Author: Emma Hawkins
Stuffed Aubergines with Feta and Pomegranate

Stuffed Aubergines with Feta and Pomegranate

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Inspiration for my recipes comes from loads of different places – books, websites, social media, tv shows, and everything in between. The other day I was watching the new TV series with Nigel Slater about his trip around the middle east – a very good watch if you come across it by the way. I’ve never done much middle eastern cooking but I’ve always wanted to as I love those kind of flavours, so when I saw his stuffed aubergine dish on the show I knew I wanted to do a little variation of my own.

This is the first time I’ve worked with roasted garlic and I’m definitely going to use more of it in the future. By roasting the cloves the pungent garlic flavour is muted and instead a caramelised, nutty flavour is created, which in this case goes really well with the earthy aubergine. I’ve also used coriander here as it adds some bright colour and a bitter herbal element which works really well in the dish. However, I’m not a big fan of coriander, and I’ll admit that I picked the leaves out of my portion when it came to eating it, so if you’re like me and the mere thought of coriander makes you recoil don’t worry, it’s not essential to the recipe.

 

Recipe

Serves 4

Time: 20 minutes, plus cooking time

Ingredients

  • 2 Aubergines
  • 4 Garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 4 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1/2 Pomegranate
  • 100g Feta
  • 35g Runny honey
  • 4 tbsp Corriander (optional)
  • Salt and Pepper to season

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
  2. Cut each aubergine in half and then score the flesh into a criss-cross pattern, being careful not to pierce the skin.
  3. Put the aubergines, skin side up, and the garlic cloves into a roasting tin. Drizzle over the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Rub this into the flesh and then bake for 30 minutes, or utill soft.
  4. Take a spoon and scoop out the flesh from the aubergines, being careful not to tear the skin.
  5. Take the skin off the garlic. Then put this roasted garlic into a bowl with the aubergine and crush it all into a pulp. Then fold in 2/3 of the pomegranate seeds, the honey and 1/2 of the feta. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
  6. Spoon this mixture back into the aubergine skins. Crumble over the rest of the feta and then garnish with the rest of the pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves. Serve!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Tomato, Basil and Puy Lentil Salad

Tomato, Basil and Puy Lentil Salad

By | | Comments 0 Comment

As promised here’s the starter dish I made for my friend Emma’s 18th Dinner Party the other day. Basil, tomato and mozerella is a match made in heaven, so it’s no wonder that when put on a plate all together it tastes insanely good! It’s also surprisingly simple and healthy for one of my dishes. With the puy lentils and mozerella there’s plenty of protein and all the tomatoes load up the plate with vitamins and fruity/vegetably goodness. These portions are fairly small as I was making them as a starter, but if you want to make this into a hearty meal you can just double all the quantities.

Recipe

Serves 4

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 200g Puy Lentils
  • 8 Golden Cherry Tomatoes
  • 8 Cherry tomatoes
  • 2 Beef Tomatoes
  • 1 Ball of Mozzarella
  • 3 tsp Pesto
  • A few Basil leaves

Method

  1. Cook the puy lentils according to the packet instructions. Then spoon the puy lentils onto your plates.
  2. Slice the beef tomatoes into thin slices and then half the others and arrange them around the puy lentils.
  3. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and place on the plates.
  4. Spoon the pesto over the salad and finish with a drizzle of the pesto oil and garnish with the basil.

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Stuffed Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Sauce, Roast Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage and Honey Glazed Carrots

Stuffed Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Sauce, Roast Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage and Honey Glazed Carrots

By | | Comments 1 comment

For several years now I’ve catered for dinner parties and yesterday I did another, this time for a close family friend’s 18th birthday. The menu consisted of:

Starter – Mixed Tomato and Puy Lentil Salad with Mozerella and Basil

Main course – Stuffed Roasted Pork with Apple Sauce, Roast Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage, and Honey Glazed Carrots

Dessert – Chocolate Fondants with Vanilla Ice Cream and Fresh Berries

I’ve already done a post on the fondants back in September (which you can find in the recipe index), and the next post is going to be on the tomato and puy lentil salad so keep an eye out for that! But yeah, this was the main course, and if I say so myself, it’s a darn good one. All the classical elements of a good roast pork dinner are there with a few fancy touches added in to make it super special and tasty. This one’s great all year round, for special occasions, large gatherings or cosy Sunday lunches.

