Smoky Chorizo and Butter Bean Soup

As the year is closing in, days are shorter, and evenings cooler, what better to eat in an evening than a hearty core-warming soup, which has a kick of chilli which should clear any sniffly noses out there.
The basis of this recipe is Mexican cuisine and we love the food that comes from Central America. Fiery, smoky, heart warming food that satisfies the taste buds completely. This recipe is a first invention attempt at something which should fill those criteria. With a little time and creativity, last night's meal was delicious and we wanted to share with anyone willing to read this.

It really does amaze me how things change over time. When Sasha and I first met she hated hot food. I remember a while ago failing miserably when I made a dried beef curry which turned out to be unbearably hot my friend and I were sweating profusely and Sasha ended up crying she couldn't even touch it. I soon learnt to test chillies before use! I've not been that experienced with spice in foods, but I guess mistakes is how we learn!

Time changes everything and introducing a little bit of chilli or spice over time has changed her palate; she now loves it. I was surprised to hear not long ago from her that I didn't add enough chilli to a dish.. She loves the stuff, especially if she's got a sniffle. Anyway here goes: simple, quick and nicely balanced.

Smoky Chorizo and Butter Bean Soup

Serves 2 hungry adults

Ingredients

2 red onions, quarters and skin on
2 garlic cloves, skin on
1 birdseye chilli, whole
1/2 red pepper
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp chipotles en adobo
a squidge of tomato puree
100 g chorizo
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 pint chicken stock
1 can butter beans (use whatever you like, we had these)
coriander, small bunch

Method

1. Heat a dry frying pan to searing hot, place the onions, garlic, chilli and red pepper into the pan and char on all sides until smoky and pretty black. Remove from the pan, and turn off the heat. Remove the skins from the onion, garlic and pepper (seeds from the pepper, your choice if you want to leave the chilli seeds in or not). Meanwhile, dice 75g of the chorizo and place into the pan, lightly fry.

2. Place the onion, chilli, garlic, pepper and chorizo into the blender along with some of the tin of tomatoes, chipotles en abodo, smoked paprika and tomato puree, blitz to a fine paste. Pour the paste into the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the stock - to achieve a lighter soup consistency, more or less may be required.

3. Drain the beans and add to the soup and warm through. Meanwhile slice the remaining chorizo and char on a griddle pan. Quickly pick a small handful of coriander leaves, place in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of coarse salt, grind to a paste and loosen with extra virgin olive oil.

Serve the soup with the chorizo slices on top, a drizzle of coriander oil and squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy with some rustic crusty bread.

Pan Fried Hake and Vine Tomato Salad

 

We fancied having something fresh and vibrant for a change and decided upon some fish as we haven't eaten fish in a while. This dish is summery, light and highly fragrant. This summer so far, the weather has been variable, but it has usually been fairly warm and here's a dish that will satisfy those summer food desires. Tonight's supper really hit the spot, the perfect combination of a drizzle of basil pesto and finely sliced basil leaves with a perfectly cooked fillet of hake perched on top.

We've never had hake before this dish but with this dish any firm white fish will do. The hake has the perfect flake and flavour to combine with the tomato salad. We have made the pesto before in previous recipes such as fettuccine with pesto or on our condiment page. The tomatoes must be sun vine ripened tomatoes, they really must pack a punch of flavour, which is enhanced even more by the pesto and a tiny sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Pan Fried Hake and Vine Tomato Salad

Serves 2 

Ingredients

2 thick fillets of hake

3 large vine ripened tomatoes (the best you can afford)

a small bunch of basil leaves

basil pesto

a pinch of sea salt flakes

a spoon of flour

Method

1. Prepare your tomatoes by slicing medium thickness with a mandolin if you have one, it makes it so much easier, otherwise just do your best with a knife - make sure it is very sharp. Decorate your plate with the tomatoes as you see fit. 

2. Season your spoon of flour on a plate and lightly dust your hake fillets, meanwhile heating a frying pan with a little olive oil. Place your fillets in when the oil is hot and cook for approx 3-4 minutes each side, depending on thickness.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a chiffonade of basil by layering your leaves on top of each other, rolling into a cigar shape and slicing thinly, cutting with one swift motion (a sharp knife and this motion is important, as the more you cut the basil, the more it will oxidise and go brown).

4. Drizzle your tomatoes with a little pesto and sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt and your basil chiffonade before you place your fillet of hake on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with some whole basil leaves. 

We hope you enjoy as much as we did! 

