QUINOA FRITTERS

This week my diet is "healthy", "everything in moderation", "no eating in-between meals" - yep, that old chestnut. It is not something that usually works for me as I have a tendency to be really really good or really really bad but I am going to give it a try.

I thought that this week should also be the week I finally cook the quinoa that I bought last month. Quinoa is something that I am sure I am going to be obsessed with - I have about 100 quinoa recipes already saved on Pinterest so it is about time I actually try it….and I was extremely happy I did.

Quinoa Fritters for 4 people:

200g quinoa

2 eggs, plus 1 extra egg yolk

2 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp roughly chopped mint

2 spring onions, finely chopped

100g feta, crumbled/finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin 

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

4 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp oil

To serve:

Hummus, flat breads, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado (whatever you prefer)!

This recipe was super easy although it would have been a lot quicker if I had my sous chef Pascal with me to help chop. One thing that is important to remember is that the patties need to chill in the fridge for one hour after you have made them. I think the ideal thing would be to make them in the morning for that lunchtime or evening if you have time - I only chilled for an hour and that was still perfectly long enough.

Firstly place the quinoa and 375ml water in a small saucepan over a high heat. Cover and bring to the boil. Once it has started boiling, reduce the heat to a medium low heat and simmer for 12 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

Next place in another bowl to cool.

While it is cooling (about 20 minutes at least), prepare the other ingredients. Beat the eggs and the extra egg yolk together.

Chop the mint, parsley, garlic, spring onion and feta.

Once the quinoa is called, stir it in a bowl with the eggs, herbs, spring onion, feta, garlic, cumin, lemon zest, flour and season.

Next form the mixture into 12 patties. Mine were a little too big so I only ended up making 11, not that it mattered. One thing to know, this is an extremely messy process so have a napkin / wet wipe on hand! 

Chill for at least an hour in the fridge.

When you are ready to eat, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Cook the patties in batches for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Keep warm while you cook the remaining patties and then season with some salt.

Arabella had her two patties in a wrap with hummus and cucumber and she absolutely loved it!! I was dubious as she always complains about couscous and quinoa is slightly similar, but she adored the patties.

I had mine with some hummus, tomato, cucumber and red onion. I enjoyed it immensely - in fact I have had the left over patties for lunch and supper again today (I also had some avocado this evening too which was a fab addition).

Quinoa has so many health benefits….it's protein rich, full of iron, magnesium, has loads of fibre, it promotes a healthy blood sugar level, it's low in fat and calories, and it lessens the risk of heart disease and stroke. Plus the Incas called quinoa "the gold of the Incas" as they found it increased stamina, energy, strength and speedy muscle recovery. I think that explains how they built Machu Picchu!!

Now I am not saying I am giving up burgers but I think they are going to take a side line and I am going to experiment more with quinoa - it tastes absolutely delicious, it is filled with health benefits and there are so many ways to cook it….I even just found a recipe for quinoa mac and cheese!! That has my name written all over it!!

BOULESTIN, ST JAMES

I love these sunny days…I think that is the beauty of being English, as soon as it is a nice day (a rare occurrence) you can't stop smiling!! Today was one of those days. Pascal and I had our usual chat of where can we go that has great food, lovely rose and a garden and I really came up trumps. I had read about Boulestin a few weeks ago but I was put off by the prices but actually compared to the majority of restaurants in central London, it wasn't too bad. 

The original Boulestin was opened in Covent Garden by French chef, author and polymath (just had to look up what that means in the dictionary!) Marcel Boulestin in 1927 however it closed after 70 years until Joel Kissin reopened the restaurant in St James. The emphasis is on fine french food and wine - Heaven for Pascal.

Unfortunately you cannot book the tables outside, they operate on a first come first serve basis, so we arrived at the restaurant at 11.55am and were the first ones there! The terrace is beautiful, it is a courtyard amongst old tall London houses and would be a peaceful haven if there wasn't building work going on around it!! We chose a table and ordered Pascal's favourite drink - Ricard!

The menu was extremely french and I knew exactly what I wanted to order (I had obviously studied the  menu previously). I went for the courgette flowers with ricotta, basil and tomato to start.

I love courgette flowers, they are such a treat as I don't see them on menus often and I would have no idea how to make them. These were absolutely scrumptious and literally melted in your mouth, I would really recommend them.

Pascal had the grilled English asparagus with Bayonne ham and a poached egg. This was also delicious - I should have popped into the kitchen for lessons on poaching as the egg was perfect!

