Smoked cheese croquetas with chimichurri sauce

Posted by Katkats Kitchen on Feb 17, 2012 in Smoked cheese croquetas with chimichurri sauce | 0 comments

Smoked cheese croquetas with chimichurri sauce are my favourite snack on two levels I love the deeply satisfying South American chimichurri sauce (yes I know it is normally served with steak, but this is the vegetarian variety. The second reason I just love it is the fact I love smoked cheese.

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Ingredients for Smoked cheese croquetas with chimichurri sauce

Ingredients

For the croquetas

60g/2oz unsalted

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ leek, finely chopped

60g/2oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling

250ml/9fl oz soya milk

100g/4oz smoked cheddar, grated

75g/2½oz fresh or frozen peas

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

2 free-range eggs

150g/5½oz fresh brown breadcrumbs

Olive oil to deep fry

For the chimichurri sauce

8 large handfuls of coriander, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped finely

½ red onion, very finely chopped

2 handfuls of chopped oregano

150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive oil

50ml/2fl oz sherry  vinegar

½ lemon, juice and zest

Method

For the Chimichurri Sauce

For the chimichurri sauce, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and serve alongside the croquetas. Make it first so the flavours develop.

Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan and gently fry the leeks for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the flour a little at a time and cook for five minutes. Add the milk gradually and then cook for 15 minutes, stirring all the time. Take off the heat and add the cheese, when it is melted add the peas, nutmeg, coriander and seasoning. Cover the sauce with wet Clingfilm to stop it forming a skin.

For the coating, beat the eggs in a bowl and sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Heat a deep heavy-bottomed saucepan half full of olive oil to 180C/350F, until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it.

Once cooled, roll the croqueta mixture into cylinders of approx 7.5cm/3in long, using floured hands.

Dip the croquetas in the beaten egg and then roll them in the breadcrumbs to coat completely. Repeat the egg and then breadcrumbs, which will give a real crisp coating. Fry the croquetas for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

Butternut, walnut, ricotta and sage Pasty

Posted by Katkats Kitchen on Feb 17, 2012 in Appetisers, Butternut | 0 comments

  Butternut, walnut, ricotta and sage Pasty

may not be your idea of a Pasty and truth to tell it is not the archetypal Cornish pasty, which is made with onion,minced meat and root vegetables, but Butternut, walnut, ricotta and sage Pasty does share some common characteristics. The walnuts add texture which the minced meat does, the ricotta adds a creaminess which replaces the gravy, and the sage adds a characteristic bitterness.

Cornwall is famous for its tin mines and the miners used to take the pasty down for lunch. Sometimes it had jam at one end and the meat in the other, but as neither end was marked it was pot luck whether or not you got your dessert first.

Butternut, walnut, ricotta and sage Pasty is perfect served warm as a snack or cold on a picnic because as the pastry is robust it travels well. The next time I make it wild mushrooms will make a nice addition.

Butternut, walnut, ricotta and sage Pasty

Ingredients

1kg/2lb 3oz butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1.5cm/½in cubes

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

20 sage leaves, shredded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

800g/1lb 12oz ready-made shortcrust pastry

120g/4oz walnuts, toasted

500g/1lb ricotta

4 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil

1 free-range egg

Pinch salt

3 tablespoons flour, plus extra for dusting

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Method

Mix the butternut squash, onion, olive oil and half the sage together, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place inside the lined baking tray. Roast until the squash is cooked (when a fork goes through it easily), then take from the oven and leave to cool.

Divide the pastry in half and roll each half out to a 60x20cm/24x8in rectangle on a lightly dusted work surface. Using a 20cm/8in diameter plate as a template, cut out three rounds from each piece.Lay these on a baking sheet and put in the fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Once the butternut squash has cooled, tip it into a large bowl and mix in the walnuts, ricotta and pumpkin seed oil, making sure you don’t crush the squash.

Take the pastry rounds from the fridge and allow them to come up to room temperature. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and brush the pastry completely on one side with the egg-wash – it’ll be easier to do this one piece at a time.

