I always mean to try interesting lasagna recipes – ones that aren’t classic lasagne al forno that is – but when I come to cook it I can’t resist meaty, tomatoey rich ragu topped with creamy bechamel. It takes Jamie Oliver to convince me to try it another way.
This Summer veg lasagne is inspired by one from his 30 Minute Meals book. It’s perfect for the Summer months and ideal for clearing out the fridge! I grabbed a bunch of things that needed using up for here and it came out lovely.
Summer veg lasagne (serves 4):
A bunch of spring onions
3 cloves of garlic
300g asparagus
Large handful frozen peas
Large handful spring greens
Large bunch of basil
150ml single cream
150ml veg stock
250g cottage cheese
250g fresh lasagne sheets
Parmesan
Get the kettle on to boil, get a large frying pan on a high heat and add a splash of oil. Put the oven on 180°C.
Slice up the spring onions and add to the pan. Crush in the garlic and toss well to prevent sticking. Snap off the woody bits of the asparagus then slice up the stems, but leave the tips intact and keep to one side for now. Add the chopped stems to the pan with a splash of boiled water.
Add the peas and greens and keep stirring. Chop the basil and add to the pan with the cream and add plenty of seasoning. Cover with stock and bring to the boil.
Get a roasting tray and start to layer up lasagne sheets and veg mix until you have used everything up. Finish with pasta. Add a splash of boiled water to the cottage cheese to slacken and then spread over your pasta. Scatter the asparagus on top of the cottage cheese and grate over plenty of parmesan. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden and crunchy. Serve with panzanella.
Osso buco… the classic veal dish, and yet I’d never cooked it. I had some gorgeous Dorset rose veal shank from Farmers Choice and I felt this had to be the way to show it off.
I also had a copy of Polpo to hand which had a recipe for osso buco, so the timing seemed perfect. I’ve eaten at Polpettobefore and was blown away by the cicheti, a kind of “Italian tapas”. So many lovely little things to try. And the book is a perfect reflection of the dining style; lots of little things to eat, but with large flavour. Most of the recipes are complete simplicity which demands the highest quality ingredients. Lovely. I took the recipe and applied it to my slow cooker so it could bubble away while I was out at work.
And how did this osso buco turn out? The meat was a little disappointing, slightly chewy but the flavour was good. The gravy however was delicious; thickened with bone marrow and rich with tomatoey goodness.
Osso buco (serves 2):
2 pieces of veal shin on the bone
Plain flour
2 carrots, roughly cut
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves
A glass of white wine
1 tin tomatoes
Preheat the slow cooker to high. Get the kettle on to boil. Get a large frying pan very hot and add a little oil. Roll the veal in flour and season well. Fry the veal on all sides and then transfer to the slow cooker.
Add the carrot, celery, herbs to the pan and crush in the garlic. Fry for a minute or two and add the wine. Let that bubble up, then add the tomatoes. Once everything has come to the boil transfer to the slow cooker and top up with boiling water until everything is covered. Turn down to low and cook for 12 hours. Serve with wet polenta.
An old chum of mine, Terry, has a running blog based in Australia. I haven’t the slightest interest in running but I am interested in recipes, so when he asked me to come up with a beetroot dish to help celebrate his latest favourite superfood, I was more than happy to oblige.
Hop on over to Terry’s blog for my guest post of a beetroot salad.
…Instead of Sunday roast, geddit? Except it wasn’t roasted, and I ate it on a Wednesday. Simple, eh? Let me explain…
George Foreman Grills are making a comeback, it seems. They passed me by the first time around; just wasn’t in the right place at the right time. So when I was invited to test-drive their new monster 4-Portion family grill I was intrigued. I tried out a few things but they were keen for me to try cooking a delicious four person meal.
Whatever my recipe was how could I leave out my thing, roast potatoes? So a version of that was definitely going to feature; from there it was only a short step to deciding I might as well do as much of a Sunday roast as possible on the little dude. I can’t use my beloved Maris Pipers though, their texture will cause them to fall apart on the griddle. So I’m bucking the trend and using new pots here. Technically we end up with something closer to a saute potato but so much healthier.
With the potatoes sorted, it’s on to the meat. Chicken seems like the way to go. But I want to maximise the flavour, I am not actually roasting here so a few leg-ups are needed to make regular grilled foods punch above their weight. My love affair with brining told me to try it here; it provides you with excellent seasoning and gives a much ‘bigger’ flavour. The final touch for the chicken is to rub it with a stock cube to impart even more deep chickeny love.
So there it is – my quick and tasty Sunday Grill. Once your chicken has brined I reckon it will take you 25 minutes to get it on the table, so it’s a great midweek meal. Check back later this week where I’ll be giving away a grill of your very own!
If you want to go shopping for a grill now, here’s a deal for you: run over to George Foreman Grills and they’re currently offering free UK delivery and a 50% off sale. But for an extra 10% off, use the code GFSAVE10 and grab yourself a bargain!
Put your chicken breasts in a bowl and put it on top of some scales. Cover the chicken generously and note how heavy the water is. Work out 5% of the weight of the water, and add that amount of salt to the bowl. Ad the bay leaf and honey, cover and leave refrigerated for at least an hour, but no more than 6 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, drain the chicken, give it a brief rinse in cold water and pat dry with kitchen roll.
Pre-heat your George Foreman grill to it’s highest setting on both grill and griddle. Get a large pan of water on to boil. Crumble half the stock cube into the water. When it’s ready pop the potatoes in and boil for approximately 8 minutes or until tender enough that a knife can pass into it. Drain and allow to steam-dry for a couple of minutes. As they cool add a teaspoon of oil and toss thoroughly.
In a food processor, whizz up the shallot, then add the chestnuts, sausagemeat, bacon, sage and breadcrumbs. Season well with salt and pepper and pulse several times until the whole mixture pulls together. Scoop out the mix and form into 4 balls, then flatten.
On the griddle section, add the potatoes cut-side down. This will cook for about 1o – 12 minutes, until the are beautifully golden brown. You should also just about have room for the stuffing patties. After about 6 minutes the stuffing should be flipped over and cooked on the other side.
Meanwhile, fill the saucepan that held the potatoes with boiling water again and get the carrots on to cook until tender to your liking.
After the potatoes have been on for about 4 minutes, rub the remaining stock cube half all over the chicken and add the chicken breasts to the grill. Cook for 7 – 10 minutes until cooked through. They will take longer to colour because of the brining, but they will cook inside in the same time. Serve everything up and pour over your favourite gravy.
