The final flourish – the dressing …

… and a few hints and tips

The dressing … to go with the chicken tikka salad

Who would have thought you'd be drizzling a quintessential Italian combination of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar – a marriage we already know is made in heaven – with another Indian classic – tandoori chicken tikka.

The dressing

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1½ tbsps balsamic vinegar

1½ tsps brown sugar

¼ tsp coarse black pepper

¼ tsp cumin powder

pinch of salt

Whilst the chicken is cooking, with a whisk mix together all the dressing ingredients and leave to one side.

Now it's complete with the dressing drizzled!

Now it's looking even better – there are some dishes that just scream “eat me I'm delicious!”

A few thoughts so far :

I'd wear gloves when you coat the chicken – turmeric and chilli will stain your hands as well as equipment.

Make sure your “oven tray” has sides – unless you have a burning desire to clean your oven!

I used soft dark muscovado sugar in the dressing.

I marinaded the chicken from 11am – 7.30pm. It's very important that you cover the chicken marinade and keep it in a cold place. If you keep it in your fridge then bear in mind it's raw chicken and as such should be kept on the bottom shelf and more importantly that it is kept away from cooked food.

When the chicken is cooked I know you'll want to taste it – cook's privilege after all – a lot depends on your palate and that of your guests but tasted on its own you may find it a tad hot. I'd suggest that before you rush to judgement wait until you've assembled and tasted the completed salad.

A word about the “heat” of the spices. Remember recipes are meant to be a guide they are not set in stone. If you find the spices too powerful don't let it put you off – try reducing the green chilli paste, turmeric and red chilli powder from 1½ tsps to 1 tsp each.

It's personal taste after all – it's whatever suits you.

There's more to come ...

Now for the salady stuff …

… it really depends on your choice or what you've already got in the fridge.

I foraged in the fridge and I rescued :

Half a bag of baby new potatoes

(if you can get Cornish so much the better)

cooked, peeled and then cubed – approximately

8 potatoes

Iceberg lettuce – broked into small pieces

small sweet mixed peppers, de-seeded and sliced

finely

cherry tomatoes, halved

one medium sweet variety onion, sliced

finely

I chose a large white shallow bowl for the salad and began with the lettuce and then sprinkled the remaining salad ingredients, topping with the chicken pieces and finally drizzling with the dressing.

This dish is ideal for a lunch or a supper - you can make it your own - add more ingredients the salad and serve with a flat bread of your choice – you don't have to make them if it's too much pressure!

Here's a guide :

Experiment with colours – have a look at the small sweet peppers!

Now it's looking even better - there are some dishes that just scream “eat me I'm delicious!”

Next up – the final flourish ...

A photo-guide to the method …

… for the chicken tikka

Now for the salady stuff ...

It's always difficult ...

… to get it right when the weather is hot!

A warm “salady” dish I think fits the bill.

This “salady dish” is excellent hot or cold - it stands perfectly well on its own but better still as part of a party table. It's convenient in that you can marinade overnight and just pop into the oven when you're ready.

Here goes :

Tandoori chicken tikka salad

Serves 4

700g (1lb 8oz) chicken breast, cut

into chunks

Marinade

1½ tbsps ginger and garlic paste

½ tsp salt

1½ tsps green chilli paste

2½ tbsps white vinegar

5 tbsps vegetable oil

1½ tsps turmeric

1½ tsps red chilli powder

1½ tsps cumin powder

2 tsps garam masala

160g (5½ oz) Greek yoghurt

or low fat version

For the dressing

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1½ tbsps balsamic vinegar

1½ tsps brown sugar

¼ tsp coarse black pepper

¼ tsp cumin powder

pinch of salt

In a bowl mix the chicken pieces with the ginger and garlic paste, salt, green chilli paste and the white vinegar and leave to one side.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the oil and turmeric. Add the red chilli powder, cumin powder and garam masala to the bowl then mix well before adding the yoghurt. Combine the mixture thoroughly.

Add the chicken pieces to the yoghurt mixture. Use your hands to ensure the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the yoghurt marinade. Leave the chicken to marinade for at least an hour. You can leave it in the marinade overnight, this way the chicken will absorb all the flavours thoroughly.

Once the chicken has been marinated, place the pieces on an oven tray. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 20-25 minutes.

If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan version you can use Quorn pieces.

Next up a photo-guide to the method ...

Fettuccine foto guide!

 

Heat the butter and the cream

together

Add the Parmesan and heaps of

black pepper

The bowl

The bowl with petit pois

I didn't have any fettuccine in my pantry but I did have spaghetti – if you're not fond of “ribbony” types of pasta just choose your favourite.