Recipe

Serves 4

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the Pork

  • 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1 White onion, finely chopped
  • 3 Sage leaves, finely chopped
  • 25g Fresh breadcrumbs
  • 4 Thick herb pork sausages
  • 2 Pork loins (about 0.5kg each)

For the Roast potatoes

  • 3 Large Baking potatoes
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

For the Cabbage

  • 1 Savoy cabbage
  • 25g Butter

For the Carrots

  • 4 Large Carrots, cut into batons
  • 25g Butter
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 2 Thyme sprigs

For the Apple sauce

  • 3 Large Bramley apples
  • 45g Brown sugar
  • 30g Butter

For the Gravy

  • 2 tbsp Plain flour
  • 400ml Beef stock
  • 100ml Cider

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Fry whilst stirring occasionally until the onions begin to caramelise. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
  2. Mix the onions with the sage, breadcrumbs, sausage and seasoning to make the stuffing.
  3. Put the pork onto a chopping board and cut it in half lengthways, making sure not to cut all the way through the meat.
  4. Using a spoon or your hands stuff the stuffing into the tenderloin. Close the loin back up to make it into it’s original shape. Tie the pork up with string in four places along the loin to keep it in place. Then put the pork onto some clingfilm and wrap it tightly. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least an hour before using.
  5. Now prep the roast potatoes. Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Peel the potatoes and chop them into halves or quarters depending on the size of the potatoes. Tip the potatoes into the water and leave to boil until they start to flake.
  6. Drain the potatoes and then put them back into the pan, add the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and shake the pan to coat the potatoes in the oil and to bash them up a bit – these flakes on the surface of the potatoes will help the, to crisp up.
  7. Tip the potatoes into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for half an hour, flipping them over occasionally so they crisp up evenly. Leave them to keep cooking whilst you move back to the pork.
  8. Rub the meat with salt a pepper and then place in a roasting tin. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes until cooked through, the juices should run clear.
  9. Whilst the pork is cooking prepare the cabbage. Put the water into a pan and bring to the boil. Peel the leaves off the cabbage and then bunch them together and chop finely to shred. Add these to the boiling water and then leave to boil for 5-10 minutes until tender.
  10. Sieve the cabbage to remove the water. Then in the same pan melt the butter and then toss the cabbage leaves in it. Cover with a lid to keep warm and set aside for later.
  11. Now glaze the carrots. Boil a pan of water and add the carrot batons. Boil them until they are tender and a knife goes into them easily. Put the butter, thyme and honey into a pan and add the carrots. Heat gently over a medium heat until the sauce bubbles and glazes the carrots. Tip the mixture into a roasting tin and leave in the oven for the last few minutes of roasting the potatoes and pork.
  12. Next make the apple sauce. Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Then put these apple chunks, the butter and sugar into a pan and cook for about 15 minutes until the apples break down and it becomes a sauce. Keep warm until needed.
  13. Transfer the pork to a plate to rest and then make the gravy. Spoon the meat juices into a pan and then add the flour and cook until the flour has absorbed all the juice – I find using a whisk is a good way to remove the lumps.
  14. Slowly add the stock and the cider until you have a smooth sauce. Leave to boil for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken. Strain the gravy into a jug and serve with the pork, apple sauce, potatoes, carrots and cabbage!

Thanks for reading, and if anyone needs a dinner party caterer just hmu!

Emma x
Irish Stew with Dumplings

Irish Stew with Dumplings

By | | Comments 0 Comment

One day I’ll stop doing a themed dish for every post, but today’s not that day. Apparently it’s St Patrick’s day on Saturday so it’s time to start digging out the shamrocks and leprechauns to celebrate. Alongside that a good lamb and potato stew should definitely be on the menu. This one is full of nourishing veg and tender lamb shoulder, which goes really well with the light herby dumplings and warming broth to make a hearty meal all in one pot!

Stews also always taste better a few days after they’re made, so you can make this up to two days in advance without the dumplings, leave it in the fridge and then carry on the recipe from step 7 when you need it.

