Wednesday 28 September 2022

RICOTTA, BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SPINACH LASAGNA


Well, summer seems to have exited the room quite swiftly and though I am in no way a fan of autumn and winter temperatures, I am a fan of proper comfort food dishes that are the best way to warm up over these colder seasons. 

This vegetarian friendly lasagna is packed with yummy roast butternut squash, wilted spinach and creamy ricotta and is a comforting, easy to make dinner that will make the shorter days definitely more bearable!

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Butternut Squash
  • 1 Heaped Tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 3 Cloves of Garlic
  • 500g Lasagna Sheets
  • 100g Parmesan
  • 150g Mozzarella (1 Ball)
  • 400g Spinach
  • 6 Sage Leaves
  • 250g Ricotta
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive Oil
METHOD 
  • Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F.
  • Halve and de-seed your butternut squash. 
  • Whack them in oven for 50 minutes or until soft.
  • Now to make the spinach filling. 
  • Finely chop your garlic. 
  • Throw them in a pan with some olive oil. 
  • Cook for 30 seconds, and then drop in your spinach.
  • Once wilted (1 minute), add your chopped sage leaves. 
  • Then, add half of your ricotta and 30g of your Parmesan. 
  • Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and set aside.
  • Take your butternut squash out the oven and remove the skins. 
  • Place one butternut squash in a blender. 
  • Pulse, adding water, until you have a puree. 
  • Cube your other butternut squash into bite-size pieces.
  • In a large bowl, place your butternut puree, your butternut cubes, the other half of your ricotta, a large tsp of Dijon mustard, some salt and some pepper. 
  • Mix it all together.
  • Now time to assemble your lasagna! 
  • In an oven proof dish, put a layer of butternut mixture. 
  • Then layer on some lasagna sheets. 
  • Then a spinach layer, topped with a good grating of Parmesan. 
  • Add another layer of lasagna sheets, more butternut squash filling and then more lasagna sheets. 
  • Finally, spoon over the remainder of your butternut squash and spinach mixture to make the top layer.
  • Cover with discs of mozzarella, and grate the rest of your Parmesan over the top. 
  • Add a drizzle of olive oil, a good grinding of black pepper, and put into the oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
  • AND Enjoy!

Thursday 22 September 2022

CREAMY CHILLI CRAB & CHERRY TOMATO LINGUINE


Cooking and recipe research time is currently non existent because of fashion show month but I still managed to rustle up this wonderfully spicy and creamy crab pasta with tomatoes after being backstage at a show all day and my god it was quite frankly food for the soul!!! Easy, quick yet still with an indulgent feel to it, you can't go wrong here.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS 

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large shallot , finely chopped
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 small red chilli , deseeded and chopped 
  • 100g fresh dressed crab
  • 400g can cherry tomatoes in juice
  • pinch of sugar
  • 50ml single or double cream
  • 400g linguine
  • 170g can crabmeat chunks in brine, drained
  • Handful basil, leaves only, roughly chopped 


METHOD
  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan and boil the kettle for the pasta. 
  • Add the shallot to the oil and gently sizzle for 5 mins until soft. 
  • Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for another 1-2 mins.
  • Tip the kettle of hot water into a large pan, add the pasta and cook following pack instructions. Meanwhile, add the dressed crab to the frying pan. 
  • Drain the tomatoes over a bowl and tip the juice into the pan. 
  • Add the sugar, cream and some seasoning. 
  • Bubble gently while the pasta cooks.
  • Just before the pasta is finished, add the cherry tomatoes and crabmeat chunks to the pan, stir for 1-2 mins, then drain the pasta (reserve a little pasta water) and add this too. 
  • Cook everything for another min, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce looks dry, then season to taste. 
  • Stir through the basil and serve.

Wednesday 14 September 2022

COURGETTE BUTTER LINGUINE WITH TOASTED PINE NUTS & CHILLI


This dish may sound simple on paper but oh my... it is truly one of the best pasta mains I have ever rustled up! Slowly sautéing the grated courgette in lashings of butter adds an incredible depth of flavour to this humble vegetable while the addition of my new favourite, Aleppo peppers give it all a warm but not overpowering spiciness. Add some toasted pine nuts on top and you got yourself a vibrant, flavourful and quickly made bowl of pasta goodness you won't forget in a hurry!

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for pasta water, and to taste
  • 400g linguine, cooked al dente
  • 1 cup (235 ml) pasta water, reserved
  • 570 grams courgette, trimmed, coarsely grated
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, more to garnish
  • 1/2 cup (45 grams) grated parmesan
  • Handful fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
  • 100g toasted pine nuts
METHOD
  • Boil your linguine in well-salted water until it’s 1 minute shy of fully cooked. 
  • Before you drain it, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set it aside. 
  • Melt butter in your empty pan over medium-high heat and add the garlic, stirring it into the butter for one minute before adding the courgette, salt, and red pepper. 
  • Cook the courgette, stirring from time to time, for 13 to 15 minutes. 
  • It will first let off a puddle liquid, the liquid will cook off, and the courgette will become soft and concentrated. 
  • If the courgette begins to brown, reduce the heat slightly. 
  • Stir frequently for 2 more minutes, chopping it down into smaller bits with the edge of your spoon or spatula, until it reaches an almost spreadable consistency.
  • Pour in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir up anything stuck, then add drained pasta, and cook together for 2 minutes. 
  • Use tongs or two forks to pull up the zucchini butter sauce into the pasta strands, tossing frequently, and adding some or all of the remaining pasta water as needed to loosen. 
  • Toss in half of the parmesan and basil and mix, then transfer to a serving bowl. 
  • Finish with remaining parmesan and basil and top with the toasted pine nuts and more Aleppo pepper.



