Maltese Sausage with Tomato Caper Sauce and Saffron Quinoa

Quinoa is a very healthy gluten free grain that you can use instead of potatoes or rice.  It is very easy to cook and can be dressed with butter or olive oil.

1 Kilo low salt Maltese Sausage or Cumbrian Sausage
2 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 large can chopped tomatoes (polpa)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp capers in vinegar
1/2 cup kalamatta olives
1 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram
salt & pepper

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
pinch Saffron
1/4 tsp salt

Prepare Quinoa by rinsing under cold water, drain and put in a pan with 2 cups water and saffron. Bring to boil and boil for 10minutes.Turn off Heat.  Open lid sprinkle salt and cover with kitchen cloth and seal with lid tightly so that it keeps on cooking with the steam.

Cut sausages with a diagonal shape, place on a baking tray and bake in hot oven 220c for 10minutes or until slightly browned.

Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry onions and garlic. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram, honey and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and Pepper and simmer gently for 15 minutes.  Add olives and arrange sausages.  Cook without lid for further 5 minutes. Sprinkle capers and turn off heat.  Serve with quinoa with a drizzle of olive oil.

Orange Souffle with Grand Marnier Chocolate Sauce

This recipe makes 6 normal size ramekins souffle

1 Quantity Creme Patissiere

(http://marthesefood.blogspot.com/2012/01/creme-patissiere.html)
5 egg whites
1 orange
1 tablespoon sugar

Chocolate Sauce
100g plain chocolate
100ml milk
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 tablespoon grand Marnier

Preheat oven 200c. Butter 6 ramekin dishes and coat with sugar. Dust off any extra. Beat egg whites until stiff. Grate orange in Creme Patissiere mixture take 1 tablespoon from beaten egg whites and fold. Fold in remaining egg whites gently taking care not to loose air bubbles. Fill ramekins to the brim and place on baking tray. Cook for 1/2 an hour until well risen and tops are golden. Never be tempted to open oven door!
Meanwhile prepare chocolate sauce by heating cream nearly to boil. Turn off heat and stir in the chocolate until it melts. Squeeze 1/2 an orange in chocolate sauce, add grand Marnier and stir until smooth and shiny. Serve souffle piping hot.

Low Salt Onion and Herb Maltese Sausage.

This type of sausage is best used for BBQ's and stews as it is not very salty, however after 1 day in refrigeration you must freeze or consume.  Will keep in Freezer for 1 year.

4.5K Pork Mince
2 medium Onions finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp chopped fresh parseley
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
10g coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
90g Salt

Mix everything together well. Pipe into sausage casing and prick with toothpick approx 10 times each sausage. Stand over rack in refrigerator for 1 day.  Use or freeze immediately.

Rough puff Pastry

I had this idea that using a pasta machine I could shorten the time for making puff pastry. The result I got is not even layers of thin pastry sheets so I call it rough puff however I am pleased with the lightness of this pastry. Use this pastry for vanilla cream slice. Freeze raw pastry between sheets of baking paper.

500g plain flour
225g butter
250ml cold water
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
30g butter extra
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Put in a food processor flour cream of tartar, lemon juice, salt and 30g butter and pulse for a few seconds. Slowly add cold water and keep on pulsing until mixture forms a ball. Transfer dough to a cling film and chill for 30minutes.
Set pasta machine to thickest level. Roll the pastry through your machine several times until you have the width of your machine and two times as much in length. Cut the butter in slices and arrange evenly in the middle. Fold the pastry over butter overlapping slightly so that butter is securely enclosed. Seal all edges by pressing hard with your fingers. Use a rolling pin roll lengthways so that you get approx the thickness of your machine. Using floured surface and dust pastry all the time, roll through machine. Reduce thickness and roll again. Fold pastry in three, first third in then the other third over. Give pastry a quarter turn. Set machine again to max thickness and pass through again. Repeat process two more times and chill for 1/2 hour before use.

