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August Take Four

We've been having a 'grow your own' frenzy here at the Wealden Times office. The only issue is the courgettes! We have them coming out of our ears. So if you're in the same predicament, check out some of our favourite corgette recipes!

Courgette Noodle Salad

What you'll need...

● 1 jar marinated green olives ● 3 beetroots, peeled and cut into segments ● a handful of baby spinach ● a bunch of fresh thyme ● 100g almonds with skin on ● 200g Greek feta, chopped ● 8tbsp extra virgin olive oil ● 2-3tbsp red wine vinegar ● some edible flowers (we used nasturtiums) if you have them growing in the garden ● a spiraliser ●

What to do...

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C

2. Peel and cut the beetroots into segments and place on baking tray. Scatter with thyme and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes until slightly caramelised

3. Put aside until ready to use. Place the almonds on baking tray and toast lightly in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, watching to make sure they don't burn. Set aside until ready to use, and then chop roughly. Cut the olives in half

4. When ready to serve, assemble your salad. Spiralise the courgettes, place in a serving dish, sprinkle with pepper and salt, add the washed and dried baby spinach, beetroot with all the roasting juices, olives, almonds and feta cheese

5. Drizzle with the vinegar and olive oil, season to taste

6. Decorate with edible flowers and serve

Thai Spiced Courgette Fritters

What you'll need...

● 2 medium courgettes ● 4 spring onions finely chopped ● 2 beaten eggs ● 2 heaped tbsp plain flour ● 1-2 tsp green Thai curry paste ● 1 stick lemongrass finely sliced (or juice and zest of 1/2 lime ● 1 small handful coriander finely chopped ● 1 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce ● ready made sweet chili dipping sauce to serve ●

What to do...

1. Grate the courgettes and squeeze out some of the liquid (place in a colander or sieve and push a saucer down on top) This will help the fritters stay crispy

2. Add the other ingredients but save half the coriander as a garnish. Combine thoroughly

3. Form the mixture into patty shapes and saute in a little oil until crisp and golden. Serve with sweet chilli dip

Courgette Pesto and Goat's Cheese Tart

What you'll need...

● 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry ● 2-3 medium sized courgettes sliced finely, however you like ● 1 large onion sliced ● 100g soft goat's cheese ● 75g pine nuts (a good handful) ● 1/2 jar of pesto ● 8 halved cherry tomatoes or 3 medium sliced ● 1 egg beaten ● dried oregano to sprinkle on top ● 

What to do...

1. Saute the onion in a little oil until soft. set the onion to one side and either gently fry the courgettes in the same pan as the onion, or griddle them to get a nice charred stripe effect. Leave to cool

2. Meanwhile roll out the pastry and score a line 1cm in from the edge all the way around with a knife (this will give you a 'lip' that will hold the contents of the tart as it bakes) Place the pastry onto a baking tray and spread the base with pesto

3. Add the onion and then layer the courgettes over. Top with goat's cheese, sliced tomatoes and pine nuts

4. Brush the edges of the tart with the beaten egg (drizzle any that's left over the tart)

5. Add a sprinkle of dried herbs and place in the oven for about 25 minutes at gas 4/180˚C

Ultimate Courgette Cake

What you'll need...

● 250g self raising flour ● 250g caster sugar ● 200ml vegetable oil ● 150-200g (2 smallish) courgettes finely grated ● 1tsp vanilla extract ● 3 large eggs ● 100g plump sultanas (optional) ● grated zest of a lime ● 

For the lime curd (makes around 1lb)...

● 1 medium sized egg ● 2 egg yolks ● 2 limes, juice and grated zest ● 150g unsalted butter ● 250g caster sugar ●

For the cream cheese frosting...

● 100g cream cheese ● 50g softened butter ● juice of 1/2 a lime ● 150g icing sugar ● 75g pistachios to decorate ● 

What to do...

1. Preheat oven to gas 4/160˚C. Line / grease 2x7" sandwich tins

2. Beat the eggs and sugar together until moussey, then add all the other ingredients-I normally add the dry ones first, then the courgettes and the oil. Combine everything (carefully with a spoon rather than whisking) and pour into cake tins. Bake for approx 35 minutes, depending on your oven

3. While the cake is baking and cooling make the frosting by beating cream cheese, butter, lime juice and icing sugar together. Spread lime curd filling over the bottom half of the cake, sandwich together, then spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sprinkle with chopped pistachios

For the lime curd...

