Tomato and basil Risotto

I literally have a forest of basil in my garden, Janet, who helps me in my garden has not yet quite got the hang of only planting a few seeds at a time so we have feast or famine!  This time I am quite stuck on what to use all my basil for, I have been making jars and jars of basil oil.  This is a sludgy, verdant sauce that tastes clean, punchy and pure.  I have been adding it to all sorts of dishes-and it is delicious with a tomato risotto.

Basil Oil:
3 large bunches of basil-proper bunches, not the mean little ones sold in supermarkets
1 clove of garli, peeled
sea salt and black pepper
200ml extra virgin olive oil
Pull the basil leaves from their stalks and put them into a food processor with the garlic and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Process until the basil is finely chopped.  With the motor running trickle in the olive oil through the funnel and continue to blend until you have a beautiful moss green puree.  Leave to stand for a few minutes, and then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Pour into a jar, cover and refridgerate until ready to use.  It keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Tomato Salad:
I am always amazed by how many types of tomatoes are available-little, big, long, yellow, thin, round-so go crazy!
4 big handfuls of mixed tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Herb or balsamic vinegar
1 fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram
1/2 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
a big handful of fresh basil leaves-picked and divided into big and small ones

Chop up the tomaotes in an irregular fashion.  Season from a height with sea salt, using slightly more than you normally would, this will draw out the yummy flavour and intensity of the tomatoes.  Put the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and leave for 20 minutes to let any excess water and salt drip out.  Pour the liquid away, dry the bowl and out the tomaotes in it.  Dress them with a glug of olive oil and a slash of vinegar.  Add some pepper, the chilli, marjoram, and the large basil leaves, torn up.  Toss together, correct seasoning.  tumble the tomaotes onto a large platter, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle over the little basil leaves.

Tomato and basil risotto:
This is an adaption of Jamie Olivers one which he uses ricotta cheese in.  It is so yummy with basil oil drizzled over it.
1 litre veg stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion -peeled and finely chopped
4-5 sticks of celery, thrimmed and finely chopped
600 grms risotto rice
250ml vermouth or dry white wine

Put the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently over a low heat for about 15 mins, until soft.  Add the rice and turn up the heat.  Dont let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan so keep stirring.
Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine, keep stirring until it is has evaporated.  Add the stock to the rice, a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next.  Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesnt cook too quickly., and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed-about 15 mins, the rice should still be a little bit al dente.

700ml extra veg stock.
4 hndfuls of ripe tomatoes-I use the tomato salad above.
Add 1/2 the extra stock and 2/3rds of the tomatoes.  Gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time, turn down the heat until almost all the stock has been absorbed.  Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time.  Be careful not to overcook the rice, it should be soft, creamy and oozy!
Turn off the heat (at this point you can add in grated parmesan or ricotta) add a tbsp of the basil oil.  Check the seasoning then stir in the rest of the marinated tomatoes.  Put a lid on the pan and let it rest a min or two.  Serve with bsil oil.  

A supper of Courgettes, tomatoes and basil

This is from Nigel Slater's amazing book "Tender Volume 1", and has been a life saver for us as I have a glut of courgettes and a forest of basil in my garden.  For years I have been trying to grow courgettes and have always lost to powdery mildew-despite granny's potions-but since I have had drip irrigation in the garden I have an incredible selection of yellow, and green courgettes.
Squashes of every variety love a tomato, some people feel the need to skin and seed the tomato, but I dont think that its necessary for this dish.  It is a bit of a rough-edged supper but it tastes like late summer!
Courgettes-5 medium
olive oil-3 tbsp
tomatoes-4 medium to large
basil leaves-a handful
lemon

Cut the courgettes into thick fingers-about the size of a homemade chip.  Warm the oil in a deep pan and let the courgettes cook over a moderate heat for 6-8 minutes or so until they start to soften.
Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to the courgettes with the torn up basil leaves, salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon.  Stir, cover with  loose fitting lid and leave to simmer for 10 mins, until the courgettes are totally tender and the tomatoes have cooked down to a basil scented saucy slush.  The colours should be bright, the courgettes softly yielding but not browned.
If you are like my husband you can sponge up the sunny-tasting juices with fresh bread. 

