Sesame and Peanut Noodles

Summer has almost come and gone, but what a summer it was. Or not. We had rain, rain and more rain, and so picnics and walks were few and far between. But the few places we’ve been to were beautiful, and should I ever move some place else, I must say that the British countryside is the one thing I will miss most. Going for walks is fun, but the headache of food preparation that comes before it is a pain, at least for me. Though for that I have always relied on one lady. You know who she is, so I will say no more. The following recipe is one of J’s favourites which in turn gives me the added excuse of asking him very nicely if he would prepare it before heading out. J likes to tweak it mainly because we never have the full list of ingredients in the fridge and pantry, but in Nigella Express the lovely lady herself gives us permission to change it, depending on what we like and what we have. Here is her Sesame and peanut noodle recipe, brilliant for lazy (or not so lazy) days out. This is how we do it. Serves 2 serious walkers.

Noodle salad ingredients:

• 100g mangetout and/or 100g beansprouts (washed)
• 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 noodle nests, approximately 250g, cooked according to packet instructions
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons fresh coriander, roughly chopped

The dressing:

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 100g smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (Limes work best here but I seem to stock up on lemons more than limes these days.)

In a large mixing bowl whisk the ingredients for the dressing well until combined. Add the vegetables and the cooked noodles. Mix, mix and mix till everything is coated with the dressing. Add the sesame seeds and coriander on top.

At this point you have two options. Either cover the bowl and pack it in a cooler if you’re going somewhere by car. If you choose to walk instead, pack the noodles into individual containers and away you go. We love this. Enjoy!

Rob x

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Moist Almond Cake.

This recipe goes quite a few months back. I had an unusual number of lemons lying around doing nothing. This is not the norm in this house. As any good Mediterranean foodie I really really love lemons…in anything, not just in baking. That makes it perfect for use all year round.

Now how about this: the following recipe has almost nothing to do with lemons, so why am I rambling on about them you ask? It’s because the *original* recipe used the zest and juice of two lemons, but being such a klutz in the kitchen I zested my lemons, juiced them, placed the zest and juice into two small ramekins ready to go into the batter…yes…and of course I forgot about them!  I tipped the batter into the cake tin, into the oven it went and by the time I went about doing other things like checking any mail and cleaning the kitchen in between prepping other dishes, it was too late to add the lemons. This is definitely not the first time something like this happened, but nonetheless I was still angry with myself. I thought that the cake would lose out too much on flavour and maybe it would have lost some of the moistness. I am happy to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong. One has to admit one’s mistakes! The cake was good and moist. Thinking back, how couldn’t it not be?

This recipe is taken from How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Nigella says: “It is a plain cake, but gloriously plain.” It’s not meant to be a warning – this cake is meant to be made and enjoyed like all the simple things in life. It’s a cake for all seasons with or without the lemons. J preferred it without because he loves almonds. I think that it’s great either way. One thing I love here is the minimal amount of flour used; there are only 50g. The ground almonds take care of the rest. Here’s the recipe without the lemony element. I will make a note for those who would like them to be included as I go along. Here it is then!

• 225g unsalted butter, softened or slightly melted
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 50g plain flour
• 225g ground almonds
• ½ teaspoon almond essence (I used ¼ teaspoon almond extract instead)
• zest and juice of 2 lemons if using*
• a piece of kitchen foil big enough to cover the top of the cake**

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4 and line or grease a 23cm springform tin. (I tried this cake twice also using a normal round cake tin. Make sure you *really* grease the tin well. But be careful; this cake is damp and very fragile.)
2. In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter together till you have a white mixture. Be patient – it *will* turn white. Beat in the eggs one by one and also add the flour, one quarter of it at a time. (Beating the eggs properly ensures some rise in the cake as there is no raising agent here.)
3. Now add the ground almonds, the almond essence, and if you like tip in the zest and juice from the two lemons at this point.* Stir very very gently. This is important to keep the air in the batter.
4. Tip the mixture into your prepared cake tin and bake for around an hour. This is only a rough estimate (as you can see in the book). Mine took 55 minutes exactly in both cases. So always keep an eye on it. After around 25 minutes cover the top of the cake with some kitchen foil to avoid burning.** You want it to turn a nice golden colour. Any more than that and it could burn. When the cake is done the skewer should come out clean. Don’t worry if there is a little gooeyness stuck to the knife or skewer. It’s ok if there’s just a little!
5. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the tin for a little while. Then turn it on to a wire rack and let it cool completely. What I did at this point, and this is totally up to you, is to melt around 100g of dark chocolate with a knob of butter on a small pot of steaming water. Drizzle this over the cake. It’s an unfussy way of putting a little decoration. I don’t bother with anything else at this point – it will be gobbled up anyway! Nigella has some great tips on how to serve this cake too: either with some lemon ice cream or with raspberries or both! Enjoy and tell me what you think if you try it.

Enjoy!