1. Melt the butter and sugar together first and then combine the other ingredients carefully and keep stirring briskly (I use a wooden spoon) until the mixture starts to thicken

2. As this happens gradually, so test as you would with jam by putting a little on a saucer and checking the consistency. Store in a sterilised jar

Recipes: Jo Arnell and Lucinda Hamilton

Photos: David Merewether

For more recipes visit our website

July's Take Five

Tea Party Treats

We pick some of our favourite recipes from over the years that we think will make the perfect selection of tea party nibbles!

Butternut squash and chilli chestnut rolls

What you'll need...

● 1 small butternut squash ● 500g Saxby's puff pastry ● 1/2 red chilli ● 1/2 tsp five spice ● 1 tsp ground ginger ● 50g soft brown sugar ● 150g roasted chestnuts ● 1 egg whisked for egg wash ●

What to do...

1. Peel and cut butternut squash into cubes, then roast in a little oil together with the sugar and five spice mix, allow to cool.

2. Finely chop the chilli and chestnuts, and mash together with the butternut squash and ginger.

3. Roll out the puff pastry into long thin strips and place a little of the mixture in the centre of the puff pastry, brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash and fold over to form a roll.

4. Brush lightly with egg wash before placing tin the oven to cook, until golden brown.

Recipe: Tony Boyle
Photos: David Merewether

Marshmallows

What you'll need...

● 1tbsp icing sugar ● 125ml hot water ● 1 tbsp cornflour ● 25g sachet gelatine ● red food colouring ● 2 free range egg whites ● 500g granulated sugar ●


What to do...


1. Sift together the icing sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Grease a 20cm (8in) square shallow cake tin with a little vegetable oil, then shake some of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture to coat the tin. Set aside.

2. Pour the hot water into a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine on top and stir gently until the crystals dissolve. Add 2-3 drops of food colouring to the gelatine and mix thoroughly. (Pink is traditionally used but you can use whichever colour you like)

3. Put the egg whites into a food processor and set aside. Put the granulated sugar into a medium saucepan and add 250 ml of water. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. In the meantime, turn on the food processor and mix the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Boil the sugar mixture until it reaches 121C, the hard ball stage- when a small amount of mixture is dropped into water it will form a ball that holds its shape. Take the pan off the heat.

4. Pour the gelatine into the pan of syrup, stirring continuously until the gelatine is thoroughly mixed with the syrup. Turn the food processor back on and carefully pour the syrup onto the beaten egg whites. Continue mixing until the mixture turns thick and bulky but is still pourable. If you lift up the beater, a ribbon of marshmallow should remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking back down into the mix.

5. Pour the marshmallow into the prepared tin and leave to set in a cool place for approximately 1 or 2 hours (do not refrigerate)

6. Dust a chopping board or work surface with the remaining cornflour and icing sugar mixture. Butter a sharp knife and carefully ease the marshmallow mixture out of the tin and onto the board. Sift any extra icing sugar and cornflour over the marshmallow if necessary. Cute the marshmallow into cubes. 

7. Store in an airtight tin lined with baking parchment or grease proof paper for up to one week. You can freeze marshmallows- they will only take a minute or two to defrost.

Recipe: Nicki Trench
Photos: David Merewether


Lunch Frittata

What you'll need...

● 8 large eggs ● small bunch of spring onions or 2 medium onions ● some cooked, cubed potatoes (quantities depend on the other vegetables used) ● a red pepper ● a courgette or two ● mushrooms ● green beans (precooked) ● peas ● a handful of chopped parsley ● oregano ● olive oil ● salt ● optional cubed pancetta ●

What to do...

1. Use a heavy based, or non-stick, medium sized frying pan for this recipe. If you're splashing out and using pancetta, fry it gently until it starts to crisp and then soften the onions and uncooked vegetables in the bacon fat for 5 minutes or so. Or use a little olive oil and add the cooked potato.

2. Meanwhile crack the eggs into a bowl and beat together, then pour over the vegetable mixture and cook gently until the egg starts to set- no mixing, or you'll scramble the eggs- and keep the heat low or the bottom will burn.

3. When the mixture's been cooking for around 15 minutes, place the pan under the grill and cook to the top, to make sure the frittata cooks all the way through.

4. Serve warm or cold!

Recipe: Jo Arnell


Goat Cheese Tartlet with Thyme and Roasted Red Onion

What you'll need...

● packet of filo pastry ● 60g butter, melted ● 6 sprigs of thyme, stripped ● 1 red onion, chopped ● 200g goat cheese ● 250ml double cream ● 2 eggs ● 2 egg yolks ● salt and pepper ● 2 mini muffin tins ● 

What to do...

