Latest news with #recipe


The Guardian
10 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Rachel Roddy's rice salad with red peppers, celery, herbs and egg
A few weeks ago, when the weather turned boiling and the tarmac became soft, I made a bad rice salad. The principal reason for this was the overcooked rice, which was my fault for three reasons: I was using a brand I have never used before and didn't read the packet; I forgot to set the kitchen timer; and I ignored my instinct to tip it out (dog? Cake? Compost? Bin?) and start again. To my overcooked rice I added not-tasty tomatoes, tough minced parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, a bit too much vinegar, olives, capers and hard-boiled eggs; I also added an expensive tin of tuna, which did a brilliant job of making the whole thing taste better, although still not good. Everyone agreed that it was a depressing dinner, then we went out for ice-cream. The good thing about making a bad rice salad is the need to redeem and reassure myself that I am capable of making not only a good one, but a great one, though I do appreciate that today's first paragraph might make you doubt this. A good rice salad begins with well-cooked long-grain rice and involves a good balance of four vegetable elements: raw (tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, celery, say), cooked (beans, courgettes, peas, sweetcorn), vegetables preserved in oil (peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, aubergine), and pickled or salted vegetables (dill pickles, olives, capers, caper berries). There should also be some form of protein, whether that's tuna, cheese, tofu, salami or wurstel; possibly involve (tender) herbs; be dressed with oil and a little vinegar; and always be finished with egg (slices, wedges or chopped – you decide). Just as important as the balance of ingredients is the balance of temperatures. Many people like their rice salad fridge-cold – in fact, another name for insalata di riso in Italy is riso freddo (cold rice). I prefer the rice, cooked vegetables and tomatoes to be at room temperature, and the raw and picked vegetable elements to be fridge-cold. Celery and dill pickles are particularly good chilled additions when added just before serving, then the room-temperature hard-boiled eggs can be arranged on top. A note about the herbs: I think the clean, slightly black pepper taste of parsley is great here (although taste if it has been sitting in the fridge for a while), along with a few aniseed fronds of dill, plus fresh marjoram, with its gentle pine taste and sweetness. My mother-in-law believes that a transparent bowl (plastic or glass) plays a key role in the flavour of rice salad, and I think I agree. Of course, the most important advice for rice salad is to make it in exactly the way you like it, and serve it at a temperature you like, and to ensure that there is plenty of ice-cream (cold but at scooping temperature) for afters. Serves 4 Salt and black pepper 300g long-grain rice Extra-virgin olive oil Finely grated zest of 1 lemonRed-wine or sherry vinegar (optional)1 very big handful minced herbs (parsley, marjoram, chives, mint, dill)1 350g jar preserved red peppers, drained and chopped into bits300g cooked green beans, chopped into short lengths145g (1 tin) tuna in olive oil (optional)2 celery sticks, strings pulled away and discarded, flesh finely diced A few dill pickles, diced 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges or finely chopped Bring a large pan of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the rice, cook for 10 minutes, then drain into a sieve, shake well and leave to cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, mix six tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, the lemon zest, a dash of vinegar and the minced herbs. Add the rice, toss gently so that all the grains are coated, then add the peppers, beans, tuna, if using, and mix again to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The salad can now sit until you are ready to eat, in or out of the fridge – you decide. Just before serving, add the celery and dill pickles, toss again, and top with the hard-boiled egg. Zigzag with little more olive oil and serve.


The Guardian
11 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Rachel Roddy's rice salad with red peppers, celery, herbs and egg
A few weeks ago, when the weather turned boiling and the tarmac became soft, I made a bad rice salad. The principal reason for this was the overcooked rice, which was my fault for three reasons: I was using a brand I have never used before and didn't read the packet; I forgot to set the kitchen timer; and I ignored my instinct to tip it out (dog? Cake? Compost? Bin?) and start again. To my overcooked rice I added not-tasty tomatoes, tough minced parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, a bit too much vinegar, olives, capers and hard-boiled eggs; I also added an expensive tin of tuna, which did a brilliant job of making the whole thing taste better, although still not good. Everyone agreed that it was a depressing dinner, then we went out for ice-cream. The good thing about making a bad rice salad is the need to redeem and reassure myself that I am capable of making not only a good one, but a great one, though I do appreciate that today's first paragraph might make you doubt this. A good rice salad begins with well-cooked long-grain rice and involves a good balance of four vegetable elements: raw (tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, celery, say), cooked (beans, courgettes, peas, sweetcorn), vegetables preserved in oil (peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, aubergine), and pickled or salted vegetables (dill pickles, olives, capers, caper berries). There should also be some form of protein, whether that's tuna, cheese, tofu, salami or wurstel; possibly involve (tender) herbs; be dressed with oil and a little vinegar; and always be finished with egg (slices, wedges or chopped – you decide). Just as important as the balance of ingredients is the balance of temperatures. Many people like their rice salad fridge-cold – in fact, another name for insalata di riso in Italy is riso freddo (cold rice). I prefer the rice, cooked vegetables and tomatoes to be at room temperature, and the raw and picked vegetable elements to be fridge-cold. Celery and dill pickles are particularly good chilled additions when added just before serving, then the room-temperature hard-boiled eggs can be arranged on top. A note about the herbs: I think the clean, slightly black pepper taste of parsley is great here (although taste if it has been sitting in the fridge for a while), along with a few aniseed fronds of dill, plus fresh marjoram, with its gentle pine taste and sweetness. My mother-in-law believes that a transparent bowl (plastic or glass) plays a key role in the flavour of rice salad, and I think I agree. Of course, the most important advice for rice salad is to make it in exactly the way you like it, and serve it at a temperature you like, and to ensure that there is plenty of ice-cream (cold but at scooping temperature) for afters. Serves 4 Salt and black pepper 300g long-grain rice Extra-virgin olive oil Finely grated zest of 1 lemonRed-wine or sherry vinegar (optional)1 very big handful minced herbs (parsley, marjoram, chives, mint, dill)1 350g jar preserved red peppers, drained and chopped into bits300g cooked green beans, chopped into short lengths145g (1 tin) tuna in olive oil (optional)2 celery sticks, strings pulled away and discarded, flesh finely diced A few dill pickles, diced 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges or finely chopped Bring a large pan of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the rice, cook for 10 minutes, then drain into a sieve, shake well and leave to cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, mix six tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, the lemon zest, a dash of vinegar and the minced herbs. Add the rice, toss gently so that all the grains are coated, then add the peppers, beans, tuna, if using, and mix again to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The salad can now sit until you are ready to eat, in or out of the fridge – you decide. Just before serving, add the celery and dill pickles, toss again, and top with the hard-boiled egg. Zigzag with little more olive oil and serve.


