These were a little recipe I came across on pinterest. With always an abundance of chick peas in my house, I thought it would be churlish not to have a go and I was rather pleased with the results. They were crunchy and tasty and made a nice cheap alternative to nuts. 4 of us went through a bowl in no time whilst playing a game of monopoly, so they will definitely be served again some time soon.

Ingredients

400g of chickpeas

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

If you are using canned chick peas drain them and if you are using dried you will need to soak and cook them first. You need to make sure that your chickpeas are extremely dry. Pat them down with kitchen paper several times. The drier they are the crunchier they will be. Spread them on a baking tray and bake them in a single layer at 190 degrees Celsius for about 20-30 minutes. You will see the steam escaping as they bake. Once they are almost done, take them out and coat in the olive oil, salt, pepper, and Mexican spices. Bake for another 10-20 minutes until crunchy the whole way through. You may want to keep an eye on them towards the end to make sure they don’t burn. Serve straight away or store in an airtight container for a day or two. Voilà roasted spicy chickpeas.

As you may be aware by now, I’m a big eater of hummus. I make a huge batch every week to sell but always keep extra for myself. Whenever my friends come to visit, I always have a bowl ready and waiting in the fridge to whip out for their eating pleasure. One of my favourite flavours of hummus is roasted red pepper, which is why it’s surprising that I have taken so long to share this recipe with you. I was eating it by the truckload earlier in the summer when red peppers were in season.

I first made the bagel chips one night when I knew the girls were coming over, we had no tortillas in the freezer for me to make into chips and I knew they would be expecting something a little bit more special than a bag of crisps from the shop. As I frantically looked through the cupboards I came across a bag of bagels which desperately needed to be used. I sliced them up and cooked them and they were absolutely delicious. The perfect accompaniment to the red pepper hummus.

Ingredients

Hummus

400g of Chickpeas (soaked weight)

A large bunch of cilantro

2-4 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of cumin

1-2 lemons

1-2 tablespoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

3-4 red peppers (bell pepper)

Tahini

100ml of olive oil

3-5 cloves garlic

100g of sesame seeds

Bagel Chips

2 bagels

3 tabelspoons of olive oil

Salt

1 tablespoon of rosemary (or other mixed herbs)

Directions

The first thing you need to do is soak your chickpeas. This can take between 6 hours to overnight. The longer the better in my opinion. After they have been soaked, you need to cook them. This can take a while. I usually cook mine in the rice cooker because you don’t have to top up the water as often and they won’t burn. If not you can cook them in a pan of water, they will take between 2-3 hours. Or you can skip this step and buy a can. When your chick peas are done, drain them but make sure you keep hold of that water, you will need it for the hummus.

The next step is to blend the chickpeas, you may need to do this in a couple of batches depending on the size of your blender. If they are too hard to blend, use a little of the hummus water to get things going. Some like their hummus chunky and rugged others like it smooth and silky, so blend until you get the consistency you’re happy with. If you want want an ultra silky hummus then peel off all of the skins of the chick peas before blending. It’s a pain in the ass so I never do it. Also my hummus is generally made in industrial style batches so it would probably take me a month to do it, plus I’m very lazy.

You can buy tahini in the foreign food mart in Itaewon and on iHerb and various other stores. It’s also very easy to make. Just place the garlic, sesame seeds, and olive oil in a blender and blend for a few minutes until the seeds have been pulverized.

Once the chick peas are blended place in a large bowl and stir in the tahini and lemon juice. Then the salt, pepper and cumin. Hummus is a very personal food, so start by adding a little of each at a time until you get a taste you’re happy with. A lot of factors can affect the taste of hummus so you rarely use the exact same amount of each ingredient every time. I always get the best results when the chick peas are warm.

To make the hummus red pepper flavoured, drizzle the peppers with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until the edges are charred and the flesh is soft. Pop them in the blender with a little olive oil and blend until you have a paste, then stir it  into the hummus. Use as much or as little as you need.

To make the bagel chips, cut the bagels into 5mm slices then arrange on a baking tray. Drizzle the slices with olive oil then sprinkle on the salt and herbs. Cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes until they are brown on one side, then flip them over and cook for a few minutes of the other side. Serve with your favourite hummus and enjoy. Voilà red pepper hummus and bagel chips.

A week or two ago I was out on a little pub crawl with my beloved, when we stumbled across this new gourmet sandwich place. Never one to miss out on an opportunity to eat a sandwich we went in to investigate. The menu is rather small but there are a few tasty items on it. We ordered ourselves one each and waited for them to arrive.

The club sandwich (7,800) Shouldn’t really be a called a club sandwich as there is no bacon or third slice of bread in the middle, but it does have avocado which kind of made up for it for me. It has lots of mayo and is pretty damn tasty.

