Classic meringues

The moment I saw the merginue photos in the Ottolenghi Cookbook my mind was set on making them. The closest I've come to making meringues is when I made macaons, and though they came out fine in my gas oven, I remember that I had to be very careful with heating up the sugar to exactly the right temperature. Meringue recipes don't usually call for heating up the sugar, but Ottolenghi's does, and apparently it makes them extra shiny and crispy, or something. Anyway, the technique worked wonderfully, though I still need to find a way to lower the temperature in my gas oven even further. The lowest I could get it was 130C, which seems to be just a little too high as the meringues didn't come out snowy white, but cream coloured. I don't mind the pinkish cream colour, which is quite beautiful too, and they taste wonderful, but it would be nice succeed in making pure white treats too. 

Here is the recipe. It's very straight forward and easy. Enjoy!

 

Kale speltotto with goat's cheese

Kale this kale that. I've been reading about kale for a good two years or more and finally came across it in my local supermarket. I promptly bought a bunch and came home to dig for a recipe. This is the one I ended up with by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from his River Cottage Veg Everyday (am currently unable to find a link to the recipe.. maybe later). It's basically a risotto, but made with spelt, hence the name speltotto. I made it from pearl barley however so I guess mine was more of a barlotto! Anyway, it was interesting. I can't say it was my favourite experiment, though my lack of enthusiasm may have something to do with the nausea I've been feeling after meals due to the intake of strong antibiotics. Still, both kale and barley have flavours very much their own -- ones that I'm not quite sure what I think about, put together at least. It did look very pretty though, and smelled great, and that counts for something, surely.

 

Pasta with fennel, rocket and lemon

I'm finally back in the kitchen after two weeks of being sick and surviving on staples. I tried something quick and simple to get back in the swing: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's pasta with fennel, rocket and lemon. I don't use fennel so often, and was happy to try something where the fennel flavour becomes beautifully enmeshed with the garlic, piqued by the lemon, and tempered by the rocket. I think I just ended up finding a new staple meal.

 

Plenty: Green pancakes with lime butter

I have been waiting for the perfect time to make these for brunch. I bought the ingredients last week so that I could make them over the Midsummer long weekend. Unfortunately, I was struck down with a flu on the first day, and my cooking plans have been thwarted somewhat since. I did, however, make these green pancakes with lime butter as planned with substantial help from a friend. The trouble is, I've been sick all weekend with a flu and can't taste a thing! My co-chef/co-bruncher said they were tasty ('they taste like spinach') and that the lime butter was a taste explosion. The lime was actually all I could make out. What a waste. I'll have to make them again soon and try them properly myself. It's Ottolenghi though, so I'm sure they will be delicious! This is what they looked like. I bought red chillies instead of green ones by accident, otherwise they should be entirely green pancakes.

 

Quinoa with courgettes and onions

The third recipe from Fearnley-Whittingstall's veg book. This was also very easy to make, and relatively quick. I love slow-cooked vegetables, especially onions, which are cooked here with courgettes. I have sung the praises of quinoa before, so I'll leave that aside this time. But if you are interested, here is not only a link to the recipe of this beautiful dish, but also 10 facts about quinoa worth delving into. I should mention that I made this as a side dish to the spring onion galette, and that they worked together like bread and butter. (P.S. Vegans, just fry completely in olive oil, leave out the butter)

 

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).

 

Upside down onion tart

This is the first recipe I tried from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It is insanely easy and quick to make, with essentially two ingredients; onion and puff pastry. I couldn't get it to look quite as beautiful as it is in the book, where the onions are organized in a beautiful circular order. How the hell do you turn onions without ruining the pattern? I've yet to learn that trick. Who care though, since it still tasted amazing. You can find the recipe here, so bookmark it for your next lazy cooking day.