Potato Rosti

POTATOES - I love them and am sure most of you do as well -  This recipe is from a Italian friend of mine - I have tried it a lot if times as was only satisfied with it yesterday. So i guess now I safely say I have mastered it. There are many ways to rosti a potato – purists would have you boil them first and leave to rest overnight before peeling and grating; others would urge you to add egg or flour to bind the mixture.

 

Ingredients

• starchy potatoes – 1 kg
• butter – 100g
• s & p
• sauted onions and chopped corriander

Coarsely grate the potatoes and place in the centre of a (preferably clean) tea towel.

Bring together the corners of the tea towel and twist as tightly as you can to remove all the water possible. Repeat this squeezing with a second dry tea towel.

Place in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.
(At this stage you could add grated onion and/or fresh herbs)
Now to the most important decision – whether to make one big fat rosti, or several smaller, thinner ones.
Melt some of the butter in a large heavy frying pan and once the buttery foam has subsided spoon in the potato to form several cakes – use those fancy metal rings if you are feeling chefy. Compact each rosti with the back of a spatula.
Cook on a lowish heat for 7-10 minutes or until the underside is golden brown and crispy. Flip over (add more butter if necessary) and repeat for a further 7-10 minutes.
Serve with what ever takes your fancy.
If making one big fat rosti use a 9 inch diameter pan and cook for a bit longer.
I had mine with a spicy tomato chutney and a green spinach salad !!

Ayush Kejriwal

Polish beetroot soup

You will either love this or hate it - mostly the latter I suspect, because in this country people have a surfeit of it doused in strong vinegar. But I love its earthy charm and distinctive flavour. It makes wonderful soup, and this one is Polish in origin and especially good. Although the soup is a dazzling colour, you won't want your hands to match it, so it's best to wear gloves while you're handling it

450g beetroot
15g butter
110g chopped onions
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock (or 850ml stock and 150ml creamy milk) Chive cream

Chive cream
4-6 tbsp sour cream or crème fraîche
1-2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Method

1. Wash the beetroot carefully under the cold tap. Don't scrub, simply rub off any earth with your fingers. Don't damage the skin or cut the ends or it will bleed its colour during cooking. Put the beetroot into a pan, cover with water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on their size and age. The beetroot are cooked when the skins rub off easily. When cool enough to handle, rub off the skins and chop the beetroot.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium-low heat. When it foams, add the onion. Season well, stir, then cover with a 'lid' made from baking parchment, putting the paper right on top of the onions. Cover the pan, turn the heat low and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil.
3. Add the beetroot to the onions with the stock. Season, then purée. Reheat, adding more stock or milk if you like, and adjust the seasoning.
4. Serve garnished with swirls of sour cream and chopped chives.

Egg Curry

I love eggs!!  This curry is delicious. Fantastic on cold wintry days when one is enjoying beside the fire watching East Enders - my idea of heaven :-)

 

4 Eggs (hard boiled)
1 onion
1/2 tomato (pureed)
3-4 flakes of garlic
1/2-inch piece of ginger
1-2 green chilies
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt To Taste
Red chili powder to taste
3/4th tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp garam masala
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil / ghee
1 cup green peas or 250 gms paneer/ or sauted peppers

Preparation:

• Remove the shell of boiled eggs & keep aside. If using Paneer  cut into cubes and fry till golden & set aside for later use.
• Make a paste of onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies in a  mixer or chopper.
• Heat oil in a kadhi or wok  and add onion-garlic paste and fry till golden brown.
• Add all the spices (salt, turmeric, coriander & chili powder) except garam masala and fry for a minute and add tomato puree. Fry  till it starts leaving oil.
• Add a cup of water and cook till it dry's.
• Now add the fried paneer cubes or green peas/ sauted peppers and boiled eggs.
• Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil and reduce the flame.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Garnish egg curry with garam masala and coriander leaves and serve hot with paratha, roti or rice.

 

Potato dauphinoise

This is one of Gordon Ramsay's recipe and I love it - Was a perfect treat for me last night after the horrendous fall :-)

For this creamy potato dauphinoise gratin, you need to buy a waxy variety that will retain its texture as it absorbs liquid. A traditional gratin is cooked entirely in the oven, but I prefer to simmer the potatoes first in milk on the hob, then finish the dish in the oven. This method cuts the cooking time and gives you a more dependable result. The potatoes should be of a similar size.

600g waxy potatoes (such as Maris Piper)
350ml milk
350ml double cream
1 large garlic clove, sliced
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
90g Gruyère cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200C, Gas 6. Peel the potatoes thinly, then slice evenly into 1cm slices. Bring the milk and cream to the boil in a large saucepan and add the garlic, herbs and seasoning. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
2 Slide the potatoes into the pan and stir gently. Simmer for about 7 minutes until the potato slices are only just tender; they should hold their shape and retain a bite. Drain the par-cooked potatoes in a colander over a bowl to catch the milk.
3 Layer the potatoes in a shallow ovenproof dish, sprinkling two thirds of the cheese and seasoning in between the layers. Trickle a little of the saved milk over each layer too.
4 Pour a little more of the milk around the sides, but not too much - just enough to moisten. Sprinkle over the last of the cheese.
5 Place the dish in a shallow roasting tin and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is beginning to bubble and turn golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Ayush's Banoffe Pie

Banoffe Pie - I am not very keen on fruits but bananas are manageable (only in a pie). I had found this recipe on the internet ages ago but had never had a chance to try it - so yesterday to cheer myself up after being miserable in the snow for the last few days I gave it a shot and my my it was delicious. I have already scoffed off more than half of it!!!

• 300g oaty biscuits (Hob Nobs are good)
• 60g butter , melted
• 397g tined Caramel
• 3 large bananas, sliced
• 350ml double cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 100g dark chocolate

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Crush the biscuits in a food processor then add the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press the mixture into a 24cm tart tin, with a removable base, in an even layer. Transfer the tin to a baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes, until lightly toasted and set. Leave to cool then gently release from the tin and put on a serving plate.
2. Spread the caramel over the biscuit base and chill for 1 hour. Arrange the banana slices over the toffee. Whip the cream and sugar together to form soft peaks and spread over the bananas. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water. Allow to cool slightly, before drizzling over the cream.

Baked Okra with Cheese

Well this is for all my friends who have been asking for more vegetarian recipes. Well I love okra and this recipe is very easy to prepare and does not take very long  I always eat this as a starter and it is absolutely delicious, Try it and let me know how you get on!!

 

 

2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen whole okra, partially thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. butter
1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

 

Place okra in a single layer in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dot with butter.cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil. Place under broiler until brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes

Greek Roasted Vegetables with Halloumi

Halloumi - a delicious cheese from Cyprus goes fantastically with roasted vegetables. I call this recipe Greek, but it is kind of my idea of Greek - it is also based on Nigella Lawson's Potato and Halloumi bake.

 large chunks and wedges:

• 1 x large white onion
• 1 x red onion
• 1 x large bulb of fennel
• 1 x large red pepper
• 2 x large baby aubergines
• 1 x large courgette

• about six whole cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
• a handful of fresh mint
• lots of black pepper

generous glug of olive oil and mixed it all up to coat the veg.
No salt because it turns the veg mushy and the Halloumi is already salty.
put it in an oven preheated to 200C and leave it there for about 45 mins to an hour.
When it comes out  squeeze some lemon juice over it, finely slice the
Halloumi and put a layer all over the veg and then put it under a very
hot grill. Add a bit more mint as well and serve it with brown
pittas.
The left overs will probably make a nice salad for tomorrow.