Red Pepper & Tomato Bruschetta with Black Olive & Anchovy Tapenade

With the summer getting into full swing it’s time to upgrade your chips and dips for more adventurous but equally easy light bites. This simple bruschetta is oily, crunchy and deliciously fresh. If you can find french or spanish heritage tomatoes this recipe will elevate itself from SUPERB to SENSATIONAL. But any chunky, beefsteak tomato will do.

Suggested wine pairing
CHÂTEAU LA BARONNE LE ROSÉ

INGREDIENTS – serves 2

2 french heritage beefsteak tomatoes (any chunky toms will do!)

2 red peppers

Two slices of sourdough

A jar of pitted black olives

A pack of anchovy fillets

A handful of walnuts

Olive Oil

Red wine vinegar

Fresh thyme leaves

METHOD

1.

Switch on the oven to 180C.

2.

Pop the two red peppers (whole – no need to chop) on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and put in the oven for 20-30mins or til blistering on the sides.

3.

Slice your tomatoes into centimetre thick slices, place on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, red wine vinegar and a good handful of salt. This will draw the moisture out of the tomato and make them incredibly juicy.

4.

Pop your pitted olives and anchovy fillets into a blender (use 6 – 10 depending how much of a fan you are – if not a fan don’t worry still put them in, the olives will balance the flavour). Pour some olive oil into the blender to lubricate the blend. Blitzed to a paste (slightly lumpy is ok).

5.

Grab your peppers out the oven and place in a bowl with lid or place a plate over. Leave for 10 minutes.

6.

When the peppers are almost done pop your sourdough slices in the toaster.

7.

Grab your red peppers from the bowl, chop the stalk off, scrape out the seeds.

8.

Take the sourdough toast, drizzle with olive oil, press the whole pepper flat on top, place the tomatoes on top of the pepper or to the side, dollop on the black olive and anchovy tapenade. Finish with some fresh thyme (you could use basil or parsley – it just needs some green to set it off!).

If you’ve ever been to France you’ll have seen this salad gracing any good bistro’s menu, especially in the Alps and the Loire Valley where they make an abundance of Chevré – goats cheese to us British! This is such a simple salad but the mix of salty bacon lardons, creamy goats cheese, crunchy salad and acidic dressing make it unbelievably delicious. It’s also healthy-ish!

INGREDIENTS – serves 2

2 wheels of goats cheese

2 little gem lettuces

A pack of bacon lardons

200g tomatoes

5 spring onions

A handful of walnuts

French bread

For the dressing

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apple cyder vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

A couple of pinches of salt

METHOD

1.

Switch on the grill to 180C.

2.

Heat a non-stick wide based pan and add the bacon lardons. Allow to slowly cook, stirring occasionally. You want these to turn nice and crispy. No need to use oil as the lardons will release their own fat.

3.

Slice your french bed into two rectangular pieces. Place the goats cheese wheels on top. Place on a baking tray and place under the grill for 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them – you want the cheese to melt slightly and brown on top but the toast not to burn!

4.

Chop the ends of the little gem lettuces off, break the leaves apart, give them a wash and arrange in a salad bowl.

5.

Chop your tomatoes into bite size pieces. Add to the salad.

6.

Slice the spring onions and add to the salad bowl.

7.

After the goats cheese has been in for 5minutes, add your walnuts to the baking try so they are nicely toasted when the cheese is done.

8.

Make the dressing. Use an empty jar or a mug to mix. Add the teaspoon of dijon mustard, the two tablespoons of cyder vinegar and olive oil and a couple of pinches of salt. Shake if using a jar with a lid or give a good stir if using a mug. Taste. If too acidic add a little more oil, if too flabby, add a little more cyder vinegar.

9.

The lardons should be nice and crispy now. Pour them on to the salad. Drizzle the dressing over and give everything a good mix.

10.

Take the goats cheese and walnuts out the grill. Sprinkle the walnuts on top of the salad then place the goats cheese and french bread on top. Drizzle with a little more dressing or olive oil.

11.

Serve with a nice chilled glass of our WHITE. RICH. GREAT. Vouvray Chateau Moncontour. Delicious!