You can adapt this to a plant based recipe using:

1 tbsp Flora Plant unsalted butter

200ml Elmlea 100% Plant Double Alternative

to cream

50g Parmesan alternative – for example

Violife Parmesan style

The best of it is that essentially it's veggie but you can adapt it to suit everyone – adding cooked chicken and/or diced chorizo, gently cooked in a dry frying pan so that it releases the residual oil – you could serve in separate bowls on the side.

The simple things in life are the best!

I could go on but have decided, lest you get bored, coming up we've got stuff for summer and in particular, what to cook in hot weather!

Fettuccine Alfredo

I mentioned the Alfredo sauce in “A couple of extra arancini ideas!” - this has got to be the simplest of recipes – and perhaps the most indulgent.

It's also my absolute favourite!

Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo was invented by Alfredo di Lelio who had restaurants in Rome in the early to mid 20^th century. Traditionally the dish was cooked at your table. As the dish became more popular it appeared in the USA. I was in Vermont when I sampled my first bowl – it was without doubt, the finest bowl of pasta and sauce I've ever eaten and the only one I've ever finished. That was a long time ago – yikes 1997! Since that time my quest has been to find a recipe as near as I could to that bowl of magic, here it is :

1 tbsp unsalted butter

200ml double cream

50g freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gently heat the butter and the cream together, stirring, until the butter has melted, then stir in the Parmesan. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stir continuously for a minute or so until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

This sauce can be made ahead.

The above recipe would be sufficient for two servings – enough to coat 225g uncooked pasta. Traditionally there are no additions to Alfredo although I've had it served with petit pois. If you've never tried it you're missing out.

The sauce is so good!

There's a photo-guide too …

Passata pics and tips

Food for thought – my favourite tomato sauce recipe would be to serve with meatballs, in a bowl with good bread – what I call “feet up food”. Try a submarine roll filled with mozzarella slices or even spiced fried halloumi - add meatballs and drizzle with the tomato sauce.

More thoughts - a sauce base for a bolognaise or create a delicious tomato soup – if you're into cold soups then a gazpacho will tick that box.

The best - if you want a posh idea, turn your passata into a puttanesca sauce by adding tomato paste to enrich, followed by pitted Kalamata olives, capers and anchovy fillets.

Your freezer “store cupboard” will look very healthy!

Phew!

If you'd like to take it …

… one step further – you can make your own passata for the tomato sauce. It might seem a step too far, but I assure you it's worth the effort!

As an aside, if you grow your own tomatoes very often you find that you have a glut – the perfect passata solution and no waste! You can get many varieties to grow for cooking purposes - for example Roma (or plum as it's commonly known) - there are several to choose from all of which break down into rich thick sauces.

On with the recipe :

Passata – the quick way

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

4/5 cloves of roasted garlic

1.5kg tomatoes, chopped roughly

6 fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2tsp caster sugar

salt and black pepper

Using a large saucepan – 22cms in diameter, fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until soft. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blitz to a smooth paste and set aside.

Add the tomatoes and basil to the pan and cook gently, stirring frequently for 20/25 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Cool for 10 minutes then push through a sieve to give a smooth sauce.

Rinse out your saucepan and return the sauce and paste, add the vinegar and sugar and simmer gently for 10/15 minutes, stirring until you have a thick passata. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cool then decant into suitably sized containers for freezing - if you want to use it straight away fridge it – it will keep for 3-4 days. Frozen, your passata will keep for up to 2 months.

As a guide you'll get 600ml of passata from the recipe.

Passata di Pomodoro in Italian or, as it is more commonly known liquid gold!

I should mention that passata freezes well, furthermore the flavours will continue to develop.

Remember to freeze in small amounts – you never know what you might decide to cook - you can always pull out two or three portions.

Waste not want not!

Passata pics and tips coming next.

Italian Meatballs …

… the recipe that follows is easy and makes really tasty meatballs. As a rough guide 450g of minced meat will give you 24 meatballs.

Meatballs

450g minced beef, pork, turkey

or Quorn mince

*salt and black pepper

*garlic – either 2 tsps of paste or 2 cloves, crushed

*oregano – a generous sprinkle

*half a tsp of chilli

*heaped tbsp of tomato paste

*1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients marked *, mix well. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently.

Use a teaspoon as a measure and heaped with mixture, roll it between your hands and set aside on a board. When the meatballs are ready, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry on a low heat, gently and carefully shaking the pan to ensure they are evenly coloured – use tongs if you are accident prone! Seal the meatballs in batches - 8 at a time and then transfer to an oven-proof dish or foil tray ready for later – cool, cover and fridge.

