cook for 10 minutes, then turn the frying pan over using the lid (or a large plate) to flip the tortilla over (this can be tricky as the tortilla at this point weighs a bit...)
Place the tortilla back into the pan  and leave to cook for another 5-10 min.
Put on a plate and it will be ready or eating....Buen provecho :)

This can also be served cold - equally delicious!

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Crema de Limon
I lied. We actually used limes. Both are great and you could even (gasp!) use both together. Not healthy. At all. But delicious in moderation (and probably no less healthy than icecream!)
This makes enough for 6 (with leftovers!)

You need:
1 tin (400g) condensed milk
400ml double cream
4 limes (or 2 large lemons)

To make:
Pour the milk and cream into a large bowl.

Zest the limes and set the zest aside.
Juice the fruit.
Whisk until the mixture thickens.
Pour into the bowl that you will present it in at table and add zest to the top (as much as you like, or as little).
Cover the bowl with clingfilm.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or put in the freezer for 20 minutes).

Culture Through Cookery: Italian food with a Sardinian flare

Non bisogna fare le cose a metà. 
If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well.

Italy only became a united country 1871 and perhaps because of that the country still has very different regional cuisines.

These recipes are nutritious and delicious, simple and use ingredients that are easily available in the UK. Our chef hailed from Cagliari in Sardinia, but sadly some of their most special specialities contain ingredients not easily available in London or only available at great cost, or are very time consuming to make. So we learned some simpler but delicious dishes.

What may be interesting is that in Italy pasta is a primo platti- something to fill you up before the main course arrives. It tends to be much less 'saucy' that British takes on pasta because they are served as main courses.

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Tagliatelle with peas and porcini

Takes about 45 minutes to make (because you need to soak the porcini)

Serves 6 as a primo platti or 3 as a main course.

Ingredients

·         5 tbsp Italian olive oil

·         1 large onion, finely chopped

·         100 gr of porcini mushrooms

·         2 handfuls frozen peas, defrosted

·         1000 ml hot water

·         black pepper

·         300 g tagliatte all'uovo (egg tagliatelle)

·         300 gr double cream

1. Soak the Porcini in water for about 30 minutes.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and fry, stirring often, until golden, around 5 minutes.

Sauteeing the onion

3. Add the peas and the water from the porcini and let the water evaporate while boiling and the sauce thicken.

Adding the water from the soaked porcini into the peas

Cooking the peas

4. Once boiling season with salt and freshly ground pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

5. At this stage, add the tagliatelle all'uovo and the porcini and cook briskly until the pasta is al dente (topping up with boiling water if required).

Adding the porcini

6. Once the pasta is al-dente, add the double cream to the pasta along with the pea/porcini mixture

Mixing the Porcini/ Pea mixture with the Tagliatelle

7. Serve at once with freshly grated Parmesan.

Ready to serve

Ready to eat!

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Involtini (Aubergine wrapped around cheese)

serves 4 as a vegetarian maincourse or 8-12 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

·         4 aubergines, washed

·         1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

·         1 smoked cheese (we used smoked cheddar)

·         parsley, garlic, red pepper (according to taste)

·         1 Pinch sea salt

1.      Pre heat the oven to 220c/gas mark 7.

2.      Slice the aubergines lengthways into 5-6 thin slices, discard the very outside strips as they won't roll

3.      Brush both sides of the aubergine slices with olive oil, garlic, red pepper, salt parsley and place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side until they just start to brown at the edges. Leave to cool slightly. We had to do this in two goes.

4.      Slice the smoked cheese (slices about 3cm by 1 cm by 1cm) and place it on one end of the aubergine slice. 

5.      Roll up and place on a baking tray and  repeat with the rest of the slices. You may want to hold them together with cocktail sticks. 

6.      Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Serve hot or cold on their own,

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Pollo all'Arancia (Chicken with Orange)

Takes about an hour to make

Serves 6 

Ingredients

• 6 chicken legs, consisting of a drumstick and thigh, wright 3 pounds total
• 4 large, juicy oranges
• 250g carrots, diced
• Half a lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Flour (1 heaped table spoon)
• 3 cloves garlice (crushed)
• Two red onions, diced
• Salt (to taste)

To make:

1) Heat the oil in a thick bottomed frying pan saute the onion until transparent, with the carrot.

2) In the same pan place the chicken, seasoning it lightly with salt. 

3) Add the garlic

4) Squeeze the oranges and lemon, getting the flesh as well as the juice, and pour  into the pan with the chicken. 

5) Wait for the mixture to reduce. When the chicken is cooked (check that it is not pink inside) the dish is ready. 

N.B. If the sauce is reducing too quickly as the chicken is not cooked enough, put a lid on the pan and add some water to the pan. 

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Classic Tiramisu

Whilst many recipes for Tiramisu include alcohol, a classic tiramisu doesn’t. This version is very tasty, you will not miss the alcohol, and consequently it is also family-friendly and cheaper than the

·         250g mascarpone

·         3 eggs

·         150ml strong coffee or espresso, cooled to room temperature. We made it in a mocha.

