Oat & Berry smoothie

Mentioned in my weekly favourites a couple of weeks ago, this smoothie has fast become my go-to breakfast and I've been making it a few days a week. Great when you're running out the door to work, but still want to fit in a good breakfast, this recipe (in the loosest sense, it's very very simple) is great for on the go. 

Cosy suppers

[All images via pinterest]

There is nothing I love more in winter than a long drawn-out meal, well thought out, lovingly prepared and full of luxuries. On a busy work day, however, when you arrive home from work, late, hungry and to a dark kitchen, there is nothing I love more than a cosy quick supper. 

Jamie Oliver' Trapani-style rigatoni is one of my current go-to's. Its quick, flavoursome, and the recipe always makes more than you need for one sitting which means an even quicker supper the next evening. I make a couple of tweaks to Jamie's recipe (my ideas are in italics on the ingredient list) but it's one of the simplest and yet most satisfying that I've come across in a while - best of all, most of the ingredients are things I nearly always have in the cupboard. 

Magical moules

One of our favourite meals to cook in the flat is mussels. I've always loved them but until I moved to London last year had never cooked them. So Sarah and I experimented. And my gosh they are so easy to make. We recreate on a regular basis and it is now our go to simple weekend supper when we're both home. 

Ottolenghi experiments

For supper at home, experiments are always fun. We'd had a big lunch and didn't fancy anything too filling for supper so, after a flick though the incredible Ottolenghi cookbook, we decided to have lots of smaller dishes, experiment with some flavours and make a few different things.

We ended up with six dishes on the table, lots of good white wine and candles and it was a perfect way to spend a Saturday eve. 

Kedgeree

Recipe's seem to be taking over on the blog the last few days. Being home with full cupboards and a fabulously filled fridge just makes me want to cook, as does the luxury of having everything here already - you sort of forget about the need to actually shop!! Kedgeree is a traditional Indian dish, with a rice base that is often eaten for breakfast in the Southern states, Kerala in particular. This one has been adapted over the years and I think is a pretty good version! Rice, spices, smoked haddock, tomatoes and boiled eggs - what's not to like? Its also super easy and really filling to eat, and could easily be made with a brown rice alternative.

Ingredients
(serves 2/3)

1 White onion
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
2/3 free range eggs
Cherry or plum tomatoes
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
2 fillets of smoked haddock
Juice of a lemon
Basmati rice
Fresh coriander to serve.

Optional extras: fresh chilli, fennel seeds, cardamon seeds

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Prehat the oven to 200 degrees and place your smoked haddock on a baking tray with a little bit of oil , salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Wash and drain the rice (approximately 1 cup per person) before cooking in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Put another pan on the heat with some boiling water in - we have an egg pan as boiling eggs destroys the coating on most saucepans - and once bubbling carefully pop your eggs in, for about 10 minutes if they're medium sized. You want them to be hardboiled.

Begin by finely chopping your onion, and popping it into a frying pan with a glug of oil. Stir contastly on a medium head until softened and then add the spices to the pan, continuing to stir so they don't burn. Cook the spices for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to release. Add in chopped garlic and mix with the onion and spices. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, add in the tomatoes and leave on the heat until softened.

By this time the rice will be cooked so drain it off, add it to the frying pan with the juice of the lemon and mix together with a fork to avoid the rice sticking - there is nothing worse than sticky rice!! Season as desired!

Grab the fish from the oven, remove the skin and flake into the pan. Run the eggs under cold water for a couple of minutes until you can hold them, peel off the shells and quarter. Pop them into the pan and serve with a sprinkling of coriander, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze more lemon juice if required. Once you've made it once having three pans on the go will be a doddle and this is another fab recipe that can be thrown together at the last minute and where the flavours speak for themselves!

Spring vegetable stew

I'm continuing with the stew theme this week, this time with a delicious green vegetable number, filled with spinach, fresh mint and spring freshness. This one sort of just happened. I was raiding the fridge when babysitting for my niece in an attempt to cook her something yummy for supper and the abundance of Spring veggies just couldn't be outdone. This is the perfect kitchen supper on a spring evening, quick to put together, full of flavour and perfect with some fresh crunchy bread, torn apart and warmed up in the oven or on the aga.

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

Olive oil or coconut oil
1 leek
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 courgette
1 sweet potato, peeled
1 aubergine
A bag of spinach
Frozen peas
A handful of fresh mint
Salt and pepper
A litre or so of veggie stock
A good loaf of bread for serving

Begin by chopping your onion and leek finale and popping it into a large heavy based pan with some oil of choice. Cook for five until softened, then add in the garlic and courgette. Cook for another five on a medium heat, stirring often.

Next, add the stock to the pan, pop in your cubed and peeled sweet potato and cook off for a further five or so minutes until the potato begins to soften. At this point add chopped aubergine and season well with salt and pepper. Pop the bread into the oven to warm through.

You're nearly there! When all the veggies have softened (this will only be 15-20 minutes after you start cooking, told you it was a simple one!) add in the spinach and allow to wilt down, along with the fresh mint and frozen peas. Grab the bread, tear onto a big wooden board. Choose some bowls, get the spoons, turn of the heat and devour. 

