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On trying my Banging Barfi for the first time, my wife's grandfather commented that the coconut got stuck in his teeth. He had a good point; it stuck in mine too.
Initially, I did nothing but have we ascended the food chain by ignoring the advice of our elders? Nay! The solution, my dear readers, is simple. Substitute the coconut for ground almonds and your troubles will be over!
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Bacon Pesto
Introduction:
After many years of trying, I can now, with reasonable confidence, claim to have invented something. It's not earth-shattering, but it does involve bacon.
During the course of the summer, I began to realise that bacon, with its inimitable salty meatiness (steady) and tendency to become deliciously crispy in the oven can be deployed as a seasoning.
I've since used it in soups and passatas but found that bacon-as-a-seasoning can be used as part of a pesto. Here's how.
Ingredients:
- A generous handful of baby spinach
- A generous handful of flaked almonds
- 2 or 3 rashers of bacon
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic
- A tin of crushed tomatoes or bog-standard passata in a jar
Required Utensils:
- A sharp knife
- A cutting board
- An oven preheated to 205C/400F
- A baking tray
- Some foil
- A plate
- 2 or 3 sheets of paper towel
- A pair of tongs
- A flat frying pan
- An oven hob
- A small bowl
Method:
Line your baking tray with the foil and then lay out the bacon before popping it into the oven. Set your timer for 25 minutes.
Get your frying pan and plonk it on the hob on a medium heat before adding your almonds. Move them every 30 seconds or so until they begin to turn a nice toasty brown colour - this will happen suddenly so don't get caught by surprise and end up overdoing them. When ready they should look something like this:
Now, head over to your chopping board and set about preparing your pesto in the same way that I described in previous posts. Start by roughly chopping your garlic cloves before adding some of your spinach leaves and chopping some more. Do the same with your toasted almonds and repeat.
At some stage, before you've got too far into the chopping process, your bacon should have served its time in the oven and be nice and crispy - if it's not then leave it in the oven for a couple more minutes and be sure to keep an eye on it so as to avoid burning. When you take it out, line your plate with the paper towel and then transfer the bacon onto the plate with the tongs. Fold the towel over the top of the bacon to absorb as much of the fat as possible. The bacon needs to be nice and dry before it can be used.
Once your bacon is dry and has cooled a bit, you should be able to crumble it a little. Do so onto your cutting board and then begin to incorporate into your chopping routine until the bacon has been chopped as finely as everything else.
You will know that you have finished your chopping when you can push your ingredients together to make the pesto cake, which should look something like the below:
Now all you need to do is pop your ingredients into a bowl and stir in your crushed tomatoes. Do so a little bit at a time until you get something that looks like this:
And That's It!
If this is all I ever contribute to the world, I would be pretty disappointed but hey, it's a start.
Enjoy!
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Is your Perfect Passata more yellow than you hoped it would be? Try adding beetroot to inject some extra colour!
Also, if you want to add some sweetness, try sprinkling some cranberries into your roasting tin and then substituting the muscovado sugar and BBQ sauce for some maple syrup, lightly drizzled over the top of your ingredients prior to entering the oven. You won't believe the difference!
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Almond and Baby Spinach Pesto
Introduction:
Anyone who frequents this blog will know of my regard for pesto. Like many Italian dishes, there is so much you can do with it and huge scope for improvisation and creativity.
My one problem with pesto is always about the strong flavour. Unless handled very carefully, it can end up dominating your entire meal and such an abandonment of subtlety seems so un-Italian!
This new recipe, however, has solved that problem and is something altogether far more subtle and can therefore be consumed in much larger quantities - gluttons of the world, take note!
Ingredients:
- A small handful of fresh basil leaves - I usually remove the stalks
- 25g of baby spinach
- About 40g of fresh block parmesan - grated
- A generous handful of flaked almonds
- 3 cloves of fresh garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
Required Utensils:
- A sharp knife
- A wooden cutting board
- A cheese grater
- A small bowl
- A spoon
Method:
The method by which this pesto is made is almost identical to my Nutless Pesto recipe but, to save you the inevitable faffing about that will go with looking for it, I will include it again here.
What I usually do is roughly chop all the garlic cloves and then add a few leaves of basil on top and roughly chop them, too. I do the same with some of the spinach leaves before grating some parmesan over the top. I then chop some more before throwing on some almonds and chopping again.
I have spoken before about texture and this is important because, with pesto, texture is everything. If you want to create something that feels authentic then all of your ingredients will need to be chopped to slightly differing degrees. This is best achieved by adding your ingredients a little bit at a time.
