TOMATO AND BASIL FRITTATA

I was trying to be healthy last week without actually dieting - I didn't drink and then I ate lots of protein like salmon, chicken and eggs with plenty of salad. I always think eggs are good as they keep you fuller for longer which is no bad thing for a piglet like me! 

I had found this recipe in an old Olive magazine, so I bought all ingredients but really wasn't excited about it and even considered doing another frittata with cheddar cheese, bacon and onion instead - but that certainly wouldn't be healthy!! Anyway I cooked this, it was super quick and easy and I was very pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients for 3 people:

4 spring onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
14 cherry tomatoes
8 eggs
1 big handful of fresh basil, torn
10 teaspoons of cream cheese
Salt & pepper
Salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 C / gas mark 4. It is best to prepare all the ingredients first. Crush the garlic, chop the spring onions, tear the basil and beat the eggs - don't forget to season!

Add a large knob of butter to a frying pan and cook the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes.

I found the garlic cooked very quickly. Then add the tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes.

Mix the basil in with the beaten eggs and then add to the pan. Stir briefly and cook for about 3 minutes until the bottom is set.

Add dollops of cream cheese and then bake in the oven for 10 minutes until golden and set.

Finally serve with a green salad.

We added some avocado to our salad and I enjoyed the meal much more than I expected - the cream cheese works really well with the eggs and tomato, I think feta would work as well. I would probably add more basil next time though. A great lunch or supper especially for sunny days….if we ever have them!!

CHEESE & ASPARAGUS TART WITH A ROASTED TOMATO SALAD

I am one of those people who doesn't like change and loves routine - I think that is one of the reasons I love Bikram Yoga so much, as you just do the same thing over and over and over again….some people's nightmare!!! 

Most weekday mornings I have the same routine - take Arabella to school, watch Lorraine and then go to yoga and I love it however I am not loving the show's new set up, especially the cooking part. They now spread the cooking out over the whole program, dipping in and out, so it is not as easy to follow…I might start a campaign to bring back the old show!!!

Thankfully it is easy to print out the recipes online and so last week I made their cheese and asparagus tart with a roasted tomato salad (with a couple of alterations). Asparagus is only in season in Britain for 6 weeks a year so this is the perfect time to make this.

Ingredients for 4 adults:

For the tart:

Puff Pastry (I buy the green Jus roll one - 320g)
A little flour to sprinkle on the tray
1 egg, beaten
200g Gruyere, sliced
120g ricotta
100g marscapone
3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
Salt and pepper to season

For the salad:

12 plum tomatoes (or however many you fancy, I had a few more as I love tomatoes)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 bunch of basil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to season

A lot of ingredients!!

As always preheat the oven to a low heat - I did 110 C (I think my oven is fan assisted)! 

First things first you need to make the tomato salad, this is what takes the longest to cook. It is super simple. Cut the tomatoes in half in a roasting tray and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix the garlic, olive oil and vinegar together.

Dip the basil leaves in the bowl and then place them on top of the tomatoes. I then poured the left over mixture over the tomatoes.

Roast the tomatoes for 50-60 minutes until the edges start to blacken. Leave to cool when ready.

While these were cooking I prepared the ingredients for the tart but I could not cook it at the same time as I only have one oven. You need to remember to take the pastry out of the fridge 10 minutes before you roll it out.

So for the tart, preheat the oven to 180 C, and sprinkle some flour on to your tray. Then roll out the pastry on to your tray. I don't have a tray big enough so use a dish, it doesn't make a difference other than maybe in appearance of the tart. You can trim the edges of the pastry if you want, it is up to you, I didn't.

Score the boarder and prick the base with a fork.

Brush the edges of the tart with a beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes.

This is the first time I have ever blind baked before and now understand why you have those baking balls - they always confused me before. I don't have any but it didn't matter as you can just squash it down if the tart rises too much, which is what I did.

While this is baking, mix in a bowl the ricotta, marscapone, herbs and half the Parmesan and season.

Break the asparagus at the bendy bit - it's amazing how easily they break.

When the 15 minutes is up, squash the centre of the tart if it has risen.

Spread the cheese mixture over the tart.

Cover with the Gruyere.

Finally add the asparagus, alternating the direction of the tips. Brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan. Then bake for 20 minutes.

