Autumn squash salad

I bought a gorgeous little squash at the market yesterday and have been pondering what to do with it all day. My favourite dishes combine a variety of textures and flavours, this one goes one better with the use of hot and cold too! Sticky sweet hot squash straight from the oven, served on cold creamy whipped goats cheese which melts ever so slowly in the heat. Topped with zesty fresh lemony salad and crunchy seeds. It's a real autumnal treat! 

Ingredients (2 main or 4 starter)

1 small squash, olive oil, salt and pepper, 1tsp dark brown sugar, 1 lemon, 225g pack soft goats cheese, 1 tbsp double cream, 1 pack mixed leaves (mine were spinach, watercress and rocket), sprinkle of mixed seeds (mine were pumpkin, sunflower and linseed)

Preheat the oven to 200 celcius. Cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scrape out and discard the seeds. Cut the squash in to wedges, arrange on a baking tray, drizzle with oil, salt, pepper and sugar and toss well to coat. Cook in the oven, turning twice during cooking to ensure its caramelised all over, for 30 minutes. 

Whilst the squash is cooking mix the cream and goat cheese in a bowl, beating to combine until smooth. Using a spoon smear a few blobs of the goat cheese mix on to plates. 

Once the squash is cooked, dress your salad leaves using around 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil to taste, season with salt and pepper. Arrange the squash on top of the goat cheese, then pile the salad leaves on top.  Sprinkle with seeds and a little finely grated lemon zest. 

The decedent gooey triple chocolate tart

So I'm all about healthy living, I eat my five a day, run, and drink plenty of water. However, for a special occasion sometimes you need a special dessert. Tonight we are off to see our good friends Ciaran and Chloe to meet their new beautiful baby daughter Orla, and a special pudding is in order! 

This is based on a brownie recipe and so it is gooey and fudgey in the centre. It is not a healthy dessert by any means, however it is divine, just make sure you do some excercise the next day! 

Ingredients

100g unsalted real butter, 150g milk chocolate, 150g dark chocolate, 3 large eggs, 150g White caster sugar, 1tbsp cold strong espresso coffee, 1tsp vanilla extract, 100g fine plain flour, pinch salt, 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2tbsp double cream.

Preheat your oven to 150 celcius. In a bowl set over simmering water melt the butter and 75g of each dark and milk chocolate chopped up in to small pieces. Stir to combine and set aside to cool slightly. 

In a seperare large bowl whisk the eggs, coffee, vanilla, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda until really frothy. Tip in the cooled chocolate mix and whisk again for a minute. Chop the remaining milk chocolate (75g) in to small chunks and add to the egg mix along with the flour. Stir until combined and tip in to a round pie dish (I used a foil one as taking this to a friends house but you can choose a pretty pie dish if at home). 

 

Bake on the middle shelf for 30 minutes and then leave to cool. In a small pan melt the remaining dark chocolate (75g) with the double cream and a tiny pinch of salt. Do not let this mixture simmer or boil, as soon as it gets warm take off the heat and let the chocolate gradually melt in the cream. Cool slightly and pour over the pie and spread it over the top. I like quite a rustic looking top but if you prefer you can use a spatula to smooth it to a more professional looking finish. 

Pea green soup

Easy, quick and delicious, this is one of my favourite simple saturday dishes that takes literally minutes to make and can be served hot with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese in the winter, or chilled for a simple summer supper.

If you're vegan just swap the milk for the same quantity of extra stock!

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 pint chicken or vegetable stock, 1 pint of milk, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2 big mugs of frozen petit pois peas, 1tbsp dried mint or a few leaves of fresh mint finely chopped, 3 spring onions finely chopped, drizzle olive oil. 

Heat the oil in a large pan and quickly fry the spring onion and garlic until softened. Add the peas, stock and milk and slowly bring to a simmer, do not boil or it might split. Add the mint and using a handheld immersion blender blend until smooth. 

I love this hot with Parmesan, or perhaps some crispy fried bacon bits, however it's great either way! 

Eggs benedict

This is one of my favourite breakfasts, it reminds me of when Christian proposed to me, we were staying at the glorious Santa Ynez Inn (http://www.santaynezinn.com/mb/) in the beautiful wine growing region above Los Angeles in California doing a wine tour. He proposed at sunset whilst we were having a picnic on the Foxton Canyon Road and it was magical. The next day I woke up and ordered an eggs benedict for breakfast. It's a truly decedent start to the day, mainly due to the quantity of butter used to make the hollondaise sauce which slathers the top of this dish. However, once in a while, it's nice to have a treat to start the weekend! 