Therefore, I recommend that you do something like the below:
- Chop
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add a few more basil leaves
- Chop
- Add a few more spinach leaves
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add more parmesan
- Chop
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add a few more almonds
- Chop
- Repeat until everything is thoroughly chopped.
When done, you should be able to push your pile into something resembling the below:
Now, all you need to do is pop your ingredients into a bowl and add your oil. Do this a little bit at a time until you arrive at something resembling the below:
And That's It!
Try this with Blinding Bruschetta and you will not regret it.
Enjoy!
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Blinding Bruschetta
Introduction:
I should start by stressing that this dish will not render you blind. When I say that this is blinding, it is a colloquialism for really, really good. The reason I selected the word is solely for its alliterative properties.
Bruschetta is a beautifully versatile Italian appetiser, the basis of which is grilled or oven-baked bread with a bit of olive oil. What you do from there is limited only by your imagination, your budget and the laws of physics. I, however, have decided to play it straight and the results were delicious!
Ingredients:
Please note that this recipe will cater for about 4 people.
- 8 x tomatoes - please note that this dish is pretty much all about the tomatoes so make sure to get the very best available to you and choose them very carefully
- 2 x cloves of garlic - very finely chopped
- 1 x tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 x tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- A small handful of fresh basil leaves
- 2 x ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil - poured into a bowl
Required Utensils:
- 1 x large saucepan
- 1 x colander
- 1 x sharp knife
- 1 x teaspoon
- 1 x bread knife
- 1 x cutting board
- 1 x small pastry brush
- 2 x bowls
- 1 x baking tray
- 1 x oven preheated to 230C/gas mark 8/450F
Method:
First, you will need to prepare your tomatoes by removing the skin. This requires a lightness-of-touch as it's crucial that the tomatoes retain as much of their freshness as possible.
Bring a saucepan full of water to the boil and then immediately turn off the heat. Now pop your tomatoes straight into the water and leave them there for a minute.
Once your minute is up, drain the water and place your tomatoes onto your cutting board. With your sharp knife, it should be possible to slide the blade between the outer skin of the tomato and the flesh. As a result of the par-boiling process, you should easily be able to remove the skin with your fingers, once the initial incision has been made.
This done, your tomatoes should look something like this:
Next, you will need to slice your tomatoes in half and, with your teaspoon, scoop out the seeds and juice from the middle. Don't forget to cut away any remaining parts of the stem.
This done, you should have something that looks like this:
Now, chop your tomatoes into small pieces and pop them into a bowl with the garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and lightly toss so the tomatoes have a nice coating. You should now have something that looks like this:
Your tomatoes are done and the hard part is over and all you need to do is prepare your ciabatta.
Dip your pastry brush into the oil and use it to coat the non-crust side of the bread. Make sure that you coat each piece generously before placing them oiled-side-down on the baking tray.
Now pop your baking tray into the oven for about 5 minutes or for as long as it takes for the bread to become lightly toasted.
Once out of the oven, carefully place the bread onto your serving plates, oiled-side-up and then top generously with the tomato mix. As a finishing touch, I recommend adding some pesto - click on the Pesto heading at the top of this page if you want to use one of my recipes - and, of course, a sprig of fresh basil.
You should now have something that looks like this:
And That's It!
This is delicious, easy to make and versatile and an essential addition to your culinary repertoire so be sure to give it a whirl and let me know how it goes!
Enjoy!
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Double Chocolate Mousse
Introduction:
Do you have ramekins and an electric whisk? If so then read on. If you don't have these things then go out, buy some and join us for this amazing recipe.
I first made this as a Valentine's dessert for my wife but it has been a go-to essential ever since. There are a few reasons for this that can be broken down as follows:
1. It is sooooooooo easy to make.
2. It's quick, too. Just a few minutes at the start of your meal preparations is all you'll need.
3. Simultaneously light and decadent, this is a dessert that will thrill your guests without making them feel uncomfortably full - leaving plenty in the tank for after dinner fun.
4. It requires surprisingly few ingredients, making it one of the more cost-effective desserts in your repertoire
Ingredients:
Depending on the size of your ramekins, this will serve about 5 people. If your catering requirements are different then simply adjust accordingly.
- 200g dark chocolate - get the highest percentage of cocoa that is available
- 100g white chocolate - flaked with a sharp knife
- 6 x free range eggs
- 1 x tsp of sugar
Required Utensils:
- Oven hob
- Small saucepan
- Bowl - the right size to rest on top of the saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Electric whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Plastic cutting board
- Small sharp knife
- Teaspoon
- Enough ramekins for your guests
Method:
Boil some water and then pour it into your saucepan - make sure that the water level isn't high enough to touch the bottom of the bowl when you place it on top of the pan.
