Puttanesca with Belly Pork and Chilli

We don't need to talk about the origins of the puttanesca sauce do we? We're all adults here...

Regardless of origins some of you will be looking at the title of this dish and thinking "But puttanesca does have chilli in it?". Well yes and no; it all depends on the region of Italy your puttanesca comes from. I have specifically included chilli in this recipe, and in the title, because it plays a very important role. The heat from the chilli cuts through the fat of the belly pork and the salt of the other ingredients a treat, so it thoroughly deserves a mention in it's own right. 

And yes, this is a recipe which involves belly pork but that is also quick to prepare and cook (about 30 minutes in total, but even quicker if you use fresh pasta). Here we're cutting the chunks of pork really small and quick frying them until the meat is crispy on the outside but the fat is still soft. 

This isn't actually entirely my recipe; it's inspired by a dish served by my favourite Italian restaurant in my home town (which is sadly no more). They served puttanesca with belly pork as a speciality dish, I first ate it when I was about 14 and it was wonderful. 

Ingredients to serve 2: 

300g of belly pork

100ml of passata

1 fat clove of garlic, sliced

1/2 a tsp of dried chilli flakes

3 anchovy fillets, chopped

50g of black olives, sliced

1 tsp of Nonpareille capers (drained and rinsed if in brine)

2 tbsps of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Dried tagliatelle, spaghetti, or fettucine pasta, cooked to al dente according to packet instructions

Olive oil

Ground black pepper

Grated parmesan to serve (optional)

Firstly put the water onto boil for cooking the pasta. Then put a non-stick sauté (or frying) pan onto a medium heat, ready for the pork. 

Remove the rind from the belly pork (Don't throw it away! Save it and roast later to make pork crackling) and cut the meat into 1cm square cubes. If your knife isn't as sharp as you'd like it to be this might be a bit tricky, so cut the pork into larger pieces and chop it smaller after it's cooked. Drizzle a little (only a little) olive oil into the sauté pan and add the pork. Cook on a medium heat, turning regularly, for 6-8 minutes until the pork is cooked through and is a bit brown and crispy on the outside. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside on a plate. 

Your water should now be boiling so add the pasta, a pinch of sea salt, and cook for around 8-9 minutes (for dried). 

While your pasta is cooking you can make the puttanesca sauce. Put the sauté pan back onto a medium heat; you don't need to add any oil as it will have the fat from the pork. Add the sliced garlic and chopped anchovies and cook for about a minute, taking care that the garlic doesn't burn. The anchovies will melt into the oil slightly, but to help them along just mash them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Next add the capers, olives, chilli, passata, and a good grind of black pepper and bring to the boil. I like bursting the capers into the sauce with the spoon so that they release all their flavour. You won't need to add any salt to the sauce because of all the salty ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes, until it's reduced and luscious. 

When the pasta is done turn off the heat and remove the pasta from the water with a pair of tongs and put them straight into the sauce; this way the pasta transfers a little of it's starchy cooking water into the sauce and makes it shiny and stick to the pasta better. Add the chopped parsley and toss the pasta together with the sauce. Serve with any extra bits of pork, olives, and capers spooned on top and a little parmesan if you need more of a salty kick. 

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Fondant Potato

It's cold, it's snowy, it's icy; it must almost be time for...erm, Easter? 

The new-born lambs may need jumpers and the Easter Bunny may be using skis, but yes next week is Easter Sunday; a day to feast on chocolate eggs and gorgeous, seasonal British lamb.  

So why not try having your lamb like this; tender cutlets with a flavourful duvet of fresh herbs, served with a soft, buttery fondant potato. It'll warm you right up. It's also quick to prepare so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time chocolate eating. 

