Posts Tagged ‘mint’
« Older EntriesButterflied leg of lamb with minty salsa verde
Saturday, March 31st, 2012
Ingredients
1 boned leg of lamb, (ask your butcher to bone it out and trim it for you)
2 lemons, juice only
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
8 peppercorns, lightly crushed
For the minty salsa verde
1 large handfuls spearmint leaves
4-5 sprigs peppermint, leaves only
1 bunches parsley
1 large handfuls basil
6 tinned anchovies
2 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 slices bread, crusts removed, torn up (about 60g after crusts have been cut off)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
150-250 ml olive oil
For the parsley, tomato and shallot salad
1 large bunches flat leaf parsley, leaves and finest stems only
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Put the lamb in a large, hole-free plastic bag and sit it in a baking dish or bowl.
2. Combine lemon juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, bay leaves, mint and peppercorns and pour the mixture over the lamb.
3. Turn the lamb over a few times so that the marinade coats it well, then knot the bag loosely and marinade for up to 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 48 hours in the fridge. Turn the lamb occasionally.
4. Bring the lamb back to room temperature before cooking, allowing 1-2 hours out of the fridge for it to lose its chill, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
5. Preheat a griddle, grill or barbecue until extremely hot. Remove the lamb from the marinade, brushing off any solids. Reserve the marinade for basting the meat.
6. Grill the lamb, cut side down at first, for 5-7 minutes on each side to brown the crust. Then, either move the grill rack a little further away from the charcoal or, if you’re using a griddle or grill, turn it down a little and leave the lamb to cook for a further 12-19 minutes on each side, depending on how well you like it done. Baste frequently with the reserved marinade. Test frequently and, as soon as the scarlet translucence of raw meat has disappeared from the centre, lift the lamb onto a warm serving dish and leave to relax for 15 minutes or so in a warm place before carving.
7. For the minty salsa verde: put all the herbs into a food processor with the anchovies, capers, garlic, bread, sugar, vinegar and some freshly ground black pepper and process in short bursts, scraping down the sides, until finely chopped.
8. With the motor running, trickle in enough of the olive oil to give a thickish, creamy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning: the anchovies and capers should make it salty enough, so only add extra salt if it really needs it.
9. Spoon the sauce into a bowl, cover with cling film and keep cool until needed.
10. For the parsley, tomato and shallot salad: toss all the ingredients together just before serving and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
11. To serve, carve the lamb and serve with minty salsa verde and the parsley, tomato and shallot salad.
Tags: anchovies, basil, bay leaf, Capers, cherry tomatoes, garlic, lamb, lemon, mint, onion, parsley, peppercorns, shallot
Posted in Meal Suggestions | No Comments »
Shredded lamb with mint and pomegranate
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
Ingredients
1 lamb shoulder, (approx 2.5 kilograms)
4 shallots, halved but not peeled
6 clove garlic, left whole
1 carrots, peeled and halved
2 pinches sea salt
500 ml boiling water
1 handfuls mint, freshly chopped
1 pomegranate
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 1.
2. On the hob, brown the lamb, fat side down, in a large roasting tin. Remove when nicely browned in the middle (you won’t get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the vegetables briefly. Just tip them into the pan – you won’t need to add any more fat – and cook them, sprinkled with salt, gently for a couple of minutes.
3. Pour the water over and then replace the lamb, this time fat side up. Let the liquid in the pan come to a bubble, then tent with foil and put in the preheated oven.
4. Now just leave it there while you sleep. I find that if I put the lamb in before I go to bed, it’s perfect by lunchtime the next day. But the point is, at this temperature, nothing’s going to go wrong with the lamb if you cook it for a little less or a little more.
5. If you want to cook the lamb the day you’re going to eat it, heat the oven to 170°C/gas 3 and give it 5 hours or so. The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you: you know what sort of pottering relaxes you and what makes you feel constrained; how much time you’ve got, and how you want to use it. Don’t let the food, the kitchen or the imagined expectations of other people bully you.
6. With that homily over, about an hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the tin to a large plate or carving board; not that it needs carving: the deal here is that it’s unfashionably overcooked, falling to tender shreds at the touch of a fork. This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it’s cheaper than leg, and the flavour is deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.
7. To finish the lamb salad, simply pull it to pieces with a couple forks on a large plate. Sprinkle with more Malden salt and some freshly chopped mint.
8. Cut the pomegranate in half and dot with the seeds from one of the halves. This is easily done; there’s a simple trick, which means you never have to think of winkling out the jewelled pips with a safety pin ever again. Simply hold the pomegranate half above the plate, take a wooden spoon and start bashing the curved skin side with it. Nothing will happen for a few seconds, but have faith. In a short while the red glassy, juicy beads will start raining down.