Pop your pan on the hob on a low heat, place the bowl on top and then break up your dark chocolate and drop it into the bowl. You should have something that looks like this:
Eventually, this chocolate will become delicious molten chocolate but, while this happens, we're going to turn our attention to the eggs.
Separate your eggs, popping the whites into your mixing bowl and keeping your yolks separately. Now whisk your whites into soft peaks. Once you have your peaks, add your sugar and then whisk some more.
Now you can turn back to your chocolate. Stir the pieces with your wooden spoon and you should now notice that they are now melting. Eventually, you should end up with something that looks like this:
Now you can take your chocolate off the heat and leave to cool for about a minute. Quickly and thoroughly stir in your egg yolks before folding into the egg whites - now it is important that you do this as gently as possible as rough treatment will burst the bubbles that formed during the whisking process, making your mousse less light.
Once your chocolate has been stirred into the egg whites and you have an even colour, spoon your mousse into the ramekins - you should now have something that looks like this:
Now all you need to do is pop your mousses into the fridge to set. Be warned that this might take a few hours so you should make this first and then spend the time that they take to set in preparing your other food and entertaining your guests.
So, you have come this far. Your guests have arrived, wine has been drunk, about 2 delicious courses have been prepared and consumed and you have dropped increasingly slurred hints about how awesome the dessert will be. Now, the moment has arrived.
Take your ramekins out of the fridge and note how the mousse has now set. Over the top, scatter your flaked white chocolate to give you something that looks like this:
And That's It!
Try it now and thank me later.
Enjoy!
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(Un)holy Guacamole
Introduction:
Ok, so it's not the most original title in the world but come on! It's guacamole!
Seriously, I couldn't live without this stuff. Avocado is such an amazing fruit. It's creamy, great for the metabolism and a mild-mannered conduit for some of the most exciting flavours out there. Ever made a taste bud dance? Here's how!
Ingredients:
- 2 x ripe avocado
- 4 x cloves of garlic
- 1/2 a tomato - grated
- 1/2 a tomato - chopped
- Zest of 1/2 a lemon
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Small handful of jarred jalapeno slices
- Handful of fresh coriander - finely chopped
- 100ml milk
Required Utensils:
- Wooden cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Grater
- Blender
- Large bowl
- Tea spoon
- Tablespoon
Method:
This couldn't be easier to make. Actually, that's a lie, you could make nothing; that would be marginally easier!
I recommend you start by throwing your garlic, tomato, lemon zest and coriander into a bowl.
Scoop the avocado flesh into your blender (being sure to keep the stones - more on that later) and throw in the jalapenos while you're at it. Now add your milk.
Blitz for a few seconds. You might need to stop and stir once or twice to make sure that everything's mixing properly. The idea is to blend your ingredients together but not so much that everything's perfectly smooth - chunks in guacamole are a good thing, in my humble opinion.
Once your avocado, jalapeno and milk have all blended together, spoon into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and then squeeze in your lemon juice before stirring thoroughly.
You should end up with something like this:
Unless you're serving right away, it's a good idea to keep your guacamole in an airtight container with the stones. This will help retain that lovely green colour and keep it looking delicious - I've seen brown guacamole and it looks too much like loose stool to be enjoyed properly!
And That's It!
You can serve this with tortilla chips or, my personal recommendation, my own Chunky Veggie Chips. Either way, your taste buds will be scandalised!
Enjoy!
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Sun Dried Tomato and Toasted Almond Pesto
Introduction:
Like many things, what could have been a fatal mistake has become an amazing discovery.
My nut allergy sufferer wife and I were enjoying the excellent Skyfall at the cinema when we suddenly realised that she had accidentally eaten a bunch of almonds. I say this like she fell down the stairs and paused for a mid-flight snack but it can happen. When the dreaded anaphylactic shock never materialised, we began to suspect that all was not as it seemed.
A few months, and an allergy test, later it transpires that nuts are back on the menu (unless they're peanuts or cashews, that is) and boy am I excited. Frequent flyers of this blog might recall my pasanda recipe. Since then, I have been expanding my nut repertoire and am proud (and hungry) to present my Sun Dried Tomato and Toasted Almond Pesto!
