Spelt with peas & grilled halloumi

I bought my first spelt grain by mistake. It was my last day of holiday in Poland, I was shopping in a rush and picked something from a shelf that I thought was a spelt bread flour. This was a whole grain to be used in bread making, however I cooked it instead of adding this to a bread dough and since then I am completely in love with it.

Spelt is very healthy, rich in vitamins, minerals, it contains gluten that is very tolerable by people with gluten intolerance. In Roman times it was gladiators' food. I absolutely love it and use it in sweet and savoury recipes.

Today's recipe also features one of my favourite cheeses - halloumi. It is perfect for grilling as it keeps its shape in high temperatures. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Serves 2

about 500ml spelt grain

200g halloumi 

about  250ml peas (fresh or defrosted)

half red onion, peeled and sliced

juice of half lemon

1 lime

small handful of fresh mint

2-3 springs of fresh thyme, leaves picked

few tbsps of cold pressed rapeseed oil 

few pinches of chilli flakes

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place the spelt in a pan, cover with water and soak for about 10 hours. Drain, cover with fresh water, add some salt and bring to the boil. Simmer over the low heat until al dente.

While you cooking the spelt prepare the onion - marinate it in lemon and half lime juice.

Cut the halloumi in about 1cm slices, drizzle with some oil, sprinkle with chilli flakes, some salt and pepper and grill on very hot cast iron frying pan.

When spelt is nearly cooked add the peas and cook for about 3 minutes, then drain and return to the pan. Drizzle with little oil, add juices from marinating the onion and chopped mint and thyme. Stir well.

Place the spelt with peas onto two plates, top with marinated onion, grilles halloumi, drizzle with little oil and serve immediately with lime wedges.

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Roast garlic & tomatoes risotto with parmesan crisps

Top: Parmesan piles, bottom: Parmesan crisps

Ingredients for this dish are quite similar to those used in my linguine alla trapanese, but today I am serving rice instead of a pasta. Based on the popularity of trapanese recipe I reckon I don't have to introduce all these lovely summer ingredients again.  This is one of our favourite summer dishes and it is a shame that here in Yorkshire we don't have summer at all this year whilst my friends in Poland are complaining about the heat. At least I have my bowl of summer risotto that I can comfort myself with in this rainy and rather cold weather. 

Serves 2-4

250g arborio rice (or some other risoto rice)

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

two handfuls of baby tomatoes 

2-3 springs of fresh thyme

4-6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 łtbsp balsamic vinegar (supermarket bought will do)

half tsp brown sugar (I used dark muscovado)

about 1.2 l vegetable stock, hot (preferably homemade)

175ml dry white wine

2 tbsp butter

6 tbsp freshly grated parmesan (or vegetarian option)

salt 

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 180 C. 

Line a baking tray with some kitchen foil and place tomatoes, garlic on it. Drizzle with tbsp of olive oil. Then drizzle tomatoes only with the vinagar, sprinkle with sugar and little salt and add thyme springs. Place in the oven.

On another baking tray lined with some baking paper pour 2-4 heaping tablespoons (according to the number of servings) of parmesan and lightly pat down. Bake until cheese is melted and golden. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool down slightly. When cooled down using large knife gently lift them from a baking tray.

Fry the shallot in 2 remaining tbsp of olive oil in a deep pan until slightly softened but not browned. Add the rice, and fry stirring until it starts to turn translucent. Next add the wine and cook, stirring until wine is absorbed. Next add a ladle of hot stock and stir. and turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladles of stock, stirring – you will notice a creamy starch from the rice. This is why you have to allow each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

In the meantime tomatoes should be roasted and ready. Remove from the oven, take the thyme springs and pick some of the leaves from the springs - add to the risotto. Squeeze the roast garlic out of its skins and roughly chop then add to the rice. Stir and remove from the heat.

Add the remaining parmesan, butter and stir well and allow to rest for about 2-3 minutes. Please bear in mind when I took this photograph it rested in a hot bowl so it lost some of its creaminess.

Place in serving bowls, top with roast tomatoes, some fresh thyme leaves if you have any left and with parmesan crisp. Serve immediately.