Ingredients to serve 2: 

One 6-cutlet rack of British lamb, trimmed

2 tbsp of thyme leaves

2 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary

50g of fresh soft white breadcrumbs

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

3 tbsp of olive oil

Sea salt

For the fondant potatoes: 

4 medium Desiree potatoes

400ml of vegetable stock

100g of unsalted butter

2 fat garlic cloves

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Firstly prepare the potatoes; peel and then use a 48mm cookie cutter to cut out a small cylinder from the middle of the potato, making sure it's even in thickness. You may need to use a mallet to bash down the cutter, but be careful because the edges of the cutter may be sharp. When the cylinder is cut out trim the ends to straighten and, if you want to be extra-cheffy, round off the edges. Alternatively you can use a small paring knife to cut out the cylinder, but it won't be as consistent in thickness and may cook unevenly. Put the potatoes in a bowl of cold water until you're ready to cook. 

For the herb crust put the breadcrumbs, herbs, and lemon zest into a bowl with a pinch of sea salt, then stir in 2 tbsps of the olive oil until the mixture is moist and sticks together when you press it with the back of the spoon. 

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan until hot, then add the rack of lamb and sear all over. Remove the rack from the pan when browned and set aside. Brush the top, fatty side of the rack with the Dijon mustard and then pack the herb crust down on top. Place the rack into a roasting tin and put in the oven; cook for 15 minutes for rare (as in the photo below), 20 for medium-rare  or 25 for medium. 

While the lamb is in the oven cook the fondant potatoes. In a heavy-based sauté pan (that has an accompanying lid) melt the butter over a low heat, then turn the heat up to high so that the butter is sizzling. Add the potatoes and fry until the bottoms are golden. At this point add the garlic, thyme, and stock. Bring the stock to the boil and then reduce to a simmer, put the lid on the pan, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft. 

Remove the lamb from the oven and rest for 5 minutes in a warm place, then carve into individual cutlets. Remove the potatoes from the pan and serve them golden side-up with the cutlets and the vegetable of your choice (I had this with buttered leeks). 

I like my lamb almost bleating. 

Baked Pears stuffed with Brie

This recipe is simple, straightforward, a cinch, elementary, no sweat, snap, a piece of cake, *insert synonym here*. 

It has only 4 major ingredients; pears, Brie, thyme, and prosciutto. The pears take a few minutes of prep, but other than that it's all about stuffing, wrapping, and baking. 

They're best served hot with warm crusty bread to mop up the melted Brie. 

Ingredients to serve 2:

2 Rocha pears

4 slices of prosciutto

60g of ripened Brie

1/4 of a teaspoon of finely chopped thyme

20g of unsalted butter, melted

Firstly preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Using a small paring knife core the pears from the bottom in order to create a cavity for the Brie, but don't cut through the top of the pear and keep the stem intact. Trim the bottom of the core to create a small plug (about 1cm thick) and set aside. Then peel the pears, again leaving the stem intact. 

Sprinkle half the chopped thyme around the inside of the cavity of each pear and then stuff with half of the Brie, pressing it firmly inside the cavity with your finger. Finish by pushing the trimmed plug into the cavity to seal it. Brush the melted butter all over the outside of the pears and wrap each with 2 slices of prosciutto, making sure you wrap the prosciutto under the bottom of the pear to keep the plug in place. 

Place the pears on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the pears are tender. 

Goi Cuon (Vietnamese Spring Rolls)

I've spoken before of my deep love for Vietnamese food; it's light, fresh, and zingy, and a perfect accompaniment to the Spring season emerging from hibernation right now. 

These goi cuon are a Vietnamese version of the Chinese spring roll, but instead of being deep-fried and crispy, they're made from soft, sticky gluten-free rice paper. I've swapped the traditional pork loin filling for a lighter pork mince, and removed all traces of peanuts from the recipe. Don't be put off by the exotic-sounding ingredients; I bought all of mine (except the rice paper) from a normal supermarket.

