Monday, 26 February 2024

COD TRAY BAKE WITH BUTTERBEANS, GREEN BEANS AND AIOLI

This is the perfect one-tray dinner that is healthy,  packed full of flavour and super easy to make!

Filling, nutritious and ideal to set you up for the week ahead... a new favourite!

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cod fillets
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 400g drained butter beans
  • 50ml white wine
  • 1/2 vegetable stock cube
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 150g green beans

TO SERVE
  • Bunch of dill

FOR THE AIOLI
  • Whole garlic bulb, roasted in the oven wrapped in foil for 40 mins
  • 1/4 lemon
  • 100g mayonaise

FOR THE GREEN BEAN SALSA
  • 50g green beans
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1/2 green chilli
METHOD
  • Rub the cod fillets each with around 1 tsp of table salt, then set aside, uncovered in the fridge.
  • If you have time, do this the night before, but even doing it at the start of the recipe will make a difference to how the fillets flake apart. 
  • Heat the oven to 180°C fan.
  • Make the aioli. 
  • Finely chop the roasted garlic and put into a small bowl and add the lemon juice, stir to combine, then add the mayo and season well.
  • Finely slice the onion and garlic. 
  • Heat a large glug of olive oil in a deep saucepan over a medium-high heat. 
  • Add the sliced onion along with a big pinch of salt and fry for 10 mins, until softened. 
  • Add the garlic, dried oregano and fennel seeds. 
  • Pour in the wine and allow to bubble until reduced by half. 
  • Add the butter beans along with any water from the cans/jars. 
  • Crumble in the stock cube and bubble away for 8-10 mins, until thickened.
  • Add the zest and juice of the lemon and season well, then stir in the green beans. Cook for a minute, then tip into a large roasting tray. 
  • Nestle in the cod fillets and bake for 10 mins, until the cod is flaking apart.
  • While it cooks, make the salsa. 
  • Finely slice the green beans and add to a bowl with the juice of the lemons, dijon and honey stir well. 
  • Finely chop the green chilli and add the bowl along with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season well.
  • Remove the cod from the oven and serve, drizzled with salsa and with a dollop of aioli for everyone. 
  • Serve the remaining lemon half, cut into wedges, on the side.

Friday, 16 February 2024

PICI CACIO E PEPE WITH MARINATED EGG YOLK

This seriously insta hyped dish from Carbone, a hip restaurant in Paris, has been flooding my feed for the last few fashion weeks, and I have been craving it ever since I laid my eyes on this bowl of homemade, luscious pici pasta with cacao e Pepe sauce and marinated egg yolk online.

I was therefore super excited when I found a make-at-home version that was super fun and surprisingly easy to make!

A real show stopper of a recipe and almost as good as having the original dish in Paris (almost!).


INGREDIENTS

Marinaded Egg Yolks
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • Soy sauce enough to cover the egg yolks half way
Pici
  • 2 1/4 cups flour using 00 flour 
  • 3/4 cup warm water with a pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Cacio e pepe
  • ~1 cup of reserved pasta water
  • 2-3 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup pecorino and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

METHOD
  • Marinade Egg Yolks: Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and cover with soy sauce in a bowl. 
  • Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • For the dough in a large mixing bowl or on a clean surface, add the flour and make a well in the middle. 
  • Add a drizzle of olive oil, and then gradually add the warm water mixed with a bit of salt to the well. 
  • Mix with a fork and continue to add water until the dough starts to come together.
  • Once the dough begins to form, transfer it to a clean and floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. It should become smooth and elastic.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
  • After resting the dough, cut into small pieces (about the size of a walnut) and roll and stretch each piece between your palms to form the Pici noodles. 
  • The motion should be similar to rolling a piece of Play-Doh into a rope shape. 
  • Keep them covered in some flour so they don’t stick together.
  • Once all the Pici are rolled, you can cook them immediately or dry them for later use. 
  • To dry them, lay them out in a single layer on a floured surface or a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them air dry for a couple of hours.
  • If cooking right away, get a large pot of water boiling (just lightly salt since we already salted the dough) and boil for only a few minutes.
  • For the sauce toast peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a few minutes and then grind up.
  • Take some of the starchy pasta water that the pici is boiling in and ladle into a separate pan over medium heat. 
  • Add the toasted pepper and two knobs of butter. 
  • Stir until this comes together, then add the al dente pici pasta and stir again for another minute.
  • Add the parmesan and pecorino cheese and let sit for a minute without stirring. 
  • Remove the pan from the heat, let sit for one more minute and then give a final stir so it all comes together.
  • Plate and serve with marinaded egg yolk!