Ingredients

Sauce: 2 egg yolks, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1 pack unsalted butter, salt and pepper to taste. 

Muffins, brioche or a bread of your choice,  slices of thick ham, 2 eggs. 

Melt the butter in a pan and skim any white white residue which forms on the top, set aside but keep warm. Set a bowl over a pan of simmering water and add the 2 egg yolks and lemon juice, start to whisk continuously. The eggs will thicken up over the heat, once they have thickened (around 6 mins whisking) take the bowl off the pan and very gradually add the butter a tiny drizzle at a time, whisking thoroughly all the time. The sauce will start to become glossy and thick, if it gets too thick use a table spoon of warm water to thin it a little. 

Once the sauce is ready, season to taste. Toast the bread, poach the eggs and then stack the bread, ham and poached eggs on plates and slather with the sauce. 

White potato, onion and cheddar soup

Ingredients

4 medium white onions, 1kg white potatoes, 1 pint milk, 1 pint chicken (or veg) stock, salt, pepper, 1/2 fresh grated nutmeg, 1tbsp olive oil, 50g strong cheddar cheese.

Chop the onions and potatoes in to small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and on a medium heat gently fry the onions for 10 minutes until soft, stirring frequently to stop them browning. Add the potatoes and gently cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the milk and chicken stock, seasoning and nutmeg and turn the heat down, cook gently for 20 minutes, skimming the top to remove any foam that forms. 

Once cooked grate the cheddar cheese and add to the soup, stirring to melt. Let it cool slightly and then use a handheld blender stick to blend thoroughly until it's completely smooth. If you want a super smooth soup you can pass it through a sieve at this point also. 

Reheat the soup and serve with a little grated nutmeg on top, and some crusty bread on the side. 

Bread rolls

One of my favourite smells is freshly baked bread, it reminds me of cold winter days when I was young, coming home freezing after sledging in the snow, my mother would make hot chicken broth and freshly baked bread. I remember breaking open the hot crusty rolls and slathering with butter which melted and dripped over my icy fingers, it was so delicious and makes my mouth water even thinking about it! 

Later in life when I was in Paris modelling I used to adore the patisseries where I would go and pick up long crusty baguettes, or fougasse flavoured with onions or cheese. Or lunches in Milan where focaccia and ciabatta made amazing sandwiches full of salami or Parma ham, such delicious memories. 

One of my favourite things to do would be to pick up some bread and a local soft cheese such as Camembert and sit in a park soaking up the sounds of the city and happily chomping away at my picnic. 

Bread is so easy to make, it's cheap too and the variety of different breads you can make at home is vast. Once you have got the basic recipe mastered you can really mix it up, mixing in chopped olives or herbs, or one of my favourites is chopped sundried tomatoes, rosemary and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. This is my basic bread recipe which never fails. 

Ingredients

1kg strong white flour, around 2.5 cups warm water, 1tbsp white sugar, 2 sachets of dried yeast, 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1tsp salt

Tip the flour on to a flat surface and make a well in the centre, put the dried yeast in the middle. Mix the sugar in to a cup of warm water and stir to dissolve, then gently pour in to the well and using your hand gently start to mix the flour in, incorporating more flour to form a paste and you have used the first cup of water. 

In the second cup of warm water add the oil and salt and keep mixing until all the flour and water is combined in to a ball of dough. 

Next you knead the bread for a good ten minutes using the ball of your hand to stretch the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. 

Lightly grease a large bowl or pan and pop the ball of dough inside, and then cover with a towl or cloth and leave in a warm place for 40 minutes to rise. 

After 40 minutes the dough will have doubled in size and be full of air bubbles. Tip it out and pat it down to knock some of the air out. Divide in to 4 pieces and roll to shape in to balls. Put on to a baking tray, score a cross in the top using a sharp knife and cover loosely with greased cling film. Leave in a warm place for a further 40 minutes to rise again. Preheat the oven to 180 celcius. 

Once it's had it's second rise, gently put in the oven on the middle shelf. Be careful not to knock it or touch it as you want it to stay light and puffed up. Quickly throw a handful if ice cubes in to the bottom of the oven and shut the door. The ice will create steam which keeps the bread fluffy with a wonderful sheen. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. 

Country chicken

This is a variation on a childhood favourite, I don't know where it came from, although I have had similar versions in Spain, France and Italy. 