For mains I ordered the cassoulet de Toulouse - the waiter warned me that it was a big hearty dish - it didn't put me off and instead encouraged me!!

This was the best cassoulet I have ever had, delicious garlic sausage, crispy pork, white beans, herby breadcrumbs - I loved it and had no problem polishing nearly the whole lot off!

Pascal was torn between the grilled calves' liver and bacon (yuk) or the tete de veau with sauce ravigote which is calves' head with tongue and brains (double yuk) - he went for the latter and I wasn't tempted by a taste! I took his word for it that it was very very good!

We didn't really need sides but we ordered fries and 'pommes Anna' which was layered potatoes with butter, similar to dauphannois but without the cream and cheese. 

Both were brilliant - the chips were so good they didn't even need ketchup or mayonnaise and Pascal and I fought over the last bite of the potatoes Anna.

We were far too full for cheese or puddings unfortunately which was a shame as they have a good selection of both.

It was a really good meal - the rose was perfect, the food delicious and the setting beautiful. The waiters were extremely helpful, attentive and courteous. The meal was faultless. I even spotted a Royal in the restaurant and if it good enough for the Royal family, it is certainly good enough for me!!

As we left I was even congratulated by the maitre d' on my ability to eat the entire cassoulet!! Such a piglet!!!

Boulestin

5 St James Street,
London
SW1A 1EF
Tel: 020 7930 2030

SALMON WITH FETA & PESTO

I thought I would take advantage of Pascal being away and cook fish for Arabella and I tonight (after the last fish recipe I have given up cooking fish for Pascal)! I scanned my recipe books for something new but then found this on pinterest and knew it would be a winner. Arabella and I both adore salmon, pesto and feta! It is a really quick recipe which is great but you need to be organised and we were late back from ballet and for once I was wishing I could just sling a pizza in the oven and be done with it, however it was worth it in the end.

Ingredients for 2 people:

2 salmon fillets (mine were 120g each)
125ml chicken or vegetable stock
125ml white wine
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 tbsp pesto (fresh is best)
50g feta cheese, crumbled

Firstly boil the kettle to make up the chicken/vegetable stock (125ml) and then add the white wine.

Slice the garlic and crumble the cheese.

Pour the chicken stock into a two inch deep saucepan which has a tight fitting lid and bring to a gentle boil. Then add the two salmon fillets, cover with garlic and simmer with the lid on for 7 minutes. You can see by the colour when it is done and also it will flake when you press the flesh with a fork.

Remove the fish from the pan immediately and discard the garlic.

Finally top with the pesto, then feta and serve immediately. I had mine with a rocket salad and Arabella had hers with peas.

This was a brilliant recipe and I think is my new favourite. Super quick and extremely tasty - I could have eaten two portions! Arabella gobbled hers down and I didn't even have to nag her to hurry up which is a very rare occurrence. Between us there wasn't a crumb left. 

Try this - you won't be disappointed!!

FRENCH BISTRO SALAD

Pascal and I regularly have salads for lunch but we never follow a recipe - Pascal makes the dressing with balsamic vinegar, olive oil & Dijon mustard and we just add whatever we have in the house….mainly cheese (obviously), lettuce, spring onions, garlic and some kind of sausage or chicken or bacon. Probably not very diet like but absolutely delicious! 

Today I decided that we should have a change and so found this recipe for a "French bistro salad" - I am still big on eating eggs and I never think to add them to salads unless it's a nicoise so thought this sounded perfect.

Ingredients for 2 people:

200g smoked bacon lardons
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp olive oil
2-4 eggs (we used 3 - I had one and Pascal had two)
200g salad - whatever you prefer, I used a combination
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

I made the dressing first and it was very simple. In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Slowly add the oil, continuing to whisk until the mixture thickens. Season and set aside.

Then chop the garlic and spring onions.

Into a big salad bowl, add the lettuce, garlic and spring onion.

Dry fry the bacon lardons in a frying pan over a medium heat until crispy, this will take about 8-10 minutes.

Drain on kitchen paper and add to the salad.

Finally poach the eggs. Half fill a large pan with water and 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar, then bring to a gentle simmer. Break each egg into a ramekin, keeping the yolks intact. One at a time, pour the eggs into the simmering water and gently spin the water around each egg with a slotted spoon to allow the white to fold over itself. Cook until the whites are just firm and the yolks are runny (about 4-6 minutes). Finally remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

So this is where I went wrong - I have never poached an egg before and judging by my effort here you can tell!!