Healthy, wholesome and most importantly delicious!

Harri's fish stew (courtesy of Jamie)

(Jamie's version!)

This little wonder is a bowl of garlic deliciousness. Filled with succulent fish, fresh herbs and served with crunchy lemon thyme bread its the perfect sharing supper, and one that has been firmly added to my repertoire! Harri made this for us when we visited Bath last week and I've already recreated it at home for the family - it was that good. The recipe is adapted from one in Jamie's 15 minute meals. I would say that you can whip it up from start to finish in half an hour and the best possible accompaniment is a glass of wine, or three, lots of finger bowls and some good company!

FOR THE GARLIC BEAD

1 ciabatta loaf

3-4 cloves of garlic

a few springs of lemon thyme

extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE FISH STEW

1 bulb fennel

tin of anchovy fillets

4 spring onions

half a red chilli

olive oil

2 cloves garlic

125ml white wine

700 grams passata

400g of white fish (pollock, cod etc)

400g mussels

4 langoustines 

FOR THE SAUCE

3 tbsp natural yoghurt

1/2 cloves garlic

a pinch of saffron

juice of half a lemon

So, begin with the bread. Cut deep crosses in the ciabatta. Squash the garlic through a garlic crusher over the bread, add the thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt and pepper, then drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil.  Rub into the cracks of the bread, then put into the oven until golden.

Next, halve the fennel (reserving any leafy tops) and put into the food processor with the anchovies, the trimmed spring onions and chilli, then blitz until finely chopped. Pop into a large heavy based saucepan with a good glug of olive oil and turn the heat up to high, stirring regularly. Squash in the garlic through a garlic crusher, then pour the wine into the pan and let it cook away. Pour in the passata and half a jar of boiling water (350ml), tear in most of the basil leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the fish into chunks (I think its fine to just stick to one type of white fish in this dish, its so full of flavour anyway!), then add all the seafood to the pan (throw away any open mussels that don’t close when tapped), cover with the lid and boil.

For the sauce, peel the garlic and bash with a pinch of salt and the saffron in a pestle and mortar, then muddle in the yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice. We didn't have saffron in the cupboard the first time we made this and it was absolutely fine without and the yoghurt is the perfect accompaniment to the heat of the chilli. 

 When the mussels and clams have opened (throw away any that remain closed), the fish will be cooked through (roughly 4 minutes). Season to taste, then serve scattered with the remaining basil leaves and fennel tops, the saffron sauce and garlic bread.  Enjoy! 

Trapani inspired pasta

A perfect variation on a traditional pesto pasta this dish is quick, easy and full of flavour. Inspired by a recipe from Trapani in Italy and a twist on a suggestion by Jamie Oliver, this is a perfect dish for a week day night when time is of the essence but you still fancy something yummy!

Ingredients: a handful of tomatoes, a tin on anchovy fillets, 1 red chilli, a couple of gloves of garlic, good quality extra virgin olive oil, a handful of pine nuts, fresh basil, salt, pepper.

The beauty of this recipe is that any proportions work and measurements really aren't necessary!

Begin by popping the pine nuts, chilli, tomatoes and garlic in a food processor and blend for a few seconds. Add the basil, olive oil, anchovy fillets (and a little of their oil for flavour) and whizz to a paste. Season to taste.  

Now this isn't the prettiest of dishes but it is delicious...

I served it with a blob of natural yoghurt to add some creaminess and demolished it in minutes!!

Christmas hampers #1: Chocolate Bark

This little series is the recipes for the components of my Christmas hampers. I made hampers as gifts this year for family and friends and they went down incredibly well! Despite the festive season now having passed, these recipes are perfect for wintery days, weekends in the kitchen and simple gifts throughout the year. Most of the foods do suit the wintery months best and the majority of ingredients have the benefit of already being in the larder. You can check out my Pinterest here for more homemade present inspiration.

The first, and my favourite of the homemade gifts is a delicious chocolate bark! A bag of chocolate bark can be created by even the most novice of cooks and really can be customised for all tastes and purposes!

I used:

2 or 3 bars of good quality dark chocolate

1 cup of almonds

1 cup pistachios

1 tbs cocoa powder

2 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1/2 cup sesame seeds 

Begin by popping your pistachios and almonds in a baking tray, with the coconut oil and roast for 10 minutes at about 150 degrees. After 10 minutes remove from the oven and add the sea salt, cocoa and vanilla extract. Roast for a further 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, break your chocolate into small pieces and melt over a bayonet until smooth and silky. Stir the chocolate to ensure that it doesn't burn.

Line a baking tray with cling film and drizzle in your melted chocolate. Try and resist the temptation to eat it at this stage!! Push the chocolate around so that its fairly evenly distributed.

Grab the nuts from the oven and pour into the chocolate. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds, a little more sea salt (to stop the chocolate from being too bitter) and the flaked coconut. Stand back and admire the beautifulness and then pop the tray in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow to fully set. 

Cut up systematically or smash and pop into cellophane. Decorate as desired and its ready to share - do make sure you try some yourself though, it really is delicious!