Author: Sophie

Garlic chilli spaghetti

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Lip-smackingly savoury, kind of fusion, carb heaven. However you describe it, the perfect weeknight dinner ready in 12 mins. Feeds 2

  • 250g spaghetti
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
  • 1 heaped tsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 25g parmesan, finely grated
  • 7 or so chives, finely chopped
  1. Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water for 9 mins (retaining 50ml of the pasta water when you drain it)
  2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the garlic
  3. Cook until golden – don’t take your eyes off them, you don’t want them to turn dark brown or burn!
  4. Fish the garlic out of the oil, add the butter and stir to melt
  5. Add chilli flakes and sizzle them for a moment before adding the oyster sauce and soy sauce
  6. Swirl to combine everything
  7. Add the cooked spaghetti with the retained cooking water and turn through the sauce
  8. Add parmesan and chives and mix through
  9. Remove from heat and serve straight away, sprinkled with the garlic chips you made earlier. Plus perhaps an extra sprinkle of chives, some crispy chilli and toasted sesame seeds on top

Berry spoom

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A brilliantly flothy, fluffy, foamy version of sorbet. And possibly the best name of any dessert ever. Feeds 2.

  • 150g berries, any sort you like
  • 90g caster sugar
  • 1 egg white
  1. Put the berries in a pan with 50g of the sugar and 50ml water
  2. Heat gently until the berries pop and release their juice
  3. Pour into a fine sieve and press through to remove the pulp and seeds
  4. Taste to check the sugar levels (adjust with more sugar or a squeeze of lemon juice – bearing in mind there’s more sugar to come) and then chill the fruit puree for at least 20 mins
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white to soft peaks
  6. Add the remaining sugar 1 tsp at a time until it is a stiff glossy meringue
  7. Fold the fruit puree into the meringue until it’s completely incorporated
  8. Scrape into a freezer-safe container and cover. Freeze for at least 2 hours

Remove from the freezer about 10 mins before you want to serve. Top with a splash of bubbly and a few fresh berries for extra froth and fizz!

Chicken pastilla triangles

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Deeply inauthentic but very delicious. A study in contrasts, savoury/sweet and crisp/soft. Makes 8.

Make the filling a day ahead if poss. Gives all the flavours time to really get to know each other and ensures the filling is cool when you fill the pastry. A faff, yes. But a necessary one.

  • 4 chicken thigh fillets
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced into thin half moons
  • 5 dates, pitted and cut into quarters
  • 1½ tbsp ras el hanout spice mix
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 sheets filo pastry
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • Sesame seeds
  1. Heat the olive oil in thick-bottomed saucepan over a high heat
  2. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, then remove to a plate
  3. Turn the heat down, add the onions and cook for 5 mins until softened
  4. Tip in the dates, ras el hanout, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper
  5. Stir in for 30 secs, then add boiling water to the pan, around 300ml
  6. Scrape the pan well to get all the delicous brown off the bottom and bring to the boil
  7. Pop the chicken back into the bubbly liquid and turn to a low simmer with the lid on
  8. Cook for 30 mins, then take the lid off and cook for a further 30 mins
  9. Remove the chicken from the pan and shred it with 2 forks
  10. If you need to, turn the heat up and reduce the liquid til it’s a thick, rich onion gravy (you need very little liquid left or it’ll soak through the pastry)
  11. Add the chicken back in and mix through to coat it
  12. Leave to cool, then pop into a tupperware and chill until ready to use
  1. When you’re ready to bake your golden triangles, pre-heat the oven to 170C fan (190C)
  2. Right, this bit is fiddly but not nearly as complicated as it sounds…
  3. Cut the filo sheets in half lengthways. You need 2 strips per triangle so keep the rest from drying out under a tea towel or paper towel
  4. Brush one strip with oil and pop the other strip on top
  5. Press them together and then place a spoonful of the filling on end of the pastry strip nearest you, slightly on the left side and just up from the bottom.
  6. Now fold the bottom right hand corner up to cover the filling, and then fold over the wrapped filling to create a triangular shaped parcel
  7. Continue folding up the pastry strip until you run out of pastry
  8. Place flap-side down on a lined baking sheet
  9. Brush the top of the beautiful finished triangle with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds
  10. Continue with all remaining filling and pastry strips
  11. Bake for 25 mins until golden brown
  12. Serve warm with a salad on the side

Ras el hanout

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

My version of the enormously complex Moroccan “top shelf” spice mix. Vibrant and earthy, it makes a brilliant start to a tagine, marinade for grilled chicken or spicing for a pastilla.

