GREEN BEANS, HAZELNUT & ORANGE SALAD

Posted on August 31, 2010 by ealliston

Green Beans Hazelnut Orange Salad

Greens Beans, Hazelnut & Orange Salad

I recently discovered a new type of green bean, the Purple Queen Bush Bean. In actual fact its outer skin is an aubergine colour which turns to a deep shade of green when cooked. Magic!

You could use these for this recipe but I only had normal green beans (French beans) on had, which work just as well. Toasting the hazelnuts removes their slightly bitter taste and allows you to rub off part of the skin, exposing the nut below. The orange is a nice contrast to the nuts and sweetness of the beans.

The original recipe is from the Ottolenghi cookbook. I adapted it as snow peas (mangetout) are often difficult to find here and I try, when possible, to buy local produce.

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Parmesan Biscuits

Posted on August 25, 2010 by ealliston

Parmesan Biscuits

Canapes / hors d’oeurves to serve with drinks…. Delicious, bite sized morsels that go well with drinks and don’t turn you into a kitchen slave – translation, they take 15 minutes to make!

Perfect for a summer‘s evening, sitting on a terrace, sipping cocktails with friends while the sun sets, I do paint a pretty picture now don’t I.

These Parmesan Biscuits are perfect as they are a little salty and have a kick of black pepper which nicely offsets the sweetness of a drink.

This is a slight adaptation of The Cook’s Companion recipe, I have reduced the salt by 1/4.

PARMESAN BISCUITS

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Greek Spinach Leek Pie

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Erika

Greek Spinach Leek Pie

My friend Lucy said to me ” being a vegetarian shouldn’t be a side dish“.

More often than not she is confronted with restaurants lacking luster and creativity when it comes to vegetarian food. Glorified side dishes of pasta, risotto, tossed greens or sauteed veggies is all they can muster. Which is disappointing really, as cooking for vegetarians shouldn’t be seen as a curse.

Despite being a carnivore, I am also a vegetarian at heart and dedicated to the pursuit of delicious vegetarian recipes. Here is my take on the Telegraph’s original Greek Spinach & Leek Pie. I removed the dill, forgot the Parmesan (it happens) and added nutmeg.  This is a great dinner party recipe, just serve the pie hot, right out of the oven, when it is at it’s best and the filo pastry, crispy.

Greek Spinach Leek Pie

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NEW BLOG

Posted on July 2, 2010 by ealliston

Morning,

This is the NEW version of my food blog ‘Sweet Pea‘ now under the name of Erika Alliston at www.erikaalliston.com

The site is currently a work in progress so stay tuned for the finished version.

Erika

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TARTE TATIN

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Erika

TARTE TATIN

TARTE TATIN: an upside down apple pie – but why?

Rumour has it that French Tatin sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline had a small crisis in the kitchen….The result: a traditional apple tart served upside-down. Whatever the truth, this ranks among one of my favourite desserts – the pastry on top stays golden and crispy, while the apples caramelise below.

We christened my father’s Emile Henry tatin set the last time I was in Provence. This one ceramic dish does everything: first make the caramel directly on the stove top using butter and sugar, add the apple slices, cover with pastry and bake until golden brown. When done, the tarte tatin turns out easily onto the matching plate.

Caramel: Getting the caramel recipe to work can take a little practice, click on the link ‘Tarte Tatin‘ below for more on this and the tarte tatin recipe:

TARTE TATIN

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Asparagus Risotto

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Erika

Asparagus Risotto

Classic asparagus risotto made with arborio rice, onions, stock, Parmesan cheese and fresh asparagus.

The season for asparagus always seems too short. In a blink of an eye it’s gone and you have to wait a whole year to enjoy these tasty shoots again. So when I was in Provence this past weekend I took advantage of the Uzes Market.

There were many different varieties of asparagus to choose from – white,  green, purple tipped, but for this recipe I prefered the green.  What is great about risotto is that it doesn’t over power the asparagus, but compliments it. This is quintessential Italian cooking, which is all about tasting each ingredient.

For other asparagus recipes see these links: Pumpkin Risotto Grilled Asparagus

See link ‘asparagus risotto‘ below for recipe:

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

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Wild Garilc, Ramsons, Bear's Garlic

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Erika

Bear's Garlic Pesto

Wild garlic, ramsons, bear’s garlic….

Whatever you choose to call it, it is delicious and currently in season. In French they call it l’ail des ours (garlic of bears) as apparently this is a brown bear’s Achilles’ heel! Humans also love these wild, garlic flavoured leaves, which are edible and great to use in soups, salads, omelette etc.

Wild garlic is currently in abundance at the local fruits and veg market. Every stall seems to have a large basked of these bright green leaves. I have taken advantage of this and made a basic bear’s garlic pesto, half of which I keep fresh in the fridge and the rest I divide into smaller portion to freeze. There is just too much to use all at once and as the season is relatively short it is a nice way to enjoy bear’s garlic for weeks to come.

Click link  below for bear’s garlic pesto recipe:

BEAR’S GARLIC

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Ash Cloud

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Erika

I realise that I have been MIA (Missing In Action) from the blog lately, but like so many I have the ash cloud to thank for that. I was stranded in England at my Aunt and Uncle’s house for 2.5 weeks and despite me being the guest who would never leave…  it was a wonderful silver lining to the whole airline drama and one that landed me back in the kitchen…

I made Country Pork Pate with Kip (I think we will soon have a Kip’s Corner, after the Garibaldi success and fig jam…) and then there was ginger biscuits baking with my aunt. When I finally got back home I had to remove a nasty virus from my computer (another week down the drain) and am only now back online.

This is all to say that new recipes are on the way, as is an interview I did with wonderful cake maker Silvia Felix of Cuddles Cakes.

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ROCKET PESTO

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Erika

Rocket (Arugula) Pesto

ROCKET (ARUGULA) PESTO

Peppery rocket pesto is a nice alternative to basil.

Now I love basil pesto just as much as the next person, but every once and a while it’s nice to have  a change. Instead of basil leaves and pine nuts I like to use rocket (arugula) and pecans. The strong peppery taste of rocket with the mellowing effect of the slightly sweet pecans works perfectly together

When you think rocket, the first thing that generally comes to mind is salad. Don’t limit yourself, break free, break free I tell you!

This rocket pecan pesto is great with pasta, meat, fish even rice. Why not use it in a sandwich instead of mayonnaise or mustard.

See the link ‘‘rocket pesto” below for recipe:

Rocket Pesto

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Baked Potato

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Erika

Baked Potato – Jacket Potato recipe

How do you like you spud?

Crispy golden outside, tender fluffy inside. The baked potato a meal in itself, and such an easy recipe to make – child’s play really.

Just take large baking potatoes, scrub, dry, prick, rub with olive oil & sea salt, in the oven for about an hour and they are done. Now your only care in the world is what to top them with! My preference is a little sour cream, cheese (Gruyère & sharp English Cheddar) and a sprinkle of chives.

The type of potato is important for best results. Baking potatoes are generally large, long, starchy potatoes with a thick, coarse skin. They are high in starch, with a dry, floury texture. If you are wondering what the best baking potatoes are, look for Russet, Estima, Marfona or Victoria.

See the link ‘baked potato‘ below for recipe:

Baked Potato

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