Roasted Carrots with Pumpkin Seed Pesto and Yoghurt
Sunday, December 18, 2022Use baby carrots or heirloom carrots if you could find them. Adding pesto is an easy way to elevate the flavour of this humble root vegetable. It makes a perfect side dish or even a lunch. Swap the yoghurt for a dairy-free alternative if you have a dairy sensitivity. Leftover pesto is perfect on some pasta or served as a dip.
Ottolenghi's Tomato Salad with Ginger Garlic Dressing
Friday, December 16, 2022Eat it on its own with crusty bread to mop up those gorgeous juices, or as part of a meze-style spread. The quality of the tomatoes you use will make all the difference, so use the ripest and sweetest ones you can find. It's incredibly simple but, when made with perfectly ripe tomatoes, is a real delight. The punchy dressing, with its garlic, ginger and fish sauce, is what makes this salad so special. Use whatever mixture of tomatoes you can get your hands on, and serve alongside fish dishes or a steak.
Roasted Pumpkins with Feta, Pepita and Tomato
Wednesday, December 14, 2022Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup with Lentils
Monday, December 12, 2022Black Radish Salad with Red Cress
Saturday, December 10, 2022Black radishes have an earthy, spicy, pungent, peppery flavour reminiscent of horseradish and are great for both raw and cooked. When eaten raw, it's better grate, chop or slice the radish. It becomes so much milder and has tastes of carrots when cooked. The black skin is edible, peel if a milder taste is desired. The black radish root is composed of flavonoids, but also of many vitamins, including vitamin A, group B vitamins, including B9, and vitamin C. It is anti-infectious, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Blanched Haricots Verts and Jamón Ibérico Bundles
Thursday, December 08, 2022These tender green bean bundles with Jamón Ibérico ham are quite easy to put together and the flavours blend well. The nutty, lightly tangy, rich brown butter vinaigrette is perfect with simply blanched green beans. Make sure to make an extra batch as it's also great to toss with some roasted pumpkin, potatoes or Brussels sprouts.
Jamón Ibérico, the king of the ham, is a variety of jamón or presunto, a type of cured leg of pork made from black Iberian pigs in Spain. Use Italian Prosciutto instead if desired.
Haricots Verts (thin French green beans) are slightly longer and skinnier than regular green beans and may be a little bit more expensive. They are harvested earlier then regular green beans, so they are thought to be more tender and more flavourful. Regular green beans would work just as great.
Cucumber Bites with Trout Caviar and Crispy Capers
Tuesday, December 06, 2022These deliciously healthy cucumber bites are a great addition to any party menu. Crunchy, juicy cucumbers are filled with a creamy herby avocado-feta mixture, then top with trout caviar and crispy capers. Crispy, salty, briny—fried capers add an extra dimension of flavour and texture without effort to these simple cucumber bites. And for festive occasions or any dinner party, you can't go past trout caviar for flavour and wow-factor. They come together quickly, making them perfect for last-minute entertaining. Plus, they are naturally gluten-free and keto-friendly.
Poppy Streuselkuchen with Pomegranate
Sunday, December 04, 2022Poppy seed cake is a German classic and wildly popular throughout Germany. But even a classic can be spiced up a little. This poppy seed cake recipe with fresh pomegranate seeds is juicy, fruity, and nutty - everything that makes a good cake. It is worth every calorie and will definitely end up on the coffee table more often from now on. Instead of pomegranate, you can also use cherries, berries or stoned fruits.
Christmas Fruit Cake
Friday, December 02, 2022A slice of moist, rich fruit cake is synonymous with the Christmas feast. Get the jump on your Christmas baking by making this festive whisky-soaked fruit cake now. Wrap it well and it will be perfect to serve, or give as a gift, during the Advent!
Orignal recipe calls for using a 22cmx7cm round cake pan and baked at 160C/320F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I am using a 26cm springform pan and it took about 85 minutes for the cake to be done. For the fruit, I used a mixture of dried apricots, currants and golden raisins, but any blend of dried fruit (dried cranberries, glacé cherries, or dried figs) would work beautifully. I also decorate the cake with an extra layer of blanched almonds.