9. Take the other half and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat. Take to the table and serve.
Tags: carrot, garlic, lamb, mint, pomegranate, shallot
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Thai BBQ Chicken
Sunday, March 18th, 2012
Ingredients
1×1.5 kg chicken, bones removed and trimmed of fat
Iceberg lettuce, halved and leaves separated into cups
1 handful of mint leaves
1 handful of coriander leaves
1 handful of Thai basil leaves
sweet chilli sauce
For the marinade
5 coriander roots, washed and chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
5 red Asian shallots, peeled
1 Thai bird’s eye chillies
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp white pepper
3-4 tbsp fish sauce, to taste
2-3 tbsp palm sugar, to taste
Method
1. For the marinade: use a heavy mortar and pestle or food processor, and purée the coriander roots, garlic, shallots, chilli and turmeric. Add the pepper, fish sauce and sugar to taste, and mix well. Rub the marinade into and under the skin of the chicken and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Prepare your barbecue for direct grilling over a medium heat. Add the chicken. Seal the chicken, skin side down, until crisp and golden brown. Then lift off the heat and separate the coals to create an indirect method of cooking. If using gas just turn the inside burners off and close the lid.
3. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Just before serving the chicken glaze with lashings of sweet chilli sauce.
4. While the chicken is cooking prepare your herbs and lettuce and arrange on a platter along with some extra chilli sauce. When the chicken is cooked and rested carve into strips and serve in a bowl alongside the garnishes and allow your guests to build their own lettuce cups filled with treats.
Tags: chicken, coriander, garlic, lettuce, mint, shallot, thai basil, turmeric
Posted in BBQ, ethnic, Meal Suggestions | No Comments »
Pea, pancetta & mint soup
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Ingredients
* 1 x 70g pack cubetti di pancetta
* 1 medium potato , peeled and chopped
* 500ml chicken stock
* 250ml frozen peas
* ½ small bunch mint , chopped
* crusty bread , to serve
Method
1. Fry the pancetta in a non-stick pan (no need for fat, as it will cook in its own). When it is crisp and browned, scoop out a little to garnish the soup then add the potato and chicken stock to the rest and simmer until potato is completely soft. Add the peas and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the mint.
2. Whizz everything together with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Serve with the extra pancetta sprinkled on top and some crusty bread.
Tags: mint, pancetta, peas, potato
Posted in All Recipes, Soup | No Comments »
Pineapple & pink grapefruit with mint sugar
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Ingredients
* 1 medium pineapple
* 2 pink grapefruit
* 50g golden granulated sugar
* small bunch mint , leaves only
Method
1. Use a sharp knife to top and tail the pineapple, then stand it upright on a chopping board. With the sharp knife, carve the skin away and discard. Rest the pineapple on its side, then cut into wafer-thin slices. Repeat with the grapefruit, cutting away the peel and pith, then cut into slices. Arrange the fruit on a serving platter, catching any juices, and set aside.
2. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the sugar and mint together until completely blended. Scatter the mint sugar over the fruit and serve with yogurt.
Tags: mint, pineapple, Pink Grapefruit
Posted in Pudding and desserts | No Comments »
Ham, artichoke & lemon pilaf (Vegetarian alternative also available)
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Ingredients
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 1 onion , chopped
* 250g basmati rice
* 700ml vegetable stock
* 300g artichoke hearts , from a jar or deli counter, sliced
* 300g thickly sliced ham , cut into chunks
* zest and juice 2 lemons
* 3 tbsp chopped mint
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onion and fry for a couple of mins until starting to soften. Stir in the rice, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 5 mins.
2. Add the artichokes, ham, half the lemon zest and all of the juice to the pan. Cover and cook for 5-7 mins more until the rice is tender. Stir in the mint, then divide between four bowls and scatter over the remaining zest.
Try
MAKE IT VEGGIE – Lemony bean & artichoke pilaf
Cut 100g French beans into short lengths, then add to the rice with the stock. After cooking for 5 mins, add a handful broad beans in with the artichokes, lemon zest and juice, then continue as above.
