This surprising little dish makes the most of the last of this year’s tomatoes. Serve it as a light lunch or dinner with a side salad.

serves 4-6
300g of cherry tomatoes
250g of ricotta cheese
A few sprigs of thyme
A small handful of oregano, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper

For the pastry:
250g plain flour
170g very cold, butter (cut into small cubes)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
30ml ice cold water

Place the flour and butter in a bowl and using a butter knife, cut the butter into the flour until you have a rough pebble mixture.

Whisk together the egg with the balsamic vinegar and sea salt. Add this to the butter and flour and using two forks gently toss through until the dough begins to come together.

Add a little cold water to bring the dough to a rough ball. Turn the pastry out on to parchment paper or cling film, parcel up and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

While the pastry is resting preheat the oven the 190˚C.

Slice the tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Toss with a little olive oil, thyme, oregano and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

When the pastry has rested, roll out on a clean well floured work surface using a rolling pin, until you have a large round which will fit a 23cm tart tin with a removable base and is about 5mm in thickness.

Transfer the pastry to the tart tin and cut off any loose edges. Prick the base surface with a fork and then spread with ricotta cheese.

Place the tomatoes on top and bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced in size by half, slightly charred and the pastry has turned a nutty brown.

Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving with a side salad.

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This is my basic risotto recipe, which is essentially a blank canvas for  any ingredients you want to add. Try mixing through roasted squash and  crispy pancetta, or an Arrabiata sauce for a delicious alternative to  mushrooms.

Serves 4
200g of Chanterelle mushrooms
1 litre Chicken stock
150g butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
300g risotto rice
75ml white wine
150g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Extra virgin olive oil to serve

Fry the mushrooms in half the butter until slightly coloured. Allow any water from the mushrooms to fry off. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Pour the stock into a saucepan and simmer gently. Melt the remaining butter and the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and gently fry for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the rice and stir until it is coated.

Pour in the white wine and let it bubble until nearly evaporated, then start adding the warm stock, about two ladlefuls at a time, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more. Continue to add the stock until the rice is tender and has a creamy coating. This should take about 15-20 minutes.

Add the remaining butter, mushrooms and grated Parmesan cheese and gently stir though. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or truffle oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

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These pies can be served with salad or coleslaw and a pint of cider, for a hearty lunch. These pies will keep for several days in the fridge, so make a larger batch and stock up.

Makes 12 individual pies
100g of pancetta or streaky bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
A small handful of parsley, finely chopped
6 sage leaves, finely chopped
450g of sausage meat
A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
2 sheets of ready to roll shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten to glaze

Preheat the oven to 200oC/gas mark 6.

In a large frying pan, over a high heat dry fry the pancetta until it is crisp and golden. Remove and pop in a bowl, leaving the oil from the pancetta in the frying pan.

Add in the onion and garlic and fry until soft and golden. Add to the bowl along with the herbs and sausage meat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut out 12 circular discs, from the pastry, to fit in a cup cake tray and then 12 smaller discs for the lid. Press the larger pastry circles into the greased and floured tray and fill each pie with the pork mixture. Top with the small discs and press them together with a fork.

Brush the tops with beaten egg and place in the oven, cooking for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

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The pressed nature of this sandwich allows the flavours to permeate through all its layers. For a milder flavour, try using mozzarella instead of goats’ cheese.  Also feel free to experiment with extra ingredients and feel free to add your own touches!

Makes 1 Giant Sambo
1 foot long ciabatta loaf, sliced in half lengthways
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
A generous handful of baby spinach
10 marinated artichoke hearts
A small handful of sundried tomatoes
8 slices of proscuitto
A good handful of basil, finely chopped
100g of goats’ cheese
1⁄2 red onion, very finely sliced
Salt and pepper to season

Preheat the oven to 200oC/gas mark 6.

Place the ciabatta loaf, crust side down on a large baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Pop in the oven for a few minutes until just golden and toasted.

In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and mustard. Remove the toasted ciabatta halves from the tin and drizzle the base slice with a little of the dressing. Arrange layers of the rest of the ingredients, baby spinach, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, proscuitto, basil, goats’ cheese and red onion.

Drizzle over the rest of the dressing, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and pop the top slice of ciabatta on and press down. Wrap in parchment paper and pop into the fridge, pressed down with another baking tray filled with heavy tins, overnight or until you are ready to serve.

