Month: Oct 2021

Smacked Sichuan cucumber

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Spicy, sweet, salty, tangy and crunchy – a veritable feast for the senses. Super-simple to make AND you get to smack a cucumber. What more could you want?

  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp black vinegar
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp chilli oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, lightly squashed
  1. First make the dressing as it improves with standing for 5 mins. Just mix together the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chilli oil and garlic. Leave on one side til all the ingredients have made friends
  2. Put the whole cucumber on a chopping board and place a wide knife flat on top.
  3. Using the palm of your hand, smack the knife until the cucumber splits and breaks
  4. Chop it into bite-sized pieces and tip into a bowl
  5. Then tip the dressing over the cucumber and mix thoroughly. Give it a couple of mins to stand before serving, sprinkled with sesame seeds and finely chopped red chilli if you like

Serve with this teriyaki aubergine rice bowl, as part of a feast with Chinese spiced roast chicken, or alongside rich, spicy pork and carrots. So many delicious options!

Sachertorte

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Another traditional family recipe, my dad’s birthday cake of choice. Deeply, richly chocolatey. Make it the day before for best results.

For the cake:

  • 175g dark chocolate (60% cocoa)
  • 110g unsalted butter, softened
  • 110g golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 egg white
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 110g plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder

For the icing:

  • 175g dark chocolate
  • 150ml double cream
  • 2 tsp glycerin
  • 2 tsp smooth apricot jam
  1. Pre-heat oven to 130C fan (150C)
  2. Grease and line 20cm springform cake tin
  3. First melt the chocolate for the cake, then put to one side to cool slightly
  4. Beat the 5 egg whites in a large, clean bowl to stiff peaks
  5. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
  6. Into this pale yellow puff, beat in the 4 egg yolks one at a time, whisking well after each addition
  7. Whisk the melted chocolate and vanilla into the creamed butter mixture
  8. Sift over the flour and baking powder, gently folding in with a metal spoon
  9. Then add the egg whites, a quarter at a time, folding carefully into the cake batter until no white streaks remain
  10. Pour and scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50 mins to 1 hour, until firm and well risen
  11. Once cooked, allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a rack. Cool completely before icing
  1. Make the icing by melting together the chocolate and cream
  2. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the glycerin
  3. Gently warm the jam to make it easier to spread evenly
  4. Brush the cake with jam all over
  5. Stand the cake on its rack on a tray or large plate
  6. Pour the icing over the cake to cover the top and the sides completely
  7. Leave to set, which will take 2-3 hours

Meat-free shepherd’s pie with cheesy mash

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A delicious alternative to lamb, deeply savoury and cosy in shades of autumnal brown and orange. The perfect weeknight dinner for when it’s raining and cold outside.

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 small leek, chopped
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp garlic granules
  • 1 stock cube (1 used beef but you can choose what you like)
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 200g quorn mince (such a handy freezer staple, use straight from frozen)
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 200ml red wine
  • 300ml boiling water
  • 200g peas
  • 1 potato, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
  • 1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
  • 100ml whole milk
  • 100g cheddar cheese, grated
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a saucepan over a low heat
  2. Add the onion, leek, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 mins until everything is soft and golden
  3. Add the stock cube, garlic granules, black pepper and tomato puree and stir in
  4. Cook for a minute, then add the quorn mince and mix in
  5. Sprinkle over the flour and raise the heat to medium
  6. Stir and cook for 2 mins until no white shows then pour over the wine
  7. Stir in until the wine almost disappears, then add the boiling water and stir until combined
  8. Turn the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for 5-10 mins until thickened, glossy and rich
  9. Check the seasoning and then, off the heat, add the peas and mix through
  10. While the sauce is cooking, put a small pan of salted water on to boil
  11. When boiling add the potato, and perch the parsnip and sweet potato on top in a steamer. Cooking them like this stops the mash from being watery but if you don’t have a steamer, just add them to the pan 5 mins after the potato
  12. Boil and steam for 15 mins
  13. Drain the potatoes then put them back in the pan with the parsnip and sweet potato
  14. Add the milk and the other 2 tbsp of butter, then mash until its as smooth as you want (I like a few lumps!)
  15. Season with salt and plenty of pepper, then stir through the cheese
  16. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  17. Layer the quorn mixture in the bottom of an oven dish and top with the mash
  18. Bake for 30 mins until the top is brown and the sauce is bubbling up the sides (leave to stand for 15 mins before eating if you can bear to, to reduce the risk of burning your tongue!)

Serve with steamed savoy cabbage or kale

You can make all of this in advance, up to putting it in the oven. Keep the components in the fridge or freezer, separately or constructed. Just do the oven bit when you’re ready for it

Teriyaki aubergine rice bowl

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

The perfect weeknight dinner. Simple and utterly delicious, full of contrasting flavours and textures. Feeds 2.