  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • Large pinch ground fenugreek
  • Large pinch ground cloves
  1. Mix everything together well
  2. Store in an air tight jar until you need it

Pork ragu

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Warm, rich and comforting. Eat over pasta or a jacket potato. Serves 4 generously.

  • 900g pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into chunky pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g pancetta, chopped
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250ml red wine
  • Couple of shakes worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan (one with a close-fitting lid) over a high heat
  2. Put in the pieces of pork and leave until they turn brown, then flip them
  3. Brown on all sides and remove from the pan
  4. Turn the heat down and add the pancetta. Stir and cook until it’s crispy round the edges
  5. Then add the onions, carrot and garlic
  6. Stir together and cook for 5-8 mins until soft
  7. Add the wine, worcestershire sauce and tomato puree and stir in, scraping the lovely brown off the bottom of the pan
  8. Bubble for a couple of mins, then add the sugar, bay leaf, tinned tomatoes and 1½ tins of water
  9. Stir together, season well with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil
  10. Put the pork back in the pan and stir everything together
  11. Stick the lid on and put onto the lowest heat (or into an oven at 130C fan)
  12. Cook for 2 hours, stirring every hour or so
  13. Then take the lid off and simmer for a further 30 mins until the sauce is thick and rich. Just keep bubbling if you need to, it may take a little longer
  14. Take off the heat and remove the pork into a bowl
  15. Roughly shred it with 2 forks and scrape it back into the sauce
  16. Stir in and you’re ready to serve

Pears poached in sweet wine

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Dessert so light, fresh, cool and fruity – and of course delightfully boozy. A wonderful end to a rich meal.

  • 3 firm conference pears
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 1 litre water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 375ml sweet dessert wine (like a moscatel)
  1. Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan
  2. Heat on low until the sugar dissolves, then turn the heat up and bring to the boil
  3. While the syrup heats, peel the pears, then halve them lengthways and scoop out the cores with a little spoon or the tip of a sharp knife
  4. Rub the pears with the cut surfaces of the lemon to stop them from browning
  5. Add the pears, the lemon shells and the lemon juice to the boiling syrup and lower the heat to a simmer
  6. Cook until the pears are tender and looking ever so slightly translucent – this can take up to 25 mins for really unripe ones, just 10 mins if they’re softer to start with
  7. Remove the pears from the syrup and put on one side
  8. Boil the syrup hard until just about 200ml is left and it’s got syrupy
  9. Turn off the heat, stir in the sweet wine and pour over the pears
  10. Chill thoroughly before serving – ideally over night

Serve with a scant scatter of toasted almond flakes and a few tart berries floating in the bowl with the pears – blackberries are beautiful, or red currants

Grilled mustard broccoli

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Smoky, spicy, slightly charred round the edges, and brilliantly green and tender in the middle. It’s a broccoli revolution!

  • 1 large head broccoli
  • 100g Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • Salt
  1. Trim the end off the stalk and cut the broccoli lengthways into quarters (leaving the stem on – give the broccoli stem some love, it’s delicious too!)
  2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil
  3. Lower in the broccoli and boil for 3 mins. Lift out with tongs and place on kitchen towel to dry out a bit
  4. In a medium bowl, stir together all the rest of the ingredients and season with a pinch of salt
  5. Gently coat the broccoli with the yoghurty-mustardy mixture, making sure every surface is covered
  6. Heat the grill to medium-high and lay the broccoli onto a baking tray lined with foil
  7. Grill for 7 mins or so, turning occasionally, until it’s cooked through and charred in spots

This is a winner on the barbecue too. Just get it up to stage 5 and then pop it onto an oiled barbecue for extra smoky flavour. In fact, I love broccoli barbecued even without the yoghurt and spices – just oil it lightly, using whatever flavourings you like (recommend garlic, lemon, oregano or soy, chilli, sesame). Cook over embery coals until charred and tender with a little bite.