Serve in nice hearty slices for the perfect picnic snack.

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This is total free style BBQ dessert using ingredients I had to hand. You can adapt this with white chocolate and fresh berries for another tasty option. Or for a hard core retro taste try wrapping up bananas with a little smooth peanut butter and marshmallows!

Serves 4

250g of strawberries, sliced in half
200g of dark chocolate
200g of mini marshmallows
A little vanilla ice cream to serve
Tin foil

Cut four 30cm x 30cm squares of tin foil and arrange the strawberries, chocolate and marshmallows in the center of each square. Join the edges and scrunch up so you have a nicely sealed parcel. Place on a hot BBQ for about 10 minutes until the chocolate and marshmallows are melted.

Serve straightaway with a dollop of ice-cream on top.

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These mini pavlova pies have to be one of the best ways to show of ripe, red, summer strawberries.  The pavlova mix leaves a wonderfully crisp meringue with a chewy marshmallow interior.  Make this a day before you plan to serve them and they will happily sit in an airtight container for up to a week.

Serves 4
250g of icing sugar
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons of cornflour
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
300g of strawberries
300ml of cream, whipped
3 tablespoons of strawberry jam

Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Line two baking trays with parchment. Place the icing sugar and egg whites in a standing food mixer and whisk on high for 10 minutes until glossy white peaks form.

Using a spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and the white wine vinegar. Using a tablespoon, place 3in/8cm spoonfuls of the meringue mix on to the baking tray and flatten each one gently in the centre with the back of a spoon. Bake for 45 minutes.

Heat the strawberry jam in a saucepan until it has a loose pouring consistency. Layer the meringues with cream and strawberries and serve with a drizzle of jam.

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Right just to try and attempt to make this American classic somewhat healthier I am using oat flour! It is so simple to make. Pile a portion of rolled oats into a food processor and whizz it until it becomes fine. The flour gives a mellow sweet taste to the food it is used in and is a great way to add extra fibre to recipes. If you don’t have any oats on hand, substitute with plain flour. This mix also works great for use on waffle irons.

Makes approximately 8–10 pancakes
100ml/4fl oz milk
120g/4oz oat flour
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon of salt
1⁄2 teaspoon of cinnamon
100g of blueberries

Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Measure the milk in a jug and add the egg yolks. Whisk lightly to combine.

Add to the dry ingredients and mix until blended.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until they hold firm peaks. Fold gently into the batter until combined.

To cook simply add a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture to a warm pan brushed with a little melted butter.

Plop in a few blueberries on the uncooked side and press them in gently, allow to cook until little bubbles start to appear and the edges become a little dry and then turn over to cook for about a minute until golden brown.

Serve with maple syrup, a dusting of icing sugar, bacon or whatever takes your fancy!

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This simple little supper hardly calls for a recipe at all. It uses lots of storecupboard ingredients to pump up the volume and make the best of the fresh prawns. You could use cooked frozen prawns here or maybe some slices of smoked salmon. The fresh flavours of white wine and lemon juice really lend themselves well to seafood.

Serves 4
400g of spaghetti
6 prawns per person, peeled
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
200ml of white wine (about a wine glassful)
Juice of 1 lemon
90g of butter (about 6 tablespoons)
A generous handful of parsley, finely chopped

First things first, get the pasta on the boil, cook it according to the instructions on the pack. Drain and toss in a little olive oil and set aside. Place a pan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil, gently fry the garlic and chilli for about one minute.

Add in the prawns and fry for three minutes, tossing until they have changed colour and are cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Pour the wine and the lemon juice straight into the saucepan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer away for a minute or two and then stir in the butter until it’s melted and add half the parsley.

Add the prawns and the pasta and toss until everything is evenly combined.

Serve straight away with the remaining chopped parsley and a generous seasoning of sea salt and ground black pepper.

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Mushrooms can have the marmite effect on some people, you either love them or hate them. In my case I love them and while you can pick them up quite easily in most supermarkets, nothing is more satisfying than picking them yourself. If you are lucky enough to come across a bumper load of them in the forest, in my opinion you have to enjoy them straight away cooked as simply as this.

