Celery was a vegetable I used to avoid but it’s becoming a favourite, especially with tomatoes. An Asian stir-fry of celery, asparagus, onion and tomatoes. Finely dice 2-3 cloves of garlic and a similar amount of fresh ginger. Slice a few sticks of celery into diagonal slices, trim and slice a bunch of asparagus into shorter lengths and cut…… Continue reading celery and tomatoes
Tag: tomatoes
squid stuffed with prawns
Seeing fresh squid tubes on a recent shopping trip inspired this meal. For 4 squid tubes, you will need 300g (10½ oz) raw prawn meat. Place half of this in a food processor and process to a fine sticky paste. Add the rest of the prawn meat, 1 finely diced clove of garlic, a few sprigs of…… Continue reading squid stuffed with prawns
tomato, sweet potato and bacon soup
A simple soup which is lovely and creamy with smoky bacon in every mouthful. For an excellent pasta sauce omit the water and use a potato masher. Take 2 large rashers of bacon and chop them into small pieces. Fry them on low to medium heat until the fat begins to render. Add a large…… Continue reading tomato, sweet potato and bacon soup
bruschetta
This pesto and tomato bruschetta and caramelised onion and blue cheese bruschetta are equally good for lunch or a light evening meal. Make sure you have crusty Italian bread. For each bruschetta peel and finely slice 2 brown onions and dice 2 cloves of garlic. Cook them over low heat with a generous amount of…… Continue reading bruschetta
sweet corn bake
Golden and cheesy on the top, the centre of this bake is reminiscent of a soft corn tamale studded with juicy sweet corn. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Fry 1 large chopped leek, 1 diced green pepper and 2 finely diced green chillies in some vegetable oil until just starting to soften. Cut the…… Continue reading sweet corn bake
two dips
Serve these middle eastern dips with bread or as side dishes. To make this Turkish-style zucchini (courgette) dip shred 900g (2lbs) of zucchinis. Sauté them in some olive oil over medium heat adding 1 tablespoon of dried mint and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Allow to cook until all the moisture has gone and then add…… Continue reading two dips
squid ink linguini with tomato chilli prawns
A delicious and dramatic-looking meal. Finely chop 2 or 3 brown shallots, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 long red chilli. Gently fry them in some olive oil until soft. Add ½ a cup of white wine and allow this to evaporate before adding a can of peeled chopped tomatoes and seasoning to taste. Allow to simmer…… Continue reading squid ink linguini with tomato chilli prawns
prawns baked with feta
This combination of prawns with feta is a traditional Greek one which works wonderfully well. In some olive oil gently fry a finely chopped onion with 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic and a cup of chopped spring onions. When the onions have wilted, add ½ a cup of white wine and allow this to evaporate…… Continue reading prawns baked with feta
party pastries
This patchwork quilt of French style savoury pastries kept the food coming at our recent party. Made on sheets of store bought puff pastry they were baked ahead of time and served at room temperature. Here are the six different toppings: artichoke, green olive and pecorino cheese; tomatoes and onions topped with chorizo,…… Continue reading party pastries
prawn, okra and tomato curry
A deliciously spicy and slightly sour curry. This curry was made with a hot Balti style curry paste. In a saucepan, melt some ghee and gently fry a diced onion, 2 finely diced cloves of garlic and a similar amount of finely diced fresh ginger. When the onions become translucent add 4 tablespoons of the…… Continue reading prawn, okra and tomato curry
michelle picker cooks 