The Food Diaries

Ricotta Fritters

Use the freshest possible ricotta in this recipe to deliver the lightest, melt-in-the-mouth fritters.

In a bowl, mix together 450g fresh ricotta cheese, 2 tbs grated parmesan, 2 tbs flour, 1 egg, and some sea salt and pepper. 

Warm a film of rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan and drop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the pan, flipping over when golden (use a silicon spatula in order to ensure the delicate fritters stay intact). 

Serve straight away, with a little side salad of cherry tomatoes, basil and olive oil.

Cherry tomato & basil and mozzarella & lemon crostini

Grill slices of a rustic Italian country loaf. Cut slices in half, rub with a cut clove of garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil. 

Add the following toppings:

- halved cherry tomatoes, placed cut side down on the slices and dotted with small whole basil leaves

- torn pieces of buffalo mozzarella, a sprinkling of lemon zest and some dried chilli pepper

Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper.

Serve alongside Prosecco topped with limoncello liqueur.

Peach salad crumble

A quick an easy summer dessert.

Peel, pit 6 ripe peaches and slice thickly. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with a 1tbs sugar, some chopped fresh mint (2 sprigs), and 50ml fruit liqueur (e.g. lemon, peach, orange).

Distribute between four small bowls and sprinkle with crumbled dry amaretti biscuits (8).

Serves 4.

Tequila Rose cocktail

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice, pour in 40ml golden tequila, 10ml rose syrup, 10ml Verdello liqueur (made from Sicilian green lemons), and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Shake vigorously. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Serves 1. 

Braised artichokes with parmesan

Rinse off 10 baby Italian artichokes. One by one, place on a cutting board and 1) chop off the stem, 2) slice 1/3 off the top of the leaves, 3) peel off quite a few of the outer leaves at the base till you get to the tender pinky ones. (Yes, you will be discarding quite a bit of the artichoke). Immediately place in a bowl of water with1 lemon cut in half (squeeze the juice over the slices as you put them in the water) to stop them from browning.

In a large, shallow pan on medium heat pour a good glugg of olive oil, and 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped. Remove the artichokes one by one from the water, slice thinly crosswise and scatter in the pan. Add the juice of 1 lemon, some finely chopped parsley, and top off with a 60ml white wine and 100ml water. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cover the pan and continue cooking until the artichokes are just tender. Uncover the pan towards the end of cooking to evaporate any remaining liquid at the bottom of the pan

Transfer to a serving dish and slices thin shards of parmesan overtop and serve.

Alphonso mango chocolate tart

Buy (or make) some prebaked individual shortcrust pastry shells (6).

Line the bottom with a tablespoon each of passion fruit jam* (or other tart fruit jam). Set aside.

In a small bowl place 70g dark chocolate and 70ml double cream and zap in the microwave for around 15 seconds, till the cream is just warmed through. Stir till the chocolate melts and is well-combined with the cream. Add 2 tsb Amaretto and combine well again.

Pour the chocolate into the pastry cases and then set aside to harden slightly.

Peel and core 2 Alphonso mangoes (their season is very short and begins towards the end of April), and slice thinly.

Distribute over the semi-hardened chocolate. Serve soon!

Serves 6.

* Passion fruit jam:  Scoop out the pulp of around 10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time.

Chopped salad with fresh ricotta

Cut 8 radishes into small pieces and place in a salad bowl.

Chop up half a large cucumber (if you are lucky enough to get your hands on the round, apple-green-skinned variety from Italy then use that) and add to the bowl.

Chop 2 ripe tomatoes (de-seeded) into small cubes and add to the bowl.

Grate the rind of half a lemon and set aside. Dress the salad with lemon juice and olive oil, sea salt and pepper. 

Dot the salad with small chunks of soft, fresh ricotta cheese, sprinkle with the lemon zest and some chopped chives, and add a final drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Serve with some crusty bread.

Serves 2.

Cheesy macaroni with butternut squash

Put a pot of water to boil. In the meantime cut a small butternut squash in half lengthwise, deseed and cut into large pieces (don’t bother peeling it). Coarsely grate using a food processor. Set aside.

