Gourmet Cooking to Lift Lockdown Leftovers

HOME Cooking, Ednam-style

There’s nothing like being catapulted into lock-down mode to give you a fresh perspective on what you consider to be life’s essentials. During these strange and uncertain times, safeguarding health and happiness has never been a higher priority. For us, food has always ranked highly – giving happiness and comfort.

Whether you’ve found the time to unleash your inner master chef, or you’re just keeping up with the demands of a hungry family who need feeding 24-7, Head Chef Peter Carr shares some lockdown recipes to lift your mealtimes and your spirits.  Bon appetit!

 

 

 

 

Hot-Smoked-Salmon Pate

Ingredients

2 teaspoon olive oil or rapeseed oil

5 spring onions thinly sliced

500g hot-smoked salmon

250g soft cream cheese

1 teaspoon creamed horseradish

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 pinch ground black pepper

Method

• Place the oil, salmon and ¾ of the spring onions into a food processor and pulse for 3 seconds.
• Add the cream cheese, horseradish, Tabasco and pepper and pulse again for 10 seconds until smoother but still coarse (spreadable). Scrape into a bowl and add the rest of the spring onions.
• Serve with toasted bread or oatcakes and lemon wedges.

 

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon Yoghurt

Ingredients

1 onions finely chopped

Leaves from 1 sprig of thyme

2 carrots, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

100g red lentils

2 pints of vegetable stock

4 tbsp. Greek yoghurt

1 lemon juiced and zested

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

• Heat the oil in a thick based soup pan and sauté the onion, garlic, chilli, thyme and carrot for 3-4 until they start to soften.
• Add the lentils and tomatoes and mix. Then add the stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 30 mins. By then the lentils should be tender and crush easily. Season to taste.
• Mix the yoghurt and lemon juice together.
• Serve the soup into bowls and place a dollop of yoghurt on top.
• Finish by sprinkling the zest on top.

 

Celeriac and Orange Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

Leaves from 1 sprig of thyme

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 celeriac, peeled and cubed

400g potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 ½ pints of vegetable stock

2 large oranges, juiced and zested

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

• Heat the oil in a thick based soup pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 until they start to soften.
• Add the potatoes and celeriac and cook for 3 mins. Add the stock and orange juice and bring to the boil, simmer for 25 mins. By then the vegetables should be tender and crush easily.
• Blend until smooth and season to taste
• Finish by sprinkling the zest on top.

 

Peppadew Pesto Penne Pasta

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

225g penne pasta

50g pine nuts

12 mild peppadew peppers

75g parmesan cheese finely grated

150ml olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

½ bunch of basil

2 sprigs of mint

Salt and pepper to taste

25g Rocket

Method

• To make the pesto place the olive oil, parmesan, garlic, peppadew peppers, basil, mint and ½ of the pine nuts and blend with a hand blender until smooth and set to one side.
• Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 10-12 mins.
• While the pasta is cooking sauté the onion. Cook until soft, no colour (this will bring the sweetness out)
• Once the pasta is drained add the pesto and onion through it and dress the pasta and add the rocket through and serve.

 

Beetroot, Carrot and Sultana Salad

Ingredients

500g cooked beetroot diced

1 shallot chopped

1 large carrot peeled and diced

40g sultanas

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp. wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. honey

Method

• Make the dressing for the salad by mixing the mustard, honey and vinegar in a bowl until combined then slowly whisk the olive oil until thick and creamy.
• Add all the other ingredients into the dressing and mix. Season to taste and serve.

 

Lemon Iced Tea

Ingredients

3 tea bags

150ml boiling water

600ml cold water

3 tbsp. caster sugar

2 lemons juiced

½ lemon sliced

12 ice cubes

Method

• In a bowl place the sugar, tea bags and boiling water and cover with cling film and leave too steep for 5 mins.
• Remove the tea bags and leave to cool for 5 mins.
• Then add the cold water, lemon juice and ice and mix.
• Pour into a serving jug and add the sliced lemon and serve.

 

Mango and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

350g frozen mango

2 bananas peeled

300ml orange juice

100ml natural yoghurt

2 tbsp. honey

Method

• Put all ingredients into a measuring jug and blend with a hand blender until smooth.

 

Sauce Gribiche

The classic French accompaniment to cold meats – especially chicken, beef or fish, this sauce can be whipped up quickly and if you don’t have the fresh herbs, you can substitute with dried herbs. Leftovers have never tasted so good!

Makes 4 portions

2 hard boiled eggs

Capers

Small gherkins

½ tsp chopped tarragon

2 tbsp chopped parsley

3 tbsp olive oil

Method

• Weigh the eggs out of their shells, and weigh the same weight of capers and gherkins.
• Separate the egg yolk from the whites, sieve the yolks and finely chop the whites.
• Chop the capers and gherkins, mix all together in a bowl.
• Add the herbs, then gradually mix in oil – just enough to bind.

 

Sauce Vierge

Just about one of the quickest and easiest sauces to serve warm or cold with fish, shellfish, or even drizzled over pasta.

Makes 4 portions

100 ml olive oil

30 ml lemon juice

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

10 basil leaves julienne strips .

3 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced.

Method

• Heat the oil gently in a small pan.
• Add lemon juice and take of the heat.
• Add the coriander and basil, leaving to infuse for 5 minutes in warm oil. Then add tomatoes.