Month: April 2024

Spaghetti Puttanesca

This is a classic ‘store cupboard’ recipe from Italy, but only if you have all of the ingredients in the store cupboard. It is a delicious fruity, tangy, carb-rich dish, very comforting and tasty. We used the BBC good food recipe for the basic idea, although we had to go out to get the pitted olives and the anchovy fillets. All of the ingredients are available in our local co-op.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes or pepperoncini
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 5 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
  • 120g pitted black olives
  • 2 tbsp capers, drained
  • 300g dried spaghetti
  • ½ small bunch of parsley, finely chopped

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil over a medium-low heat an add the onion along with a generous pinch of salt and fry for 10 mins, or until soft.
  • Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further minute.
  • Stir the tomatoes, anchovies, olives and capers into the onion, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 mins, then season to taste.
  • Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then drain and toss with the sauce and parsley.

Beetroot, cumin and coriander soup

A nod to the BBC good food site, which is a source of reliable recipes. I was looking for new ways to cook beetroot, of which there is a plentiful supply in one of our local supermarkets. I had also grown a few more puny specimens which I added to the mix. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red onions in wedges
  • 1kg raw beetroot (about 3 very large beetroot) peeled and diced (or you can add a carrot if you don’t have enough beetroot)
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1.2 litres marigold stock, or other vegetable stock
  • 30g hazelnuts
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • natural yoghurt
  • salt and pepper
  • (I also added some chopped celery)

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil in a large soup pan, and gently fry the onions, optional celery, and a good pinch of salt.  Cook for around 10 minutes
  • Add the Chilli flakes, and 1 tbsp each of cumin and coriander, turn up the heat and cook for a few minutes until the smell is fragrant with spice.
  • Add the vinegar, stir and add the stock. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. 
  • When the beetroot is tender, use a soup wand to blend. 
  • Meanwhile, chop the hazelnuts roughly. In a dry frying pan, add the nuts, sesame seeds and 1 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp coriander, and gently toast until the nuts are golden. 
  • Serve the soup with a swirl of yoghurt in each bowl, topped with a good sprinkling of spiced toasted nuts. 

Mushroom and leek risotto

I had guests and a lot of leeks, so we made this as a quick after-work dish. It was delicious. The leeks were the end of season weeny ones left in the ground, we’d enough to make a substantial dish.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 litre marigold stock
  • 2 x 25g butter
  • 200g mushrooms (one punnet)
  • salt and pepper
  • Chopped fresh sage, thyme and parsley
  • 200g leeks, cleaned and chopped
  • 200g arborio rice
  • 100ml dry white wine 
  • 50g grated parmesan cheese
  • Another 25g butter

METHOD:

  • Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, and add the first 25g butter. Hwn it melts , add the chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper, and fry for around 4 minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add another 25g butter, and add the leeks and herbs and saute for 2 minutes, until browning. 
  • Add the arborio rice and keep on cooking until the rice is glossy and coated in butter
  • Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, stirring until the liquid is absorbed
  • Add the hot stock a ladle-ful at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed, and then adding the next scoop. Kepp on with this with the mixture just about simmering. When the rice is tender and al dente, stop there, and add the cheese, 25g butter, mushrooms and stir. Check the seasoning and leave to rest for a couple of minutes 
  • Serve garrnished with herbs. 

Venison stew

This is a delicious stew with a lot of sauce, excellent with cous cous. I used a lot of celery, which went well with the rich taste of venison. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 700g diced venison e.g. from haunch or leg
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 sticks of celery, diced
  • 2 small onions, or one large onion, diced
  • 4 carrots, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp herbe de Provence (I used a mixture of dried basil, dried oregano, dried savoury, dried thyme, dried rosemary, bay leaves)
  • 1 scant tsp salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 400g tin of tomatoes
  • 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 litre of stock

METHOD:

  • Dice the venison, and fry in a casserole pan in hot oil until browned, and then set aside.
  • In the same pan, fry the onion, celery and carrots over a medium heat for around 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, herbs and salt and pepper, and fry for a minute or two, before adding the tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce, and bringing to a simmer. 
  • Add the venison, stir together and then cook in the oven at 140C for 3 hours, or until the venison is tender.

You could add dumplings or potatoes. The potatoes are best added to the stew about 40 minutes before serving. Dumplings take about 30 minutes to cook in a stew.