Linguine alla trapanese

Imagine fresh sun ripened tomatoes - sweet and juicy. Basil that smells like heaven when you shake it slightly. Best olive oil you ever tasted, produced in small village in the Italian mountainside - rich, with very distinctive notes of artichokes. Add nutty almonds and Parmigiano Reggiano and you have the best summer combo for pasta. You can obviously make pesto of these, but according to me these are so gorgeous that it would be a shame just to smash them into a smooth paste. Enjoy every bite of this. Jamie was right in "Jamie's Italy" (by the way one of my favourite cook books) - since I saw this recipe few years ago it became my new favourite and yes Tigers - I hope you are going to like it too.  (the recipe comes from his book, but I have change the quantities). Have a lovely weekend (Tigers)! 

 

Serves 2 

200g dried pasta (I used linguine) 

200g fresh baby tomatoes 

handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

100g almonds, skinned 

a generous splash of good extra virgin olive oil (I used the one from Ginestra) 

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped   

4 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano

some salt 

some freshly ground black pepper 

Cook your pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. 

While the pasta is cooking place tomatoes in a large bowl and really scrunch them with you hands, they will release a lot of lovely juices. 

Dry fry  the almonds in a pan, until just slightly coloured and then smash them up in a pestle and mortar or use a food processor until you have a coarse powder consistency. Really what you looking for are small pieces of almonds so they give you this extra crunch. Put them into a bowl. Add the garlic, basil, Parmesan,  a generous glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Loosen with a little extra water from the boiled pasta and toss with your hot drained pasta. 

Adjust the seasoning, divide on to two plates, and spoon any sauce that remains in the pan over the top. You can finish off with some little grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

My subjective guide to culinary books, part 3

I can hardly believe that I waited so long to write about the book that certainly is one of the most interesting I have ever seen and for sure - the most beautiful in my collection. Funnily enough I did not use a single recipe from this book and I would still strongly recommend it to anybody who likes beautiful cook books. This is "The Vintage Tea Party Book" by Angel Adoree (who you may recognise from TV series "Dragon's Den"), the owner of Vintage Patisserie .

Let me just say that I am huge fan of vintage style and if only I had more money and opportunities I would definitely collect authentic vintage clothes and accessories and dress like this on a regular basis. So for me this book is like a very stylish journey back in time, I can totally relax flicking trough it and find myself in a lovely vintage scenery, having a tea party in style. This book is a visual feast, never a dull moment, one of the most beautiful photographs of food I have ever seen.

But what makes this book even more amazing is that it has a whole vintage package for anybody who would like to host a vintage tea party. Not only recipes, but lots of other ideas such as how to make invitations and thank you cards, decorations, how to pick the right clothing, how to make iconic hair victory rolls, tips on flower arranging or 40's make up and applying false lashes.

This is an absolute must have for anybody who is into vintage. This book is also very British and this is why I love it even more. Angel says she is proud of being British, in this book you can find several portraits of Queen Elizabeth or history of British flag. Let me say this again - very stylish, extremely beautiful, what a woman and what a book! 

How about the recipes? Have to say I was so pleasantly surprised by some ideas and will definitely try them some time in the future. I am sure they will work, Vintage Pattiserie have been a success, so I totally trust the recipes here, but simply did not have a chance to try them yet. How do you like the sound of some:

Kipper Paté on Oatcakes with Whisky Marmalade

Tall Filo Baskets with Stilton, Pear & Walnuts

Chicken Liver Parfait in a Filo Pastry Basket

Gingerbread Pudding with Eggnog Cream

Rose Pannacotta

Wild Hibiscus Champagne

along some traditional recipes such as easy fish pie, crown of lamb, scones or strawberry jam? I absolutely love them! To be completely honest - even if I never get round to make any of these (although I doubt this will happen) this book is so delightful to read, that I can spend hours in the armchair and forget all my worries. This is little bit like going to the other side of the mirror and even some of the gorgeous illustrations remind me "Alice in Wonderland" slightly.    

I recommend this book to anybody who likes beautiful things - this is pure and endless pleasure to look at. 

"The Vintage Tea Party Book" by Angel Adoree

Publisher: Mitchell Beazley (1 Aug 2011)

Hardcover, 304 pages