All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Nduja and Broccoli Pizza

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There were two things I discovered I loved when I was in Italy. The first was nduja (if it was on a menu, I was having it) and the second was broccoli on pizza. It seemed, to me, a very good idea to combine the two in a nduja and broccoli pizza. With cooler evenings starting now a seriously spicy, warming pizza made from my favourite ingredients is my idea of the perfect dinner.

Nduja is a Sicilian spreadable salami with an unbelievable amount of chilli in. It almost glows red when you see it. As the nduja is used in the sauce here, rather than as a topping, it gives a warmth and depth of flavour to the whole pizza. The creamy mozzarella does quieten the powerful nduja down a little and the freshness of the broccoli finishes everything off so well. Served with a fresh salad I think this is one of the finest pizzas I have ever made. This is enough pizza for four but we eat it between two. Because we’re greedy. read more

Rainbow Carrot Tart with Summer Herbs and Goat’s Cheese

By 26 Comments

I often get left with carrots at the bottom of the fridge. They play an overlooked, but important, base in so many meals: part of a mirepoix, in casseroles and in pies to name a few. Rarely, in my kitchen anyway, do the carrots get to be the star of the dish. So when some beautiful rainbow carrots arrived in the veg box it would have been rude to simply chuck them into various dinners. This time, I wanted to celebrate this lovely root in a rainbow carrot tart with summer herbs and goat’s cheese. A seasonal halfway tart if you will; one that is both full of summer flavours and the anticipation of autumn. read more

Spring Vegetable Tray Bake

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There’s a certain time of year where the contents of the veg box are suddenly more vibrant. There’s something red or orange which isn’t a carrot and something green which isn’t cabbage. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a good brassica but when the first spring vegetables come through you know that it’s not long until the spring and summer veg are in full swing. To mark this occasion I made a spring vegetable tray bake; to celebrate all that is delicious at this time of year. read more

Artichoke and Red Pepper Gratin

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artichoke and red pepper gratin

It was one of those days where I wanted something simple but interesting. A dish which would take a few minutes to make and take plenty of time to enjoy eating it. I tried something similar to this artichoke and red pepper gratin when in France last year and have wanted to have a go at making it myself for ages. It’s a perfect recipe for a rainy Sunday afternoon and although made from a few simple ingredients is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

You will need (for two greedy people or four less-so-greedy people):

  • 2 red peppers, thinly sliced
  • 2 tins artichokes – see note below
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil plus extra for roasting
  • 200g soft goats cheese
  • 150ml double cream
  • Salt and pepper

Note – I used tinned artichokes in water. If I made it again I would use the chargrilled artichokes in oil because they would give a lovely, smoky flavour but they would need draining really well.

Method

Put the sliced peppers onto a baking tray and mix with a little oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes until starting to char at the edges.

While the peppers are roasting add a tbsp olive oil to a frying pan with the garlic and thyme. Add the artichokes and fry gently for a few minutes.

Add the artichokes and peppers to a roasting dish.

Gently warm up the double cream in a small saucepan. Stir through the goat’s cheese and a good grinding of black pepper and carry on stirring until the cheese has fully melted into the cream.

Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables then put everything back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Serve with crusty bread.

The best way to serve this is at the table with a plate each and a serving spoon. You can scoop up as many artichokes and peppers as you like onto your plate and then load them onto crusty, ripped off pieces of bread and enjoy every mouthful. The sweetness of the peppers with the delicate, slightly grassy artichokes and smooth cheese sauce is truly delicious. A little bit of added thyme finishes everything off beautifully and if I could have got my hands on a fougasse to serve it with it would have been even better.

Chocolate, Thyme and Lemon Shortbread

By 10 Comments

chocolate shortbread after the baking

Adding herbs to bakes and drinks is something I really like to do. I like the botanical flavour that herbs can bring to various dishes and I think woody herbs really suit being paired with chocolate. These chocolate, thyme and lemon shortbread biscuits are a delicious combination of flavours if I do say so myself and if you’re unsure about adding herbs to a biscuit you’ll just have to give it a try!

Ingredients

You will need (for 12 squares):

  • 180g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 150g softened butter
  • 50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1tsp dried thyme
  • Zest 1 lemon

Method

Preheat your oven to 160C and line a baking dish; I used a square one for this batch but round or circular dishes work just as well.

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl, or mixer, and beat together until they form a dough. Remove from the bowl and knead lightly.

Press the dough into the tin, spreading it out evenly, then prick the top of the shortbread with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven, mark into squares then leave to cool before removing the biscuits from the dish.

