Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

Saturday, 22 August 2026

Potato, Green Bean & Feta Salad


Still almost inundated with green beans (and the wonderful purple 'Violetto di Trionfo' French climbing beans), I have added them to a Greek style potato salad.

Serves 2 as a lunch

500g salad potatoes
500g green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
1/2 mild red onion, thinly sliced
100g feta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dried mint or greek oregano
Salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes whole for 10-20 minutes.  They are ready when a knife slides into them easily without the potato falling apart.  My homegrown potatoes only take 10 minutes, otherwise they fall apart. But some shop bought salad potatoes can take 20 minutes to cook.

Steam the beans over the potatoes for the last 3-5 minutes.  Alternatively microwave in a covered bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water for 4 minutes. I cooked my beans in the air fryer, as I had cooked potatoes leftover from the day before. 

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and leave to cool. When cool enough to touch, slice into 1cm rounds.

In a serving dish, or individual bowls, layer up the potato followed by the onion, beans, crumbled feta, mint/oregano, then drizzle over the olive oil.  Season to taste.  Can be eaten at room temperature, or cold from the fridge.

Since making this, I have seen a similar recipe adding Kalamata olives, which would be a great addition if you have any.

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Sunday, 28 December 2025

Camembert or Brie Tarts

I've had two failed attempts at making Camembert (or Brie Tarts, Tartlets, Bites, or Pies), first with wraps as the casing and the second time with shop bought puff pastry.  The wrap casings went soft, and the puff pastry heat sealed itself to the muffin tray and had to be chiselled out.  So I returned to my old faithful homemade food processor all butter pastry (from a 20+ year old Good Housekeeping magazine cutting), which I make Chicken & Ham Pies, Mince Pies, and Quiche with, to make Camembert Tartlets (or Pies, or Bites) 

Makes 20-24

175g plain flour
100g cold salted butter, cubed
250g Camembert or Brie
Thinly sliced garlic, rosemary sprig, or Cranberry Sauce (optional)

Place the flour and cubed butter into a food processor with 2 tablespoons cold water.  Pulse a few times, add another tablespoon of cold water and pulse a few times again.  Keep adding a tablespoon of water and pulsing a few times until the flour and butter begins to look like breadcrumbs.  I find the Aldi flour I use takes about 4 tablespoons of water to get to this texture.  After 4 tablespoons of water, run the food processor for a few seconds continuously to make the pastry clump together into a rough ball, adding a little more water if it doesn't.

When formed into a ball, tip out onto a floured surface, shape into a block and place in a plastic bag in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

After the pastry has rested (it apparently should rest to allow the gluten to relax so it doesn't shrink as much, and making the butter harden and make the dough easier to work with - but it is not essential if you really don't have time to let it rest),  roll it out on a lightly floured surface and cut out disks with a pastry cutter.  I used my largest round cutter and made 20 disks.  Had I gone a cutter smaller, I might have been able to cut 24 disks.

Lightly grease the mince pie tin with a little vegetable oil and place a disk over each hole.  Don't worry about pushing them down into the hole as they will fall back into them once into the hot oven.

Cut the camembert into as many disks as you have cut.  Place the cheese in the centre of each disk.  I cut my Camembert into small wedges, which I cut in half again to get a rough square in the centre.  

Sandwich the garlic and a few rosemary leaves between the slices of cheese, if using.  If using cranberry sauce, place 1/2 a teaspoon on top.

Bake at 180C for 18 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time, until lightly golden.

Leave to cool for a few minutes so the cheese is not molten, but serve warm.

We warmed these up at 180C for 2 minutes in an air fryer at a family gathering yesterday.

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Saturday, 5 July 2025

Maroulosalata, Greek Chopped Lettuce Salad


The Greek Salad most of us think of is generally tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, and olives.  However, much to my delight with a lettuce glut at the allotment, I have learnt there is Greek lettuce based salad, Marousalata.  

