Pizze Bianche

Bored of pizza margerita?  Try one without a tomato base. This pizza uses creme fraiche instead, which makes it feel lighter.

Serves two

For the dough:
110g plain flour
110g strong white bread flour
pinch of sea salt
a few lugs of olive oil
150ml warm water
4g quick yeast
half tsp of sugar

For the topping:
2 or 3 tbs of half fat creme fraiche
Whatever fresh herbs are to hand (marjoram, basil etc)
A couple of sliced tomatoes
1 tbs of capers
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
Small handful of hard-type mozzarella cheese, cubed
 plus whatever else you fancy - in the one in the picture I used some chunks of leftover roasted squash and some grilled peppers

To make the dough, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and some olive oil, then mix together. Make a well.
For the yeast mixture, add the sugar to the warm water in a bowl and stir. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir, then leave for a few minutes until it starts to activate.
Once the yeast is ready, pour it gradually into the well in the flour, folding it in until it's all incorporated. Keep stirring the dough mixture with a fork until it comes together, then switch to hands, kneading it until it's smooth and elastic (if it gets too sticky, drizzle a bit of olive oil around the bowl). This will take five or ten minutes. Cut a cross on top, and cover. Leave to prove for about an hour.
Pre-heat your oven (and pizza stone) as hot as it will get.
When proved, knock back the dough and work it on a floured surface, or toss between your hands until it's thin and roughly pizza shaped. Carefully transfer to the pre-heated pizza stone, then add the topping.
Spoon on the creme fraiche, then sprinkle the other ingredients on top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until it looks done!

Cut in half or into slices and serve with a mixed salad.

Mushrooms on toast

This is a quick light supper dish, that you could adapt at as starter.

Serves two

1 onion, chopped
125g mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
10g unsalted butter
Pinch each of dried oregano and thyme
A dash of soy sauce
75g grated cheese (mixture of parmesan and manchego, or whatever is to hand)

4 very thick doorstep slices of wholemeal bread, crusts cut off

Mix the chopped mushrooms and garlic with a splash of soy sauce, and let the flavours mingle.  Put a frying pan on a medium heat, and add the butter and a lug of olive oil.  Add the onion and cook stirring for a couple of minutes until it starts to colour.  Empty the onion into a food processor.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes until reduced in size and coloured.
When the mushrooms are done, put them into the food processor with the onion, bread crusts and half the cheese, and blitz to make a rough paste (optional - you could add a dash of truffle oil to the mixture).
Meanwhile, toast the bread under a moderate grill (brush the bread with some olive oil first if you like).
When the bread is lightly toasted, top each slice with a quarter of the mushroom mixture and a sprinkling of the rest of the cheese.  Pop back under the grill for a couple more minutes.
When done, plate up and garnish with a bit of seasonal salad leaves to serve.

nb, if doing this for a starter, reserve few cooked whole mushroom slices before the rest go into the blender, and put a couple on top of each finished piece of mushroom toast as garnish.

Mushroom, pine nut and spinach pie

Serves three hungry people or four polite people

3 big flat mushrooms, torn into chunks
2 big handfuls of spinach (about a colander full)
25g dried porcini muchrooms, rehydrated
Liquor from rehydrating the mushrooms
1 tbs pine nuts
25g plain flour
25g butter
500ml milk
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
1 shallot, finely sliced
small amount of olive oil and butter (to fry the mushooms in)
1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised

Boil some water and pour over the spinach. Squeeze out the excess water, chop roughly and set aside.
Heat the oil and butter in a pan and fry the garlic until golden brown. Discard the garlic and add the shallots. Cook on a medium heat for five minutes. Add the ripped up mushrooms and cook for another five minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the mushroom liquor in a small pan and simmer to reduce to about a third of its original volume. Set aside.
Make a roux with the 25g each of butter and flour. Add the reduced mushroom liquor, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly to make a smooth sauce.
Place all the mushrooms, spinach and pine nuts in an oven dish. Stir in the sauce and mix well, then cover with the pastry, make a few holes in the top and bake in a pre-heated oven (180C) for half an hour or until golden brown.

Serve with seasonal greens (such as steamed local asparagus, as in the picture) and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

If you have some pastry left over, why not make some cheese straws with a bit of parmesan, paprika and thyme?

Chicory and rocket salad

A summery, lightly piquant salad. Serves two as a side dish.

2 heads of chicory
Handful of rocket
1tbs capers
half a red onion, very thinly sliced

For the dressing:
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 semi-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1tbs fresh parsley, chopped

Separate the chicory leaves and arrange in a bowl with the other main ingredients.
Mix the dressing ingredients together well, and pour over the salad.

Spaghetti with spinach and pine nuts

A quick evening supper for two.

160g spaghetti
two big handfuls of spinach
2tbs pine nuts
25g unsalted butter
25g plain flour
about 250ml milk
1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised
Maldon sea salt and white pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat. Toss for a few minutes until they start to colour. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Wilt the spinach by pouring just-boiled water over the leaves. Set aside.
In a pan over a medium heat, melt the butter with the garlic clove. Discard the garlic and add the flour. Stir constantly to make a roux, then gradually add the milk. Cook, stirring, for ten minutes or so until the sauce is a smooth creamy consistency. Remove from the heat, add the spinach and season to taste.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions (ideally, get bronze-die spaghetti, which has a rougher texture and will hold the sauce better).
Add the spaghetti to the spinach sauce, mix well, then serve into warmed pasta bowls.
Top with the toasted pine nuts and parmesan.