When you are ready for supper later in the day place the dish or tray containing the meatballs in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and complete the cooking for 20 minutes – this time will vary depending on the sizes of the meatball – ensure that they are properly cooked – cut a larger one in half to be sure.

The perfect marriage with the “lip smackingly good” tomato sauce!

Note :

You can freeze Quorn mince once it has been cooked – make sure your meal is cold before freezing – use within a month. For use, defrost fully in the fridge and cook within 24 hours ensuring it's piping hot.

Now for the sauce photos

Here we go :

Onions, garlic and spices in the pan with tomato paste

The sauce at the beginning of the cook

Check out the depth of colour at the end

P.s. You could create a pizza with tomato sauce as a base and load with meatballs and whatever else takes your fancy – don't forget to treat yourself to a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan as well as the traditional mozzarella.

You could go the obvious route of spaghetti (as a guide 75g of dry spaghetti per person) - tomato sauce and meatballs – traditional is good!

One thing is certain your sauce and meatballs give you flexible working week supper ideas and the cherry on top of the cake – all you have to do is pull the sauce and the meatballs from your treasure chest.

What's not to love!

The perfect sauce ...

… I have it on good authority!

The perfect sauce was originally coined a “lip smackingly good” tomato sauce – by a student and who am I to disagree! It has many uses, iconically probably with meatballs.

Here goes :

Tomato Sauce

500g passata

1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of roasted garlic or crushed fresh garlic

1 tbsp of rapeseed oil

knob of butter – 25g

1 tbsp of tomato paste

250g of vegetable stock

a generous sprinkle of oregano

black pepper to taste

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp of salt, to taste

Melt the oil and butter in a medium size saucepan (21cms/8” in diameter), add the onion and soften gently – 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic. Add the oregano and black pepper. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. It's important that you cook the paste – if you don't it will be bitter and taste horrible! Add the passata, stock and then the sugar. The sugar is meant to balance out the acidity that one sometimes gets with tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes. The sauce will reduce and thicken. Taste the sauce before you add any salt – it's a matter of personal taste. The flavours in your sauce will develop and so will benefit from being made a couple of days ahead and fridged.

The sauce freezes well, bear in mind the size of portions – whatever suits you – smaller is more practical, you can always take out two – no waste.

You'll get 670g of sauce from the recipe.

Now for the photo-guide!

A couple of extra arancini ideas!

If you leave your arancini plain as the original recipe try serving with an Alfredo sauce sprinkled with chopped flat leat parsley a definite lunch or supper dish – delicious comfort food!

Here's the recipe :

1 tbsp unsalted butter

200ml double cream

50g freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gently heat the butter and the cream together, stirring, until the butter has melted, then stir in the Parmesan. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stir continuously for a minute or so until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

This sauce can be made ahead.

Delizioso!

Finally, I'm a fan of fusion, in particular Italian/Malaysian - this may sound even more strange but I love arancini with a curry sauce, stuffed or not – surely I can't be the only person out there with strange taste?

If you think about it you generally eat rice with a curry … why not in a ball with a crispy shell?

Why not serve the rice ball with a rendang curry? You can cheat if you like a buy a ready-made paste and add it to coconut milk or, a sort of half way house, make your own but speedily.

Rendang Sauce

100 ml coconut cream

50ml water

3 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp curry powder

(I used mild)

1 tbsp kecap manis

(also known as sweet soy sauce)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat and

serve. Can be made ahead and re-heated.

There's nothing wrong with a short cut or two – it may not appeal to the purists out there – some of us haven't got time!

The world is definitely your lobster – you can add prawns or chicken, whatever you fancy. Just in case you think I'm making this stuff up – here's what it looks like, with prawns in the rendang sauce :

Buonissimo!

Coming up … “The perfect tomato sauce” ...

Odds and ends – arancini

Some of us make a risotto deliberately to turn into another dish – for arancini, aka rice balls – sounds a little odd I grant you but traditionally arancini was created to use up leftover risotto. It turns out that the arancini is equally as good as the risotto.

Here's a photo-guide, to illustrate how easy it is

Take three trays (I used foil) – measuring 23x23cms :

50g plain flour – tray 1

3 large eggs, beaten – tray 2

150g Panko crumbs – blitzed in a food processor – tray 3

You can use ordinary breadcrumbs if you can't get Panko

You'll need vegetable oil for shallow frying

Using damp hands, mould each square into a ball – make 3 at a time – place in the flour tray and jiggle, let the tray do the work. Repeat in the beaten egg and finally in the crumb. Jiggle is my own term, descriptive I think - the actual technical term is pané – meaning “breaded”. If you want to be really cheffy you can repeat the egg and crumb - “double pané” for extra crunch.