All the recipes I looked at online just used lettuce, spring onions (scallions), and feta. I don't know if these are traditional Greek ingredients, or have been adapted to US tastes.  I personally prefer to use red onion, add cucumber, and sometimes use halloumi instead of feta.

Serves 4 as a side

1 Cos or Romaine lettuce
1/2 small cucumber (optional)
4 spring onions or 1/2  medium sized red onion 
100g feta or halloumi cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or mint
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice 

Slice the lettuce into 1cm strips, turn through 90 degrees and slice again so you have little squares of lettuce and place in a salad bowl.

Chop all the onion, and cucumber if using, to a similar size and place on top of the chopped lettuce

Crumble the feta over the top, followed by the olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs.

Toss the salad before serving.  As feta is quite salty, I prefer to let everyone season their own to taste once served.

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Wednesday, 18 December 2024

Feta & Walnut Dip


Needing last minute nibbles for a get together with the girls, I was inspired to add some walnuts to whipped feta to serve on homemade sourdough crostini.  It went down well so I'd better write up the recipe before I forget

Makes a small 150g pot

100g feta
25g walnuts
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Zest of half a lemon (optional)
1-2 tbsp whole milk or greek yoghurt

Whizz all the ingredients together in a mini food processor, adding milk or greek yoghurt to get your preferred texture (stiffer for spreading on crostini, looser for a dip).

This was made with half a block of feta as the other half had been eaten in a salad at lunch.  A whole 200g block would serve a small gathering better. Just double the ingredients.

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Friday, 14 June 2024

Alevropita, Greek Feta Bake


I love Spanakopita, but cannot be bothered with brushing innumerable sheets of filo with olive oil.  So this simple 'toad' in the hole style traybake has all the flavour and none of the hassle.  The traditional Alevropita recipe has just feta, but I thought to add spinach (and a few more flavourings) to make it healthier.

Serves 4

250g wilted baby leaf or chopped spinach (optional)
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
150g plain or self raising flour
200ml milk
2 free range eggs
1/4 tsp salt
150g crumbled feta
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed (optional)
1 tsp dried Greek oregano or thyme (optional)

Wilt spinach in a little water, pour into a sieve and leave to cool and drain.

Preheat the oven to 170C Fan/190C together with a baking dish with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Whisk flour, milk, eggs, and salt together into a smooth batter.  Add garlic and oregano if using and mix thoroughly

When the oven has reached temperature, take out the baking dish and carefully swirl the hot oil around the sides.  Pour the batter into the hot oil, then scatter over the feta and spinach. Swirl this into the batter and drizzle over another tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and crispy on top.  Serve with a Greek Salad (minus the feta).

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Monday, 6 May 2024

Makaronopita, Greek Macaroni Cheese


Quite simply, Makaronopita is Greek macaroni cheese made with feta, to which I added some chard.

Serves 4

250g macaroni
250g chard or spinach
1 clove of garlic
600ml milk
50g plain flour 
1/4 tsp nutmeg
300g feta
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 free range eggs, beaten 
100g cheddar cheese, grated 

Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet.  Drain, return to the pan and toss in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Clean and roughly chop the chard or spinach. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and wilt the chard, adding the crushed garlic just before turning off the heat.  Stir the wilted chard into the cooked pasta.

Whisk milk, flour, extra virgin olive oil, and nutmeg together in a saucepan.  Heat gently, stirring with a spatula until it starts to thicken.  Once it starts to thicken, turn the heat down to the lowest and continue stirring until it starts to bubble.  Stir in the beaten egg, then pour over the pasta, chard & feta, and mix thoroughly.

Pour into an oiled high sided baking dish, sprinkle over the grated cheddar, and bake for 40-45 minutes at 180C until golden brown.

The greek recipe website I based this on said to let the dish rest for 30 minutes before serving, but we are all too impatient/hungry so served it immediately!

19/10/24 I made a cheats version of this, using a pot of cottage cheese instead of the white sauce, and omitted the egg as I thought there was enough protein. It worked really well.

