I’m keeping things nice and simple today, and not just because I am still suffering some ill effects from the weekend. A few nights ago I managed to get three kinds of different tomatoes for a mere 6,000 won. We are right in the midst of tomato season so they are all so cheap and plentiful. I’ve spend my summer practically living on salsa, panzanella, and gazpacho. Other than making some ketchup, I wondered what was left for me to do with the humble tomato. Korea’s rally upped its produce game in recent years and we are now getting a variety of different kinds. I didn’t want to overshadow these beauties by piling in everything and the kitchen sink. They are sweet and tasty all by themselves, so I wanted to get back to basics and eat them just with a few of the my home grown basil leaves from my terrace.

Ingredients

500g of tomatoes

A handful of basil leaves

A glug of olive oil

A small drizzle of balsamic vinegar

A pinch of salt

Directions

1. Chop your tomatoes into different sized pieces. I halved some and quartered or sliced others.

2. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle with salt. Be sparing with the vinegar as you don’t want to overpower the tomatoes.

3. Tear your basil leaves into pieces and toss with the tomatoes. Then enjoy your delicious fresh simple salad.

We are big focaccia fans in our house, and ever since the Fat Boyfriend started baking we have it even more often. I started thinking of ways to switch it up a bit and though it could be nice if it was made into a pizza of sorts. I roasted and blended the tomatoes, threw on some veg and cheese and bing bam boom dinner was served. It was so hearty we were eating it for 3 days. In a sealed glass lock container it actually stayed perfectly fresh which in itself was quite the triumph. No longer will I be forced to eat a whole focaccia in a day to combat staleness.

Ingredients

500g flour (I use the Baksul one with bread on the front)

2 x 8g packets of yeast

2 teaspoons of salt

400ml of warm water

2 tablespoons of olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

Topping

200g of cherry tomatoes

4 mushrooms

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 aubergine

3 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs

150g of cheese (I used some left over Gruyere, cheddar, and Parmesan)

A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

A glug or two of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

1. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a bowl. Add the water in stages and mix thoroughly with the flour. The dough may seem as though it’s very wet but that’s how it should be. Once all the water is in, you can add the olive oil. Knead the dough for about five minutes until it has become stretchy and elastic. You can either do this on an oiled board or in your hands. Do not add any more flour to the mix. I prefer to knead it in my hands, pulling and stretching it until is is about right. Put the dough in an oiled container, drizzle with olive oil, cover with cling-film, and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

2. After the dough has risen and doubled in size, knock the dough back down and move the dough to a second oiled container and leave to rise once again for about 30 minutes. Make the dimples in the bread by using your finger or knuckle. Drizzle with more olive oil, dust with salt, and bake in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the dough has baked through. You may wish to turn the dough around halfway through to produce a more even colour.

3. To make the the roast tomato sauce, put the cherry tomatoes on a tray with the garlic, sprinkle with salt, pepper, mixed herbs,  olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roast for about 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. When they have roasted blend them until you have a smooth tomato sauce.

4. While your cherry tomatoes are roasting, slice your onion, pepper, mushrooms and aubergine place on a tray and drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes. They don’t need to be cooked the whole way through, just partially.

5. When your focaccia is almost finished baking, take it out of the oven and spread the tomato sauce all over it, making sure it gets into those dimples. Top with the roasted veggies and grated cheese then bake for another 10 minutes until the top is golden brown and the vegetables have cooked. You could also top with some fresh basil leaves if your garden has yielded some yet.

Stew is the only thing I seem to be making these days, but it’s just so easy and quick that it’s hard to resist. I decided to switch things up a bit last week and use a tomato base with my lamb instead of gravy. I had half a bag of chops from the foreign mart that needed using. I made my life even simpler by cooking in the rice cooker. I quickly prepared all my ingredients put it on to cook, got ready for work and then switched it to warm. When I cam home there was the most amazing smell and lamb was soft and tender and falling off the bone. If you do not have a slow cooker then using your rice cooker to make yourself some soups and stews is one of the easiest things you can do. I flash fried all my meat and vegetables before putting them in, but you could just put them in raw to make things even quicker. The couscous I served is incredibly easy and looks gorgeous. Pomegranates are in season and ridiculously cheap, so be sure to pick up a few.