Thursday 8 September 2022

PAN FRIED SEABASS WITH CRUSHED POTATOES, ROAST TOMATOES & OLIVES


Autumn may be upon us but I am keeping the late summer spirit alive with this wonderfully fresh dish, packed full of fresh veg, omega 3 rich fish and all the zingy flavours that remind me of the warmer days that now seem a distant memory!

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Sea bass fillets
  • 750g new potatoes
  • 250g plum tomatoes, halved
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • Bunch of parsley, finely chopped
  • 100g of green olives, pitted and halved
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced and zest grated
  • To serve: garlic mayo of your choice

METHOD
  • Roast your potatoes, tossed in a little olive and seasoned with salt, in the oven at 200c for about 20 mins 
  • Once they have started to brown use a fork to crush each potato down a little (this will make them extra crispy) and roast them in the other for an extra 10 minutes.
  • Once ready take them out of the oven and set aside.
  • Meanwhile prepare the other ingredients
  • Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and score each skin 3-4 times with a knife, season the skin with salt and pepper
  • Heat a large frying pan over a high heat, add a splash of oil.
  • Fry the fish skin side down for 3-4 minutes until crispy and golden, flip and cook for 1 more minute, add a squeeze of lemon and remove from the pan to a warm plate and cover
  • Add a splash more oil to the pan, fry the onion and garlic for 2 mins, add the tomato’s and olive, cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes begin to blister and brown.
  • Add in your roast crushed potatoes, lemon zest, squeeze of juice, parsley with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss together with a little extra virgin olive oil.
  • Serve the fish with the potato, tomato and olive salad.
  • ENJOY!

Tuesday 6 September 2022

THE MOST INCREDIBLE CRAB MAC N CHEESE


I am not going to lie, it is pretty hard to beat my iconic and infamous blue cheese and dried fig Mac n cheese when it comes to the best Mac game BUT OH MY this velvety, spicy and creamy crab Mac n cheese a serious contender.

The blend of spices combined with brown and white crab meat plus a smooth cheese sauce works an absolute dream and me and my dinner companion could not help ourselves from going for seconds.

A new favourite and sure to be added to the regular recipe rotation.

SERVES 2-3 

INGREDIENTS
  • 200 grams Gruyere cheese
  • 30g freshly grated Parmesan
  • 30g plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (stocked at Waitrose)
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pul Biber (a traditional Turkish condiment of salted and oiled flakes of dried red pepper. Also known as Aleppo pepper. You can get it  at Waitrose and it really does add a wow factor when added to the dish so try to get your hands on some!)
  • 500 millilitres full fat milk
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 2 fat cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 400g conchiglie rigate pasta
  • 100g white crab meat
  • 100g brown crab meat

METHOD
  • Grate the Gruyère into a bowl and add the 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. 
  • Mix the flour with the spices in a small cup. 
  • Pour the milk into a measuring jug and stir in the tablespoon of tomato purée. 
  • Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta.
  • Find a heavy-based saucepan 
  • Over lowish heat, melt the butter, then peel and mince or grate in the garlic and stir it around in the pan quickly. Turn the heat up to medium and add the flour and spices. 
  • Whisk over the heat until it all coheres into an orange, fragrant, loose paste; this will take no longer than a minute. 
  • It soon looks like tangerine-tinted foaming honeycomb. 
  • Take off the heat and very gradually whisk in the tomatoey milk, until it’s completely smooth. 
  • Use a spatula to scrape down any sauce that’s stuck to the sides of the pan.
  • Put back on the heat, turn up to medium and cook, stirring, until it has thickened and lost any taste of flouriness; this will take anything from 3 to 5 minutes. 
  • Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
  • Take the pan off the heat and stir in the grated cheeses.
  • Put a lid on the saucepan, or cover tightly with foil, and leave on the hob, but with the heat off, while you get on with the pasta. 
  • If you have an electric or ceramic hob it may be better to take the pan off completely.
  • So, add salt to the boiling water in the pasta pan, then add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions, though start checking it a couple of minutes earlier.
  • When the pasta is just about al dente, add the crabmeat to the smoky cheese sauce, then once you’re happy that the pasta shells are ready, use a spider to lift them into the sauce or drain them, reserving some pasta-cooking liquid first, and drop the shells in. 
  • Stir over lowish heat until the crabmeat is hot.
  • If you want to make the sauce any more fluid, as indeed you might, add as much of the pasta-cooking water as you need. 
  • Taste to see if you want to add salt – the crab meat you get in tubs tends to be quite salty already, but if you’ve got yours from your fishmonger, it might need it.
  • Divide between bowls and ENJOY!