Month: May 2015

Paneer Tikka Arancini Balls

Published by

Here’s the recipe for my twist on Arancini, fabulous little breaded balls of creamy risotto. Paneer Tikka Arancini balls are filled with spiced biryani and delicious Indian Paneer cheese, which is similar to mild halloumi when cold and oozes like mozzarella when hot. You’ve just gotta try them. For the paneer tikka biryani: 1 onion 1 garlic clove 3 inch piece of ginger ½ red chilli 1 tsp mustard seeds ½ tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp garam masala a pinch of saffron 100g risotto rice 200ml hot chicken stock 1 tin of coconut milk salt and pepper 1 packet of paneer 1 small bunch of coriander For dredging: 1 egg 75g flour dried breadcrumbs (not golden) oil, for deep frying Finely dice the onion, then bash and chop up the ginger and garlic, and finely chop the chilli. Dry fry the mustard, coriander and cumin seeds in a frying pan on a medium heat until the mustard seeds pop. Remove and grind up in a pestle and mortar to …

Beth’s Swansea Scotch Eggs

Published by

My black pudding bonbons have become famous. They started off as a humble Glamorgan sausage (a Welsh vegetarian croquette made of leeks and cheese). Then I introduced my old friend, the mighty black pudding and experimented a lot before I perfected the recipe. They’ve been called ‘yummo’ by John Torode, ‘delightful’ by Thomasina Miers and ‘banging’ by my very honest flatmates/ food guinea pigs. But behold… they have transformed again, into Scotch Eggs, with a hidden runny yolk inside! Beth’s Swansea Scotch Eggs Makes 5 large scotch eggs 7 medium eggs 1 leek 5 sage leaves a small bunch of parsley a small bunch of thyme 400g black pudding chubb 1½ tsp English mustard 200g extra mature cheese, grated ½ loaf of white bread (nothing fancy) Salt and pepper 4 heaped tbsp flour oil, for deep frying Take two eggs, separate and keep the yolks and whites together. Add the yolks to a mixing bowl, and the whites to a deep baking dish for dredging later. Cut the leek lengthways three times then very finely slice. Add to …

Avocado Carbonara with Lemon, Pine Nuts & Olive Oil

Published by

Ok, so I just moon walked into the kitchen to cook myself something tragic with the leftovers in my fridge, and just so happened to cook a pretty damn tasty dish that was ready to eat in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I use a couple of tricks to make this dish extra special. Avocado’s make a healthier substitute for cream in pasta sauce, using starchy pasta water helps the sauce to stick to the pasta and a cheeky yolk thickens the sauce when it is mixed in, just like in a Carbonara. Serves two 1 small leek 1 small red onion 1 clove of garlic 1 lemon 1 ripe avocado a few glugs of olive oil a handful of pinenuts a handful of grated cheddar 1 egg yolk So… fill a saucepan with water, bring to the boil then add the pasta. Cook for around 15 mins until al dente (and keep 3 tbsp of the cooking water) Roughly chop the leek and red onion, and crush the garlic clove with …

Song Que Cafe – Review

Published by

Real Vietnamese food in East London Song Que was recommended by an Instagram follower, who described the Pho as ‘Boom ting!’ I had to give this place a mention. We had a fleeting visit from an old friend last night and wanted to take him somewhere authentic, and try something new in East London before my move in two months (only down to South London but still!).    Song Que In a sea of fairly decent looking Vietnamese restaurants, the only thing that makes Song Que really stand out (apart from the tacky lime green front) is the fact that it was absolutely rammo – Vietnamese, Londoners, old, young, couples, catchups, families, predrinks. We felt at home straight away in this echoey, green canteen style joint, where the waiters are speedy and the prawn crackers are free (I mean, where can you find free prawn crackers anywhere anymore?) The words ‘authentic’ ‘true’ and ‘famous’ are plastered over their menu so I don’t have to go into this. But all I can say is believe their glowing …