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Food And Nutrition

Almond cake with pears poached in red wine

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2 days ago

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Ingredients

  • 110g/3½oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 280g/9½oz caster sugar
  • 3 free-range eggs, beaten
  • 2–3 drops almond extract
  • 110g/3½oz ground almonds
  • 40g/1½oz plain flour
  • 2 oranges, rind only, cut into thin strips, to decorate
  • 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds, to decorate
  • 50g/1¾oz mixed nuts, to decorate
  • crème fraîche, to serve

For the poached pears

  • 300ml/10fl oz red wine
  • 130g/4½oz caster sugar
  • pared rind of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 dessert pears

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Lightly butter and line a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed sandwich tin.

  2. Beat the butter with a wooden spoon or in a food processor to soften. Add 130g/4½oz sugar gradually, beating constantly, until soft and light. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat well. Fold in the ground almonds and flour.

  3. Tip the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes. Test if the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre; if it comes out clean the cake is ready. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

  4. Turn the oven temperature up to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

  5. Meanwhile, for the poached pears, place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Pour in the wine and 300ml/10fl oz water. Stir in the sugar, lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble for 1 minute.

  6. Keeping the stalks on the pears, peel and remove the eye from the base of each pear. Place the pears in the wine syrup and poach for 30 minutes, or until tender to the point of a knife.

  7. To make the cake decoration, put the orange rind in a saucepan of water over a high heat. Bring to the boil, change the water and bring back to the boil. Meanwhile, make a sugar syrup by heating 50g/1¾oz sugar and 100ml/3½fl oz water in a saucepan. Place the rind in the sugar syrup and boil for 20 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.

  8. To make the nut brittle for the cake, put the remaining 100g/3½oz sugar in a saucepan over a low heat and slowly melt until it caramelises. Stir in the nuts, then pour the mixture onto baking paper to cool. Chop up into brittle.

  9. Decorate the cake with the orange strips and nut brittle and serve with the poached pears and crème fraîche.

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Food And Nutrition

Making A Grilled Salmon Burgers

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2 days ago

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September 28, 2023

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Use fresh sockeye salmon to make these delicious burgers. Cilantro, ginger, and sesame oil give them Asian flavor.

Serve the salmon burgers with a spicy chili mayonnaise or sweet chili mayonnaise (see directions, below). Cook the burgers on the grill, an electric grill, or in a grill pan on the stovetop.

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Food And Nutrition

Butternut squash stew

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2 days ago

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September 28, 2023

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Butternut squash makes a lovely vegetarian stew when mixed with a few store cupboard ingredients. A great dinner for busy days where you want something cheap and healthy. If you add plant-based yoghurt, it’s also vegan.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium butternut squash (about 750g/1lb 10oz), peeled, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 300ml/½ pint boiling water
  • plain yoghurt (any variety), to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the squash and cook over a high heat for 8–10 minutes until starting to colour on the edges. Add the salt, spices, chopped tomatoes and 200ml/7fl oz boiling water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes until the squash is soft.

  2. Add the chickpeas with the remaining 200ml/7fl oz boiling water, cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with some yoghurt, if you like.

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Food And Nutrition

Fried chicken, ital vegetables and rundown sauce

Published

2 days ago

on

September 28, 2023

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All the flavours of the Caribbean are here in this delicious celebration dish that is perfect for a summer dinner party or special occasion meal.

Serve with Andi’s sweet potato roti .

Ingredients

For the rundown sauce

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 Scotch Bonnet, left whole
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2½ tsp ground allspice
  • 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 100g/3½oz coconut cream, grated
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 200ml/7fl oz vegetable stock

For the fried chicken

  • 1 free-range egg
  • 50ml/2fl oz milk
  • 100g/3½oz plain flour
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 2 chicken thighs, skin on, boneless and cut into 3 pieces each
  • 100g/3½oz breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the ital vegetables

  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, cut into quarters
  • 1 red onion, cut into quarters
  • 2 large carrots, peeled, diced and par-boiled
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 125g/4½oz spinach, wilted and chopped
  • 125g/4½oz rainbow chard, wilted and chopped

For the mango pickle

  • 100ml/3½fl oz white vinegar
  • 100g/3½oz caster sugar
  • 6 black peppercorns, crushed
  • 1 mango, peeled and chopped
  • 1 long red chilli, finely sliced

To serve

  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Method

  1. To make the rundown sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion and garlic. Add the scotch bonnet and fry until the onions are softened. Add all of the spices, stir gently and let it sizzle for a few minutes. Add the coconut milk and coconut cream and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes to reduce and thicken.

  2. To make the fried chicken, beat the egg and milk together in a small jug. Mix the flour, cumin, paprika, coriander and allspice in a wide bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dip each chicken piece into the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, then back into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Fry the chicken pieces in the deep fat fryer for 3 minutes on each side until golden. Carefully transfer to kitchen paper to drain.

  3. To make the ital vegetables, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until slightly softened. Add the carrots and spices to the pan and stir to mix. Transfer to a roasting tin and drizzle the remaining oil over the vegetables. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and stir through the greens.

  4. To make the pickle, place the vinegar, sugar and peppercorns in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool a little and add the mango and chilli. Leave to pickle for 10 minutes.

  5. Serve the chicken and ital vegetables on plates and pour the rundown sauce on top. Garnish with coriander, spring onion, and parsley. Finish with the mango pickle.

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