Mushroom Goats Cheese Ravioli, Butternut Sauce, Confit Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, Basil

This recipe is inspired by a couple of dishes we tried at Reuben’s restaurants in Franschhoek and Robertson. For those of you that don’t know, Reuben Riffel is the Chef Patron of the, now very successful chain of Reuben’s restaurants in South Africa. The first restaurant opened in Franschhoek seven or eight years ago and put the town well and truly on the map as a culinary destination. Reuben’s food is all about flavour and freshness of ingredients and has a definite world influence. His consistency has kept this popular award-winning restaurant at the top of the ever-increasing number of fine-dining establishments in the town. Which is why, I presume they decided to open another one.

Reuben’s at The Robertson Small Hotel is an oasis of calm, serenity and cool styling. I had to physically restrain myself from diving (dream on) into the pool that lies adjacent to the suites as we arrived at the restaurant. Our table overlooked the pool area but luckily the menu was enough to take my mind off of that view.

The menu is typically Reuben. For starters we chose the water, summer & sweet melon salad with poppy-seed dressing, light & refreshing. The marinated mixed tomato, artichoke salad, olive caramel, deep-fried boconccini, pesto, tomato chutney. The deep-fried boconccini mozzarella balls were beautiful (must try at home soon) and came with the best tomatoes I’ve had for a long time. The Washer Up had the double baked gruyere souffle, waldorf salad, raisin puree, vanilla citrus vinaigrette. The souffle was light and flavourful, excellent with the sweet raisin puree which I recreated to go with this tart.

The main courses that lead me to this recipe came from both restaurants. Goat’s cheese ravioli, yellow pepper essence, pine nuts, confit tomato, spinach and olives from The Robertson and Butternut Ravioli, melting goat’s cheese mousse, pine nuts, tomato, yellow pepper essence from Reuben’s in Franschhoek. Mine is a mash-up of both.

Oh, and the desserts are to die for. Bon Courage white muskadel creme brulee, poached plum, plum ice cream.  Heaven.

Vanilla Panna Cotta, lemon thyme poached peaches, apricot sorbet, enough said.

Affogato: vanilla ice cream, Klipdrift gold brandy, hazelnuts, hot espresso shot. I’m going to try this at home but with frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) next time

The thing about Reuben’s food is the flavour. Every dish has a small amount of chilli in it. You don’t really notice the heat it just enhances all the other flavours. I love it. Oh, I forgot about the side dishes they do a Parmesan Truffle Oil Mash which is the most comfortingly addictive thing I have ever tasted. I didn’t get a picture because we ate it too fast.

This is my version of a Reuben dish. I made a wholemeal pasta dough with spelt flour rather than 00 flour. It actually worked really well. I’ve had disasters with wholemeal pasta before but the spelt flour seemed to be better. I did leave the dough in the fridge to rest overnight as well though. This may have helped it firm up more.

I contacted Reuben’s for the recipes and they, very kindly, sent me  a few different ones. The mushroom filling is from one dish (I added the goat’s cheese) and the Cape Malay butternut sauce is from a completely different dish. It may sound odd but it all balances out well and tastes great. The only thing I may do differently next time is trim some of the “skirt” of the raviolis (above) so that there isn’t so much double layer dough, or even use more filling to reach nearer the edges.

The confit tomatoes are intense little balls of flavour that burst in your mouth. I will definitely make these again, for pasta or salads or anything really. You may think life is too short to peel cherry tomatoes and I do kind of agree with you but, it means they soak up all of the garlicky herb oil they are soaked in. You could just saute them in a pan to save time.

Mushroom Goat Cheese Ravioli

Serves 2, vegetarian. Adapted from the Reuben’s recipe

• 200 gr ’00′ flour (I used spelt flour)
• 2 large eggs

Mix together in a processor until it forms a dough. Bring together, knead for a minute, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. I left mine overnight.

• 12 chestnut (or mixed) mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 small sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar (or 2 tsp kecap manis)
• 2 tsp Worcester sauce
• about 30 gr goat cheese, cubed
• 1 egg, beaten for sealing raviolis

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in  a pan over a medium high heat and cook the mushrooms and rosemary for a minute. Add the soy, sugar and Worcester sauce and saute until the mushrooms are dark, soft and the liquid has all been absorbed. Leave to cool completely before filling the raviolis.

