Month: May 2023

Chicken koftas

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Succulent, fragrant and super-simple to prepare. And excellent weeknight dinner, served with a simple salad, flatbread and tzatziki. Feeds 2-4 depending on how hungry they are

  • ½ onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • ½ green pepper, roughly chopped
  • Handful of fresh parsley
  • Small bunch of chives
  • 500 g chicken mince
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Plenty of ground black pepper
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Veg oil
  1. Whizz up the onion, garlic, green pepper and fresh herbs using a mini food processor or hand blender
  2. Scrape into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except for the oil. Mix lightly without over-working
  3. Form the sticky mixture into flattish kofta shapes
  4. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry on both sides for 10 mins or so until browned on the outside and cooked through. Alternatively, use the air fryer and air fry on 200C for 15 mins

Chocolate buckwheat cookies

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Sweet and deeply chocolatey with a hint of nutty savoury-ness. Gluten free, but without a hint of the usual GF crumble or grit.

  • 125 g dark chocolate
  • 125 g buckwheat flour
  • 25 g cocoa, sieved
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 60 g soft unsalted butter
  • 125 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, cold from the fridge
  1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan (180C) and line a couple of baking sheets
  2. Melt the chocolate and then set aside to cool a bit
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the buckwheat flour, sieved cocoa powder, bicarb and salt, and mix to make sure everything’s well combined.
  4. In a bigger bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl
  5. Beat in the chocolate, then the cold eggs one by one
  6. Once well combined, stir in the dry ingredients
  7. Dollop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto a lined baking sheet, spacing them out well to allow for spreading
  8. Bake for 10 mins until the cookies are just set at the edges, then remove the baking tray from the oven and let the cookies sit on the warm tray for another 10 mins before transferring them to a wire rack to cool
  9. If you only have 1 baking tray, wait for it to cool before removing the cookies and re-using to bake a 2nd batch

Satsuma and almond cake

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

As Julia Child said, “a party without cake is just a meeting” and this is just the cake to take a tea party from dull to delightful. It’s not fancy, but it is damply delicious and beloved by everyone who tastes it.

  • Approx 375 g satsumas (4 or so fruit)
  • 6 eggs
  • 220 g caster sugar
  • 250 g ground almonds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 170C fan (190C). Grease and line a 20 cm springform tin
  2. Put the satsumas in a covered microwave-safe dish (open a crack for ventilation) with a couple of tbsp of water. Cook on high for 9 mins, turning over gently halfway through the cooking time
  3. Drain, discarding the cooking water and leave to one side for 5 mins to cool slightly. If the satsumas have pips, dig in and remove them with a spoon
  4. Put the satsumas into a bowl — skins, pith, fruit and all — and use a hand blender to blitz into a paste and put on one side to cool
  5. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs until frothy and thick, then add the sugar, almonds and baking powder and whisk again
  6. Add the pulped satsumas and whisk together
  7. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for an hour – cover with foil after about 40 mins to stop the top burning.
  8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a rack in the tin. Serve at room temperature.

Roast carrot salad

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Sweet and savoury roast carrots, coated in a tangy, fresh yoghurt and herb dressing. The perfect accompaniment to a spring evening barbecue.

  • 1 kg carrots
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 5 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 1 tsp garlic oil
  • ½ tsp dried dill
  • ½ tsp dried mint
  • 10g fresh mint, chopped
  • 10g fresh dill, chopped
  • 10g fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Peel and cut the carrots into chunky uneven pieces
  3. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, cumin and a sprinkle of salt and them tumble them out onto a baking tray or shallow roasting tin
  4. Roast for 30-40 mins until softened and brown round the edges
  5. Meanwhile, in a big bowl, stir together the other tbsp oil, yoghurt, garlic oil and all the herbs. Season with salt to taste and a little lemon juice if it needs more acidity
  6. When the carrots come out of the oven, while they’re still warm, scoop them into the bowl with the dressing and toss together
  7. Serve at room temperature with a little sprinkle of fresh dill and toasted sesame seeds

Tortellini soup

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Comfort in a bowl. Warm, savoury, and so simple it’s a great weeknight meal. Feeds 2 hungry people

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 4 sausages
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • ½ onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, finely diced
  • 1 stick celery, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 chicken stock cube (plus 750ml boiling water)
  • 250ml white wine
  • 250g fresh tortellini
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 50 ml cream
  • 100g young spinach
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat
  2. Pinch off small pieces of sausage, drop them into the pan and brown them on all sides
  3. Scoop the sausage out of the pan and put on one side
  4. Lower the heat and put the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into the pan
  5. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins until everything is soft
  6. Add the stock cube and tomato puree, stirring into the vegetables until everything combines
  7. Pour in the white wine and turn the heat to medium. Bubble until the wine has almost disappeared
  8. Add 750ml boiling water, sausage pieces and some fresh thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper and stir everything together
  9. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down low and simmer for 7 mins
  10. Tip in the fresh tortellini and cook for a further 3 mins (or as per the directions on the packaging)
  11. Mix the cornflour with a little water and pour into the soup, stirring as you add it
  12. Cook for another 2 mins until the soup thickens, then turn the heat off and add the cream and spinach (the spinach should just wilt in the heat of the soup – turn the heat on to a low simmer if you need to give this a helping hand)
  13. Serve immediately in a big, deep bowl, maybe with a grating of parmesan and a sprinkle of finely chopped chives