Sunday 27 February 2011

Cheese, I need cheese!


So today was going to be the day I finally tried the amazing sounding cheese plate at Cochonnet.  We have been there so many times, really love it - the Mediterranean pizza is superb as is the Caesar salad, or on a nice sunny day, enjoy your meal in their outside terrace around the back.  We have surprisingly never tried the cheese plate though.  Reason being that it is listed on the dessert board, rather than on the menu, and by the time we realise we are already stuffed!  But this time I had remembered and I was ready.  You can imagine the disappointment then when I was told that as the chefs were having a break (OK, so it was 4pm), they were only serving pizza.  So no cheese plate for me today.  Do they really need a chef to place a few pieces of cheese on a plate. Really?!?  And who was cooking the pizzas?

Anyway, in my disappointed state I sipped some wine and contemplated what to do.  Then I had a brain storm - wasn't there a deli a few shops away?  Would I be saved?  I ran over (because it was raining) and I was greeted with an extensive selection of pastas, salads, meat and yes, of course, cheese!  Most of the cheeses in there were Italian.  Now, I used to think that French cheeses were the best and nothing else came close. But I obviously had not really explored Italian cheeses.

Often when you think of Italian cheese you think of mozzarella and parmesan. But there are so many more!! Pecorino, cambenzola, ricotta, taleggio, provolone, fontina, toma - the list goes on and on! But my personal favorite has to be Gorgonzola. So sweet and smooth, nutty and strong - perfect on bread, pasta, pizza, risotto or simply on it's own. I'm drooling just thinking about it.  So with a chunk of Gorgonzola, a few slices of mortadella and a smile on my face, off home I went. Here is what I ate:

Stuffed portobello mushrooms
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course

4 large portobello mushrooms (try and get them as concave as possible so that they hold the filling better)
Gorgonzola cheese
Soft cheese such as ricotta or cream cheese
Garlic powder
Other optional fillings: tomatoes, ham, spinach, onions, asparagus, peppers - anything you want really Breadcrumbs

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees 
2.  Remove the stalks of the mushrooms and finely chop any fillings
3.  Mix together the Gorgonzola, soft cheese, garlic powder and fillings
4.  Season the mushroom well with salt and pepper before spooning the mixture into the middle of the mushroom.  Leave some space around the edge of the mushroom as the mixture will melt and if possible you want it to not overflow.
5.  Put it in the oven for 15 minutes
6.  Take out of the oven and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top
7.  Place under a hot grill for a few minutes or until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown
8.  Serve over salad or with a side of vegetables as a main course.  Or simply, with a side of Mortadella, as I did!

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Cold days need a hearty, warming soup

I'm so tired of the cold.  I feel that this year it has been cold forever.  And so much colder than it has ever been before.  To be fair, I probably think the same thing at around the same time, every year.  But surely this year it REALLY has been so much colder for so much longer!

So how better to warm up with than a big bowl of hearty soup.  I have been eating a lot of soup this year and I've grown quite tired of the same old recipes.  So when I came across this soup in Jamie Oliver's magazine I was very pleased.  I had been looing for something new to do with lentils, and this soup is just like a big, warm hug.  Of course I made some changes here and there - so here's my version of Jamie's soup!

Lentil and Pasta Soup

Serves 4

For the lentils:
300g puy lentils
water
1 bay leaf
olive oil
salt

For the soup:
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
olive oil
1 can plum tomatoes in juice
1 or 2 chillies (to taste) finely chopped
1/2 liter of stock
1/2 liter of water
200g small pasta
Fresh Parmesan to grate over the top

1.  In a big pot, cover the lentils with about 2 inches of water, add a splash of olive oil, bay leaf and salt.  Bring to the boil then turn down the heat, cover and let simmer for approx 25 mins or until the lentils are almost done - they should still have a bit of crunch.  Keep a cup of the cooking water for later and drain the lentils.
2.  Using the same pot, pour in a good glug of olive oil and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat for approx 5 mins.  Drain the tomatoes and add along with the chillies.  Simmer until the tomatoes have broken up.
3.  Add the lentils, stock and water to the pot.  Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 10 mins.
4.  Add the pasta to the pot - if the mixture looks a bit dry, add more water.  Bring the heat up so the mixture bubbles and cook covered until the pasta is done.  Add salt and pepper as needed.
5.  Serve pipping hot with (the best bit!) a good amount of freshly grated Parmesan on top.  Delish!

