Tasty aperitif – Squash and ricotta crostini

Another tasty aperitif / snack / starter to start your summer!

From Alfredo's With Love

Butternut Squash and Ricotta Crostini

An easy and remarkably satisfying snack for when you have friends round and want to serve something that goes well with that first glass or two of champagne!

Quarter and peel a butternut squash, cut into slices and smear with olive oil and cumin seeds and a little rock salt. Roast in a hot oven for around an hour until you can pop a knife easily into the flesh. Let it cool  – then spread onto warm slices of ciabatta or good farmhouse bread – top with a spoonful of ricotta, a little black pepper and a leaf or two of fresh mint – you could also use basil leaves if you fancy…but mint is marvellous.

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Don’t buy crisps, make your own tastier Pita Crisps!

Easy easy tasty snack-and better than anything you can buy ready made!

From Alfredo's With Love

PitaCrisps

These are so easy…and so much more delicious than packet crisps…ok..all you do..for a good board / bowl full…open up 4 pitas…place on an oven tray…rub gently with a cut garlic clove..sprinkle over rosemary, thyme, oregano – a grind or two of black pepper, rock salt and some dried chilli flakes – use your imagination – then drizzle over some olive oil.

Pop in a preheated oven 180c for about 5-7 minutes. When they have turned a little golden – bring out and leave to cool for a mo or two..then snip into bite sized triangles. Stunningly good…

If you fancy making your own pita bread…click on the link above where it says Pita Crisps!

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Mozzarella in carrozza…

An absolutely stunningly simple and delicious snack that can be had anytime, from breakfast with bacon or pan fried pancetta strips to a light lunch with salad which is what we did today. I came across it whilst thumbing through my well worn copy of the Elizabeth David’s ‘Italian Food’. It is a dish common south of Rome and simply means mozzarella in a carriage.

If you have never read any of her books, you must – she is so honest in her observations and clearly did not suffer fools lightly. Her recipes still stand the test of time and have influenced many of our modern chefs today from Jamie Oliver to Gordon Ramsay.

Anyway – here we go with the recipe.

For 4

8 slices of white sandwich bread with crusts removed.
About 8 slices of mozzarella.
2 eggs
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil

Put 2 slices of mozzarella on each of 4 slices of bread, then pop the other slices on top to make 4 sandwiches. Press the top slice down with your hand.

Beat the eggs in a large flat dish and season. Pop each of the sandwiches into the egg mixture and let them soak it up for a minute or so, then gently turn over make sure the edges are coated too.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and place the sandwiches in for around a minute a side until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, allow to cool on the serving plates for a few seconds, then demolish with gusto!

You could add a little dried or fresh oregano if you wished inside the sandwich or some fresh basil.

Oh…and they are filling! One is enough….probably!

Enjoy!

Ciao!

Bresaola…make your own!

When I first set eyes on this latest painting from the wonderful Bonnie Lalley, I was immediately reminded that I had not made any of my own bresaola for over two years! Not good. The time is ripe for making another – thank you for the prompt, Bonnie! Lemon and beef are such an Italian pairing – they squidge a shot or two of lemon over their carpaccio and their bresaola at will. And basil and lemon are seemingly ever present in any mediterranean kitchen – as essential for summer cooking as a bucket and spade are for a trip to the beach!

Bresaola is an air dried beef, aged traditionally for two to three months. I always use topside – it is possibly the best thing for this cut I reckon. You could use silverside too if you cannot get hold of a piece of topside.

The word Bresaola (formerly Brazaola, Brisaola or Bresavola) has uncertain origins.
Its etymology can be found in words like “brasa” (embers) or “brisa“: “brasa” were braziers used to dry air in the rooms used for seasoning process while the second one, brisa, is a dialect word for “salting”. It comes from a valley called Valtellina in the Northern Italian Alps in the Lombardy region. There are of course similar products around the world – chipped beef in the States, cecina in Spain, dendeng from Indonesia and brési from France.

Bresaola can be traced back to the 14th century in Italy and like so many cured meats, it was mostly farmers and their families who ate it – it was very much a way of simply preserving meat and it only escaped from Italy in the 19th century, first being exported to Switzerland, just across the border. It seems to be available in lots of places now, though I assure you, supermarket bresaola is nothing compared to those you can buy in Italy – or off a deli counter here in the UK. or indeed to your own home made version!

It is served mostly as an antipasti – or with salads – and is often seen added at the last moment to the magnificent pizzas they serve in the Piazza Navona in Rome, with large curly shavings of parmesan and a handful of fresh green glimmering rocket, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.
(Now my mouth is watering-enough)

Right, my home cured bresaola is based on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s version from his magnificent tome simply entitled, ‘Meat‘.