Ingredients:
- 25g bunch of basil - I usually remove the stalks
- About 40g of fresh block parmesan
- A generous handful of flaked almonds
- A handful of sun dried tomatoes
- 4 cloves of fresh garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
Required Utensils:
- A flat frying pan
- A sharp knife
- A wooden cutting board
- A cheese grater
- A small bowl
- A spoon
Method:
This recipe follows a very similar process to my Nutless Pesto recipe, although there are some crucial differences.
The first of these differences is the fact that the almonds need to be toasted. This is best done with a flat frying pan.
Pop the pan on the hob over a moderate heat. When your pan is hot, simply scatter your flaked almonds into the dry pan and leave for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally until they look something like this:
Now set your almonds to one side and allow to cool - this should only take a few minutes.
The second difference between this and Nutless Pesto is the sun dried tomatoes. This ingredient is difficult to chop using the add - chop - add technique, so I recommend that you deal with them first and all at once. Place all of your sun dried tomatoes onto the chopping board and then slice carefully with your sharp knife. Ensure that the pieces are as small as possible before introducing more ingredients.
Once you are happy with your sun dried tomatoes, you can commence adding the other ingredients in small amounts and then, as with Nutless Pesto, follow the below process:
- Chop
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add a few more basil leaves
- Chop
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add more parmesan
- Chop
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add a few more toasted almonds
- Chop
- Scrape all the bits off the knife and pile them all together again
- Add a bit more garlic
- Chop
- Repeat until you have run out of ingredients. As you have been chopping everything together, the sun dried tomatoes should be as thoroughly chopped as everything else!
When done, you should be able to push your pile into something resembling the below:
Next, you pop your mixture into a small bowl and then add your olive oil. I have not specified how much as this will depend on the consistency that you want for your pesto. I aim for my consistency to be gloopy. If it is chunky then you’ve not gone far enough and if it is runny then you have gone too far and will need to add more ingredients to balance things out. Ask yourself "what would Goldilocks do?" and the hey pesto (yes, I just thought of that now, and it shows!)
And That's It!
Try stirring a little of this into some wholemeal penne (just enough to provide a coating, but no more than that) and serving with dried chilli flakes, whole sun dried tomatoes and ripped bocconcini mozzerella with sprigs of fresh basil and you've really got something going!
Enjoy!
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Purple Love
Introduction:
I know what you're thinking; this is as shameless a use of innuendo as has ever been seen but my predicament is thus: if I called this adzuki bean and berry smoothie, very few people would read on. Purple Love, however, is a far more attractive proposition to the average internet user!
I have made no secret of my admiration for adzuki beans. This highly versatile superfood is low in fat and calories and high in anti-oxidants, B vitamins and bad-cholesterol-bashing soluble fibre.
Having recently moved to Canada, I spent much of my early days scouring the many supermarkets for tinned adzuki beans that I might incorporate into soups, salads, muffins and smoothies for my own amusement and the greater good of humanity - the noble intention behind my impenetrable ramblings on home-cooking!
Alas, my search appeared to have been in vain until a chance visit to The Bulk Barn - my new favourite shop - changed everything, as I found myself standing before a large receptacle of dry adzuki beans and dreaming of immortality.
Ingredients:
This will serve about 3 people. Be sure to wash all your fruit and veg where necessary!
- 250ml almond milk
- 250ml orange juice (not from concentrate)
- 4 x tbsp softened adzuki beans
- Large handful dried cranberries
- 200g blueberries
- 200g frozen strawberries
- 2 x ripe banana
- 1 x red delicious apple (with the core removed)
Required Utensils:
- Colander
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Blender
Method:
The first thing that you need to do is prepare your adzuki beans. This might take some time so I recommend that you do this in large quantities and then refrigerate what you don't use.
First you need to rinse your beans thoroughly in a colander.
This done, pop them into a saucepan and then add plenty of water. Bring to the boil for a few minutes and then leave to soak for about 2 hours. Please note that the beans will absorb water so you might need to add more from time to time to ensure that they remain covered throughout the soaking period.
Once your beans have soaked for a couple of hours, drain and rinse again thoroughly. This should help remove some of those famously farty sugars!
Throw the beans back into the pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and then simmer. When your beans have simmered for about 45 minutes, try to mash one against the side of the pan with a fork. If you can do this easily then your beans are ready.
Now, all you need to do is drain, rinse and then pop your beans into a container and store in the fridge to cool until you are ready to use them.
Of course, if you could lay your hands on a tin of adzuki beans then you can ignore most of the above!