Jacob and Sasha

Pea Pesto, Chicken and Asparagus Pizza

After a long day at work, we started home only to realise we had nothing planned for tea. We felt like being creative and after a quick turn around the food hall we were armed with fresh, extra fine British asparagus (it's asparagus time again!) and a bunch of fragrant basil leaves, remembering that we had some fresh garden peas in the fridge at home. After a brief bouncing around of ideas, this pizza was created in our minds. The result was fresh and delicious.

Pea Pesto, Chicken and Asparagus Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas

Ingredients

For the pesto
200 g fresh (or frozen and defrosted) peas  
1 garlic clove, peeled
25 g basil leaves
50 g cashew nuts, lightly toasted
50 g cheddar cheese, grated
125 ml olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For the pizza dough
125 g strong white bread flour
125 g plain flour
3 g fast action yeast
5 g salt
1 tbsp olive oil
approx 150 ml water

Toppings
asparagus spears, blanched
cooked chicken
a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar, grated
freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Begin by making the pizza dough. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then add the oil and water. Combine to form a ball of dough and knead for 5-10 minutes to work the gluten until you have a nice smooth consistency. Leave to prove in an oiled bowl for around an hour or until doubled in size.

2. Whilst the dough is proving, prepare the pesto. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz into a fine paste. Add more olive oil if the mixture is too thick. Season to taste. This pesto will store for a few days in the fridge - cover with olive oil to prevent it from browning.

3. When you are ready to cook, preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius (fan oven). To assemble the pizza first knock the dough back to expel any air. Cut the dough into two and roll each one out into a thin rectangle/round/whatever you fancy. Spread liberally with a dollop of pesto and sprinkle with grated cheese and your toppings as you see fit. Season with pepper and olive oil and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with salad and savour the vibrant flavours of the season.

 

Pan Fried Duck Breast with a Green Bean and New Potato Salad

It's started to get a bit warmer now (finally!) and with that comes the salad season where a delightful salad will suffice without needing to delve into heavier foods to keep warm throughout the winter. We came by some succulent duck breasts and we wanted to keep it simple without over complicating the dish. What better way to serve a duck breast than to pan fry it, ensuring a perfectly crisp skin and blushing pink centre? We were very loosely inspired by salad niçoise, which eventually turned into something nothing like the inspirational dish at all... anyhow this is what we ended up with and it was delicious.

Pan Fried Duck Breast with a Green Bean and New Potato Salad 

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 small duck breasts, skin on
10 small new potatoes
a handful of green beans
2 eggs
a good bunch of mixed salad leaves
butter
salt and pepper


Method

1. Boil or steam the potatoes until tender and hard boil your eggs (approx 7 minutes). Drain and cool the eggs under cold water and peel the shell off. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile score the skin of the duck breasts and season with salt and pepper. Place them skin side down into a cold frying pan (see Note). Turn the heat on. Cook the breast most of the time on the skin side and flip to seal the other side and cook to your preference. We cooked ours to medium-rare, blushing pink in the centre (roughly 7-8 minutes - this obviously depends on the size of your duck breasts. It is a bit like cooking a steak and feeling for when they are ready - have some confidence and get in touch with your food - never rely on timings from anyone! Prod, touch, poke - just get to know how to gauge your cooking times). Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.

3. Whilst the breasts are resting, boil some beans for about 4-5 minutes to ensure they don't squeak when you eat them! In the same pan you used for the duck breasts melt a knob of butter and pour in the drained beans and potatoes, season with a little salt and pepper to taste and toss to dress them.

4. Dress your plates with a nice bed of your favourite salad leaves and decorate with your beans and potatoes. Slice your breasts into diagonal slices and cut your eggs into wedges. Place on top of your salad as you desire and drizzle with the juices from the frying pan or a little olive oil if that takes your fancy.

Enjoy!

Note: Bringing the pan up from cold is important to ensure the fat is rendered from underneath the skin, making it perfectly crispy. If you place your duck into a searingly hot pan, it crisps the skin without rendering any of the fat which can be unpleasant when you have a thick white layer of fat under the skin when served.

Chorizo Stew

Pulses are one of the most satisfying and comforting ingredients to cook and eat. What could be better on a cold evening than a lovely hot bowl of stew flecked with chickpeas or cannellini beans? Couple this with the wonderful aroma of fresh rosemary and the intensity of chorizo and you really have something. There is little else to say about this dish: it really is just an amalgamation of some delicious ingredients to create a heartwarming supper. The recipe as you see it below comes directly from my kitchen scrapbook notes that I scribbled out whilst happily creating the final dish, a little snapshot into our kitchen antics.