Finally serve with the tomato salad.

This was really, really good. So good that we all had seconds! Really cheesy but not overpowering and the asparagus so fresh and flavoursome. A really good combination together. I loved the tomato salad and will definitely be cooking this again with other dishes too - maybe a white fish. 

Even though the recipe takes a while to cook, it is super easy and I would really recommend it. We enjoyed it so much we are having it again this week and I might even add some peas too….a good way to eat more veg!

SAPORI SARDI, FULHAM ROAD

For ages I have been reading about this Sardinian restaurant that opened up a couple of years ago on the Fulham road and how absolutely amazing it is. It is always raved about in the local magazines but as I am such a Gola devotee I never went. However over Easter, Gola closed for a few days so Pascal and I decided to give Sapori Sardi a go.

It is tucked away at the very end of the Fulham road and very unassuming. The husband and wife run restaurant is small and simple but very welcoming and we were greeted like old friends. Obviously I had checked out the menu online several times but was unsure what to order as it all sounded very appealing.

Like always we had a couple of drinks to start and then ordered a lovely bottle of red.

We decided to share starters and so I ordered the burrata which was served with cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, red onions and dusted with bottariga (grated air dried fish eggs/roe). I was a bit dubious about the bottariga as was Pascal as he baulks at any mention of fish but we needn't have worried as it was an incredible starter. The burrata was super creamy and soft and went beautifully with the salad.

Pascal ordered the anti pasti board which was a mixed selection of Sardinian meats and wow, it really was a good selection - saucisson, ham, bresaola, salami - all so similar but then all tasting so different. We really enjoyed it.

For mains, I was torn between risotto and pasta but pasta won in the end and I chose taglierini with porcini mushrooms wrapped in speck drizzled with white truffle oil and shavings of black truffle. This was really heavenly, perfectly cooked pasta, chunky mushrooms, delicious ham all flavoured by my favourite truffles.

Pascal ordered one of their nightly specials which was beef ragu with pappardelle and once again this was absolutely delicious. However he would have liked another one as the portion wasn't the biggest!

I was very happy that the restaurant passed my Parmesan test and left me a bowl on the table! 

We decided against puddings and instead rounded the meal off with a grappa and frangelico.

I have to say I was really really impressed by Sapori Sardi - it is a real success. Everything about this place was brilliant, the food, the drinks, the service and the atmosphere. I will be back here very soon, however my only problem is, I enjoyed my meal so much it is going to be tough to try anything else as they have set the standard so high! 

Sapori Sardi

786 Fulham Road

London

SW6 5SL

Tel: 020 7731 0755

Email: ssaporisardi@gmail.com

BLANCHETTE, SOHO

It is so hard to write this blog at the moment as I am currently doing the How To Lose A Stone In A Week Diet and I really don't want to think about yummy, scrummy delicious food!! Thankfully I am only doing three days of the diet and I stop tomorrow….so far I have lost 3.5lbs in two days….and no doubt I will put it all back on Wednesday as it's Pascal's birthday and we are off to Gola.

Anyway I have had a good month of eating (hence the diet) and last week Pascal and I went to try Blanchette in Soho. I had read about it and loved that it is French tapas - perfect as I always find there are too many good things on a menu and at least with tapas you can order more!!

We arrived at the restaurant at 2pm on a Wednesday and Pascal immediately turned his nose up as it wasn't what he was expecting - from looking at the website he had imagined something much smarter. I dragged him in and luckily they had one table for two left. As soon as we sat down and Pascal surveyed the surroundings he realised he had been quick to judge and he actually loved the place - very quaint and cute - it was filled with old french "artefacts" albums, books, pictures displayed in a rustic environment.

We ordered a couple of drinks and studied the menu. The concept of the restaurant is sharing small French family style dishes with charcuterie plates, homemade terrines, oysters, cheese and so on.

The menu was fantastic - so much to choose from, it was really hard not to over do it. Most importantly we ordered a bottle of rose from Provence which was delicious.

Then to start we had bread and butter and saucisson with hazelnuts. We wanted the saucisson with truffles but they didn't have it unfortunately. I was initially disappointed as I love truffles but the saucisson we had was amazing, served with a celeriac coleslaw and cornichons - we wiped the plate clean.