When you are ready to make your smoothie, simply pour the almond milk and juice into your blender and then add your fruit and beans. Blend thoroughly and be sure to allow your smoothie to settle between blasts so any chunks can sink to the bottom. This should turn out very smooth indeed, with the exception of the dried cranberries, which will add some texture!
Once served, it should look something like this:
And That’s It!
It tastes like purple. Enjoy!
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Smooth Green Fury
Introduction:
The trouble with sexing stuff up is that, with the exciting new name, it's often quite difficult to tell what it actually is. In this case, what sounds like something that happens to The Incredible Hulk whenever he listens to Sade is, in fact, a smoothie.
The point of the exercise was to turbo-charge the metabolism with some carefully-selected superfoods while remaining true to my Smoothology values and, well, everybody likes green.
Ingredients:
This will serve about 3 people:
- 250ml almond milk
- 250ml orange juice - not from concentrate
- 250g baby spinach
- 1/2 a ripe avocado
- 3 x kiwi fruits
- 1 x ripe banana
- 400g of tinned peaches - the peaches should be in juice, and not syrup!
Required Utensils:
- Sharp knife
- Plastic cutting board
- Teaspoon
- Blender
Method:
This is dead easy to make - it's literally a case of chucking everything into the blender and then whizzing it around for a bit; however, I will provide you with some handy hints to help you get the best results!
- Start off by tipping your almond milk and juice into the blender
- The spinach and banana can go straight in with no additional preparation
- Slice the kiwi and the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh with your tea spoon
- Be sure only to add the peach slices without the juice
Now that your ingredients are all in the blender, all you need to do is pop on the lid and hit the button but be mindful of Commandment number 5 - it must be smooth!
The best way to achieve this is to blend in stages. I usually start by giving it a good whiz and then leaving it to settle for a minute or two. This gives any chunks that might haver escaped the blades a chance to sink to the bottom again. Repeating this process a couple of times should achieve the desired effect. While blending/settling, it's a good use of time to do some clearing up so you can enjoy your smoothie in a clean environment!
When blending is complete, your smoothie is ready to serve and, in the glass, should look something like this:
And That's It!
Unleash The Smooth Green Fury and enjoy!
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The 10 Commandments of Smoothology
Introduction
Until quite recently, I was very fond of stuffing vast quantities of fruit into a blender, pressing the button and smugly referring to the results as a smoothie.
Technically, this would be the correct term but I feel that the time has come for me to endow my smoothies with a purpose and then set about attaining that purpose without compromising on flavour.
The purpose of a smoothie could vary from the desire to incorporate a superfood; to increase the intake of a specific nutrient or to establish a theme that makes some rudiment of sense. Dear readers, we are about to evolve.
My early experiments have endowed me with the sort of foolhardy confidence that will, over the coming weeks, lead simultaneously to rampant success and abysmal failure as I embark on yet another quixotic quest to become a Smoothologist.
Those who know me are fully aware of my predisposition to charge about, giving very little thought to the task-in-hand so I thought I would take this opportunity to confound my critics and devise The Ten Commandments of Smoothology:
The Commandments
1. You must always aim to make a delicious smoothie
2. The purpose of your smoothie should always remain to increase the intake of nutritious foods
3. No added sugar allowed
4. Each ingredient must have health benefits
5. Never underestimate the importance of texture - the clue is in the name; it's a smoothie
6. Never stop experimenting with different flavours and ingredients
7. Don't get demoralised if your smoothie doesn't turn out as well as you hoped - analyse and improve
8. Forget about ice - use frozen fruit instead
9. Share your secrets with the world - if everyone ate healthily then the world would be a better place
10. Have fun!
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Add a healthy kick of protein to your Delicious Daal with beans (they're good for your heart)!
I used red kidney beans, butter beans, black beans, chickpeas and (my new favourite) Adzuki beans!
Recent research has placed Adzuki beans high on the list of superfoods. Their anti-oxidant levels exceed even those of cranberries and blueberries; meanwhile, they are bursting with other goodies, such as carbohydrates, minerals, B vitamins and soluble fibre which can help to lower bad cholesterol. What's more, they're incredibly versatile - equally at home in sweet and savoury dishes!
Add to all this the fact that adzuki beans are lower in fat and calories than many other types of bean and you can be assured that I'll be eating the shit out of these things for many years to come!
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Quick Courgette Pasta
Introduction:
If, like me, you have ever been expecting guests and got so carried away with starters and dessert that you completely neglected to conjure up anything for mains, you will be grateful for this easy go-to treat.