Chorizo Stew

Serves 2 with leftovers

Ingredients

2 shallots, 1 finely chopped and 1 sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 pepper, sliced into long strips
200 g raw chorizo sausage, diced
a generous splash of red wine
1 tsp finely chopped parsley stalks 

1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika

pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp tomato purée
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
chopped parsley
salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar
oil

Notes: Use any colour pepper you like, I used an orange one as that's what I had in the fridge at the time. The chopped parsley stalks are optional but I used them because I had them and didn't want them to go to waste. Feel free to substitute any of your favourite beans for the chickpeas - cannellini or butter beans would be excellent.

Method

1. Heat a large frying pan and dry-fry the chorizo until it has lightly coloured and given up some of its oils. Remove and set aside.

2. Add a splash of olive or rapeseed oil along with the diced shallot and a pinch of salt. Soften the shallots for a couple of minutes before adding the garlic, remaining shallots, peppers and parsley stalks if using. Keep cooking over a medium heat for around 5 minutes until soft.

3. Add back the chorizo with the hot smoked paprika and a pinch of cinnamon and fry for 1 minute.

4. Splash in some red wine (say about 60 ml or 1/4 cup) along with the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs and cook until the wine has reduced down.

5. Add the chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. Fill the empty tomato can with water, capturing any remaining tomato juice and add to the pan. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a good pinch of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Bring to the boil then simmer over a low heat until the vegetables soften and the flavours develop and mingle.

6. Once cooked, finish with fresh parsley and serve with cous cous, bulgur wheat or crusty bread.

Sasha

Making Pasta...

Making pasta... is possibly one of life's most satisfying skills that any foodie must acquire in the kitchen... The simple combination of two ingredients, flour and eggs is transformed into the most versatile ingredient that can be used for a simple dish such as this... to filled ravioli...

The flour used to make pasta is special, it's a Type or Tipo '00' grade flour which is extremely fine, high gluten flour. Fresh pasta is made with eggs which makes it more tender than dried and it takes less than half the time to cook. 

This post is designed to give a step by step guide to the simple process to produce a fine product which can be used in your cooking. You can choose to use a variety of flours to alter the texture and utilise other ingredients such as spinach, beetroot or squid ink to make things a bit more interesting.

There is no recipe for this or list of ingredients, the simple rule of pasta is that you use 1 egg per 100 g of flour, if the mixture is a little dry add a little bit of water. The key behind pasta making is to play with it and learn it, by doing. You feel when the dough has been worked enough to make it smooth therefore it's ready, allow to rest, then go and be inventive at what you choose to put with it! We hope this is easier to follow than the recipe we posted previously, so you can see the process from start to finish. 

1. Pour flour onto a sturdy surface, make a well, crack an egg into it.
2. Beat your egg with your fingers and bring the flour in from the edges to combine
3 & 4. The pasta will slowly come together as you work it

5-8. Work until fully combined and smooth, chill for at least 15 minutes.

9. Flatten with your palm until about 1 cm thick.
10. Feed through your pasta machine on the thickest setting (1) or use a rolling pin if you don't have a machine.

11. Lay your oblong of pasta out ensuring it is floured nicely. This next step is laminating.
12. Fold in the right side a third of the way in.
13. Fold the left side in a third over the top of the other fold. (3 layers)
14. Twist 90 degrees and press flat.

15. Feed into your machine still on thickest setting, open edge first. 

16. Repeat 12 and 13 to get 3 layers again.

17. Flour to ensure the pasta doesn't stick in your machine

18. Repeat steps 14 and 15. Roll twice through this setting.

19-20. Work your pasta sheet through each of the settings ensuring you flour your pasta between each rolling until you reach the thickness you desire.

  

Vietnamese Pho Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

Having been to Vietnam, I've tasted the crème de la crème of phos (Vietnamese: phở pronounced [fəː˧˩˧] listen). It is a classic street dish which I ate regularly whilst on my travels there, even for breakfast. It was a complete delight, consisting of rice noodles, broth, vegetables and meat. There were plenty of variants; it depended on the chef, but the purists would claim it has to consist of white rice noodles (the dishes I ate were made with a thinner version of shahe fen), a clear beef broth, finely sliced beef and a few herbs. I've seen the Vietnamese create this dish by placing all the raw ingredients into the bowl and pouring the scorching hot broth over, which essentially cooks the finely sliced raw meat and blanches any vegetables ensuring pure fresh components to the dish without overcooking, an incredible experience which will stay with me forever. If you ever get out to Vietnam, it would be a crime to leave the country without eating a bowl of pho.

