five ways with…broccoli and chilli

A fellow book-clubber has been struggling. She loves the combo of broccoli and chilli, but can’t quite convince her other half of its merits. She’s tried a pasta dish with the duo, plus another pasta dish that also includes ham (usually the way to any man’s heart!) As yet, no luck.

So I’ve been brainstorming. What are tasty – healthy – ways to use broccoli and chilli? It should be a piece of cake – it’s a classic Italian combination. But personal tastes always come into it (as do genetics, actually – researchers have found that some of us have a genetic marker which predisposes us to certain bitter tastes such as broccoli, watercress and horseradish… so we may be fighting a losing battle.) But I’ll proceed as if we’re simply in search of that elusive perfect recipe.

1. frittata
Just yesterday, for Easter breakfast, I made an excellent broccoli and mushroom frittata – very easy, very healthy. You may have seen some of my other frittatas here… or here. They’re surprisingly quick to make, and extremely versatile too – broccoli and ham work, as does asparagus and smoked salmon – really any combination you like. So why not broccoli and chilli?

Or, if you’re not comfortable with chilli actually IN the frittata, make a lovely tomato-chilli relish to serve with the frittata. One downside to frittatas is that they can be quite dry, so salsa on the side would be a fabulous addition. Standard or purple-sprouting would both work well, though I would prefer purple-sprouting if given the choice.

broccoli-mushroom frittata with cheddar
(serves 2)

1 pack purple-sprouting broccoli, rinsed, trimmed, and halved for ease
1 pack (250 g) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 spring onions, chopped
4 medium eggs
a splash of skim milk
salt and pepper
10 sprays olive oil
60 g reduced-fat cheddar, grated

First, braise the broccoli in 2-cm deep water for 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli and keep to the side.

Spray the olive oil to a large shallow pan and heat to high. Add the mushrooms and sautee for about 5 minutes, adding a splash of water if the pan gets way too dry.

Preheat the grill/broiler to medium.

Add the broccoli to the pan and sauté for a few minutes more. While that’s happening, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper with a fork in a bowl or Pyrex jug. Add the spring onions to the jug.

Reduce the heat to medium and pour the egg mixture slowly into the pan so that all of the nooks and crannies between the broccoli and mushrooms are filled. Cook over moderate heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is cooked but the top is still moist.

Scatter the cheddar evenly over the eggs and then place the pan under the grill for about 4 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Be careful not to overcook.

Use the spatula to divide the frittata into four pieces and lift out carefully.

Serving options: a small side salad, a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream, or a tomato-chilli salsa (see below)

3-4 tomatoes, chopped finely
juice of half a lemon
2 shallots (or 1/2 an onion), chopped finely
1 large red chilli, chopped finely (seeds removed if desired)

Chop and mix together in a bowl and spoon onto the plate with the frittata (or combine all these into a bowl and pulse with a hand blender)

2. stir-fry
Here’s a great Chinese-inspired recipe. It’s almost too simple, which is why it’s often overlooked. But like the frittata, a stir-fry happily accepts any vegetable you throw at it.

If using broccoli and chilli, I’d also recommend throwing in some carrot, and perhaps some mushrooms too. (Ginger would work great too.) Stir fry with just a few sprays of olive oil, a glug or two of soy sauce, a squeeze of lemon or lime and as many splashes of water that you need to keep the stir-fry moist.

Serve with noodles or rice, whichever you prefer. Sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds.

Or, if protein is a must – the world is your oyster with this dish – or your prawn, chicken, smoked salmon or even thinly-sliced lean beef.

3. italian style
I tried this pasta dish a few weeks back and loved it. It passed the boy test recently too. Inspired by a great Italian recipe in a cookery book I recently bought, it’s got anchovies, but I used chicken to bulk it up. It’s so tasty.

I thought I blogged about it, but looking back it appears I haven't. I recall cracking open a bottle of red wine that night, actually...

Here's Orecchiette ai broccoli (out of Tessa Kiros' cookery book Twelve), modified to suit my own ends:

broccoli-chicken pasta with chilli and anchovy
(serves 2 generously)

500 g broccoli, trimmed and chopped (if using purple-sprouting broccoli, trim and halve lengthwise)
250 g diced chicken breast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 chillis, chopped, reserving half of the seeds
100 g tinned salted anchovy fillets
250 g dry pasta of your choice (I used wholewheat fusilli, but anything will work)
75 g freshly-grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Cook the broccoli in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon, leaving the cooking water in the pot.

