Albondigas - Tapas-Style Meatballs in a Tomato Sauce

Tapas and tapas-style dishes seem to be very popular at the moment. Tapas are snack-like dishes which are traditionally served in Spanish bars and restaurants. The word tapas is derived from the Spanish word tapar, which means to cover. Originally tapas were slices of bread or meat which were balanced on the rims of wine-glasses to prevent flies from landing in the wine or sherry in between sips. Invariably, over the course of an evening in a hot bar and as more wine was imbibed, the drinkers would nibble on these edible glass covers… and tapas were born.

Tapas are based on the idea of sharing; a selection of dishes is presented to or chosen by a group of diners and they all take small samples of each. This is similar to the dining approach used when eating Italian antipasto or Chinese dim sum and is one of the aspects of tapas that I love – food should be about conviviality, friendship and sharing and community.

 

At their simplest, tapas can consist of small bowls of olives, salted almonds or chorizo sausage, but as time has gone by a whole range of sophisticated and exotic tapas dishes have been developed. Some dishes are intended to be served cold, but many are also served hot or warm.

One of the most popular tapas dishes and one that anyone who has visited or holidayed in Spain will be familiar with is albondigas or meatballs served in a rich tomato sauce. It is really important that the tomato sauce is well flavoured and is given a chance to reduce and thicken a little. If you allow it to remain watery, it lacks the flavour punch that is required and you will wonder why you bothered. I like to add rosemary to the sauce and a little sherry vinegar as this accentuates the sweetness of the tomatoes and makes for a more rounded flavour on the palate. If liked, you can also include half a very finely chopped red chilli to add a little spicy heat. As usual, taste as you go along and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Have confidence in you cooking and trust in your own taste. I often look upon recipes as guides rather than formulae that have to be slavishly followed. Granted, with baking, which relies upon precise measurements and processes being followed, it is probably advisable to follow the recipe exactly, but with the type of cooking that this recipe for albondigas involves, you can be a little more adventurous.

 

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

500g minced beef

1 small onion, chopped very finely

1 garlic clove, chopped finely

1 handful of flat-leaf parsley finely chopped

100g fresh white breadcrumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

2tblsp olive oil

Sauce:

2tblsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped into small dice

1-2 sprigs of thyme

1 sprig of rosemary

250ml full-bodied red wine

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1tblsp sherry vinegar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper
 

Method:

Meatballs:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan Oven 180C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, season with a little sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper and work together with your hands until well mixed together.

3. Using your hands, form little balls (about 4cms in diameter) out of the meat mixture. Place the formed meatballs in a roasting dish, drizzle over the olive oil and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Sauce:

4. Heat the oil in a medium-large sized saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and fry gently, stirring occasionally until softened but not coloured (about 7 minutes).

5. Add the sprigs of thyme and rosemary and then add the glass of wine. Allow the wine to reduce by almost a half and then add the tin of chopped tomatoes. Allow this to bubble gently for about 10 minutes and then add the roasted meatballs and the sherry vinegar. Allow to bubble over a low heat for a further ten minutes and then spoon into a large serving bowl and serve.

Serves 4-6.

Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I am a great fan of raspberries and love to use them in my cooking when they are in season. As an easily perishable fruit, raspberries can be very expensive to buy, but sometimes when I see them on sale, I find them hard to resist and I am easily seduced by their fruity allure. The ironic thing is that raspberries are relatively easy to grow, yet I have still to apply myself to the task in a focused way. I don’t know why I am so lackadaisical about doing so, because I love to eat them and have little problem in finding ways to use them in my cooking.

Raspberries and chocolate are another of those flavour marriages, which I regularly go on about, that are just meant to be. Fresh raspberries whilst sweet can also have a slight tartness to them which cuts through the richness of many recipes which include chocolate.

 

These brownies are a case in point, being incredibly rich and almost sinfully indulgent to eat… but I love foods like this; you know they are a little naughty, but you just can’t say ‘no’!

The brownies are rich and fudgy; made even more so by the addition of a cheesecake swirl. As such, the brownies are perfect for serving as a dessert and they work very well served with a dollop of cream or a scoop of raspberry sorbet.

When cooking brownies, I would always advise removing them from the oven when they seem to be still slightly undercooked. Cakey brownies tend to be dry to eat and the whole point of brownies is that they are slightly moist and gooey. This is a relatively simple recipe so provided you follow the timings that I have given, you should have no problems.

 

Ingredients:

Brownie mixture:
200g dark chocolate melted and allowed to cool slightly

200g butter softened

250g caster sugar

3 eggs

115g plain flour, sifted

Cheesecake:

400g cream cheese

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

125g fresh raspberries
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Line a square 23cm x 23cm x 6cm shallow tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

Chocolate brownies:

2. Using a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, stir in the melted chocolate. Fold in the flour, making sure that it is well incorporated.