Ingredients 

500g of Lamb

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 a courgette

2 aubergines

2 red peppers

1/2 a can of chickpeas

4 tablespoons of barley (optional)

1 litre of tomato juice

500ml of orange juice

500ml of water or stock (optional)

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tablespoons of red Thai curry paste

2 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablespoon of coriander

1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon of paprika (or cayenne pepper if you like it hot)

Salt and pepper to taste

Couscous

1 cup of couscous

1 cup of water

1 chicken stock cube

1 pomegranate

25g of cashews or pistachios

25g of raisins

1 roasted red pepper

A small bunch  of coriander

Directions

1. Chop the onions and garlic into medium sized pieces and fry off in a small amount of oil for a minute or too and then put them in you rice cooker pot. In the same pan, brown your lamb by cooking on each side for a minute or two and adding to the same pot at the onions and garlic. Finally chop your peppers, aubergine and courgette into bite sized chunks and cook in the frying pan  for a minute then add to the lamb.

2. Add the tomato juice, orange juice,  and water, to the pot along with the Worcestershire sauce, spices and barley  and switch to cook mode. I only have two setting on my cooker, cook and warm. Leave it on the cook mode for about an hour, it will boil away furiously. After an hour, check on the liquid and give it a stir, you may want to add another 500ml of  tomato juice at this point. Also check your spices and seasoning, you may want to add more. Then flip the switch to warm for at least 3 hours. When you come home your meat should be lovely and tender and your sauce thick and tasty. If it’s still not quite to your liking you can still re-season and cook it a little longer if you wish.

3. The couscous is really each to make, you just need water and couscous in equal amounts, so just use the same container for both. Put the couscous in a bowl and the water in a saucepan along with the stock cube. Bring to the boil and then pour the water over the couscous, cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes run a fork over the couscous to make it fluffy. Chop the roasted pepper and mix in along with raisins, nuts and pomegranate. Finely chop the cilantro and add that in too. Then serve this delicious Moroccan delight, for a cold Winter’s night.

I whipped up this amazing dish last week for dinner. I’m a huge fan of caprese salad, but now the nights are growing chilly, a salad doesn’t exactly cut it for dinner. I’m very keen to use up my basil plants before the cold kills them off in the next few weeks. I also wanted to use the rigatoni I had bought in Bali and was saving for something special. It was the perfect comforting meal for a chilly autumn night.

Ingredients

250g of Pasta (I used rigatoni but you could use penne)

100g of fresh mozzarella

100g of grated cheddar & mozzarella mix

50g of grated parmesan

10 cherry tomatoes

10-12 basil leaves

Sauce

300g of tomatoes or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1/2 red onion

5 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon mixed herbs

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

100ml cream (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic bread 

1 french baguette

4 cloves of garlic

4 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of pesto

Grated fresh Parmesan

Directions 

To make the sauce blend the tomatoes, onion, and garlic until it’s a smooth paste. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, herbs, and salt & pepper, and boil for about 10 minutes. While the sauce is boiling, cook the pasta until it’s soft on the outside but still a little hard in the middle then drain. When the tomato sauce is done stir in the cream if using. Put the pasta in a dish and pour over the sauce. Top with the remaining cherry tomatoes, scatter over the cheese and torn basil leaves, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

To make the pesto garlic bread, crush the garlic and mix together with the butter and pesto until it is a nice soft paste. Spread generously on the french bread and top with grated parmesan. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the butter and cheese have melted and they are golden brown.

Serve the pasta caprese with the garlic pesto bread and a glass of wine. Warning: your home may be filled with a delicious smell for long after the pasta is gone which may cause you to repeat all previous cooking instructions!

This is a just little something I whipped up last week to use up some avocados and fresh mozzarella I had neglected to use. Yes I know, how on earth could I forget that I possessed two such wonderful ingredients. I have no idea how it happened, I guess it was just a very busy week and I kept putting off using them so I could make something special. With the mozzarella I whipped up a fabulous capressa salad to make use of my lovely basil before it dies but I still had tonnes left. I figured i could make a gourmet grilled cheese and it was poetry on a plate. I will certainly be making these again after my next Costco run.

Makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients

2 slices of bread

1/2 an avocado

4 slices of tomato

4 slices of mozzarella

4 basil leaves

A knob of butter for frying

Directions

Mash the avocado and spread onto one half of the bread, Arrange the mozzarella on top and then add the basil leaves. Top with the tomatoes and another slice of bread. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan on a low heat and place the sandwich on top. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bottom has browned and the cheese has started to melt. Flip the sandwich over and cook the other side, you may wish to add more butter. When the sandwich is done, remove and devour, whilst giving yourself props for making such a bitching sandwich.

I have had a bag of lamb mince in my freezer for a few weeks now. After endless questions from my boyfriend asking when we would be eating it, I decided it was high time I put it to good use. I did have designs on making some kind of meat balls or koftes with it, but as I was preparing things I accidentally threw it all in the pan, forgetting that I  needed to form the koftes while the meat was still raw. Ever the resourceful girl, I decided to pull out some tortilla wrappers from the freezer and make quesadillas. They actually went down a treat, served with some guacamole they were perfect.

Ingredients

250g of lamb mince

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper

1/3 of a very large courgette

15 cherry tomatoes

200ml of tomato juice

100ml of orange juice

1-2 tablespoons of Mexican seasoning

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 large handful of cilantro (고수)

6  large tortillas (Costco)

200g of grated cheese (I use the Mexican medley from Costco)

Directions

To make the lamb filling finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in a glug of olive oil for a few minutes until it has softened. Add the lamb mince and cook until it has browned. While the lamb is cooking chop the tomatoes and red pepper and add them to the pan. Next grate in the courgette and cook for a few more minutes before adding the cumin and Mexican seasoning.  Then, add the bottle of tomato juice and orange juice along with half of the chopped coriander. Cook on medium to high for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened. Finally, add the second half of the coriander and stir. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

To make the quesadillas put a tortilla into a clean dry flying pan, sprinkle on some cheese, top with the lamb and sprinkle on more cheese and top with another tortilla. Cook on low to medium until the cheese has started to melt and the bottom tortilla is lightly golden brown. Flip the whole thing over to brown the other side for a few more minutes. When it is done, slide on to a plate and cut into triangles. Serve with a delicious homemade guacamole. Voilà lamb quesadillas!

As you may have read a few times now, I have a lovely new pasta maker. Sorry to keep banging on about it but I do. I decided to use it to whip up another batch of tortellini. The last ones I made were completely handmade, which actually came out very well. It is easier with a pasta machine as its far quicker to get the dough nice and thin,  but it really isn’t essential. So if you have been humming and hawing about making fresh pasta for a while now them I would really recommend you give it a try as they taste amazeballs, far better than the ones you can buy in the supermarket.

Ingredients

Pasta

250g of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs

Filling

2 large handfuls of spinach

300g of ricotta (see my recipe here)

A knob of butter

Directions

To make the pasta. 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 in cling-film and store in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you are waiting you can make the filling and sauce.

To make the filling chop the spinach then wilt in a little butter. Mix the spinach and ricotta together and season well. If you have some fresh parmesan to hand, grate some in too.

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 online 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 skinny ones were definitely far tastier than the fatties. You can use anything round to cut the tortellini shapes, I just used a regular paper cup with a diameter of about 7 centimetres. I found that this was a good size. I tried a smaller cup too but I found they were quite fiddly to make, plus you would have to make more of them too.

When your circles are all cut, put a bit of filling in the middle of the circle. About half a teaspoon.

Fold the circle over so it makes a half moon shape. Squeeze the edges of the pasta together all around the filling, so the lump is secured.  Bring the two edges together so it makes the shape below.

Put the tortellini on a floured plate to dry out for about 20 minute..

Once your tortellinis have dried out. Boil them in batches of about 12 in salted water. They will take 1-2 minutes and are done when they float to the top. Serve with your favourite pasta sauce and top with freshly grated parmesan. Voilà homemade tortellini.

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!