Roll out the pasta dough, on a well floured surface with a rolling-pin or pasta machine until 1mm thin. Cut out circles about 7cm in diameter. Take a tablespoon of the (cooled) mushroom filling and place on one side of the circle. Top with a piece of goat cheese. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and fold it over to cover the filling. Press down around the filling to get rid of any air bubbles and make sure the edges are sealed and there are no holes in the dough. You can cut off some of the excess skirt of the ravioli if you think there is too much. Place on a tray on a piece of baking paper until ready to cook. Store in the fridge if necessary.

To cook: carefully lower them into a large pan of salted, boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes. They should float and look softer. Drain and serve immediately with your choice of sauce.

Garlic & Herb Confit Tomatoes

Serves 2, vegan, gluten-free

• about 175 gr cherry tomatoes
• 25 ml white balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, sliced finely
• 1 shallot, sliced finely
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• sea salt & black pepper

Put a cross in the bottom of each tomato, put in a bowl and pour over boiling water till covered. Leave for 20-30 seconds, drain and then shock in iced water for 30 seconds. Peel immediately.

Warm the oil, vinegar, herbs, garlic and shallot over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Pour this over the peeled tomatoes and leave for at least two hours at room temperature before serving. Reheat in a pan with some of the oil. Season with sea salt & black pepper just before serving.

Cape Malay Butternut Squash Sauce/Soup

This makes a lot of sauce so I used it as a soup for lunch the next day as well.

• 600 ml veg stock
• 1 tbsp Cape Malay spice mix (see my recipe here)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 celery leaves & tops, chopped
• 750 ml grated butternut squash
• 400 ml milk/cream (I used oat milk)
• 1 tsp palm sugar/brown sugar
•  a squeeze of fresh lemon
• 1 tin (400 ml) coconut milk (optional)
• salt to taste

Put the stock, squash, Malay spices, onion, garlic and celery leaves in a large pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat slightly and cook for about 10 minutes until the squash is soft. Add the milk, season with the salt, sugar and bring to the boil again. Cook for a few minutes to reduce slightly.

Remove from the heat and carefully blend with a stick blender until smooth. You can serve as it is or add a tin of coconut milk to make it more soupy. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and taste for seasoning.

I used a potato peeler to make some courgette ribbons which I heated through with the tomatoes and toasted off some pine nuts. Some baby basil leaves and fresh rocket look pretty for a garnish too.

For more information about Reuben’s restaurants and The Small Hotel visit their website here

Green Vegetable Minestrone with Toasted Pine Nuts

May Day here is known as Dia de la Cruz “Day of the Cross”. It is also Dia de los Verdes “Day of the Greens”. In Alhaurin there are two main churches known as The Greens & The Purples (the colours of the Andalucian flag). For the whole long weekend and Tuesday the Green Church known asVera Cruz have processions, marching bands and let off rockets very early in the morning and very late at night.

Thankfully it stopped raining long enough to get out and take some photos this week.

I can’t pretend to know what it’s all about but they seem to enjoy it and it brings the community (well one half of it anyway) together. Rows of different types of chairs are tied together all along the procession route so no one can steal a precious front row seat.

After the processions everyone congregates at the church.

Everyone is wearing green. Purple is a definite faux-pas. Unless you are our friend Miguel, who was over from England with his girlfriend Lindsey for the Bank Holiday. He decide to rock it in lilac jeans, despite all the funny looks, classic Miguel, hilarious….!!