Take one-sixth of the butternut squash mixture and dollop it in the centre of a pastry round, and then carefully fold the pastry in half, making sure the filling is enclosed. Dip a fork in the flour and use it to press down and seal the edges. Try to squeeze out excess air as you do this – otherwise it can make the pasty pop open in the heat of the oven. As you finish each pasty, place it on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Brush the remaining egg-wash over the pasties and prick each one several times with the fork. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and cooked. Serve hot or cold.

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Baked herbed Scotch Eggs

Posted by Katkats Kitchen on Jan 5, 2012 in Appetisers, Baked herbed Scotch Eggs | 1 comment

baked herbed scotch eggs

The old fashoined idea of fried scotch eggs has long gone there are healthier ways of making Baked herbed Scotch Eggs, they are tasty as well as healthier. I tend to use a Cumberland sausage bought in a roll rather than conventional sausages.

It is a very tactile recipe and it is difficult to get it done wihtout getting your fingers messy, but Lorrainne Pascuale recommends that you wrap the hardboiled eggs already dipped in flour in squashed sausage meat in cling film.

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Baked herbed Scotch Eggs

Ingredients
4 large organic eggs hard boiled (duck eggs are great)
500g of cumberland sausage skinned
2 large handfuls of your favourite soft herbs,
Flour to coat the eggs with
1 beaten egg to dip the final sausage covered egg in
Fresh breadcrumbs from a wholemeal loaf
A low fat spray to coat the Scotch eggs in

Method
Hard boil the eggs dip in flour so that the sausage meat has something to stick on. Take a handful of sausage meat and herb mixture, and press the hardboiled egg into it, and press around to seal the egg. It is not as vital that the Baked herbed scotch egg because it is less likely to part company from the egg when baked. Dip the coated egg in the beaten egg then in fresh crumbrumbs. Add a cooking spray and bake for about thirty minutes.

Baked herbed Scotch Eggs Serving suggestions

Scotch eggs are great picnic food, they transport really well for a packed lunch for the kids, a snack or a full grown picnic. Theyare best served at room temperlature once cooled, though they can be served warm from the oven. Use any combination of fresh or dried herbs in the sausage meat. You can also use other flavourings such as garlic, chutney, relish or piccallilli.

I like to eat mine for lunch with a huge bowl of green salad, but they are also great with a baked sweet potato that is crisp and coveredwiht alioli, a garlic mayo. Baked herbed Scotch Eggs are also good as a brunch or supper dish or a snack, in fact there uses are only restricted by your imagination.You can add mustard to the sausage meat or any fresh relish. If you add fresh onion very finely chopped, it gives the baked herbed scotch eggs some texture as well as taste.

Baked Falafel

Posted by Katkats Kitchen on Dec 13, 2011 in Appetisers, Baked Falafel | 5 comments

I love falafel, but I try as far as possible not to deep fry my food, and I have been experimenting with baked falafel, which gave turned out crsipy and flavoursome on the outside and still squeashy in the middle. I have made them with red kidney beans here, but they are great with pinto beans or a mixture of both, or chick peas with pinto beans.

Ingredients
1 x 15ounce jar of red kidney beans, drained
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large handful of fresh of coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon of cumin
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash the beans roughly with the chopped garlic and onion. Blend together and add the rest of the ingredients except the oil.
Shape into golf sized balls and place in preheated baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil over and bake for 15 minutes, turn them over halfway through cooking. Serve hot when they are golden brown with a salad and hummus.

Baked falafel would be great with this borani esfanaaj a Persian Salad

Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions – Borani Esfanaaj

Posted by Katkats Kitchen on Oct 26, 2011 in Appetisers, Borani Esfanaaj | 2 comments

Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions

Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions – Borani Esfanaaj, was not in my mind when I went our for dinner last week. I spent the week in Ramsgate with my brother Leo, and his new wife Cornelia and we had a fantastic time, eating out every night and chilling out. Although all of the food we ate was delicious, the grilled sword fish steaks, duck breast salads, etc what impressed me the most was the simplest dish, On Saturday evening we went to a wonderful Iranian restaurant, it was simple and inpretentious, but the food was spectacular.