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Sunday, 5 May 2024

Air Fryer Sweet Potato & Halloumi Chips


Kids have taken to cooking frozen chips in the air fryer (and then covering them in cheddar and microwaving them).  Sweet potato is higher in fibre, beta carotene, and antitoxidants so I thought I'd try cooking them the same way, and in throwing some halloumi for good measure.

Serves 1 

350g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chips (I have a crinkle cutter!)
1/2 a pack of halloumi
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 
1/2 bag of watercress or rocket (optional)
Apple cider vinegar (optional)

Toss the sweet potato and halloumi chips in the olive oil and paprika in a pasta bowl.

Put the chips in an air fryer basket, leaving behind any excess oil.  Cook the chips for 10 minutes at 180C, give good shake, and cook for a further 10 minutes.

If serving with salad, pour a dribble of vinegar into the bowl with the excess oil,and toss the salad in it.

When ready, tip the chips onto the salad and tuck in. 

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Tuesday, 13 February 2024

Savoury Filled Pancakes


My middle daughter thought she'd treat her older disabled sister to pancakes for breakfast today, on Shrove Tuesday, whilst I was out dropping her younger brother and friends off in the nearest town to catch a train to London, and food shopping.

I arrived back home at lunchtime, to find the kitchen looking like the Marie Celeste with partially cooked pancake in the pan. Turns out she had used gluten free flour and an old decreasingly non-stick pancake pan. 

Dad, our regular pancake chef, tried to cook the gluten free pancakes but they still stuck with him. So, the gluten free battter has been left for me to fashion into some kind of cake, and he mixed up a standard wheat flour batter and made us savoury pancakes for lunch. My daughters had chorizo & cheddar, Dad & I had garlic fried mushroom & goats cheese.

1 mug self raising flour
1 mug milk
1 large free range egg
Oil for frying
Fillings: cooked mushrooms, melty cheese (goats cheese, cheddar, brie, blue cheese), ham, chorizo

Whisk the flour, milk, and egg together in a large mixing bowl until smooth and lump free.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.  After about 1 minute add 1/2 tbsp oil and tilt the pan around to coat the bottom with oil.

Pour one soup ladleful of batter into the middle of the pan. Cook the pancakes for 1-2 minutes until little bubbles appear on the top of the pancake. Give the pan a little shake to loosen the pancake.  

Arrange your chosen fillings on one half of the pancake, cheese on the bottom closest to the heat so it melts.  Fold the empty half of the pancake over the filling and cook for another minute.

Slide onto a plate and eat immediately.

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Friday, 15 December 2023

Chorizo & Manchego Pinwheels


Pretty pleased with my first attempt to make seasonal nibbles.  The possibilities with these cheesy pinwheels is endless - ham & cheddar, pesto & parmesan, spinach & feta, tapenade & feta.

Makes 18

1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
30 pack sliced chorizo
170g Manchego, grated

Roll out the pastry a little on a floured surface so you can fit all the chorizo slices on.

Evenly sprinkle with grated Manchego right up to the edges.

With one of the widest sides facing you, roll the pastry and filling carefully and fairly tightly.  

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 1cm slices.  I started from one end, and ended up with 17 pinwheels. Next time I would probably cut the roll in half, and keep cutting each section in half to end up with an even number of pinwheels.

Bake on a baking tray, on the paper the puff pastry came in, for 10-15 minutes at 220C/Fan 200C until lightly golden

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Sunday, 23 April 2023

Cacio e Pepe Pasta



Cacio e Pepe is apparently one of the basic pasta dishes taught to Italian young adults should they dare to leave home.

Serves 2

200g spaghetti
25g butter
2 tsp whole black peppercorns, ground, or 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
50g pecorino or parmesan, finely grated

Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the packet for al dente pasta.  

While the pasta is cooking melt the butter in small pan, then add the ground black pepper and gently sizzle  in the hot butter for a few minutes.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a mug of hot water.  Return the pasta to the pan with the melted butter and half a mug of the reserved water. Toss the pasta in the buttery water then evenly sprinkle over parmesan and toss again quickly to stop the cheese clumping.  Add a little more reserved water if required to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta.  Serve immediately.