Creme Patissiere

This is one of the most important creams that you should master as it is the base of delicious creams and soufflé

2 cups Milk
1/2 cup plain flour
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 vanilla pod
75g sugar

Take 1 and1/3 cup milk an bring to boil with the split vanilla pod. In a separate bowl add flour and sugar and beat in the eggs and egg yolk. Add the received milk little at a time beating continuously until mixture is pale and creamy. Stir in boiled strained milk and keep on stirring. Transfer mixture back to pan and cook on low heat until cream is thick. Continue to stir for further 1 minute to cook off the flour. Pour cream into a bowl and cover with cling film. Will keep refrigerated for up to one week. Use in suggested recipes.

Sirloin steaks with Marinated Mushrooms and Mascarpone Mash

I classify this as a mid week 1 hour recipe, packed with nutrients and good flavour. Recipe is for 4 persons

700g sirloin steaks cut into wide strips
1 teaspoon pink pepper corns
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp cornflour
1 tablespoon olive oil

For Marinated Mushroom filledTomatoes

4 large round tomatoes
1 kilo mushrooms
1 litre Water
250ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lemon                                                                                                Mascarpone Mash
1 bay leaf                                                                                             1 Kilo Potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil                                                                          100g Mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon english mustard                                                                   Salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds                                                                     3 tablespoon Milk
salt & pepper                                                                                       (boil Potatoes until soft, mash and
1 tablespoon vinegar extra                                                                     add Mascarpone and Milk. Season
1 teaspoon honey                                                                                  with salt to taste)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsely

Crush pepper corns with garlic and salt, add to a bowl. Add cornflour mix well add beef and drizzle with olive oil. Using your hands mix thoroughly, leave to marinade for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms by bringing to boil in a medium pan Water, Vinegar, Juice of half a lemon, salt sugar and bay leaf.  Slice mushrooms and blanch in boiling vinegar water for 2 minutes. Lift with slotted spoon and transfer to plastic colander and leave to drain. With the heat still on, put tomatoes in the same liquid for 30seconds. Lift tomatoes and turn off heat.  Peel tomatoes cut in two and scoop out the seeds.  Make the mushroom dressing by mixing the remaining half lemon juice, mustard, mustard seeds, salt & peppe,r honey, extra vinegar to olive oil. Mix with a small whisk until well combined ( it should emulsify). Transfer mushrooms to clean glass bowl add the marinade and chopped parsely and mix well. 

Right before serving, heat a large non stick pan and dry fry the sirloin strips.  Season well tomato with salt and pepper, arrange on a plate and fill with Marinated mushrooms.  Arrange beef and mash. Drizzle with some of the mushroom marinade on top.

Tea Party

Sunday afternoon is an ideal day for a lovely tea party. All can be prepared days ahead except sandwiches so not much stress is involved. Prepare freshly brewed English Breakfast and relax with your guests.

For this tea assembly I did Crab& Feta Sandwiches, Zucchini and Feta cheese Muffins, White Chocolate and Peanut Tarts, Traditional Jam Tarts and Vanilla Slice with Fresh fruit Topping.

Crab and Feta Cheese Sandwiches
100g Feta  Cheese
200g Good Quality Crab Sticks
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp English Mustard
1 tbsp Ketchup
4 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar
Process everything in a food processor leaving mixture even but rough not smooth paste.  Take two white slices and 1 brown. Cut sides to remove outer crust.  Spread a generous mixture between the three layers of sandwich leaving the brown bread slice in the middle. Cut into 4 equal squares.

Zucchini and Feta Cheese Mini Muffins 
350g Self Raising Flour
100g Feta Cheese
90g butter cut into cubes
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup grated Zucchini (large fitting)
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh cream
Poppy seed

Sift flour in a large bowl and rub in the butter so that mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Add Zucchini, milk cream lightly beaten egg, salt sugar and crumbled feta cheese.  Using a metal spoon mix the mixture lightly.  Do not over mix, mixture should look a bit lumpy.  Spoon in small muffin trays till the brim sprinkle poppy seeds on top and bake in moderately hot oven 210c for approx 25 minutes or until golden.  You can freeze after completely cold.  Thaw and re heat in a 180c oven to crisp up.