My rice-cooker is certainly seeing some action these days. Last Friday’s dinner of choice was a good old chilli. I’m sure that most of you out there are more than capable of making a chilli but I thought I would share my recipe with you anyway, just because it was so darn tasty. Also it’s the perfect meal for those of you hosting Super Bowl parties. It tastes great over nachos, fries or in a tortilla bowl and topped with cheese.

Ingredients

600g of minced beef

1 onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 can of kidney beans

1 can full of water

1 beef stock cube.

3 peppers (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow)

300ml of salsa (you could also use a can of tomatoes)

2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning (iherb or foreign food mart)

2 tablespoons of Mexican seasoning (iherb or foreign food mart)

Directions

Roughly chop the onion, peppers and garlic and throw it into your rice cooker bowl. Break up the mince and add it too along with all the other ingredients. Put the rice-cooker on for 2-3 cycles until half of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables, meat, and beans have cooked. You can add more spices at this point if it’s not hot enough for you. Serve on its own or over nachos, smothered with cheese and a blob of sour cream. Voilà a very easy chilli.

Ever since I found my recipe for this dough, pizza has been a regular dinner for us. I love these tasty pizzas and could eat them everyday. However I like a bit of variation and sometimes make a calzone instead. It’s pretty much the same thing, the pizza is just folded over. However I think it changes the dough a little and makes it into more of a kind of pasty which I love. The great thing about these babies is that you can fill them with whatever you want and take them to work as they are individually sealed. When I make up a big batch of dough, I usually use half for pizza and half for calzones. I used some of my coveted goats cheese in the filling of these and it was amazing, but pretty much anything goes. I even tried some with the pulled pork I made!

Ingredients

Dough

500g flour (I used the one for dumplings and noodles.)

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of yeast (I used bobai brand that comes in 8g packages)

4 table spoons of olive oil

14oz ice-cold water

Stuffing

1/2 a kabocha squash (those dark green looking pumpkins)

2 tablespoons of tomato sauce

140g of goats cheese

A large handful of spinach

2 tabelspoons of toasted pine nuts

A knob of butter

Directions

Sift the flour, salt, and yeast into a bowl. Then using a table-spoon stir in the oil followed by the water bit by bit, you may find as I did that you don’t need it all, or you can always add more. Use the metal spoon to get right into the middle of the dough and mix it thoroughly. You know you have added enough water when the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom. If it is too dry add a few more drops of water, if it is too wet add more flour a little at a time until it’s the right consistency.

Once your dough is formed you need to work it for another 5-7 minutes using the metal spoon, this activates the gluten in the flour which makes it springy and elastic rather than a tacky lump. You can do this by putting the spoon into the dough and moving it around, you will find the dough stretches the more you do this. After this take the ball of dough and pull it and stretch it with your hands, I am sure you have seen Italian pizza chefs on TV doing it (I didn’t do it half as elaborately but you get the idea).

Now the dough is ready, form it into balls – I made 3 big ones. The recipe stated that you should leave the balls in the fridge over night before using, but I don’t think it’s hugely important. If you have thought ahead in advance or have a huge amount of restraint and willpower it does help the flavour of the dough develop, but it still tastes great if you use it straight away (the dough will keep in the fridge for up to four days). Roll your ball in flour then put a little olive oil on your hands and coat each ball before putting on a tray or plate. Put the plate in a zip lock bag or failing this cling film and store overnight.

To made the filling cut the squash in to quarters and take out the seeds. Drizzle the pieces with a little olive oil and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until they are soft. Next scoop out the flesh and cut into chunks. I don’t like to waste the skins so I usually sprinkles on a little cumin and roast them in the oven for another 10-20 minutes until they are crunchy for a tasty snack. Chop the spinach then saute in the butter for a minute or two until it has wilted. Add the tomato sauce, pine nuts and crumble in the goats cheese. Mix together with the squash chunks thoroughly.

Roll out the dough into circles. Top with a tablespoon of sauce then add a few spoonfuls of filling. Then brush the edge with egg yolk.

Fold the dough over to make a semi-circle. Then crimp the edges. Depending how skilled you are you can make them look very beautiful. Brush the whole thing with egg wash again then baked them in the oven for about 10-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.

Serve on their own or with more tomato sauce for dipping. Voilà easy tasty calzone.