🥘 Carole’s arancini…

**🥘 1 pan 🍽 Serves 6 🛒 14 ingredients £6**

Arancini rice balls are a perfect light lunch or starter and ideal way to use up any leftover risotto. Easily prepared and cooked using a variety of fillings. Fresh herbs and petit pois are a favourite and chopped bacon or ham also goes well.

If you’re making from scratch, this is a good basic recipe:

Ingredients

For the filling:

2 tbsp olive oil
15g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
350g risotto rice
150ml dry white wine
1.2 litres hot chicken or veg stock
150g parmesan finely grated
1 lemon finely zested
150g ball mozzarella, chopped into 18 small pieces
vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the coating:

150g plain flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
150g fine dried breadcrumbs (panko are ideal)

Step by step:

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan until foaming gently. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and fry gently over a low heat for 15 mins, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the rice and cook for a further minute, then pour in the wine. Bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in half the stock and simmer, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the remaining stock a ladleful at a time as the rice absorbs the liquid, stirring, until the rice is cooked through (approximately 20-25 mins). Stir in the parmesan and lemon and season to taste. Spread the risotto out into a lipped tray and leave to cool to room temperature.
Scoop the cooled risotto into 18 equal portions – they should be slightly larger than a golf ball. Flatten a risotto ball in your hand and put a piece of the mozzarella in the centre, then enclose the cheese in the rice and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining risotto balls.
Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow bowls. Dip each prepared risotto ball into the flour, followed by the eggs and finally the breadcrumbs. Transfer to a tray and set aside.
Half-fill a large, heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-low until it reads 170C on your cooking thermometer or until a piece of bread turns golden brown in the oil within 45 seconds. Lower the risotto balls into the oil in batches and cook for 8-10 mins, or until golden brown and melted in the centre. Set aside on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel.
Serve warm with a salad garnish and pesto / romesco sauces for dipping.

Tips: Don’t try and fry all the arancini at once as the temperature of the oil will drop too low and affect the crispiness.

Another good recipe is Carole’s courgette fritters > Here

🥘 Carole’s courgette fritters…

These courgette fritters make a great starter, side dish, or main course. You will need a mixing bowl and large frying pan.

Ingredients:

2 large courgettes
2 eggs
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
15g oregano leaves finely chopped (1/2 small packet)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes plus extra to serve
Vegetable oil for frying
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

To serve:

100g vegetarian feta cheese crumbled
Clear honey

Step by step:

Coarsely grate the courgettes into a bowl. Place them on a clean tea towel, gather up the sides of the tea towel and squeeze out the liquid from the courgettes.
Put the courgettes, eggs, flour, baking powder, oregano, cumin seeds and chilli flakes in the mixing bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and beat together.
Set your frying pan over a medium-high heat and drizzle in some vegetable oil. Spoon several neat dollops of the courgette mixture into the frying pan. Press them down to make them about 3mm to 4mm thick. Don’t overcrowd the pan and cook the pancakes in batches for approximately 1 minute until the undersides are nicely browned. Flip them over and cook until the other sides have browned.

Serve the fritters immediately topped with crumbled feta, a little drizzle of honey, a sprinkling of chilli flakes and a few leaves of basil leaves or chopped parsley.

We have been experimenting with the flavoured Maldon sea salt varieties. They make chilli, garlic and smoked flavoured flakes. You can find them in supermarkets and delicatessens. Find them and a whole load of recipes at their website Maldon Salt

**Maldon smoked sea salt £1.95 Sainsbury’s**

🥘 Carole’s leek and spinach soup…

Easy to make and packed with vitamins A, C and K.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
a knob butter
3 leeks, halved, washed and finely sliced
2 courgettes washed and chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
200g baby spinach
2 slices stale sourdough, torn or cut into small pieces
100ml single cream
50g feta cheese

Step by step:

Warm the olive oil and butter in your saucepan. Add the leeks and courgettes and cook for 10 minutes. When the vegetables are nicely softened add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in your stock and bring to a boil.
Add your bread and spinach to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Use a stick blender to whizz the soup to your desired consitency. Season to taste and serve in warmed bowls with a swirl of cream and crumbled feta.

