Easter treats

I love a good chocolate cake. This one is deep and fudgy and so rich it sticks to your mouth and makes you want to hit the gym! 

I've made this recipe before: http://ramshalleat.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-ultimate-chocolate-cake.html?m=1

The only changes I made were to add a teaspoon of almond extract and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cake batter along with a pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavours. 

The icing was the same as on the recipe, and I decorated with shards of white chocolate. 

The same cake batter mixture can be used to make individual lava cakes. Simply butter small ramekin dishes, scoop 3/4 full with the cake mixture and chill for 30 mins. 

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius and bake the ramekins for 8 minutes. Then serve dusted with icing sugar and perhaps some strawberries with cream. 

Long weekend Friday night dinner

I haven't written for ages because I've got a 5 month old baby and although I'm still cooking fresh healthy meals for my family I haven't had time to write my blog. In addition we are getting our kitchen redone so it's all been a bit hectic. However the sleepless nights are becoming a thing of the past and I'm hoping to get a bit more time to sit and write.

Last nights dinner was a super simple frittata I made to use up some leftover sweet potato mash and ricotta in the fridge. You can use any veggies you want  to chuck in this, but I used green beans, cauliflower and peas because that's what I had. This recipe makes 4 large wedges of frittata.

Dessert was decedent limoncello bathed strawberries with a sweet almond cream. 

FRITTATA 

1tbsp olive oil and a small knob of butter, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 small red onion, small handful green beans, small handful frozen peas, 5 small florets cooked cauliflower,  1 sweet potato mashed with a pinch of chilli flakes, 150g ricotta cheese, 2 medium eggs, 3 tbsp grated Parmesan, pinch salt and pepper. 

Chop the onion in to small cubes and gently fry in the oil and butter until soft. Add the beans, peas and cooked cauliflower (chop beans and cauliflower if you wish in to smaller chunks) and gently fry stirring frequently until soft, then crush the garlic and add to the pan. Add the sweet potato mash and combine everything thoroughly then pat down to create an even round disk of veg in the base of your frying pan.

In a bowl mix the ricotta and eggs along with salt and pepper. Spread the egg mix on top, sprinkle with Parmesan and pop under a hot grill for a few minutes until the eggy mixture has set and the cheese is bubbling. 

It's not the most elegant looking meal but it's so delicious! We ate this on its own piled on to plates with a glass of crisp white Chenin Blanc wine. However to make more of a meal you could serve this with a green salad and chunks of crispy bread. 

Dessert was easy, I cut a few strawberries up and put in to bowls, then sprinkled over a tablespoon of limoncello liqueur. I then whipped a pot of double cream with 2 tablespoons icing sugar and a few drops of almond extract until it formed soft peaks. I put a big dollop of cream on top of the strawberries and served.

Turkey with cannellini beans

Here is another freezer dish in preparation for my baby, however you can always make this and pop it in the freezer for any family or friend meal emergency! Or how about this handy tip; the quantities below makes a huge batch – enough for two people to have four meals, so if you use half of it straight away for your family meal you can always pop the rest in the freezer for a quick supper another time, doubling up like this will save you time and effort in the future.

I have used turkey here as it is very lean and extremely economical, however if you are not a fan of turkey you can always use the same quantity of chicken breast instead.

Ingredients
2tbsp olive oil, 4 spring onions, 2 cloves garlic, 7 closed cup chestnut mushrooms, 860g turkey breast steaks (or chicken if using instead), 2 x 235g tins of cannellini beans in water, 1 gelatinous chicken stock-pot, 20g fresh tarragon, 1tsp black pepper, 1tsp salt, 1tbsp butter, 1tbsp plain flour.

First a bit of prep; wash and chop the spring onions, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves, wash and dice the mushrooms in to 1cm size cubes, and cut the turkey breast in to bite size chunks. Next heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the spring onions for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms and turkey and cook over a medium heat until the turkey is browned and everything begins to soften.

Add both tins of cannellini beans along with their water and the chicken stock-pot then turn the heat to a low simmer. Take half the tarragon, remove any tough stalks and finely chop, add this to the pan. Cover and continue to cook on a low simmer for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the hour take the butter and flour and using a fork mix together until a smooth paste is formed, then stir this in to the turkey to help thicken it. Raise the heat gently and continue stirring until it comes to the boil. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Finely chop the remaining tarragon and stir this in and the dish is ready to serve.

