Adaptable Potato Salad.

One of my personal favourite salads of any kind as you can basically add anything to it or serve it with anything. A friend of mine recently posted on her blog about making Vegan Chocolate  Fudge (here's your shout out Sorcha!)  and it got me thinking that I have no Vegan Friendly recipes to hand so I am going to include some Vegan substitution here (hence the name adaptable). Some may say there is too much mayonnaise so you can reduce that however the one thing however here that is non negotiable is the amount of garlic though!

Ingredients

3 Spring Onions (Scallions)

6 Large Uncooked Potatoes (still in their skins)

2 finely chopped/crushed clove of garlic.

2tbsp of Olive Oil

1tbsp of White Wine Vinegar (Rice Wine Vinegar is the Vegan Substitute)

Chopped Herbs (Parsley for preference)

Black Pepper.

120ml (about 8 tablespoons) of Aïoli (a garlic mayonnaise) (There is a Vegan Friendly Version available)

 Optional extras: Cooked Bacon Lardons, Capers, Anchovies, Pickles and so much more……

1. Finely chop the spring onions and set aside.

2. Boil the potatoes and when cool enough to handle but still warm peel them and chop them into chunks.

3. Mix the Olive Oil, Vinegar and herbs together and pour it onto the hot potatoes, stir until coated.

4. Sprinkle the crushed/chopped garlic on top. Followed by the black pepper.

5. When the potatoes have cooled add the Aioli (or vegan substitute), the spring onions and any optional extra and stir until the potatoes are coated.

6. Enjoy. 

     Carpese Salad

Carpese Salad is simply Buffalo Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Basil and Olive Oil but my version adds a needed kick to the Buffalo Mozzarella which I personally fined lacking in taste sometimes. It combines this salad as well as one of my favourite spreads to put on Cheese, Cold Meats, Bread the list goes on, Tapanade, a spread made primarily of olives, in this case it is made thinner in order to make a dressing for the Cheese and Tomatoes. 

When choosing a Mozzarella make sure it comes in water and is white!

For the Salad:

2 Balls of Mozzarella- Drained and Chopped into slices.

2 Beef Tomatoes- Washed and Chopped into Slice.

Fresh Basil leaves.

Tapanade:

150g Olives

1 tbsp Capers

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

4 tbsp Olive Oil

Pinch of Chili Flakes (optional)

1. With the aid of a blender/food processor/hand held blender blend all the ingredients for the Tapanade  until well combined. You should have a thin oily consistency.
2. Arrange the Mozzarella and Tomatoes on a serving plate.
3. Drizzle with the Tapanade (as much or as little as you like) and garnish with the fresh basil leaves.

Pesto Pasta with Prawns and Brie.

This is probably among my laziest recipes. However it is one of my favorites at the same time :). Anyone who knows me well knows Im a complete cheese fiend. I've gone as far as buying six different varieties of cheese in one go, either way one of my favorites is Brie and I've been dying to use it in a recipe at some point (outside of fondue of course) so here goes! Either Pre Cooked or Freshly cooked prawns work well here.

Ingredients
250g Pasta (Spaghetti or Linguini for preference)
2 Tbsp of Pesto (freshly made if possible)
100g Cooked Prawns
Brie.

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.
2. When boiling add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the packet.
3. When cooked strain well and then tip back into the original saucepan.
4. Add the pesto and stir until the pasta is coated. Feel free to add some more.
5. Stir in the prawns.
6. Serve dotting the pasta with small chunks of the Brie.

Paella.

Every city has at least one Spanish Restaurant where tourists are tempted by the huge Paella pans outside. Mine is slightly adapted from Paellas I've had over the years with a mixture of meat and shellfish. A little while after starting Erasmus in Brussels I cooked this for several friends and promised them the recipe. 

For this you will need:

175ml of White Wine.

3 teaspoons of Turmeric.

Olive Oil

2 Red Onions finely diced.

4 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped.

350 g of Paella Rice.

150 grams of Cooked Prawns. 

50 grams of Cooked Shrimp.

1 Chorizo cut into Medallions.

2 Cooked Chicken fillets cut into fine chunks.

100g frozen Peas.

600ml of Boiling Chicken Stock.

Lemon wedges to Serve.

Fresh Coriander to Serve.