Saute the chicken, for about 10 minutes, in a frying pan with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Transfer the chicken to a side plate.

Bring the reserved cooking water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking as per instructions.

Heat the rest of the olive oil in the pan and add the garlic, chilli and anchovies. Mash the anchovies into the oil with a wooden spoon. After about 4 minutes, add the broccoli and coat in the flavoured oil. Add the chicken too.

When the pasta is ready, drain, reserving about 250 ml of the water. Toss the pasta, broccoli, reserved water together. Stir through half of the parmesan and divide into bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and serve.

This dish (as you may have guessed) goes fabulously with a bottle of red wine.

4. curry-fy it
A simple curry at home is always a winner. And there’s no reason it can’t include broccoli. I’ve done with aubergine, with sweet potato, so why not broccoli? Keep the bites small, and make sure you add plenty of onions, chopped tomatoes, and chilli (along with all those other lovely Indian spices). Use any other veggies you like in addition to the broccoli and chilli. (I'd recommend using two big chillis, but perhaps only 1/2 of the seeds.)

See here for an example of a curry-at-home.

5. if all else fails…
Serve it as a side dish (sautéed) with a fat, juicy steak. You can’t lose. Just pick a lean cut.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...

Sorry I've been missing in action this week. It's my last week at my current job, so although I am cooking - cooking away in fact, I just haven't quite gotten it together to blog it up. So here's a recap of the first half of the week.

Monday: pasta puttanesca, for two

Wholewheat linguine, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 can of chopped black olives, 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper, and capers (if you have them - I didn't this time).

With 100 g of pasta, the sauce, and a generous fresh side salad (spinach, tomatoes, portobella mushrooms, cucumber, balsamic dressing), the calorie count comes to just under 500.

I've made a similar one before: see here

Tuesday: bulgur wheat with aubergines and mint

I bow before the greatness that is Nigel Slater. His Kitchen Diaries are truly a culinary bible. It makes me so happy to sit down with his book at the beginning of each month, year after year, to get inspiration for the next thirty or so days. Each time, something new takes my fancy

I wasn't sure at first how this would qualify as a winter recipe, but it completely works. It's rich and nutty. My only quibble with the wonderful Nigel is his (over)use of oil. To fry the onions and aubergine, he calls for six - count 'em, six! - tablespoons of oil. I used two, and a splash of stock (which you'll be using later anyway, so it's not inconvenient).

As it's January, I used drained chopped tomatoes in place of whole ones. Instead of pine kernels (what are they?) I used pine nuts. The mint, a surprise touch, was absolutely perfect. I would absolutely do this again, but next time, I'll spoon a bit of harissa on the side. And healthy too: Nigel says it serves 2, but it likely serves 4. A serving and a half (my size) comes to about 500 calories. Fab!

Wednesday: Chorizo, leek and butter bean stew

Now, I know chorizo's not the healthiest meat at the deli, but it is so delightful. On a cold night, its rich, warm spicy tones ooze satisfaction. Paired with leek, our winter staple, and creamy hearty beans (butter beans or flageolet beans work fab), you can't go wrong.

(serves 2)

125 g chorizo

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 can of butter or flageolet beans, drained

1-2 leeks, sliced lengthways and then chopped

1 pint of chicken broth

a large handful of parsley

3 tbsp creme fraiche

Slice the chorizo thinly and add to a med-hot saute pan. Add the sliced onions and saute gently for about five minutes. Add a splash of broth to prevent burning.

Add the leeks and garlic and stir fry for another three minutes. Again, add stock if necessary.

Add about 2/3 of the beans, reserving the other 1/3. Then add the stock in increments, to make sure the mixture bubbles away. Once all of the stock is in, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Season well.

Puree the reserved beans with a hand blender or food processor and add to the mixture. Chop the parsley in the food processor too and set aside.

After 15 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in half of the parsley and all of the creme fraiche.

Ladle into two separate shallow bowls and top with the rest of the parsley. Serve immediately.

Calories: 575 per serving. And I'm warning you, it's gorgeous! The only way you might want to bulk it up would be by adding spinach leaves - they would work well.