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Saturday, 1 April 2023

Smoked Mackerel & Goats Cheese Pâté


I bought smoked mackerel and goats cheese with two separate lunches in mind, but ended up combining them to make a very tasty spread on toast. The first time I made it, my daughter took one of the slices, despite not liking goats cheese or smoked mackerel.

Serves 2

1 peppered smoked mackerel fillet (about 65g)
50g soft goats cheese
1 tbsp greek yoghurt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Small garlic clove, crushed 
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp chopped chives (optional)

Mash the goats cheese with the yoghurt, olive oil, and garlic. 

Place the smoked mackerel fillet in a lidded takeaway container cracked open. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Flake the hot smoked mackerel and stir into the goats cheese.

Serve hot toast, ideally sourdough.

You could mix all the goats cheese together, with more yoghurt, in a food processor to make a whipped goats cheese, similar to Whipped Feta 

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Saturday, 31 December 2022

Homemade Tomato Salsa & Cheesy Nachos


I reserved some soft (but not mouldy) cherry tomatoes to add healthy element to my son's cheesy nachos.

200g ripe tomatoes
1 small onion or shallot
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of extra hot chilli flakes
Pinch of salt

4 handfuls Tortilla crips
2 handfuls grated cheddar


Chop the tomatoes if larger than cherry tomatoes, and blitz all ingredients in a food processor.  Leave for flavours to develop if can.

Divide the tortilla crisps into two microwaveable bowls. Sprinkle a handful of grated cheese over each bowl. Microwave each bowl for 30 seconds, and then 10 second bursts if the cheese is not melted.

Also served with Guacamole in the photo.

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Friday, 11 November 2022

Jamie Oliver's Sweet Leek Carbonara


This Sweet Leek Carbonara is as simple as it sounds. I have copied and pasted the recipe from Jamie Oliver's website below, plus my own notes. It can be easily veganised (see the end of the recipe)

“My veggie twist on a classic carbonara champions incredibly sweet leeks, thyme and plenty of cracked black pepper. It’s well worth slow-cooking the leeks here – leave them to gently tick away while you get on with other things. ”

Serves 4 
Cooks in 50 minutes
Not too tricky

2 large leeks
4 cloves of garlic (I added this grated finely to the egg as we like it strong)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
1 knob of unsalted butter (optional)
olive oil
300 g dried spaghetti (i used 400g wholemeal pasta)
50 g Parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus extra to serve (I used 75g of parmesan & mature cheddar)
1 large egg

Trim, wash and finely slice the leeks. Peel and finely slice the garlic and pick the thyme leaves, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Once sizzling, stir in the leeks and 400ml of water, then cover and simmer gently over a low heat for 40 minutes, or until sweet and soft, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

When the leeks are almost done, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water.

Toss the drained pasta into the leek pan, then remove from the heat and wait 2 minutes for the pan to cool slightly while you finely grate the cheese and beat it with the egg (if the pan’s too hot, it’ll scramble; get it right and it’ll be smooth, silky and deliciously elegant).

Loosen the egg mixture with a splash of reserved cooking water, then pour over the pasta, tossing vigorously (the egg will cook in the residual heat).

Season to absolute perfection, going a little OTT on the pepper. Adjust the consistency with extra cooking water, if needed, and finish with a little stroke of cheese. Fantastic served with a glass of cold Italian white wine.

FREEZER STASH
Often I triple the leek base and freeze it for quick cooking another day.

GO VEGGIE
Swap Parmesan for vegetarian hard cheese.

GO VEGAN (Leesa's notes)
Swap the cheese and egg for cashew cream, and nutritional yeast if you have it

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Sunday, 6 November 2022

Fresh Fig Chutney


I was gifted about 3kg of ripe figs yesterday morning.  I have frozen 2 x 1kg and experimented making Fig Chutney with the remaining kilo.  It should go well with cheese.

