Food In My Home

Wow it has been a long time since I posted any recipes, Je suis très désolé! I have just got back from 5 months in the beautiful swiss alps where I have been cooking loads for the café, skiing a little bit and enjoying mountain life, anyway I have now returned to wet England for a couple of weeks and have some time and energy to start sharing some of my new fantastique recipes. This is one of my new favourite salads from the chef Denis Cotter's book 'For the love of food' which is so incredibly amazing and I can't believe I have only just found out about him. I feel like the rest of my blog for the next few months maybe a little shrine of his recipes as I am so desperate to try them all. Serves 4 2 medium aubergines, halved lengthways, cut into slices 1 cm thick 25g sunflower seeds 2 tsp soy sauce 400g broccoli salt and pepper For the bulghur 50g bulghur 4 tbsp olive oil 200g cooked chickpeas (either from a can or soak and cook your own) 2tsp cumin seeds 1 fresh chilli,

serves 6 Asian dressing 4 limes juiced 20g palm sugar 1 red chilli finely diced 2cm piece ginger peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves finely chopped Salad 2 handfuls peanuts roughly chopped half a bag bean sprouts 4 spring onions shredded 2 carrots grated 1/4 red cabbage sliced very thinly 2 red pepper thinly sliced handful mint leaves shredded big handful coriander chopped 400g rice noodles  For the dressing just mix all the ingredients together and let it sit for about 30 mins to let the flavours develop. Cook the noodles following the packet instructions and then run them under cold water to cool them down. Roast the peanuts in the oven at about 180˚ for 10-15 mins until nice and golden, then leave to cool. Mix all the veg and noodles together with the dressing then chop some coriander and mint through, taste for seasoning and then sprinkle the peanuts on top with some extra coriander

Easy peasy little tarts that are nice little starters or lunch ideas with salad. puff pastry cut into rounds caramelised onions goats cheese fresh thyme All you need to do is cut out rounds from the pastry, score a line about a cm next to the outside with a knife and spread the inside with the caramelised onion, cut some goats cheese and place on the top, drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper and thyme leaves. Egg wash the rim and cook in the oven on a lined baking tray for about 15-20 mins at 180˚C until the pastry is golden et voila, serve with a nice little green salad.

Heres another banger, so fresh, clean and summery and pretty colours too! serves 4 2 small fennel bulbs ½ red onion very thinly sliced juice and grated zest of 1 lime 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbsp chopped dill 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley 1 mild chilli, seeded and finely chopped 4 tbsp olive oil 16 tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined 1 tbsp sumac 2 tbsp chopped coriander pomegranate seeds to garnish Trim the bases and tops of the fennel, then slice widthways as thinly as you can, if you have a magimix you can use the thin slicer for super speedy slicing. Mix together with the onion, lime juice and zest, garlic, dill, parsley, chilli, 2 tbsps of the olive oil and ½ tsp of crunchy sea salt and set aside. Get a griddle pan smoking hot on the gas, meanwhile mix the prawns with the remainder of the olive oil and some salt. Grill them in small batches until they are golden, usually a minute on each side and then toss into the salad along with the coriander and sumac and give it a stir,

Happy holidays and New Year! I have had a crazy few weeks, lots of parties to cook for in the run up to Christmas in London then last minute took a job in Switzerland and arrived 2 days before Christmas starting immediately....c'etait crazy! I am now in the beautiful mountains though so big smiles, lots of friends and skiing so I couldn't be happier, and I have a super cool chef job in a cute little cafe/restaurant called La Ruinette  in the Valley. Here is a recipe to a totally ridiculously amazing carby salad I made for a party, it's great to share and is the most amazing colours and flavours, and as per usual it is another Ottolenghi one! serves 4 3 medium sweet potatoes 1  ½  tsp ground coriander 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced handful of coriander leaves Dipping sauce ½  lemongrass stalk, very finely chopped 200g crème fraîche zest and juice of 2 limes 50g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated Preheat your oven to 210˚C, give your potatoes a wash if they are dirty,

Peppers are such a great vessel for stuffing with delicious things. I was introduced to giant cous cous over the summer, which isn't really like cous cous at all, it's more of a mini round pasta. Mix with herb oils, vegetables and cheese and you have a pretty yummy side dish to go along with your dinner! Serves 4 2 red peppers halved long ways, de seeded giant cous cous 1 aubergine, diced into small squares 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced into small squares small bunch basil and parsley 1 clove garlic, crushed olive oil feta/goats cheese or mozzarella Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Roast the aubergine and sweet potato cubes until golden and cooked through with some olive oil on a baking tray.  Cook the peppers too for about 15 minutes until soft but still holding their shape. Boil the giant cous cous to the pack instructions and then rinse in a sieve with cold water. For the herb oil, pick the leaves off the basil and parsley and pour over about 4 tbsps olive oil and add the garli

Don't be put off by the slightly grey, something you might find in a babies nappy, colour of this dip, it is really good I promise! Served along side some healthy pitta crisps and you have yourself a good little chip and dip for the party season. makes 2 dipping size bowls 100ml olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped small 1 tbsp thyme leaves large pinch of chopped rosemary leaves 2 medium aubergines, finely diced 125g soft goats cheese, mild or cream cheese if you prefer salt and pepper pack of pitta breads olive oil handful fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped salt and pepper Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary and sauté gently until soft. Add the aubergine, and cook for about 15 minutes until it is cooked through, stir regulary to stop it from catching and season. Allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a food processor with the goats cheese, check the seasoning and add more goats cheese to taste if nee