Bocadillo with jamon

The humble bocadillo is the ultimate minimalist Spanish sandwich. Just a baguette filled with some meat, cheese, omelette or tuna. The Spanish do not add lettuce, pickles, onions, mustard or mayonnaise to their bocadillo. Sometimes the bread is moistened by rubbing the cut side of a tomato onto the bread, or drizzling some olive oil – or both. But mostly it’s just bread and one filling. I find good quality jamon is flavoursome and moist enough...

Read More

cheese on toast

The choice of cheese is in your court. The mayo makes it a bit moister so you could easily use hard cheese such as parmesan or manchengo. For me right now, Irish cheddar is where it’s at. Also lovely with a slice or two of smoked ham layered under the cheese. For an even more rich experience replace the mayo with an egg yolk. 2 slices rustic bread butter 2 handfuls grated cheese 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard 1tablespoon whole egg...

Read More

cheese with celery

This is more of an idea than an exact recipe. It came from wanting to enjoy some cheese without the heaviness of bread or crackers. There’s something just so good about crunching into a stick of celery and even better when it has a bonus piece of rich soft cheese attached. This works best with softer cheese but I’ve also tried it successfully with parmesan and manchego. bunch celery perfectly ripe cheese Wash celery and trim the...

Read More

Wite bean & parmesan puree

Feel free to use whichever white beans you prefer. Canellini, butter beans, borlotti or even fava would all work. I’m also thinking that chickpeas would be lovely but haven’t tried them out yet. This puree is a quick and easy starter to serve with warm pita bread or your favourite dipping vehicle. Another option is to serve it on crostini - thin slices of baguette that have been toasted on one side and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic while...

Read More

Crostini with buffalo mozzarella peppers & basil

The success of this starter is all in the cheese. If you can’t find the freshest buffalo mozzarella, don’t be tempted to use stringy, ordinary mozzarella or boccincini. The best substitute would be a fresh goats cheese or even some humble ricotta. You can roast the peppers yourself, but I find that the jars of pre-prepared roast peppers or capsicum are perfectly fine if you’re short of time. 8 thin slices baguette 1 large ball bufffalo...

Read More

Pea & Pasta soup with bacon

This is my take on the classic ham and pea soup. Frozen peas are a life saver when you’re in the mood for something green and the larder is empty. Peas are one of those vegetables that start to loose their natural sweetness and flavour as soon as they are picked so unless you have access to peas straight from the plant, frozen will generally taste better. I’ve used bacon instead of ham and served it in chunks on top but you could skip...

Read More

zucchini(courgette)soup

The fastest way to grate zucchini is using a food processor. If you don’t have one you could get some exercise and grate with a hand grater. Or just cut the zucchini into small chunks - they’ll take a little longer to cook. The herbs add a some freshness at the end but the soup will be lovely without it. 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced 4 medium zucchini, grated 2 cups tomato passata 1/2 bunch basil or flat leaf parsley, leaves picked parmesan...

Read More

chicken & couscous soup

Couscous is brilliant in soup as it cooks quickly and adds a lovely hearty texture to make your soup more of a meal-in-a-bowl. If you have access to kale or other greens they may be substituted for the baby spinach for a more rustic soup. 6 cups chicken stock or broth 2 chicken breasts, finely sliced into ribbons 1/2 cup couscous 2 bags baby spinach, washed 4-5 tablespoons lemon juice Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add...

Read More

veggie laksa

Laksa is a wonderful coconut milk based noodle soup that hails from Malaysia. These days you can get commercial laska or other Thai curry pastes that take all the hard work out of it. I’ve used Singapore noodles in this recipe which are a fine version of fresh hokkien noodles but I have eaten laksa with rice noodles and even a combination of the two so feel free to substitute. I’ve cheated a little on the 5 ingredient rule by including ‘mixed...

Read More

Simple soba noodle soup

Soba noodles are made of buckwheat as well as regular wheat and have a subtle ‘healthy’ flavour. Most other noodles could be used here if you prefer. Likewise, the veg can be varied to suit your taste (and what you have in the fridge!) baby spinach would be lovely. Remember that the noodles are going to keep cooking in the broth after you’ve served up so best to slightly undercook first. 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock handful soba noodles...

Read More