Posts Tagged ‘Rosemary’

Spring Salad with Marinated Lamb Cutlets

Serves: 4

Broad Beans and Feta800g fresh broad beans (you’ll need approx 1.5kg in the pod)
200g fresh peas (you’ll need approx. 350g in the pod)
100g feta cheese
1 bunch mint, sliced thinly
1 bunch rosemary
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil
12 lamb cutlets
pinch of salt and pepper

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, a pinch of sea salt and some pepper and one of the chopped garlic cloves. Rub over the lamb cutlets and leave to marinate whilst you prepare the salad.

Remove the beans and peas from their pods and simmer in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and shell the beans.

Mix lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to make the dressing. Mix with the beans, peas, the remaining garlic and mint. Stir and check the seasoning.

Now heat a griddle pan over a high heat and grill the lamb for about 3 minutes each side. Serve with the bean and pea mixture and crumble feta on top.

Scallops with Lemon, Bay and Rosemary

Scallop_Queen

Serves: 4

12 scallops
4 rosemary stalks, leaves removed, but kept
pared zest and juice of 2 amalfi lemons
12 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Thread 3 scallops onto each rosemary stalk, alternating with three pieces of lemon zest and three bay leaves. Put the skewers in a roasting tin.

Pound the rosemary leaves and oil together (in a pestle and mortar if you have one) until fine and pour over the scallops. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Then preheat the oven to 200C. Season the rosemary skewers and put the roasting tin in the oven to bake for eight minutes only.

Enjoy!

Pork, Chestnut, Herb and Apple Stuffing

Try this delicious and easy homemade stuffing with any pork or poultry. It will make enough for roughly a 4kg bird.

Chestnut Stuffing300g chestnuts, cooked and peeled
50g butter
1 onion
4 stems of celery, including the leaves
500g minced pork
1 bramley apple
zest of 1 lemon
150g breadcrumbs
small bunch of sage
small bunch of rosemary
salt and pepper

Finely chop the onion, celery and herbs. Roughly chop the chestnuts and peel and chop the apple.

Melt the butter, then add the celery and onions. Leave to gently sweat for 10 minutes, stirring. Leave to cool before combining with the pork, apple, herbs, chestnuts, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and herbs. Season well.

Ready to get stuffing? See our How to: Stuff your Turkey post – it works the same for other birds.

If you have any left, roll into balls and bake for 35 minutes at 190C until cooked through.

Stewed Borlotti Beans

Borlotti Stew1kg fresh borlotti beans podded (roughly 1.5kg in the pod needed)
2 Italian potatoes
2 red onions
2 sprigs of rosemary
40g pancetta or guanciale
1ltr vegetable stock
extra virgin olive oil
butter
salt and pepper
rustic bread

Dice the potatoes and thinly slice the onions. Sweat the onions in butter and oil, then add the potatoes and the beans. Let them fry gently for a couple of minutes, then add enough hot stock to cover.

Leave to cook on the lowest heat for about 4 hours, occasionally stirring and adding stock when necessary. Adjust with salt if necessary.

Slice the guanciale in strips, fry it until crispy, then mix it (together with its juice) in the stew with the finely chopped rosemary.

Serve very hot on some toasted rustic bread, with a crack of black pepper.

Gigot de Sept Heures

Gigot de Sept Heures (7 hour lamb) is a delicious, slow-cook recipe for incredibly tender meat. Try it on Easter Sunday!

Serves 6-8

3kg leg of lamb with bone
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
60 ml olive oilLamb leg
3 large carrots, peeled, cut in chunks
2 medium yellow onions, peeled, quartered
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, quartered
1 bouquet garni
240 ml red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs

Preheat your oven to 200C, gas mark 6.

Crush 3 cloves and garlic and massage into the lamb with a good amount of salt and freshly ground pepper. Put in a large cast iron casserole dish and surround with carrots, onion, tomatoes and the rest of the garlic. Drizzle over the olive oil and roast, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 180C, gas mark 4 and roast for a further 30 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and turn the temperature down to 125C while we work some magic with the lamb…

Transfer the lamb to a plate. In the casserole dish, add the bouquet garni and red wine. Bring to a boil over a medium heat  and scrape up all the lovely juices and carmelised bits from the bottom of the pan. Put the lambe pack in the dish and cover with the lid or alumium foil. Return to the oven and cook for a final 6 hours.

After this cooking time, remove the dish again from the oven and transfer the lamb to a chopping board, loosely covered with foil.

Throw away the herbs before blending the vegetables, wine and lamb juices.

Slice the lamb and serve with some of the sauce poured over. Garnish with rosemary or thyme sprigs.

Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Roasted quails wrapped in pancetta e lardo

Serves 4

2 garlic cloves
Handful of sage
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme
Salt and pepper
200ml beef stock
2 Carrots
1 onion
Extra virgin olive oil
250gr sliced pancetta e lardo
8 quails
2 stalks of celery
250ml red wine

Pre heat the oven to 200*C.

Finely chop some sage, rosemary, thyme, 1 garlic clove, salt and pepper and rub over the insides and outsides of your quails.

Stuff the birds with the chopped pancetta e lardo. Put a sage leaf on the bird’s breast, then wrap the quail in a slice of pancetta e lardo. Tie together with some kitchen string.

Roughly chop the carrots, onions and celery. Heat the olive oil in a pan, and sear the quails on all sides, together with the vegertables and the remaining garlic clove, crushed.

Season with more sage, rosemary and some salt, then add the wine and let evaporate for a few minutes.

Transfer everything into a roasting dish in the oven. Cook for about15-20 minutes.

Keep the quails warm on the side (and remove the string), add the stock to the roasting juices and vegs and cook for 10 minutes, then sieve and strain. Add some flour to thicken if necessary. Check the seasoning.