White Chocolate and Peanut Tarts
1/2 quantity sweet short pastry
100g white chocolate melts
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup cream
1 egg yolk
100g white chocolate melts extra

Prepare filling by putting 100g chocolate, peanut butter and cream in a bowl over bane Marie until all melts to a smooth paste. Remove from heat add yolk and stir till all combined. On a floured surface gently open pastry until approx 2 mm thickness. Have a non stick muffin case ready and an adequate round cutter so that each round fits in the muffin hole and sides rise to approx 1cm. Cut rounds and fit in Muffin tray, fill with peanut mixture leaving 2mm clearance from sides.  Bake in a 195c oven for 1/2 an hour.  Remove from tray and cool on wire rack.  Melt the extra chocolate and coat the tops.

Classic Jam Tarts
Use the remaining half of sweet short pastry and line muffin trays same as for peanut white chocolate tarts.  Fill in with good quality or home made jam, cut thin strips and cross shape over jam filling.  Bake in 180c oven for 1/2 hour till golden.


Vanilla Cream Slice with Fresh Strawberries
1 roll ready Made Puff Pastry sheet
1/2 quantity Creme Patissiere
100g mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons caster sugar
little milk to brush
Fresh Strawberries and Icing Sugar for decoration

Open Puff Pastry sheet and cut evenly into 2inchx1.25inch rectangles 8cmx4cm). Put on baking tray and prick with fork.  Brush with milk and sprinkle caster sugar.  Bake in 200c oven till golden brown.  Make the cream by whisking mascarpone cheese until soft and combine to creme patissiere.  Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with star nozzle. Arrange two equal rectangles and layer cream in the middle. pipe some cream on top and decorate with sliced strawberries. Dust with icing Sugar.

Prawn Bisque

This is the best ever gourmet prawn soup I ever made. It is so easy yet I can guarantee you will impress your guests. This recipe is enough for 6 generous starters.

1 kilo fresh medium prawns(you can mix tiger and Mediterranean)
6 langoustine
2 bay leaves
Sprig of thyme
Small bunch of marjoram
1 sprig rosemary
Celery stick
3 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1 onion
Fresh ground black pepper
1 cup white wine
2 liters water
1 potato
100ml fresh cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Chopped parsley

Peel prawns and devein. Make a bouquet garni by tying together with a piece of string, bay leaves, marjoram,thyme and rosemary. In a large heavy based pan put prawn peelings bouquet garni, chopped onion, garlic(do not chop or peel) chopped celery, chopped tomato, black pepper, salt, wine and water. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 hour. Immerse a hand blender and blend everything. Pass through a sieve in batches, pressing down hard to extract as much liquid as possible. Pass the liquid again through fine sieve into a pan. Return to heat, add chopped potatoes and boil for 10minutes until potatoes are just tender. Using a sharp knife cut langustine tails in half by placing langustine flat on board and insert knife just behind the head and push steadily lengthways. Add langoustine and shelled prawns to bisque cover and boil for further three minutes. Add cream and turn off heat. Stir and season if necessary. Arrange one langoustine per portion in a deep plate and ladle soup on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and drizzle olive oil. Serve with buttered wholemeal rolls.

Sweet short pastry

This is an easy pastry and so versatile. It is the base of large number of sweets like, jam tarts, cassata, meringue pies and biscuits which you can all include in a tea party.

400g plain flour
150g butter
1 tsp lemon juice
3 small eggs
75g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Cut butter into small pieces and put in a food processor with flour and sugar. Pulse a few times until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add lemon juice, cream of tartar and eggs and pulse again a few times till all combined. Remove dough from bowl and form into a ball. Cover in cling film and chill for half an hour before use. Alternatively you can put in a plastic bag and freeze.

Prawn & Broccoli Stir Fry

This is a very quick mid week meal.  In half an hour flat you will have a deliscious and healthy plate of food.

