Squashetti with prawns and watercress

This is a super healthy recipe, especially good for anyone avoiding carbs, wheat or gluten. If you want to make this recipe vegetarian just swap out the meat and add in some peas, spinach, asparagus or whatever vegetables you enjoy and are in season.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove of garlic finely crushed

1 butternut squash

Rapeseed oil

Tablespoon of butter

2 medium egg yolks

100g parmesan

50g watercress

4 rashers of smoky bacon, diced

1l of fish/chicken/vegetable stock

Large glass of dry white wine

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Handful of parsley

170g large raw king prawns

Salt

Pepper

Firstly prepare your squash, peel the squash and slice in half lengthways. Remove the seeds from the middle with a spoon. Then if you have a spiraliser pass it through there to create spaghetti shaped squash noodles. If you do not own a spiraliser the best option is to pass it through a medium sized grater of a food processer.
Put your stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, once boiling turn down to a low heat. Add the egg yolk, parmesan, watercress, lemon zest and parsley to a food processer and blitz till all mixed together.
Place the onion with about a tablespoon of rapeseed oil and the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until soft. Once your onion is soft then add the bacon to the pan till nicely golden.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about thirty seconds, you don’t want to overcook the garlic or it will make your dish bitter. Once your garlic is ready put your squashetti in the pan and stir through the bacon, garlic and onions. To this add the white wine which will help to start cook the squash. Keep stirring the squash through the liquid.
Once all the wine has cooked down and the pan has just a small amount of liquid left in it start adding the stock a ladle at time, waiting each time until the pan has just a little liquid left in it. Make sure to leave one ladle full of stock for later.
To check the squash is cooked through (this usually takes around 8-10 minutes but differs depending on the heat of your hob, the squash and your pan) test it by trying a little, it should be soft but still with a little bite. Once it is cooked through remove the pan from the heat. Add a new frying pan to the hob and add a splash of rapeseed oil, you will need this in a minute for your prawns.
To the cooked squashetti a good squeeze of lemon juice, the chilli flakes, a good seasoning of salt of pepper and then add the egg yolk mixture with a splash of the left-over stock, make sure to do this off the heat otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs. Stir this all through quickly and you will end up with a creamy sauce, add a little more stock to loosen if needed. Check the seasoning and add more salt, pepper, lemon juice or chilli flakes if needed.
Put the squashetti to one side. In the new frying pan cook your prawns with a little salt and pepper, about 1-2 minutes on each side depending on the size of your prawns.
To serve, place a good amount of the squashetti into a pasta bowl or plate. Add the prawns to the top of this and garnish with some watercress sprigs.

18/01/201918/01/2019

Green Goddess Soup Recipe

My next recipe for Love Watercress is green goddess soup

Green Goddess Soup

Ingredients

2 white onions, sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

3 medium courgettes, grated

30g watercress, roughly chopped ( plus extra for serving )

15g parsley, leaves and stalks, finely chop the stalk and roughly chop the leaves

1.5L vegetable stock

150g sour cream

Salt

Pepper

100g feta

Method

Heat a saucepan over a medium heat and add the sliced onions. Fry until softened and then add the garlic, fry for a further 30 seconds and then add the grated courgette and fry until starting to soften. Add the watercress and parsley to the frying pan and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Pour the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth. Once blended put the soup back in the saucepan and add the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir over a low heat until the sour cream has melted into the soup (if looking for a richer soup you could add double cream instead). Pour into serving bowls and top with crumbled feta.

03/01/201903/01/2019

Wild Hot Sauce

Wild Hot Sauce Recipe

100g watercress
70g of Nasturtium leaves
1 large red chilli, seeds left in
2 cloves of garlic (can use wild garlic if in season)
2 tsp of salt
4 tbsp honey
200ml white wine vinegar
4 tbsp of linseeds

To begin, slice the red chilli and mince the garlic (if using wild garlic this can go in whole). Add all of the ingredients to a blender except from the linseeds. Pulse until it is all well combined, and a sauce consistency is achieved. You still want a slight texture from the leaves. Once blended stir through the linseeds and place into a jar.

Can be used straight away but tastes better if left for at least 24 hours.

