CHEESY BEAN, MISO & LEEK GRATIN

It's getting colder by the day as we are heading towards winter, which means melted cheese in recipes is basically mandatory!

I absolutely adored this twist on a vegetable and cheese sauce bake - the addition of miso and butter beans makes this a filling, wonderfully flavourful and veg packed main that I have been thinking of ever since I rustled up on a rainy Saturday evening.

This is proper comfort cooking that still delivers on the nutrients and I for one cannot wait to make it again! 

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

• 400g leeks 
• 1x head of broccoli, chopped into florets
• 400ml vegetable stock (made using ½ stock pot or cube)
• 35g butter
• 35g plain flour
• 120g mature cheddar, grated
• 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• 1½ tbsp white miso paste 
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 x 400g tin butter beans, rinsed and drained

TO SERVE

Mixed salad and crusty bread

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 220°C
• Chop the leeks into 3cm-thick rounds. 
• Pour the stock into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. 
• Add the leeks and simmer for 5 minutes, until the leeks are just tender. 
• Lift them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving the stock.
• In another saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat. 
• Add the flour and cook out for 2 minutes until it starts to smell biscuity. 
• Gradually pour in the reserved stock, stirring until you have a smooth paste before adding more. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1-2 minutes until thickened. 
• Add 80g of the cheddar along with the thyme and miso paste. 
• Stir well to combine.
• Tip the beans into a gratin dish along with the blanched leeks. 
• Pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar. 
• Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden and bubbling. 
• Serve with salad and crusty bread.

MONKFISH RAGOUT PASTA

Post fashion week month I was after a fancy pasta dish that wouldn't be too much hassle to rustle up on a Friday night but would still feel like a real treat.

I am big fan of the firm texture and unique taste of monkfish and loved the idea of adding it to a traditional Italian tomato ragout type sauce and here the sauce is really the star of the pasta dish.

I tweaked the original recipe by adding some black olives and fresh parsley for another texture and added depth of flavour and I have to say the final result felt authentic, rustic and very delicious.

 For 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 400g paccheri
• 300 grams monkfish fillet
• 250 ml (1 cup) peeled tomatoes, pureed in the food processor or blender
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) dry white wine
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 150g pitted black olives

METHOD

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. 
• Peel the garlic clove and slice it thickly. 
• Add the garlic to the hot oil. 
• Tilt the pan, and cook the garlic until it is golden. 
• Then discard the garlic. 
• This way, you end up with garlic-infused oil.
• Add the monkfish and cook over high heat for about 1 minute per side. The monkfish should stay raw on the inside.
• Take the monkfish out of the pan and reserve.
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
• Use a wooden spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits stuck to the pan from browning the fish.
• Add the tomato and the milk. 
• Stir well. 
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 
• Stir regularly.
• Dice the fish, and season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Add the juices that will have leaked from the fish to the sauce.
• While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil. 
• When the water boils, add salt and the pasta. 
• Set the timer for the time indicated for al dente on the package.About 5 minutes before the pasta will be ready, the tomato sauce should be nice and thick.
• It should in fact be slightly thicker than you want it to be, because the fish will release some liquid when it is cooked in the sauce.
• Add the fish to the sauce and turn off the heat.
• Stir to coat the fish with the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

HARISSA SALMON WITH COURGETTE, HERB & FETA PASTA SALAD

I cannot wait to get into proper cooking again now that shows are over but I did manage to make this delightful salmon dish a few weeks ago.

Salmon gets topped with harissa before being roasted in the oven and gets accompanied with the most wonderful room temperature pasta salad made out of sautéed courgette slices, which get tossed in lots of her herbs, vinegar and oil, feta and pasta with the final result topped with flaked almonds.

It's a fresh, filling and wonderful fragrant supper that will make you go for seconds.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 salmon fillets
• 2 tsp harissa
• 350g trofie pasta
• 1 courgette
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to fry and drizzle
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon, plus half its juice
• ¼ bunch dill, finely chopped
• ¼ bunch mint, finely chopped
• 30g pitted black olives, sliced
• 40g feta
• 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

METHOD

• Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6 and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. 
• Put the salmon fillets in a small baking dish and spread the harissa over them. 
• Put the salmon in the oven and the orzo in the water and cook both for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put a large frying pan over a high heat and finely slice the courgette into thin discs. 
• Add a dash of oil to the pan followed by the courgettes and, in batches, cook for a few minutes on each side until golden and lightly charred. 
• Once all the courgettes are cooked, put them in a bowl with the vinegar, lemon zest and half the juice and herbs. 
• Season with salt and give them a good mix, then set aside for at least 10 minutes.
• Once the trofie is cooked, drain it and run it under cold water to prevent it sticking together. 
• Toss the trofie with the courgettes, then add the olives and crumble in the feta. 
• Transfer to a serving platter, top with the salmon and sprinkle with the toasted almonds and a final drizzle of oil.