Tag: Nuts

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Marachino cherries and marzipan tarts


If this recipe yields too many tarts for one sitting, it is better to half the recipe as they are at their best when still slightly warm. But it should be no problem. They are delicious and small enough to have more than one, two, three ….

Makes 30

CHERRY MARZIPAN

45 pitted Marachino cherries, drained thoroughly on kitchen paper (it is available in jars at any supermarket)
150 g/ 5 oz marzipan (make your own)
2 sheets puff pastry (use bought pastry but see recipe to make your own)
½ cup/125 ml almonds, finely chopped
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry to 5 mm/0.2 in thick. Use a 5 cm/2½ in pastry cutter and punch 30 rounds from the rolled pastry. Carefully place each round on the two prepared baking trays and prick each one all over with a fork. Cover them with another sheet of parchment paper, then two more baking trays on top of each baking tray. (If you don’t have enough baking trays, do this in two sessions.) This is to weigh the pastry down preventing them from rising during the cooking. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven. Lift off the extra trays and parchment paper and leave the pastry to cool.  

Roll out the marzipan to about 2 mm/0.7 in and punch 30 rounds with pastry cutters slightly smaller than 5 mm/0.2 in and place on top of the cooled pastry discs. Cut each cherry in half and place 5 halves on top of each marzipan disc. Put the trays back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and when they have cooled down slightly, sprinkle over the icing sugar and the chopped almonds.

 

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Roast butternut and figs with pine nuts and goat’s cheese


1 small butternut
75ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 spring onions
1 teaspoon/5 ml chili powder (or more if you want it stronger)
8 fresh, ripe figs, halved
40 ml balsamic vinegar
20g caster sugar
2 tablespoons/30 ml pine nuts, toasted
½ cup/125 ml soft goat’s cheese, crumbled

Heat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Peel the butternut , cut in half lengthways, then cut into smaller wedges and pack loosely in a baking tray. Pour three tablespoons/45 ml of the olive oil over and season well with the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 25 minutes until soft, then remove from the oven and set aside. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a frying and add the spring onions. Fry until tender and sprinkle over the chili powder. Remove from the pan and set aside. Then add the figs cut side down to the same pan and fry until lightly caramelized.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for two to four minutes, until it thickens but is still runny. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the butternut on a serving plate and add the figs and spring onions. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and scatter the cheese crumbs all round. This dish can be served hot or at room temperature.

Categories
METHODS SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

BASIL PESTO


BASIL PESTO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The quantity that this recipe gives can easily be doubled or tripled.

1 cup/250 ml (tightly packed) fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
25g/1 oz pine nuts, toasted
½ cup/125ml olive oil
4 tablespoons/60 ml Pecorino cheese, freshly grated
4 tablespoons/60 ml Parmesan, freshly grated
salt to taste
½ teaspoon/3 ml lemon juice

  • Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and Pecorino cheese in an electric mixer and blend very briefly until you have a rough consistency.
  • Then slowly add the olive oil, checking regularly whether it is the consistency you want.
  • Keep on adding oil until you are satisfied. When the sauce has reached the consistency you want, add the Parmesan cheese, stir in well and check the seasoning.
The amount of salt depends on the piquancy of the Pecorino used.
  • Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Categories
DESSERTS

Banana and marzipan spring rolls with cinnamon and banana liqueur


If marzipan is difficult to get where you are, see in the Glossary how you can make your own.

BANANA MARZIPAN2Serves 4

The marinade:
2 teaspoons/10 ml brown sugar
¼ teaspoon/pinch of cinnamon
1½ cup/375 ml banana liqueur
juice of 1 lemon
4 bananas, peeled

The spring rolls:
2 sheets spring roll wrappers, cut in half
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
4 strips of marzipan, 2 cm/0.7 in wide/ 8 cm/3 in long and 2 mm/0.07 in thick
oil for deep-frying

  • Combine the sugar, cinnamon and banana liqueur in a shallow glass dish.
  • Cut the peeled bananas lengthways in half and each half in quarters, then add to the marinade and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Drain and reserve the marinade.
  • Brush the edges of each pastry sheet with the beaten egg as you go along.
  • Put a strip of marzipan between two quarters of banana and place on a sheet of pastry.
  • Roll the pastry up, folding in the sides to prevent the filling from squeezing out, and put aside under a damp cloth.
  • Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Heat the oil to about 180°C/356°F and deep-fry the spring rolls until golden, and drain on kitchen paper.
  • Keep warm uncovered.
See the Glossary for safety tips on deep-frying.