Leek and potato cheese bake

This is a winter warmer with that classic combo of potato and leek. Serves two (hungry) or three (polite) people

2 medium sized leeks

400g new potatoes

150g hard goat’s cheese, grated

250ml single cream

1tbs English mustard

white pepper

sea salt to taste

10g butter

1 clove garlic peeled and bruised

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Wash and trim the leeks, not taking off too much of the green. Carefully remove the outer leaves by slicing down just one side, so they’ll open out flat. You want them to be a bit like lasagne sheets for this. With the inner parts of the leek, just slice these finely.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and par boil the potatoes. When they’re done, lift them out with a draining spoon and set aside. Blanche the opened-out leek leaves for a couple of minutes and set aside.

Cut the potatoes into 4mm thick slices.

Melt the butter in a clean pan with the garlic clove. Add the chopped leeks and cook, stirring until translucent but not starting to colour. Remove the garlic, and add the single cream and mustard. Cover and bring to a simmer, then take off the heat and add most of the grated goat’s cheese. Stir well.

Layer the ingredients in a greased oven dish, alternating potatoes, creamy leek mixture and leek sheets. Finish off with the remainder of the cream and the reserved grated cheese. Bake in the oven for half an hour and serve with seasonal veg or salad!

Quick and easy salsa cruda

It's summer, and I love hot, slightly sweet and fruity stuff in this weather. This quick and easy salsa cruda ('raw sauce') takes only a few minutes to make - although tastes better the longer you leave it.

Three tomatoes, chopped roughly
Half a sweet pointed red pepper, chopped roughly
Half a red onion, chopped roughly
1 red chilli, de-seeded and veined, finely chopped
splash of orange juice
1 tbs tomato pureé
1 tsp raw cane sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp oregano

Put all the ingredients in a blender, and pulse a few times. You don't want pureé, so not too much. If you've got some handy, add some fresh coriander ripped up both before and after pulsing in the blender. It'll taste better after a couple of hours in the fridge (get it out half an hour before serving though). Will keep ok for a few days. It's lovely spooned over some pan-fried fillets of any firm, meaty fish.

Chunky potato wedges

These are great with the seared tuna steak (posted a while back) and some nice tangy salsa.
Serves 4 hungry people as a side

4 large baking potatoes, washed
several lugs of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(if you're doing the seared tuna thing, use some of the tuna spice rub on these spuds!)

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Place your potatoes in it, and parboil them, skins on for about ten to fifteen minutes. Doing them in the skins keeps all that lovely earthy potato flavour locked in. Carefully lift them out, pat dry with some kitchen towel and cut them into big chunky wedges – cut lengthways you'll probably get eight wedges out of each. Pre-heat an oven to 200C.
Lay the wedges (standing up, ideally) on a baking tray and rub them all over with the oil, salt and pepper (and a big pinch of the tuna rub mixture if you like). Roast them for about 25 minutes or until golden brown, giving a shake about from time to time.

Also good as a snack with ketchup, or good homemade mayo.

Grilled aubergine antipasto

This antipasto is great in sandwiches, on pizzas, in salads, or just for getting carried away and nomming the whole jar without realising.

1 aubergine, cut in half lengthways then diagonally into half cm thick slices
Juice of half a lemon
a lug of groundnut oil
Table salt
Olive oil (or a mixture of olive and vegetable oil - quantity needed will vary depending on size of aubergine and the storage jar, but it'll be a few good lugs)
Handful of dried herbs (thyme, oregano, whatever's handy. A sprig of rosemary would be nice)
2 cloves of garlic, bruised and cut in half

Rub the aubergine slices with lemon juice, which will stop them discolouring. Then sprinkle them all over liberally with ordinary table salt - don't use posh Maldon sea salt flakes!
Leave them for fifteen minutes while the salt leaches out any bitter flavours, then wash off the salt and dry the slices thoroughly on kitchen towels. Rub them with groundnut oil. Get a cast iron griddle pan really hot, and cook the slices in batches, turning once - do until stripes appear on each side (about 45 seconds each side).
Leave the slices to cool, then put in a jar with the garlic and herbs and cover completely with the olive oil. Will keep in the fridge for four or five days. And when you've eaten all the aubergine, the remaining oil will also taste fantastic!

Mushroom and gruyere parcels (quick version)

These bite size delights work equally well at parties, or crammed into a car full of people on the way to a gig. Very simple to make, even a bass player can do it!

Makes 12 parcels

12 chestnut mushrooms
100g gruyere cheese, grated
dash of dark soy sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
375g ready-rolled puff pastry

Pre-heat your oven to 190C.
Take each mushroom and remove the stalk, then make a couple of cuts inside across the gills and splash on a drop or two of soy sauce. Cut the pastry into 12 squares and place a mushroom on each. Put some grated cheese on top of each, with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully fold up the pastry around each mushroom to make a little parcel, leaving some gaps so the moisture can escape. Place your parcels on a greased baking sheet and bake them for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Delicious hot or cold!