19/12/201819/12/2018

Almost Instant Christmas Pudding

Iced cinnamon brandy butter cream

600ml double cream

1 vanilla pod – seeds scraped

100ml brandy

25g unsalted butter

397g condensed milk

1 cinnamon stick

Chocolate insert

200g chocolate

Chocolate fondant Christmas pudding

A good grating of nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

100g raisins

100g sultanas

50g dried cranberries

50ml brandy

50ml port

75g of butter, soft

100g of light muscovado sugar

2 eggs

50g of 70% dark chocolate, broken into chunks

50g of white chocolate, broken into chunks

25g of cocoa powder

300g of plain flour

250ml of Yeovil Ales Ruby

1 orange, juiced and zested

Chocolate shards

200g white chocolate

200g of 70% dark chocolate

For the iced cream heat the double cream and butter with the cinnamon stick, vanilla seeds and pod till almost boiling and leave the mix to infuse until cool. Sieve then add the condensed milk and brandy to the mix and stir through. Place in an ice cream machine until chilled and almost set and then transfer to the freezer (alternatively place in a container in freezer and stir regularly). The cream will be the thick and frozen but not completely set like an ice cream as the alcohol stops it from setting completely and it will still have a pourable consistency.

For the chocolate insert, melt the chocolate and place in a mould (dome mould, a small pudding mould etc) and set in the fridge. If using a small pudding mould line the mould with cling film to help remove the chocolate. Place the brandy, Port, sultanas, raisins, cardamom, and cinnamon in a large bowl and leave to infuse overnight. To make the chocolate shards melt the white and dark chocolate in separate bowlover simmering pans of water. Spread three quarters of each thinly of twosperate trays lined with baking parchment. With the remaining chocolate use a spoon to drizzle the alternative colour chocolate and then leave to set.

The following day add the sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl and cream together till pale and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly stir in the flour, cocoa powder and chocolate. Once the dry ingredients are nicely incorporated, stir in the ale, orange juice, zest and the soaked fruits. Grease the pudding basin and sprinkle with flour to coat. Pour half the cake mix into the basin and then insert the set chocolate insert into the centre and then finish topping with the rest of the pudding mix. Lay a greased circle of parchment on top. Place a foil lid over the top of the basin, securing it tightly with a large elastic band or some string. Place the pudding in a steamer and set over simmering water. Cover the pan and steam for 3 hours, making sure you keep the water in the steamer topped up. Once the pudding is cooked, remove from the steamer

Serve the pudding with the cinnamon brandy butter iced cream and decorate the pudding with shards of the white chocolate and the iced cream with the dark chocolate shards.

30/11/2018

Chicken in a creamy mustard and watercress sauce

Beat the cold, wet and windy weather with our latest recipe Chicken in a creamy mustard and watercress sauce for Love Watercress

Chicken in a creamy mustard and watercress sauce

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks or thighs

1 onion, roughly chopped

1tbsp rapeseed oil

Small knob of butter

2 cloves of garlic

Splash of whisky

3tbsp Dijon mustard

250ml white wine

750ml chicken stock

Salt

Pepper

50ml double cream

50g cream cheese

50g watercress

Preheat the oven to 180c. Heat a casserole dish on a high heat and add the rapeseed oil. Add the chicken and brown on all sides until golden. Remove the chicken to a plate. Lower the heat of the hob and add the butter to the pan, you may need to add a little more oil at this point to stop the butter from burning. Add the diced onion and cover with a lid and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, till soft and starting to turn golden.

Once the onion is cooked add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds. Pour in a good splash of whisky to deglaze the pan. Add the Dijon mustard and stir through to combine then pour in the wine and chicken Stock. Place the chicken back in the dish. Bring to the boil and then place in the oven, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and so tender it could fall off the bone.

Remove from the oven and place on a medium heat on the hob. If there is a lot of liquid left leave for a few minutes to reduce. Turn the heat off and add the cream, cream cheese, watercress and season with salt and pepper, stir through. Serve with vegetables of your choice, I recommend squash gratin and extra watercress tossed in a little rapeseed oil.

30/11/201830/11/2018

New Winter Menu

Our new Winter Menu for 2018 is now available to see and book.