Easy to prepare, quick to cook and with ingredients that are cheaper-than-chips, you simply cannot go wrong with Quick Courgette Pasta!
Ingredients:
This is for 2 people. If you're cooking for more then simply increase the quantities accordingly.
- Whole wheat penne pasta - enough for 2 people (amounts may vary depending on appetite)
- 2 x vegetable stock cubes
- 1 x courgette - grated
- 2 x cloves of fresh garlic - finely chopped
- 1 x red chilli - finely chopped
- 1 x handful of fresh parmesan - grated
- 1 x handful of sun-dried tomatoes - roughly chopped
- A pinch of dried chilli-flakes - optional
- A lug of olive oil
Required Utensils:
- Sharp knife
- Grater
- Wooden cutting board
- 2 x Saucepans
- Wooden spoon
- Colander
Method:
Pop your pasta into the pan and crumble the stock-cubes over the top. Pour in just enough boiling water to cover the pasta, bring to the boil and leave for 10 minutes - stirring occasionally.
While your pasta is on the boil, heat up some oil in the other saucepan and then drop in the garlic and chilli. Sauté for a few minutes before adding the grated courgette and then leave on a low heat, turning it over occasionally.
How well you cook your courgette is up to you. You can leave it longer until it turns crispy - you will need to get it in the pan prior to starting on your pasta if you decide to do this. I prefer to keep it soft and so sauté gently for about 7 or 8 minutes until it looks something like this:
Quick tip: ensure that your table is set, drinks are poured and everything is ready prior to serving as this dish loses its heat very quickly!
Once your pasta is ready, drain thoroughly in the colander and then tip back into the saucepan. Spoon in the courgette mix and grated parmesan and stir thoroughly until everything is thoroughly mixed. You should have something that looks like this:
Now your meal is ready to serve. Dish out onto plates and then loosely scatter your sun-dried tomatoes and chilli flakes over the top and you will have a delicious meal that looks like this:
And That's It!
The stock cubes and the parmesan mean that you will not need to add any salt, making this a healthy and delicious meal that will impress without the stress!
Enjoy!
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Indian Fusion Arancini
Introduction:
If Sicily and India were to somehow encounter one another and make sweet, sweet love, the bastard child of their coitus might taste something like this.
Traditionally, Arancini - a Sicilian fried risotto ball that is coated in breadcrumbs - is supposed to be stuffed with meat and tomato sauce and mozzarella and, perhaps, served on a bed of wild rocket with red pesto. I myself have served it like this on many occasions. However, with a couple of substitutions, Arancini is a blank slate with which one can get really creative.
Here, we're going to look at how to add a decidedly sub-continental lilt to this traditional Sicilian street-snack!
Ingredients:
For your risotto
- 500g risotto rice
- 1000ml coconut cream
- 2 x tsp ground cardamom
- 1 x tsp tumeric
- 1 x tsp paprika
- A great lug of vegetable oil
- 1 x large free-range egg
For your coating
- About 200g fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 x beaten free-range eggs
- 1 x tsp cinnamon
- 1 x tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 x tsp cumin
- Lots of vegetable oil for deep frying
For your filling
- 1/2 a sweet potato- finely chopped
- 2 x medium carrots - finely chopped
- 100g frozen peas
- 1 x small onion - finely chopped
- 4 x cloves of fresh garlic - finely chopped
- 1 x tbsp ginger root - finely chopped
- 1 x red chilli - finely chopped
- 1 x tsp tumeric
- 1 x tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 x tsp garam masala
- 1 x tsp salt
- A squirt of lemon juice
- 20g fresh coriander - finely chopped
Required Utensils:
- 1 x large saucepan
- 1 x wooden spoon
- 1 x measuring jug
- 1 x ladle
- 2 x large bowls
- 1 x shallow tray
- 1 x cutting board
- 1 x sharp knife
- 1 x large, deep frying pan
- 1 x pair tongs
- 1 x large plate
- Someone with a lot of patience to clean up after you
Method:
Arancini is great to prepare as an accompaniment as there can be quite a bit of waiting around involved and this is time that can be used to prepare other things. The first thing that you must do, before anything else, is prepare the risotto rice.
Prepare the coconut cream and combine in the measuring jug with your spices. Heat your oil in the bottom of the saucepan. When the oil is hot, add your risotto rice and then gently cook for a few minutes.
Now add your coconut cream. I recommend doing this gradually, ladle by ladle, only adding more when the liquid has been fully absorbed.
This might take some time and it will need to be looked after constantly but don't get discouraged if it appears that your rice is not cooking; just keep on going until all your liquid has been added and absorbed and your grains are tender and creamy.