  • 1 aubergine, cut into small chunks
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce/tamari
  • 4 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
  • 3 cm ginger, sliced thickly
  • 2 cloves garlic, smacked with the back of a knife to squash them without disintegrating
  • 1 level tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tsp water
  • ½ cucumber
  • 1 spring onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • Large pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan
  • Small handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Small handful fresh mint, chopped
  • 150g cooked edamame beans
  • 400g pre-cooked sticky rice (I really like this one)

Make it a bigger feast with the addition of spicy slaw in each bowl instead of the fresh herbs.

  1. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium hear and stir fry the aubergine for 7 mins or so until caramelised and soft
  2. Set the aubergine to one side
  3. Make the teriyaki sauce in the wok. Add the honey, soy sauce, mirin, shaoxing, garlic and ginger and heat to a bubble.
  4. Cook for 2 mins then remove the garlic and ginger
  5. Drizzle over the cornflour and whisk in until glossy and thickened
  6. Stir in the aubergine and turn the heat off
  7. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scrape out the seedy core
  8. Slice into ½ cm pieces, sprinkle over the rice vinegar and salt, and mix through the spring onion
  9. Now you’re ready to construct!
  10. Heat the aubergine to a bubble
  11. Heat the sticky rice and spoon into bowls
  12. Top with the aubergine, cucumber salad, edamame, fresh herbs and toasted sesame seeds. As artistic as you like – very much depends how hungry you’re feeling!

Spicy slaw

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Crunchy, spicy, fresh and tangy

  • ½ sweetheart cabbage (or ¼ white cabbage) cored and shredded
  • 3 green chillies, de-seeded and sliced into thin strips
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tsp garlic oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp mayo
  • 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Large pinch salt
  1. Mix the cabbage, chilli and coriander together
  2. Whisk the rest off the ingredients together in a small bowl
  3. Pour/scrape the dressing over the salad and toss together
  4. Serve immediately so it’s still crisp (if you want to prep in advance, just don’t mix the dressing into the salad until the last moment)

Cherries poached in red wine

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Garnet and ruby tones of summer delight with a hint of booze. Amazing on top of vanilla ice cream or plain coconut yoghurt.

  • 400g cherries, pitted and halved
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 200ml red wine
  • ½ tsp cornflour stirred into 1 tsp cold water
  1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan
  2. Bring to a bubble, stirring occasionally
  3. Simmer for 8-10 mins until glossy but not collapsing
  4. Drizzle in the cornflour slurry, stirring all the time until it goes thicker and beautifully shiny
  5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little bit before serving

Split pea tarka daal

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Daal? Dal? Dhal? Either way, this recipe is super-delicious, easy, cheap and immensely comforting to eat. This recipe is more traditionally made with chana daal, which are split chickpeas, but it works well with the easier-to-source yellow split peas too

  • 250g split peas
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small green chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 200g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 heaped tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Small handful fresh coriander, chopped
  1. Rinse the split peas in a sieve under running water for a minute or so until the water runs clear
  2. Put into a saucepan with 750ml cold water, stir well and bring to the boil
  3. Skim off the scum (an enormously satisfying job) with a big spoon and stick the lid on
  4. Then turn the heat down and simmer for 45-50 mins, stirring occasionally and adding more water to loosen it if needed. The peas should be crushably soft when cooked
  5. Stir the cooked peas vigorously (or use a whisk) to break them down a bit, then set to one side
  6. While the peas are cooking, heat the oil in a different saucepan over a medium heat
  7. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 20 seconds until you can smell them
  8. Add the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for 5 minutes unti soft and beginning to brown
  9. Add the tomato, spices, salt and sugar. Stir together
  10. Reduce the hear and cook gently for 20 mins
  11. Tip the tomato sauce into the cooked split peas and stir in
  12. Heat the mixture to a bubble, check the seasoning and add the fresh coriander just before serving

Eat with basmati rice or parathas (I love the frozen ones from Shana for a brilliant shortcut) or just on its own in a bowl – on the sofa, in a fluffy dressing gown, watching Ted Lasso for a maximumly comforting experience.

Fresh tomato salsa

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Zingy, pingy mouth-feelings! Tortilla chip-dunking, burrito-topping, grilled steak-accompanying deliciousness.

It’s really lovely to use a combination of tomatoes if you can. Some big juicy ones, cut up small; some tiny sweet cherry tomatoes, simply quartered; and perhaps even a flavourful, knobbly green or yellow one, cut up to match.

  • 400g tomatoes, diced
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped (I like to leave the cut up onion to soak in cold water for an hour – or more – and then drained to remove the raw sting of them)
  • Large handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt
  1. Just mix and serve. Zero complication, maximum yum.