You can’t go wrong with a dark chocolate shortbread biscuit, and that’s certainly the case when they’re served warm from the oven. The added thyme gives a little warmth and herbal note which coupled with the fresh, zesty lemon is just the thing with a cup of tea. Dried thyme works well in this as I think the oils in fresh thyme might taint a little as it gets baked in the oven. I have previously tried a similar combination of flavours with my chocolate, rosemary and hazelnut biscuits. I would like to try infusing some bay with a white chocolate mousse or sauce at some point in the future too.

Proper Ragu

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Proper Ragu served with spaghetti

There’s ragu, and then there’s proper ragu. You know the two kinds I mean; the quick one that we Brits chuck on top of a pile of spaghetti and the one that takes time, effort, care and attention to make. Don’t get me wrong, the former has its place but this recipe is for the latter; which incidentally freezes very well meaning it is perfect for cooking up a big batch and then reaping the rewards in the weeks to come. It has taken a long time to get this recipe to be my version of a perfect ragu so I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

For 8-10 portions:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 sundried tomatoes (dried, not in oil), you can use 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste instead and add it when the tomato paste goes in
  • 500g beef mince
  • 500g pork mince (pork shoulder if you can can it)
  • 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced
  • 150ml red wine (optional)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 700ml passata
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper

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    Fennel and Sausage Ragu

    By 19 Comments

    sausage and fennel ragu in the pan

    I won’t lie to you. This is not a dish that’s light on calories. But my word it is worth every one of them. My fennel and sausage ragu is exactly what the doctor ordered for mid-February. It’s full of good, hearty ingredients and it can’t fail to cheer you up from the inside out on a chilly evening. This dish is all about the sausages; the better the sausages you can get your hands on, the better the finished dish. Head to your local farmers’ market, butcher or farm shop to get hold of something spicy and Italian, they may be a little more expensive but trust me, you won’t regret it.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two big, comforting bowls):

    • 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
    • 3 large, very good quality sausages (preferably spicy Italian)
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • Olive oil for cooking
    • 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and rosemary
    • 400ml tomato passata
    • 150ml vegetable stock
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
    • 200g pasta
    • Salt and pepper
    • Parmesan

    Method

    When you slice your fennel keep the green frilly bits to one side for later.

    Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the fennel and pop a lid on. Leave to soften for a few minutes.

    Remove the skins from the sausages and break the sausage meat up in a bowl. Add this to the fennel and fry everything together (lid off, stirring every minute or so) for around 15 minutes until the fennel is well softened and the sausages have started to brown at the edges.

    Add the garlic and herbs and cook for a few more minutes.

    Add the tomatoes, stock, sundried tomato puree, sugar and a little salt and pepper. Bring the pan to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes until thickened.

    While the sauce thickens, cook your pasta according to packet instructions. Drain when cooked and mix the pasta through the ragu.

    Serve with plenty of Parmesan grated on top and tear the little green fennel fronds over too.

    This has got to be one of my favourite pasta dishes I have ever had, including in restaurants. That’s not a backhanded way of complimenting myself, I swear, but it is a compliment to the excellent quality ingredients that made this dish so good. The fennel cooks down so well that you wouldn’t even know it was there (by sight) and the flavour mellows so that the whole dish has a background, savoury fennel flavour that’s in no way overpowering. The ragu is so spiked with pieces of spicy sausage, woody herbs and faint garlic it’s just the saddest thing when the bowl is empty. Adding the fennel fronds at the end not only gives a little colour but a lovely note of freshness too. Next time the veg box gives you fennel, you know what to do with it.

    Beef Stew with Horseradish Dumplings

    By 19 Comments

    Beef Stew with Horseradish Dumplings

    I made this stew on New Year’s Day. I can’t think of many things as warming and comforting as a big bowl of slow cooked food. My beef stew with horseradish dumplings was made up of almost everything I had leftover in my fridge and cupboards; happily simmered away with some beef shin. A delicious, make-the-most-of-everything, homely stew for four people. Trust me on the ingredients; one or two may sound a little out of place but they really add to the dish.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for four):

    • 700g diced beef shin, or other stewing beef
    • 2 tbsp plain flour
    • Salt and pepper
    • Oil for cooking
    • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
    • 2 onions, peeled and sliced
    • 7-8 small mushrooms, quartered
    • 2 large tomatoes, quartered
    • Small handful pitted olives (I used green)
    • 330ml beer (I used Anchor Steam)
    • 170ml beef stock

    For the dumplings

    • 120g self raising flour
    • Pinch salt
    • 50g suet
    • 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
    • Leaves from two thyme sprigs
    • Cold water

    Method

    Start by putting the flour into a bowl with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix the beef into the flour so it is all coated.