Recipe

Serves 6

Time: 30 minutes prep, 2 hours cooking

Ingredients

For the Stew

  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1 White onion, roughly chopped
  • 450g Lamb shoulder pieces
  • 2 Large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1 Leek, Finely sliced
  • 2 Large carrots, peeled an roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp Plain flour
  • 750ml Beef stock
  • Salt and pepper to season

For the Dumplings

  • 150g Butter
  • 250g Self-raising flour
  • 2 tbsp Chopped mixed herbs

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
  2. Put the oil into a large frying pan and put over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fry gently until it starts to caramelise. Tip this into an oven-proof casserole dish.
  3. Add the lamb pieces to the pan you cooked the onions in and fry until the pieces have browned all over. Season the meat and then add the lamb to the dish with the onions.
  4. Cover the lamb and onions with the chopped potatoes, leeks and carrots, and then mix it all together.
  5. Add the flour to the pan you cooked the lamb in and cook it on a gentle heat for about 3 minutes so it soaks up all the juices. Then slowly add the beef stock whilst stirring until you have a smooth, lump-free sauce.
  6. Pour this sauce over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole with a lid and then put it into the oven to cook for 90 minutes. Check on this several times to make sure the sauce hasn’t reduced too much, if the meat or vegetables are exposed cover with more water.
  7. Now make the dumplings. Put the butter and flour into a large bowl. Using a knife cut the butter into little pieces in the flour, and then go in with you fingers and rub the butter into the flours to make a mixture like breadcrumbs.
  8. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper to season. Pour in 150ml water and stir with a round bladed knife to form a dough. Flour your hands and roll the dough into small balls.
  9. Put the dumplings around the edge of the stew and put back into the oven uncovered to bake for another 25-30 minutes.
  10. Serve!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Lemon Swiss Roll

Lemon Swiss Roll

By | | Comments 0 Comment

So today’s Mother’s day and I don’t know about you but my Mum does so much for me she deserves a good treat on a day like today! Whilst cards and flowers are the more traditional prezzie I tend to give people bakes for special occasions – I actually first made this for my friend Lisa’s birthday back in October, but I’ve been saving it to post until now as I think it’s perfect for Mother’s day.

The cake is insanely light as it’s essentially a meringue with a bit of flour folded into it, which makes it really refreshing and delicate when eaten with the chantilly cream and lemon curd filling. It’s shape also makes it perfect for sharing, and as it’s easily transportable it’s the perfect Mother’s day bake/gift!

Recipe

Serves 8

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 3 Large eggs
  • 115g Caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 115g Plain flour

For the filling

  • 350ml Double cream
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla bean paste
  • 40g Icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp Lemon curd, plus extra to garnish
  • Icing sugar for dusting
  • Mint to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
  2. Line a 30×25 cm Swiss roll tin with butter and baking paper.
  3. Put the eggs, sugar, and zest into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
  4. Whisk the mixture with an electric whisk until the mixture is pale and thick enough to leave a trail when the prongs are lifted out of the mixture.
  5. Take the bowl off the heat and keep whisking for another 5 minutes until the mixture is really thick.
  6. Sift in the flour and fold it in with a large spatula or metal spoon until it’s fully combined.
  7. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, until risen and springy.
  8. Put a sheet of baking paper onto the worktop and dust it with caster sugar.
  9. Tip the cake out of the tin and onto the paper. Take a knife and score a line about 1cm from the short edge. Roll the Swiss roll up, with the paper inside the roll, until it’s as tight as possible. Leave the cake to cool like this.
  10. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Put the cream, vanilla and icing sugar into a bowl and whisk it up to soft peaks – until it just holds its shape.
  11. Once the cake is completely cool unroll it and smooth it flat. Spread the lemon curd over the sponge and then spread the cream over the top in a smooth layer (make sure it reaches all corners of the sponge).
  12. Re-roll the sponge up, this time without the baking paper inside, to make a tight roll.
  13. To make it look neater you could slice the ends off either side of the roll before serving, or you could just leave it as it is. Put a little more curd into a piping bag and drizzle it over the cake. Then sprinkle with icing sugar and garnish with fresh mint!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x