I fancied a duck breast salad with walnuts and pomegranites and it did not dissapoint, but I espied a spinach dish going to another diner and ordered that as well. It was

Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions – Borani Esfanaaj

and the taste of it was wonderful. The Belgians have an expression and they apply it to food that is sublime, the expression is “it tastes like like angels weeing on your tongue”, and this simple but stunning spinach dip fits the bill.

of course I could not leave without getting the recipe an the only difference was that I used fresh spinach and the chef used frozen as he said that fresh wwas too wet. I blanched the spinach for half a minute and then squeezed it almost dry, I also added a touch of lemon juice for acidity, but I am giving you the recipe he gave me. As an afterthought I served it with a few chopped walnuts on top. I served it with celery stick and Home made parathas and I will be definitely making it again. I often find it difficult to eat breakfast, but this I could manage every morning. I may add some chopped frsh mint next time instead of the walnuts, but in all honesty the beauty of this dip was its simplicity, it is definitely a case of less is more.

My husband Leo and I met on a bus going to Tibet in 1976, in fact we met thirty five years ago today and we were in Iran when the Shah fell. We both loved the fresh food we tasted and it made a change to eat it again. if you want ot make your own yoghurt and it is very easy if your kitchen is warm enough, Homemade Yoghurt recipe

Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions – Borani Esfanaaj

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 ounces of frozen spinach
4 ounces of thick full fat Greek style yoghurt.

Method

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15- 20 minutes or until onion is golden and caramelised, this cannot be rushed. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until it is aromatic.

Defrost and drain the spinach and then dry fry it until, all the water evaporates. Add the caramelised onions and garlic, add the yoghurt and season.

Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions – Borani Esfanaaj

is a versatile dish that can be added to a buffet, or brunch, it can be used as a sandwich filling or it can be used to stuff hard boiled eggs. Many spinach dips are too creamy and rich with loads of mayonnaise but this Spinach and Yoghurt with Caramelised onions – Borani Esfanaaj has a healthy clean taste which was unbeatable.

Mackerel Tartare with Pickled cucumber and horseradish cream

Posted by Katkats Kitchen on Oct 22, 2011 in Appetisers | 0 comments

I love mackerel and I love raw fish so the fresh taste of mackerel tartare ticks all my boxes completely. mackerel tartare needs strong flavours and here we have the flavour of horseradish cream and ginger and pickled cucumber.

I also love wet fishing, I love catching them, gutting them etc, I forget that that is my party trick and you may well prefer not to do it. if that is the case you can buy mackerel fillets or get your fishmongers to fillet them for you.

Mackerel Tartare

In this case the mackerel tartare is served with pea shoots and avocado with a drizzle of harissa oil, to add a little chilli heat to the Mackerel tartare.

4 mackerel fillets skinned
2 Tablespoons of large capers, finely chopped
2 shallots finely diced
4 tablespoons of dill finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger very finely chopped
1 lemon  ½ juiced and ½ zested
1 lime  ½ juiced and ½ zested
200ml double cream

For the pickle:
4 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
½ cucumber peeled, de-seeded, thinly sliced and salted

For the Horseradish Cream

1 cup of  sour cream

1/4 cup of freshly grated fresh horseradish

1 tablespoon if Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

salt and pepper

To make the pickle

Bring to the boil all the pickle ingredients apart from the cucumber, take off the heat and add your cucumber. Leave to cool for at least an hour to allow the flavours to meld.

To make the mackerel tartare

Skin and remove the central bones from the fillets (the bones should come out in one piece if you’re careful), and chop into small pieces, or smile sweetly at your fish monger and ask him to do it for you.

Add the chopped capers, shallots, parsley, ginger, lemon and lime juices (keep the zest to one side) and season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything except the cream together and place in the fridge. The citrus juices will partly “cook” the mackerel so allow at least half an hour.

Lightly whip the double cream, add the zest, a squeeze of lemon and lime and seasoning.

To make the Horseradish cream

I also grow my horseradish so it is natural for me to make my horseradish cream, but it is perfectly acceptable to serve a commercial bought horseradish sauce .

Mackerel tartare is a great lunch dish with Melba toast or as an hor d’oeuvre before salmon caponata