heirloom tomatoes with lemon and caper dressing

What has the world come to when the only good tomato with any taste at all is one we've grown ourselves or bought from a farmer's market. The past couple of decades has seen emerge new and exciting foods, rare and unusual products, extraordinary cooking techniques, a bombardment of exotic recipes. The food revolution with its celebrity chefs hasn't exactly passed us by yet we still can't find a good tomato.

My heirloom tomato recipe below with lemon and caper dressing is a taste sensation but please only make this if you have access to sweet, perfect tomatoes. There is nothing like them. Supermarket ones will not do this justice.

Ingredients:

2-3 handfuls heirloom tomatoes,

2 lemons, peeled to the bare fruit (all pith removed), filleted with the membranes squeezed and juice reserved

Dressing ingredients:

2 tablespoons spring onions, chopped

2 tablespoons salted baby capers, washed and drained

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Mix together the dressing ingredients and lastly add the lemon segments taking care not to break them up. Carefully mix the dressing through the cut tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve immediately.

figs with goat's cheese & prosciutto

'As fresh as a sailor home from the sea' was an advertising slogan for fresh eggs at a local garage where we grew up. Even as a youngster I wondered just how fresh a sailor might be having been at sea for any length of time!

Despite my suspicions of freshness those words still ring in my head and they certainly did and do conjure up a salty sea breeze, wind in my hair, sand between my toes and the wild, rugged, beautiful, remote coastline that we call home. So, the slogan worked!

Today's post is nothing to do with eggs instead it's all about figs especially if consumed straight from the tree; when they certainly are 'as fresh as a sailor home from the sea'.

Figs are divine, delectable and delicious and a lovely way to serve them is to simply make two incisions across the top, squeeze them just a little to plump up the flesh, place a spoonful of fresh goats cheese into each cavity, wrap a slice of prosciutto around the bottom of each one, drizzle a little honey and lime juice over the top, and finally a grinding or two of cracked black pepper finishes the dish. Serve immediately.

Some ingredients are just meant to be together and the above is no exception. First, we eat with our eyes, then there's the moment of taste when the brain tells us this is a marriage made in heaven!

good health!

What could be more tasty and good for you than grated raw beetroot, a scattering of salad seeds, a dollop of creme fraiche, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some chopped green parsley?

Simple, healthy, fresh and delicious!

Sweet potatoes chips are so easy to make. Cut them into any length you fancy, mix through a couple tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, season with Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes on 190C.

Kale is loaded with vitamins A and C, folic  acid, calcium and iron - it's attractive too. Chop a quantity and either steam it or toss in a little olive oil. It's especially lovely served with a couple of poached eggs on top.

kumatoes with goat's cheese and mint

My kingdom for a good tomato....

Wherever you live I'm sure you will agree that a really good, sweet testing tomato is hard to find. Nigh on impossible actually unless you live near a farmer's market or grow your own. How I long for the heirloom varieties seldom seen and there's nothing but nothing like a real true blue green tomato!

For me, the nearest thing to offer in lieu of the above is the Kumato, developed in Spain where it is known as the Olmeca. These tomatoes are green to reddish brown and are sweeter than our usual red varieties due to their high fructose content. They have a long shelf life and are considered gourmet tomatoes.

I've married them with fresh goat's cheese, torn mint leaves and a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a little vinegar. The result is a stunning, fresh, sweet tasting salad reminiscent of days when 
all tomatoes tasted good!
printer friendly recipe                          

watermelon with feta and black olive salad

This lovely fresh colourful salad will be well known to many and is just perfect to make over the Christmas period.

Be sure to use seedless watermelon, pitted olives and the best plain feta you can find. Feta marinated in herb oil takes on the strong flavour of dried herbs and is a no no for this recipe.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1/2 seedless watermelon, chopped into small even pieces
1 Spanish red onion, very finely sliced
2 tablespoons pitted black olives
1 300gm pk of plain feta cheese, cubed
1 handful fresh mint, small sprigs only
salt and pepper to season
olive oil
dash of vinegar

Method:

Carefully combine the ingredients and lastly drizzle over about 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of red wine vinegar. Serve immediately

Watermelon Salad recipe printer friendly version click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/watermelon-salad

bocconcini & fennel salad

With the aid of a mandoline, fennel, shaved, takes on a completely different guise. Deliciously palatable sliced wafer thin it transforms this otherwise hard, course vegetable. This recipe, is similar to my last but with two important changes: substitute bocconcini mozzarella for gruyère and add raspberry vinegar to the olive oil, for an extra sugar hit. Pears provide freshness while fennel provides sharpness and bocconcini mozzarella with prosciutto go hand in hand. This salad makes a lovely, simple but interesting lunch. Garnish with a few chopped herbs for extra colour and flavour.

Serves: 2

1 large ripe pear, diced

1 small fennel bulb, shaved on a mandoline

1x100gm packet prosciutto, chopped

4-5 baby bocconcini mozzarella, halved

1-tablespoon raspberry vinegar

1-tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Parsley and fennel fronds to garnish

Mix together all the above ingredients and ENJOY!

bocconcini & fennel salad recipe, printable version, click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/bocconcini-fennel-salad

courgettes with mint and sea salt

Middle Eastern food has long taken my fancy and never more so since discovering Julie Le Clerc’s gorgeous book, Taking Tea in the Medina. Chicken kebabs with toum; olive and parsley salad; lamb and hummus pizza and this simple method for preparing courgettes with mint and sea salt are but a few of my favourite dishes from her exotic collection.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

800g courgettes thickly cut on the diagonal

3 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons fresh mint, leaves only

80ml olive oil

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method:

This is a painless operation if you have a mini food processor – in which case place the garlic cloves, chopped in half; the mint leaves, torn up and the olive oil inside and give them all a good whiz. Otherwise, pound the garlic, mint and salt together to form a smooth paste then gradually add the oil. Pour the mixture over the courgettes and coat them well, use your hands to ensure a good result.

