Tag: side dish

Traditional tortilla

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Old school Spanish tortilla. No sweet potatoes, spinach or cheese (not that I don’t love these!) This is a classic for a reason. Feeds 6 or more as part of a tapas.

  • 600g large waxy potatoes
  • 2 onions, finely sliced in half moons
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 eggs, whisked well
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2mm slices. Pat the slices dry with paper towel.
  2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat
  3. Add the onion and potatoes, turn in the oil to coat
  4. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 20-30 mins (until the potato is cooked through and the onions are meltingly soft). During cooking, turn over gently a couple of times with a fish slice or spatula
  5. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and then pour them into the pan over the potato and onion
  6. Cook over a low heat for about 20 mins, then under a medium grill for a further 10 mins so it puffs up and turns golden and the egg is set
  7. Turn out onto a board to serve at room temp

Rice and peas

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

The traditional accompaniment to jerk chicken, but also gorgeous on its own with some sauteed spinach and a drizzle of extra-hot chilli sauce.

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp veg oil
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 1 tin gungo peas, drained and rinsed (or kidney beans – but if you hate kidney beans as much as I do and you can’t find gungo peas, try borlotti beans instead)
  • 3 spring onions, chopped
  • ½ tsp dry thyme
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • 1 scotch bonnet chilli, whole but pierced with a fork a couple of times (you can leave this out if you prefer)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100ml water
  • 200g long grain rice (not the quick cook stuff)
  1. In a saucepan with a lid, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic over a low heat for 5 mins
  2. Add the spring onion, coconut milk, gungo peas, thyme, allspice, chilli, salt and water. Bring to the boil
  3. Add the rice, stir in and put the lid on. Turn to a low simmer and cook for 15 mins
  4. After 15 mins, check the seasoning. If the rice still has a tiny bit of crunch to it, add a couple of tbsp boiling water and cook for another 3 mins.

Fragrant pilaf

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

The most soothing of rice dishes. Aromatic with mild spice but no heat, buttery and delicious

  • 150g basmati rice
  • 1 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 onion, sliced finely into half moons
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ chicken stock cube
  • Handful of flaked almonds, toasted
  1. Heat the butter in a pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the onion over a low heat for 5-10 mins until completely soft, tender and golden
  2. Add the cinnamon, bay and cardamom and stir in for a minute until fragrant
  3. Add the crumbled stock cube and stir into the butter so it completely dissolves
  4. Turn the heat up, tip in the rice and stir it into the spiced buttery onions until it starts to crackle
  5. Add 300ml boiling water, stir well, stick the lid on and turn it down as low as possible
  6. Cook for 10 mins then turn the heat off and leave for a further 5 mins without taking the lid off
  7. Serve sprinkled with toasted flaked almonds

If you want a simple bowlful of comforting loveliness, you can just eat this on its own with a spoonful of yogurt on the top. Or it makes a great side dish to something spicy and saucy. Or feel free to make it more substantial by stirring through chickpeas, scraps of cooked chicken or lamb, chargrilled aubergine or courgette.

Mucver

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Turkish courgette fritters, small and perfectly delicious. Good enough to convert courgette-haters and an excellent start to a Mediterranean feast

  • 2 medium courgettes
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 100g feta, crumbled
  • 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped
  • Salt & pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Open out a tea towel and place a box grater in the middle of it. Grate the courgettes directly onto the tea towel, then gather up the edges around the little mountain of green gratings and squeeze as much liquid out of them as you can
  2. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. It should form a stiff batter
  3. Heat veg oil in a large frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the mixture. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon and fry the mucver until they’re golden on each side (keep cooked ones warm on a rack in a low oven as you cook them)
  4. Serve straight away with some plain yogurt on the side

Garlic parsnips

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My mother-in-law’s recipe, extremely garlicky and the very best way to eat parsnips. Seriously, she converted me from roasting them and that’s saying something.

  • 4 parsnips, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into chunky batons
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 30g butter
  • Salt and plenty of black pepper
  1. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a saucepan with a lid
  2. Once sizzling, add the garlic and stir fry in the butter for a minute until it turns golden. Don’t take your eyes off it or it’ll burn
  3. Tip in the parsnips, turn the heat down and turn them through the garlic and butter. Season well
  4. Add a splash of water, stick the lid on and cook for about 15 mins, taking the lid off every now and again to stir, check on their progress and hungrily inhale the delicious smell coming out of the pan

Once cooked, they should be soft with crispy, golden edges. Some bits may be more crispy, some may not be golden at all, some may be starting to fall apart completely. This is all fine.

Any leftovers make the most brilliant soup. Just heat through, add a little stock and cream and whizz up.

Baked onions

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So much more than the sum of its 3 ingredients. A simple concoction that gives rise to a rich, creamy, savoury delight

  • 4 medium/large onions
  • 300ml double cream
  • Large handful of grated parmesan
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Peel the onions, keeping as much of the root area intact as possible
  3. Pop into a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil
  4. Turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 mins until tender. Lift them out gently and put onto kitchen towel to dry
  5. Cut each one in half lengthways from root to tip and place cut-side down in an ovenproof dish
  6. Pour the cream over the onions, season well with salt and pepper and sprinke over the parmesan
  7. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and bubbling

Serve over pasta, with a big pile of broccoli or alongside a simple grilled chicken breast

Cucumber salad

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Simple, spiky, sweet, tangy, mouthwatering. Goes with anything. Feeds 2

  • Half a cucumber
  • 4 tbsp vinegar
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Slice the cucumber as thin as poss, use a mandolin if you have one
  2. In a cup, mix together the vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved
  3. Pour over the cucumber slices and mix through. Leave for 5 mins before serving, but no more than half an hour

If you’re making this to go with SE Asian food, use rice vinegar and garnish with sliced red chilli. If it’s Eastern European, use white wine vinegar, add a load of freshly ground black pepper or fresh chopped dill. If you’re just eating it with a pile of barbecued sausages, you can keep it plain!

Coconut rice

~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

One of the very nicest rices you can eat. Especially good as a soothing counterpoint to something challengingly spicy

  • 225g basmati rice
  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 300ml water
  • ½ tsp salt
  1. Place the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 10 mins
  2. Drain and rinse through with fresh water
  3. Dump into a saucepan with a lid and stir in the coconut milk, water and salt
  4. Stick the lid on, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins, then turn the heat off and leave with the lid on for a further 5 mins
  5. Fluff up and serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion

Braised endive

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A recent discovery. Incredibly delicious. Savoury, sweet, with a slightly bitter edge

  • 2 heads endive/chicory
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 100 ml chicken stock
  • Balsamic vinegar
  1. Split the endive lengthways in half
  2. In a pan big enough to hold them in a single layer, melt the butter over a medium heat
  3. Fry the endives flat-side down until light brown
  4. Turn them over, add the chicken stock and a splash of balsamic, and season
  5. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 mins
  6. Take the lid off, turn them over and turn the heat up for a final 5 mins

A perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or halloumi