So in keeping with this green weekend and to atone slightly for the purple jeans incident I have made a Green Vegetable Minestrone. This is my favourite soup that we served at the restaurant. I got it from a Cape Town cookbook my Dad gave to me. It is really fresh tasting and more Springy than a classic Minestrone. You can use whatever green veg you like just make sure you give it loads of fresh basil…

I kept it vegan & gluten-free by using rice vermicelli. You can use any pasta you like but keep it tiny. Freshly shaved parmesan on top is the authentic addition that I replaced with toasted pine nuts. Either way it’s a deliciously healthy bowl of goodness that leaves you feeling all virtuous inside…

Green Vegetable Minestrone with Toasted Pine Nuts

serves 6 , vegan, gluten-free. Adapted from Cape Town Food by Phillippa Cheifitz

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 big Spanish spring onion (or 4 or 5 scallions)
• 1 leek, halved lengthways, rinsed & finely sliced
• 2 stalks celery, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 small cabbage, cored & finely shredded
• 125 gr green beans, 2 cm diagonal slices
• 1 courgette, diced
•  bundle of asparagus, woody ends snapped off, 2cm diagonal slices
• 100 gr frozen peas
• 50 gr rice vermicelli (or other tiny pasta) 
• 150 gr rocket (or spinach/watercress)
• 1+ 1/2 litres veg stock
• salt & black pepper
• a big bunch of basil, leaves torn or sliced when served
• 25 gr pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• shaved parmesan (unless vegan)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat, add in the spring onions, leeks & celery with a pinch of salt and cook until starting to soften about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic & parsley and cook for another minute or two.

Add in the cabbage and cook gently for about 10 minutes (you don’t want it to brown) add a splash of stock if dry. Then add in the rest of the vegetables, except the rocket and basil, and cook for another 5 minutes. Season well with salt & black pepper, pour over the stock, bring to the boil, cover, lower the heat & simmer for about 25 minutes.

Stir in the pasta and rocket and cook until tender about 5 minutes. Check seasoning and add more stock if you want it more soupy than stewy.

Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle over lots of freshly torn basil, the toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan (if using). Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin.

I think Los Verdes would approve don’t you?

Persian Spiced Lentil and Herb Soup with spinach and noodles

I love this weather we’re having here at the moment. It’s cold but sunny. Clear blue skies and you can see the snow on the mountains in the distance. It’s great for walking because you don’t get too hot and the views are spectacular…

You’ve got the snow on the Sierra de las Nieves on one side and the view down to the sea on the other…….

 And a lot of fragrant pines in between…

When I get back from walking I want something hearty, healthy and delicious for lunch. I have been meaning to try this soup for a while, it has all my favourite things in one dish. Lentils, Middle Eastern spices and loads of fresh herbs and greens. I’ve reworked a Persian recipe I found for Aashe Reshteh. Aashe (soup) Reshteh (noodle) is made with Sabzi (fresh greens) which can include parsley, coriander, mint, spinach, spring onions, dill and whatever else green you have. I used lentils and kidney beans but you could use chickpeas, white beans or whatever you have. The original recipe I found cooked this for 3-4 hours, I have no idea why it was ready as soon as the pasta was cooked. It took about half an hour in total and the greens are still fresh and delicious…

Persian Lentil & Herb Soup with Spinach & Noodles

serves 4 vegetarian

• 175 gr (1 cup) brown lentils (uncooked)
• 1-1 1/2 litres veg stock 
• 200 gr cooked kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 leek, rinsed & sliced
•  2 stalks celery & leaves chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped or 1 garlic shoot
• 1/2 head cabbage, cored & shredded
• a big pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp sumac (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp  Ras al Hanout (a Middle eastern spice mix)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp dried mint
• a bag of spinach (300 gr) I used frozen chopped spinach which comes in portions I used about 6 squares.
• a big handful of parsley, chopped
• a big handful coriander chopped
• 2 or 3 spring onions, chopped
• salt & black pepper
• 100 gr dried noodles (I used wholemeal spaghetti broken but you can use fine vermicelli, like you would for a minestrone)
• 4 tsp greek yoghurt or sour cream

In a small pan cook the lentils in 600 ml (3 cups) liquid (I used 400 veg stock 200 water). Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a big pot over a medium heat. Cook the onions, leeks & celery for about 8 minutes until they start to soften then add the garlic and cook for another minute. If it gets dry at any time add a splash of veg stock. Add in the spices and dried herbs then pour in the lentils and their cooking liquid. It doesn’t matter if the lentils aren’t cooked they will carry on cooking in the soup. Add in about a litre of stock, the cabbage, frozen spinach(if you are using fresh leave it till later) and the cooked beans. Bring to the boil add in the broken pasta/ noodles, lower the heat and simmer until the pasta is cooked (about 10 -15 minutes). About 5 minutes before you want to serve the soup add in the fresh spinach & half of the fresh herbs and spring onions.