Remove from the pan and leave in a bowl until it cools down sufficiently to handle. While you are waiting for this, you might want to get started on the preparation for your filling i.e. chopping etc.
Once your rice has cooled somewhat, add your egg to the rice mix and mix together with your hands. This is really messy and, therefore, lots of fun - a sign of things to come! You should then have something that looks like this:
Next, you need to prepare your filling.
Boil your carrots and sweet potatoes until tender - this should take about 15 minutes for the potatoes and 2/3 of the time for the carrots but keep an eye on them, use your discretion and take them off the boil when they are as soft as you want them to be.
In your frying pan, heat up some oil and then add your onions, garlic, ginger and chilli. Sauté for 5 minutes before adding your spices. Leave for about a minute to allow the aromas to go wild and then add your potato, carrots and lemon juice. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes to allow everything to heat through before stirring in your coriander and peas. The results should look something like the below:
Now turn off the heat, allowing the residual heat to cook your peas - there is nothing worse than an overdone pea! Remove and leave to one side in a bowl.
By now, your risotto should have chilled so you can start making your risotto balls. This might seem difficult but anyone who has played with plasticine can do this - it just requires a more gentle touch.
Set everything up next to the sink. You will need your bowl of risotto rice, your bowl of filling, your large plate and wet and very clean hands.
Now, take a bit of the risotto mixture in your hand and spread across your palm. It should look something like this:
You will now need to spoon some of the filling on top of the rice. An amount comparable with the below should do the trick:
Take a similar amount of rice in your hand, do your best to flatten it against your palm and then place on top of the filling. You should now have your filling sandwiched between 2 layers of rice. Close your hands around the sandwich and gently roll into a ball - exactly as you would do when making a plasticine ball. It is likely that you will be able to see the join between the 2 sides and that bits of the filling will try to escape. If thee are holes that cannot be eliminated by rolling between your hands then simply plug the gap with more risotto rice.
Eventually, you should have something that looks like this:
Once you have made all your balls, pop them back in the fridge for another hour or so and spend the time as you see fit. I usually spend this time panicking about the mess that I've made.
Once you have finished panicking and noted that, for all the fretting and waving of arms, the mess will not go away, you might just about be ready to coat your balls (snigger snigger).
My preferred method is to tip my bread crumbs into a shallow tray that has a wide surface area for optimal rolling. To the breadcrumbs, add your spices and make sure that they are evenly mixed in. Now, beat your egg in a bowl and you are ready to begin.
The act of coating is easy, fun and very, very messy. Simply take a ball, dip it in the beaten eggs and then roll around in the crumbs and spices until it has been fully coated, then set to one side. Repeat for all your balls until they all resemble the below:
In your deep frying pan, heat your oil on a high heat. I usually add about half an inch of oil - or perhaps slightly less. Once the oil is really hot, pop your balls into the oil (more sniggers and, perhaps, the odd grimace) and fry until the breadcrumbs have turned a nice golden brown. You will need to tend to them throughout the process so that all sides are evenly cooked and nothing burns. Serve immediately. Mine looked like this:
And That's It!
The above image is the usual way in which I serve Arancini - on a bed of wild rocket, topped with some of my home-made daal and garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves. This snack is delicious, easy and fun to make and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with family and friends alike.
Enjoy!
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Naked Vegan Salad
Introduction:
I'm a big fan of healthy eating. I also like stuff that everyone can enjoy, no-matter who they are.
Vegan cuisine certainly ticks the first box and, although it doesn't quite get there with the second, it gets a damn sight closer than most things. That's why I'm constantly trying to think of new vegan-friendly dishes. Needless to say, I was so pleased with this one that I couldn't resist sharing the recipe.
This salad has everything: it's healthy, tastes and looks great and is easy to make! Here's how!
Ingredients:
- 20g fresh basil - roughly torn
- A generous handful of cherry tomatoes - select them carefully - sliced into quarters
- A generous handful of sun-dried tomatoes - roughly chopped
- A small handful of dried cranberries
- A scattering of flaked almonds
- Black pepper to taste
Required Utensils:
- Wooden cutting board
- Small sharp knnife
- Salad bowl
- Clean hands
Method:
This is absurdly easy to make but be careful of your ingredients for the following reasons:
- Tomatoes are easily squished
- Flaked almonds can quickly turn soggy and resemble slices of garlic
For this reason, I recommend placing your ingredients into the bowl one at a time. Start with your tomatoes. Needless to say, tomatoes in a bowl look like this:
Now add your sun-dried tomatoes, cranberries, basil, almonds and, finally, the black pepper to get something that looks like this:
All you need to do now is to give your salad a gentle toss - insert your innuendo here. I recommend doing this with your clean, well-scrubbed hands as fingers are more forgiving than salad tongues and less likely to mash the ingredients together, thus ruining your presentation. You should then have something that looks like this:
And That's It!