This dish is inspired by what I ate, but I will say now I do not believe it is Vietnamese, it is just a take on the variations I ate on my travels with what ingredients I had on the day I made it - it varies each time I make it. This recipe can be adjusted to whatever you have in the fridge, or prefer, it is possibly for want of a better way to describe it the best chicken noodle soup you could ever have if you were also nursing a cold.

Vietnamese Pho Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 2 (easily increased)

Ingredients

1 litre of homemade chicken stock
2 nests of noodles - egg is used above, rice if you have it
1 large chicken breast - sliced into thin strips
1 red chilli - finely grated and a few slices for garnish
2 large garlic cloves - finely grated
1 tbsp fresh ginger - finely grated
zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
2 spring onions - julienned
6 pak choi leaves - split into sizable pieces (can substitute with little gem or cos lettuce leaves)
2 eggs
1 tbsp groundnut oil

Note - Experimentation! Give everything a go! You can use a variety of vegetables to bulk this out if you wish; finely sliced carrots, mange tout, sugar snap peas etc, the eggs can be optional, adapt the main ingredients to what you enjoy/have, though you must have the noodles, chilli, garlic and ginger. You can also omit the meat altogether and use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian. Read through the recipe first and it is best to prepare everything before cooking because it comes together very quickly, not really time to prep and cook at same time. 

Method

1. Heat your stock until hot but don't boil it. Marinate your chicken strips in the chilli, garlic, ginger, lime zest and juice. Meanwhile prepare your vegetables and whisk your eggs in a mug and season well.

2. Heat a wok very hot, add your groundnut oil and fry your chicken strips quickly, they will be cooked through in less than a minute (you will be pouring scorching hot stock over them later which will definitely cook them through more if you are worried - what you don't want is tough dry chicken). Once fried set aside.

3. Cook your noodles following package instructions. Meanwhile, fry your vegetables for 30-60 seconds and set aside.

4. Add your whisked egg to the wok and tilt around to make an "omelette" shape, cook through and then chop up with your spatula to make large chunky scrambled eggs. Basically you don't want tiny bits of egg, you're aiming for big chunks/strips. Set aside.

5. Place all your ingredients back into the wok and toss together to evenly distribute them within the noodles. Serve evenly into bowls and pour your scorching hot stock over it all, garnish with julienned spring onion and fresh chilli slices.

Enjoy experimenting!

Jacob

Homemade Fettuccine with a Basil and Pistachio Pesto

Since we recently came by a pasta machine we have been practicing our pasta-making skills and we're really getting a great hang of it now. Such a simple combination as flour and eggs and the use of your own hands makes you never want to have shop-bought dried pasta again! Why would you when it's so simple to make and it transforms a dish from standard to incredible? We've personally never really been fussed with pasta dishes, finding them a bit boring. However, having dabbled at making our own pasta in the past it opened our eyes to the difference in taste and flavour available and what we had been missing out on.

Here is a simple delicate but impressive dish which will leave you satisfied but dying for more. A slight twist on the usual pesto we chose to use toasted pistachio nuts which adds such a definitive texture and taste you will be impressed. We must also add, that as pesto is so simple to make, it is pretty much sacrilege to get shop-bought which has no texture and lacks the intense freshness of making your own. You will not ever regret making your own pesto and this dish is testament to that - in fact to making as much as you can from scratch. So here we present a recipe which is completely from scratch and will make your taste buds dance with delight.

In retrospect it would have been logical to take photos of the pasta making process, it is not as complicated as it seems below. Watch this space - there will be a step by step pasta making post soon. 

Homemade Fettuccine with a Basil and Pistachio Pesto
 
Serves 2

Ingredients

For the pasta
200 g Tipo '00' pasta grade flour
2 large eggs

For the pesto
60 g fresh basil
30 g shelled pistachio nuts (toasted in a frying pan)
30 g mature cheddar cheese (such as Davidstow)
1 garlic clove
125 ml extra virgin oil

Method

1. Pour the flour onto a solid work top surface and make a well in the centre. Crack your eggs into the centre and then using two fingers mix the eggs together with the flour working from the centre to the outside, working together until you have a soft dough. If it is a little dry add a few drops of water to help you along. Flatten your dough ball into a rectangular shape with your palm, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile make your pesto by blitzing the garlic clove and cheddar together in a food processor with the toasted pistachio nuts. Add your basil and blitz, then pour in your oil and combine with a few pulses. If you need a little more oil to loosen it, do so. Season to taste, if required.