Serves 2 generous portions
A good handful of chanterelle mushrooms per person
A good knob of butter
A little sea salt and ground black pepper to season
1 clove of garlic
A good glug of extra virgin olive oil
4 slices of nice chewy sourdough bread, toasted

In a large pan melt the butter over a medium high heat. Add in the mushrooms and fry until lightly browned and tender. This about 5 minutes depending on the amount you have in the pan. Some mushrooms will throw off a lot of water, but don’t panic just continue to cook until all the water is gone. Season with a little sea salt and ground black pepper to taste. Try not to over season as you really want to allow the natural flavours to shine through.

While the mushrooms are cooking toast the bread, when it turns golden drizzle with a little olive oil and rub vigorously with the clove of garlic, finally season with a little sea salt.

Top the toast with the hot and tender mushrooms and serve straight away!

The post Simply Cooked Chantarelles with Garlic Toast first appeared on Donal Skehan | EAT LIVE GO.

Stoned summer fruits are whack bang in season at the moment and there are lots and lots of different recipes you can use to make the most of them, however I think keeping things simple brings out the natural juicy flavours and leaves you with far less washing up to do. A win win situation I think you’ll agree! If you can’t get vanilla sugar you can quite easily make a homemade batch by popping a vanilla pod in a jar filled with caster sugar. Or alternatively just use caster sugar and a splash of good quality vanilla extract.

Serves 4
8 peaches, halved with stones removed
3 tablespoons of vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons of water
Vanilla ice cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6.

Arrange the peaches in a non stick baking tray and sprinkle over the water.

Dust each peach with a little of the vanilla sugar until each one is nicely coated.

Place the peaches into the oven for around an hour or until the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife.

Serve the peaches with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Even my just about overripe Avocado, is one of the true underrated super foods- It’s packed with essential fatty acids, Vitamin K and antioxidants- it also makes a lovely face mask! (But you didn’t hear that from me…) Radish’s are often linked to aiding digestive problems and are beneficial for the teeth and gum’s- So overall this salad is packed with nutrition and is a perfect Good Mood Food recipe!

Serves 2
2 free range chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
A good pinch of black pepper
1 red onion, cut in half and sliced wafer thin
1 avocado
6 radishes
A large handful of oak leaf lettuce leaves

For the dressing:
1 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
A good pinch of sea salt

If you have the time to marinate the chicken breasts overnight, by all means go ahead. Remove any fat or skin from the breasts and place in small resealable bag. Pour in 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of black pepper. Seal and give a good shake. In a jar, bowl, or whatever you want to make your dressing in, combine the dressing ingredients. Whisk or shake to combine and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan, until just before it begins smoking, and place the chicken on it. You shouldn’t need any extra oil as olive oil is used in the marinade. Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes either side then remove from the heat. Let it rest for a few minutes (if you can wait) and slice into thin strips. Place a good handful of lettuce leaves on each plate and scatter with the red onion.

Slice the avocado in half and remove the stone. Spoon out the green flesh, slice into thin strips and arrange on top of the salad. Give them a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning. Cut the radishes into quarters and place on the outside of the plate. Arrange the chicken strips on top of the avocado and using a spoon drizzle the dressing over the salad.

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This is a super simple little supper which can be thrown together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. To be honest, if you can’t get peas straight from the garden it’s almost better to use frozen here, as peas begin to loose their natural sugars as soon as they’re picked, so even fresh ones in the supermarket probably won’t be as good as you will get frozen. This recipe is easily adapted with most leftovers you might have in the fridge. I love a little bit of chorizo added here or maybe some freshly chopped basil with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4
300g of pasta
5 tablespoons of creme fraiche
150g of feta cheese
150g of fresh peas if you have them, otherwise use frozen
A good handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
A pinch of salt
A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack and drain.

If you are using frozen peas, cook them until tender and drain. If you are using fresh peas and they are tender and young, I don’t bother doing anything to them apart from shelling them and giving them a quick splash under some cold water.

When the pasta is cooked, add the creme fraiche, feta cheese, peas, mint, salt and pepper and stir gently until the pasta is evenly coated.

Serve straight away with a good squeeze of lemon juice!

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Although I do try to buy as much in season vegetables as possible I just can’t resist using cherry tomatoes in this tasty little dish. The good thing about roasting them is that it brings out the best from even the most tasteless tomatoes. By feeding them with a little sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar you are guaranteed little morsels packed with punchy flavour. It’s dishes like this which are really simple and full of flavour that make mealtimes far more enjoyable and take the hassle out of cooking for groups. Feel free to adapt the recipe as you wish, try using different herbs, different salad leaves, just use what you have.