Tags: Artichoke, mint, onion
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Lemon tart with summer berries
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Ingredients
* 5 unwaxed lemons
* 6 eggs
* 250g golden caster sugar
* 200ml double cream
* icing sugar , for dusting and decorating
* 375g block dessert pastry
FOR THE SUMMER BERRY SALAD
* 4 tbsp icing sugar
* 300g strawberries , hulled, halved or quartered
* 350g raspberries
* 150g blueberries
* 1 tsp sherry vinegar
* handful mint , leaves, finely shredded
Method
1. Finely grate the zest of 3 of the lemons into a bowl. Halve all the lemons, then use a fork to squeeze out all the juice and pulp into the bowl with the zest – don’t worry about the seeds. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, then whisk in the caster sugar until completely combined. Whisk in the cream and lemon juice mix, then set aside.
2. Place a 23cm tart ring or loose-bottom flan tin on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Lift onto a rolling pin, then drape over the tart ring or flan tin, leaving the excess hanging over the edge. Carefully press the pastry into the sides with a small ball of pastry. Put in fridge or freezer for 20 mins to allow pastry to chill.
3. While the pastry is chilling, heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Prick the base of the pastry case, line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans, then bake the case for 5-10 mins more until it is biscuity brown and crisp. Lower oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
4. Use a ladle to push the lemon custard through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Skim the bubbles from the surface of the custard, then pour the custard into a jug. Pull the tart out of the oven slightly, then pour in the custard so it comes to the top. You may have some left over. Push tart back in, then bake for 35-40 mins until the top forms a light crust and the custard is just set. Leave to cool, then chill.
5. While the tart is cooling, make the berry salad. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and scatter the icing sugar over the base. Heat until the sugar dissolves and caramelises. Throw in the berries, toss with the sugar, then splash in the sherry vinegar. Bubble for a min until everything is just starting to soften, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool slightly.
6. Use a serrated knife to trim away the pastry and make a neat edge. Dust the tart lightly with icing sugar, then use a blowtorch to caramelise the top. Leave the top to set, then repeat the process so that you get an extra-thick layer of caramel. Stir the mint through the berries. Serve the tart in slices with a bowl of the berry salad on the side.
Tags: Blueberries, lemons, mint, raspberries, strawberries
Posted in Pudding and desserts | No Comments »
VEGETABLE KEBABS
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Vegetables of your choice are marinated first, then pushed onto a skewer and grilled over the barbecue. Serves 4-6
For the kebabs, you will need:
350g (12oz) button mushrooms, cleaned
350g (12oz) courgette, in mouthful-sized chunks with a piece of the green skin on each
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
10–12 cherry tomatoes
2 medium onions, each cut into six segments
For the marinade, you will need:
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon basil leaves, torn
1 tablespoon mint leaves, torn
2 cloves garlic, crushed
In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, the lemon juice, the salt and freshly ground black pepper, the sugar, the torn basil and mint leaves, and the crushed garlic. Add the button mushrooms, the courgette and pepper chunks and the cherry tomatoes. Cover and leave for about an hour.
Thread the onion segments on to the skewers, and then thread on the marinated vegetables. Grill the kebabs until they are browned.
Tags: basil, cherry tomatoes, courgette, garlic, mint, mushrooms, onions, red pepper
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Slimmer’s Mushroom Medley
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Ingredients
150g pkt baby button mushrooms
3 oranges
½ lemon
½ cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
½ galia melon, de-seeded and chopped
2 figs, each cut into 8 wedges
2 sprigs mint, chopped
Method
Rinse and drain fruit and vegetables.
Put mushrooms into a large bowl. Peel one orange, remove pith and cut
out orange segments. Stir into mushrooms.
Grate remaining orange and lemon rinds and squeeze out juice. Add to
mushrooms. Stir in prepared cucumber, melon, figs and mint.
Cover bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tags: cucumber, figs, lemon, melon, mint, mushrooms, orange
Posted in Meal Suggestions, Veg Ideas | No Comments »
Steak & Parsnip Salad
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Ingredients
sirloin steak (weighing about 250g/9oz) , trimmed of fat
2 parsnips , peeled and cut into strips or coarsley grated
4 dates , stoned and quartered lengthways
150g bag baby leaf green salad with chard
handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
3 tbsp low-fat crème fraîche
2 tsp horseradish sauce
squeeze lemon juice
Method
1. Heat a griddle pan until very hot, season the steak, then fry for 1½-2½ mins each side for rare to medium. Remove from the pan and rest for 5 mins, before thinly slicing.
2. Make the dressing by whisking the crème fraîche, horseradish sauce and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Tip in the parsnip and dates, then toss together with some seasoning. Divide the leaf salad between 2 plates with the parsnip salad on top. Lay the sliced beef over the salad and finish with a scattering of mint leaves.
Tags: dates, horseradish, lemon, mint, parsnip, Steak
Posted in Meal Suggestions, Salads | No Comments »