Chili and Rosemary Polenta with Tomato sauce

I am writing with no idea of what recipe I will post!  The marathon training seems to have taken over my life and with it my eating habits have gone hay wire.  I now consider a good meal crunchy nut cornflakes with soya milk!  Tomorrow is my long run-about 18km and this afternoon I have decided not to train on my bike, so I have all this free time!  I thought I had better update my blog, I am having a mug of peppermint tea and listening to Emeli Sande (http://www.emelisande.com/).  I have just been out planting broad beans in my garden, the heat has taken it's toll on my poor garden and all the mulching we have done doesnt seem to be helping.
I often eat at the Bayleaf in Arusha and Mary makes the most wonderful thngs with polenta. This is inspired by something she made last week:  Chili and Rosemary Polenta with Tomato sauce
For the polenta:
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (or a sprinkle of ground chili flakes)
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
150g quick cook polenta
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the tomato sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 x 400g tinned tomatoes
1 bay leaf
a pinch of sugar

To make the polenta, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan over a low-medium heat.  Add the garlic and chili and sweat gently for a couple of minutes - dont let the garlic colour.  Add the rosemary and remove from the heat.
Pour 800ml in a sauce pan and bring to the boil.  Now pour in the polent in a thin stream, stirring all the time.  When smooth allow it to return to a simmer.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat.  Stir in the garlic, chili and rosemary, season generously with salt and pepper.  Mix well.
tip the polenta onto a cold surface-such as a marble slab or plate, and spread it smoothly into an even disk, about 2cm thick.   Leave to cool completely.

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and sweat gently for a couple of minutes; don't let it colour.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, add a bay leaf if you have one.  Bring to a simmer then cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring often and crushing the tomatoes with a fork until you have a thick sauce.  Season with salt and pepper and a little sugar.

When the polenta is cool and firm cut into slices or wedges.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and fry the polentapieces for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they have a light golden brown crust.  Serve topped with the tomato sauce.

Good comfort food! 

Vegetable Paella

My mother-in-law made this for us recently when we were visiting her in the UK-it was delicious!  It is loosely based on one from Ottolenghi's book "Plenty".
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion-finely chopped
1/2 a fennel bulb-cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp gound tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
150g Calasparra rice-or another paella rice.  It works well with out local tanzanian short grain white rice as well!
100 ml good quaity medium sherry
1 tsp saffron threads
450 ml boiling veg stock
200 gms shelled broad beans-or sliced french beans
12 plum or cherry tomatoes-halved
5 small grilled artichokes in oil from a jar-drained and quartered
15 pitted Kalamata olives-halved
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
4 lemon wedges
salt

Heat the olive oil in a large shallow frying pan (or a paella pan if you have one!), and gently fry the onion for 5 mins.  Add the fennel and and continue to fry on a medium heat until soft and golden-about 6 mins.  Add the garlic and continue to cook for a further minute.
Add the bay leaves, paprika, tumeric and cayenne to the onions and fennel and stir well.  Then add the rice and stir thoroughly before adding the sherry and saffron.  Boil down for a minute and then add the stock and 1/3 tsp of salt.  Reduce to the heat to the minimum and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.  Do not cover the pan or stir the rice during the cooking.
Meanwhile pour plently of boiling water over the broad beans in a bowl and leave for a minute, then drain well and leave to cool.  Now squeeze each broad bean gently to remove the skin and discard it.
Remove the paella pan from the heat.  Taste and add more salt if needed but without stirring the rice and vegetables much.  Scatter the tomatoes, artichokes and broad beans over the rice and cover the pan tightly with foil for 10 minutes to rest.
Take off the foil.  Scatter the olives on top of the paella an sprinkle with parsley.  Serve with wedges of lemon.  

slow roasted oven cherry tomatoes

Cherry or small Roma tomatoes

Whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Herbs-thyme or rosemary (optional)


Preheat oven to 225°F. Halve each cherry tomato crosswise, or Roma tomato lengthwise and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs on, if you are using them, and salt and pepper, though go easily on these because the finished product will be so flavorful you’ll need very little to help it along.
Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry (like little turkish slippers-turned up ends), but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.
Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge for the best summer salad addition.

Cherry tomato quinoa recipe

I just got a request for recipies using cherry tomatoes-so this is the first of many to come! 

Couscous or quinoa- either would work great here. You can easily make this vegan by leaving out the feta as I do- I would do a sort of harissa-or smoky chiptole drizzle instead

3 cups cooked quinoa or couscous
1/2 a basket of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 lemon, cut in half
1 lime, cut in half
about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup basil or corriander, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled-optional

Combine the quinoa or couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, and chickpeas in a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon and lime juice directly into the bowl, add the olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Toss well, taste, and adjust with more of the above until it tastes just right. This really needs a generous amount of salt (or a splash of soy sauce), and the lemon and lime juices might need to be adjusted depending on how juicy the fruit is.

Add the basil and feta and toss gently until it is evenly dispersed.

Serves 4 - 6.

Adapted by me from a recipe by Heidi Swanson. 

Rice with chick peas and tomatoes

We had this for lunch yesterday and JP loved it!  So here it is!  It is so easy to make, especially if you se canned chick peas.  I have so much corriander in the garden and this is a great way to use it up.

