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November 08
A mouth-watering salad that makes a meal in itself, or is equally as suitable as an accompaniment to any fish or meat dish.
SERVINGS : 4
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
400 g assorted mushrooms, cleaned
1 bunch of asparagus
50 g walnuts, shelled
200 g cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small handful of rocket
1 1/2 tbsp thyme, chopped
30 g shaved parmesan
salt and pepper
60 ml olive oil
PROCESSING METHOD
Prepare the vegetables
* Quarter all the mushrooms and place them on a tray. Slice the asparagus into four.
Make the sauce
* In the small saucepan, pour in the port wine and boil for a couple of minutes to evaporate most of the alcohol and reduce the liquid.
* Add the sherry vinegar and continue reducing the quantity until only half the amount of liquid remains.
* Add the olive oil, shake the pot well and take off the heat after a few seconds.
Cook the asparagus
* Fill half the large saucepan with water, bring to a boil and sprinkle in some salt.
* When the water is boiling, add the asparagus for one minute and then remove with the slotted spoon.
* Place these immediately into the bowl of iced water. This method is known as blanching which ensures the asparagus will remain crispy and maintain its colour.
* After another minute, remove the asparagus from the water and place into the small bowl.
Fry the other ingredients
* Heat the frying pan until very hot. Add half the olive oil and half the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Toss the mushrooms in the pan to coat them evenly with the oil.
* Add half the walnuts, garlic and tomatoes. Toss again and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove and place on a tray.
* Reheat the pan and repeat the cooking process for the second batch of ingredients.
* When it is done, set the mixture aside for a few minutes to cool down.
Add the asparagus and thyme
* Mix together the cooled mushroom mixture, asparagus and chopped thyme.
Assemble the salad and serve
* Spoon some of the mushroom and asparagus mixture into the serving dish, then layer this with the rocket leaves and the cheese.
* Drizzle the sauce over the assembled salad and serve.
For days when you want something light, healthy but equally as filling! Fantastic for lunch with pitta bread.
SERVING : 4
Preparation Time : 20 minutes
Cooking Time : 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 kg frozen broad beans
4 tbsp olive oil
7 sprigs mint
200 g feta cheese
1 lemon, halved
salt
pepper
1 chopping board
1 wooden spoon
1 large knife
1 large bowl
1 paper towel
1 cooking pot with lid
1 colander
scissors
PROCESSING METHOD
Prepare the pot of water
* Fill the cooking pot three quarters full of water and add a pinch of salt. Place the pot on the hob and bring to the boil.
Wash and dry the mint
* Wash the mint under a cold tap and spread onto a paper towel. Pat the mint dry but be careful not to damage or bruise the leaves.
Strip and cut mint leaves
* Strip the mint leaves from their stalks and use a pair of scissors to snip them into strips. However, remember to save four sprigs of mint for garnishing.
Cook the beans
* Pour the beans into the boiling water and cover with a lid. Stir with the wooden spoon and allow to boil for 1 minute.
* Once the beans have cooked drain them in the colander.
Dice the feta
* Using the large knife, cut the feta cheese into cubes.
Combine the feta, herbs and oil
* Take the large bowl and add the beans, feta cheese, mint and olive oil. With the wooden spoon, gently toss the ingredients, ensuring that the feta cheese does not crumble.
Add seasoning and lemon juice
* Finally, season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir.
Serve
* Present in individual serving bowls and use the remaining sprigs of mint to garnish. October 28
Perfect for lunch, or as an appetizer for dinner. A tasty and healthy salad.
SERVING : 4
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
24 frozen chestnuts, peeled
30 g butter
1 tbsp honey
150 ml water
200 g goat's cheese
1 handful rocket lettuce
A few red lettuce leaves
for the vinaigrette:
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp water
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 oven-proof frying pan
1 wooden spoon
1 tray
1 small saucepan
1 spoon
PROCESSING METHOD
Preheat the oven
* Set the oven temperature to 200°C ( 450°F / gas mark 8 ).
Cook the chestnuts
* Heat the frying pan and melt the butter. Add the chestnuts, season with salt and stir. When they become slightly yellowish, add the honey and stir well, tossing to ensure they are evenly coated.
* Add the water and stir for a minute.
* Place the pan on the bottom shelf of the heated oven. Shake it every couple of minutes, allowing the chestnuts to cook evenly. Leave the pan in the oven until all the liquid has evaporated.
Make the vinaigrette
* In the small saucepan, mix the honey, sherry vinegar and water and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are dissolved and bring gently to a boil.
* Add the olive oil, mix once again and take off the heat to cool down.
Finish cooking the chestnuts
* When the water has fully evaporated from the frying pan in the oven, remove it and set aside to cool down. Leave the oven on for later use.
Prepare the cheese
* Slice the cheese into 1 cm circular pieces. Place them on the tray and season well with pepper.