A classic Japanese-fusion dish but instead of the traditional pork or chicken I’ve decided to give it a whirl with aubergine discs making this meal 100% vegetarian whilst keeping 100% of the flavour. Aubergine, in my opinion, is the perfect candidate to stand in the place of meat – especially when fried. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

INGREDIENTS

Fried aubergine

2 Aubergines

Breadcrumbs (I blitzed up old sourdough) – 100g

Plain flour – 2 tbsp

Water

Salt & Pepper

Quick-pickled sesame cucumbers

1 cucumber – sliced into 1cm semicircles

Sesame seeds – 1 handful

Soy sauce – 1 tbsp

Rice vinegar – 1 tbsp

Salt – 1 tbsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Chilli flakes – sprinkle

Sticky rice

Japanese Sushi rice – 320g

Mirin or Rice vinegar – glug

Katsu sauce

1 onion – finely chopped

1 carrot – finely chopped

2 garlic cloves – minced

Ginger – 1 inch minced

Fresh coriander bunch (stalks and all) – finely chopped

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Curry powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Sesame oil – glug

Flour – 2 Tbsp

800ml veg stock

Mirabelle plum jam – 2 tbsp

METHOD

1.

Preheat oven to 180C – fan-assisted oven.

2.

Measure out your rice and wash in a bowl of water, rinse and repeat until the water is clear. then allow the rice to soak for a minimum of 15 minutes in fresh water. This ensures the rice cooks evenly.

3.

In a bowl combine plain flour, salt and pepper with some water until you get a runny paste. Slice the aubergines into 2cm thick discs, dunk in the paste and then dunk in the bread crumbs and in a heavy based pan fry in some olive oil until lightly golden on both sides. Do this in batches then place the aubergine discs on a baking tray, pop in the oven and cook for 10-15mins.

4.

Whilst the aubergine is cooking away, in a saucepan on a medium heat fry the onion, carrot, garlic and ginger in the sesame oil until soft, then add the fresh coriander and all of the powders and cook until caramelised. Now add the plain flour and mix until a paste forms and then add the veg stock and jam and gently whisk together, cover and simmer on a low heat until the sauce has combined.

5.

Add the washed rice to 450ml fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Then simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat, add a generous glug of Mirin or rice vinegar and leave to stand for 10 minutes with the lid on before serving.

6.

For the quick-pickled cucumbers combine the cucumber semicircles with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt and sesame seeds. Gently scrunch the cucumbers in your hand so that they break down ever so slightly. Sprinkle with chilli flakes to garnish.

It’s currently snowing, it’s freezing outside and all I want to do is eat something heartwarming and relatively easy to put together. Cue my chicken and Kalamata olive casserole.

Not only does this recipe not use any hard-to-find ingredients – I bought everything from my local supermarket – it is a perfect dish to make for Valentine’s day.

Suggested Wine Pairing
Le Petit Mod’amour Rouge

INGREDIENTS

Casserole

4 Chicken thighs (skin on and bone-in)

80g Pork lardons

6 small shallots (cut into 4 pieces)

3 cloves garlic

12 cherry tomatoes

1 hand full of Kalamata olive (black olive will do too)

1 bunch thyme

3 dried chillies

6 tsp tomato purée

Olive oil

400ml chicken stock

Parmentier Potatoes

2 Large white potatoes (1.5cm cubed) – I use Maris Piper

1 bunch of Rosemary or Thyme

3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Olive oil

METHOD – Chicken Casserole

1.

Marinade chicken thighs in garlic, thyme, dried chilli, olive oil, salt & pepper ideally over night but at least a couple of hours

2.

In a hot pan sear the chicken thighs skin-side down until they becomes nice and brown and crispy and then take out and place in a casserole dish

3.

In the same pan fry off the bacon lardons and the shallots for a couple of minutes and then place on top of the chicken in the dish

4.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and scatter over the chicken along with the Kalamata olives.

5.

Gently dollop the tomato purée around the chicken, add the chicken stock to the dish and pour over any remaining garlic/chilli/thyme from the marinade

6.

Place in a pre-heated fan assisted oven at 200C and cook for 45mins until the tomatoes have melted and you can’t stop licking your lips.

METHOD – Parmentier Potatoes

1.

In a hot pan add a glug of olive oil and fry the potatoes until golden brown and then place in small roasting tin

2.

Mix chopped garlic and thyme into the potatoes

3.

Crack some black peppercorns on them and then pop into the oven alongside the chicken for the last 20 minutes

4.

Season and serve. Enjoy.