Serves 4
4 chicken breasts
6 cloves of garlic
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
4 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of ground black pepper
A good pinch of sea salt

For the salad:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
A good pinch of ground black pepper
A good pinch of sea salt
1 large punnet of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
120g of rocket leaves
1 small red onion, finaly sliced
Shavings of parmesan cheese to serve

In a bowl whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the salad.

Add the tomatoes to a large roasting tray cut side up, pour half the dressing over and toss to combine.  Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Place in an oven at 200oC/Gas Mark 6 for about 35 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced in size.

While the tomatoes are roasting in the oven, in a pestle and mortar or with the back of a knife, crush the garlic cloves with a little sea salt, until you have a fine paste.

Remove the leaves from the sprigs of rosemary, and add them with the mushed garlic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and chicken breasts to a bowl and allow to marinade while you prepare the rest of the salad ingredients.

On a large hot griddle pan, fry the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes either side, depending on the size, but just make sure they are cooked through.

In a large bowl, toss together the rocket, roasted cherry tomatoes, red onion and remaining dressing.

Serve alongside the chicken with some shavings of parmesan cheese.

The post Garlic and Rosemary Chicken with Roast Cherry Tomato Salad first appeared on Donal Skehan | EAT LIVE GO.

Wraps are extremely handy for a quick and tasty lunch! The best thing is that you can really go wild when it comes to the ingredients. There are so many variations on this recipe which I make regularely, like avocado and bacon, chicken and chickpea, or even tuna and rocket!
Find your favourite combo and experiment. If you can’t get your hands on proscioutto just pick up some streaky bacon instead.

Serves 2
6 slices of prosciutto ham
2 large wholemeal tortilla wraps
2 tablespoons of mayonaisse
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 carrot, grated
1/4 of cucumber, sliced thinly
5-6 spring onions, sliced thinly
A good pinch of ground black pepper

In a large hot frying pan fry off the slices of prosciutto until crisp and golden.  Remove and set aside on plate with a piece of kitchen paper.

Spread 1 tablespoon of mayo on one of the tortilla wraps.

Arrange the slices of cucumber, carrot, and spring onions down the centre of the wrap.  Add the spinach leaves and then place 3 slices of the crispy prosciutto on top.

Roll up the wrap and enjoy!  Repeat with the second the second wrap.

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In my opinion nothing is more impressive than a good cocktail at a dinner party, to get a great night started! Now although strawberry daiquiris may not be the most manly of cocktails, they are my drink of choice and this is my recipe for foolproof super tasty daiquiris. Though I have to add, this recipe does come with a warning, once you learn it, you may find yourself making them all too often! I use frozen strawberries here as it is so convenient to have a few packets of them stocked up in the freezer. Using frozen berries means you end up with a really delicious slush and you can also use any other frozen berries in this mix, so experiment with the ingredients!

Serves 6
400g strawberries, frozen
300ml white rum
300ml pressed apple juice
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
A small handful of ice cubes

Place the strawberries and ice cubes in a food processor, pour in the apple juice, rum and sprinkle in the sugar.

Blitz for about 30 seconds until you get a smooth slushy mixture.

Taste a teaspoonful as you may need to add a little more sugar to taste.

Serve in frosted cocktail glasses, it’s the only way to enjoy them!

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A lot of Chinese dishes can be heavy going but this spicy Sichuan chicken salad, is light, bright and crisp. To get the best aromatic flavour out of the Sichuan peppercorns, toast them in a hot oven for a few minutes, allow them to cool and grind in a pestle and mortar.

Serves 2
2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 small thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
4-5 spring onions, sliced finely
1 stick of celery, sliced finely
5 shitake mushrooms, stalks removed and sliced finely
½ cucumber, sliced finely
1 large carrot, sliced finely
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
½ teaspoon of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of lime juice
1 teaspoon of honey
½ teaspoon of ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns
½ teaspoon of sea salt
½ teaspoon of dried chilli flakes

Toss the chicken in a bowl with the soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a large frying pan and add both chicken breasts.  Cook for 3-4 minutes either side or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan, slice thinly and set aside.

Place the chicken slices in a large mixing bowl and toss together with the rest of the ingredients, until everything is evenly coated.

Serve the salad in delicious high piles and sprinkle with a little extra Sichuan pepper and sea salt.

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