So okay, I cheat when making arancini and just use leftover risotto, adding some grated mozzerella cheese to the mixture before breading and frying. So that’s it, really. 😉
Ingredients and Instructions below…
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Author Archives: Shawn
slaw
This version of slaw uses courgette instead of cabbage, and it includes spring onion. I’m told that substituting the onion with a grated granny smith apple is also nice (will try that one soon). The dressing is a variation of salsa az, without garlic and with a splash of soy sauce added, but obviously you can play around with flavours. I used to use my grater to make slaw but recently tried my spiralizer instead and actually like the texture better, and the courgette doesn’t need blotting as it does after grating.
Ingredients and Instructions below…
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labneh
So the first (and to be honest ONLY) time I previously had labneh was on a visit to Ronda in July 2012 and stayed at a small guesthouse run by a Lebanese woman called Anahid. She prepared breakfast for us which included fresh coffee and toasted rolls, gorgeous tomatoes with basil and olive oil… and labneh! I was so taken with it that I vowed to make it some day. And well, better late than never. 🙂
The inspiration came when I recently bought a Melitta coffee cone, as I remembered it was very handy for straining yoghurt when I used to make tzatziki back in Toronto and thought it would also be perfect for making labneh. I have since heard from friends on Instagram that paper towels in a colander @panepanna or a bra cup (!!!) @sledpress work just as well as the more standard cheesecloth method, but I like my little coffee cone. Labneh is excellent sliced and served on toast, and is especially delicious with fresh tomatoes, but I’m sure you will also find other uses for it.
Ingredients & Instructions below…
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meatloaf
So I was lying in bed a couple of mornings ago, scrolling through my Twitter timeline, and up popped a recipe video for meatloaf. And I thought… meatloaf! Wow, I hadn’t had meatloaf in YEARS. So that day I went out and got the basic ingredients, then did a bit of improvising. Result – delish. Total comfort food. Leftovers make great sandwiches.
This recipe ended up making two loaves that could easily feed six people or more, depending on the side dishes. The meat ratio is 2/3 beef and 1/3 pork, so you can play around with quantities.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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albóndigas al amontillado
It had been awhile since I made albóndigas and while deciding which sauce I would make – tomato or fino sherry – it occurred to me to try them with amontillado sherry. And I have to say they turned out fabulous. For this sauce I left out the pancetta, used more garlic and added some whole chilli peppers.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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cheesy garlicky courgette potato bacon bake
So it’s another “fridge forage” lunch, this time using up a couple of courgettes and potatoes that needed eating. It’s fast and easy and you can play around with the ingredients (obviously leave out the bacon for a vegetarian option). Really nice comfort food for a cold rainy November day.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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baking pan chicken
I found this recipe via Twitter. The original is by Alison Roman (New York Times). I’ve made a couple of small changes from the orignal here – added bit more cumin, left out the ground fennel seed (but feel free to add 1 tablespoon to the garbanzos), and added white wine to the marinade. But the biggest change was adding fresh spinach to wilt in the hot garbanzos at the end. This of course means it’s no longer a “one pan meal”, but oh well.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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pollo al amontillado
So this isn’t a lot different (preparation wise) from my other pollo al ajillo recipe, other than I use amontillado sherry rather than fino sherry. Also, in this recipe I have opted for the more traditional skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces, using everything but the breasts (you could add those too if you like, but you’d need a way bigger pan, or use two). So it does actually ends up quite different flavour-wise. But it’s an easy-to-make one pan meal that you can serve with rice or potatoes. I actually like it just on its own with a side of veggies.
Ingredients and instructions below…
garbanzo & feta salad
I was about to make hummus today and then remembered that I had some feta cheese. So I ended up making a “fridge forage” garbanzo bean salad and it turned out very well. It’s great on its own, or as a side dish. Also handy because you can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge (up to two days). It’s also something you can play with, changing ingredients here and there (see below). Nice summer dinner option.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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albóndigas (meatballs) with 2 sauces
I started off with an urge to make some good old fashioned meatballs, but couldn’t decide on a sauce. Eventually I went with a traditional Spanish tomato sauce but then – oops – ended up making way to many meatballs for the amount of sauce I had. So I had to come up with a second sauce for the extra meatballs and decided to go with a sherry sauce. The original tomato sauce recipe I had called for pancetta, but I chose to use up some jamón and chorizo threads I had in the fridge instead and the result was very tasty. Then for the sherry sauce I used bacon bits. Just to say that the pancetta can be switched for something similar.
My first batch made about 30 meatballs (which is why I needed another sauce). I’ve halved the recipe to make 15 meatballs with one of the sauces, or you can double it and make both sauces. Frankly, it takes almost as much effort to make 30 meatballs as 15, and they freeze well, so I’d always opt for going with the larger batch.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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