So what's on for Thursday (my last day on the job!)? Well, I'm allowing myself a free day, a splurge day, whatever you want to call it. So it's going to be Taco Night at our place, with no worries of calories. I'll get back to those on Friday. See you then!

pasta please

Not too much to report from dinner last night - just a quick, simple Italian-inspired meal of (wholewheat) spaghetti with a cherry tomato sauce and a side salad.

Normally I'd make the sauce from tinned cherry tomatoes, but my shop doesn't carry them anymore. I tried instead a stir-in sauce of roasted cherry tomatoes and parmesan, which, actually, was quite nice.

For the salad, I tossed romaine lettuce, a tomato, just a tiny bit of reduced-fat feta for protein (splitting 25 g between the two of us), a couple tablespoons of capers, some crunchy cucumber and a splash of red wine vinegar. Though quite salty because of the capers, the salad still held its own with the pasta, and I found myself going back and forth between the two dishes because I couldn't decide which to eat.

Obviously, pasta is not a particularly low-cal choice (100 g dry weight totals about 315 calories). But it's a good source of energy, and when combined with a tomato-based sauce and a salad, the overall meal is quite healthy - perhaps about 600 calories.

pumpkin, mascarpone, spinach and leek cannelloni

My first foray into cannelloni – and I wasn’t really properly prepared. I don’t know how I thought I would get the mixture inside the tubes, but luckily a pair of scissors and a Ziploc bag made for a wonderfully useful pastry bag.

I didn’t work from a set recipe on this – most of them are for spinach and ricotta, but I figured I would just roast up some pumpkin and add that to the mix. The instructions on the back of the cannelloni tubes box was helpful for timings.

Pumpkin, mascarpone, spinach and leek cannelloni
(serves 2)

Stuffing:
2 large leeks, chopped
100 g spinach
250-300 g pumpkin, chopped into 1cm cubes (or roasted in slices and then chopped)
1 tub of reduced-fat mascarpone, a quarter of it reserved for the passata sauce
50 g parmesan
Olive oil spray

12-15 cannelloni tubes
½ jar of passata
Reserved mascarpone
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Set the oven to 200 C and roast the pumpkin for about 30 minutes. Remove and chop up into small pieces if necessary.

Meanwhile, sauté the leeks in olive oil spray; after about five minutes, add the spinach and allow to wilt. Remove from heat and mix through the mascarpone and parmesan. Add the pumpkin and mix through too. Season with salt and pepper

Load the mixture into a pastry bag or a sealed bag and snip the corner. Use to fill the cannelloni tubes one by one. Place each one next to the other in a ovenproof dish.

Mix the rest of the mascarpone and the passata sauce (or chopped tomatoes) and pour over cannelloni tubes. Cook for 40 minutes and serve.

The sweetness of pumpkin and mascarpone delights the tongue, while the homey flavours of tomato and leek cut through the flavour. Not too decadent, but not requiring many sacrifices either. I was particularly impressed by the flavour of the reduced-fat mascarpone. It completely held its own in the heady mixture.

the wonders of fennel pesto

I saw this little jar on the shelf at the shops this weekend, waiting patiently for me to espy it, I presume. I actually shrieked a little when I saw it, to be honest. I had heard the concept bandied about recently, and kept meaning to make it, but the time or the meal wasn’t right.

But this little jar, despite the fact that it was not a part of the plans I had for this week’s meal, simply had to be purchased.

An Italian chicken salad was originally on the menu for last night, using the leftover chicken breast from the roast, shredded and combined with pomodorino tomatoes and red and yellow peppers roasted in red wine vinegar.

But my prized fennel pesto led me to tweak this dinner by making Italian chicken pasta instead. The outcome was quite nice, if I do say so myself – full of strong flavours which compliment each other well.

My favourite thing about this dish is that it can be served either hot or cold, depending on one’s mood. Just be sure to use the right type of pasta (linguine works well for hot; fusilli or macaroni is a better choice for cold).

This dish is also speedy, too, and most parts can be made ahead of time: the chicken taken from leftovers, and the tomatoes and peppers roasted a day earlier. And it’s healthy too. (Beat that, Nigella)

Italian chicken pasta
(serves 2)

200 g wholemeal linguine
250-300 g shredded cooked chicken breast
200 g pomodorino tomatoes – or any other type available, as long as they are ripe
2 bell peppers (I used one red and one yellow for colour), deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
15-20 sprays of olive oil (3-4 ml)
2 tbsp fennel pesto
2 small handfuls of baby spinach leaves
A handful of black olives (15 or so), sliced
10 g of basil leaves, chopped
A sprinkle of grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Note: the tomatoes and peppers can be made ahead by roasting them with red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and a couple sprays of olive oil for 30 minutes in a 200 C oven. If roasting the tomatoes at the same time, begin with this step, and proceed to the next step after 20 minutes of roasting.