To serve:

  • Slice each roll in half at an angle and arrange on the servings plates.
  • Pour the reserved marinade into dipping bowls and serve immediately.
Categories
MAIN COURSE

Chicken sausage with pistachios and ham


Chicken sausage with pistachios and hamServe with mushroom risotto and apples poached in red wine

CHICKEN SAUSAGEServes 4
If you wish, double or triple the recipe, make the sausages the size you want, cook the quantity you want and freeze the rest for another occasion. When needed, let defrost in the refrigerator and cook as instructed in the recipe.

The chicken:
4 free-range chicken breasts, skin and bones removed, cut into small dice
½ cup spring onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons/ pistachios, roughly chopped
½ cup/ white breadcrumbs
1 cup/ prosciuto, roughly chopped
pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups/ fresh cream
1 egg white
1 tablespoon/45 ml olive oil

The apples in red wine:
4 cups cold water
juice of 1 lemon
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored, keep whole
½ bottle red wine
4 tablespoons sugar
1 strip orange rind
2 whole cloves
¼ cinnamon stick

The risotto:
2 cups chicken stock
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for the mushrooms and onions)
150 g mixed mushrooms, finely sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil (for the risotto)
150 g Arborio rice 
2/3 cup white wine
1 tablespoon truffle trimmings (optional or use 1 teaspoon truffle oil)
½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
4 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

The chicken:

  • Process the chicken until smooth, then mix with the spring onions, garlic, coriander, pistachios, bread crumbs, prosciuto, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
  • Whisk the cream until stiff and fold into the chicken mixture.
  • Then whisk the egg white until stiff and carefully fold it also into the chicken mixture.
  • Take a large piece of foil and generously brush with some oil.  Form the chicken mixture into a cylindrical shape about 6 cm/2.5 in in diameter, then roll into sausage.  Twist the ends of the foil to seal well, then place in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour.

The apples:

  • Peel the apples, cut a small slice from the base of each apple so it can sit without toppling, then leave in a bowl of lemon water until ready to use. 
  • In a small saucepan big enough to fit the whole apples snugly, combine the wine, sugar, orange rind, clove and cinnamon and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Add the apples, submerging them with a round piece of parchment paper over the liquid and a small plate on top. Simmer for 25 minutes or until they are almost tender when pierced with a skewer.
  • Remove from the heat and leave the apple to cool completely in the liquid.
  • Strain about one-third of the poaching liquid and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce until it becomes a syrupy glaze with a consistency of runny honey.  If it is too sticky, add a little more of the poaching liquid.

The risotto:

  • In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer.  Pour out 1 cup of the stock into a bowl with the dried mushrooms.  Set aside to soak until soft — about 15 minutes.  Keep the rest of the stock hot for the risotto.
  • Remove the soaked mushrooms from the soaking liquid and finely slice them.  Strain the soaking liquid of the mushrooms into the simmering stock.
  • In a clean saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, then add the all the mushrooms (the shiitake mushrooms included) and onion and fry until cooked.  Remove from the saucepan and set aside.
  • Wipe the saucepan and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add the rice and stir to coat until it is lightly toasted but not coloured.
  • Add the wine and bring to the boil until all the alcohol has evaporated. Stir in half a cup of the stock and stir until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.
  • Continue adding the remaining stock, half a cup at a time, to the rice whilst stirring constantly, until almost all but half a cup of stock remains. This should take about 25 minutes.
  • Add the cooked mushrooms, the onions and the balance of the stock.  Stir to heat through.  Remove from the heat, stir in the truffle trimmings (or truffle oil), the cheese and chives, and season to taste.
  • Serve immediately with the chicken sausage and poached apples and drizzle the sauce around.
Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Apple and Calvados biscuit with whipped fresh cream


This cake/tart has it’s origin in France and was originally created without the apples — a hard and dry biscuit that would last for months for the sailors at sea.  But bakers found other uses for it and it developed into this delightful soft biscuit with layers of batter and apples.