Ingredients to serve 4: 

12 sheets of 22cm diameter rice paper (I used Longdan's; available from Asian supermarkets)

For the filling: 

300g of lean minced pork

175g of small ready-cooked and peeled prawns, roughly chopped

100g of ready-cooked vermicelli rice noodles

50g of raw beansprouts, roughly chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tbsp of sesame oil (plus a little extra for greasing)

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

1/2 tsp of five spice

1 tsp of fish sauce

1 tsp of Chinese rice vinegar

2 tbsps of coriander, finely chopped

1 tbsp of Thai basil, finely chopped

1 tsp of palm sugar, ground in a pestle and mortar

For the nuoc cham (dipping sauce): 

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 a red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped

2 tsps of fish sauce

2 tsps of Chinese rice vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

2 tsps of palm sugar, ground in a pestle and mortar

2 tbsps of warm water

Firstly prepare the nuoc cham by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking together with a fork, then set aside until needed. 

For the filling begin by mixing the pork mince in a large bowl with the five spice and sesame oil, then fry in a pan with the vegetable oil for 10 minutes until cooked through. When done remove the pork from the heat and transfer to a large bowl (complete with residual juices). 

When the pork has cooled for a couple of minutes add the prawns, noodles, herbs, and sprouts and mix together well. In a separate bowl whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and palm sugar and then add to the meat mixture and stir together so that the dressing coats the other ingredients. 

The rice paper is packaged dry and needs soaking before use. Firstly fill a large tray with 2cm deep of cold water, grab a clean, dry tea towel, and lightly grease a large plate with sesame oil; this prevents the rice paper from sticking and ripping. Take a sheet of rice paper and soak for about a minute in the water, then remove and blot dry on the tea towel. When the paper becomes soft and slightly sticky to the touch lay it flat on the greased plate. Spoon some of the filling mixture (2-3 tbsps) into the middle of the rice paper sheet and fold both the left and right side of the paper inwards, over the filling. Then fold the bottom of the rice paper up over the filling and tightly roll away from you, up the paper. The paper will stick together without any need for additional water. For more advice on rolling, have a look at this video. 

Divide the nuoc cham between 4 small bowls; serve 2-3 goi cuon per person with a bowl of nuoc cham each. 

Coconut Tempura

Tempura is a very common thing and I'm sure many of you have eaten it umpteen different times, but this batter is different to the traditional. The coconut milk gives it a subtle sweetness, rather than a hit of heavy flavour, and when paired with fresh white fish and green vegetables it's  both light and incredibly moreish at once. 

Ingredients to serve 2: 

100g of plain flour - If you're making this recipe GF swap this for a GF white flour mix; don't use extra cornflour instead as the coconut milk needs something heavier to carry it. 

100g of cornflour

6 tbsps of coconut milk

200ml of sparkling mineral water, cold

1 large pinch of sea salt

Vegetable oil for frying

You can use the batter with any white fish and vegetables but I used: 

1 lemon sole fillet, deboned and cut into 2cm-wide strips

1 sea bass fillet, deboned and cut into 2cm-wide strips

3 baby courgettes, halved

1 small aubergine, cut into 1cm slices

6 tenderstems of broccoli

Firstly heat the oil to 190c; using a deep-fat fryer is safest but you can use a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan if you don't have one, just be careful.

For the batter sift the plain flour into a large glass bowl, add the cornflour and mix together. Then add the coconut milk and salt and stir into the flour; this'll make a bit of a dry, lumpy mess but don't worry. Next whisk in the water bit by bit, until the batter is smooth and has the consistency of double cream. You may not need all the water, hence adding it gradually to get the best consistency. 

When the oil is at temperature start dipping the fish and vegetables into the batter, covering the pieces completely. Add the pieces in batches of 4-6 so that they don't stick together. Gently drop the pieces into the oil rather than placing them into the basket, as the pieces will stick to the basket, but remember to be careful as the oil is super-hot! The fish and vegetables that I used will all take 3-4 minutes to cook; thicker pieces of fish or denser vegetables will take longer. 

When the tempura is cooked serve hot accompanied with either a soy or vinegar dip. 

Healthy Chilli Beef Tacos

Alright, alright, so that title is a bit of a fib. Not the healthy bit, these are *really* healthy and they don't compromise on taste to do it. 

