Nicoise Salad - Salade Niçoise

Salade niçoise comes from southern France and it is one of our favourite salads. The main ingredients that make up this wonderful salad are tuna and anchovies. We always try to find fresh tuna but sometimes here in England is hard to find and when you find it, it can be very expensive. So we use good quality canned tuna fillets. Also it is usually made with niçoise olives, which are small black olives but any small black olives will do if these are not available. As per every salad there is a myriad versions of the actual recipe so it very hard to find out exactly what goes in a proper salade niçoise. Cucumber, preserved artichoke hearts, radishes, new potatoes, raw green peppers, sweet shallots are all different vegetables that are used...depends where you get the recipe from! Hard boiled eggs are a must as well. Our version for a substantial meal for two people is as follows...

For the salad

• About 100g mixed salad leaves
• 2 ripe but firm tomatoes, sliced
• 8 new potatoes, boiled
• 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
• A handful of black olives
• 100g French fine green beans, cooked
• 2 tuna steaks (about 150g each, grilled to your liking and left to cool down slightly) or 2 cans of tuna chunks
• 8 anchovy fillets

For the dressing

• Red wine vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper

1. This has to be the easiest method ever. Just arrange all the salad ingredients onto the serving plates, leaving the tuna and anchovies for last.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. The amounts are entirely up to you.
3. Dress the tuna and salad leaves.
4. Serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Tortilla con Patatas - Spanish Tortilla

Spanish tortilla easily makes it my top 10 easy delicious recipes of all time. My mum used to do this for us as a snack after we came back from school. All you need is 3 ingredients, eggs, potatoes and onions. It is definitely a Spanish staple and one of the most famous dishes in Spain. In fact nearly at the start of every Spanish meal there is a tortilla cut into small portions for everyone to nibble on. :) Try it out and you will definitely do it again...the ingredients listed below are for 4 people (or more if served as an appetiser).

• 8 large eggs, beaten
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 10 small potatoes, parboiled and sliced
• Olive oil, for frying

Method

1. Heat about 1 cm of olive oil in a large deep frying pan and fry the onion slices until soft and transparent.
2. Add the sliced potatoes and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
3. Lower the heat and pour the beaten eggs on the potato/onion mixture. Make sure you distribute the eggs evenly.
4. Cover and cook gently until the eggs are set. If eggs are still a bit runny on top, put under a hot grill for 30 seconds or so.
5. Now here comes the tricky bit, get a large serving plate (we use a large pizza plate) and put it on top of the pan. Holding the plate and pan tightly invert them upside down (use a tea towel to hold the pan as it could be hot) so as the tortilla transfers itself to the plate. 
6. Serve warm or cold. :)

Enjoy!!

R&A

Pak Choi with Sichuan pepper & Oyster sauce

I would like to share this quick recipe that I prepared at 6 o'clock in the morning as part of my pack up. It is super quick and if like us, you stock up on Asian ingredients, it will be done even faster. It is spicy so you can adapt the ingredients to your taste, you can eat this as part of a typical Chinese communal meal or as a meal on its own with boiled rice. Give it a go and you will try it again. Sichuan pepper can be found in Asian stores or online. These ingredients are for 1 person but you can multiply the ingredients...

• 2 baby Pak Choi, leaves split in half lengthwise
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger root, minced (or 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
• 5 Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable or groundnut oil 
• 3 spring onions, sliced

Method

1. In a wok heat the oil and fry the ginger, chilli, star anise, garlic and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, about a minute. (Make sure you do not burn the garlic)
2. Add the Pak Choi, soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir fry for a couple of minutes until the leaves are partially wilted but not soggy.
3. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the chopped spring onions.
4. Remove and discard the star anise and serve hot!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Farfalle with Courgettes, Aubergines & Anchovies

We loved this pasta dish. It is quite quick and easy to prepare...proper foolproof! Aubergines and zucchine are two of my favourite vegetables, I could eat them with anything, anytime. The anchovies (as per usual) disappear whilst cooking but they enhance the flavour of this dish substantially. Good quality olive oil finishes off this dish impeccably. So give it a go.You will need...

• 350g farfalle (or other short pasta)
• 1 aubergine (about 400g), sliced into strips
• 2 large zucchine (about 400g), sliced into strips
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 60g can anchovy fillets in olive oil
• Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Drain the oil from the anchovy into a large pan and heat it up.
2. Cook the onion, chilli and garlic until onion is soft and transparent. Add the zucchine and aubergine slices and cook until they are soft.
3. In the meantime cook the pasta and drain.
4. Into the pan with the veg, stir in the anchovies.
5. Add the pasta and 3 tbsp olive oil and stir carefully (not to break the pasta).
6. Serve warm with grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Cottage Pie

The term Cottage Pie has been around for centuries and the actual name is known to have been around since 1791. Incidentally, this year was when potatoes started being introduced as an edible crop which was available to the poor.  Initially made with leftover meat, this pie took its name from the meaning of the term cottage, which actually means a humble residence for farmers. (Ref: Wikipedia) Cottage Pie has been a favourite in our family for decades and have been loving it since I was a child as my mum prepared it frequently. So this is our take on a classic British dish. Needless to say it is very easy to prepare, I mean the meat mixture is not rocket science and boiling potatoes is quite a low ability task. So this recipe does go with the easy ones. It is the ultimate comforting food and you will definitely ask for seconds. You will need...(this amount of ingredients will make a medium pie)

For the meat mixture

• 500g lean beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 250ml prepared gravy (I use Bisto Best), this acts as a thickening agent
• ½ teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• ½ teaspoon hot paprika
• ½ tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 beef stock pot/cube
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
• 25g butter, for frying

For the mashed potatoes

• 750g potatoes, boiled
• 40g butter
• A splash of milk, (you want the mash to be quite firm)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
• Sweet paprika, to garnish
• Ground black pepper, to garnish

How to...

1. Start by preparing the mashed potatoes. Boil the potatoes and add the butter, milk and ground nutmeg (if using) and mash to the desired consistency. Set aside.
2. Prepare the meat mixture. In a large frying pan, on a moderate heat, heat the butter until it melts and starts sizzling, then add the onions, carrots, celery and mixed herbs. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until onions, carrots & celery are soft. Add some black pepper if you want to at this stage (We do!).
3. Add the beef mince and stir in to mix in with the vegetables. Now add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock pot/cube more black pepper, hot paprika and cook uncovered until the meat is done and all the liquid has nearly gone.
4. When meat is cooked add the prepared gravy and stir in well. Lower the heat and simmer until the meat mixture for a minute or two. 
5. In the meantime preheat the oven to 180°C.
6. To assemble your cottage pie, you just pour the meat mixture in a deep pie or casserole dish, level the mixture withe back of a spoon and cover with the mashed potato. Use a palette to level the mash on top of the meat mixture. Try and seal it well to prevent it from leaking. You can also prick some holes into the mashed potato topping so as steam can escape.
7. Sprinkle with sweet paprika and ground black pepper and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
8. Take it out of the oven and leave to cool down for about 15 minutes. It is now ready to serve. 

Enjoy!!

R&A