Cornflake crunch

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

The ultimate crunchy-munchy, sweet-salty snack. Hugely flexible – feel free to use different nuts, different seeds, different nut butter, anything you’ve got to hand. Highly recommend breaking it into shards of different shapes and sizes so every snack need is covered.

  • 75g cornflakes, roughly crushed
  • 45g unsalted peanuts, nicely toasted in a dry pan and roughly chopped
  • 35g coconut flakes
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • ½ tsp flaky sea salt
  • 130g maple syrup
  • 50g natural smooth peanut butter
  1. Heat the oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper, and have a second sheet the same size ready to go
  3. Tip all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir
  4. In a separate small bowl, whisk the maple syrup and peanut butter
  5. Tip the gooey syrup mixture into the cornflake bowl and mix gently but thoroughly
  6. Scrape onto the lined baking tray, roughly flatten and spread out with a spatula. Then lay the second piece of paper over the top and, using a rolling pin, flatten the mixture so it’s an even thickness of about ½ cm
  7. Remove the top sheet of paper, then bake for 25 mins, turning the tray once halfway through to make sure it bakes evening. It should be golden all over with toasty bits around the edges
  8. Leave on the tray to cool completely for at least ½ an hour, then break into shards. You can eat it straight away (I dare you not to have at least one piece immediately) or store in an airtight container to eat later. Keeps for a couple of weeks.

Green bean curry

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

So easy, so tasty. An excellent mid-week dinner when everything feels a bit too much. I love using frozen green beans for this aromatic, flavourful veggie curry because the texture reminds me of childhood and I often have them available, which makes this a good store cupboard dish. But you could just as easily use fresh ones or leftovers or pretty much any robust green veg you’ve got lurking about – just adjust the final cooking time accordingly.

  • 2 tbsp veg oil 
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds 
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 6 curry leaves 
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cumin 
  • ½ tsp mild chilli powder
  • 300g frozen green beans
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh coriander, chopped
  1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and garlic until they crackle
  2. Stir fry for for a few seconds then add the fenugreek and tomatoes
  3. Cover and cook over a low heat for 5 mins until the tomatoes break down
  4. Add the ground spices and stir-cook for 1 min, then add the green beans, 150ml of water, salt and pepper
  5. Bring to a cheerful bubble and then leave to cook uncovered over a medium heat for 5-10 mins until the beans are soft and the sauce has thickened a bit
  6. Check the seasoning, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve

Serve with warm parathas or naan for scooping. Cheerful comfort in a bowl!

Beef stifado

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Beef and onions. But make it more aromatic, fragrant and flavourful. A Greek-style stew to warm the cockles of your heart on a frosty day. Feeds 4.

  • 500g stewing steak (I like beef shin), cut into chunky pieces
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 150ml red wine
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 300g shallots, peeled and left whole
  1. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and turn it around so the pieces all get coated
  2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat until the butter froths
  3. Put the meat in and leave it to brown on the bottom, then turn and brown the pieces all over
  4. Remove the meat from the pan and turn the heat right down
  5. Pop in the onion and garlic and saute gently until soft
  6. Add the cinnamon, allspice, oregano, beef stock cube, tomato puree, red wine and vinegar
  7. Stir together and cook for 3-5 mins until the wine is reduced and the whole thing is thick, deep brown and sticky
  8. Add the tinned tomatoes, red wine vinegar and bay leaves. Fill the empty tin with water and pour that in too
  9. Bring to the boil, scraping the pot with your wooden spoon to make sure all the delicious brown bits on the bottom are incorporated
  10. Stir in the beef and the shallots. Season well with salt and pepper
  11. Reduce the heat as low as possible (and use a heat diffuser if you’re using a gas stove), stick the lid on and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally

Serve with wodges of crusty bread, or rice or orzo pasta. And maybe some greenery on the side for contrast and vitamins.