·         150ml single cream

·         4 tbsp icing sugar

·         16 sponge fingers (savoiardi)

·         Frozen bar of 70% chocolate.

·         Cocoa powder to dust

METHOD

1.      Whisk the mascarpone with the eggs, until everything is thoroughly mixed together. Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until smooth, then fold in the mascarpone mix

2.      Pour the coffee into a bowl (sweeten with more icing sugar if you like). Take one sponge finger at a time and dip it into the coffee.

3.      After dipping, place into a large dish in layers (see the pictures), layering with the mascarpone mixture before finally dusting with cocoa powder. 

4.      Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

5.      Remove the tiramisu from the fridge. Take the frozen chocolate bar and grate a little chocolate over the top of each tiramisu. 

Culture Through Cookery: Tropical Flavours of Nigeria

Onye mbiakwutara anü na ngüsi amagh otu eji gbuo ya, ma öbü sia ya.A person who arrives at a feast when the cooked meat is being pulled out of the pot does not know what was endured by others to catch and cook it (Igbo proverb)

Jollof rice is a popular dish in many parts of West Africa, including Nigeria. The most common basic ingredients are rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, onion, salt, and red pepper. Beyond that, nearly any kind of meat, vegetable, or spice can be added.

Moin moin is a Nigerian steamed bean pudding made from a mixture of washed and peeled black-eyed beans, onions and fresh ground peppers (usually a combination of bell peppers and chilli or scotch bonnet). It is a protein-rich food that is a staple in Nigeria.

Our main demonstrator this week, Ugonna, practiced moin moin on her family all weekend. The final version, made for us, included corned beef and chopped egg and was very tasty.

N.B  These recipes use estimated quantities and the fun of Nigerian cooking is quantities are up to individual taste and style!

We ate roast chicken pieces seasoned with all-purpose seasoning and fried plantain with the rice and moin moin, followed by tropical fruit, for a substantial meal:

Not the best photo, but L-R, Jollof rice, Chicken and plantain

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Jollof Rice makes enough for 12

Ingredients:
easy cook american rice (1kg)
1 bell pepper
2 cans of plum tomatoes
2 medium sized onions
curry powder
4 maggi cubes
1 chicken stock cube
all purpose seasoning
sunflower oil (or an oil of your choosing)

Onions, bell peppers, all-purpose seasoning

Soaking the washed rice in hot water

Method:
1. Blend one can of plum tomatoes, a medium onion (cut into quarters) and a red pepper.
2. Heat up some oil in a large saucepan and add chopped onions.
3. Pour the blended mixture from step 1 into the saucepan and allow to cook for about 15 mins.
4. While that's cooking, wash the rice and soak in hot water.
5. Add i.e. curry powder,chicken stock, maggi cubes to the saucepan.
6. Add the rice.
7. Stir the rice into the sauce thoroughly, add some boiling water until the liquid covers the rice and put a lid on the pan.
8. Cook until the rice is fluffy cook until the rice is fluffy, adding hot water as required, but do not stir again;(see instructions on rice package for time guidelines)
9. Serve with your choice of meat and/or vegetables


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Moin Moin makes enough for 12

Ingredients:
Peeled Black eye beans or powdered peeled black eye beans
Salt
Olive Oil
1 Chicken Stock cubes
2 medium onions
1 Sweet pepper (bell)
Crayfish powder
Scotch Bonnet Peppers (optional)
6 eggs (hard boiled and quartered (Optional)
Corned Beef  (100g) (Optional)
4-5 Foil cups such as these

Blending the beans, peppers, onions together

Stirring in the crayfish power

The foil cups, half full of the puree, with egg and corned beef added

The steamed moin moin packages

Method:
1. Add Black-eyed bean flour/peeled black eyed beans with one bell pepper, the onions, chicken stock cubes  and water  in a blender (water should make up 80% by proportion of the ingredients in the blender) and blend until a smooth paste made.
2. Pour the puree into a large bowl and stir in crayfish powder (20g or to taste), oil (3 tablespoons) and all purpose seasoning (2 tablespoons or to taste).
3. Fill greased foil cups about half full of puree, add egg and or corned beef at this point, mixing it into the puree.
4. Arrange the foil containers with their lids on in a deep cooking pot containing warm water such that cans/foil cups are not drowned.
5. Steam cook for about 30 minutes (adding sufficient water at intervals to the pot).
6. Allow to rest for about 10minutes before eating

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Fried Plantain 

Ingredients:
Oil
5 plantains

Chopped plantain

Frying the plantain in a thick-bottomed pan

Method:
1. Cut the plantain on the diagonal into pieces of about 1cm thick
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan
3. Place the pieces of plantain in the pan and leave until brown on one side, turning so that they can brown on the other.