Winter Menu 2018

Canapes

Balsamic roasted grapes and goats cheese on bruschetta (v)

Caramelised red onion, cranberry and sausage roll

Bloody Mary Soup (v)

Moroccan meatballs with pomegranate glaze, fresh pomegranate and parsley

Starters

French onion soup with Dorset blue vinny rarebits (v)

Duck, pork and pistachio terrine with apple chutney, dressed mixed leaves

Pan fried goats cheese With beetroot, walnut and pear salad (v)

Mushroom chestnut and cranberry tart With redcurrant glaze and parsnip and red cabbage relish(v)

Mains

Beer braised beef cheeks with mustard mash potatoes, roasted shallots and thyme carrots

Winter vegetable tagine with Couscous, minted Greek yoghurt, harissa sauce finished with pistachios and flat bread (v)

Roast chicken leg with Pearl barley, pancetta, sage, parsnip and cavelo nero

Salmon fillet in a curried coconut sauce with Asian greens, charred tomatoes, spring onion and chilli

Mushroom and chestnut bourguignon Cauliflower mash (v)

Desserts

Caramel panna cotta with triple chocolate brownie and sesame tuile

Apple, vanilla and macadamia nut tart with a mulled wine berry sauce (v)

Chocolate and pear tart with ginger cream (v) (can be made vegan with coconut cream)

Winter fruits and cinnamon pavlova with pistachios (v) (can be made vegan upon request)

Petit Fours

Black Forrest Brownies (v)

Dark chocolate and whisky truffles (v)

Gingerbread with clementine curd (v)

Peppermint meringues (v)

Price: Per person

3 courses £48

4 courses £54

5 courses £60

Please inform us of any dietary requirements, allergies or intolerances and we can adjust the menu to suit your needs

19/11/2018

Asian Turkey Mince with watercress and toasted cashews

Below is my next recipe for Love watercress . It is Asian turkey mince with watercress and toasted cashew nuts.

Asian turkey mince with watercress and toasted cashew nuts Recipe

Serves 2

50g cashews

Rapeseed oil

2 banana shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

500g Turkey or chicken mince

1 Red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 tbsp of Soy sauce of Tamari

1tbsp fish sauce

1 lime, zested and juiced

15g coriander leaves

To Serve

50g watercress

1 Red chilli, sliced

1 Spring onion, sliced

Handful of coriander leaves

1tsp soy sauce or tamari

1 tbsp sesame oil – or other neutral oil

1 lime cut into wedges

In a large frying pan toast the cashew nuts on a medium heat till golden. Once golden remove to a bowl and put to one side. Replace the pan on the heat and pour about 1tbsp of oil. Add the shallots and fry until softened and starting to caramelise. Once ready add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.

Quickly add the turkey or chicken mince and stir through the shallots and garlic to stop them from burning. Make sure all the mince is broken up and then leave it to caramelise to get a nice golden colour all over, stirring occasionally.

In a bowl mix together the lime zest and juice, chopped chilli, ginger, spring onion, soy sauce/tamari and fish sauce. When the mince is ready add the mixture to the pan and stir through, cook for a few minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir through the coriander leaves, put to one side and keep warm.

To serve: In a large bowl add the soy sauce/tamari and the sesame oil and mix well. Toss through the watercress and then divide between two plates. Top with the Asian mince and sprinkle with the toasted cashew nuts, sliced chilli, spring onion and the coriander leaves. Take to the table with some lime wedges to squeeze over.

09/10/2018

Crispy skin salmon with watercress, poached egg and hollandaise

Its Seafood Week so I thought it was only appropriate for my Love Watercress recipe this week to be Crispy skin salmon with watercress, poached egg and hollandaise sauce!