We also ordered the Porchetta (7,800). I was looking forward to this as I wanted to compare it to the porchetta, from Porchetta. The pork had a well roasted flavour throughout the meat, and the crackling was also crispy. It also came with pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes which gave it an all round more complex flavour. I’m not sure which one I prefer, as they are quite different. I may have to have another to help further my investigation.

The Rye Post is located at 117-3 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon station (line6) and come out of exit 4 and walk straight for about 200 meters until you get to Dillinger’s. Just before Dillinger’s bar is a set of stairs. Walk down the stairs and turn right. Rye post should be just on the right, opposite Dori Kitchen . You can call them on 02-792-9991 or check out their website for more information.

Last week I picked up some insanely cheap fresh beetroot at my local market, (2 for 1,000). It’s insatiably good for your liver and my liver needs all the help it can get. Roasted beetroot is amazingly good just by itself, but I had some veg in the fridge that needed using so I decided to whip up this quinoa for my week day lunches. Tasty and healthy is always a winner for me. Switch up the veg depending on what you’ve got but be sure to keep in that beetroot.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (iHerb)

2 cups of water

2 beetroots

1 aubergine

8 mushrooms

15 cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

2 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs (I used cilantro)

A glug or two of olive oil

Directions

Rinse the quinoa in water then put in your saucepan with 2 cups of hot water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down once it is boiling and cook until all the water has evaporated and the quinoa is clear. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Chop and peel the beetroot and cut into chunks, top with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile chop the cherry tomatoes in half, and the aubergine and mushrooms into bite sized pieces. After the beetroot had had 10 minutes alone, add the other vegetables to the pan along with the mixed herbs and a little extra olive oil, and cook for another 10 minutes. When the  veg is nicely roasted stir into the quinoa, make sure to include all of those lovely juices. Chop the fresh herbs and sprinkle on top along with a squeeze of lemon. Voilà a lovely beetroot and quinoa salad. Serve hot or cold.

Sorry guys I have been seriously MIA for the last week. I have been suffering from a tremendous hangover I gained from attending a friend’s birthday party. That is what happens when you are friends with people much younger and cooler than you. I have been regaining my strength by lying in my bed drinking vitamin water and watching White Collar, my new favourite TV show. I thought I would kick off Tuesday with a healthy-ish post. Back home you can find vegetable crisps everywhere and you can almost kid yourself that deep-fried vegetables are actually very good for you as well as being very damn tasty. This past week I have been exploring making my own vegetable crisps, first up is carrots, they actually came out really great. Easy and cheap to make, they make a nice change from your regular party snacks.

Ingredients

1 large carrot

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

A pinch of Cajun seasoning (or any other you fancy)

Directions

Cut your carrots into very thin rounds or long thin strips using a vegetable peeler. Toss the carrots in the oil, salt, pepper, and chosen seasoning. Lay the pieces on a baking tray, trying not to overlap them. Bake in a hot oven at 210 degrees Celsius for about 10-20 minutes. You will need to check on them quite frequently removing any chips that are cooked. Allow to cool then enjoy.

Cauliflower popcorn is a major food trend at the moment. Its all over Pintrest so I thought I would give it a go. I’m also always looking for ways to make my veggies more tasty so I was very intrigued to try this. They are so good that they have now become my latest food obsession. The best part is that they are so simple and easy to make. I could definitely eat a bucketful of these babies instead of a large bag of crisps and not feel deprived. I used Cajun seasoning for mine but feel free to use whichever spices you like to jazz it up.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning

A pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Put the florets into a bowl with the oil, spices and salt and pepper and coat evenly. Then bake in the oven for about 25-40 minutes until they are golden brown. Voilà the perfect healthy snack!

So I am continuing my mission to make lots of lovely Valentine’s Day inspired recipes. I am extra happy about this one because I got to use my new pasta machine too (아싸!) Pasta is very popular in my house these days and what could be cuter than heart-shaped ravioli. I was considering making a love soup recipe with lots of vegetables cut into heart shapes when I suddenly realized I could make ravioli instead. I chose beef for the filling here, pretty much because I had some in the freezer but you do whatever you like. Although I think a cheese filling would be easier to fill. You can use any sauce you like. I decided to make a red pepper and tomato one to make it a little different for you. Plus red is the colour of love.

Ingredients

Pasta

250g of all-purpose flour (I use the one for noodles and dumplings)

3 eggs

A pinch of salt

Filling

200g of minced beef

1/2 an onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs

3-4 tablespoons of red pepper and tomato sauce.