Makes 4x 340g jars

1kg ripe figs, chopped
500ml red wine vinegar or pickling vinegar
500g sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed
Juice & zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1 tsp salt

Simmer all the ingredients, apart from the sugar, in a preserving pan for 20 minutes to soften the figs.

Add the sugar after 20 minutes and simmer for about 40 minutes until the chutney is syrupy rather than runny.

Pot into sterilised jars.  The advice with chutney is let it mature for 3 months before using, but the dregs of this tasted fine when bottling!

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Saturday, 5 November 2022

Kolokythopita, Greek Butternut Squash Puff Pastry Pie


This one pan Greek butternut squash pie is made a lot easier replacing filo pastry with puff pastry.

Serves 4

1 pack puff pastry
1kg butternut squash, peeled & cut into small cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 red chilli, seeded & finely diced
1 tbsp greek oregano or thyme 
1 large garlic clove, peeled & crushed
200g feta cheese, drained & cubed

Preheat the oven to 200C

Place the butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and roast for 30 minutes until the squash is tender then remove from the oven to cool.  

When the butternut squash is cool enough to handle turn the oven bacon to 180C, and  mix the onion, garlic, chilli, herbs, and feta together on the baking sheet.

Unroll the pastry, keeping it on the greaseproof paper. With a long side facing you, slide/pull the pastry away from you so that 1/3rd of the greaseproof paper is showing at the front. Carefully tip your mixed filling along the middle of the pastry then pull the top long edge down over the filling to line up with the bottom long edge (like a long sausage roll), and crimp closed with a fork. Make diagonal slashes in the top with nothing more than the weight of a very sharp knife. But don't worry you puncture the casing.

Wipe the baking tray with some kitchen roll then lift the pie on it's greaseproof paper onto the baking tray. bake at 180C for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a crisp green salad.

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Saturday, 8 October 2022

Jamie Oliver's Speedy Homemade Flatbread Tuna Melt Toastie


Watching Jamie Oliver's One Pan Wonders series I've been inspired to make the Speedy Folded Flatbreads with a tuna and cheddar filling.

They are quite small, and it took a little trial and error not to put too much filling in.  After making four think I've got it right.

4 tbsp bread flour (I ended up using 2 tbsp wholemeal, 2 tbsp white)
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp yoghurt, or milk
4 tbsp water
1/4 tin of tuna, drained
20g grated mature cheddar
1 tbsp chopped onion (optional)
oil for frying

Mix up the flatbread ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Put a small pan over a medium heat to heat up whilst you get your filling ingredients prepared.  

When ready, put a drizzle of oil in the hot pan, swirl or brush around, then add the flatbread mixture.  Swirl around with a spatula or back of a spoon, patching any holes caused by bubbles, and thinning out any raw mixture. 

When the top looks less wet, shake the pan to loosen the flatbread.  You may need to loosen it with a spatula first.  Sprinkle the cheddar on one half of the flatbread, followed by onion (if using) and tuna. Using a spatula, fold the half of flatbread with no filling over onto the filling, cover with a curved lid that doesn't touch the flatbread, and turn the heat down low.  Cook for a further 2 minutes then serve, warning your diner it may be hot!

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Tuesday, 23 August 2022

Courgette & Feta Lasagne


Great vegetarian lasagne recipe for using up a courgette glut.

This recipe is based on BBC Good Food's Creamy Courgette Lasagne, but I decided I had the time a fuller flavoured tomato sauce, not pre cook the lasagne first, and used whipped feta rather than ricotta. 

Serves 4

800g courgette, grated
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 dried lasagne sheets
200g feta
4 tbsp greek yoghurt
50g cheddar
500g passata

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat, adding each courgette to the pan as you grate it. The more courgette you add, they will begin to sweat and release water rather than fry. Don't worry.  Stir from time to time as you get on with the tomato sauce and whipped feta, and the liquid will evaporate.

