recipes etc.
recent comments

Entries in feta (7)

Wednesday
03Feb2010

cheesy pumpkin and thyme quesadillas

i made vast quantities of empanadas for our latino party. i used the smitten kitchen recipe for empanada pastry which was, as deb says, very easy to work with. it’s an interesting pastry as it contains vinegar, which i’ve not come across before, and which is slightly confusing as you smell hints of it when working with the pastry. it’s also a deliciously light and flaky pastry which would, i think, be good for lots of pasty recipes.

i made two fillings. one was deb’s chicken olive and chorizo mix, the other a cheese and pumpkin combination. both worked really well but, as my pumpkin was huge (a wonderfully textured and flavoured crown prince – if you find orange pumpkins bland and watery give this grey-green variety a try) i had lots leftover which we used to make quesadillas with.

this was my first foray into the world of quesadillas and i was surprised how easy it was and how filling they were – two each and both david and i were full. we also found the leftover chilli sweetcorn and courgette bake to be a good quesadilla filling. 

Click to read more ...

Saturday
30Jan2010

chilli sweetcorn and courgette bake

 

the mexican cooking technique of frying chillies in a dry pan so they soften and char, which i used to make a very wonderful smokey salsa, is also used in this dish which is based on a thomasina miers recipe for  roasted chilli sweetcorn.

i made this as part of the latin buffet we had last weekend and we ate leftovers as a filling for quesadillas which worked very well. you do need to be a fan of sweetcorn though as it flavour of the vegetables really shines through.

Click to read more ...

Monday
21Sep2009

courgette, chickpea and feta salad

as usual, september in london is proving to be so much warmer and sunnier than august. this weekend i’ve spent some very peaceful time out in the garden, removing most of the leaves from my tomato plants in the hope that this will speed up the ripening of the many green tomatoes that remain, as well as having a leisurely outdoor lunch of crab and cherry tomato linguine with one of my favourite friends. david and i also spent a lovely sunday wandering through regent’s park, along the canal and up to marine ices for ice creams.

this courgette and chickpea salad is definitely something for these final sunny days, with its courgette ribbons and basil crème fraiche dressing. it’s from my newest cookery book, salads by peter gordon of providores. there’s a good range of cold weather salads that i’m looking forward to trying but in the meantime, this is perfect for these later summer days.

Click to read more ...

Friday
18Sep2009

feta and herb muffins

i love the idea of having fresh muffins with my weekend early-morning cup of tea.

for once i organised myself sufficiently to do it. i used an old favourite as the base for the recipe but flavoured them with shallots, feta and herbs (sage, rosemary and oregano from the garden). i ate them straight from the oven, tearing them open to let them cool down a little before eating, with a cup of tea. perfect.

Monday
08Jun2009

orrechiette with asparagus, feta and chorizo

 

chorizo makes frequent appearances in my cooking but, unless there is a pizza involved, it rarely appears in its pre-sliced form. however, a pack of mildly-flavoured chorizo slices which i was sent by abel & cole got me thinking.

 

i spoke to various friends who had lots of great ideas for using chorizo (or salami for that matter) slices but the idea that caught my fancy simply involved dry-frying it so that the edges crisp up, much as it would on a pizza. i added the juice of a lemon to the pan when it was done, to make a dressing from the oil which the meat released, and then used this to garnish a fresh summery pasta dish of broad beans, asparagus and feta cheese.

 

this was a really good use of the chorizo (which i’d otherwise have nibbled on with a glass of red wine) and is a nice way to lift a gentle and mildly flavoured dish. i particularly liked the way the chorizo took on a slight lemony tang which made it particularly mouth-watering.

Click to read more ...