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Waste not, want not!
Jollof Rice and Moin Moin can be stored in the fridge and reheated by microwave at one’s convenience. It is best to eat plaintain when served although it can be stored in fridge as well.

Culture Through Cookery: A qui il a été beaucoup donné, il sera beaucoup demandé!

Although known as a classic French dish, the quiche originated in Germany. The word quiche means "cake" which came from the German word Kuchen. Today, quiche is considered as typically French. However, savoury custards in pastry were known in English cuisine at least as early as the fourteenth century. Quiche Lorraine is a popular variant that was originally an open pie with a filling of custard with smoked bacon or lardons. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. The addition of Gruyère cheese makes a quiche au gruyère or a quiche vosgienne.

Perrine and Marie, our demonstrators for the evening, get us into the French spirit

The 'quiche alsacienne' is similar to the 'quiche lorraine', though onions are added to the recipe. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough but that has since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust that is often baked using a springform pan (which we really recommend! It makes presenting it much simpler!).

The origin of quiche lorraine is rural and the original quiche lorraine had a rustic style: it was cooked in a cast-iron pan and the pastry edges were not crimped. Today, quiche lorraine is served throughout France and has a modern look with a crimped pastry crust. In France, the version is unlike that served in the UK; the bacon is cubed (lardons are used) , no onions are added and the custard base is thicker. We discussed this and we thought it might be because creme fraiche has not been available easily very in the UK until fairly recently, so perhaps this is why British recipes traditionally usually use milk.

For pudding we made a family recipe of Marie's - Tartouilleau. Marie used to cook this cake often with her grandma when she was a child.

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How to make pastry
Il ne faut pas fair ces choses a moitié

Due to the size of the oven, we also made one quiche in advance using ready-made pastry. This also allowed everyone to taste the difference between ready-made and homemade.

Ingredients  (makes enough for two large tartes/ quiches)
350g plain flour
175g softened butter
100ml water
1 pinch of salt

Method

Chop the softened butter into very small pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. 

Measure the flour and salt and add to the bowl with the butter. Using your fingers (well-washed!) mix the butter and the flour together. Flour your hands so that they don't become too sticky.

And you should end up with a soft ball like this!

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Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Ingredients
250g fresh spinach
250g lardons (you could use unsmoked bacon if you cannot find lardons)
3 eggs
400ml crème fraiche
70g grated gruyere cheese (or grated mature cheddar)
salt, pepper

Method

Preheat the over to 210 degrees C.

Put the lardons into a hot pan until they cook. You don't need to add any fat as they have lots of fat of their own.

Whilst the lardons are cooking, halve the pastry that you have already made and roll each quantity out until it is large enough to fill your quiche tins as in the picture below.

Prick the bottom of each quiche with a fork. 

Wash the spinach 

When the lardons are more or less cooked, add the spinach and let it wilt. Stir occasionally so that all the spinach cooks. 

Put the creme fraiche into a large mixing bowl and break in the eggs. Add  a  good pinch of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. 

With a wooden spoon break the yolks and stir the mixture together. 

When the spinach is cooked, add the lardons and spinach into the egg mixture. 

Stir in the cheese

Pour the filling mixture into the pastry case.  Pop it into the oven  for around 30 minutes or until set. 

And here you have it! 

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Tomato and Goats Cheese Tarte.
This is an immensely simple tarte to make, but utterly delicious. 

Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
Dijon mustard
Basil leaves
Goats cheese (5 slices)
Pepper, Salt,
Oregano

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C
Line the pastry in a tart pan (You could use half the quantity of what is given above).
Pierce it with a fork.
Spread mustard on the pastry (a thin layer- add more if you like dijon- it give a wonderful kick)
Spread the sliced tomatoes and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

This is the tarte after it has been cooked for 30 minutes. 

Add the slices of goats cheese

Put a pinch of oregano on each slice of cheese and add basil leaves. Place back into the oven for 3 minutes just before serving, so that the cheese melts.

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Tartouilleau

Ingredients
5/6 eating apples, peeled and cut into small chunks.
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
200g plain flour
100g melted butter
1tbsp baking powder

Method
Preheat the oven at 140 degrees C
Place the apple chunks into the bottom of a cake tin (3 inches deep, 8 inches wide or similar)

Mix the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl

Whisk them together until the mixture becomes white

Add the flour

Add the butter (in small, soft pieces) and mix vigorously until combined. 

Pour the mixture on top of the apples. Place in the oven . Cook  for an hour. 

This recipe would also work with pears. 

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As a final flourish for the evening, Perrine surprised us with Frogs and Snails that she had already prepared. This is the British stereotype of French food, but both Perrine and Marie said that they never have prepared them before and don't eat them at home - there is not much meat on a frog to justify the work that goes into preparing them!

Escargots stuffed with garlic or mushrooms

Escargots and Frogs, ready to serve

We were all surprised that they were all eaten. Everyone (except one) was brave enough to try these 'delicacies' !