Saturday 12 February 2011

Breakfast - the most important meal of the day

One of the best things about weekends are the breakfasts. I lie in bed for ages concocting the most important meal of my day.  Eggs, smoked salmon, breakfast burritos, French toast, sausage baps - the list goes on and on.

So this morning, with a house full of ingredients, I went all out!  Asparagus with a poached egg covered in rich creamy Hollandaise.  As if that wasn't enough, I served it with a side of baguette with avocado (lightly mashed with finely chopped onion , salt and pepper).  One thing to mention with this recipe is timings - it is very difficult to get everything done at once.  So if you don't have any helpers, turn on the oven to keep everything warm.


Asparagus with poached egg and Hollandaise
Serves 4
- About 500g asparagus spears
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 100g butter (unsalted, if possible)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 eggs
- salt & pepper to taste
  1. Steam the asparagus until tender - 3-4 minutes.  Set aside somewhere warm
  2. Melt the butter and allow to cool
  3. Fill a pan with an inch of water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently. Put a small mixing bowl on top of the pan. The bowl should be big enough to reach the edges but without the base touching the boiling water.
  4. Place the egg yolks, water and half the lemon juice into the bowl. Whisk until the egg yolks start to thicken
  5. Add the butter, a little at a time, whisking continuously
  6. Add salt, pepper and the rest of lemon juice to taste
  7. In the meantime, bring a small pan with at least 3 inches of water to the boil.  Stir the water to create a swirl. Crack the egg into the pan and allow to poach for 2-2½ minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain
  8. Assemble the asparagus on the plate, put the poached egg on top and pour the Hollandase over the top. 

Monday 7 February 2011

My Arabic food journey - Yalla Yalla!

Having grown up in the Middle East, I have a fondness for Arabic food.  I've been really pleased with the growth in popularity of Lebanese food recently.  Luckily for me my vegetarian boyfriend also loves it - mainly due to the pickles and chilli sauce!

By far the most authentic tasting food has to be Beirut Express, where my two favorites, chicken shwarma and kofta, are exactly how I remember them from my childhood.  The actual restaurant though leaves a bit to be desired.  If you go at any key eating time, you will almost always have to wait in the cramped and busy restaurant and possibly share a table.  The service is my personal grudge - if you are unfortunate enough to get one of the male waiters, getting their attention can be almost impossible without standing up and shouting.  When you do finally get served, there are no smiles and food is basically tossed in your direction.  Take away is definitely the way forward.

So I have made it a bit of a mission to try as many of these Lebanese places in London in hope of finding somewhere where the food is as good and the service is pleasant.  Yalla Yalla, which means hurry up in Arabic, definitely delivers on service.  We arrived at the small Soho location around 7pm on a Thursday.  Unsurprisingly we had to wait for a table, but we were able to give our name and number to a very helpful member of staff and head elsewhere for a drink while we waited.  We returned 40 mins later, as instructed, and were given a table almost immediately.

The menu consists of a large range of your typical mezze plus main courses which came with rice and salad.  There are also a range of wraps (which are pre-made), bakery goods and desserts available to eat in or take away.  We opted for a selection of mezze - the usual hummus, tabbouleh and falafel - as well as a wrap - one chicken shwarma and one halloumi cheese.  There is also a selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks.

The food was good, but not amazing.  The hummus was smooth and silky but possibly a bit salty.  The tabbouleh was on the dry side.  The falafel was by far the best bit - soft fluffy balls full of flavour. What let them down the most was the wraps.  Because they are pre-made, the bread used to wrap the ingredients is much bigger than usual, making them quite stodgey and very filling.  And unfortunately the unhelpful chili sauce was too mild to add extra umph to the wrap.


So on this occasion I did not find the gem  I was searching for, but enjoyed my evening none the less.  Let the journey continue!