Recipes

May 10, 2020 – Published in Design & Decor Spring 2014 issue

Guilt free eating

 

Words: Liz Said

Photography: Alan Carville

(All ingredients in the recipes may be purchased from Scotts Supermarket)

The first things you learn about Liz is that she loves cooking, baking and for relaxation running and squash. This fairy tale life was one of the things that inspired her from early childhood. Her mother was also an inspiration, a woman who was always busy in her kitchen preparing great dishes for her ‘brood’ and enjoying it.

Of course many people are more than able when it comes to cooking a meal or even baking a cake but Liz produces truly inspired dishes almost without a moment’s thought, or so it seems.

In fact Liz plans important occasions weeks in advance deciding on what she wants to cook and then sifting through her own recipes to choose just the right one for the people she’s invited. Or she makes up fresh dishes especially for the evening ahead.

This time out Liz has prepared for your delight starters, main courses and a divine dessert especially with spring in mind, and evolved to be of great interest for readers of Design and Décor.

COURGETTE, HAM AND RICE ROLLS

MAKES 15 ROLLS

 

• 2 large courgettes sliced thinly

• 15 slices of Parma ham

• 75g each of wild rice, Arborio rice and red rice

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 onions finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 16 chive stalks

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp pesto

Heat the oil and butter together in a pan and sauté the onions gently for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Cook the different kinds of rice according to the directions on the packet; note that the wild and red rice take longer to cook than the Arborio.

Add half the onion and garlic mixture to the Arborio rice, stir in the grated parmesan and season to taste. Add the rest of the onion and garlic mixture to the red rice and season to taste. Coat the wild rice with the sesame oil and season. Brush a griddle pan with a little olive oil and cook the courgettes slices. Blanch the chive stalks in boiling water for 5 seconds, before refreshing in iced water.

Lay 5 slices of the courgettes on a flat surface and lay slices of Parma ham on top; spoon a tablespoon of the wild rice on top before rolling up and securing with a chive stalk; repeat with the remaining courgettes and Parma ham slices and with the Arborio rice and red rice to finish with 5 rolls of each different kind of rice. Serve with pesto.

NECTARINE FRANGIPANE HEART

SERVES 6

 

For the pastry:

• 100g plain flour sifted

• Pinch of salt

• 25g caster sugar

• 50g butter chilled

• 1 egg yolk

• Grated rind of 1 orange

For the filling:

• 150g hazelnuts

• 50g caster sugar

• 1 egg

• 3 nectarines halved and stoned

• 3 tbsp apricot jam

• 1 tbsp orange juice

To make the pastry, place the flour and salt into a bowl; stir in sugar, add fat, cut into small pieces and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs; alternatively place in a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs; add the egg yolk, orange rind and 1 tsp water and whizz again until a smooth dough forms; chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6; roll out the pastry and use to line a heart-shaped pan; line with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes; remove the paper and baking beans.

For the filling, grind the hazelnuts in a food processor and mix to paste with the sugar and egg.

Turn into the pastry case and level the surface; reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/Gas3 and bake for 15 minutes until the filling is firm; cool.

Thinly slice the fruit and arrange in the case working inwards.

Melt the jam in the orange juice and use to brush the fruit; cover and cool. 

 See more recipes from Design & Decor Spring 2014 issue