Bake the courgettes in a moderate oven 180C for about 45 minutes until tender. Allow to rest before serving and sprinkle liberally with sea salt and a few grindings of black pepper.

courgettes with mint and sea salt - printer friendly recipe, click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/courgettes-with-mint-and-sea-salt-1

baked pear and fennel salad

I spotted a variation of this salad in a magazine recently but instead of using peaches as suggested I thought pears would go just as well, if not better, with the other ingredients.

This is a truly mind blowing salad and one you will repeat again and again. It's fresh, crisp and deliciously tasty. The key is the use a mandoline to slice the cheese and fennel - there is simply no other way. Slicing finely with a knife will not do! So with that in mind combine the following ingredients in a large plain white salad bowl and drizzle over the top a little of your best extra virgin olive oil and a scattering of snipped fennels fronds.

Serves: 4

2 large Beurre Bosc pears, baked  at 180c until tender, cored and each sliced into 8 pieces
1 medium fennel sliced on a mandoline
1-2 packets of jamon cru or proscuitto depending on your appetite!
10-12 slices Gruyère cheese cut on a mandoline
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Fennel fronds for garnish

Baked pear and fennel salad printable recipe, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/baked-pear-and-fennel-salad

stacking up...........

This has to be the ultimate in simplicity and ease and what a result!

I love using ring moulds but the most important thing is to pack down the stack,gently but firmly enough to make sure the ingredients stay intact otherwise the stack might wobble over. I have used a cocktail muddler for this purpose which was far from ideal but better than nothing so I was thrilled when I came across a proper ring mound packer in a kitchen shop in Pau. This does the job perfectly. The ingredients stay pressed together and the stack doesn't move.

The only ingredients above are sliced: tomatoes, cucumber and salad onions arranged in layers and finished off with freshly picked herbs and a little basil oil drizzled over the top. Presenting a salad this way (and in this case with an omlette) is far more appealing and pleasing to the eye and a huge relief to know that it will stay together at least until it is attacked with a knife and fork.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this post : https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/stacking-up

Sublime Tomato Salad

Succulent red tomatoes, chopped walnuts, chopped, freshly picked parsley, a dash of walnut oil and just a hint of walnut vinegar - a salad that epitomises the flavours of South-West France!

Carrot, Orange & Tarragon double act

This intriguing combination will really fool your guests - it's hard to spot the difference between the orange peel and carrot when julienned exactly the same size and all glistening with dressing or hot butter. Watch the surprised faces when the eyes, the taste buds and the brain all synchronize then wait for the slow smile to spread across each face. It does help to serve this to people who wear magnifiers for reading - anyone younger might be just a little bit suspicious!

Ingredients:

Julienne enough carrot to your liking, to serve as a salad or as a vegetable
Julienne some orange peel, one third of the above amount
French tarragon to serve
Butter or dressing to serve

Method:

It is easy to julienne (matchstick strips) this way: take an average size carrot, peel it and divide it into 3 pieces. Take one of those pieces and square off the sides, cut the now square piece of carrot into 1/8 inch (0.3cm) thick slices. Stack these slices on top of each other and cut into 1/8 inch (0.3cm) strips. Repeat with the rest of the carrot. To make julienne of orange is a little more difficult. Remove long pieces of orange rind with a potato peeler avoiding the white pith. Take a very sharp knife, square up each piece and cut strips exactly the same width and size as the julienned carrot or as near as possible.

Toss carrot and orange in either dressing for a salad or cook gently in butter for a few minutes and serve either way with French tarragon. If you can only find Russian tarragon, use it sparingly. Chicken is a good choice to serve with this dish.

Anita's Beetroot Salad

This is a recipe created by my sister-in-law, Anita, who is a great cook and blessed with a talent for turning the ordinary into the sensational. We share tables with Anita and Ross throughout the French summer - taking pleasure in cooking and feasting together. Later in the year I will post more of her recipes and you will see what I mean.

I love the fact the beetroot in this recipe is not cooked – there is something a bit naughty about eating it raw. This is a seriously healthy dish, guaranteeing an inner glow and is truly delicious.

Serves: 4-6 as one of a number of salads

Ingredients:

2 large raw beetroot, peeled, grated
Sour cream and mayonnaise – a little of each and enough to bind beetroot
4 handfuls of raisins
40g pine nuts, roasted
40g sunflower seeds
Parsley, to garnish

Method:

Grate the beetroot. I use a mouli by moulinex with three inter-changeable blades bought at the local supermarket for 10 Euros, it does the job beautifully and saves oodles of time. Add raisins, pine nuts and sunflower seeds, mix in the sour cream and mayonnaise. Scatter over a little parsley to garnish.

Alternatively combine beetroot, raisins, nuts, seeds and parsley and serve mayonnaise and/or sour cream on the side. Fab, either way!