It is so versatile, you can stir it through pasta, or perhaps have it with crusty buttered bread or creamy mashed potato. However my favourite is simply with brown rice or green vegetables for a healthy dinner. 

I use the leftover chicken from a Sunday lunch, I love the way cooked chicken pulls in to long pieces and it gives the dish a much more rustic feel than cubes of chicken, but you can use either really. 

Ingredients (4 people)

Either leftover Sunday roast chicken pulled in to prices, or equivalent of 2 large chicken breasts, diced. 

1 red onion and 1 red pepper sliced. 6 chestnut mushrooms quartered, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic finely chopped, 1 chicken stock cube, 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves and chilli flakes, 2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil. 

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and if using raw chicken gently cook until browned (if using pre-roasted chicken simply heat through). Add the vegetables and gently soften for 10 minutes. Next add the spices and garlic and cook for a further minute, then tip in the tomatoes plus 1/2 tin of additional water. 

Next add the stock cube and gently simmer for 10 minutes until everything is soft and the sauce has thickened and is umptuous! 

Easy Sunday roast

There's nothing nicer than a Sunday roast with meat, veg and gravy, delicious! Some of my friends have told me they shy away from a home roast because it creates too much washing up, seperare pans for the vegetables, a roasting tray, gravy jugs etc. have no fear, this is an easy version using limited pots and creates a super easy roast dinner.

Ingredients (4 people) 

The meat: 1 medium size free range chicken, 1 tbsp butter, 2 cloves crushed garlic, finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus the lemon quartered, salt and pepper. 

The veg: a selection of roasting veg of your choice, I used carrots, green pepper, red onion, potatoes. A green veg option, I used peas. 

1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, salt and pepper. 

The gravy: 1tbsp plain flour, 1 pint chicken stock. 

On a board use a fork to mash the lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper together. Using your hand gently lift the skin off the chicken breast and push the butter under the skin to cover the breast meat, ensure the skin is pulled back over snugly. Push the quartered lemons in to the cavity of the chicken and put in to a pre-heated oven at 180 celcius. 

Chop the roasting veg in to similar size chunks. Toss in the olive oil, paprika and seasoning. Once the chicken has been cooking for 20 minutes take it out and surround it with the roasting veg mix. 

Put back in to the oven for a further 40 minutes, turning the vegetables occasionally to stop them charring.

With 10 mins to go I boiled some additional potatoes to mash and steamed the peas in a colander hung above the boiling potatoes. 

Once the chicken has been in the oven for the full 60 minutes insert a sharp knife between the leg and breast, if the juices run clear it's cooked, if the juices are pink pop back in the oven for a further 10 minutes and check again. 

When the chicken is cooked lift the roasted veg on to 4 plates, and carefully lift the chicken on to a seperare plate to rest, gently tipping it's juices out of the cavity back in to the roasting tray.

To make the gravy put the roasting pan on to a medium heat, skim some of the oil off the juices which have collected in the bottom and discard. Put the flour in to the pan and quickly stir it in, then gradually add the chicken stock, stirring all the time to make a rich gravy. Cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. You can sieve this to remove any lumps if you wish. 

Mash the potatoes with a little butter, milk and salt. 

Slice the chicken breast,add to the plates with the roast veg, mashed potatoes, peas and cover with the lucious gravy! I also made some stuffing, however this is optional. 

Pappardelle with truffle

I bought some gorgeous sliced truffles in Croatia, and I always have white truffle oil in the pantry, it's expensive but you only require a tiny amount to create amazing flavour. 

I made pappardelle pasta yesterday which has been hanging in my doorway drying overnight, (see yesterday's post for the recipe), so time to cook these little babies up!

It may be a gloomy Monday but that's no reason not to indulge, so here is a super simple pasta dish to put a smile on your face. 

Ingredients (2 people)

Pappardelle pasta, 1tbsp olive oil, 1tbsp butter, 1 sliced leek, handful spinach, 2tsp sliced truffles, 1tsp white truffle oil, handful of grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. 

Cook the parpadelle in lots of boiling salted water until just tender. 

Whilst the pasta is cooking melt the butter and oil and cook the leek, once softened add the spinach, a spoon of the pasta cooking water and seasoning, toss until the spinach has melted and the sauce emulsified.  

Drain the pasta well, add to the pan containing the sauce and on a gentle heat toss all together and cook for a further couple of minutes. 

Just before serving add the sliced truffles and toss. Transfer to warmed plates, drizzle with a teaspoon of white truffle oil and Parmesan cheese and enjoy!