A Clafoutis is a classical French dessert that is effectively a sweet toad in the hole with cherries instead of sausages. As it’s February and cherries are not quite in season yet (not even in Spain) I’ve gone for forced rhubarb from Yorkshire. It’s grown in a shed in almost complete darkness with only a small flickering candle for light. (Google it)

This early season indoor grown rhubarb is electric – it’s fluorescent pink and super tart so requires a little bit more sugar than you would typically use for a cherry clafoutis.

Suggested Wine pairing
Axel Pauly Mosel Riesling

INGREDIENTS

Filling

350g Rhubarb cut into 2.5inch pieces (I used forced Yorksire rhubarb)

20g Butter plus extra for greasing

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Batter

150ml Whole milk

150ml Double cream

1/2 Lemon rind

12 Whole Green cardamom pods roughly chopped

75g Almond flour

5 Whole eggs

120g granulated sugar

Serve

As much whipped double cream or Crème Fraîche as you desire

METHOD

1.

Preheat oven to 180C fan-assisted oven

2.

in a saucepan gently heat the milk, cream, lemon rind and cardamom and then leave to cool and infuse and then strain

3.

in a frying pan add butter, rhubarb and the sugar and gently caramelise for a couple of minutes

4.

for the batter; beat the eggs until fluffy, add the sugar until it is blended in, fold in the flour then gently incorporate the milk mixture until a silky batter has formed

5.

grease an ovenproof dish and sprinkle in any remaining sugar and place the rhubarb in. Pour over the batter and bake for 45mins until golden

6.

serve warm with lots of cream or crème Fraîche and a glass of Axel Pauly Mosel Riesling

What is there not to like about beans? They’re cheap, they’re high in protein, carbs and fibre and they’re delicious. As a staple across many European cuisines they often get labelled as ‘peasant food’ (turns out I quite like peasant food) and this recipe is indeed one of the best. One caveat… in this case beans don’t mean Heinz…

Suggested wine pairing
Passo Verde Nero d’Avola

INGREDIENTS

150g Mixed dried beans (anything goes)

or 2 tins of pre-cooked beans

150g Macaroni pasta

100g smoked pancetta or lardons (if using)

2 large onions diced

4 cloves of garlic finely diced

2 celery sticks diced

2 carrots diced

4 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme

1 dried chilli

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

olive oil to hand

as much or as little Parmesan cheese as you desire

handful of chopped parsley

METHOD

1.

Soak beans overnight or for at least 8 hours then cover with water by a couple of inches and cook on a medium heat for an hour. Top up pan with water if it gets too low. If using tinned beans then gently warm in a saucepan with an extra couple of tablespoons of water then continue the instructions as per step 7.

2.

In a casserole dish add olive oil and fry off the onion, celery, garlic, dried chilli, bay leaves, thyme and pancetta (if using).

3.

Once the ingredients have started to soften and gently brown add the carrot and the chopped tomatoes and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

4.

Once the beans have cooked drain them but make sure to reserve the beany cooking liquid.

5.

At this point you can choose to mash a couple of table spoons of the cooked beans with the cooking liquid to make a paste that will help thicken the ‘soup’. I have chosen not to as I prefer the consistency to be looser and not too saucy (see pic above).

6.

In a clean pan cook the macaroni as per the cooking instructions (usually 6 minutes).

7.

Combine the beans, macaroni and the sauce/soup and then sprinkle over a handful of chopped parsley and as much parmesan as you wish. Enjoy!

Mum’s love quiche – that’s a fact. So why not make your mum two different types of mini quiche? The first is a spring time leek, goats cheese and chive and the second a mediterranean-inspired tomato, roasted red pepper and chorizo.

It may seem like a bit of a faff making two different quiches at once but believe me it’s worth it. I also made the pastry (never a faff!) but of course pre-made short crust pastry works perfectly fine.

This recipe makes six 10cm diameter quiches (three of each) and can definitely be made a day in advanced. Best served room temp with a crunchy leafy salad dressed with a mustard vinaigrette or coleslaw.

Suggested wine pairing
– Leek quiche Félicette Grenache blanc

– Pepper & Chorizo quiche Hécula Monastrell

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

200g plain flour – sifted

100g unsalted butter – cubed

1 pinch of salt

Leek Quiche filling

1/2 leek – sliced and sautéed in a bit of butter until golden brown

60g goats cheese – chopped

1/2 fist-full of chives – chopped

2 large eggs

40ml whole milk

80ml double cream

crack of salt and pepper

Pepper & Chorizo Quiche filling

50g chorizo – diced and sautéed until soft

60g roasted pepper – finely sliced (mine came from a jar)

2 sundried tomatoes – chopped

2 sprigs of thyme

2 Tablespoon tomato purée

1 pinch smoked paprika

2 large eggs

40ml whole milk

80ml double cream

crack of salt and pepper

METHOD – Pastry

1.