Make a béchamel by melting 15ml butter in a hot pan, stir in 15ml flour and stir till it starts to bubble. Slowly stir in 250ml warm milk (so as not to produce lumps) and then let reduce down till it has thickened. Stir in 15ml tomato paste and then stir in 50g grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar if you prefer). Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, once the water has come to a boil stir in 200g macaroni pasta along with 400ml grated squash (you can freeze whatever is left over). Cook till pasta is al dente (around 8 minutes). Drain and toss into the béchamel sauce, stirring to coat the pasta well. Serve in pasta bowls along with extra grated parmesan for garnish.

Serves 2.

Tobago sunset cooler

A refreshing spring/summer cooler - light on the alcohol, but made fragrant by the elderflower/grapefruit combo.

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice, shake together 30ml gin, 50ml St Germain (or other elderflower liqueur, a dash of Angostura bitters and 200ml pink grapefruit juice.

Strain into chilled cocktail glasses. Serves 3.

Buckwheat crêpes with baby spinach & chard and soft, herbed cheese

In France you can find these crêpes pre-made in the supermarket (which is where the ones in the photo are from). However, here’s a good NYT recipe if you’d like to try these at home. You will need about 6 crêpes.

Take a (very) large bowl of baby spinach and swiss chard, washed and still dripping with water and place in a pot. Cover and let steam till wilted (this will take no time at all). Remove and drain, squeezing as much water out of the leaves as you can. 

Chop up a mixture of fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, basil, parsley or whatever you have available) and mix together with a selection of soft, fresh cheeses (ricotta, goat’s cheese, cream cheese, quark - again, whatever you have or prefer using) to make 2 cups. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Warm up  a large pan to a medium-high heat and lay out a pre-made buckwheat crêpe till warmed through. Add a good dollop of the cheese down the centre of the crêpe and place some spinach and chard alongside. Fold in the four sides of the crêpe to form a packet and press down lightly with a spatula. Remove carefully and place on a non-stick pan.

Repeat till you have used up all the greens and cheese. This should make around 6 large crêpes. Place a dollop of butter on each of the crêpes and place in a hot oven to warm through. 

Serve with some steamed sprouting broccoli. 

Serves 4-6.

Joël Durant Chocolate Easter egg - filled with dark, milk & white chocolate pieces (eggs, chicks & bunnies).

Arancini (risotto balls)

A great way to use leftover risotto.

Take a small bowl and beat one egg lightly. Set aside. Cover a small plate with breadcrumbs (I like to use Panko - a crisp Japanese variety). Set aside.

Take 1-2 cups chilled left-over risotto (I like to use a vegetable risotto, but most should work) and form into small (golf ball-sized) patties). It helps if your first wet your hands.  

Dip first into the beaten egg and then cover on all sides with the breadcrumbs.

Place a pan a medium-high heat and cover with a thin film of rapeseed oil. Fry the the patties on all sides till golden.

Makes 8-10 patties

Stuffed filo cigars with Muhammara and cheese

Start by preparing your Muhammara dip (a lightly spicy Lebanese mixture made of grilled red peppers, chili and nuts)

When ready to assemble your cigars, preheat your oven to 200c. Unroll a packet of filo pastry (6 sheets) and cover with a clean, damp tea towel to keep them from drying out.

Remove two sheets, and place one on top of the other on your kitchen counter, with the short end facing you. Using scissors, cut in two, lengthwise (so you end up with two long double rectangles - each of which will be used to make a cigar).

Brush a little oil all over one of the sets of sheets and then 5cm/2inches from the end on your side distribute a few tablespoons of the dip into a sausage shape along the width of the sheet, leaving a centimetre on either side. Now add a sprinkling of cheese (crumbled feta, fresh goat’s cheese, ricotta, etc.) and then start rolling up your cigar from the end closest to you, tucking in the filling nice and snugly. Halfway through rolling tuck in the edges a bit. Continue rolling till you get nearly to the end. Dab your finger in a little water and run along the edge of the filo sheet to seal up the cigar. Place on an oiled cooking sheet. 

Continue with the other sheets till you have finished (makes 6 cigars). Brush the tops of the cigars with olive oil and sprinkle on ground sumac and sesame seeds. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes till golden brown and cooked through.

Serve as a starter along with a rocket salad and a tahini yogurt dip.

Omit the cheese for a vegan version.