1. Heat one tablespoon of Olive Oil in a large Frying Pan or Pot

2. Add the onions and fry until soft.

3. Add the Garlic and Cook for one minute.

4. Add the rice and turn in the oil.

5. Add the Chorizo, Chicken and Shellfish and mix well.

6. Add the Stock, Wine and Turmeric to the pan and mix well. The rice must be covered so add more stock if necessary.

7 Allow to come to the boil and then turn down to a low heat and cook without stirring.

8. When the rice has absorbed the liquid, tip the contents of the pan into a serving dish and garnish with the Lemon and Coriander.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse always goes down a treat in my opinion and as a dessert it is very versatile as almost everything is interchangeable in some way. Flavors can be added, the type of chocolate can be varied to suit your taste and pallet. When selecting chocolate always, always use the best quality you can afford, if using Dark Chocolate, use Chocolate that has at Least 70% Cocoa Solids, Milk Chocolate 37% is fine but 50% adds a slight depth to it. With regards to White Chocolate choose one with a high level of Vanilla. 

I usually add coffee but feel fee to substitute with Orange Zest or Baileys what ever you have to hand.

For this you will need:

3 separated eggs

150g Chocolate  (Dark, Milk or White)

25g unsalted butter

100g sugar

2tbsp Coffee (if using White Chocolate omit the coffee)

100ml cream  for serving
Fresh Fruit for serving.

1. Melt Chocolate in a bowl above a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the surface of the bowl touch the water or the chocolate will seize)

2. When melted, add the butter and stir until the butter is absorbed, add the egg yolks and then the coffee. 

3. Whisk the egg whites and the sugar together until stiff shiny peaks form.

4. Fold the egg whites gradually into the chocolate mixture about a quarter at a time until the mixture is combined

  5. Place the mixture into a serving bowl or individual ramekins and leave to set in the fridge.

6. Serve with some freshly whipped cream and fruit.

Flavoured Cheese Fondue

One of my flatmates said that I was stuck in the 1970s when I said that I liked fondue, it's a bit old fashioned I know but on a cold evening I don't think there is anything better! A fondue can be varied in so many ways, the cheese can be varied, the amount of garlic, the use of herbs! So So many variations!!

For this you will need:

1 Large Chorizo- Chopped into thin medallions.

90g of Cheese (per person)- chopped- Emmental, Gruyere or a good quality Cheddar work best but Brie works well as do Blue Cheeses.

150ml White Wine

3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed.

Cubes of Bread and Raw Vegetables 

1. Set a frying pan on high heat, add the chorizo and fry until the paprika oil comes out.

2. Take it off the heat and set the medallions to one side.

3. Place the remaining ingredients and the oil from the chorizo in a saucepan or fondue pot on low to medium heat and stir until the cheese has melted and the contents of the pot combined.

4.If using a Fondue pot, light the burner and place the pot on top alternatively if you do not have a fondue set, eat from the saucepan and place back on the heat until the cheese melts again. 

5.Serve with the Cubes of Bread, Raw Vegetables and Chorizo Medallions.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Risotto

Smoked Salmon is one of the quintessential Irish Foods. It is available in nearly every Irish Bar around the world and can really go down a treat if used well. One of the most classic uses is the combination of Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese and I thought how could they not go into a risotto together. While risotto can take some time, the results are worth the effort, trust me. 

You will need:

25g Butter

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 large onion- Chopped into chunks

1 Red Bell Pepper- chopped into fine chunks

3 Cloves of Garlic- Chopped or Crushed (feel free to add more)

350g Risotto Rice 

125-175 ml White Wine (If it is good enough to drink, it is good enough to use when cooking)

2l of Chicken or Vegetable Stock (You may not need all of it)

1 packet of Smoked Salmon cut into small strips

3/4 tub of Cream Cheese- Garlic and Herb for preference

90g Parmesan Cheese

Finely chopped fresh parsley, however dried is fine too.

Lemon Wedges

Salt and Pepper to taste.

1. In a medium sized pot bring the Stock to the boil. 

2. In a larger pot melt the butter on medium heat and add the oil.

3. Add the onions and fry gently until soft, add the garlic.

4. Add the rice to the pan and stir it around, allowing it to absorb some of the oil/butter and to also absorb the flavors from the onion and garlic.

5. Stir in the White Wine and wait until it begins to bubble slightly.

6. Add the stock gradually, a ladleful at a time, stirring all the while, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid, continue this until the rice is fully cooked (al dente). If the rice is crunchy it is not cooked.

7. When the rice is cooked stir in the Parmesan until it melts into the rice.

8. Add the Cream Cheese followed by the Smoked Salmon and the Red Pepper. 

9 Garnish with the Parsley and squeeze some of the Lemon Juice on top.

10 Season to Taste, Serve and Enjoy.  

Serves 4 (approx.)