Ladle the hot soup into warmed bowls and garnish with a dollop of Greek yoghurt/sour cream and the rest of the chopped fresh herbs and spring onions…..

I served this delicious soup with some Halloumi Cheese & Garlic Pull- Apart Bread (which tastes as amazing as it sounds) and I will be posting the recipe tomorrow……… Hasta Manana!!

 



My Macaroni Cheese

This has to be my favourite comfort food dish of all time. Not the most exciting I know but with the addition of garlic spinach, nutmeg & your favourite three cheeses this really is heaven. We had our friends Tim & Tony for dinner on Monday night which is their only night off from the restaurant so the last thing they want is a posh dinner, and also Tim is the fussiest person in the world when it comes to food. The Menu had to be easy, delicious, comforting, and prepared ahead. There is no way I am going to stand around cooking while everyone else is chatting & enjoying themselves and besides our dining table is in the kitchen and I can’t handle people seeing the mess… So the menu was: 

Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup with Garlic & Parmesan Bread

Macaroni Cheese with Three Cheeses & Garlic Spinach

Hot Chocolate Melting Centre Pudding with Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

All three of theses dishes are easy to make and real crowd pleasers, the perfect combination of comfort and joy !! I’ll start with the macaroni cheese…

Macaroni Cheese with Garlic Spinach Recipe

Serves 4 Vegetarian

• 500gr dried macaroni (I used penne rigate because I prefer it)
• 1 bag fresh spinach (about 300 gr) any tough stems removed
• 1 tbsp butter & a little olive oil(to cook spinach)
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic chopped finely
• 50 gr butter (Plus extra for buttering dish & for the top)
• 50 gr flour
• 250 ml milk (I use goats milk) you may need more
• freshly grated nutmeg about 1/2 tsp
• a pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
• salt & pepper
• 150gr grated cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar & parmesan) you can use whatever your favourite cheeses are.
• 1 tomato thinly sliced
• about 25 gr breadcrumbs & extra grated parmeasan for the top

Put the butter, olive oil & garlic in a large pan with a lid and cook on a med heat for 1 – 2 mins until the garlic is soft (not browned). Then add the spinach stir a little & put on the lid for a minute. Stir again and replace the lid. Repeat until the spinach has wilted, add salt & pepper, turn off the heat & put the lid back on.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 3 minutes less than the packet says beacause it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and set aside.

Melt the 50gr butter in a saucepan over a med heat then dump in the flour, stir & cook for 1 minute. Add the milk bit by bit stirring to incorporate each time until you have added it all and you have a smooth white sauce the consistency of thick cream. You may need to add more milk. Add the nutmeg, chilli flakes if using & salt & pepper, stir to combine. Take the pan off the heat and add the cheeses one by one stirring to melt.

In a large bowl combine the pasta with the cheese sauce, stirring to coat evenly then add the wilted spinach and garlic with slotted spoon (you don’t want the green water that has come out of the spinach), then stir to incorporate the spinach. Taste for seasoning you may need more salt, pepper & nutmeg.

Butter a large baking dish then sprinkle it with breadcrumbs. (It stops it sticking and creates a base). Pour the pasta into the dish making sure it’s even. Top with the sliced tomato,sprinkle with breadcrumbs, grated parmesan and dot with a little butter.

Ready for the Oven

If you are making this ahead, cover it and put it in the fridge until you need it. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and cook for 35 mins until browned. If you are cooking it straight away (as it is still warm )you will only need to cook it for about 20 mins until browned or even put it under the grill for 10 – 15 mins.

I think they enjoyed it !!

The recipe for Hot Chocolate Melting Centre Puddings follows….

Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe

We were invited to lunch at our friends Joan & Terry’s the other day & she made fabulous spinach & ricotta gnocchi which were as light as a cloud. My only attempts at gnocchi previously have resulted in a heavy, chewy, doughy disaster made with butternut squash, not nice, so I was kind of put off. This is why I made my own ricotta(see yesterday’s post) to use in this dish as Joan said it was supposed to be really easy to make, & it was.  This recipe was adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and it worked, they were really light and delicious served with a tomato sauce. 

Rolled Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi

 Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe 

Serves 2 Vegetarian 

• 300gr bag fresh spinach, washed & any stems picked out
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt & pepper
• 150 gr ricotta ( see yesterday’s post on how to make your own)
• 5ogr plain flour
• 2 med egg yolks
• 50 gr fresh grated parmesan
• freshly grated nutmeg
• extra shaved parmesan to serve
• 1 jar tomato pasta sauce (or make your own )

1. Put the washed spinach in a large pan with a lid. (You don’t need any water other than what is on the leaves)Add 1 tsp salt, put the lid on & leave it to wilt, over a med heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 or 4 mins.
2. When the spinach is wilted leave it to drain in a sieve until cool enough to handle.
3. Put the cooled spinach in a clean tea towel or in 2 or 3 sheets of kitchen roll & squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
4. Chop the squeezed out spinach roughly and set aside.   

Chopped Spinach

 

5. Heat the butter in a pan over a med heat then add the chopped spinach & a large pinch of salt and cook for about 3 mins stirring regularly. 

6. Empty the spinach into a bowl & leave to cool at room temperature. 

7. Once cooled add the flour and ricotta to the spinach and mix together well. 

8. Add the egg yolks, grated parmesan & some freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp ), stir well until everything is incorporated, add some black pepper & taste to see if it needs more salt. 

9. Flour your hands and roll small amounts of the mixture in the palm of you hands to make little pellets ( about 3/4 inch long) and put them on a plate  lined with baking paper or flour.( See picture above). This makes about 40 small gnocchi enough for 2 people ( you can put them in the fridge at this point, for later, or even freeze them). 

10. To serve, bring a large pot of water to the boil & salt well. Drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, off of a slotted spoon into the water, they will sink to the bottom. 

11. In another pan heat up your tomato sauce on a med heat. When the gnocchi float to the surface they are ready (about 3 mins depending on the size). Scoop out the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place in the warmed tomato sauce. Continue until all the gnocchi are in the sauce. 

12. Serve in warm bowls garnished with shaved parmesan.

Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce

 

Delicious!

Mushroom, Walnut & Chilli Spaghetti Recipe

This recipe is a real fusion of Italian & Indian techniques & flavours. I’m sure it will have the purists squirming but it tastes really amazing. The idea is to combine the idea of an Italian pesto with an Indian curry paste to create a sauce for wholemeal spaghetti. It is really easy to make and there are endless combinations to try.

Mushroom & Walnut Chilli Spaghetti

Mushroom, Walnut & Chilli Spaghetti Recipe

Serves 2 Vegetarian

• 300gr assorted mushrooms sliced
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• 200gr wholemeal spaghetti

For the Walnut, Chilli & Coriander Pesto/Paste

• 100gr walnuts
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 red chilli chopped
• 1 heaped tsp ginger paste
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• a handful of coriander chopped (plus extra for garnish)
• a little veg stock (or pasta cooking liquid) to thin out the sauce.

1. Fry the onion in hot oil until translucent.
2. Add the rest of the pesto ingredients except the coriander and fry for 3 or 4 mins.
3. Tip the mix into a blender add the coriander & pulse until it forms a paste.
4. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
5. Add a bit more oil to the pesto pan and fry the mushrooms with a squeeze of lemon juice until soft.
6. Add 2 or 3 tsp of the walnut pesto to the mushrooms with a splash of veg stock or pasta liquid.
7. Drain the pasta and add it to the pesto sauce then stir to combine well.
8. Serve garnished with fresh coriander.
9. You will have some of pesto left which can be stored in sealed container in the fridge.

This is a really great flavour combination but there are many more to try. What about Hazelnut,Feta, Pea & Mint or Parsley, Almond & Lemon, Choose a country and pick their well known tried & tested flavours & experiment!