Month: September 2015

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Stratta blog

Cucumber and kiwi salad

 

 

Still time in the September sun to enjoy the fresh flavours in this cucumber and kiwi salad.  Thank you to our Cumbrian contingent Paul and Katharine for passing this one on…

 

Cucumber and kiwi salad

 

  • Cucumber, sliced finely
  • stratta kiwi vinegar
  • 200ml sour cream
  • Garlic clove – crushed
  • Cucumber slices, smoked paprika and chives to garnish

Slice the cucumber finely and marinade in stratta kiwi vinegar for about an hour.

Crush the garlic into the sour cream.

Drain the cucumber and add into the sour cream.

Put back into the fridge until ready to use.

Sprinkle with smoked paprika and chives to serve.

 

 

 

 

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Stratta blog

Heaysman’s Bolognaise sauce

 

 

Our guest blogger Victoria Heaysman with a family favourite… 

James cooking

 

This is a recipe that my husband or I cook up at least once every 2 weeks and is usually a ploy to use up any random vegetables I have wilting in the trug.  It is my husband’s favourite dish in the whole world and he would eat it every night if he could!

I always make this in bulk and freeze batches for later in the week to have with rice or baked potatoes.  It tastes even better after freezing and re-heating as all the flavours mature.  If I have no beef mince in then I substitute in quorn mince and add it along with the tinned tomatoes.

  • 400g good quality beef mince
  • 2 onions – chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic pealed and finely chopped
  • 3 carrots – finely diced
  • Any other vegetables that need using up – leeks, broccoli stems, green beans, peppers – finely chopped
  • 2 cans chopped plum tomatoes
  • 1 can mixed and cooked beans, rinsed
  • Splash of either stratta smoky Moroccan olive oil or aromatic olive oil
  • 50ml either stratta damson or redcurrant vinegar
  • 50ml red wine
  • Freshly ground black pepper and rock salt to taste
  • Handful of fresh herbs from the garden – usually a mix of marjoram and oregano

 

Put the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and gently sauté the onions until they are soft, make sure they do not burn.

Add the garlic and beef mince and cook for a few minutes until the beef is browned.

Add all other ingredients (and quorn mince if using) and bring the sauce to the boil.

Sit well and then turn down low and leave to simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Stir every now and again to prevent the sauce from sticking on the bottom of the pan.

Enjoy with spaghetti and lots of grated cheese.

 

 

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Stratta blog

Stuffed aubergine rolls with ricotta, lemon and mint

 

 

stuffed aubergine rolls

Serves 6

  • 2-3 tbsp stratta lemon infused olive oil
  • 2 or 3 medium aubergines, sliced into 1cm thick lengths (to roll)
  • 250g ricotta
  • 25g mint leaves finely chopped
  • 25g chives, finely chopped
  • 10g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated

For the tomato sauce

  • 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 400g can chopped plum tomatoes

 

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Brush a little stratta lemon oil over a large baking tray and lay the aubergines in a single layer. Brush the top with the remaining lemon oil, season and bake for 20-25 minutes until soft and lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the tomato sauce:  Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan over a low heat and fry the onions and, after a couple of minutes, the garlic for around 10 minutes until softened.

Add the plum tomatoes, season and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Spoon about half of the sauce into the base of a baking dish.

Mix the ricotta, mint, chives and parmesan for the filling and season to taste. It should be minty and full of flavour so add more herbs if needed.

When the aubergines are at room temperature, put a spoonful of the stuffing into the thin end of each slice.  Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish.

Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls.

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and just starting to brown – around 20 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with salad leaves and crusty bread.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Stratta blog

Steyning Market cookery demonstrations

 

 

 

Mary will be at Steyning Market as usual this Saturday (5th September) and is taking part in a cookery demonstration along with several other producers.  This is one of a number of events in the area to launch the Horsham District Food and Drink Festival

Please do pop along and say hello if you are in the area

Here are the recipes she will be doing on the day so you can “cook along” at home if you can’t join her at the market.

 

 

Sweet chilli and ginger sauce

  • 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 red chillies, roughly chopped
  • 2cm piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 dried kaffir lime leaves
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 50ml ginger and honey vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

To make the dipping sauce, blend the garlic, chillies, ginger and lime leaves in a food processor until very finely chopped. Tip the sugar into a small saucepan, add 3 tbsp water and heat gently to dissolve. Continue to cook for another min or so until the syrup starts to thicken slightly.

Add the chilli and ginger mixture, and continue to cook for a further 2-3 mins. Then stir in the ginger and honey vinegar, lime juice and soy sauce. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.

 

 

Purple shiso and purple shiso vinegar
Purple shiso and purple shiso vinegar

 

Tomato Salsa

  • 2 red onions
  • 2 plum tomatoes
  • 2 small red chillis (with or without seeds!)
  • large red pepper
  • bunch of fresh shiso or basil
  • splash of purple shiso vinegar

Finely dice all the ingredients, stir in vinegar and serve with the crab cakes