If you are freezing this ensure that it is completely cold before transferring to a suitable freezer containers – don’t forget to label and date so you know what’s inside in a months’ time! This dish is fantastic served with mashed potato or a slice of crusty bread and butter to mop up the juices.

Filling the freezer - Beef Curry with potatoes, chickpeas and spinach

All the advice I have been given is to use the period between finishing work and baby’s arrival to relax, sleep and fill the freezer with food so you don’t have to cook once baby arrives! I’m finding it hard to relax or sleep in my first few ‘official’ days of maternity leave, there’s something oddly unsettling about having a career that you love to suddenly not having to go in to the office and the temptation to check emails is almost overwhelming. However, I am going to be proactive and used the time to do the things I love, see friends and cook.

I want to ensure the freezer is filled with hearty but healthy options that will keep us going over the next few months when we are struggling with a new-born and so I started with a huge batch of chilli con carne and a beef curry with potatoes and spinach. This way all we have to do is defrost and heat up and make some quick rice or cous cous and hey presto, a meal! I’ll give you the recipe for the beef curry as I hope most of you can whack together a chilli con carne without much trouble!

I bought the little take-away containers from my local supermarket and just labelled the lids with the contents and date and popped in the freezer once everything was completely cold.

Ingredients for beef curry (to the left of the pic above)
1 pound of stewing steak cut in to chunks, 2 cups baby potatoes, 2 tins of chickpeas in water, 1 cup of chopped tinned tomatoes, 3 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves (or 1 big bag), ½ red bell pepper, ½ yellow bell pepper, ½ orange bell pepper, ½ red onion, 1/2tsp ground cloves, 1tsp ground coriander, 1tsp garam masala, 1tsp ground ginger, 2tsp medium strength curry power, 1tsp salt, 1tsp pepper, 2 pints of water.

Cut the peppers and onion in to dice. In a large, heavy, pan put the beef, potatoes, peppers, onion and water and bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer. Next add all of the remaining ingredients expect the spinach (which is added later). Stir well to combine and then leave gently bubbling away on the stove for a good 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. If it begins to look a little dry add a splash more water, you want the sauce to become a rich gravy, however be careful not to ‘top up’ the water too aggressively as you do not want to sauce to be to watered down either.

After a couple of hours the beef should be tender and falling apart and everything should be soft and thoroughly cooked through. Check for seasoning and add more salt if required, then add the spinach and give the curry one final stir until the spinach has wilted down.

If you are freezing this, ensure it is defrosted overnight in the fridge and heat in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes until piping hot and bubbling, or you could heat on the stove or microwave in a suitable container. Whatever your preferred method, just ensure it is thoroughly heated through. I love this served with rice, cous cous, or a naam bread.

Lamb neck chops

I haven't written for a long while, however I've had good reason! We have been moving in to, and redecorating, our new house. Swiftly followed by a bout of tonsillitis which took me off work for two weeks and to boot there's some exciting news in that we have a little baby boy due in September this year, so quite a lot going on! 

I've changed my diet only very slightly to accommodate the baby by cutting out all the usual 'banned' foods such as cured meat and blue cheeses, however the majority of what we eat remains the same with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, pulses and lean meat. I will include some of my favourite baby friendly recipes on here for you as well as I have created some fantastic ones over the past few weeks!

However, it is a drizzly grey Sunday here in London which calls for ultimate comfort food, here is one of my husbands all time favourites! A delicious lamb neck chop gently braised in a rich minty gravy and served with smashed olive oil potatoes and fresh steamed asparagus.

Ingredients (2 people so double for 4)

Lamb: 2 lamb neck chops, a small bunch of mint leaves, 1 pint fresh beef stock, 1/2tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1tsp salt and ground black pepper.

Side dishes: New potatoes (around 5 per person depending on size), 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil, juice half a lemon, 1/2tsp salt, small bunch asparagus. 

In a deep sided frying pan heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat, add the lamb steaks and fry for 4 minutes each side to brown. Finely chop the mint leaves and scatter over the chops along with the ground black pepper. Add the beef stock, cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 hour turning the chops half way through cooking. After the hour add the balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt. Whilst the potatoes and asparagus are cooking keep the chops on a low simmer without the lid to reduce the sauce slightly, however, if it gets too thick you could add a splash of water and cover again to prevent further reduction. 