Rob x

Really Easy Fish Cakes

I think that comfort food does not necessarily mean fatty food. Fish cakes are packed with good energy without the heaviness of any meat. Not that I don’t like meat patties once in a while, but these are a great alternative, and can be eaten in summer and also during the dreary winter months. I love them and hope you do too. This recipe makes around 14 100g cakes. However you can make them as small as you like for parties and picnics. Here’s what you need:

• 750g potatoes (cooked, mashed with 15g butter and cooled)
• 550g white fish (I used pollock)
• 200g breadcrumbs
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg for binding

1. Place some flour in a small bowl. Mix all the ingredients well in a large bowl.
2. Flour your hands to avoid extra stickiness and using a ½ cup measure if you have one (or measure 100g per patty) spoon the measured mixture into your hands to form one fish cake. Then dip this into the flour to coat.
3. Pat each cake to remove the excess flour, place on a plate or flat dish and repeat until all the mixture is used up. Cover the fish cakes with cling film and place in the fridge for around 30 minutes to help them cool and firm up. This will help them remain whole in the frying pan and in the oven after that.
4. At this stage you can preheat the oven to 170ºC. Place about a tablespoon of oil and a small knob of butter into a shallow pan and fry the cooled fish cakes on both sides, giving them around 5 to 6 minutes per side. Put them into a lined baking dish and finish them in the oven for 15 minutes, or until they turn golden brown on top.

Serve with a green salad and some Halloumi cheese, but my favourite way to eat this is in between some fresh wholemeal bread with a light spread of mayo!

Enjoy!

Rob x

Hummus

Hummus is a mixture used as a dip mainly made out of chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), olive oil, garlic and lemon. J is a big fan of all Middle Eastern food and is a huge fan of the stuff. It’s healthy and makes a nice snack. This is our version; it’s not authentic I know, primarily because we don’t use tahini. There are no speciality shops nearby, and when we did manage to find it once the quantity was too much for what we needed. And you know the drill here – the jar stayed in the fridge forever. What we do add is some sesame oil to give the spread a nutty flavour. If you omit the tahini, as in this recipe, you will undeniably end up with a drier mixture, but otherwise the taste is great. The depth of flavour comes from the cumin. To be honest I don’t like cumin too much, but in this recipe it seems to work pretty well. All you need here is a food processor, blitz everything together and you will end up with something tasty for yourself or for your guests.

An important note for this recipe: before you start bear in mind that dried chickpeas need to be covered with cold water in a bowl overnight, and boiled rapidly for 10 minutes and simmered for 30 minutes the next day. Then place in a colander or sieve and cool them down with cold water.

When you have completed the above step, place the cooked and cooled chickpeas into your food processor and add:

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, crushed (you really need it here I’m afraid)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon paprika (optional)
• around 200ml cold water, and add as necessary

Blitz all the ingredients together and serve with pita bread, crackers or anything you like. You can serve in a big bowl and decorate with a little bit of lemon zest. Just enough zing for freshness. Enjoy!

Rob x

Simple Squash and Carrot Soup

Now this is the season for heart-warming dishes. When the weather does not cooperate, I love spending time in the kitchen. When I want comfort I try to turn to something tasty and nutritious whenever I can, though I never say no to some chocolate! However there are times when not even chocolate does the trick. On the whole I prefer savoury stuff rather than sweets, so I make soup instead. Soups can either be boring or exciting, insipid or bursting with flavour. Good ones are just that: good.

What I am giving here is just a guide. And by no means am I saying that this is the prefect recipe! You know me more than that…and cooking is not rocket science. But this is how I go about making it. Just don’t let it influence you too much. There are no rules here; the thickness, texture and taste depends totally up to you. It’s a carrot and butternut squash soup, great for this time of year, at least in the UK where it’s getting chilly. I’m not sure if my Maltese readers will see the point in giving a recipe for soup now, since apparently it’s still warm there! Ah, you lucky lucky people! Remember that you could substitute the squash with pumpkin. Just a note before I give you the recipe: the photo shows my carrot soup. I didn’t use any squash here. It’s because the actual butternut soup photo I took isn’t presentable. So unfortunately this will have to do for this post. Maybe you cannot see any difference but I just wanted my readers to know. I will eventually replace it. You will need:

• 500g butternut squash, cubed and roasted (with a drizzle of olive oil)
• 200g sweet potatoes, cubed and roasted
• 200g carrots, sliced
• 1.5 to 2 litres vegetable stock
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
• pepper to taste

In a heavy-based pan put the squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, stock and spices together and wait for everything to boil. When the veggies are soft, blend the soup and add some pepper, and remember to taste at this stage. Serve in warm bowls and you could garnish with fresh parsley or coriander if you have some available. So easy and comforting. Enjoy!

Rob x

Note: There is no need to roast the squash and sweet potatoes but doing so will give more depth to the soup so I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step. Also you could add some freshly squeezed orange juice for a more zesty flavour. The potatoes will make your soup nice and thick and gooey.