* Place the tray on the middle shelf of the oven for one minute, just to warm the cheese, not melt it.
* Remove the tray and turn off the oven.
Assemble and serve the goats cheese salad
* On a serving plate, place the rocket in the centre with the circles of cheese pieces around it.
* Top this with all the chestnuts, drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and sides of the salad and serve.
This refreshing bean salad dish shows that vegetarian dining can be anything but boring. You might even convert some of your meat-eating friends to your point of view!
SERVING : 4
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
800 g cannellini beans, cooked
200 g olive oil, of good quality
salt and pepper, to taste
3 ripe tomatoes
1 spring onion, cleaned
1 fresh green chilli
3 sprigs of fresh coriander
1 lime
1 chopping board
1 large knife
1 small knife
1 colander
1 medium bowl
1 small bowl
1 spatula
1 spoon
1 kitchen paper
PROCESSING METHOD
Rinse the coriander
* Take the coriander sprigs and rinse them well under a cold tap. Give them a good shake and set aside.
Rinse and drain the beans
* Place the beans into a colander. Rinse them well under a cold tap and leave them to drain in the colander.
Dry and chop the coriander
* Place the coriander sprigs on some kitchen paper. Place another piece on top and pat dry very gently so as not to bruise the herb. Now use a small knife to chop it very finely.
Core and chop tomatoes
* Remove the core out of the tomatoes and slice them into very small pieces.
Chop the chilli
* Chop the chilli into little rings and then chop them again, very finely.
Chop the spring onion
* Next, halve the bulb, and slice and dice it very finely. Slice the stalk and chop it all together into very small pieces.
Prepare the lime juice
* Cut the lime in half and pierce it with a fork, twisting the fork round, squeezing out the juice into a small bowl.
Combine the salsa ingredients
* In a bowl, add the tomatoes, coriander, chilli, onions, and finally lime juice. Mix together thoroughly.
* Season with some salt and pepper and stir again until the ingredients are all well combined.
Dress the beans
* Transfer the beans into a large bowl. Dress them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Take the spatula and mix together thoroughly.
Serve The Bean Salad
* Using the spatula, scoop some beans into a serving bowl. Heap a generous serving of the salsa on top and enjoy!
Sweet and sour chicken is a delicious and wildly popular dish found in most Chinese restaurants. Asian food instructor Chef VanRoo will show you a step by step easy way to make sweet and sour chicken.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 kg chicken breast
1/4 cups ( 60 ml ) corn starch
1 green pepper
4 pineapple slices
1 medium onion
Sauce
3 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
5 tbsp water
2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2- 4 cups corn oil, for frying
large wok or skillet
large chef knife
strainer
PROCESSING METHOD
Prepare The Chicken
* Start by slicing the chicken into one inch cubes and placing the cubes into a clean bowl.
* Now add a half cup (64 g) of corn starch into the bowl and thoroughly coat the chicken cubes. The corn starch acts as a sealing agent, keeping the chicken moist on the inside during the frying.
Oil Blanch The Chicken
* Now oil blanch the chicken cubes, which essentially means deep-frying for a very brief time. Place the chicken cubes in a few inches of pre-heated vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet. The oil should be between 325° - 350° F ( 163°- 177° C ). You will know when the oil is hot enough when you start to see smoke or little squiggly lines in the oil.
* Take care not to overcrowd the chicken when placing in the wok.
* Oil blanching is intended only to seal in the chicken's moisture, not to fully cook the chicken.
* So when finished, the chicken is still raw inside. You will know when the chicken is done when it turns a golden brown, which will take between 30 and 60 seconds.
* Upon removing from the oil, drain the chicken on a paper towel and repeat the process with the remaining chicken.
Prepare The Vegetables
* Take your green peppers and seed it by either using your knife to cut out the stem or by placing three fingers on the stem and pushing down hard. * In either method, you want to remove the pepper's stem and seeds. Also, remove the white ribs of the green peppers as they have a bitter flavor.
* Cut the green peppers into one inch cubes.
* Now dice the pineapple and a small to medium sized onion into similar sized cubes.
Stir Fry
* After first pre-heating your wok until it starts to smoke, add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil around the sides of the wok.
* When the oil is hot, add the cut onions, green peppers, and pineapple to the wok.
* Next, pour in your sauce ingredients starting with your vinegar, sugar, ketchup and the sesame oil.
* Stir all this around for at least a minute then add the oil-blanched chicken to the mix and let cook for a couple of minutes to thoroughly cook, stirring occasionally.
Thicken The Sauce
* Mix together five tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of corn starch in a small bowl with your finger.
* Now add this slurry to the ingredients cooking in the wok, stirring constantly so that this slurry mixture will not clump.
* The slurry will thicken the sauce.
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ciao..grazie per queste ricette davvero gustose
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