Chargrilled leeks with a Romesco sauce
Ingredients:
8 small leeks
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced
Small handful of basil and parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
For the Romesco sauce:
1 dried red chilli, soaked in warm water for 2 hours
2 red peppers
5 ripe plum tomatoes
100ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 whole head of garlic, halved horizontally
100g blanched almonds
1 thick slice of good quality white bread
50 ml sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper
Serves 4
Method:
1. Wash the leeks thoroughly and peel off the outer layer, trim off 1cm from the root end and leave a few centimetres of green at the top end.
2. Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil, fill a bowl with cold water and ice.
3. Add the leeks to the boiling water and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until softened, drain. Then put them into iced water.
4. When cold, drain from the water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Brush with a little olive oil and barbecue for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally until charred.
5. Put them into a bowl with the left over olive oil, lemon juice and zest, sliced garlic, basil and parsley and toss together. Season well and serve.
For the Romseco sauce:
1. Put the red peppers and tomatoes in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Wrap the two halves of garlic in foil and add to the roasting tray, roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and put the peppers in a bowl and cover with cling film to ‘sweat’ off the skins.
4. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, pop the cloves out of their skins and set aside.
5. Peel and de-seed the peppers.
6. Toast the almonds in the oven for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned.
7. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bread on both sides until golden brown.
8. Put the chilli, red peppers, roasted tomatoes, garlic, almonds, bread and vinegar into a food processor. Add 100ml of olive oil and blitz until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Courgette and fennel salad
Ingredients:
2 courgettes, (mixture of yellow and green)
1 bulb of fennel
1-2 fresh red chillies, de-seeded
1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
A few sprigs of fresh basil leaves, picked
A few sprigs of mint leaves, picked
Serves 4
Method:
1. Using a speed peeler, peel the courgettes lengthways into long thin ribbons, thinly slice the fennel then finely chop the chillies and add them all to a bowl.
2. In a small jug, add the juice of the lemon and top up with double the amount of extra virgin olive oil. Stir in a pinch of salt, then mix well and pour over the salad.
3. Toss to coat, then scatter over the basil and mint leaves and serve immediately.
Beef Ribs with Chimichuri
Ingredients:
1.3 kg of beef ribs
For the marinade:
1 small onion, peeled and grated
300ml coke
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp runny honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp crushed fennel seeds
For the Chimichuri:
Small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
½ tsp of oregano, fresh or dried
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot, chopped
½ tsp of chilli flakes
2 tbsp of olive oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 tsp of red wine vinegar
Serves 4
Method:
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large non-metallic dish. Add the beef and marinate for a minimum of two hours, or overnight if time allows.
2. Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 3.
3. Transfer the beef ribs to a large non-stick roasting tin. Roast for 2-3 hours covered with foil, or until the beef ribs are cooked. Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 200C/gas mark 6, return to the oven uncovered for a final 30 minutes for the marinade to reduce and glaze.
4. To make chimichurri, blitz the parsley, oregano, garlic, shallot and chilli flakes in a food processor or chop very finely by hand.
5. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and some seasoning and pulse to combine everything to a saucy consistency.
Raspberry soufflé
Ingredients:
Melted butter and caster sugar, to dust the moulds
200g of raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen
115g caster sugar
2 tsp corn flour mixed with 2 tsp of cold water
4 egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
Icing sugar, to dust
Serves 4
Method:
1. Brush the base and sides of four 250ml soufflé dishes or coffee cups with melted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar, tipping out the excess.
2. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, then repeat.
3. Chill again until you are ready to use.
4. Process the raspberries in a food processor until smooth, strain through a sieve, then tip into a small saucepan with half of the caster sugar.
5. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and stir in the corn flour mixture.
6. Remove from the heat but continue stirring until it is all well mixed.
7. Leave to cool completely.
8. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3).
9. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
10. Gradually add the remaining caster sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy, add a third of the egg white to the raspberry purée, mixing well with a metal spoon, then add the rest of the egg white and gently mix it in.
11. Spoon into the dishes and smooth the tops.
12. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until well risen and starting to colour.
13. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