500g shelled prawns(tiger prawns are best for this recipe)
1 medium onion thickly sliced
2 carrots, peeled cut lengthways and sliced
1 celery stick, sliced
1 broccoli cut into small florets
1 broccoli stem, peeled and sliced
1 tomato peeled and thickly chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 inch ginger finely chopped
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornflour diluted in little water.
Freshly cracked black pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok,  add onions, celery, garlic, broccoli stem, and ginger and stir fry. Add broccoli and stock, and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add prawns and stir. Thicken liquid with diluted corn flour, add soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir. Finally add tomatoes and freshly ground black pepper stir and serve with fluffy white rice or noodles (see recipe http://marthesefood.blogspot.com/2011/12/veal-rolls-with-fluffy-fragrant-rice.html)

Figs In Syrup

1 kg small figs
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
1 litre Water

Wash figs and dry on kitchen cloth.  Arrange loosely in sterilised jars.  Prepare a pan with 1 litre water add sugar, split vanilla pod in two, scoop out seeds and add to water. Bring to boil and reduce by 1/3.  Cool slightl. , then remove the vanilla pod and divide between the jars already filled with figs. Top up with syrup until all figs are compeletely covered. Seal with lids. Have a large pan of boiling water ready, arrange jars next to each other and make sure that water tops over by one inch. Boil filled and sealed jars for 30minutes. Turn off heat and remove carefully. Leave to cool and ensure that the lid pops inwards when cold.(like so you will be assured that ther is complete vacum under lid) Store in a dark cool cupboard.  Syrup will develop a pinkish colour over some time. Will keep for over a year!

Wholemeal Dinner Rolls

500g Plain Flour
250g Wholemeal Flour
60g melted butter
1/2cup warm milk
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
20g dried yeast

Put everything in Mixing Bowl and using the hook attachment mix for 10 minutes to form a dough.  Remove dough from mixing bowl and transfer to large plastic lunch bag.  Close the top leaving enough space to prove. ( I use large zip an seal bag).  Leave in a bowl in a warm place. After 3/4 hour the dough will be double in bulk.  Remove from bag and put back in the mixing bowl.  Knead again for 2 minutes.  Divide the dough in two.  Roll into long oblongs and cut each roll into 15 equal shapes.  Roll each dough into 3inch rolls, flatten slightly and put on lightly oiled baking pan.  Leave in warm place covered with clean cloth to prove.  After 1 hour, bake in a hot oven(220c) for 25 minutes until golden.  Enjoy warm with plenty butter! Rolls can be frozen after cooked and cooled completely.  Thaw and reheat in 180c oven when needed.

Home made Tortellini

I literally hate the chewy horrible filling of packed tortellini that sometimes taste like smoked plastic! Do yourself a favour and make your own! Have some free time and free your mind from the old troubles as the process is so therapeutic... Prepare as much as you can as they freeze very well. Consume within three months, if they last that long!!

For the pastry

500g flour
5 eggs
Pinch Salt

Artichoke filling
 250g Artichokes (either canned or freshly cooked hearts)
100g pine nuts
1 egg
100g cubed Pancetta, or smoked Bacon
2tbsp Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
freshly ground black Pepper.

White Sauce,
60g butter,
2tbsp, Plain Flour
600ml Milk
250ml fresh cream
1/4tsp salt
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan or Kafeloutieri cheese
Grated Nutmeg
1 teaspoon English Mustard

Make the Pastry but putting everything in a food Processor and pulse till all combined.  Gather everything and knead to a ball. Cover in cling film and chill for 1/2 an hour.  Meanwhile make the filling by once again put everything in the processor and process to form a textured paste.(not necessarily smooth). Transfer mixture to a disposable piping bag.  

You must invest in a pasta machine as you need to have the dough opened evenly. So, using a pasta machine, cut 1/5th from the dough and pass it through the machine on setting 10, flouring properly from time to time. Then reduce the setting to 8, and pass the dough again, then 6 then 4 until you have a smooth long strip of pasta approx 2.5mm thickness.  Pipe small amount of filling the size of a hazelnut, leaving 1inch gap from one to another. Lightly brush with some cold water around filling,  fold the dough over press sides and front ensuring that no air bubbles are trapped .  Press gently then lift the whole thing from the bench so that it does not stick, cut into half rounds like ravioli. Remove excess dough, then pick each raviolo and fix the two pointed ends together to form a tortellina! 

Make the white sauce by heating butter, add flour and cook till it forms small dough balls, then add milk and whisk to a smooth creamy texture.  Add fresh cream, cheese and mustard, and whisk again till all combined.  Grate some nutmeg and check for seasoning, add salt if necessary.

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, add tortellini and boil for 10minutes. Drain and plate, add white sauce.  Garnish with parmesan shavings and drizzle with olive oil.