Cooked short grain brown rice
1 can of chick peas (if using dried, soak 350g over night and cook as usual)
2 large onions-finely chopped
6 tbsp olive oil4 cloves garlic, crushed
450 gr fresh tomatoes, skinned and sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp lemon juice

Fry the onion in the olive oil in a large sauce pan, until soft-about 10 mins.  Add the garlic, chick peas and tomatoes and cook for a further few mins until they are nice and hot.  Use a fork and lightly mash the chick peas, then stir in the coked rice, coriander and lemon juice,  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

A lentil stuffed marrow:

I get asked about lentils a lot, I love them and find endless things to do with them.  When I was at school in England the kitchen always made me amazing stuffed vegetables and I guess unlike most school food this is one that has stuck!

This lentil filling works just as well with pumpkins.

Small brown or green lentil-puy work well-200g

A medium sized marrow-or pumpkin

Olive oil

Shallots-2 large, or an onion

Garlic-2 large cloves

Tomatoes-6 medium

Chili sauce-harissa or a smoky chipotle work well

2 handfuls of chard or spinach

grated parmesan-2 tablespoons-optional

Set the oven at 180 degrees or gas mark 4.  Bring a pan of water to the boil in which to cook the lentils.  Add them to the water and leave to simmer, until they are tender-soft rather than al dente.

Cut the marrow in half length ways but do not peel it.  Scoop out the core and put both halves into a roasting tin, then brush with olive oil and put in the preheated oven.  Leave the marrow until tender and translucent–about 20 minutes-then remove from the oven.

Meanwhile peel and slice the shallots and garlic and soften them in a saucepan with about 3 tbsp of olive oil.  Chop the tomatoes-if they have tough skins peel them by dunking them in into boiling water then peel off the skin, and add them to the pan.  Let them cook a while, till they are soft and mushy, the stir in our chili sauce, a teaspoon or two is enough for me!  The amounts depends on what chili sauce you have and how hot you want your lentils to be.   Pour in about a teacup of water, just enough to make a slushy sauce and be generous with the salt and black pepper.

Drain the cooked lentils, then stir them into the onion and chili sauce.  Tear the spinach or chard leaves into small pieces and stir them into the lentils.  Bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer on a low heat till the greens are silky soft.  Spoon the lentil mixture into the hollows in the marrow, scatter with the parmesan-if using-cover with foil and bake for twenty minutes.

Baked tomatoes with chillies and coconut

This is from a recipe by Nigel Slater-we have a massive surplus of tomatoes at the moment and keep having to be very creative with them!  This dish smells and tastes delicious-heady and aromatic.  It does curdle a bit-but dont let that worry you.  I serve this with lentils and rice.

garlic-2 cloves
2 hot red chillies
ginger-a piece about the size of your thumb
olive oil-about 3 tbsps
chili flakes-half a teaspoon
ground coriander-1 tsp
gound turmeric-1 tspcumin seeds-half a tsp
green cardamons-6
moderately large ripe tomatoes-12
creamed coconut-50-70grms
corainder leaves-a handful

Peel and thinly slice the garlic.  Halve the chillies-deseed and then finely slice.  Peel and very finely slice it. Warm the oil in a deep frying pan, then add the garlic, chilli and ginger, letting them soften, but not colour over a moderate heat.
Stir in the chilli flakes, ground coriander, turmeric, and cumin seeds, then pop the cardamons out of their husks, crush the seeds lighty and stir them.  Once the spices have warmed through, chop 4 of the tomatoes, stir them into the spices and pour in 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then slice each of the remaining tomatoes horizontally in half and lay them cut side down in the sauce.  Leave to cook for 7-8 minutes, until they are starting to soften.  Turn each tomato over, and continue to cook for a few minutes, till they are thoroughly tender.
Add the creamed coconut in small pieces, stir with a teaspoon.  From this point on the sauce should not boil, just simmer very gently until it is thick and the tomatoes are soft.
Once the tomatoes are tender to the point of collapse, they are ready. scatter with the coriander leaves and eat with a little rice or bread to mop them up!

A yummy tomato salad

I have a huge variety of tomatoes in my garden, little round yellow ones, big fat red juicy ones, long ones, so our tomato salads are never boring.  I try to mix up colours and shapes, I cut some into halves, some into thick slices, some I cut up irregularly.

4 big handfuls of tomatoes
salt and black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh red chilli, halved and deseeded and finely sliced
1 handful of fresh chopped oregano
Half a clove of garlic finely sliced-I am not a fan of too much garlic!
A big handful of fresh basil, leave divided into small and large ones.

Cut up the tomatoes however you wish, put them into a colander and season with salt-using more than less.  It helps draw the water out and intensifies their flavour.  Leave the colander over a bowl for 20 minutes and let any excess water and salt drip out.  Pour the liquid away, wash the bowl and put the tomatoes in it. Dress them with a big glug of olive oil, and some balsamic vinegar.  Add the pepper, chilli oregano and large basil leaves torn up.  Toss tgether, season to taste.
Drizzle with some extra olive oil and sprinkle over the baby basil leaves.