But they do compromise on the tacos, because there aren't any. The tacos are substituted with lettuce cups to save on calories; similar crunch, similar feel in your hand, but HEALTHY. 

And healthy is important. HA, sorry I couldn't keep a straight face whilst typing that, seeing as this blog is normally full-fat. But it is important; it is *sincere face*.

Ingredients to serve 4: 

500g of extra lean beef mince

1 small white onion, diced

2 fat cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

400g of chopped tomatoes in juice

250ml of beef stock

1 tbsp of tomato puree

2 tsps of smoked paprika

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of chilli powder

1/2 tsp of dried chillies

3 tbsps of chopped coriander

1 tsp of sea salt

 1 tbsp of olive oil

2 little gem lettuces, leaves separated.

Sour cream, to serve

Firstly fry the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, until the onion is soft but not coloured, then add the garlic for about a minute to soften. Turn the heat up to high and then add the beef mince and fry for a couple of minutes until browned. 

Now add the spices; paprika, cumin, chilli powder, and chillies, and stir into the beef. Then add the tomato puree, tomatoes, beef stock, and sea salt and mix together well. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the chilli for 35-40 minutes until it's thick and glossy. 

Remove the chilli from the heat , allow to cool for a few minutes (don't serve straight from the heat or it'll wilt the lettuce), and stir through the coriander. Then serve spooned into the lettuce leaves and top with a dollop of sour cream. 

Quick Cassoulet and Roasted Duck

When I say "quick" I mean that this dish will take about an hour to prepare and cook, rather than the more traditional 5 hours (plus overnight bean-soaking). So not exactly a 15-minute meal. 

Traditional cassoulets put the 'slow' in slow-cooking and are full of flavour because of it; this one is not only quicker but it packs the same punch of flavour. It's also lower in fat because of the roast duck legs instead of the traditional confit. 

Ingredients to serve 2: 

2 duck legs

120g of smoked bacon lardons

3 fat sausages, cut into large chunks (I used a Toulouse sausage; flavoured with garlic, red wine, and smoked bacon)

1 x 410g can of Haricot beans

1 small white onion, finely diced

9 cloves of garlic (3 peeled and sliced, the rest left whole)

1 large carrot, diced

1 celery stick, diced

1 tbsp of tomato puree

30ml of red wine

1 bouquet garni

3 tbsps of chopped flat leaf parsley

30g of panko breadcrumbs (for crunch)

300ml of chicken stock

Olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

Firstly preheat the oven to 170c/160c fan. Use a heavy knife to lightly crush 6 cloves of garlic in order to release the flavour (there's no need to peel) and place them in a non-stick roasting tin. Place the duck legs on top of the garlic cloves (so that the garlic acts as a trivet), skin side up, and then drizzle the duck with olive oil and sprinkle over a teaspoon of sea salt. Place in the oven to roast for 1 hour. 

While the duck is roasting you can cook the cassoulet. Fry the onion until soft, but not coloured, in a little olive oil over a medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then add the bacon lardons and continue frying for a couple of minutes. Then add the 3 cloves of garlic and sausage and cook until the sausage starts to brown (3-4 minutes). Then turn up the heat and when the pan is really hot pour in the red wine, being careful of the sizzle, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Turn the heat back down to medium and add the haricot beans (there's no need to drain, you can add the water too), tomato puree, carrot, celery, chicken stock, bouquet garni, and seasoning. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, with the lid of the saucepan on, until the sausage is cooked and the cassoulet is thickened. 

After 1 hour remove the duck legs from the oven and discard the garlic cloves. When the cassoulet is done remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of the flat leaf parsley. Serve the cassoulet with the panko breadcrumbs sprinkled over and the crispy, roasted duck leg on top. Finish with a final scattering of parsley. 

Based loosely on recipes from Nigel Slater and Raymond Blanc.

Food Porn: Home-Made Italian Pizza

Tomorrow it's Holiday Eve! Like the night before Xmas; only with more frantic packing, list checking, and car sweet stockpiling. Car sweets are damn important. 