Not sure where I went wrong but I basically didn't allow the white to "fold over itself" and I over cooked the eggs and lost most of the white…doh! I should have just soft boiled them. Anyway I am determined to practise so better luck next time!!

Finally mix the dressing with salad, serve with the egg on top and sprinkle with chives.

Despite my  disastrous egg, this salad was really good, I really liked the white wine vinegar in the dressing and I'm sure if my egg had been soft, the yolk would mix perfectly. I would probably add another 50g more of lardons and Pascal suggested cheese as well but for once I don't think it needs it.

This makes a perfect lunch, light supper or you could even make it as a starter for a dinner party….although I need to work on my eggs first!!

FENNEL GRATIN

As I mentioned I cooked roast pork belly today despite it being sunny barbecue weather!! Pascal has embraced the English way of life and believes that Sunday is roast day - he's not the only one, we popped to the pub and everyone there was tucking into one too!

As a side we did fennel gratin as recommended on the Lorraine morning TV show. I don't know about you but I have never cooked fennel before in my life and it is not something I would choose in a restaurant…but how the tables have turned….

Ingredients for 6 people:

10 fennel bulbs, trimmed
Salt and pepper, to season
300ml double cream
250g Parmesan, freshly grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Grated cheddar cheese, optional

About half an hour before the pork belly is ready, it is time to prepare the fennel gratin.

Chop the garlic and grate the Parmesan.

Chop each fennel bulb into six parts length ways so that the individual pieces are held together by the central core.

Blanch and then drain well.

Mix together, the fennel, cream, garlic and half the Parmesan and season well.

Transfer into a shallow baking dish.

Scatter the remaining Parmesan on top and if you are a cheese fanatic like myself, add some grated cheese (I think the more the merrier)!

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 190 C (along with the pork).

Finally remove the foil, and bake for a following 10 minutes. 

I then grilled it for a further few minutes to crisp to up.

Finally serve with the roast pork belly.

Unbelievable! Fennel gratin is my new favourite side -  way better than potato gratin (and healthier) - fennel reminds me of leeks and I will definitely be cooking it more often and in different ways although I am not sure you could beat this!

ROAST PORK BELLY

Even though it is a sunny weekend (for once) Pascal wanted a roast rather than another barbecue. I wasn't convinced, but since I make him regularly eat dishes that aren't his favourite, I thought I should indulge him.

We did our usual thing of going to the pub for some white wine, scotch eggs and sausage rolls (so so good) and then I did the cooking while Pascal did some gardening - I feel like we are part of The Good Life in London!! I was feeling of top of the world as I managed to run 4 miles this morning - first time in 6 months….it was incredibly painful at the time, but I felt fantastic after….just got to make sure I make it a regular thing again.

Anyway this is a recipe that I learnt on Lorraine's morning show - I served it with fennel gratin as they recommended and it was really really good!! Once again - this does take quite a bit of time to cook.

Ingredients for 6 people:

1.5kg pork belly
2 garlic cloves, crushed 
1 tbsp olive oil
150ml sherry or white wine
A splash of water
Sea salt
Black pepper

If you can you need to take the pork out of the fridge for about an hour before you cook it so it dries out.

Preheat the oven to 230 C / gas mark 8.

Rub the crushed garlic over the pork belly. Then place it on a large chopping board, skin side up and score it. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper and "massage" it into the meat.

Transfer the pork belly into a roasting tray greased with olive oil and place on the top shelf of the hot oven.

Roast for about 30 minutes or until the hard crackling has formed (this took 35 minutes for us). 

Then turn the oven down to 190 C / Gas mark 5 and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours (we did 2 1/2 hours). 

Leave to rest for about 10 minutes.

While the pork is resting, deglaze the roasting tray with the sherry / white wine, scraping the juices off the bottom of the tray. If it tastes too strong, add a splash of water.

Finally serve with the fennel gratin (recipe to follow).

Enjoy!!

Yum, yum, yum. This is the best roast pork I have ever cooked, it is now pork belly all the way. The crackling is immense! Plus it goes brilliantly with the fennel gratin, which surprised me as I would never pick fennel as a side.

Whoever comes round to our house next for a dinner party, this is what you are having - yes it takes a long time to cook, but it is oh so simple and amazingly delicious.