Crispy skin salmon with watercress, poached egg and hollandaise sauce

Hollandaise

5 peppercorns

3tbsp white wine vinegar

2 egg yolks

125g butter, cubed

Salt

Salmon

2x 130g salmon fillet

Salt

Pepper

Rapeseed oil

Poached egg

Salt

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 eggs

To serve

30g watercress

1tbsp rapeseed oil

Salt

pepper

Chives

To start place the peppercorns and white wine vinegar for the hollandaise sauce into a small saucepan. Place on the hob on a high heat and reduce until approximately 1tbsp of vinegar is left. Strain into a ramekin and leave to cool. In a large bowl add the 2 eggs yolks, a large pinch of salt and the cooled vinegar. Place above a pan of simmering water and whisk till it starts to lighten in colour. Start adding the butter one cube at a time, making sure each cube is fully incorporated before adding the next. When fully incorporated if it is too thick you can add a splash of water to loosen. Check the seasoning and add more salt, pepper or vinegar if needed. Place to one side in a warm place.
Boil the kettle. Place a frying pan and a shallow saucepan onto the hob on a high heat. In the shallow saucepan add boiling water, 1tbsp white wine vinegar and a good pinch of salt, reduce so the water is just trembling. Rub the salmon with rapeseed oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place in the frying pan skin side down, as it cooks you will see the colour changing up the side of the fillet. Once the colour has changed halfway up the fillet remove the pan from the heat. Turn the fillet over and the residual heat from the pan will finish cooking the salmon through.
Crack the two eggs for poaching into individual ramekins or cups. Bring the ramekin close to the trembling water and quickly tip the egg into the water. Leave for three minutes.
Whilst the egg is cooking, in a bowl add the 1tbsp rapeseed, salt, pepper and watercress and toss together. Finely chop a few chives. Place a good pile of watercress on to two plates. Once the three minutes is up remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and onto some paper towel to drain. Place a salmon fillet onto the watercress and top with a poached egg. Spoon a good helping of the hollandaise sauce over top of the poached egg and sprinkle over the chives. Enjoy your Crispy skin salmon with watercress, poached egg and hollandaise sauce!

To book an evening with Steve James please contact us

05/10/2018

Salt and pepper pork belly with watercress, blue cheese and pickled red onion salad

Looking for a great dish to cook for your dinner tonight! Why not try our Salt and Pepper pork belly with watercress, blue cheese and pickled red onion salad! Our latest recipe for Love Watercress.

Salt and pepper pork belly with watercress, blue cheese and pickled red onion salad

Serves 2

For the pork belly

1tbsp olive oil

500g pork belly, skin scored

1tbsp black pepper, crushed

1tbsp flaked sea salt

For the salad

1tbsp Balsamic vinegar (preferably Liberty fields apple balsamic vinegar)

2tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely sliced

30g watercress

100g your favourite blue cheese (I used Dorset Blue Vinny)

Salt

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c. Place the pork belly in a roasting tray and drizzle over the olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasoning into the pork belly and place in the oven for twenty minutes. After the twenty minutes reduce the oven temperature to 180c and roast for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes remove from the oven and leave to rest. Whilst the pork belly is resting pour the balsamic vinegar into a large bowl and add the sliced onions. Scrunch the onions into the balsamic which will help the vinegar to soak into the onions. Leave the onions in the balsamic for five minutes so they slightly pickle.

Add the olive oil and seasoning, don’t add too much as the blue cheese will be quite salty and the watercress peppery. Combine this all together. Add the blue cheese and watercress to the bowl and mix through so it is coated in the dressing.

To serve place the salad on plates. Dice the pork belly and add to the salad.

To Book your own evening with Steve James please contact us

Or to find out more about Love Watercress please click here

02/10/2018

Gluten free watercress and stilton souffle

The next recipe I have for you for Love Watercress is a Gluten free watercress and stilton Souffle. If you are not a fan of blue cheese the flavour is subtle in this recipe but you could swap it out for your favourite cheese. I would serve this with a simple watercress and walnut salad tossed in a little rapeseed and balsamic vinegar.

Gluten free watercress and stilton souffle recipe

Makes 6

Ingredients

4 large eggs

80ml double cream

Salt

Pepper

100g watercress

60g Stilton

190g cream cheese

1/2tsp cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 180c. The souffles will be going on the bottom shelf of the oven. You need to make sure that the top shelf is far away enough that the souffles can rise safely without hitting the shelf above. Grease 6 oven safe ramekins with butter and put in a deep baking tray.

Separate the egg whites and yolks. In a blender place the egg yolks, double cream, watercress, stilton, cream cheese and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until well combined.

In a stand mixer, or bowl using an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks. Make sure not to over whisk the egg white at this point or it will be difficult to fold in. Take a third of the egg whites and gently fold into the egg yolk mixture. Adding a little of the egg whites to begin with as this will loosen the mixture and make it easier to fold in the rest of the egg whites and help keep as much air as possible. Once incorporated fold the rest of the egg whites gently in.

Boil a kettle. Spoon the souffle mixture into the prepared ramekins. Get the boiled kettle and place the baking tray on the bottom shelf of the oven and fill the baking tray with about ½ inch of water from the kettle. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not open the door until 15 minutes has passed. The souffles should be risen, puffy and golden and when pressed in the middle they should feel set and springy. Serve immediately.

To book your evening with Steve James please Contact us. Or follow the link to find out more about Love Watercress