Add the unpeeled but thoroughly cleaned potatoes to a pan of boiling water and simmer gently for 10 minutes until just tender. Whilst the potatoes are cooking rest a colander over the pan and add the asparagus to steam. Drain the potatoes and put back in the pan (off the heat) for a further 5 minutes to steam dry. Once steamed dry use a fork to gently smash and break up the new potatoes. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and pinch of salt, stir through.

Serve the smashed potatoes and steamed asparagus with the chops and their gravy. It's a delicious bit of sunshine on a plate, especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon! 

Salmon and courgette tagliatelle

This is a quick Sunday night feast that is spicy, tangy, and not as naughty as it looks thanks to half fat creme-fraiche and a good serving of veg. Again, this recipe is for two so simply double for four people. 

Ingredients

Dried tagliatette (enough for two people, about 4 balls each), 1 pack smoked salmon, 1 small red onion, 1 small courgette, 1 large handful of baby spinach leaves, 1/2 lemon juiced, 200g pot half fat creme-fraiche, 2 cloves garlic, 2 inch cube feta cheese, 1tbsp olive oil, pinch red chilli flakes, 1tsp ground black pepper, 2tsp salt. 

Boil a large pan of water and add a teaspoon of salt, then the tagliatelle, cover and simmer for 10 minutes (or according to packet instructions) stirring occasionally to keep the strands loose. 

Whilst the pasta is cooking you can make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Skin and finely sliced the red onion, chop the courgette in to small cubes, add to the pot of oil and stir to coat the vegetables in oil. Reduce the heat to gently cook the vegetables until soft and sweet, stirring occasionally. Skin and crush the garlic cloves and add. Next give the spinach a big rough chop, don't worry about getting this even or very small, just break up the leaves a little, add to the vegetables. 

Next add a big serving spoon full of the pasta cooking water and stir well. Add the creme-fraiche, lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt and pepper and the chilli flakes. Stir well to combine. Finely slice the smoked salmon and add last to delicately cook. 

When the pasta is cooked drain well reserving a cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss very well to combine, allow to continue cooking for a couple of minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. If it gets too dry add a small splash of the cooking liquid to loosen it a little. The sauce should be thick and umptuous. 

Crumble in the feta cheese, give the pasta one final toss and serve in steaming piles. Utterly delicious! 

Vegetarian bean and lentil chilli with feta

I am a meat eater and don't get me wrong I love a good juicy steak, however, I make a lot of vegetarian and vegan food, there are so many interesting flavours and textures to be found in vegetables, beans and lentils. This deliciously spicy vegetarian chilli really hits the spot if you are after a warming and hearty dish. With the seas depleting of fish stocks and the rain forests disappearing to make way for ranches I think we could all go veggie a few days a week!

Ingredients

1/2tbsp butter (or oil if you prefer), 1 leek, 1 carrott, 1 stick celery, 170g fine green beans, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice, 1 tin drained red kidney beans, 1/2 stock cube (veggie cube or if you are not a veggie you could use beef), 1/2 cup dried red split lentils, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1tsp each of garam Marsala and chilli flakes, 1/2tsp powdered ginger, 1/4tsp ground clove powder, salt and pepper to taste. 

The topping to sprinkle over the finished dish is 2 finely chopped spring onions and about an inch cube of crumbled feta cheese. 

I served this with potatoes which were boiled until tender, drained, and then loosely smashed with a little salt and butter. However, you could use rice, cous cous or serve with some toasted wholemeal pita bread, it is a super versatile dish. 

Method: Top and tail the vegetables, wash thoroughly and finely dice in to bitesize chunks. Peel and crush the garlic. Heat the butter (or oil) in a large pan and gently fry the carrott, celery and leek on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently,  until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the tinned tomatoes in juice, the drained kidney beans and the lentils, stir thoroughly to combine. Next add the stock cube and spices and around half a cup of hot water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, then add the green beans and cook for a further 10 minutes until everything is soft and the lentils have absorbed the juices. The chilli should be lucious and thick, if it looks too dry and a small splash of water. Finally add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve scattered with the chopped spring onions and feta cheese, this is really important so don't leave this step out, there is something about this fresh vibrant topping that brings the dish alive!