Place the arancini in the fridge for 20 minutes – use a large frying pan and cover the base in oil, heat gently – test to see it has reached temperature by dropping, gently, a small cube of bread into the oil – it should sizzle. Fry four or five at a time so you can easily turn the arancini and ensure you get an even golden brown colour – about 3-4 minutes. Set aside on a baking tray and keep warm in a pre-heated oven – 150fan/170c/Gas 3.

You don't have to make all 18 arancini – you can make 9 and freeze the remaining half of the risotto, leave in the tray, fold over and wrap tightly in foil.

Next … a couple of extra ideas

Taking it up a notch ...

... you can stuff your arancini with pancetta, basil and mozzarella, sun dried tomato or mushroom to name but a few. However, my favourite stuffing and another serving idea uses taleggio cheese – another Italian cheese which melts very well and so perfect for these beauties. It's not stringy like mozzarella, it melts and oozes – yum!

Here's the stuffing method which will give you 9 arancini – this stuffed alternative is perfect for a starter, albeit generous, served drizzled with Balsamic glaze and a side salad or with redcurrant jelly and a raw slaw – that's an impressive lunch box!

*You'll need a tray bake, measuring 31cms(12”)x 18cms(7¼”) as a guide.

Tip your cooked risotto into the tray, making sure it's flat and even, then cool, cover and fridge. You can leave for a couple of hours or overnight – whichever is more convenient to your schedule! You'll use half the tray of risotto – reserving the other half to freeze.

With the tray bake lengthways in front of you cut the risotto in half. Each half tray (6” or 15.5cms) gives you 9 arancini weighing 80/90gms, again as a guide. Using one half divide into 9 **squares – 2½” (6.5cms) 5”(13cms) and 7½” (19cms) and set aside. I used a good old fashioned school ruler – works a treat.

Prepping this way will give you pretty much similar sized arancini but don't stress!

In addition to the basic risotto you'll need 200g taleggio cheese,

rind removed and divided into 9 cubes,

Use exactly the same method as given previously - when

you've shaped the rice into a ball use your index finger

to create a hole - place a piece of taleggio inside

and close up the ball then complete by jiggling in

the flour, egg and finally breadcrumbs

Shallow fry in oil.

The stuffed arancini freezes well too – defrost thoroughly and warm through in a pre-heated oven 160 fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15 minutes.

Interested? There's a photo-guide coming up in Odds and ends … !

Sensational Arancini!

This recipe comes from one you'll know – rice balls made from risotto. It's the perfect solution in that you can make whatever size you like, to suit the occasion!

Here we have :

Arancini

For arancini, aka rice balls, you'll need a basic risotto recipe :

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock

40g unsalted butter

1 tbsp groundnut oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves (or 3 tsps paste)

350g risotto rice

150ml dry white wine

2 tbsps flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

100g Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and black pepper

Bring the stock to a boil and simmer gently. Heat the butter and the oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic until soft. Season with salt. Stir in the rice and fry for 2 minutes until the edges become opaque. Add the wine. Start adding the stock, a ladle at a time – the liquid should be absorbed before you add the next. Add the parsley, black pepper and the Parmesan cheese.

It's imperative that your stock is kept hot and added a ladle at a time. If you follow these basic principles you'll be fine.

Tip your risotto into a tray bake, cover and cool, then fridge. You can leave for a couple of hours or overnight – whatever suits you best. The tray measures 12” or 31cms - with the tray bake lengthways in front of you cut the risotto in half. Each half tray ( 6” or 15.5cms) gives you 9 arancini weighing approximately 80/90gm approximately. Using one half divide into 9 squares – 2½” (6.5cms) 5” (13cms) and 7½” (19cms) and set aside. I used a good old fashioned school ruler – works a treat. You can continue and make another 9 or freeze the remaining risotto as it is.

Prepping this way will give you pretty much similar sized arancini but don't lose sleep over it!

You might think there appears to be a lot of work, but the recipe is simplicity itself and it can be made in stages, whenever you have time.

Coming up … taking it up a notch!

Fruit and Nut anyone?

These two recipes lend a certain something to sharing plates, they are perfect “pop in the mouth” nibbles!

Fruit and Nut sides

Dates wrapped in Parma ham

Makes 20

1 tsp vegetable oil for greasing

20 dried dates – pitted

20 small cubes of parmesan or other hard cheese

10 slices of Palma ham, halved

Pre-heat oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5.

Lightly grease a baking tray large enough to fit all the dates.