    Get a casserole dish onto a medium-high heat on the hob. Add a little oil and fry the beef until browned. Remove and set aside. You will need to fry the beef in two batches so that it fries properly.

    Add a little more oil to the pan and tip in the onions, carrots and mushrooms. Leave to soften for 10-15 minutes, scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.

    Tip the beef back into the pan with the tomatoes and olives then pour over the beer and beef stock. Bring to a boil.

    Once the pan has boiled put the stew into an oven at 160C for two hours.

    After an hour and a half make the dumplings. Rub the flour and suet together to make a breadcrumb texture. Add the salt, thyme and horseradish and mix together then add drops of water, a little at a time, to bring the mix together to form a dough.

    Divide the dough into eight pieces. Get the stew out of the oven and pop the dumplings on top then return everything to the oven for the last twenty minutes.

    I like to add tomatoes to stews I make as it gives a lovely sweetness to the whole dish. Onions, carrots and mushrooms are a classic backbone for any stew and after two hours the beef really is melt in the mouth. Adding a handful of olives gives a fantastic savoury twang and the beer and beef stock gravy that is created is nothing short of delicious. Top that off with a faint note of horseradish and fresh, earthy thyme. Just the ticket. Oh, and if you make the full amount but there’s only two of you it makes brilliant keptovers topped with a cloud of mashed potato and baked.

    Lime, Thyme and Quince Gin Cocktail

    By 20 Comments

    Lime, Thyme and Quince Gin Cocktail - ready to drink

    I made my quince gin as a way to use some of those delicious fuzzy fruits that grow in the garden. The gin has come out a wonderful, pale canary yellow colour and makes a divine gin and tonic. It is in fact so delicious that it deserved a mix up of its own, something to complement the quince’s distinctive flavour. I love using herbs in drinks and puddings and I wanted to add a botanical twang to this drink. A Lime, Thyme and Quince Gin Cocktail is the way forward. Trust me.

    Ingredients

    You will need (per drink):

    • 50ml quince gin (recipe here)
    • Juice ½ lime
    • 1 sprig fresh thyme
    • Tonic

    Method

    Roll your lime ferociously before halving and squeezing it out to get as much juice as possible. Put the juice into a small glass with the sprig of thyme. Muddle the lime and thyme together to release the oils from the thyme. Strain the infused lime juice into a serving glass.

    Add the quince gin to the lime juice and give it all a mix. Top up with tonic and serve. You can stick another thyme sprig in the glass to make it look snazzy if you like. I did. Yolo.

    If you’ve got ice cubes at your disposal then a couple would make a welcome addition to this drink.

    Considering this looks like quite a summery drink it screams of autumn flavours. Quince is such an autumnal fruit and woody herbs like thyme always make me think of slow cooking, roasts and chilly evenings. If you’ve not tried quinces before I thoroughly recommend you scour your local greengrocers or farmers’ markets to track some down; they are so worth finding. They have such a fantastic, almost tropical flavour which coupled with sharp lime and earthy thyme is a cocktail certainly worth trying. If you absolutely cannot find quinces you could always plant a tree, or failing that, you could use pears.

    Spaghetti with Balsamic Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Olives

    By 11 Comments

    Spaghetti with Balsamic Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Olives

    Sometimes you end up with all sorts of bits and pieces in your fridge; half a bit of something there, a few nibbly bits leftover here and I find these little pieces a great source of inspiration. This recipe is a speedy one which makes use of a few ingredients I can find in my fridge more often than not. Lovingly referred to as ‘pasta with fridge bits’ this particular version was a delicious Spaghetti with Balsamic Tomatoes, Olives and Mozzarella.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
    • ½ tsp dried thyme
    • 175g spaghetti
    • 1 ball mozzarella, torn into smaller pieces
    • Small handful olives, roughly chopped
    • Small handful fresh basil, large stalks removed, roughly chopped
    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

    Method

    Preheat an oven to 200C. Put the cherry tomatoes into an oven proof dish in a single layer. Drizzle over the vinegar, olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Put the tomatoes into the oven for 20 minutes.

    While the tomatoes cook bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.

    Drain the spaghetti and retain a little bit of the pasta water (two tablespoons will do) then stir through the tomatoes (and any juice in the dish), mozzarella, olives and basil.

    Serve up and drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil.

    I like to serve this on a big dish so everyone can help themselves. It also leads to potential lady-and-the-tramp moments if you share the same plate. Perhaps not one to try on the new neighbours. I love how the cheese melts through the hot spaghetti and sticks everything together; every mouthful is different. The tomatoes are sweet and acidic, the cheese creamy, the olives salty and the basil adds its distinctive herb note. For a meal made out of odds and ends I think it’s a mighty fine dish.

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