Prawns with Quick Pickled Cucumber

I hadn't made quick pickled cucumber for a while but it is absolutely delicious in a salad like this or accompanying a stir fry.  This is a sensational, light starter but you could make it more substantial by adding more vegetables or noodles.

I love the mixture of the soft, tangy pickled cucumber, the gentle spicing from the pickle and sweet chilli sauce and the hot prawns and crunch of peanuts.

Lamb Koftas

Kofta are a great middle eastern and balkan dish normally made with lamb.  There are various versions across the region and I can't claim to any authenticity here, this is more from taste memory.  I've tried making Koftas around a skewer before and it is tricky to keep it on the stick if I'm honest.  I had an idea to make them into small patties and it worked.  The addition of bread as well made them lighter and softer.

This is a great starter or great in a wrap with salad, the yogurt dip and maybe a few chillis.

Grilled halloumi with herb vinaigrette

Halloumi is a great quick meal, there is something surprisingly deliciously salty about the squeaky cheese.

A cheeky antipasto of figs with blue cheese

I've just come back from Italy and the figs are just starting to ripen.  It made me think about blue cheese with fruit, sweet, sticky honey and the bitterness of walnuts.

Is it an antipasto?  Is it a dessert?  Is it a snack?  I suppose it could be any?  Either way it works.  Add some crusty bread or rocket to make it into more of a meal.

Duck with honey and chilli

An odd time to post this considering I've been out in torrential rain this morning for a parkrun but I came up with this delicious recipe a few days ago when the weather was more promising (and I've just seen a glimse of sunshine, all may not be lost!)

I don't cook duck often but with the lovely fatty layer, it's surprising it's not a more obvious barbecue choice.

I chose to serve this with a salad and without a dressing but by all means add a little more soy or a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce if liked.  I thought the duck was flavourful and juicy enough on it's own.

You could serve this as a light or starter sized portion or go for a larger main course.

Is it extravagant to fire up a barbecue for one?  Well maybe but I like barbecues.  If you prefer you could grill (broil) the duck instead.

Chickpea and chorizo tapa

This tapa was inspired by a dish I had in Andalucia a couple of years ago; Seville maybe?  I've made my own tweaks.

One thing I love about eating foods in different countries is how you can see the history in the local meals.  The prevalence of spices, rice, chickpeas etc in Spanish cooking is a legacy of Roman and North African occupations over the years being absorbed into the culture.  It's the same with language, every similarity and difference is a sign of the past.

Spicy Prawn Skewers

A fantastic and simple way to have prawns (shrimp) on a barbecue.  As I've said before, barbecues don't have to be all about meat and, in fact, vegetarian and fish based barbecues are, in my opinion, some of the best.

The other great thing about using fish on a barbecue is you can buy prawns (shrimp) raw and frozen, they're pretty quick to defrost as well so in no time at all, you can be enjoying a lovely barbecue.

Lamb Tikka Skewers

I had intended to cook these on the barbecue but the weather turned and was looking less inviting.  They were delicious though just as they were cooked under a grill.

The great thing about cooking red meats like lamb or beef on a barbecue is from a food safety point of view, it doesn't matter if the food isn't totally cooked through, in fact, it's pretty lovely to have lamb slightly pink and I'm a fan of rare steak.  That said, I did accidentally cook these all the way through and they were still delicious and tender.  The sign of a good marinade!

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Summer rolls are funny, healthy, lovely things.  A spring roll may seem like a fatty, unhealthy thing but these Vietnamese style vegan summer rolls are almost embarrassingly healthy.

What makes them for me is that mix of textures from the crunchy peanuts and vegetables, the softer noodles still with bite and the sticky sauce.

Stuffed Mushrooms

"Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" - Shirley Conran

Ok, stuffing a mushroom sounds like a faff but actually it's really easy.

Tomato and Anchovy Salad

This is a very simple starter, side dish or light main course using lovely marinaded anchovies.