So today's been busy and I wanted something for dinner that was quick, easy, and that I could just slam into the oven at the end of the day. I chose to make proper pizzas from proper Italian dough. 

Clearly this wouldn't spring to mind for everyone thinking 'Quick, Easy Dinner', but pizza dough is brilliant because you spend a minimum amount of time preparing it and then leave it for pretty much the whole afternoon. 

Then there's the toppings, on in 3 minutes flat. And the cooking? 15-20 minutes in a hot oven. 

Yes yes, you could order a takeaway pizza or bung a frozen one in the oven. But this way is healthier, lighter, and, in T's humble opinion, much tastier. 

Ingredients to make dough for 2 8" pizzas: 

325g of '00' flour

Half a 7g sachet of yeast (3.5g) 

1 tsp of salt

2 tbsps of olive oil

3 tbsps of milk

Roughly 150ml of warm water 

You can either mix the dough by hand in a large bowl or in a food processor; it you want to make it easily and in less time, I recommend the food processor. 

Add the flour, yeast, salt (Tip: Keep the yeast and salt separate in the bowl as the salt will damage the yeast), oil, and milk into the food processor and mix together. While it's mixing slowly add the warm water until a dough forms. 

Remove the dough from the food processor, place onto a well-floured surface, and knead for around 5 minutes. The dough will start off a bit stiff but as you knead it will feel looser. After 5 minutes the dough will feel soft, smooth, and will be more elastic; if you poke the dough with your finger the indentation will spring back. 

Place the dough into a large bowl and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave the dough for about an hour and a half to rise; in this time it'll double in size and will feel light and soft to the touch. 

Now for knocking the dough back (the fun bit). Take the dough out of the bowl and back onto a well-floured surface and then pummel it all over; it's cheap anger-management. Knead the dough again for a couple of minutes, shape into a ball, and place back into the bowl and cover with the tea-towel. This time leave the dough for another hour, and then it's ready to use. 

To make 2 pizzas divide the dough into two equal pieces using a knife, then shape each piece into a small ball. To shape the dough I use a combination of rolling and stretching; firstly roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rough circle (Please note; my pizzas are never circular, I like to call them 'artisan'). Then stretch the dough; place one hand into the centre of the dough and use your other hand to stretch out the dough from the centre outwards, all the way round. It's up to you whether you make the base deep-pan or stretch it out further to create a thin and crispy base. You can also create a crust by rolling the edge of the pizza inwards all the way round. 

And there you go; pizza base ready. 

Basic pizza prep involves spreading tomato passata all over the base and adding mozzarella, and basil if you'd like. After that the toppings are up to you; you can go with the traditional to the out-there. Tonight I did one base with Hungarian pepperoni and sliced red chilli, the other with prosciutto and sliced chestnut mushrooms, and finished off both with grated parmesan. Try to add a bit of texture into your toppings so that your pizzas aren't flat and dull; I scrunch up the prosciutto and for an extra crunch add fennel seeds to the pepperoni. 

You can cook the pizzas a number of ways; either on a flat tray, a specialised stone, or straight onto the oven shelf. I prefer the oven shelf option as it makes the bottom of the base crispy without addition washing up, but remember to place a sheet of baking paper onto the shelf first under the pizza or it'll fall through the gaps! It's also easier to place your dough onto the baking paper/tray/stone before you add the toppings. 

Then cook in a 220c/220c fan oven for 15-20 minutes, until the base and edges of the pizza are crispy and the toppings are cooked. The resulting pizza base will be light, airy, with a good crunch! 

Food Porn: Coconut Panna Cotta with Pineapple Salsa

I'm so very sorry that there haven't been any new posts for a while. This is because of two factors: firstly I've been busy planning and establishing my new catering business Earls Barton Eats! (EEP MY OWN BUSINESS!) and secondly my brain has been a bit all over the place recently and it can't seem to be able to focus on more than one thing at a time. 

For example, this morning I went shopping for the ingredients to create this panna cotta. I thought all was going fine until I got home and realised I'd forgotten the most important ingredient; coconut milk. 

