Magic Mushrooms

 

I make this a lot. 

In olive oil,  saute: chopped onions or shallots, garlic and a small chili.   Add your minced mushrooms (or whole ones if they are very small; almost any type of mushrooms would do. I often use brown cap ones for this.)  Add salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, parsley, and more olive oil. Cook for a few minutes. 

You can serve them on toast, with Parma ham. You can add crème fraiche, and serve over grilled chicken or tagliatelle. You can serve them as a tapa.  You can stuff stuff with them.  You can blend them with chicken stock to make mushroom soup… The world is your mushroom! 

Lavender Smoked, Belly of Pork

Barbi your pork belly in a very low fire.

Only add salt and cover with fresh lavender.

Cook until tender (about 1 hour)

I serve this with a green salad, a baked potato, some edible flowers and a glass of chilled Albariño de Fefiñanes. 

 

Top your Courgettes

Slice them in half, brush with olive oil, add the toppings you would add to your pizza. Bake for about 25 mins.

Remember you can substitute salt with parmesan cheese or anchovies.

It’s a good idea to slice off the bottom of the courgettes to keep them stable.

Crust your haddock

Mix: pesto, chopped olives, lemon zest and bread crumbs.

Put your fish fillets on a baking tray (skin side down of course) and bake for about 12 minutes. Give it some grill for more crustiness. 

Polka Dot Cake

What do you do when you have a Rainbow obsessed Birthday Girl who’s already had the ubiquitous Rainbow Cake?

Well… bake a Polka Dot Cake!

Just take your favourite cake batter recipe and set some mix aside to create coloured cake balls [food colouring and cake pop mould will do the trick nicely], once the balls are ready place them in a round cake tin just about covering them in batter; back to the oven it goes, decorate with your favourite icing et voila!

Hot Dog Integrity

Hot dogs are simply delicious and can be done to your taste. You can play with sauces and relishes, but make sure to use hot dog buns and Viennese sausages. The moment you start using baguettes and chorizo, your hot dog becomes a sort of sandwich, which can be tasty, but it is NO longer a HOT DOG.

I garnish hot dogs with slow cooked onions, jalapenos, gherkins, avocado and crisps; plus ketchup, English mustard and mayo.

Steam the buns for a minute or so – in order to get that priceless street food feel. 

This is perfect Wimbledon food.  Make your dog, turn on the telly, and put your feet up!

 

Do you Teriyaki?

All it takes is: sugar, mirin, and dark soy sauce.

It’s a great marinade and sauce for salmon and chicken.

Feel free to add ginger, garlic or sesame – or all of them!

I often make salmon teriyaki and serve it with white or brown rice and edamame. It’s a favourite of my 5 year old.

Pork Chops, Cannellini Beans and Peperonata

Add olive oil and finely chopped onion and garlic to a pan. When golden add dried coriander, basil and parsley and a little cumin, mix, and add a tin of cannellini beans, cover with pork or chicken stock.  Simmer till the beans are soft.  Add a generous amount of peperonata and (if you want) add some small dried pasta such as macaroni, taste and add salt if needed. Now bring your already season and sealed pork chops to the pan. Put a lid on and simmer until the chops and the pasta are cooked.   Add some blackpepper and oregano at the end.

 

A delicious leg of lamb! Colaboration from Oscar Blanco

Chuck into the food processor lots of mint, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Use the mix to marinade the lamb for at least 4 hours (Preferably overnight).

 

Put in in the oven at 170 celsius – For aprox 45 min per kg – If you have a thermometer, the meat should be ready at around 63 celsius.

 

All credit goes to Rhaiza Blanco and the lambs! Whose meat is so awesome you can fix an amazing salad or sandwich with the leftovers!

 

Enjoy!

 Oscar Blanco

A favourite of friends and family: A Chicken and Sausage Casserole.

Add olive oil to a nice pan and throw some well-seasoned chicken chunks. Seal. Take the chicken out and throw in some chopped red onions, red peppers and garlic. Add cumin and dried coriander, parsley and basil. Bring the chicken back. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a large smoked sausage (sliced). Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.  Now season with salt and pepper, add fresh coriander and a sneaky large spoon of ketchup (for sweet smoky naughtiness.)

 

Serve with plain rice and a green salad.