Plenty: Black pepper tofu

I have read many a blog entry about this Plenty recipe for black pepper tofu. Some don't like it, but mostly people think it's divine. I'm siding with the latter lot. This is a meal of nice, crispy tofu in a sweet and spicy oniony sauce. I served it with some brown rice. With that it is a very, very filling meal.  Don't think, just make it. Tonight.

 

Watercress and goat's cheese tart

Believe it or not, this recipe for a watercress and goat's cheese IS from the Guardian, but it IS NOT by Ottolenghi. It is by Angela Harnett, patron chef at the Murano restaurant in London. It is very easy to make and goes well with a fresh, green salad. My word of advice is to eat it when it's cooled down substantially. The flavour of the watercress is quite subtle, and is drowned out when eaten hot. To an extent the same thing goes for the goat's cheese. In fact, I think I enjoyed eating this as a leftover most the next day, which makes me think that this would actually be a great thing to take for a picnic. Something to bear in mind for the fast approaching summer.

 

Plenty: Jerusalem artichokes with halloumi and basil oil

I made this feast of jerusalem artichokes with manouri and basil oil over Easter but have been too busy to keep up with the blogging. Yes, another wonderful meal from Ottolenghi. I used halloumi with this instead of manouri, which I wasn't able to get a hold of anywhere. A wonderful warm salad type of meal!

 

Cranberry and white chocolate biscuits

My second attempt from my new Ottolenghi Cookbook: cranberry and white chocolate biscuits. These turn out wonderfully! The cranberries are balanced out by the sweetness of white chocolate (and sugar..) and a good amount of oats gives the biscuits a slightly more wholesome feel altogether. And they are delicious, of course. In terms of texture, they turned out exactly as I had hoped: crispy on the outer edges and chewy in the centre. I made these first on Monday and they were so good that I made another batch this evening. I don't see these ones lasting long either.

 

Plenty: Puy lentil galettes

This is another of those Plenty recipes that looked delicious and easy enough but haven't gotten around to preparing until now. The spices and spinach accompanying these Puy lentil galettes do proper justice to these humble yet flavoursome green lentils. It's much lighter and healthier without the pastry, but it does look much more appetising this way, doesn't it.

 

Plenty: Baked eggs with yogurt and chill

Even though I like to take my time to make porridge almost every morning for breakfast, there are limits to how long I want to spend on making the first but most important meal of the day.  This one came about much faster than I expected, especially with an extra pair of hands. Baked eggs with yogurt and chilli was divine. To be specific, it is baked eggs on fried rocket with Greek yogurt and garlic, and chilli butter. Need I say more. If you can't get a hold of kirmizi biber, just do as Ottolenghi suggests, as I did, and mix chilli flakes with some paprika. A perfect brunch.

 

Chocolate fudge cake

Since Plenty only has fruit-and-cheese types of desserts, and since I had my fresh copy of the Ottolenghi Cookbook at hand, I decided to make my first go at it a decadent one with this Chocolate Fudge Cake. For some, reading the list of ingredients is enough to deliver a heart attack. This has twice as much butter, chocolate, sugar and eggs than any other cake I have ever made. Yeah, yikes. But hell, it is luxury in a tin! And I for one don't believe in fat free fad desserts or the like. Long live proper desserts! This one certainly is one. Heaven is a place on earth.