In a bowl sift your flour add the salt and rub in the butter until you have a soft breadcrumb texture. Add 2 teaspoons of cold water and bind the dough. Cover tightly with cling film or an alternative and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin (if you can remember what they look like) then cut in to circles that measure 13cm in diameter (I used a small bowl) and then line the well buttered quiche tins with the pastry. Do NOT trim the pastry from the edge yet!!! Put them back in the fridge for another 30 minutes

3.

Preheat oven to 200C. Using tin foil line the pastry and then fill with ceramic baking beans or in my case dried kidney beans. Place on a baking tray and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove baking beans and foil then bake for a further 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife trim away the excess pastry that was folded over the tin.

4.

If you notice your pastry has cracked a little then dab on a little bit of beaten egg and bake for another minute or so.

METHOD – Quiche

1.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180C

2.

In three of your tins place the sautéed leek, goats cheese and chive over your pastry bases. Do the same with the sautéed chorizo, roasted red pepper, sundried tomatoes and thyme over the other three pastry bases.

3.

For the leek quiches combine the egg, milk, double cream and seasoning and gently pour over the filling until it reaches the brim.

4.

For the chorizo quiches combine the egg, milk, double cream, tomato purée, paprika and seasoning and pour over the filling until it reaches the brim.

5.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is just set and allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!

If I were to have an Italian Grandma I reckon she would be proud of this little recipe. Although they way this has been put together may not be 100% traditional – I’m not Italian and it was delicious so… there you go.

Suggested wine pairing
San Marzano EDDA Bianco

INGREDIENTS

500g Minced pork

2 Brown onions (diced)

2 Celery sticks (diced)

4 Garlic cloves (roughly chopped)

50g Salted butter

1 Glug of Olive oil

4 Bay leaves

2 Tsp Fennel seeds

125ml White wine

200ml Chicken or Veg stock

125ml Double cream

500g Fresh Tagliatelle pasta

Parmesan Cheese

METHOD

In a Sauce pan melt the butter and cook the fennel seeds allowing them to release their aroma then add the mince making sure to break it up so it cooks evenly. Before the mince has started to brown remove and set aside.

2.

In the same pan add the olive oil and bay leaves and gently fry the onion, celery and garlic until translucent.

3.

Add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes.

4.

5.

Add the stock, cover with a lid and simmer on a low temperature for 15 minutes.

6.

Whilst this is cooking it’s time to cook the pasta following the instructions on the packet.

7.

Before the pasta has finished cooking remove the bay leaves from the mixture and add the cream

8.

Once cooked add the pasta to the ‘ragù’ and mix.

9.

Dish out the pasta and grate plenty of parmesan on top. Enjoy!

You may probably have guessed that I like pasta, especially braising meat or vegetables for a while. A Tomato-based pasta just isn’t the same if you don’t cook them for long enough…it’s as simple as that.

Suggested wine pairing
Cantina Nizza Barbera d’Asti

INGREDIENTS

3 Beef short ribs

2 Large onions (sliced)

6 Garlic cloves (minced)

1 dried chilli

6 Bay leaves

2 Rosemary sprigs

1 kilo of fresh vine tomatoes (chopped)

500ml Chicken stock (I used Knorr jelly pots)

250ml Red wine (doesn’t have to be the wine you’re drinking)

600g Tagliatelle/Pappardelle

Parmesan

METHOD

Take the short ribs out of the fridge an hour or so before you start as this will allow them to reach room temperature and cook evenly.

In a hot pan sear the ribs on all sides until they are a nice golden brown. Remove them from the pan and place them in an oven dish (see opposite)

Reduce the heat to medium and in the same pan fry off the onion, garlic, dried chilli, bay and rosemary in a generous amount of olive oil.

Once the onions are translucent it’s time to add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

Now add the wine and chicken stock, a large pinch of salt and a good crack of black pepper.

Take off the heat and pour over the short ribs that are sat in the oven dish.

Cover the dish with foil and cook for 3 hours at 160C. Once cooked allow the meat to rest in the sauce for an hour, this will make removing the bone a breeze.

Shred the meat with your fingers or a fork and incorporate into the sauce, now gently reheat.

Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet, drain, mix in the ragù and top with parmesan cheese.