1. Preheat the oven to 170C

2. First roast the chopped red onion in a little olive oil and black pepper till soft.

3. Make the filo tartlets by painting one sheet of filo pastry at a time with melted butter, then cut the sheets into 5cm squares. Next sprinkle half of them with thyme, salt and pepper and place the unseasoned squares on top at an angle, and mould them into the muffin tins. Cover the tins with clingfilm to stop the pastry drying out while you make the remaining tartlets. 

4. For the filling, blend the goat cheese, double cream, eggs and seasoning. Put some roasted red onion in the base of each tartlet and spoon the goat cheese mixture on top with a sprig of thyme.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, check and return if they need to cook for longer, then serve warm. 


Recipe: Juliet Bidwell
Photos: David Merewether


Eton Mess Cake

What you'll need...

● 150g self raising flour ● 150g softened butter ● 150g caster sugar ● 1/2 tsp vanilla essence ● 2 eggs ● 1 tbsp milk ● 75ml double cream ● small punnet of strawberries ● 

For the meringue...

● 2 large egg whites ● 100g caster sugar 1/2 tsp vinegar ● 

What to do...

1. Pre-heat oven to gas 4/180C. Fill a cupcake tin with 12 cases.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together, gradually add the eggs and flour, then milk (a little at a time) until it reaches dropping consistency.

3. Divide the mixture into the 12 paper cases and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Check towards the end of this time- they should be a light golden brown.

4. While the cakes are cooling, wash, hull and roughly slice the strawberries, whip the cream and break up the meringue into pieces about the same size as the strawberries.

5. Once the cakes are cooled, scoop out the centre of each (you can use the cake 'scoops' and add them to the topping or save them to make a trifle base). Pile cream into the middle and top with meringue pieces and strawberries.

For the meringue...

1. Line a flat baking tray with baking parchment and preheat oven to gas 1/ 140C

2. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar, a little at a time. beating in between until it's incorporated and the mixture looks glossy and holds stiffly on a spoon (don't over beat)

3. Add the vinegar if using (it's supposed to help the meringue's texture). Spread the mixture thickly over the baking sheet and bake for approximately 40 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave them to dry out in the oven over night. 

Photos: David Merewether

For more recipe inspiration, pop to our website...

Simple Summer Fare

WT picks out a few of their favourite recipes for summer time! 

 

No one want's to be slaving over a hot hob in the summer. So here are a few recipes we love to give you some inspiration for the parties, picnics and BBQs to come...

 

Feta, Watermelon and avocado salad

Watermelon is amazing in a salad, bringing a gorgeously sweet crunchiness. Combine that with salty feta and ripe avocado and you have a feast that's as lovely to eat as it is to look at.

What you'll need...

• 500g watermelon
•  salad leaves (lamb's lettuce, rocket or baby leaves)
• 2 avocados, peeled, stoned and cut into small chunks
• small bunch of radishes, halved
• 100g sun-dried tomatoes
• 150g feta, cut into small cubes
• juice of 1 lime
• 2tbsp olive oil
• a few sprigs of mint
• salt and black pepper

What to do...

Cut the watermelon into chunks, removing the peel and seeds. Do this over a bowl to catch the juice and set the juice aside.

Put the salad leaves in a bowl or on a serving platter and add the watermelon, avocados, radishes and feta.

Whisk together any watermelon juice with the lime juice and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Drizzle this dressing over the salad and garnish with a few sprigs of mint.


Davina's 5 Weeks to Sugar-Free is published by Orion Books at £16.99. www.orionbooks.co.uk
Photographs: Andrew Hayes-Watkins Recipes: Davina McCall


Thai spiced courgette fritters with sweet chilli dip


These small, spicy morsels have a tangy kick and make delicious finger food for a summer garden party.

 

What you'll need...

• 2 medium courgettes 
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped 
• 2 beaten eggs 
• 2 heaped tbsp plain flour 
• 1-2 tsp green Thai curry paste 
• 1 stick lemon grass, finely sliced (or use juice and zest of ½ a lime) 
• 1 small handful of coriander, finely chopped 
• 1 tsp fish sauce (or soy sauce) 
• ready made sweet chilli dipping sauce to serve  

What to do...

Grate the courgettes and squeeze out some of the liquid (place in a colander or sieve and press a saucer down on top) this will help the fritters stay crispy.

Add the other ingredients, but save half the coriander as a garnish. Combine thoroughly. 

Form the mixture into patty shapes and sauté in a little oil until crisp and golden. 

Serve with sweet chilli dip.