Notes:

Add mushrooms and frozen peas, chopped potatoes or leftover veg if you want a thicker soup.

We use Kallo® organic vegetable stock cubes and a splash or two of Maggi® seasoning.

£1.50 for 8 cubes – Waitrose Special Offer

Did you know, you can buy Filippo Berio products on line. Check out their Special Offers HERE

🥘 Carole’s orange basque cheesecake…

**🥘 1 baking tin 🍽 Serves 8**
**🛒 11 ingredients £8**

I first had this cheesecake at Café Iruña in Pamplona and the combination of the ‘almost burnt’ cream with crunchy biscuit base and caramelised boozy oranges got me hooked. Ably washed down with a glass of cava it was the perfect end to a lovely lunch.

We have recreated the cheesecake to the best of our ability here.

Ingredients:

For the base

150g digestive biscuits
75g unsalted butter

For the filling

50g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
450g full-fat soft cream cheese
25g plain flour
finely grated zest of 2 oranges plus juice of 1
3 free range eggs, separated
150ml whipping cream

For the caramelised oranges

6 oranges
2 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau
200g granulated sugar

You will need an electric hand whisk and a 23cm diameter loose bottomed cake tin.

Step by step:

1. Line the base and sides of your cake tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Preheat your oven to 170 C, 150 C fan, 325 F, gas 3. Put the biscuits in a polythene bag and crush to fine crumbs.

Mix the crushed biscuits with the butter and use to line the base of the tin, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill the biscuit base while you make the filling.

3. Place the butter, sugar, cream cheese, flour, orange zest and juice, and egg yolks in a large bowl and beat well with an electric hand whisk until smooth.

Lightly whip the cream then fold it into the mixture.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Pour this filling over the biscuit base and level the surface.

5. Place in the oven for 1 to 1½ hours until just set and starting to colour, turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for another hour.

Run a palette knife around the outside edge to loosen the cheesecake and cool completely on a wire rack.

6. To make the caramelised oranges, remove all the peel and pith from the oranges and slice thinly, removing any pips. Lay them in a dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier, Cointreau or other orange-flavoured liqueur.

Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with 150ml of water, place over a medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve, swirling the pan occasionally.

Increase the heat and allow the mixture to reach a rich caramel colour, remove from the heat and carefully add a little more water until you have a thick syrup.

Place the orange slices on top of the cheesecake, pour the syrup over the oranges and allow to cool. Decorate the finished cheesecake with caster sugar.

Use candied orange peel – available from supermarkets

For more information about the Café Iruña go direct to their history page HERE

Ernest Hemingway was a regular customer.
A bronze bust of the American writer remains at the bar today.

🥘 Carole’s fruit fool…

Ingredients:

400g mixed summer fruits
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ lemon (zest and juice)
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
250g Greek Yoghurt
250g crème fraîche
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
flaked almonds

Step by step:

Place the fruit in a bowl, sprinkle over the icing sugar, lemon juice and elderflower cordial. Stir and leave to macerate for 1 hr.
Whisk the Greek yoghurt and crème fraîche together with the vanilla extract if using.
Mix the fruits and yoghurt mixture together and spoon into 6 serving dishes or glasses.
Serve topped with the almonds and some fresh fruit

Notes:

If you don’t have ripe fresh fruits, use frozen fruits from the supermarket.

Alternatively, try a passion fruit fool. Sieve the pulp of 2 passion fruits and whizz the juice with ½ a ripe mango. Mix with the yoghurt & crème fraîche mixture and spoon into the serving glasses and top with the passion fruit seeds.

***Yeo Valley 200g £1.40 from Sainsbury’s***

**Frozen fruits £2.50 / 500g Sainsbury’s**

🥘 Carole’s quick minestrone soup…

Minestrone soup is a joy to make and although there are recipes, the beauty and fun part is that you can make it up as you go along using whichever vegetables you have to hand. The most important thing is to use a good olive oil and we always use Filippo Berio for perfect results.

