Tuesday 30 December 2014

Purple Kale Brunch




Purple Kale, Eggs and Hot Beans

Feeds - 4
Preparation Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time 10-15

Ingredients - 
6 Organic / Free Range Eggs - Whisked
Tablespoon of Philadelphia or creme fraiche
Chunk of feta- Roughly broken up
Sprinkle of Salt /Freshly ground black pepper

Glug of rapeseed oil
1 White onion - Cut in half then finely sliced
4 Handfuls of purple kale - Roughly chopped into bite sized pieces
Handful of fresh oregano (dried works too) - Roughly chopped
Sprinkle of sea salt and white pepper
2 Avocados- Diced

1 Tin of beans
1 Ancho chilli -Chopped in half (optional)
Big glug of brown sauce (the Guinness one's pretty good)
1 Tbsp of Chipotle Tabasco or similar smoked chipotle sauce
Big sprinkle of white pepper
-To take them to the next level add 50g of grated mature cheddar

OPTIONAL- Good quality Bacon- grilled until crisp

Instructions- 
If you're serving with bacon get the bacon in the oven or under the grill straight away. Cook on a medium to high heat until crispy.

Get your beans on ASAP so they can cook and stew. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on a medium to low heat for at least 10 minutes. 

In a large frying pan add the oil and chopped onions, cook on a medium to low heat for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts to soften then add in the kale and fresh herbs, cook for a further 2 minutes then set to one side. 
Add the whisked eggs, philadelphia and seasoning to the a non stick pan (or add a knob of butter) and allow the eggs to set/cook slightly before moving with a spatula - you're aiming for a slightly wet but sturdy egg. Once the eggs are cook add back in the kale and gently combine, sprinkle in the diced avocado and you're ready to serve.

Stack it all up on a plate and you're set. I love this dish :-)





Monday 29 December 2014

Stewed Tomato & Sausage Ragu with Tagliatelle

 

Stewed Tomato & Sausage Ragu with Tagliatelle 

Feeds 4-6
Preparation Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 35-1hr 

Ingredients - 
Very generous glug of olive oil
1 Red Onion - Finely diced
1/2 Leek - Finely sliced
3 Large cloves of garlic- Crushed and finely diced
1 Carrot - Peeled and diced
1/2 Jar of Sun dried tomatoes - Roughly diced
5-10 Stalks Cavolo Nero- Finely shredded/diced
Generous sprinkle of salt/ freshly ground black pepper
Tbsp of chopped fresh thyme (dried works well too)
Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano (dried works well too)
1 Tin of good quality tomatoes
2 Tbsp Tomato puree
Large Glug/Half a glass of red wine
1 Pack of Vegetarian (Cauldron are a good make) OR good quality meat ones - Roughly chopped
500g Tagliatelle 
Half a bunch of fresh basil
80g of Parmesan - Finely grated





Instructions - 
Start by finely slicing the onion, garlic, carrot and leeks in a large pan, add in the oil and cook on a medium to low heat until they all soften, this should take around 3-4 minutes. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, cavolo nero, herbs and seasoning and allow to cook on low for a further 5-6 minutes then pour in the tin tomatoes, tomato puree, red wine and allow to cook/simmer on low to medium for 35-45 minutes, once ready adjust the seasoning if necessary. 
While this cooks place the sausages on a tray and oven bake as per instructions or for around 12-15 minutes (slicing them before hand speeds up the cooking time), once cooked transfer to the tomato sauce and cook for a further 10 or so minutes.
Heat a large pan of water until boiling, add a dash of salt then add the pasta and thoroughly stir, cook until al dente for around 10-12. 
Once the pasta's cooked, transfer to the tomato sauce and stir, add in the all the basil leaves, extra black pepper, a little grated Parmesan and serve.