These are some of my favourite recipes that I have found either on the internet, from my endless supply of cookery books, adapted or made up myself.
BEETROOT TARTARE
We first had this tartare in a local restaurant as an apero and found it wonderful, I just had to try and find a recipe and try and make it myself!
600g cooked beetroot
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 shallot or a couple of spring onions chopped
8 cornichons - chopped
2 tbsp chives
black pepper
Place the beetroot in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is minced but not pureed.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, vinegar, shallot, cornichons and capers and pulse once or twice.
Spoon the mixture into a bowl and stir in the creme fraiche, snipped chives. Season to taste.
Serve with bits of toasted baguette........yummy!
TZATZIKI
1 large cucumber - peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
handful of finely chopped mint
300g of Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper and salt
Grate the cucumber onto a tea towel and squeeze the juice from it, leave to drain whilst you prepare the other ingredients.
In a bowl mix the yoghurt with the garlic and the rest of the ingredients, make sure that all the water is out of the cucumbers and add to the bowl, season and chill until needed.
AUBERGINE CAVIAR
2 large aubergines, weighing around 600g - cut into large 4cm dice
2 tbsp olive oil plus extra 75ml
5 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Basil leaves
1 tbsp chopped thyme
Black pepper
150g onions peeled and chopped
120g apples, peeled and chopped
40g demerara sugar
1 pinch of dried ginger
80ml of red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
4 small aubergines, sliced
salt
6 green chillies, stems removed
veg oil for frying
2 tsps coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
25g garlic
25g fresh root ginger
300ml of malt vinegar
1 tsp dried red chillies
2 tsps black mustard seeds
1 stem of lemongrass, bruised
1 stick cinnamon
1 tbsp of salt
900g total weight of red peppers, aubergine and green peppers
700g onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
350g granulated sugar
300ml white wine vinegar or distilled malt vinegar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
900ml malt vinegar
450g light soft brown sugar
900g cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
450g onions, chopped
225g raisins
25g mustard powder
25g ground ginger
2 tsp mild curry powder
20g salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
110g walnut pieces
30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp pine nuts
35g parmesan cheese, grated
100ml olive oil
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until they form a smooth paste. Either use immediately or store in a jar in the refrigerator.
A slight variation on the coriander pesto theme:-
100g fresh coriander leaves
5 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
50g parmesan
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
50g walnuts
salt and pepper
100ml olive oil
Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth paste, then add the olive oil. Store in fridge.
ROCKET AND WALNUT PESTO
75g Rocket
2 garlic cloves
50g walnuts
4 tbsps parmesan
Lemon juice
180ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
275g cooking apples
125g onions
300ml vinegar
250g sugar
125g sultanas
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each of allspice, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger and paprika
Place all ingredients except the sugar into a pan and bring slowly to the boil.
Cook gently for about an hour then add the sugar.
TOMATO KETCHUP
This makes approximately 4 jars.
3kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
100g brown sugar
200ml cider vinegar
1/4 tsp mustard powder
Cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground mace
1 1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled and bruised
salt
Paprika to taste
BEETROOT TARTARE
We first had this tartare in a local restaurant as an apero and found it wonderful, I just had to try and find a recipe and try and make it myself!
600g cooked beetroot
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 shallot or a couple of spring onions chopped
8 cornichons - chopped
2 tbsp capers - chopped
1 tbsp creme fraiche2 tbsp chives
black pepper
Place the beetroot in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is minced but not pureed.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, vinegar, shallot, cornichons and capers and pulse once or twice.
Spoon the mixture into a bowl and stir in the creme fraiche, snipped chives. Season to taste.
Serve with bits of toasted baguette........yummy!
TZATZIKI
1 large cucumber - peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
handful of finely chopped mint
300g of Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper and salt
Grate the cucumber onto a tea towel and squeeze the juice from it, leave to drain whilst you prepare the other ingredients.
In a bowl mix the yoghurt with the garlic and the rest of the ingredients, make sure that all the water is out of the cucumbers and add to the bowl, season and chill until needed.
AUBERGINE CAVIAR
2 large aubergines, weighing around 600g - cut into large 4cm dice
2 tbsp olive oil plus extra 75ml
5 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Basil leaves
1 tbsp chopped thyme
Black pepper
Salt the aubergines and leave in a colander for about 30 minutes, then rinse and dry. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the anchovies, garlic and aubergines and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring until the anchovies have disappeared. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the herbs and 150ml of water and cook until the mixture is quire dry and the liquid has evaporated - will take about 45 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid it catching. Tip the mixture into a food processor, season with black pepper and puree, add the remaining olive oil. Put into a small bowl and serve with toasted baguette.
BEETROOT CHUTNEY
300g cooked beetroot cut into dice150g onions peeled and chopped
120g apples, peeled and chopped
40g demerara sugar
1 pinch of dried ginger
80ml of red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
OPTIONAL:- 1 large clove of garlic and 2 tsps of lemon juice
Mix all the ingredients together into the saucepan. Bring to a boil whilst stirring regularly to dissolve the sugar. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 mins. Checking regularly. Prepare the sterilising the jars as per usual. When the chutney is cooked, pour carefully into the jars, seal and label. The chutney should keep well unopened for several months, but once opened keep in the fridge.