Photographs: David Merewether Recipes: Jo Arnell www.wealdentimes.co.uk
 

 Summer Tomato and Horseradish Salad


For this salad it's great to try and get a whole mixture of different tomatoes, at room temperature, nice and ripe. Let them sunbathe on the window ledge if need be! Try and get hold of fresh horseradish – give your greengrocer a challenge to get some in.

What you'll need...

• 4 large handfuls mixed tomatoes
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• good-quality red wine vinegar
• ½ clove garlic, grated
• 2 teaspoons fresh horseradish, grated, or jarred hot horseradish
• 1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely sliced

What to do...
 

Cut the bigger tomatoes into slices about 1cm/½ inch thick. You can halve the cherry tomatoes or leave them whole. Then sprinkle them all with a good dusting of sea salt. Put them in a colander and leave them for 30 minutes. What's going to happen here is that the salt will draw the excess moisture out of the tomatoes, intensifying their flavour. Don't worry about the salad being too salty, as a lot of the salt drips away. 

Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and dress with enough extra virgin olive oil to loosen (approximately 6 tablespoons), and 1–2 tablespoons of vinegar, but do add these to your own taste. Toss around and check for seasoning – you may or may not need salt but will certainly need pepper. Add the garlic. Now start to add the horseradish. Stir in a couple of teaspoons to begin with, toss around and taste. If you like it a bit hotter, add a bit more horseradish. All I do now is get some finely sliced flat-leaf parsley (stalks and leaves) and mix this into the tomatoes. Toss everything together and serve as a wonderful salad, making sure you mop up all the juices with some nice squashy bread. 

This salad is fantastic with roast beef, goat's cheese or jacket potatoes. And to be honest, even if you put these tomatoes in a roasting tray and roasted them with some sausages scattered around them it would be nice.

Recipe: Jamie Oliver www.jamieoliver.com



Baked Beetroot with Horseradish Creme Fraiche and Spring Onions


Juliet Bidwell provides the inspiration to spice up our side dishes and present a delicious meal with a tantalising twist...

 

What you'll need...

• 3 medium raw beetroots, washed (One could substitute cooked beetroot for this dish, which also reheats well.)

• 3tbsp crème fraîche

• 3tsp horseradish

• 2 spring onions, sliced

• 2tbsp chopped chives

• salt and pepper

What to do...

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Wrap each beetroot in foil, place in a roasting tin and bake for 90 minutes, or until cooked.Leave to cool, then peel and slice the beetroot. 

Mix the crème fraîche and horseradish together, stir in the spring onion and chives and season.Spoon over the beetroot and pop into a hot oven for 10 minutes in order to heat through.

Photographs: David Merewether
Recipes: Juliet Bidwell 

For more recipe inspiration pop to our website or grab the latest copy of Wealden Times!

January's Take Five

  Thrifty Penny Savers  

We all know how expensive Christmas can be, but that doesn't mean your cooking has to suffer! Here are a few super scrimping recipes, that are cheap to make but still full flavoured and delish...

1. Spiced Red Bean Koftas

                                                               ● Photo David Merewether ●

Prep Time: 20 mins ● Cooking Time: 10 mins ● Serves: 3-4

You will need:

● 400g can red kidney beans (well drained) ● 1 tsp garam masala ● 1/2 tsp ground coriander ● 1/4 tsp ground cumin● 2 tbsp sunflower oil ● 1 small onion, finely chopped ● 1 clove garlic, finely chopped ● 1/2 - 1 green chilli, deseeded & chopped ● salt & freshly ground black pepper ●

• Method:

  1. Place the beans in a bowl with the garam masala, coriander and cumin.
  2. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 3 minutes until the onion is softened. Add to the beans with plenty of seasoning and mash the ingredients together thoroughly. Shape the mixture into 16 small balls and thread them on to small wooden skewers, 2 per skewer. Chill until needed.
  3. To cook the koftas, place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning regularly, until browned. Serve straight away.

  Busy mum's lifesaver: Soak wooden skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes before use to prevent them burning. Be warned, if you use metal skewers the koftas will fall off as they cook – I'm talking from experience here.

2. Butternut Squash and Pearl Barley Risotto

                                          ● Recipe Nick Gurr ● Photo David Merewether ●

● Serves: 4-6 ●

You will need: 

• ● 250g bacon smoked ● 350g butternut squash diced ● 2 medium onions finely diced ● 300g pearl barley ● 1 litre vegetable stock ● 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ● chopped parsley ● a few gratings of nutmeg ● salt and pepper ● 20g butter ● 2 dessertspoon rapeseed oil or olive oil ● 50g Parmesan, or hard goat's cheese, grated, plus extra to serve ●

Method: 

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and sweat gently, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the garlic, bacon and squash and stir for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the pearl barley to the pan and stir. Make sure all the barley grains are well coated with butter and oil.
4. Add the stock and stir occasionally. It should take about 35 minutes for the pearl barley to cook to a tender texture with a hint of bite still in the grains. By this time the squash should be completely tender too.
5. Stir in the chopped parsley and grated cheese. Add salt, plenty of black pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg.
6. Top with more grated cheese and serve.

