Tag: Nigella Lawson recipe

Meatzza

This is basically a meatloaf made into round disc and served in slices like a pizza. It really does taste like a pizza without the crust!

1 lb. ground beef
3 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbs. rolled oats
3 tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
salt and pepper to taste
butter, for greasing
1 x 14oz. tin diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp. garlic-flavored olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 oz. fresh mozzarella (not Buffalo), halved then sliced
few fresh basil leaves

Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix together the beef, Parmesan, oats, parsley, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Butter an 11″ shallow, round baking pan and pat the mixture evenly and lightly with your fingers.

Make sure to drain as much juice out of the tomatoes as possible, then mix them with the garlic-flavored olive oil and the oregano. Season and spread on top of the meat base. Arrange the mozzarella on top and bake for 20-25 minutes, by which time the meat should be cooked through and the mozzarella melted.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then adorn with some fresh basil leaves and cut into slices, like a pizza.

Serves 6

Eggs in Purgatory

“….or what to eat when you feel like hell.”

1 tbs. olive oil
1 small garlic clove, grated or minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 x 14oz. can chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-2 eggs
2-3 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
bread, to serve (mandatory)
extra grated Parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)
chili oil, to serve (optional)

Pour the olive oil in a small skillet and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Put over a medium heat and stir for 1 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes and salt and bring to a bubble. It’s got to be good and hot to pouch the egg.

Crack in the egg, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Partially cover with a lid and let it bubble for 5-6 minutes, by which time the white should be set and the yolk still runny.

Serve with toasted bread for dunking and drizzled with more grated Parmesan cheese and chili oil, if using.

Serves 1

 

Star-Topped Mince Pies

It would not be Christmas with Mince Pies and these are some of the best!

240g plain flour (scant 2 cups)
120g butter, cold and cubed (8 1/2 tbs.)
juice of 1 orange
pinch of salt
approx. 350g mincemeat (3/4 cup)
icing sugar for dusting

Toss together the flour and the cubed butter and set it aside in the freezer for 20 minutes. Place the orange juice in the fridge for the same about of time. After 20 minutes, place the flour/butter mixture and the salt in the food processor and blitz to a porridge-like crumble. Pour in the orange juice through the feeding tube, pulsing until it just begins to come together. If you run out of orange juice, use cold water. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and use your hands to bring it into a dough. Divide into three flat discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or overnight.

Heat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the first disc as thinly as possible, but dense enough to support the mincemeat. Using a fluted cutter, cut out circles and gently press into mince pie tins. (You may have to do this in batches of three if you only have one mince pie tin.) Spoon in a teaspoon or so of mincemeat into each. Cut out stars and gently place on top.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on them as oven temperatures greatly vary. Remove from the tins and set on a wire rack to cool. If you are working in batches, let the tin cool down between.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with brandy butter.

Date and Marmalade Christmas Cake

Celebrate the festive season with this molasses-rich and last-minute fruit cake. It can be easily shared out because it is both gluten-free and daily-free!

1 cup strong black tea
18 oz. medjool dates, snipped into pieces
3/4 cup candied cherries or dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sultanas
3/4 cup plus 1 tbs. dark brown sugar
3/4 cup plus 3 tbs. coconut oil
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
scant 1 cup good-quality orange marmalade, plus more for brushing
2 cups almond meal
3/4 cup chopped almonds
3 extra large eggs, beaten

In a large saucepan, combine the tea, dates, cherries, cranberries, sultanas, brown sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Let the batter stand for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 300°F and line the bottom and sides of an 8″ springform pan with parchment paper. (To line the sides, make 1″ snips along the bottom edge and ease it around the tin to form a collar.)

Add the marmalade, almond meal, chopped almonds and eggs to the batter and stir well. Spread in the prepared tin and bake for 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours. The sides will be coming away from the tin and the center will leave only a slight stickiness when tested with a cake tester.

Remove to a wire rack and brush with about 3 tbs. marmalade, then let the cake cool in the tin. The cake can be stored in an air-tight container and wrapped in foil for up to a month.