You will need the following:
3-4kg joint of topside beef

Then for the marinade:
1kg sea salt
12 sprigs of rosemary
20 cloves
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsps of dried chilli flakes
5 strips of orange zest and 5 of lemon
1 bottle of a decent red wine

Mix together all the ingredients in a non metallic container that will hold the joint comfortably – indeed snugly. Add the meat and turn over to coat it well. Cover and leave in a cool place – a fridge will do if you have one large enough – otherwise an out house is fine. It needs to stay there for 5 days – but twice a day turn the joint over. After 5 days, remove the joint and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Wrap it in a double layer of muslin cloth, tie up with string and hang it in a dry but cool and draughty area, such as an outbuilding or covered porch. Let it hang for at least 10 days. 15 would be even better. You will feel that it has become hard to the touch. Wonderful!

Trim before serving. Take away the outer 5mm from the bit you are going to slice. Slice very thinly across the grain of the meat. It will be browner on the outside than the centre – that is as it should be. It can be hung in a cool place for a month and used as and when you need it. If the weather gets too warm you could pop it in the fridge. Always keep it wrapped in the muslin. Never cling film! It needs to breathe. That is why the stuff you buy from the supermarket in clear air tight plastic trays needs to be opened at least an hour before you serve it.

I made my first home cured bresaola one with my daughter, Hannah, and she loved the whole process. It is a great thing to do – fun indeed for all the family! And richly rewarding!

Ciao!

Aubergine Caviar

I have revelled in the sun today and in between having a hack at various bushes I sat in the garden and looked for inspiration for some snacks and nibbles to make and squirrel away for the coming week. I came across this recipe in a marvellous French cook book and gave it a go. The result – I have nibbled already – is stunning. Simplicity itself and it will keep in the jar in the fridge for at least a week – I doubt it will survive so long.

As for the photography – well, the sun was pouring in through the blinds and I am not sure if it has added or detracted from the aubergines – but hey, I felt like I was in Le Midi so it is as it is!

You will need –

3 aubergines – halved lengthways
90 ml olive oil plus a splash or two extra
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled but bashed sightly to release the aroma
6 thyme sprigs – you could equally use rosemary
Sea salt and black pepper

Get your oven to 180c. Score the flesh of the aubergine halves with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern. Place then on a baking tray flesh side up. Drizzle with the olive oil and season each one. Pop a clove of garlic and a sprig of thyme on each half. Cover with a sheet of foil.

Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for an hour or so until the flesh is really soft. Remove from the oven. Throw the thyme sprigs away. Take the garlic cloves, peel them and place on a chopping board. Next, scoop the flesh from each half onto the chopping board with the garlic. Get rid of the skins. Chop the flesh and garlic finely and mix together. Spoon it into a jar, add a splash of oil and seasoning. Stir well. Press it down and cover the surface with a little more olive oil. Close the lid!

Once it has cooled place in your fridge or larder. You can enjoy it as an aperitif with crusty bread or crackers.

Parfait!

Smoked Mackerel Makes a Magical Salad

Lunch today was matching the mood of the day – a hint of sun, a waft of smoke from a spring bonfire and a spread of colours that exude April at its best. It is simple and it is filling for a light lunch. And its textures are a delight for fishy folk everywhere and possibly even for a few who are not! For me, the magic is in the pairing of the smoked mackerel from Cornwall with a vinaigrette. It works on all levels.

For 4

4 smoked mackerel fillets torn into several pieces
4 radishes thinly sliced
4 sweet mini peppers finely sliced
4 spring onions sliced
Salad leaves of your choice – I used rocket, lamb’s lettuce and mizuna – a good handful per person
8 baby plums quartered

For the vinaigrette

100 ml olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsps of Dijon mustard
A little sea salt and black pepper

All you need to do is make up 4 bowls – add enough salad leaves to each, plus the mackerel, tomatoes, radishes and spring onions. Toss gently.

Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together and swirl over each of the bowls.

Serve with a seriously good crusty bread.

You could, as ever in the best Alfredo’s tradition, twiddle with this recipe, adding other salad ingredients that you have in, or even for a bit of bite, a sliced, deseeded red chilli.

But this was a fine lunch as it was – try it. Let me know if you like it!

Asparagus with Parsley Vinaigrette

This is a new painting by Bonnie Lalley  (blalley.wordpress.com) and it reminded me instantly of a wonderful Spring starter that I came across in Daniel Galmiche’s excellent tome, ‘The French Brasserie Cookbook.’ Asparagus is without doubt one of my very favourite veg. Asparagus is a curious plant – from the lily family – and it has almost no leaves. Most unusual. The name itself can be traced back to a Persian word asparag, meaning a sprout. The word ‘sperage‘ was in use in the 16th and 17th centuries, but was displaced by ‘sparagus‘ and by the rather cute name of ‘sparrow grass.’ Pliny the Elder described asparagus spears grown at Ravenna in heavily manured soil as being ‘three to the pound’. rather larger clearly than modern asparagus! It had surfaced in France by 1470 and England by 1538. It was not grown in America on a large scale until the latter half of the 19th century.