So I returned to the supermarket once more and bought said coconut milk. Then got home again and realised I'd forgotten the second most important ingredient; pineapple. Stupid brain. 

So after three trips to the supermarket, here it is... 

Ingredients to serve 3-4: 

1 tin of full-fat coconut milk

200ml of full-fat milk

100g of caster sugar

1tsp of vanilla extract

1 sachet of powdered gelatine

1 small tin of pineapple chunks in juice (you can use fresh if in season)

1 lime

1 stick of lemongrass

5-6 mint leaves

This will be easier than you think, I promise. Panna cottas can understandably be intimidating because of the will it/won't it set drama. But get the ratio of liquid to gelatine spot on and you have nothing to worry about. 

Firstly gently heat the coconut milk, milk, caster sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, then turn the heat up and bring to the boil. When boiled turn off the heat immediately. 

Pour 200ml of the hot liquid into a jug or bowl and sprinkle in the gelatine; always add gelatine to liquid not the other way around! Whisk together until the gelatine has dissolved then pour the 200ml of liquid back into the saucepan with the rest of the liquid and stir together. 

Immediately pour the liquid into dariole moulds, making sure you fill right up to the rim. It's useful to put the moulds into a tray before you start for easy transportation to the fridge, otherwise the moulds will be too hot to move easily after you pour the liquid in. These measurements will make roughly 3 1/2-4 panna cottas if you're using dariole moulds, but easily 4 if you're using ramekins. Place all the panna cottas into the fridge to set for at least 3 hours or ideally as long as you can up to 24 hours. 

To make the salsa pulse the lemongrass and mint together in a food processor and place into a bowl. Add the juice of half a lime and the zest of a whole one and mix together. Then add the pineapple chunks, drained of their juice, and mix all together. Place into the fridge for the pineapple to marinate for about an hour. 

When the panna cottas have set (they'll be firm on top and jiggly when you shake them) remove them from the fridge. For easy turning out dip each mould halfway into a bowl of boiling water for around 10-15 seconds, then place them onto the worktop and put a plate on top. While holding the mould to the plate, turn upside down. You might need to give the mould a bit of a shake to release the panna cotta but you can hear when they're released from the mould as they'll make a squelching noise. If they don't release first time, just dip the mould back into the boiling water for a few seconds. 

Serve on a plate with a spoonful of the pineapple salsa. The panna cotta will be glossy and creamy, working nicely with the fresh zing of the salsa! Perfect to finish off a spicy and hot South-East Asian meal. 

Food Porn: Spinach and Ricotta Mezzaluna

Someone commented recently that my blog didn't feature many vegetarian recipes. Well I've had a look and it does appear that I am quite the carnivore. 

I partly apologise for this obsession with meat, but on the other hand I sort of don't because I find meat awesome; FLESH! 

BUT I do love vegetarian food; it's amongst my favourite things to eat, honest. AND I do cook vegetarian food quite a bit actually, I just haven't shared any of it. 

Until now... 

Ingredients to serve two and make about 30 mezzaluna

To make the pasta: 

190g of '00' flour

2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks

2 tbsps of virgin olive oil

Salt

To make the filling and sauce: 

50g of ricotta cheese 

50g of parmesan, grated (Use vegetarian hard cheese if required)

1 whole egg

3 tbsps of spinach, finely chopped (I use frozen for freshness but you can use fresh if you'd like)

3 tbsps of mascarpone cheese

1 can of chopped tomatoes in juice

1 tsp of dried oregano

1 tbsp of basil, finely torn

1/2 a tsp of ground nutmeg

2 tbsps of olive oil

1tbsp of tomato puree

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

Right; PASTA! Making pasta is quicker and easier than you'd think, and I find that the taste of fresh pasta far exceeds that of dried. It will be easiest to use a pasta maker, which looks like a mini mangle, but you can roll your pasta out super thin with a rolling pin if you don't have one. 