It's crucial that you serve immediately so if you're serving as a side salad or even as a starter, make sure it's the very last thing that you prepare.
The best thing about this salad is that, with just a few ingredients, you can get a really rounded and flavourful dining experience. The fresh tomatoes provide a lovely juiciness and are perfectly complemented by the basil. Meanwhile, the sun-dried tomatoes add a saltiness and strength of flavour that will render added salt totally unnecessary. The sweetness of the cranberries engage a totally different set of taste buds that will bathe your tongue in ecstasy and the almonds add an exciting new texture to the mix. Best of all, no dressing is necessary!
Enjoy!
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Pasanda
Introduction:
Something amazing has happened. For her entire life, my wife was labouring under the misapprehension that she was allergic to almonds. A recent incident suggested that this might not be the case and, this weekend, in consuming a Toblerone without dying, she has proved that, as far as almonds are concerned, she has nothing to fear.
How did we celebrate this awesome discovery? By finding a dish that was pretty much entirely made of almonds and lovingly preparing it for tea!
Ingredients:
- 600g chicken breast - cut into thin strips
- 4 x tbsp ground almonds
- 150ml double cream
- 250ml vegetable/chicken stock
- 3 x white onions - finely chopped
- 1 x green chilli - finely chopped
- 5 x cloves fresh garlic - finely chopped
- 1 a tbsp fresh ginger - finely chopped
- 2 x cinnamon sticks
- 2 x tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 x tsp cumin
- 2 x tsp ground coriander
- 3 x tsp tumeric
- 4 x cardamom pods - lightly crushed
- A great lug of sunflower oil
- 2 x tsp paprika
- A handful of toasted almond flakes
Required Utensils:
- 1 x wooden cutting board
- 1 x plastic cutting board - for the chicken
- 2 x sharp knives - 1 for meat and 1 for everything else
- 1 x large pot with a tight-fitting lid
- 1 x bowl
- 1 x wooden spoon
- 1 x oven with hob - preheat the oven to 180C
Method:
The first thing that you must do is prepare your chicken as this will need a couple of hours to marinade. In a bowl, combine your thin chicken strips with your chopped garlic and ginger, cover and then leave in the fridge for a couple of hours. As an alternative, you might like to combine all the spices with the garlic, ginger and a bit of yoghurt and then coat each chicken piece and marinade for longer to create Tandoori chicken pieces but, on this occasion, I decided to forego this process and so had something that looked a bit like this:
Once your chicken is ready, heat your oil in the pan and sauté your onions and chilli for about 5 minutes. Now add your spices and then your chicken, ensuring that all the pieces are coated in the spices, before browning a little bit and adding your stock. Bring to the boil, turn your heat right down and then pop the lid on. Leave alone for about 45 minutes - or however long is necessary to make the chicken really nice and tender.
Once you're ready, remove the lid from the pot and try not to be blown away by the delicious aromas that will hit your nose. Once you have calmed down a bit, you should have something that looks a bit like this:
Now for the toasted almonds; scatter liberally over a baking tray and then pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes. I like mine quite well-done so I aimed for dark brown but, as this is a matter of preference, I recommend that you try all shades to see what works best for you.
While you're waiting for your almonds to toast, combine your cream and ground almonds in a bowl. If you leave this for a few moments, the mixture will become quite stiff so, to ensure that everything gets along nicely, take a few spoons of your stock from the pan and mix into the cream and almond mixture, beating in carefully. Now add this to the sauce, mixing in thoroughly and then leave to simmer without a lid for a few minutes to ensure that everything is nice and hot prior to serving.
Serve with plain rice and peas - I recommend against going too wild with the spices on the rice as the flavour of this dish is more subtle than you get with a lot of Indian food and the last thing you need is for the flavours to disappear behind an overwhelming accompaniment - the Pasanda should be the main event!
Once on the plate, garnish with the toasted almonds and a sprinkling of paprika. If you have something that looks like the below then prepare yourself for a delicious meal!
And That's It!
This new discovery of being able to eat almonds is a revelation and I'm very excited about all the possibilities. More almond-based recipes coming soon!
Enjoy!
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