I first had anchovies like this in Spain so in my head I always want to call them boquerones (which is just the Spanish for anchovies which isn't very helpful) but they often sell them in deli counters or sometimes in the chill cabinet in film covered trays or small tubs.  Don't buy the anchovies in tins, they're great on a pizza or in pasta, not so good for a salad.

Great New Years Eve Nibbles

I'm currently trying to think of a menu for tonight so I thought I'd share with you some ideas I was having.

First plan, pakoras.  These are great because I can cook them earlier then reheat them when I'm ready (much better than hot fat when prosecco might have been involved and smells much better.)

The only downside is what to go with them?  Have a sit down meal with dhal and chicken tikka or go for a full on nibble fest?  Well scroll down for some more suggestions but in the meantime, let's continue with the appetisers.

Goats Cheese and Pepper Frittata

I've said before that Frittatas are great for just using stuff up that's in your fridge but I wanted to make one which was a little bit more special, perhaps as a vegetarian Christmas lunch option.  You might even have the ingredients in your fridge already (or even if you don't you could adapt it) making it great for those "oh, son, you've brought home your new girlfriend for Christmas and you didn't tell me she was vegetarian" moments!

This makes one individual frittata.  As I cooked this in a small baking tin with reasonably high sides, the cooking time was surprisingly long.  If you have a shallower baking dish, the cooking time is likely to be shorter, possibly only 15 minutes even if you scaled up the recipe so just keep an eye on it.

Tomato and Goats Cheese Tart

This is a really simple tart with only four ingredients.  It would be great as a main course vegetarian dish or a starter.  The creamy, mild goats cheese complements the tomatoes so well.  I urge you to try it!

Tempura

I love tempura, it's not healthy, it's not good for you (all that frying) but after a morning run, what could be better for Friday?  Let's make it Fry-day this week!  This can either be a great fish dish or vegan depending on your preferences.  Both are great.

Shallot Tarte Tatin

Traditional Tarte Tatin contains apples but the combination of the caramelisation with the puff pastry is something which can apply to lots of different dishes and shallots are a lovely way of bringing this together in a savoury way.

This could be a great vegetarian (or vegan) Christmas lunch or a lovely starter.  It's a piece of cake to make and is fine (even better) served warm rather than hot.

Grilled Goats Cheese and Tomato Salad

I love a bit of Goats Cheese and this delicious melty cheese with tomato hits the point!

Savoury Goats Cheesecake

Cheesecake?  Savoury?!  I remember hearing the concept of "cheesecake" when I was about 10.  It wasn't common in the UK before the late 80s or 90s to have cheesecake and the only ones you could find in the shops were from a cake mix packet with some blackcurrant compote on top.  I remember thinking it very odd to have cheese in a cake (as my mental image was of a block of cheddar) and shouldn't cheese be savoury?

Well this version is savoury and it would make a delicious main meal for a vegetarian guest or possibly a starter.  Don't underestimate this though as it is very filling with all of the lovely goats cheese inside but definitely a success.  Even my 5 year old proclaimed this a winning recipe!

I've suggested this may be for 2 but if you are very hungry it might be a single person portion (although be warned it is rich), alternatively, keep half in the fridge for a lovely lunch the next day.

Fig and Goats Cheese Tart

A friend of mine kindly brought me a jar of delicious beetroot chutney to say thank you for cooking him dinner.  Sadly for him, he got what can best be described as "Mum food" and then I make this for myself instead.  Hardly fair.  Sorry mate.

Anyway, this is super quick, using ready rolled puff pastry, this is in the oven in 5 minutes and cooked in 12.  Fantastic when you've had a busy day.

Assiette of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are lovely at this time of year, the perfect combination of sweetness, a touch of acidity with the perfume of summer.

My home grown tomatoes are finally at their fragrant best.  Resisting the urge to just eat them as they are or with the merest drizzle of olive oil and vinegar (delicious though that is), I decided to get a bit poncy.  Sorry, but I love tomatoes so much I decided to make myself an assiette of some of the most delicious ways to eat them.