3. If you don't have a pasta machine, you can still do this, it will just take a little longer and you might not get it to the desired thickness before giving up. Same thing applies for both ways, first you need to laminate your pasta by rolling it out to a oblong shape using the thickest setting on the machine (1). Fold a third of your oblong in onto itself from the right side then the other end over the folded section so you get a 3 layered square, press gently together and twist 90 degrees and roll through the machine, open edge first. Another oblong will be formed, repeat the above to laminate a second time.

4. Once laminated, ensuring pasta is floured between each rolling setting, work down the settings until you reach the desired thickness. We felt that the thinnest setting for fettuccine was too thin (best for filled pasta we reckon) and that setting 8 was sufficient for this recipe. You may want to cut your pasta into manageable pieces to feed through your machine unless you want monster long pasta.

5. Attach your cutter and use the fettuccine roller to slice your well-floured pasta into strips and flour your pasta again after cutting to keep the strips separate.

6. Bring a large pan with plenty of hot water to the boil, salted extremely well. As Anna del Conte would say, it should be as salty as the Mediterranean. So we chucked a tablespoon of salt in there. It really does make a difference to the end product. (Do not be alarmed, you will not be eating this salt!)

7. Boil your pasta for 2-3 minutes or until cooked al dente. Drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Add your pesto (the pesto recipe will make enough to have leftovers unless you choose to add it all) to the pasta in your pan and toss throughout, loosening with a little of the reserved water. Serve with a light grating of cheese and freshly torn basil.

Apologies for the long method, it is so easy to do, we will be posting a pasta-making post soon to make it clearer than written word.    

Chicken, Spinach and Cheddar Gratin

We had a selection of cheeses, one of which was a strong Cornish Cruncher cheddar and thought of the many dishes which could be made with such a cheese. In the end we chose this rich succulent dish which for those savoury fiends out there ticks all the boxes. This dish is rich, creamy and intensely savoury for a warming meal on those cold evenings when we all need some comfort. 

Chicken, Spinach and Cheddar Gratin

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 large chicken thighs, boned and skinned

1 rasher of thick cut smoked back bacon, chopped into pieces 

a large handful of spinach

1 thick spring onion, sliced

50 g Cornish Cruncher cheddar, grated

1 tbsp cornflour

1/2 tsp English mustard powder

1 tbsp butter

150 ml milk

fresh breadcrumbs

olive oil

salt & pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C conventional.

1.  Heat a frying pan and wilt the spinach. Set aside to cool and then squeeze to remove the excess water. Lay the spinach in the bottom of an oven proof dish.

2. Add oil to the pan and heat. Season chicken thighs with a little salt & pepper and then sear in a pan to colour them. At the same time, add bacon pieces and fry. Remove the chicken and place on top of the spinach and sprinkle with the bacon and raw spring onion slices.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan add the mustard powder and cornflour to make a roux. Cook out for one minute then pour in the milk. Heat gently, stirring all the time until thickened, then stir in most of the cheese. Season to taste. 

4. Pour the sauce all over the ingredients in the dish. Scatter with breadcrumbs, the remaining cheese and a little coarsely ground black pepper. 

5. Bake for around half an hour or until the chicken is cooked through and the top is golden and bubbling. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving with fine green beans and sautéed new potatoes.

Chocolate, Almond and Raisin Cookies

We fancied doing a little baking the other day, and what better than a batch of freshly baked, slightly gooey cookies?  As we are on a budget these days, we decided to flavour them with whatever odds and ends we could find in the kitchen cupboard and that happened to be: a few milk chocolate chips and a bar of milk chocolate, a bag of almonds and some raisins. Yummy! So, very simple recipe (adapted from a Nigella recipe) and here it is for you to try!

Chocolate, Almond and Raisin Cookies

Makes about 12

Ingredients

150 g margarine

150 g caster sugar

75 g dark brown soft sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk 

300 g flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150 g milk chocolate - chips or chunks

100 g almonds, soaked, skins removed and chopped

50 g raisins, chopped

Method

1. First of all preheat your oven. We baked at 160C fan, or for conventional bake at 170C/gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Meanwhile, melt your margarine in a small saucepan.

2.  Beat together your melted margarine and both sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla so that you have a creamy mixture before folding in the flour and bicarb. 

3. Fold in the chocolate chunks, almonds and raisins. Dollop 12 cookie dough blobs onto the prepared tray and bake for 15 minutes until golden and still soft. Cool on a wire rack but don't expect them to last long!