APPLE BISCUIT

You will need:
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered
45 g/1½ oz butter
2 tablespoons/30 ml Calvados (apple brandy)
200 g/7 oz flour
3 tablespoons/45 ml cornstarch
185 g/6.5 oz caster sugar
salt
2 teaspoons/10 ml cinnamon, freshly ground
1 teaspoon/5 ml vanilla extract
2 teaspoons/10 ml baking powder
½ cup/125 ml fresh orange juice
2/3 cup/150 ml peanut oil
2 eggs
45 g/1½ oz chopped almonds
icing sugar for sprinkling

Once you have scraped the seeds from the vanilla pod, store the empty pod in an airtight container filled with sugar. This will provide you with vanilla flavored sugar in just a few days.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/56°F.
Grease a 23 cm/9 in diameter cake tin.
Cut each apple quarter into 3 slices.  Melt the butter in a nonstick pan and brown the apple slices for 1 minutes on each side.  Pour the Calvados over the apples and ignite.  Shake the pan until the flame dies down and the Calvados has reduced to almost nothing, then remove the apples with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, orange juice, oil and eggs. Mix well until the mixture is smooth, then pour one-third of the batter into the greased cake tin.

Arrange half of the apple slices on top, cover them with half of the remaining batter, then arrange the rest of the apples on top and cover with the remaining batter.  Smooth the surface with a spatula and sprinkle with the almonds.  Sprinkle the top generously with the icing sugar and bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out.

To serve:
Serves with custard or freshly whipped cream.

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Chicken and seafood pilaf


Serve with Chorizo sausage, tomatoes, green beans and almonds

chicken-and-prawn-pilaf4.jpgServes 4

Mussels are a delicious added ingredient, but as I am allergic to these mollusks (and so are many people), I cook them separately by adding the raw mussels to some garlic fried in butter and white wine, then I add them to the individual plates of the other guests.

The  chicken:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 free-range chicken thighs, deboned, meat cut in bite-size pieces (reserve the bones)
1 cup brut  champagne
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup chicken stock
10 tarragon leaves

The mushrooms:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 rashers of bacon, finely diced
½ onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

The stock:
30 g/1 oz butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
12 medium prawns, shelled, keep shells and reserve prawns for later use
1 cup fish stock, heated

The rest of the ingredients:
375 g/13 oz fine green beans, topped, and cut into 6 cm pieces
2 cups Basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
the peeled and reserved prawns, deveined
4 Chorizo sausages, sliced 5 mm/¼ in thick

The garnish:
6 spring onions, cut into 3 cm pieces
½ cup slithered almonds, roasted
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced in small pieces
½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
¼ cup chives, finely chopped

  • In a cast-iron pan, heat the oil then add the chicken meat and bones and fry until golden brown all over. 
  • Add the champagne, seasoning and half the tarragon and cook until all the alcohol has evaporated. 
  • Add half the stock, cover the pan and simmer gently for another 30 minutes. Discard the bones.
  • Meanwhile, heat some oil in a frying pan and add the bacon, onion and garlic and cook until translucent, then add the mushrooms and cook gently until tender.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside in a warm place.
  • Wipe the frying pan and heat the butter, add the garlic and the reserved prawn shells and cook until the shells are pink and aromatic.
  • Add the rest of the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes.  Strain the stock and discard the solids.
  • Blanch the beans in boiling salted water, refresh in iced water, drain again and set aside in a warm place.
  • Cover the rice with cold water, add salt and bring to the boil.  Cook until all the water has evaporated and the rice is tender.  Keep warm.
  • Heat a large frying pan, wok or paella pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and fry the peeled prawns for about 2 minutes.  Season well then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.  In the same pan, lightly fry the Chorizo sausages, and set aside.

Assemble the dish:

  • Heat the same pan and add a little oil, add a third of the rice and spread over the bottom of the pan, then scatter over a third of the cooked and reserved ingredients.
  • Scatter over half the Parmesan cheese and chopped chives.
  • Then with two forks, lightly stir the mixture. Repeat the whole exercise. Lastly sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese and chopped chives over and serve.