Pistachio, courgette and lemon cake

Put 150 gr shelled pistachios and 250 gr caster sugar in a food processor and whizz until the nuts are very finely ground.
Heat oven to 180 C. Grease a 20 x 30 cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
Tip the pistachio sugar into a big mixing bowl and add 200 gr butter at room temperature, 280 gr plain flower, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 1/4 bicarbonate of soda, 3 large eggs, 140 gr full fat yoghurt and zest and juice of 2 lemons. Beat with an electric whisk until smooth and combined.
Stir in 140 gr grated courgette until everything is well mixed.
Scrape into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 min until cake is risen and golden and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool.
Sift 175 gr icing sugar into a bowl and gradually stir in enough lemon juice to get a runny-ish consistency. Drizzle thickly over the cake, and repeat with lemon curd if you like.
Roughly chop 25 gr pistachios and scatter over the icing, together with the zest of 1 lemon.
Leave to set for 10 minutes.
Serve with greek yoghurt or creme anglaise.

Sweet pepperonata salad

Heat oven to 160 C.
Cut 10 large paprika's into large chuks.
Whisk together 4 tbsp of sherry vinegar, 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 1/2 tbsp clear honey, salt en pepper.
Spoon the peppers and 2/3 of the dressing into shallow roasting tin.
Roast in the oven for about 1 hr until peppers are soft.
Stir 85 gr golden sultanas into the peppers and put in oven for another 10 minutes.

Let peppers cool down for 10 minutes.
Chop 1/2 small onion and crush 1 fat garlic and add them to the remaining dressing, add to the peppers.
Scatter roughly chopped parsley and 3 tbsp capers over de peppers.
Toss together and serve.

Spicy marinated chicken

For 2 portions.

Cut 2 chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.
Mix some cumin & turmeric into about 5 tblsp of plain yoghurt (or fromage frais or similar) + s&p.
Mix the chicken into spicy yoghurt & leave to marinate for several hours in a cool place.

Fry off an onion, chopped courgette mushroom & pepper, season well. (This can be whatever suitable veg you have in the fridge). Stir in some chopped parsley.
Boil some rice & mix the cooked rice into the vegetables---keep warm.
Heat a shallow frying pan with a little oil & toss in the chicken & yoghurt mix. Cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the chicken is cooked through. The yoghurt marinade will become liquid,  providing a spicy sauce for the rice.
Arrange the cooked chicken onto top of the rice & serve.
Enjoy.

Lemon curd

Melt 100gms butter with 200 gms of sugar over a pan of simmering water. Stir together when butter melted & add grated rind & juice of 3 lemons together with 3 beaten eggs. Mix well.
Leave over simmering water for about 25 mins stirring occasionally. When the mixture has thickened into a curd pour into sterilised jars, cover with a wax paper disc & screw top lid. Leave to cool & label.
Will keep for 3 months in cool place/fridge.

Tomato purée

2 batches of tomato purée, from garden to freezer ready for winter pasta dishes.
Roast tomatoes with several garlic cloves, s&p in oil.
When cooked, remove skins from garlic & blitz all together with a hand wand.
Divide into portions & freeze.
Use in casseroles & pasta.

Melon balls with prawns

Add chopped mint, 3 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp cidrevinigar to melon balls and prawns. Mix well.
Serve chilled.

Welcome

Welcome to Louise's Fine Recipes, a blog with a collection of the best recipes of my friend Louise. 

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.