Creamy Pea & Watercress Pasta

Recipes → Creamy Pea & Watercress Pasta
Ingredients :

350g penne or other short pasta shape

300g fresh pea

1 garlic clove, peeled

100g watercress, tough stalks removed

2 tablespoons mascarpone

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

To Prepare :

Cook the pasta follow packet instructions. Meanwhile, cook the peas and garlic in a separate pan of boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Drain well, keeping some of the water.

Put the peas, garlic and watercress in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Whizz to a very rough puree.

Return the pasta to the pan. Stir in the pea mixture, mascarpone, tarragon and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.

Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit

Recipes → Ricotta Cheesecake With Fresh Fruit
Crust :

620g digestive biscuits, crushed to form crumbs

225g butter, melted

900g ricotta cheese

220g caster sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

35g cake flour, sifted

5 eggs

Zest of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Fresh fruit to garnish

To Prepare :

Preheat oven to 175C. butter 40 mini tart tins measuring 4cm in diameter.

Mix digestive biscuit crumbs with melted butter and press mixture down evenly in the tart tin to form the crust.

In a mixer with paddle attachment, combine ricotta cheese, sugar and salt on medium speed, then mix in flour. Beat in eggs one at a time and mix in lemon zest and vanilla. Divide mixture between tins.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Decorate with fresh fruit. Serve chilled.

Salted, Steamed Peanut Cookies

This moreish cookie gets its intense flavor from fried shallots and peanuts. Any type of shelled peanuts can be used, but the Spanish variety is the most aromatic and the preferred choice for this recipe. The cookie is steamed just long enough to set its shape.

Recipes → Salted, Steamed Peanut Cookies

Ingredients :

500 tapioca flour

500g shelled peanuts (Spanish variety), toasted and skinned

220g caster sugar

1 teaspoon salt

375ml peanut oil

500g shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

To Prepare :

Dry-fry tapioca in a wok over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until flour is dry and looses. Set aside to cool overnight

Place peanuts in a food processor and blitz into fine crumbs. Place ground peanuts in a mixing bowl together with tapioca flour, sugar and salt mix well.

Heat peanut oil in a wok over low heat and fry shallots until lightly golden. Remove fried shallots and add to the peanut mixture. Gradually add about 300ml hot peanut oil to the mix, stirring throughout, until the mixture resembles wet sand. Test by clumping a wad of the mixture together – if it holds the shape, it’s ready for shaping

Press the peanut mixture into moulds and scrape off to level cookies. Lightly tap the sides of the mould to release the dough. Place shaped dough on a steamer lined with banana leaves. Steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Hot-smoked Trout & Mustard Salad

Recipes → Hot-Smoked Trout & Mustard Salad
Ingredients :

200g green beans, trimmed

1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated and torn if large   

250g hot-smoked trout, or any smoked white fish

50g ready- made croutons

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

Zest and juice of lemon

To Prepare :

Cook the green beans in a small pan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add the lettuce, trout and croutons.

Whisk the oil with the mustard and lemon zest and juice. Season and drizzle over the salad. Gently toss to coat and serve straight away.

‘Light’ Olive oil, Olive oil and Extra Virgin Olive oil

Confused ? What’s the difference between olive oil, ‘light’ olive oil and extra virgin olive oil ?

Nutritionally there’s no difference. They all contain the same number of calories and fat, albeit a healthier monounsaturated fat. The choice is largely down to the taste you want. Avoid using any olive oils for deep-fat-frying. They don’t tolerate such high temperatures as more suitable oils, such as rapeseed and groundnut which are also cheaper.

‘Light’ Olive Oil

The name implies it may contain less calories, but it is light in taste and colour only. Good for day-to-day cooking and for lightening dressings and marinades either on its own or combined with other olive oils.

Olive Oil

A blend of refined oils. It’s a little stronger than ‘light’ olive oil, but milder than extra virgin. So also good for shallow frying, roasting, baking as well as for dressings.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This has undergone the least processing and is the purest oil you can buy. Use it raw rather than cooking with it when you want a rich, stronger flavor. It’s ideal for salad dressings, mayonnaise and drizzling over vegetables and pasta.

Steam Prawns in Wine Sauce

Recipes → Steam Prawns in Wine Sauce

Steam Prawn :

10 large prawns

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon Shao Xing rice wine

Fried Egg White :

8 egg whites

1 teaspoon potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons milk

125ml vegetable oil

Rice Wine Sauce :

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped

20g ginger, peeled and cut into julienne

125ml superior stock – recipes will show below

125ml Shao Xing Rice Wine

Salt and white pepper to taste

2 teaspoons potato starch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Garnishing :

1 spring onion, chopped

1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon red or white rice vinegar to drizzle

To Prepare Prawn :

Marinate prawns with sugar and rice wine for 1 hour in the refrigerator. To prevent the prawns from curling during steaming, skewer each prawn on the underside with a bamboo stick before placing on a heatproof dish. Steam over high heat for 8 minutes. Remove and discard sticks and the steaming liquid, set aside

To Prepare Egg White :

Beat egg whites in a bowl until foamy. Beat in potato starch mixture, salt and milk. Heat oil in wok until hot. Lower heat and gradually pour in the egg white mixture. Cook until just set. Remove

To Prepare Sauce :

Heat oil and sauce garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add stock, rice wine, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Thicken with starch mixture. Remove from heat

To Serve :

Place egg whites on a plate and arrange steamed prawns on top. Spoon the rice wine sauce over and drizzle with vinegar. Serve immediately.

Superior Stock

1 old hen, quartered

500g lean pork

250g Chinese Ham, quartered

5 litres water

1 small radish, peeled and sliced

10g dried shiitake mushroom stems

Blanch chicken, prk and ham in boiling water for 5 minutes. Rinse meat, drain, and place in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, skimming off the scum. Strain the stock and cool before using

10 Minutes Pad Thai

Thai dishes might seem complicated when you see them on a menu, but it’s really just about balancing the flavours of a few key ingredients that crop-up time and again

Recipes → 10-Minutes Pad Thai

If you’re using dried noodles, cook them according to pack instructions, then drain well on a little kitchen paper before adding to the pan

Ingredients :

200g raw prawns

Small pack coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped

400g straight-to wok pad thai noodles

85g beansprouts

1 egg, beaten with a fork Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve

To Prepare :

Dry-fry the prawns and coriander stalks in a non-stick frying pan for 1-2 minutes until the prawns are just pink. Add the noodles, beansprout, egg, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Quickly toss together for 1 minutes more until the egg is just cooked and everything is well mixed – you might want to use a pair of tongs to make this easier

Remove from the heat, mix in most of the coriander leaves, then divide between 2 bowls. Scatter with the remaining coriander and the peanuts. And serve with lime wedges for squeezing over