BEETROOT, ORANGE AND PUMPKIN SAMBAL
800g cooked beetroot, peeled and diced
1 cinnamon stick
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 tbsp mustard powder
600ml malt or red wine vinegar
220g sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp curry powder
Combine all the ingredients in a large pan. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a summer and cover. Cook for about 30 mins or until thick and reduced. Put into sterialised jars in the usual way. Will take 3 weeks to mature.
AUBERGINE AND CHILLI PICKLE
Makes about 450g.4 small aubergines, sliced
salt
6 green chillies, stems removed
veg oil for frying
2 tsps coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
25g garlic
25g fresh root ginger
300ml of malt vinegar
1 tsp dried red chillies
2 tsps black mustard seeds
1 stem of lemongrass, bruised
1 stick cinnamon
1 tbsp of salt
Put the aubergines into a bowl and sprinkle with salt, then set aside for about 2 hours. Strain off the bitter juices and pat dry with a cloth. If the chillies are small leave them whole, otherwise chop into pieces. Fry the aubergine slices and chillies in oil until cooked but not browned. Remove from the pan from the heat, drain well and set aside.
Grind the coriander and cumin seeds, garlic and ginger with a little of the vinegar in a pestle and mortar, or use a blender or food processor for the job. Then add the remaining vinegar and stir until smooth. Add the fried aubergines and chillies, plus the lemon grass, cinnamon stick and salt and stir well. Pack into jars, seal and store until required. This pickle will last for months.
SPICED AUBERGINE CHUTNEY
1 kg aubergines
3 tbsp salt
175g brown sugar
350ml white wine vinegar
75g sultanas
1 tbsp tomato puree
5 cloves of garlic
500g onions
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 red chillies
Slice the aubergines, put into a bowl and sprinkle the salt over them and leave for at least 3 hours. Then rinse and dry. Into a large saucepan put the sugar, vinegar, sultanas and tomato puree. Finely chop the onions, red chillies and add these to the pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally then simmer until reduced and thick. If you find, as I did, that the aubergines were still in large slices and hadn't mushed down, if you prefer you can blitz with a hand blender to have a finer consistency which is what I did. Put into sterialised jars in the usual way. Makes 1.5g.
MARY BERRY'S CHRISTMAS CHUTNEY
900g tomatoes900g total weight of red peppers, aubergine and green peppers
700g onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
350g granulated sugar
300ml white wine vinegar or distilled malt vinegar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
First, peel the tomatoes having pricked them and placing then in a bowl of boiling water. Chop the tomatoes, aubergines and seed and chop the peppers. Put in a large pan with the onions and garlic and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for abut one hour, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Tip the sugar, vinegar, salt, coriander, paprika and cayenne into the pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to boil for about 30 minutes or so, until the mixture achieves a chunky chutney consistency and the surplus watery liquid has evaporated. Taking care that the chutney doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.
Ladle the chutney into sterilised jars. Seal the jars while still hot. Leave to mature for at least a month.
PUMPKIN AND ORANGE MARMALADE
I found this recipe the other day in Sophie Grigson's 'Eat your Greens'. It is a wonderful recipe and I was so pleased with the results and what a wonderful way of using up the glut of pumpkins! Although it is called a marmalade, it won't actually gel in the usual way. The thing is to cook the mixture long enough for the syrup to thicken and reduce down, that way it is jammy enough to spread on toast, even if it isn't technically a real jam!
Makes about 1.75 kg
1 kg pumpkin or any other winter squash (weighed after removing the skin and seeds)
1 kg granulated sugar
2 oranges
250ml water
Cut the pumpkin or squash into small cubes. Mix with the sugar in a large bowl. Slice the oranges thinly and cut the slices roughly into quarters. Put the orange into another bowl with the water. Leave both bowls to stand for 24 hours, stirring the pumpkin occasionally.
Put the oranges and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the pumpkin and sugar and bring gently to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until the mixture is thick and syrupy - about 30 mins. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
SPICY APPLE AND WALNUT CHUTNEY
900ml malt vinegar
450g light soft brown sugar
900g cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
450g onions, chopped
225g raisins
25g mustard powder
25g ground ginger
2 tsp mild curry powder
20g salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
110g walnut pieces
To make the chutney: put the vinegar and sugar into a large pan and bring to the boil. Add everything but the walnuts.
Bring back to the boil. Cook, stirring more regularly as it thickens, until it is well reduced and thick - remember that it will thicken even more once cold.
To preserve: stir in the walnuts, spoon into warm sterilised jars and seal with vinegar proof lids. This will keep for up to 1 year. Makes approximately 5lb.
PUMPKIN CHUTNEY
1.4kg pumpkin, peeled and diced
4 firm tomatoes
500g cooking apples, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
125g sultanas
250g light brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp black pepper
750ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp of red chilli paste
Place all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, when boiling, simmer for about 30 mins to 1 hour. Bottle in the usual way in sterialised jars. Store 2-3 weeks before opening. This chutney will keep up to 6 months, once opened store in the fridge.