3. Serendipity Soup

                                          ●Photo/recipe Jo Arnell●

 ● Serves 4 ●

After a Sunday roast, this is the perfect way to use up the left over chicken. Just use how ever much you have to hand. 

You will need:

For the stock:

• ● 1 chicken carcass, meat stripped off and put in the fridge ● a selection of stock-making vegetables cut into chunks - onion, carrot, leek, celery ● seasoning to taste - bay leaves and bouquet garni if you have them ● 1.5 litres water ●

Method:

Put all the ingredients into a large pan with a lid. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for around an hour. If you're freezing it to use at a later date, then do reduce the stock (by boiling it down without the lid on).

For the soup:

• ● leftover chicken pieces, shredded ● a potato ● 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped - or 1 onion ● assorted vegetables - your choice. ● I sometimes find a tin of tomatoes and some haricot beans useful here if I'm short on time or vegetables ● 50g butter / 2 tblsp oil ● seasoning - extra stock / bouillon powder / pepper / spices / garlic ●

Method: 

1. Chop all the vegetables up into chunks - I dice them up small, but if you like it chunkier, then do larger dice.
2. Soften the leeks/onion in butter or oil in a heavy based pan, then add the diced vegetables and sweat them gently for around 20 minutes. This slow sweating will help draw out the flavour of the vegetables.
3. Add the stock and chicken, bring to the boil and simmer gently for another 20 minutes.
4. Check the flavour and season accordingly. Serve with crusty bread (house rule: the more feeble the soup, the nicer the bread should be).

4. Spinach, Potato and Turmeric Frittata

                                                                 ● Recipe Caroline Cowan ● Photo David Merewether ●

● Serves 6 ●

You will need:

● 3 medium sized potatoes ● small bag of spinach ● 1 tsp turmeric ● 2 tbsp olive oil ● 25g butter ● 6 eggs ● 200ml double cream ● salt & pepper ●


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Peel and chop potatoes into bite size pieces. Add olive oil and butter to an ovenproof pan.

3. Place potatoes in pan and gently cook in the oven until tender, adding the turmeric. Put spinach into a new pan with tbsp of water and wilt down on the hob. 

4. Whisk the eggs with the cream and add the spinach, season.

5. Pour over the potato in the pan. Once the frittata is beginning to set, put it into the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes, until firm to touch.

For the slow-roasted tomatoes on the side:

● 12 plum tomatoes ● a little sugar ● salt & pepper ●

Method: 

1. Halve tomatoes, place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.

2. Turn your oven on to its lowest setting, about 100°C, roast for about 3-4 hours until they shrivel up nicely.

5. Cabbages for Kings

                                                                ● Recipe Jo Arnell ● Photo David Merewether ●

● Serves 4-6 ●

You will need:

• ● 6 large outer leaves of a Savoy cabbage plus the rest of the cabbage ● 2 eggs ● 250g breadcrumbs ● 1 pack (6 slices) bacon, preferably thick, cut into strips ● 100g grated Parmesan cheese (save a little to sprinkle on the finished dish) ● 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced ● 2 tbsp oil ● 100g butter ● 2-3 sprigs of rosemary ●

Method: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to a medium heat: gas 6, 180C

2. Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage (I cut out some of the tough rib at the bottom of the leaf), then core and shred the rest of the cabbage.

3. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the big leaves (put them in the boiling water for a minute or two and then rinse in cold water - i.e. don't cook them).

4. Fry the bacon in the oil until it's crisp, add the garlic and the drained, shredded cabbage and cook until the cabbage is tender (approx. 5 mins or so).

5. Remove from the heat and, in another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and egg. Then add the bacon cabbage mixture and combine well.

6. Stuff the large leaves with this mixture - lay the leaves out (inside up) and place a spoonful of the mixture in the centre of each leaf, then roll up, tucking in the sides (like a wrap) and lay them in a buttered baking dish with the seam downwards. Cover and bake in the oven for 25 mins.

7. Melt the butter in a small pan and cook for a little while until the butter browns a little, then add the rosemary, remove the cabbage parcels from the oven and pour over the rosemary butter, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

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