In a separate sauce pan, fry the onion and 1 clove of garlic over a medium heat 1 tbsp of olive oil until they start to brown. Add the passata, and about 100ml of water to rinse the carton out. Simmer gently whilst you make the whipped feta.

Blend the feta, yoghurt, 1 garlic clove, and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a food processor. If you haven't got a food processor you could mash the feta and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.

Add 2/3rds of the whipped feta to the softened courgette and turn off the heat under the courgettes and tomato sauce.

Turn the oven on to the temperature specified on the lasagne packet. Mine was 200C (Fan 180C).

In a lasagne/baking dish large enough to fit 4 lasagne sheets side by side, start to layer up the lasagne, starting with half the cheesy courgette, then a layer of pasta, then half the tomato sauce. Repeat, adding the remaining whipped feta in blobs in the top layer of tomato sauce, and finish with an even layer of grated cheddar cheese.

Bake according to the instructions on the lasagne packet.  My packet said 30 minutes, but I found it took 40 minutes.  45 minutes is pretty standard.

Serve with a chilli oil, and a green salad.

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Sunday, 21 August 2022

Whipped Feta Dip


Whipped feta is oh so simple, and a great quick dip.

Not sure how/why I stumbled across whipped feta, but it makes a great quick dip with a choice of several flavours. I didn't add anything more than garlic to mine today though, as I was using it as a cheesy white sauce for a Greek Courgette Lasagne.

200g feta, drained and broken up 
4 tbsp greek yoghurt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil or chives (optional)
½ tsp smoked paprika, plus extra to serve (optional)

Blend all ingredients until smooth in a mini food processor. Serve with toasted pitta.

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Tuesday, 3 August 2021

Tian de Courgettes (Baked Rice with Courgette)


I’ve been meaning to make Tian de Courgettes for ages, every time we self cater in the South of France in the summer holidays. 

My gut instinct is that courgettes are dull, flavourless. But frying them seems to add a whole new dimension (and flavour to them). 

Serves 5

500g-1.5kg courgettes (original recipe from Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean Cookery calls for 1.5kg, I only had 500g)
2 onions, peeled & thinly sliced 
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 
350g long grain rice
100g Parmesan or strong cheese eg extra mature cheddar, grated
4 eggs
3 tbsp olive oil
1 vegetable stock cube (optional) 

Grate the courgettes and fry in 2 tbsp of olive oil until dark green and considerably reduced in size. Claudia Roden’s recipe says boil for 20 mins then mash and drain, which may be preferable to frying if using 1.5kg of courgettes. 

Put the courgettes into a bowl and fry the onions gently until caramelised. Add the chopped garlic and then add to the courgettes. 

Cook the rice for 10 mins until tender. Drain. 

Beat the eggs and then mix everything together,
Including the finely chopped stock cube if using.  Grease a baking dish well with olive oil and pour in the mixture.

Bake at 200C/180C Fan for 40 minutes until firm and golden. 

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Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Homemade Cream Cheese


Having found it hard from time to time to get the same brand of cream cheese that I use (and all my ingredients labels are printed up with), I eventually decided to try giving making cream cheese a go.  It's a doddle with a food processor, and significantly less ingredients to list on my food labels to boot.

1 litre organic whole milk
2-3 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Salt to taste

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed pan, stirring regularly to ensure it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.

Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and add 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice then stir slowly but constantly for a minute. Keep adding 1 tablespoon at a time one minute apart until you should see the white curds begin to clump together leaving an unappetising greenish liquid (whey).  I used vinegar as I read that this gives bigger curds, and found it took 3 tablespoons.

Once separated into curds and whey, drain through a fine sieve or muslin.  Leave for about 10 minutes to cool then process in a food processor with 1/2 tsp of salt until smooth. Add a little of the whey to the processor if you want a more spreadable soft cheese. Flavourings like garlic and herbs can be added at this stage.

The US website I got the recipe from says it keeps 2 weeks in the fridge, but that it's usually eaten within 7 days.

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