It is expensive in the main due to the odd way it is grown. For the first two years after sowing it is unproductive. In the third year the shoots are thick enough to be marketed and the bed will continue to yield good specimens for 2 or 3 seasons. At any given time, a grower has half his or her land in an unproductive state. The French, Belgians and Germans tend to prefer their asparagus white. In this case the beds are earthed up to keep the shoots from going green. I like both but prefer, I have to say, the green variety.

Steamed and served al dente with a swirl of olive oil and a swoosh of lemon juice, it is possibly one of the most tactile and vibrant of starters.

This dish, however, sees the asparagus served cold. It is very, very tasty and fills you with a sense, like Bonnie’s painting, that Miss Spring cannot be far away – possibly hiding in the barn or chasing foxes through the woods. This dish will hurry her up for sure.

Asperges à la vinaigrette persil

500 gm asparagus, woody ends cut off and discarded
1 tsp of sea salt

For the vinaigrette:

2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 room temperature egg
2 tsp of Dijon mustard
100 ml of sunflower or olive oil
Small handful of chopped parsley
Sea salt and black pepper

Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Add a dash of vinegar. Lower the egg gently into the water to avoid cracking. Cook for 8-9 minutes. Drain and place under cold running water. When cool, peel and chop roughly.

Into a medium sized pan of boiling and salted water, place the bunch of asparagus tied loosely with string,, tips all facing the same way. Cook on a gentle simmer for 6-10 minutes – you want to keep a ‘bite’ to them.

Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice cold water and set aside. Put the mustard and vinegar in a bowl , season and mix well. Slowly whisk in the oil, then stir in the chopped egg and parsley.

Once the asparagus is cooked, remove the bundle and plunge it into the ice cold water bowl. Drain it, untie and arrange on a flat dish.

A stunningly simple starter, or snack. Great to eat with friends…. and with your fingers! I am eating it tonight…I cannot wait!

Right, just off to pour a sharp glass of Verdicchio…and maybe one for Miss Spring!

Nigel Slater and a twist on the humble sausage roll…

Felt it was time I shared a video of a cook and writer who inspires me constantly. I like the way he presents food, keeps it all simple, and his love for the ingredients oozes from every pore. If you have never read any of his books, you must. Real Food is terrific as are his Kitchen Diaries Volume 1 and 2. His writing is poetic and draws you into his world with ease – you can smell the food wafting off the pages. And here he uses a favourite ingredient of mine – black pudding!!

Let there be light lunches!

Just in case you missed this last time round…and I’m going to have this for lunch today I think!!

From Alfredo's With Love

The last few days as my stomach returns to normal and the gastric juices flow more calmly, the order of the day has been for light lunches – and yesterdays was a typical one in our household. A good buffalo mozzarella from a local farm – Laverstock, which has its own magnificent buffaloes and produces all sorts of amazing products, including buffalo ice cream! – sharing a plate with my favourite tomatoes – baby san manzarnos, a variety of salad leaves including chard, escarole, red oak leaf and baby beet greens with a drizzle of balsamic crema al limone, a little rock salt and a grind of black pepper. Then just a simple platter of porchetta from Modena in Italy and some more serrano ham. My kids also adore fennel so we try to always have slices of those on such a table with a little lemon juice and olive…

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Beanz do not have to mean Heinz!

This is a recipe I first came across in Tuscany, though I have had similar hearty soups in Rome and Sicily. Nonetheless, it is redolent of all that is fabulous about the Mediterranean and its warmth permeates every mouthful. Close your eyes and you will be sitting by the sea sensing the magic of the Med through every pore.

And it is, as ever, so simple. Why oh why does anyone ever contemplate buying a tinned soup? I am at a loss for an answer. Speed? Cost? Certainly not flavour.

Anyway, here we go. Do this one. Please.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 celery stick chopped
1 onion chopped
1 large carrot chopped
1 litre of chicken or veg stock
400 gm can of cannellini beans drained
400 gm can of borlotti beans drained
Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary
1 bay leaf
8 rashers of prosciutto – or you could, at a pinch, use streaky smoked bacon
4 good Sicilian sausages – or, frankly, any top quality bangers with flavour

Heat the oil in a large casserole pan or stock pot. Add the vegetables and a little rock salt and black pepper. Cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the stock, beans, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and simmer for another ten minutes.

Lift out the herbs with a slotted spoon. Bin. Use a stick blender and whizz to a rough chunky but creamy texture.

Cook the sausages how ever which way you fancy – grilling possibly best for this recipe. Allow to cool a tad, then slice each sausage into 4 or 5 pieces.

Add to the soup, and pan fry gently the prosciutto until crispy. Add a rasher or two to each bowl. Serve this dish of the Gods with crusty bread and a good hearty glass of pinotage or other suitable firm red. The sausages are not necessary but make it a real tummy rumbler of a meal. 

Enjoy with or without the sausage…but be bold.