3. Spread two-thirds of the brownie mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing it out.

Cream cheese mixture:

4. In a separate bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla extract together until the mixture is smooth.

5. Spread the cheesecake in a layer over the brownie in the prepared tin. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining brownie mixture randomly over the top. Use a skewer to swirl the cheesecake mixture and the chocolate mixture together. Press the raspberries into the top and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the mixture is cooked through and risen. (Note: It is the nature of brownies not to be cakey but to be more fudgy in texture, so remove from the oven before they are completely set… they will continue cooking as they cool).

6. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares.
 

Makes 16.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

A while back, I went absolutely cupcake crazy, baking them all the time and desperately trying to invent new and wacky flavour combinations. Without a doubt, cupcakes were the darlings of the baking world for a couple of years. But, as with most trends, time moves on and something new comes along to take their place; since then macarons, whoopee pies, éclairs and doughnuts have all had their moment in the sun. Whilst I am an eager participant in all these baking trends, I also like good old retro style bakes.

When I was a child we never made cupcakes, though we were aware of them courtesy of American television shows and films. What we had were ‘buns’ or fairy cakes (buns with glace icing and if you were feeling very decadent a few coloured sprinkles on top), but we didn’t have cupcakes which were considered completely extravagant, being so much bigger than our little sponge cake buns. Also, cupcakes tend to always be covered in rich blousy coloured buttercream icings; my grandmother would have considered them vulgar and ostentatious!

But I do love cupcakes and they definitely have a place in my baking arsenal. Having discarded my misplaced desires to seek out unusual flavour pairings just to appear different and a bit of a baking trend-setter, I find that I much prefer using classic combinations. One of my favourite flavour mixes is that of chocolate with raspberry or chocolate with vanilla, but I’m not sure which of the two I like better. Loathe to force myself into making a decision, I decided to use all three flavour elements in these cupcakes. I have baked a simple chocolate sponge cake, covered it in vanilla flavoured buttercream icing and finished it off with fresh raspberries. These are really tasty and incredibly simple to make. The quantities given make 12 cupcakes, but you may want to consider making a double batch, because they are popular and disappear in minutes!
 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
150g butter, softened

150g caster sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

175g self-raising flour

25g cocoa powder

Vanilla Buttercream:

125g butter, softened

250g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

To finish:

12 fresh raspberries
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Place 12 cupcake cases of your choice into a 12-hole cupcake tin and set aside.

2. Using a hand-held electric mixer. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until very light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs mixing well after addition to avoid the mixture curdling.

3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and fold into the butter and egg mixture until fully incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until well-risen and a thin skewer inserted carefully into one comes out clean.

4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before topping with buttercream icing.

Vanilla Buttercream:

5. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy. Place the buttercream in a disposable piping bag fitteld with a 1cm star nozzle and pipe a generous swirl of buttercream on top of each cupcake.

To finish:

6. Place a fresh raspberry on top of each cupcake.

Makes 12.

    

Sherry Braised Garlic Chicken

The weather is absolutely gorgeous at the moment; the sun is shining from the heavens and the temperatures are beginning to rise. Amazingly, I think we might be getting a summer at last!

My eldest daughter is on her holidays from school; soon to be joined by her two siblings. How I envy them! All they want to do at the moment is to be out enjoying the good weather and playing sports. I’m delighted because at least they are stuck indoors in front of the television or computer! They certainly don’t want to be indoors eating formal meals but are more inclined towards barbecues, small meals/snacks and more casual dining.

 

This chicken dish is absolutely perfect fare for an Irish summer’s day; it’s nourishing, easy to eat and extremely tasty. I will admit that you do need to like garlic in order to enjoy this dish, but the garlic’s pungency is tempered by being braised in the oven and with the sherry and chicken juices is transformed into a sauce that is mouth-watering in its sumptuousness.

 

You could serve this dish with a green salad or with couscous but I like it most when served with some crusty bread – perfect for mopping up the garlic juices.

Ingredients:

Marinade:
75ml olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
A large handful of flat leaf parsley finely chopped

Juice of half a lemon

Braised Chicken:

10-12 chicken thighs (on the bone with skin)

2tblsp olive oil

3-4 shallots, peeled and finely diced

2 bay leaves

200ml sherry (preferable fino)

250ml chicken stock

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

To finish:

2tblsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
 

Method:

The day before:
1. Put all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken thighs and massage the marinade into them. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
Braised Chicken:
2. Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan Oven 140/Gas Mark 2. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and season well. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick, oven-proof frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down and fry for 5-t minutes until the skin has turned a golden brown colour.  Turn over and cook on the other side for a further 5 minutes. Don’t be tempted too turn up the heat as this could cause the garlic to burn which will give a bitter taste to the whole dish.