1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce

A pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce

4-5 red peppers

3 tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Directions

The first step is to make the pasta dough. Mix the salt with the flour then make a heap on a clean flat surface. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in your beaten eggs. I haven’t taken any pictures of these steps, as I’m sure you have seen it countless times before. Stir the egg gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the circle a bit at a time so the well keeps its shape until the last moment. When all the flour has been mixed in you should have a lump of dough. Knead this dough for 5-10 minutes until it is elastic and has some stretch to it. Wrap it in cling-film and store it in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you are waiting you can make the sauce.

To make the filling, finely chop the onion and garlic and fry off in a little olive oil until it is translucent. Add the mince and cook until it has all browned. Add the mixed herbs and Worcester sauce and a few tablespoons of the tomato red pepper sauce. Mix thoroughly and leave to cool.

To make the sauce, split the red peppers in half, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. When they are done put them in a bowl and cover with it with cling film and leave it for about 10 minutes. Once the peppers have cooled in the bowl it should be easy to remove the skins. Discard the skins. Put your skinned peppers, a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and your tomatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. You may also wish to add a sprinkling of salt and a spoonful of sugar too. Put the sauce in a saucepan and heat until it starts to boil.

After the dough has been chilled properly you can begin to roll it out. It’s a good idea to separate your lump of dough into 2 or 3 pieces and work with one piece at a time. Put the unused lumps back in the fridge so they don’t dry out. If you have a pasta maker rolling the dough should be quick and easy. If not roll those sleeves up and get out your rolling-pin. The pasta really does need to be wafer thin, so when you think its thin enough, keep rolling. I read on-line that it should be thin enough so that you can see a playing card underneath the dough. The thinner your pasta the better it will taste. Even if the pasta is a little thick it’s not the end of the world but the skinnier ones were definitely far tastier than the fatter ones.

Once your dough has been rolled out, use your cutter to cut out the heart shapes. Place a small spoon of filling on the centre then brush around the edges with beaten egg. Put another heart on top and press all the way around the edges to seal. Repeat until all of your little hearts have been made. Store them on a floured board to let them dry out for 30 minutes. Make sure they are not touching so they don’t stick together.

When your hears are ready to cook. Place them in batches in a boiling pot of salted water with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. You may wish to try one to make sure they are done. When all of your hearts are done. Top with the sauce and some freshly grated parmesan. Voilà adorably cute heart-shaped ravioli. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

So winter is here and so are the holidays. To me that means large joints of meat. Now is the time splash out on ingredients we wouldn’t usually buy. At a Thanksgiving dinner a few weeks ago we were served up some amazing belly pork, cooked by my talented friend James. It was so good, that I immediately sent Niall out into to the cold to buy some as soon as we got home. This glorious piece of meat is for sale in Costco (I have included the label below). Be warned though its not for the faint hearted, this slab of frozen meat was a a whopping 3.7kg but priced at only 22,000(that was the smallest one)! Luckily it just about fit in my freezer. Last weekend I defrosted it and then cut it into 2 large pieces so it was able to fit in my oven. This would make a great christmas day alternative if you cant find a turkey or just if you really love pork.

Ingredients

2kg of belly pork

1 large onion

7 cloves of garlic

1 apple

Salt and pepper for rubbing

Directions

Thaw you meat thoroughly over night. When you wake in the morning cut the piece into two or three unless you have a giant oven (In which case I hate you!) Wrap up the unused pieces and put into the fridge or give to a friend (eg: me). Slice your onion and apple, then roughly chop your garlic. Then put them into the bottom of your roasting tray. If you have any fresh herbs you could put them on too,  mine all died in the snow though Score lines in the fat then rub on the salt and pepper.

Put into an oven at 140 degrees Celsius uncovered for about an hour, this helps the skin get crispy. Then loosely cover with foil and cook for another 4-6 hours. All the fat  juices will collect at the boom of the pan so make sure to pour them off into a jug to save for later. You should also baste about once an hour. This was very easy for me as my oven only cooks for an hour at a time.  After about two hours you may wish to remove your onions and garlic if you are hoping to use them later for your gravy. Other wise they will burn to a crisp.

Once the pork has been fully roasted remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least an hour, loosely covered in foil. Then slice your delicious meat. You can serve exactly how it is or cover the slices in a beautiful apple gravy.  I made mine with the onions, garlic and apple from the roasting pan, the juice from the pork, a little red wine, and a bit of bisto for good measure. Pour over the slices to keep them soft and tender. If you’re not using it straight away this is the best method of storage. Be sure to keep your fat for roasting the potatoes, no one minds a bit of cholesterol at Christmas. Voilà there you have the best roast dinner ever!