HARISSA PASTE
The strength of this paste depends on the variety and quantity of chillies used, to make it hotter just increase the amount of chillies used.
250g tomatoes, peeled and seeds scooped out
50g hot chillies, stalks removed - entirely up to you if you leave in the seeds
2 fat garlic cloves
50g shallots
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp salt
50ml olive oil
CORIANDER PESTO
100g fresh coriander leaves, choppedPUMPKIN CHUTNEY
1.4kg pumpkin, peeled and diced
4 firm tomatoes
500g cooking apples, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
125g sultanas
250g light brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp black pepper
750ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp of red chilli paste
Place all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, when boiling, simmer for about 30 mins to 1 hour. Bottle in the usual way in sterialised jars. Store 2-3 weeks before opening. This chutney will keep up to 6 months, once opened store in the fridge.
HARISSA PASTE
The strength of this paste depends on the variety and quantity of chillies used, to make it hotter just increase the amount of chillies used.
250g tomatoes, peeled and seeds scooped out
50g hot chillies, stalks removed - entirely up to you if you leave in the seeds
2 fat garlic cloves
50g shallots
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp salt
50ml olive oil
Put the tomatoes, chillies and all the other ingredients, except the oil, into a food processor and bltz until well blended. Tip into a small saucpan and heat until boiling then simmer for about 10 minutes untiil redeuced and starting to thicken. Leave to cool. Pack into warm, sterialised jars leaving a 1cm gap at the top. Pour oil over the paste to completely cover it. Seal the jars.
Store in the fridge and use within 4 months, or freeze in suitable containers if you want to extend the shelf life. Once open make sure that the paste is always completely covered with a layer of oil.
This paste will also make a tasty chilli plum dipping sauce, simmer 50ml of cider vinegar, 100g plum jam and 1 tsp of harissa paste until reduced and thickened.
CORIANDER PESTO
30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp pine nuts
35g parmesan cheese, grated
100ml olive oil
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until they form a smooth paste. Either use immediately or store in a jar in the refrigerator.
A slight variation on the coriander pesto theme:-
100g fresh coriander leaves
5 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
50g parmesan
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
50g walnuts
salt and pepper
100ml olive oil
Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth paste, then add the olive oil. Store in fridge.
ROCKET AND WALNUT PESTO
75g Rocket
2 garlic cloves
50g walnuts
4 tbsps parmesan
Lemon juice
180ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Place everything into a food processor (except the olive oil) blitz until smooth or as smooth as required, then slowly add the oil, adding more if necessary. Season to taste and bottle as usual. Store in the fridge. This pesto also freezes very well, but omit the parmesan adding this later when required.
SPICY TOMATO AND APPLE CHUTNEY
1kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped275g cooking apples
125g onions
300ml vinegar
250g sugar
125g sultanas
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each of allspice, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger and paprika
Place all ingredients except the sugar into a pan and bring slowly to the boil.
Cook gently for about an hour then add the sugar.
TOMATO KETCHUP
This makes approximately 4 jars.
3kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
100g brown sugar
200ml cider vinegar
1/4 tsp mustard powder
Cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground mace
1 1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled and bruised
salt
Paprika to taste
Combine the tomatoes, onion and peppers in a large heavy pan over a medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very soft. Push through a coarse-mesh sieve and return to the pot with the sugar, vinegar and mustard. Tie the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, mace, celery seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaf and garlic in a square of muslin and drop it into the pan. Bring the mixture to the boil, and then reduce to a slow simmer. Continue to cook, allowing it to bubble gently, stirring often and carefully, for at least 10 to 20 minutes, until thoroughly blended and quite thick.
Leave to cool, remove the bag of spices, then pour the mixture through a funnel into suitable bottles. Stored in the fridge this ketchup will keep for a month. If you follow the prescribed procedure for preserves and bottle in properly sterilised jars, it should keep for a year.
Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
Simmer until thick, pot and seal while still hot.
RED PEPPER HOUMOUS
410g can chickpeas
1 large garlic clove
2 roasted peppers
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra for drizzling
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then tip them into a food procesor. Peel the garlic and crush in with the chickpeas along with plenty of salt and pepper. Whizz briefly.
Add the previously roasted red peppers (making sure you remove all the seeds first) along with the lemon juice, oilive oil and chilli. Blitz again until really smooth. Taste and add extra seasoning and chilli for more of a kick if you like. Spoon into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and serve with celery sticks, radishes or breadsticks for dipping.
RED PEPPER HOUMOUS
410g can chickpeas
1 large garlic clove
2 roasted peppers
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra for drizzling
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then tip them into a food procesor. Peel the garlic and crush in with the chickpeas along with plenty of salt and pepper. Whizz briefly.
Add the previously roasted red peppers (making sure you remove all the seeds first) along with the lemon juice, oilive oil and chilli. Blitz again until really smooth. Taste and add extra seasoning and chilli for more of a kick if you like. Spoon into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and serve with celery sticks, radishes or breadsticks for dipping.
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