Bring a large pot of water to boil – when bubbling, add the linguine and cook for about 10 minutes, until fairly soft.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with a few sprays of olive oil and add the shredded chicken over medium/medium-high heat. Allow to cook through. When the tomatoes and peppers are done roasting, add the entire contents of the tin to the chicken. Stir and cover.

When the pasta has finished boiling, drain and return to the pan, but remove from the heat. Mix through the baby spinach and half of the pesto and stir. Cover for a minute or two to allow the spinach to wilt.

Add the chicken, peppers and tomatoes to the pasta and again stir through.

Split evenly between two large bowls – top with equal proportions of the chopped basil leaves, olives and the remaining pesto. Sprinkle a bit of parmesan over, and season with a few grindings of salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Of course, fennel pesto is not a requirement for this dish – though it certainly adds a different, softer perspective than say, basil pesto or red pepper pesto.

Other uses for fennel pesto:
-Atop a butternut squash soup
-On bruschetta with a bit of goats cheese
-Mixed into mayonnaise as a dip for sweet potato chips
-A marinade for grilled white fish – or even a darker fish such as mackerel
-spread onto courgettes and grilled for a couple of minutes

But don't just take my word for it:
-The BBC recommends it in a pan-fried sea bass with fennel pesto and tomato salsa
-Sacla, makers of fennel pesto, offer up a pumpkin ravioli with fennel pesto recipe
-use it on fresh spaghetti with hot pepper flecks

the Italian blog

I travelled to Milan on Monday on a business trip, which sounds glamourous, though it really is not, I’m afraid. The company I visited put on quite a big show, which culminated in a gala dinner in the evening.

Intrigued and excited, I contemplated just what would be on the table. “They’re Italian,” I thought, “so the food will be amazing.” Turns out, I was wrong – but there was much enjoyment to be had from the menu itself.

First in Italian, and then (I presume) hastily translated into English, the menu proudly displayed what was to be on offer. I could be forgiven from feeling sick to my stomach:

Starter 1:

(in Italian)
Moscardini affogati con polenta

(the menu’s English translation)
Dormice drowned in polenta

(in reality)
What? Dormice are rats! And drowned? Ugh.

It turned out to be octopus, which was unfortunately jarred, on a bed of polenta, covered (not drowned) in tomato sauce. I’m unsure how octopus=dormice, but I was relieved not to have a rodent on my plate.

Score: 3 out of 10

Starter 2:

(in Italian)
Terrina di melanzane con mousse di caprino

(the English translation)
Tureen of eggplants with mousse of goat

(in reality)
A terrine of aubergine, with lovely pesto sauce drizzed over, served with a goat (cheese) mousse.

This was the best dish of the night, and I should have stopped here. Very tasty, with several layers of flavour.

Score: 7 out of 10

The third course:

(in Italian)
Risotto alla Milanese con funghi

(the English translation)
Risotto to the Milanese with mushrooms

(in reality)
Mushroom risotto

This should have been a good, staple Italian dish. Unfortunately, the rice was undercooked (a risotto crime in my opinion), and the mushrooms weren’t incorporated into the dish, but rather lumped on top. One guest noted that the dish looked like scrambled eggs.

Score: 3 out of 10

The main course:

(in Italian)
Costoletta di vitelle alle spezie con grani di senape

(the English translation)
Cutlet of calf to the spices with wheats of mustard

(in reality)
Veal with cheesy vegetables and ‘grains’ of mustard

I’m not a fan of veal, and I had been put off by the previous dishes, though the other guests enjoyed the meat. The vegetables were draped in cheese, which wasn’t necessary, and smelled processed.

Score: 5 out of 10

The desserts:

(in Italian)
Torta aziendale, Piccola pasticceria e caffe

(the English translation)
Marcegaglia cake, Twisted pastries, Coffee

(in reality)
These two desserts were more for show than to serve as a proper course – there was a large, 10 ft cake presented to the company, which was a sponge cake with fruit and icing, which was pleasant.