Times
17 hours ago
- General
- Times
Radicchio, hazelnut and blood orange salad recipe
The beauty of this recipe is that it is rather flexible, as a number of the ingredients can be substituted according to availability, and of course, personal taste. You can swap the hazelnuts for pine nuts or walnuts, but whichever you chose, make sure you roast them until they're dark with an intensely nutty smell. We love to grate ricotta salata, a firm, salty Italian sheep's cheese, over this salad, but if you can't find it, then you can use a ball of mozzarella — just freeze it until it's hard enough to grate first. Serves 4 • 150g hazelnuts• 3 blood oranges• 2 heads of radicchio or 4 red endives• 1 tsp honey• 20ml white wine vinegar• Generous pinch of dried oregano• 70ml good-quality extra virgin olive oil• 1 ricotta salata (or 1 large buffalo mozzarella, frozen for a few hours) 1. Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 5. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray for about 8-10 min, until they're a dark amber colour with an intensely nutty smell. 2. Juice a blood orange then put the juice to one side. Use a small knife to trim all the peel and pith off the other 2 oranges. Make incisions on the inside of each segment to release the flesh as whole pieces — like you would with a Terry's Chocolate Orange. 3. Next, cut the radicchio or endive down the middle and free the leaves from the core with a knife. Cut the leaves in half, into non-uniform shapes. Wash them thoroughly then spin or pat dry. 4. For the dressing, whisk the reserved orange juice, honey and vinegar together. Add salt and black pepper and the oregano. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mix while whisking consistently until you get a slightly thicker, glistening dressing. This process can also be done in a mixer or blender. 5. Put the radicchio leaves and orange segments into a salad bowl, crush the hazelnuts with the side of your knife to get uneven pieces and pop them in the bowl too. Pour over the dressing and toss thoroughly, then taste for seasoning. 6. Finally, grate the ricotta over the top of the salad, which will give it a zingy, salty edge. If you cannot get hold of ricotta salata, take a ball of frozen buffalo mozzarella. At the last minute, retrieve the mozzarella and grate finely over the top and serve. Neil Paterson and George Colebrook run Arete, a private dining company based in London and Edinburgh


The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Make your homemade soup thicker and creamier with very odd ingredient – just chop it up and blend
A CHEF has revealed the incredibly unusual ingredient that will make your soup "creamier", "thicker" and "taste better". With the heavens finally opening this week, and flooding the UK with a barrage of rain, many Brits are likely looking to make some comfort food to make them feel nice and cosy. 2 There's nothing better than getting home soaking wet after being caught in a thunderstorm, and tucking in to a nice bowl of soup to warm you up. And chefs from Allrecipes have revealed the unlikely ingredient that will turn your soup into a "luxurious bowl". Unlikely ingredient If you've ever come home from a night out with an order of Mcdonald's and immediately fallen asleep before getting the chance to eat it, you'll know the feeling of waking up next morning unsure what to do with it. Soggy, cold fries famously don't taste great, but they can be blended up and turned into a soup thickener. Potatoes are a great soup thickener, as they release starch as they cook, thickening the broth. How to use leftover chips to thicken soup To use your leftover chips to thicken your soup, simply chop them up into small pieces, add them to your broth, and then use a blender to smooth the mixture. Since the fries are already cooked, you don't need to add them until your soup is nearly done. Placing them in the pan just a minute or two before turning off the heat will make sure the soup remains piping hot. If you put the chips in any earlier, the fridge-cold temperature will temper the soup. You can either use a handheld immersion blender to blitz the soup, or transfer it to a blender. M&S shoppers go wild for an 85p hot treat - it's super tasty and will save on your dinner As takeaway chips are often very salty, you might want to add less salt to your soup, so that you aren't overloaded with salty flavour. Other ways to thicken soup If you don't have any leftover chips on hand, there are a multitude of other simple tricks you can use to thicken soup. For example, pureeing it with cannellini beans or lentils is a great budget friendly way to thicken soup. You can also puree vegetables such as squash, sweet potato and carrot. Finally, for a more decadent meal, you can add double cream to make your soup thick and extra tasty.


CNA
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
When you crave your mum's cooking, but she forgot the recipe
Scroll up for the next video X When you crave your mum's cooking, but she forgot the recipe