We also wanted the homemade terrine but they didn't have that either so went for the duck rillettes instead and I have to say, it was the best rillettes I have ever had, so soft and it literally melted in your mouth.

We then also had the cheese beignets with onion confit. These were Pascal's favourite - they were so light and fluffy. I would have preferred the croque monsieur but it was worth it to see Pascal thinking he was literally eating Heaven!!

For mains I chose the warm confit of salmon with duck, puy lentils and herbs. The salmon was seared and lightly cooked but still pink in the middle and tasted so fresh - my only complaint was the pieces of duck were minute and so you couldn't really taste them. It was still all delicious though.

Pascal ordered the chou farci of braised beef shin with spring vegetables - I thought this was a random choice but obviously I do not know French food as well as I like to think…it was amazing - if you go here, you have to have this.

To round the meal off we had fries with béarnaise - the sauce was so good, we had to order another one!!

Unfortunately we had no room for cheese which was a major bummer as they had such a good selection but I know we will be here again soon and I can get stuck in then. If you like French food, definitely pay a visit but book a table as this is already a very popular place.

Blanchette

9 D'Arblay Street
London
W1F 8DR
Tel: 020 7439 8100
Email: info@blanchettesoho.co.uk

HUMMUS BROS, ST PAUL'S

The other day Pascal and I decided to do something "cultural" rather than our usual, eating drinking and watching box sets….! Pascal is not a museum fan however I love them and one I have never visited is the Museum of London so we headed there. It was really good however it focused a lot on the time BC and had an impressive flint collection - however I was more interested in the Plague, the Great Fire of London, Victorian times etc where there wasn't actually as much to look at. Pascal was bored after 5 minutes which did make me chuckle as he has to go back there next week when his kids come over from France!!

After two hours it was time to eat - Pascal was thinking of a proper Italian restaurant like his local in the city Taberna Etrusca but I had other plans….Hummus Bros! I am a huge hummus fan (thankfully so is Pascal) and I have been wanting to go here since it opened in 2003. Well good things come to those who wait.

Hummus Bros serves a bowl of hummus, various toppings such as beef stew, sides of salads or vegetables, pitas, wraps, puddings and juices. They focus on taste, value for money, freshness and simplicity. Here is the menu - I had obviously read it several times online so knew what to order while Pascal went to find a seat. It is a pretty small restaurant but lots of people come in for take aways or eat quickly so there is a big turnover.

They suggest you order a bowl of hummus with a topping(s) and a side salad. The bowls come in small or regular which actually just means you have one pita or two.

I ordered the small hummus with a topping of falafel and mushrooms and then a side of a Greek salad.

I wish they would open one of these in Fulham as it was all delicious and totally lived up to my expectations. The hummus bowl was filled with hummus (duh), a big falafel, tzatziki, tahini and mushrooms which are simmered with herbs and caramelised onions. The hummus itself is wonderful and it works so well with the other ingredients.

The Greek salad was one of the best I have had, lots of feta, big chunks on red onion, pepper, cucumber and cherry tomatoes topped with a generous sprinkling of oregano and extra virgin olive oil.

I mixed the two bowls and scooped it all up in my pita - yum!!

Pascal was unsure what to order and so he went for their most popular dish which is hummus with chicken sautéed in a light tomato based sauce, some sour cream and guacamole with two pitas.

This was absolutely amazing as well - everything does indeed taste so fresh. He didn't have a side and instead went for a falafel wrap which was packed with falafel, hummus and salad and served with tortilla chips (his favourite) which was also great, really chunky.

With two drinks it came to a total of £20 which I have to say is a real bargain as it was very filling as well.

Other than my brother, everyone I know is obsessed with hummus - it's so good for you in that it can help lower cholesterol, it is high in protein so can help with weight management, it may help even lower cancer risk apparently. I once read somewhere that one British supermarket does it in 20 different flavours!!

Such a great concept and obviously very popular….I will definitely be going back for more and lucky Pascal gets to go again next week after his second trip to the Museum of London!!!

There are currently 4 Hummus Bros around London in St Paul's, Holborn, Exmouth Market and Soho.

Hummus Bros

128 Cheapside,
London
EC2V 6BT
Tel: 020 7726 8011

(closed weekends)