I find it easiest to make the pasta in one batch at a time. Start with a clean, cool surface (I use the work surface covered in greaseproof paper) and make a mountain shape out of 95g of '00' flour. Then make it into a volcano by making a well in the middle with your fingers. Into this well crack a whole egg and an egg yolk, and add 1 tbsp of virgin olive oil and a 1/4 of a tsp of salt. 

Then, using your hands, draw the floury sides of the volcano into the well in the middle and mix the flour together with the wet ingredients. Once the wet and dry are mixed together into a sticky lump you can start kneading this into dough, using your hands this will take about 10 minutes. The dough should end up smooth and silky to touch. Make sure that you flour the surface with a sprinkle of '00' as you go or the dough will be too sticky. 

When your dough is kneaded wrap in cling film and set aside in a cool place for 30 minutes; if it's a warm day it's best to put it in the fridge. Repeat for the second batch. 

For the filling first sauté your spinach for a couple of minutes in a saucepan with a knob of butter and then wring out any water. Whisk the egg in a large bowl and beat in the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, seasoning, and then the spinach until mixed together. Place in the fridge to firm up while you roll out your pasta. 

If you've left your pasta in the fridge remove it 5 minutes before you plan to roll it out to allow it to return to room temperature. If you're using a pasta machine set it up at one end of a long section of working space, as the pasta will get very lengthy when it's rolled out thinly. 

Start with one batch of the dough and shape it in your hands into a rough rectangle. Set your pasta machine on the thickest setting and roll the dough through. Then move on to the next setting down and roll out once more; repeat until you've rolled out the pasta on the thinnest setting. Make sure once again that the surface is well floured with '00' to prevent the pasta from sticking. 

Once the pasta is rolled out to it's thinnest take a round cutter (about 8cm in diameter is ideal) and cut out the rounds of pasta to make the mezzaluna. You can cut out as many as possible but each batch should make about 15 rounds. Place the rounds on a well-floured tray to dry a little before filling. 

To make the sauce place the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, tomato puree, and olive oil into a pan and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the sauce is reduced. When the sauce is thick add the seasoning, basil, and mascarpone and stir in thoroughly. 

To fill the mezzaluna place about 1/2 of the filling mixture in the middle of one side of the pasta round. Using your finger smooth a little water all around the edge of the pasta round. Then roll that side of the pasta over, away from you so that the filling is neatly in the middle, into a half-moon shape. Then press down the edges firmly from the middle outwards, so that any air is expelled. Pick the mezzaluna up to make sure the edges are sealed down properly otherwise it may burst open when cooking. Place the mezzaluna back onto a well-floured tray. Repeat for all the pasta rounds. 

Boil some water in a large saucepan and add a little sea salt. I find it really helpful to use a small frying basket placed in the saucepan to cook the mezzaluna in, as they're far easier to remove when they're cooked. Otherwise you can gently place the mezzaluna into the saucepan of boiling water one at a time. They'll only take a couple of minutes to cook; you'll know when they're done because they'll float to the top of the water. 

In a deep pasta plate spoon a little of the sauce in the bottom, then when the mezzaluna are cooked serve them on top of the sauce. You can then spoon a little bit more of the sauce on top of the mezzaluna and finish off with more grated parmesan if you'd like. 

VEGETARIAN NOM. 

Food Porn: Layered Cheesecake Bites

You must think I'm obsessed with making food that's square. Really I'm not, I make round food too and sometimes dodecahedron if the mood takes me. 

Recently every week I've been baking for T's colleagues because they're hard-working chemists and need sweet sustenance on a Friday morning. Baking bite-size delights in a rectangular tray and then serving cut into squares is the best way to feed a crowd like this. 

This recipe is for a New York style baked cheesecake, because frankly they're the best kind. 

Ingredients to make one batch in a 20cm x 30cm tray: 

600g of soft cream cheese

250g of mascarpone

225g of digestive biscuits - substitute for GF digestives if required

100g of unsalted butter, melted

2 whole eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

175g of caster sugar

4 tbsps of self raising flour - substitute for GF self-raising flour if required

2 tsps of vanilla extract

200g of milk chocolate

First preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan and line the tray with greaseproof paper, leaving an inch around the top to make it easier to lift out the cheesecake afterwards. 

