Category Archives: Starters

Katie’s Focaccia

Family Favourites, Holidays, Starters, Vegetarian

unnamedIndredients
500g strong white flour
7g sachet fast action dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
300mls warm water
2 tablespoonfuls olive oil
Another 2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil

Method
1. Put flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a big bowl. Mix up the olive oil and water and por onto flour mixture. Stir to mix and bring together with your hands into a rough ball.
2. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes to a smooth fairly soft dough. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with cling-film and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour until it has doubled in size.
3. Lightly oil a large baking tray 15″x10″.
4. Put the dough on to a floured surface and flatten out with your knuckles into a rectangle shape the same size as your baking tray and press out to the edges of the tray.
5. Again cover with loose cling-film and leave in a warm place for another half hour.
6. Preheat oven at 220C.
7. Now the focaccia should look puffed up and spongy. Poke the dough into dimples all over.
8. Drizzle the focaccia with 2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil and sprinkle with chopped up rosemary leaf and sea salt. A few sprigs of rosemary will make it look nice.
9. Bake in middle of oven for 15-20 minutes or until risen and a golden brown.

Serving suggestions
Serve up when still warm with even more intense olive oil and salt, or as per photo, let it cool a bit and serve up full of good Italian ingredients like mortadella, rugala (rocket), roasted peppers, sundried tomato, mozzaralla and more.

Maggi’s Salad

Family Favourites, Salads, Side Dishes, Starters

IMG_1076This salad is a real family favourite. I have called it Maggi”s Salad. I had the idea from a salad served in an American restaurant called Maggianos which is an absolutely fabulous Italian restaurant chain.

Ingredients for 4
1 Romaine & 1 Iceberg lettuce cut into chunks
Half a cup of cooked lardons (or pancetta)
Half a cup of diced Danish Blue cheese
Half a finely sliced red onion left to steep in cold water
Honey Vinagrette Dressing, see under Sauces and Dressings

Method
Cook up the lardons until crisp and set aside. Drain the red onions. Mix all together and dress to taste.

Cheats Cheese Souffle

Starters, Vegetarian
  • Ingredients   for six
  • 100gm parmesan cheese
  • 40gm plain flour
  • 250ml milk
  • salt, pepper, grated nutmeg
  • 30gm butter
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 egg whites stiffly beaten
  • 350ml double cream

METHOD  Put the milk, flour,seasoning and butter in a non stick pan and whisk over a medium heat until smooth and thick. Leave to cool for a few minutes stirring then add half the grated cheese the egg yolks .and fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Butter six individual moulds or ramekin dishes and divide the mixture between them. Place in a deep roasting tin and pour boiling water into tin until halfway up moulds. Put in oven preheated to 160 (fan) for 15 minutes until firm and spongy to touch. Butter six individual gratin dishes and scatter with a little of the remaining cheese. Turn out the souffles carefully onto the cheese in the dishes. You can then leave these overnight in fridge loosely covered with clingfilm.       When ready to serve pour 2tbsps of double cream over each and scatter the rest of the cheese. Put in oven at160 (fan) for 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve immediately!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexican Tomato Soup

Hot & Spicy, Soups, Starters

1 jar passata

2 jars chicken stock

1 onion sliced

1 carrot peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic

2 teaspoons mild chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup red lentils

Soften onion, garlic and carrot  in a little olive oil. Add all other ingredients and simmer until veg and lentils are tender. Blend in a liquidiser or with a stick blender until smooth-ish. Can add some fresh chopped coriander to serve.

Chilli Crab and Prawn tarts

Fish, Main Courses, Starters
  • For four
  • 375 gm pack ready rolled shortcrust pastry
  • 1 bunch spring onions trimmed and finely sliced
  • 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
  • 25gm butter
  • 250gm prawns
  • 170gm tinned white crab meat
  • 200ml single cream
  • 3large egg yolks
  • small bunch fresh coriander chopped
  • grated zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 160{fan} Use the pastry to line 4x10cm tart tins. Line with foil and baking beans and bake “blind” for 15 mins.
Meanwhile melt the butter and gently cook the spring onions and chilli for 2-3 mins. Remove from the heat and add the crab and prawns. Mix together the cream,eggyolks,coriander and lime zest in a jug.
Remove the foil and beans from the pastry cases. Spoon in the crab mixture then pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 15 mins until set but with a slight wobble. Stand for 10mins before serving.