Month: April 2015

Pea and Watercress Soup

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 As the Spring temperature took a sudden dip I found myself wanting a warming bowl of soup. Not a thick, stand your spoon up in it, winter vegetable soup but a lighter, fresher one.  This Pea & Watercress soup is like Spring in a bowl! Not only is the colour amazing but the flavours are intense too.  It may seem like an awful lot of peas, but as well as giving the soup a great flavour they also act as a thickener.  The watercress then adds a lovely light peppery flavour on top. This really is so quick and easy to make and the soup only contains three ingredients! A bowl of this will make a huge boost to your daily vegetable intake, the peas adding a great source of protein and the watercress is packed full of amazing vitamins and minerals.  A perfect lunch, starter or pour into a flask for a healthy packed lunch.  If you have time then do make the seed topping as it gives a great crunchy contrast.  Sprinkle them on …

Thai Pesto

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I fell in love with this the first time I made it and I’ve been experimenting with the flavours ever since!  I wanted to create something to pep up a piece of roasted salmon and vegetables and this does it perfectly.  It has a subtle warmth from the chilli balanced with the fragrance of the herbs, it not only tastes good but smells amazing too!  I’ve tried the Thai Pesto with steamed courgette noodles and sautéed prawns, stir fried courgette and carrot noodles with mushrooms and its also perfect with a piece of grilled chicken, simply stirred into some pasta or spooned on top of some rustic tomato soup.  The uses really are endless.  Adding spinach to the pesto also helps increase your vegetable intake and as its raw you really get all the goodness from it!  So simple I promise it only takes about 10mins to make!  This works really well in a food processor but if you’ve got a nutri bullet or similar you’ll have it whizzed together in a flash, just add the oil and lime juice …

Ottolenghi

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I’ve been a fan of Ottolenghi for a while now, especially since Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi came to Bath to promote their book Jerusalem by displaying their skill at marrying ingredients in a fantastic talk, demonstration and sampling.  I’ll often cook Ottolenghi recipes when friends come to stay and the family have some firm favourites which we often have for supper. Their recipes are packed full of delicious fresh ingredients and wonderful blends of herbs and spices.  It’s so easy to eat exciting, tasty, nutritious meals. So you could say I was a little bit excited when we managed to book a table at the new Ottolenghi Spitalifelds which recently opened.  As soon as you walk through the door you’re met with an amazing array of counter dishes, gorgeous coloured salads piled high on big white platters alongside the most delicious looking rare beef or tuna!  I knew it was going to be difficult to chose, it all looked so good!   However this choice is made easier as you order dishes for the …