The pastries were small, bite-sized and assorted. I stuck with the coffee.

Score: 5 out of 10

I learned a valuable lesson that night. Just because Italian chefs are some of the best in the world, and British and American cuisine both owe Italian food a great debt, I cannot expect a perfect meal anywhere in the country.

It also reminded me how Italians cook best: simple ingredients, cooked well. Unfortunately, these rules weren’t followed that night, but they probably are in most houses throughout the country.

The highlight of the night was a wonderful, rich local red wine called Cantalupa Faber. Extremely satisfying, the wine was an absolute pleasure to drink, especially knowing I was sitting in the midst of the region it was produced.

a "bloody" good meal

Sometimes work drives me to drink. I'm exaggerating, but really, after a long hard day at the office, it does happen that I don’t feel like cooking. Luckily, a simple pasta supper will do the trick. I first found this recipe from Gary Rhodes’ Keeping it Simple cookbook. While I don’t like all of his recipes (I think he uses too much butter and cream as ‘easy’ routes to good-tasting food), I’ve been wanting to try his bloody mary pasta for a while. And the vodka can help settle my nerves.

I keep a bottle of vodka in the fridge, though I haven’t opened it since I bought it six months ago. A good excuse to open it, then, if ever I heard one.

The sauce is composed of:

Finely chopped onions, sautéed (Gary says in butter, I say olive oil)
Passata
Blanched, peeled, deseeded and chopped tomatoes
Your average bloody mary ingredients – celery salt, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and Vodka. (The brilliant thing here is you can make your sauce like you make your drink)

The result is really tasty – it looks simple when served (almost too simple). But my tastebuds were pleasantly surprised by a seemingly boring tomato sauce that has a zing and some earthiness (kindly provided by the celery salt). I could have eaten loads (but I didn’t)

Calories per serving: about 575 – a respectable meal in and of itself.
(A 100 g serving of wholewheat spaghetti (335 calories)+ ½ the sauce (1/2 jar passata, ½ tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tbsp vodka, ½ an onion and the other bloody mary accoutrements))

An easy way to cut down on calories here would be to either:
-have a smaller serving of pasta (say 75 g), which I often do
-cut down on the sauce (my version calls for quite a saucy dish)
-use olive oil spray instead of the olive oil (About 30 sprays I’d say would do – though keep the heat low and perhaps cover the onions so they can sweat more easily)

I would have done the third one, but my incessant use of olive oil spray has caused me to run out mid-week!

One last tip: put the vodka bottle back in the freezer right away or you might get carried away after dinner!

penne puttanesca

Six days in the new flat and the place is really shaping up. But we're tired - and after a long day at a conference and then a quick outing at our block's gym, we need something quick, easy, and tasty.

I've only had puttanesca once before, when my friend Sarah cooked it for me. I believe she said it was a Nigella recipe. As I have a tin of olives and a jar of capers in the pantry, I'm inspired again. I look up a few recipes and although I don't have any anchovies, I decide to proceed regardless - with olives and capers the dish is sure to be salty enough.

This dish doesn't require any oil. Savoury and satisfying, the puttanesca was on the table within 20 minutes. And I didn't need the parmesan, though sometimes I can't go without.

I've had this call for three standard small servings, though I only needed one. My husband had the other two (plus some bread to mop up the sauce).

penne puttanesca
(serves 3 - 1 small, 1 large; serves 2 medium-sized portions)

225 g wholemeal penne
1 tin cherry tomatoes, pureed roughly + 1/4 tin water to loosen sauce
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
150 g black olives, pitted and chopped
50 g capers
fresh parsley, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan to taste (optional)

Boil a pot of water and drop in the penne - boil for about 8 minutes. In a saucepan, pour in a bit of the pureed cherry tomato mixture, some salt and the chopped garlic. Heat the pan and allow the garlic to saute in the juices for a bit. Then pour in the rest of the tomato mixture and bring to the boil, then down to a simmer. Toss in cherry tomatoes, black olives and capers. Allow to simmer uncovered.

When the penne is ready, drain and then pour into the saucepan. Mix together with the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and turn to low for a few minutes. Serve in shallow bowls with parmesan if desired and possibly a baby spinach salad.


calories (without parmesan): one small serving - 381 calories; one large - 762 calories.

One note of caution: make sure to chop the parsley very finely - otherwise it can go stringy.