Plenty: Socca

This is Socca, a sort of savoury pancake made of chickpea flour, topped with slowly fried onions and gently roasted tomatoes. I've made this three times now, each time as a starter for dinner with friends and family. Each time I've been in a rush to prepare the next course that I haven't been able to snap a photo. It's easy and a real treat. The pancakes have a light savoury flavour, topped with onions and cherry tomatoes sweetened by slow cooking. There are always a couple left over, which I finish off for brunch the next day.

 

Spring onion galette

My second attempt from Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Everyday. Like the upside down onion tart, this spring onion galette is a meal that can be made very quickly and with little effort. It's the perfect season for spring onions, so it's also very timely to go for this one now. It's a very simple pleasure: spring onions, parmesan, olive oil, salt, pepper. Yes, a delicious meal is really that easy. Perfect for a summer picnic in that respect, that it's quick to make and also tastes good after it's cooled down. (P.S. If you are a non-parmesan eating vegetarian, I'd say you can easily replace the parmesan with goat's cheese or another strong cheese).

 

Risotto with roasted asparagus and mozzarella

Finally a recipe not by Ottolenghi! This risotto with roasted asparagus and mozzarella, however, is also form the Guardian, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. If risottos intimidate you at all, this is an easy one. The list of ingredients is short, and it's easy to prepare. I've made this twice now. The first time I had to make some more vegetable stock - 500ml didn't seem to suffice. However, when I made it today, 500-600ml was perfect. The trick is to keep the heat low, which I didn't do the first time around. Also, tonight I tried adding a big handful of chopped fresh parsley at the end, which worked beautifully. I think it adds a whole new layer to the overall slightly smokey flavour (thanks to the buffalo mozzarella) of this dish. And the generous drizzle of good-quality olive oil at the end is a real plus, so don't leave it out. Enjoy!

 

Plenty: Asparagus mimosa

If you feel inadquate as a cook, this is one recipe anyone can make. Asparagus mimosa sounds fancier than it is. It is really just boiled asparagus with boiled eggs, with some capers, salt and pepper thrown on top. Very easy starter with which to celebrate the asparagus season and impress your guests if you have them.

 

Ottolenghi's roasted butternut squash with cardamom and nigella seeds

This recipe for roasted butternut squash with cardamom and nigella seeds by Ottolenghi was in last weekend's Guardian. I was particularly tempted by the combination of cardamom with the squash, and the dollops of yogurt on top made it sound so fresh despite the intense spices, which also include cumin, coriander, tumeric and cinnamon as well as a green chilli. I'd never even heard of nigella seeds before, so there was an element of novelty there. This dish gave off wonderful aromas from the start. First you fry red onion in butter and olive oil, to which you add the butternut squash cubes. That alone was heavenly. So you can imagine the rising anticipation once it was all roasting in the oven with the spices and stock. Absolutely divine. And very easy to make :) Vegan version: no yogurt. I served it with slow roasted tomatoes tossed together with cous cous.

Goat's cheese, spinach and lingonberry salad

Nothing special this time, just a mixed salad of random leftovers I could find my fridge: lettuce and spinach, chevre, two kinds of cherry tomatoes, avocado, and topped with lingonberries, olive oil, salt, pepper and a small splash of balsamic. Voilà, leftover dinner salad.

Plenty project: Tomato party

The ankle is still out of action but after yesterday's pumpkin success, I'm back in action on the foodie front. Today I made the simple, easy, fresh and delicious "Tomato party" recipe from Ottolenghi. Half of the tomatoes are roasted in the oven with olive oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, then thrown in with couscous, cherry tomatoes of all colours, tarragon, mint, oregano, garlic and more olive oil, salt and pepper. Too easy. I think I need to send Yotam some fanmail. How would he like Finnish salmiakki, I wonder?

Plenty project: Crusted pumpkin wedges with soured cream

A busy week coupled with a sprained ankle limiting by ability to tour food shops has kept my cooking quite tame this past week. This weekend I did however try a new recipe from Plenty. Because it's the season for them, I did a pumpkin recipe before it's too late. A pumpkin is sliced into thin wedges, then topped with olive oil and a thick coat composed of a mix of parmesan, white bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, thyme, lemon zest and salt, then tossed into the oven for a half an hour. Served with soured cream, mixed with dill, salt and pepper. I have to admit that this has been my least favourite Plenty food. I've spoiled myself rotten, to be honest, since this was very tasty, but didn't incite the same overwhelming feelings of gluttony as the others I've tried. Maybe it was the soured cream? I think it was a little unnecessary, a little too rich. I tried some of the lefovers later and the pumpkin wedges, in my opinion, tasted much better at room temperature than warm out of the oven. Anyway, thank you Yotam for a lovely autumn dinner.

NEXT DAY UPDATE: I had the leftovers for dinner tonight. Oh. my. god. They were heavenly. I take back all the doubts expressed above. I am so making these again before pumpkin season ends!

Plenty project: Sweet potato wedges with lemongrass crème fraîche

Part 3/3 of Saturday's dinner: Ottolenghi's Sweet potato wedges with lemongrass crème fraîche. These were divine. The sweet potatoes in Finland are almost always enormous, so they roasted, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled salt, and cumin, for about an hour in the oven rather than O's 30 minutes. Divine! The lemongrass crème fraîche was really the pièce de resistance. Try resisting crème fresh mixed with lemongrass, lime zest and juice, fresh root ginger and salt. (Side note: My crème fraîche mysteriously vanished somewhere between Stockmann and my kitchen, so I used quark instead, and it came out great.)

So in sum, you can imagine that after stuffing our faces with sweet potato wedges, mushroom omlette and quinoa salad, we needed a a bit of a breather. But we both concurred that it was quite a feast :)

Tonight another friend is coming over to make hummus with ful. Welcome friends! My kitchen awaits your excellent company and famished appetites.

Slow roasted tomatoes

I picked off this recipe from Gwyenth Paltrow's GOOP site. I make it whenever I find cherry tomatoes on the vine for a decent price. Though any vine-ripened tomatoes will do, cherry tomatoes are just a wee bit sweeter. In addition to halved tomatoes, all you need is olive oil, salt, pepper, and about 3 hours of doing something around the house while the tomatoes ripen in the oven (at 130-150C). The tomatoes are ready when the skin has curled well at the edges and the tomatoes have lost a good deal of their volume. I've enjoyed them as Gwyneth does, with mozzarella and fresh basil, but I've also had them with pasta and tossed them into salads. Most of this batch will be enriching my pitta bread lunches this week, accompanied by avocado, cucumber, lettuce and homemade hummus.