Ingredients:

6 rashers streaky bacon, cooked
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stick, finely chopped
2 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large courgette, chopped
2 large mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp dried basil or herbs of your choice
1 400g tin cannellini beans
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1.2 litre vegetable stock
Filippo Berio Olive oil
Fresh basil

Step by step:

Chop the bacon and fry until slightly crispy.
Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the fresh vegetables. For a thicker soup, stir through 2 tbsp of plain flour
Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Add some dried basil
Add the cannellini beans without their liquid and cook for another 5 minutes
Serve piping hot with a good drizzle of olive oil and chopped basil

Notes: We like the vegetables with crunch, hence the short cooking times. If you prefer the vegetables softer just cook a little bit longer.

We haven’t used garlic or extra greens in this soup, but kale and cavolo nero go well added towards the end of cooking.

We also drained the cannellini beans as their liquid can be salty

Did you know, you can buy Filippo Berio products on line. Check out their Special Offers HERE

🥘 Carole’s super soup…

Packed with vitamins, this is the ideal way to get your 5 a day in one delicious soup.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
2 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin cannellini beans
1 vegetable stock cube
100g pasta
large mug of peas or petit pois
fresh basil or parsley
4 tbsp grated parmesan

Quick and easy – only one pan to wash up!

Step by step:

Put 1 tsp olive oil in your pan, add the vegetables and cook for about 10 minutes. Rinse the cannellini beans and add them to the pan with the flour. Stir through well while you add the tomatoes.
Rinse the tomato can twice adding the water to the soup. Crumble in the stock cube and add the pasta. Simmer until all the vegetables are softened, then add your peas for the final few minutes.
Serve with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and a good helping of chopped basil or parsley.

Notes:

We use Kallo® organic vegetable stock cubes and a splash or two of Maggi® seasoning.

Did you know, you can buy Filippo Berio products on line. Check out their Special Offers HERE

🥘 Carole’s mushroom, celery and pasta soup…

This soup is made with leftover mushroom and celery pasta and has a fabulous flavour after being steeped in the pasta sauce.

Take the leftover mushroom and celery pasta, whizz it in a blender or, 10 seconds in a thermomix. Be careful not to over blend, you want to retain a chunky texture. Simply add a few chopped boiled potatoes and slices of chopped ham if you like.

🥘 Carole’s mushroom stir fry…

We used Tilda Jasmine rice from Tesco 250g / 95p. Chestnut mushrooms at Tesco or LIDL 69p 300g punnet 06/10/22

Ingredients:

2 spring onions, halved and sliced lengthways
100g savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
250g chestnut mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
50g mint leaves
200g jasmine rice

For the dressing:

2 tbsp chilli oil
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp teryaki sauce

**Filippo Berio chilli oil £3, Lee Kum Kee 85p, and Amoy light soy sauce £1 with Tesco clubcard**

Step by step:

Cook the rice as per the packet instructions.
Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp oil in a large deep non stick frying pan (or wok) over a high heat, and stir fry until the vegetables are just tender (approx 5 mins). Stir occasionally to prevent them sticking.
When the vegetables are just starting to brown, add the mint leaves. Whisk the dressing ingredients together or shake them in a clean, sealed jam jar.
Serve on a bed of rice or mixed through the rice, as you prefer. Serve with the dressing drizzled over or served in a small jug.

🥘 Carole’s mushroom soup…

Use dried porcini mushrooms to make this flavoursome soup. Remember to strain them before adding them to the soup as they can be gritty. You will need a blender and the Braun range of stick blenders start at just £20.

Ingredients:

1 handful of dried porcini mushroom
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
300g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp single cream
Chopped parsley

Step by step:

Soak the porcini mushrooms in hot water
Place the onion in the pan with the oil and sauté for 3 mins
Add the chopped chestnut mushrooms and sauté for about 5 mins. Stir occasionally so they don’t stick
Add 1 litre of hot stock
Add your (strained) porcini mushrooms and cook for another 10-15 mins
Blend the mushrooms and then add your cream and optional porcini liquid
Check the seasoning
Serve in hot bowls, with chopped parsley

Tips:

When you strain the porcini mushrooms, set aside the liquid, so you can add that later if you like a slightly stronger, mushroomy flavour

Add two thirds of packet rice during the last 5 mins of cooking time for a thicker, crunchier soup