Place a cube of cheese in each date and wrap in a half slice of Parma ham. If you need to you can secure each date with a wooden cocktail stick. Lay the dates on the tray and bake for 10 minutes or until the ham crisps up.

Serve hot.

I've served these to guests who do not like dates and have converted – the combination of flavours is perfect – sweetness of dates, saltiness of ham and zing of cheese.

Spiced almonds

Serves 4-6

1 tsp olive oil

200g blanched almonds

coarse sea salt

¼ tsp smoked paprika

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the almonds and toss over the heat for 5 minutes until golden.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the nuts to a bowl, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible. Sprinkle the nuts generously with coarse sea salt and the paprika, toss the nuts to coat them in the seasoning. Leave to cool then transfer to a serving dish.

Another great “make ahead” side and definitely in the “keep it simple” category.

Now for one of my absolute favourites ...

Here's a little something using broad beans...

If you can't face the thought of blanching and podding 500g of broads beans, split the difference and mix 250g of cooked petit pois – it will however, be worth it!

Here goes :

Favetta

500g broad beans, blanched and

refreshed and then podded

1 roasted garlic clove

100ml olive oil

zest and juice of half a lemon

100g Pecorino cheese – grated

salt and black pepper to taste

Put the broad beans, olive oil and garlic into a food processor and whizz quickly so that you achieve a rough mixture – you do not want a pulp! Tip the mixture into a bowl and add the lemon and zest and add 50g of grated pecorino. Season - but remember that Pecorino is sharper and more tart than Parmesan so taste before you season.

Serve on bruschetta or crostini garnishing with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of grated Pecorino or serve the favetta in one bowl with piadas, ready to roll up and dip.

The ultimate finger food!

The boring stuff - the broad beans

You won't like this!

Blanch your broad beans – bring a large pan of water to the boil and then add the beans, bring back up to the boil. Drain and refresh – in other words rinse in fresh cold water. Tip onto kitchen roll and pat dry. Tip into a bowl.

Place the bowl of beans on a tray that fits into your lap along with two large food bags. Sit in your favourite chair and tune in to your favourite “guilty pleasure” tv programme. Pop your beans to reveal the bright green beauties inside. Place the discarded outer skins into one bag and the beauties in the other.

A tea towel on your lap will stop the tray slipping.

Next up … fruit and nut anyone?

Perfect Piada or Piadina!

You'll see that the recipe given is for the larger, piadinas. I made the smaller piadas – you will get 12/14 breads approximately – it depends how precise you want to be.

Piadina

Makes 4-6 breads (large)

500g plain flour

½ tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

300ml water

Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt and then gradually add enough water to make a dough that is soft and a little sticky. Add the olive oil then knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into four to six pieces and flatten each ball into a round to fit your frying pan – it should be about 3mm thick but can be quite misshapen. Prick each bread all over with a fork to prevent puffing.

Heat the frying pan until very hot, then cook each flatbread on both sides. It is fine to have patches of charred dough. Keep each flatbread warm by wrapping in a tea towel until you have cooked the remainder.

Fill, fold and get ready to feast.

P.s. I made the smaller piada and it takes a while – best make ahead and then freeze!

My piadas – hints & tips

You can leave your piadas rough around the edges if you want rustic or you can cut into circles – small is beautiful – especially if you're serving to guests and want to show off. Cutter or rustic, this is the question!

To help, the cutter I used was 10 cms in diameter – in truth 12 cms would have been better – it was the largest I had. I'm having the larger one made as we speak.

Use a timer when you're cooking your breads – if you get distracted you won't get burnt offerings. Another tip. If you intend to freeze your breads then cook for 1 minute each side only - then when you're ready to use from the freezer you've the extra minute each side before serving.

When you cooking your breads you'll get four in a large non-stick frying pan.

Here's my piada :

Here's a recipe if you want to have a go at making your own …

What's next – Piada …

… Piada is a thin Italian flatbread. Piadina is the larger version – typically from the Romagna region – no yeast required! It's a perfect receptacle for street food or more accurately “kiosk” food – sweet or savoury and there's a size to suit every appetite. More to the point it's ideal to serve with sharing plates!

It's not very often I recommend nay rave about “store bought” stuff but here's my suggestion not just for the summer, for any time.

You can buy piada or piadina from most supermarkets. The bread takes 2 minutes each side to warm and colour in a dry, non-stick frying pan. Keep your warmed breads wrapped in foil until you're ready to serve.

Here's what they look like:

Here's a serving idea :

Check out this taco stand – fill your piada with whatever takes your fancy – cheeses, meats, salads and slot into the stand.

Available on line or stores like Dunelm - how very international!