3. Once the oven is browned on all side, remove to a dish and set aside for the time being. Add the chopped shallot to the oil in the pan and fry over a moderate heat for approximately 5 minutes until it has turned a golden brown colour.

4. Return the chicken thighs to the frying pan, add the bay leaves and then the sherry. Increase the heat and allow the sherry to reduce by about two thirds. Add the chicken stock.

5. Place some greaseproof paper or baking parchment directly on top of the chicken thighs in the pan so that they are all covered. Place in the oven and cook for 1½ hours.

6. Remove from the oven, scatter over some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the juices.

 
Serves 4-6.

Lemon Queen of Puddings

This is one of those classic, old-fashioned puddings that is just so delicious to eat. I have previously given my recipe for mini queen of puddings which use raspberry jam, but as I had some homemade lemon curd hanging around, I decided to use that instead. Whilst I love the more traditional version of the pudding, I felt that the lemon curd really added that something extra. Yes, I love anything lemony, but it was more than that… I think the slight sourness of the lemons balanced out the sweetness of the meringue and custard far more effectively.
 

To be honest, there’s not much else I can say about this dessert, other than to say that it was really tasty and one that I will be making regularly in the future. For me, it is one of those puddings that could be served in either summer or winter and is hugely adaptable. If liked a pinch of ground ginger could be used in the custard to add a little bit of warmth on the palate. Lemon and ginger is one of those classic food pairings and is often seen in both sweet and savoury dishes. It also happens to be one of my favourite taste combinations and one that can be employed to good effect to ‘cut through’ the richness of other elements in a recipe.

I like to serve these puddings once they have cooled slightly and are still slightly warm.

 

Ingredients:

Custard:
300ml cream
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
25g caster sugar

65g fresh white breadcrumbs

15g butter

2 egg yolks

To finish:

200g good quality lemon curd, preferably homemade

2 egg whites

115g caster sugar
 

Method:

Custard:
1. Place the cream, lemon zest and caster sugar in a small saucepan over a moderate heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the cream has warmed but has not boiled. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix well to thoroughly combine.
2. Divide this mixture between 4 small oven proof dishes (about 250ml capacity) and place on a baking sheet. Allow to stand while the oven is preheating. Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan Oven 150C/Gas Mark 3.
3. When the oven has preheated place the custards into the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes until just set. Remove from the oven and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5.

To finish:

4. Using a hand-held electric mixer beat the egg whites to the soft peak stage. Slowly add the sugar, beating until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

5. Spread the lemon curd over the top of each custard, dividing it equally.

6. Place the meringue into a disposable piping bag and pipe on top of the lemon curd topped custard. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes until the meringue is golden. Serve.
 

Serves 4.

 

 

 

 

Blueberry Crumble Bars

These blueberry crumble bars are so delicious – I urge you to make them because they are REALLY good! The almost biscuity texture of the base perfectly complements the juicy blueberries, which pop and release their beautiful indigo juices when baked.

I have used blueberries but other soft fruits such as raspberries, gooseberries or blackcurrants could be used. This recipe is easily adaptable and a perfect vehicle for taking advantage of whatever fruits are in season. However, there is something about the colour and taste of the blueberries which just works so well here. You could also use apples, pears but you will need to peel, core and slice them before placing them on the base so that the fruit cooks through within the allotted time.

A little splash of lemon juice and the addition of some finely grated lemon zest in the filling really accentuate the taste of the blueberries and make them somehow seem so much fruitier. I have also used lemon juice in the icing which I have used to drizzle over the finished bars. It is not absolutely necessary to ice the finished bars, but I like the bittersweet tang that the lemon icing gives to the finished bars and I also think that it looks beautiful.

My gang can be a little fussy about eating fruits and vegetables, but they absolutely devoured these bars and declared them “yummy”. Believe me they are the harshest of critics and certainly don’t hold back to spare my feelings, so I figure I must be doing something right!

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
½tsp baking powder
150g caster sugar

150g butter, slightly softened

1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:

300g blueberries

25g sugar

2 heaped tsp cornflour

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ lemon

To finish:

100g icing sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5. Line a 30cm x 20cm traybake tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar and mix through. Add the softened butter and egg and using a wooden spoon mix into the flour mixture until you have a soft crumbly dough. Press 2/3 of the dough into the prepared tin, pressing down with the tips of your fingers.
3. Separately, mix the blueberries, sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and juice together in a bowl. Tumble the blueberries onto the dough in the tin and distribute evenly. Drop little nuggets of the remaining dough on top of the blueberries. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the blueberries have popped and released some of their juice and the crumble topping is golden brown. Allow to cool completely in the tin before drizzling over the lemon icing.

To finish:

4. Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl, Drizzle over the cooled blueberry traybake. Allow the icing to set. Cut into 16 - 20 squares.
 

Makes 16-20 squares.