my’bitchin’kitchen

this is another ottolenghi favourite of mine. i especially love the texture that the semolina gives to the filling.  the filling also has quite a subtle flavour which works if you don’t have a major sweet tooth. you could use blueberries or cherries to replace the raspberries in this one .

the pastry recipe they use is also a good one, so bookmark it for any other recipes that call for a sweet pastry. the only issue i found was that the ottolenghi recipe says to roll out the pastry and place it in the tin…that ain’t happening in this brisbane climate…it is a pretty soft pastry so just falls apart when you try to do that. i would suggest moulding it into the tin which works as long as you grease the tin first - it might not look as picture perfect as it should, but i like to think of it as a rustic version!

ingredients - sweet pastry

165g plain flour
50g icing sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
90g cold butter (add a pinch of salt to the recipe if using unsalted) chopped into cubes
1 free-range egg yolk
1 tbsp cold water

ingredients - semolina filling

80g butter
180ml pouring/whipping cream
345ml milk
60g caster sugar
vanilla pod
60g semolina
1 egg
200g raspberries

method - pastry

place the dry ingredients in a bowl and between your hands, rub together with the butter cubes until the mixture forms small breadcrumbs. alternatively, you can use a food processor and form the same consistency.

add the egg yolk and cold water and mix with your hands just until it all comes together. use a little more water if required.

remove from the bowl and knead briefly on a lightly floured surface. roll into a disc, wrap in clingwrap and place in the fridge until required.

method - semolina tart

grease an 18cm spring form tin with butter or oil.

if in a cold climate, you can roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface until 3mm thick and until it covers the tin base and up the sides. line the tin with the pastry and if there is any excess, cut with a knife. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

if in hot weather, the pastry will become warm quickly - it may not be the correct way to do things, but it works for me just fine… roll it out with a rolling pin but not too thin or it will fall apart.  place in the greased tin and using your fingers, mould to fit - it should come at least 3cm up the sides, and should be roughly 3mm thick all round.  Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

if using frozen raspberries, remove from the freezer, place on a paper towel and allow to thaw.

preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. cut out a circle of baking paper and line the pastry with it. fill with baking beads, rice or dry beans - enough to reach up the sides of the pastry so it does not collapse during baking. bake the case blind for 25-30 minutes, remove from the oven and discard the paper & weights.

to make the semolina filling, place the butter, cream, milk and sugar in a small - medium sized saucepan. cut the vanilla pod open length-ways and scrape out the seeds (i like to call them vanilla caviar!) and place them, with the empty vanilla pod into the pot. bring the contents of the pan to the boil and then, pouring in a slow stream, whisk in the semolina. continue whisking until the mixture comes back to the boil and thickens like porridge. remove from the heat, remove the vanilla pod and whisk in the egg.

pour the mixture into the pastry case, level the mixture with a spatula or similar and push in the raspberries (keep a few for garnishing at the end). bake for 25 minutes or until the filling is slightly golden.  allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing from the tin.

the ottolenghi recipe then melts 50g apricot jam with a tablespoon of water and uses this to glaze the tart - however i don’t think the tart needs it.

serve with remaining raspberries.

i absolutely love roast pork belly … the combination of the crispy skin and the soft, rich layers of meat that melt in your mouth (when it’s done right) is delicious! but i am a little bit afraid of most pork cuts that depart from the usual suspects; ham / bacon / prosciutto, so i have been hesitant to try this myself. that and for this recipe you need to make yourself reasonably available for around 4 hours on and off.  i probably didn’t leave this cooking for long enough (i followed the recipe, however the crackling could have been…well…more crackly!) so just a word of advice, don’t be afraid to keep roasting it for longer than the recipe says to, it is pretty hard to mess up - the longer you roast it, the more tender it will become.

seeing as it is so rich, i can only ever really stomach an entree size portion of pork so it is a good idea to supplement it with something subtle and hearty to serve as a main, like root vegies or as i have done here, root vegetable puree. the relish in this recipe is delicious and cuts the rich flavour of the pork and adds another flavour dimension. the watercress is a nice garnish and adds something fresh and untouched to the plate.

the recipes for the roast pork belly and the cranberry and elderflower relish are based on recipes by ottolenghi’s creators; yotam ottolenghi and sami tamimi.  both born in jerusalem, their food has a strong middle eastern influence and is very much about colour, texture, presentation, of course flavour and the freshest of fresh ingredients.  they don’t over complicate the cooking or preparation process and their food is not wanky. their successful stores are located in london and are very hard to label one thing or another - they themselves sum it up with the words ‘food shop, patisserie, deli, restaurant, bakery’ and yet this still doesn’t do it justice … and to think i have never actually set foot in one of their stores! (although i have seriously considered forking out the $3000 + for a plane ticket just to do so). thank the lord for their recently released cook book ‘ottolenghi, the cookbook’. yotam and sami’s passion, nay, obsession or food is so evident in every dish… something which i hope is true of my own creations.

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this is the perfect drink for a stinking hot day.  all of the flavours in this cocktail scream summer to me - mint, berries and fresh lime are a recipe for refreshing, fruity & delicious goodness.  we had these on christmas afternoon while sitting in the spa, and couldn’t get enough of them. (these are also extremely easy to drink, so be warned!).  you don’t need to have all (or any) of the cocktail equipment to make this either - just a trusty old rolling pin will do the trick!

ingredients - to make 1

handful of frozen raspberries + extra to garnish
3 slices of lime
5 fresh mint leaves
150ml ginger beer
60ml white rum or vodka
crushed ice

method

cup your hand and place 4 mint leaves in it. cup your other hand and bring it down over the other, so that it makes a clapping noise (be careful not to squash the mint, you want to release the aroma and flavour without bruising it - also a good trick when using mint in salads) your hand.  place a handful of raspberries and 2 slices of lime in a highball tumbler.  using your rolling pin (or muddler if you want to get all professional on me), muddle the contents. add 4 of the mint leaves and top with crushed ice. pour spirit and ginger beer over the ice and stir. garnish with extra mint leaf and raspberries.

i look forward to making this delicious breakfast at the beginning of every summer, when my favourite stone fruit arrives - nectarine. i used turkish bread because that is what i had on hand, but i much prefer making this with sourdough or brioche. Continue reading