 

Mirin-Glazed Salmon

To quote Nigella, “This must be the fastest possible way to create a culinary sensation.”

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 salmon fillets
2 tbs. rice vinegar
1-2 scallions, shredded into fine strips
rice, to serve

Mix the mirin, sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish that will hold the 4 fillets. Add the salmon and marinate for 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet.

Add the salmon to the hot, dry pan and cook for 2 minutes , then turn it over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the salmon to a serving plate filled with rice. Add the vinegar to the hot skillet and let it bubble into a glaze. Pour over the salmon and serve topped with the shredded scallions.

Serves 4

Mustard Pork Chops

This is such a quick and effortless entree. The pork chops are tender and the pan sauce made of mustard, cider and cream adds comfort and piquancy.

2 pork chops
2 tsp. garlic-infused olive oil
1/2 cup cider or apple juice
1 tbs. wholegrain Dijon mustard
1/3 cup heavy cream

Trim the chops of any fat and season. Put them between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and give them a bash with a rolling pin to make them thinner.

Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium-high heat, then cook the pork chops for abut 5 minutes per side, until just done. Remove them to a warmed plate.

Add the cider to the pan, still over the heat, to deglaze it. Let it bubble for a minute or so, then stir in the mustard and cream. Let the sauce continue to cook and thicken for a few minutes, then pour over the pork chops to serve.

Serves 2

My Mother’s Praised Chicken

So named because the chicken is neither pouched not braised.

1 large chicken
2 tsp. garlic flavored olive oil
scant 1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
2-3 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and cut into approx. 2″ logs
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
1-2 celery stalks, sliced into approx. 2″ pieces
approx. 2 quarts cold water
1 bouquet garni (mixed herb sachet or bag) or 1 tsp. mixed herbs
fresh parsley stalks, or a few sprigs, tied or banded together
2 tsp. sea or kosher salt
2 tsp. red peppercorns, or a good grinding of black pepper
To serve: chopped parsley leaves, chopped fresh dill, English mustard

Get out a large cooking pot with a lid that the chicken will fit snugly in. On a washable surface, un-truss the chicken and place it breast-side down.Press down until you hear the breastbone crack, then press down again so that the chicken is flattened slightly. Cut off the ankle joints below the drumstick, if need be.

Heat the oil in the pan and brown the chicken for a few minutes breast-side down. Turn up the heat, turn the chicken over and and toss in the cut off feet (if you have them). Still over a vigorous heat, add the wine or vermouth and let it bubble down a little before adding the leeks, carrots and celery.

Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables, then pop in the bouquet garni or your choice of herbs, and the parsley stalks. Sprinkle over the peppercorns.

Bring to a boil, clamp on the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, then leave with the lid still on for another 20-30 minutes.

Serve the chicken and accompanying vegetables in large bowls over brown basmati rice. Spoon the sauce in and add fresh parsley or dill on top. Serve with English mustard.

Serves 4-6

 

Salmon with Warm Balsamic Vinaigrette

Simplicity at it’s finest. You can also grill or broil the salmon to your liking. This is really all about the sweet balsamic vinegar drizzled over the warm salmon.

1 tbs. vegetable oil
4 salmon fillets
6 tbs. balsamic vinegar
6 tbs. olive oil
snipped chives, to serve

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Season the salmon and cook on each side for 5-6 minutes, or until done.

In the meantime, combine the vinegar and oil in a small saucepan and heat until just warm. Decant to a pitcher.

To serve, place the salmon on warmed plates, drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the snipped chives.

No-Churn Brandied Pumpkin Ice Cream

It is hard to believe that it takes longer to do the washing up than it does to make this fabulous frozen treat. Spiced by the warmth of freshly grated nutmeg and spiked by the mellowness of brandy, this is, indeed, the ultimate autumn pleasure.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 tbs. brandy

Combine the pumpkin and sweetened condensed milk in a bowl and stir to mix.

Whisk the cream into soft peaks, then whisk in the pumpkin mixture until thick again. Grate in the nutmeg and whisk in the brandy.

Pour into an airtight freezer container and freeze overnight. Take out of the freeze 5 minutes before serving to soften.