Serve the quails with some rice and the gravy.

For a limited time while stocks last, buy quail and you’ll receive some sliced pancetta e lardo for FREE!*

*offer subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time and without notice.

Red Onion and Rosemary Focaccia

This deliciously aromatic bread is really easy to make and amazingly tasty….

Focaccia350ml water
500g 00 flour
25g fresh yeast
200ml extra virgin olive oil
15g salt
10g sugar
1 red onion
2tsp chopped rosemary

Slice the onion very thinly and gently fry in a little olive oil until soft. Allow to completely cool down.

Prepare the dough: melt the yeast with the sugar in 100ml of lukewarm water, mixing gently. Leave for a few minutes until a light foam appears on the surface. Knead the sifted flour with the remaining water, yeast mixture, salt and chopped rosemary for 15-20 minutes until the dough is elastic but still sticky. Place in a bowl to rest for  at least 2 hours, covered with a tea towel, at a temperature of around 24*C. Make sure there isn’t any draft around the dough, or it will not rise properly.

Grease an ovenproof dish with oil, then mix the remaining oil with the same amount of water. Work the dough on the dish, then pour the oil/water mixture over it, sprinkle the onions and push them lightly inside the dough making small holes. Leave to rest for another hour. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, and cook in a very hot oven (the maximum temperature your oven allows) for 15-20 minutes. Never open the oven while cooking!

Rosemary Cookies

These are amazingly fragrant and buttery. Don’t be put off by the rosemary – this woody herb adds a special something!

Rosemary Cookies340gr Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
85gr Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary
290gr 00 Flour
65gr White or Brown Rice Flour

Cream the butter in a large bowl until pale yellow and light. Add the sugar, and continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy. Mince the rosemary and add it together with the two flours and the salt, to the butter mixture. Mix well and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat the oven to 190ºC. Roll out the dough 1/2 cm thick, then cut into your favourite shapes. Place them about 1cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle them with sugar topping if desired, and bake in the center of the oven until they are gold at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer them to wire racks to cool. Pack in an airtight container. The cookies will keep, their flavour improving, for at least a week.

Try them today!

How to Make: Flavoured Oils

Vibrant, herby, spicy oils will add a hit of flavour to salads, pastas, pizzas and most fish and meat dishes. Here we’ll show you how to create your very own at home. They’ll make a fantastic home-made gift for foodie fans or are simply a great thing to have around the kitchen!

Olive Oil

Lemon Oil

2 Lemons
500ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Zest the lemons carefully, making sure not to get any of the pith. Then lightly crush the zest to release some of their natural oils. You can use a pestle and mortar or the side of a knife.  Now all you need to do it pour the extra virgin olive oil over the lemon zest and preserve for at least 3 weeks in a dark place. After this time you can sieve the contents and transfer to a bottle.
Good For: Fish, Grilled Meats, Salads

Rosemary Oil

2 Sprigs of Rosemary
500ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

First wash the rosemary and leave to dry. You can pat it lightly with a towel or leave out to dry naturally. This is to stop it from growing mould. Put the rosemary and the olive oil in a bottle and leave for 2-3 months.
Good For: Roast Meats, Soups

Chilli Oil

Dried chillies are best (whole or flakes). Put as much as you like according to strength of chillies!
500ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Simply pour the oil in a bottle with the chillies and leave for 2-3 months.
Good For: Pasta, Pizza

Now you know the basics, why not experiment with your flavours? There’s so many to try…thyme, garlic, bay leaves, cloves…view our range of herbs for some inspiration!

Top Tips for Great Tasting Oils

1) Use only good quality extra virgin olive oil
2) Only use untreated ingredients, wash thoroughly and perfectly dry them before preserving
3) Wash and sterilise any bottles and jars
4) Store for a minimum of 3 weeks in a cool, dark place, with the bottle tightly closed
5)If you notice some “activity” in the oil (for example if you start to see some little bubbles) discard the oil as something went wrong and could be carrying bacteria.
6) Use within 4-6 months
7) If possible, store in dark glass bottles or if only clear glass bottles are available, store in dark place

Pumpkin and Rosemary Risotto

Serves 4Pumpkin

250g Pumpkin (you can use delica or violina, or even butternut squash if you prefer)
3 Shallots
A handful of Fresh Rosemary
180g Arborio Rice
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 pint Stock (chicken or vegetable)
50g Butter
Parmesan for serving

First dice the pumpkin, and finely chop the shallots and rosemary. Heat the stock in a pan until almost boiling, then turn onto a very low heat. In another saucepan, sweat the shallots in the oil until soft and translucent. Add the rosemary and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the rice and stir well to coat all the grains. Pour in a third of the stock and bring to a simmer. Leave cooking until almost all the stock is absorbed.

Now add that delicious pumpkin and a little more of the stock and again simmer until the stock is absorbed. Continue to add a little stock at a time, until the pumpkin is soft and the rice is al dente. The texture should be loose and creamy – you might need more or less stock to get it to this consistency. When ready, stir in the butter and season well. Serve and sprinkle over grated parmesan.

Welcome to our blog!
Welcome to the blog from Natoora. For those of you who don't know us, we sell some amazing food from our website (www.natoora.co.uk), from the best in fresh fruit and veg, to quality meat and fish, fine cheeses and charcuterie, and gourmet groceries. Click here to shop now!

Everyone here has a real passion for good food, not just from sourcing the very best available, but to preparing and cooking. Our fruit and veg is so good that we supply it to some of the best London restaurants such as The River Cafe, Theo Randall at the Intercontinental and The Greenhouse. With our professional and personal experience with food we have set up this blog to share our recipes, talk to other food lovers, and help you get the best out of what you buy.

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