Now the fun bit - smashing up the digestives! You can use a food processor on pulse, but I prefer to put all the biscuits into a large bowl and smash with the end of a rolling pin. This way you end up with little chunks of biscuit in amongst the crumbs and this gives the base a better texture. Plus it's a great bingo-wing workout. 

When the biscuits are crushed add the melted butter a little at a time and mix well. You should reach the consistency where if you press the back of a spoon against the biscuit it leaves an indentation. Then tip the biscuits into the base of the tin and press down firmly in an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes to firm up, then remove and set aside to cool. 

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, then remove the bowl from the pan and set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until smooth then add the cream cheese, mascarpone, vanilla, and flour. Beat together until the mixture is smooth and silky and then divide half the mixture into another bowl. When the chocolate is cool add into one half of the mixture and fold in thoroughly with a spatula. 

Tip two thirds of the chocolate mixture onto the biscuit base and smooth out into an even layer with a spatula. Then tip the vanilla mixture onto the top and spread out carefully into a layer; some of the vanilla will sink down into the chocolate but this is perfectly OK! 

Tip the remaining chocolate mixture in a line down the middle of the vanilla layer. Take a bamboo skewer and sink into the cheese down to the biscuit base. Then swirl the skewer around the cheese in circles, mixing the chocolate with the vanilla, in order to marble the top of the cheesecake. 

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cheesecake has a slight wobble when you gently shake it. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside to cool for at least 2 hours; this will make the cheesecake dense and creamy. 

When completely cooled remove the cheesecake from the oven and cut into squares! 

Food Porn: Cherry Bakewell Squares

I really love food that looks jolly; forget Michelin-style presentation.

Take the cherry bakewell square: 

Doesn't it just make you smile? I think it's the shiny, patent cherry on top of the white icing; it reminds me of a clown's nose (Apologies to those terrified of clowns). 


I might even rename them 'Cheery Bakewells'. 

WARNING: This is not a nut-free recipe; it is truly packed to the gills with almonds. 

Ingredients to make one batch in a 20cm square tin: 

300g of shortcrust pastry; either ready-made or you can make your own using a gluten-free recipe like this.

1 jar of morello cherry jam

100g of ground almonds

100g of self-raising flour; for gluten-free substitute for GF self-raising flour

4 large eggs

200g of golden caster sugar

200g of unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp of French almond extract

200g of icing sugar

20 glacé cherries

Cold water

Firstly line the baking tin with greaseproof paper, leaving an inch around the top to make it easier to lift out the cherry bakewell afterwards. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan. 

Roll out the pastry to around 1/4cm thick and cut it to the size of the tin; you can do this either by placing the tin on top of the pastry and trimming round it or making a template out of greaseproof paper. Then place the pastry in the bottom of the tin and press down gently round the sides. Spread the jam all over the pastry, making sure every bit is covered evenly. 

Beat together the sugar and butter in a large bowl until smooth, then beat in one egg at a time with 1 tbsp of the ground almonds. When you've beaten in all 4 eggs add the remaining almonds, the flour, and the almond extract and fold in with a spatula until the mixture is smooth and resembles a thick batter. Spoon the mixture over the jammy pastry and spread evenly with the spatula. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the sponge is risen and golden brown. 

When the sponge is cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin. In a small bowl mix together the icing sugar with around 4 tbsps of cold water until it resembles a thick, gloopy paste; make sure there aren't any lumps of icing sugar! When the sponge is cooled spread the icing all over the top with a spatula, making sure that every bit of sponge is covered evenly and none of the sponge is showing through the icing. Place the glacé cherries on top and evenly space them out to be in the middle of where you'll cut the squares later. Then put the entire cherry bakewell in the fridge for at least 2 hours for the icing to set. 

When the icing is set remove the cherry bakewell from the tin and cut into squares, then consume the joy!