Oven-roasted ratatouille

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

As a traditional ratatouille is usually made with aubergine, courgette, basil and tomato (fresh and sun-dried are my preference), it might feel like a summer dish but we eat it all year round. It’s delicious as a filling side dish with roasted meats as part of a low-carb diet, or just stir through with some brown lentils and top with feta for a great vegetarian supper dish.

oven roasted ratatouille

Serves 4

  • 2 courgettes
  • 2 red peppers
  • 4 fresh tomatoes
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 pack of fresh basil- separate the leaves from the stalks
  • 2 tbsps light olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

To make…

  • First prepare the vegetables. Cut the aubergine, courgette and red pepper into medium sized chunks. Slice the onion from root to tip. Skin the tomatoes by immersing them in boiling water for a minute, drain carefully and the skins will slip off easily. Cut into quarters. Place them al in a large, lightly oiled roasting dish.
  • Crush the garlic to a paste with a little sea salt with a pestle and mortar. Add the olive oil, pepper, chilli flakes, finely chopped basil stalks and tomato paste. Mix it all together and then pour it over the vegetables and coat them thoroughly.
  • Roast in the oven at 225C for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, give it a gentle stir and then roast for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and then fold in the fresh basil leaves. Best served warm.

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Merry Christmas from Pigeon Cottage 2022!

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

It’s almost Christmas! Got it all under control? Well, if you need some helpful tips or extra party food ideas, it could be time to visit the archive. The Pigeon Cottage Kitchen blog will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2023. With more than 360 tried and tested recipes and top cookery tips to choose from, you’re bound to find plenty of inspiration.

Well, Christmas recipesI’m off to wrap some presents and make a batch of my favourite Chestnut and chorizo soup for lunch. #TheFridayRecipe will be back in 2023! Happy holidays!

Merry Christmas
Whats4teaMum?

The perfect stocking filler!

If you’re looking for the perfect last-minute Christmas stocking filler gift, why not buy your family and friends a copy of my family recipe collection ‘Whats4teaMum?’ for just £6.99 on amazon?

Share, follow, like, enjoy!

  • To get the latest #TheFridayRecipe from the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen blog, just add your email address to the subscribe box at the top right-hand column of the website. 
  • Follow me on Twitter @pigeoncottage,  on Instagram at Pigeon Cottage Kitchen, and the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen page on Facebook.
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Posted in Christmas, Food and drink chatter, Recipes | Tagged | 1 Comment

Roasted beetroot and goat’s cheese with walnuts

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

This delicious starter has been on the Pigeon Cottage Christmas menu for many years and never fails to please. If you’ve only ever eaten beetroot swamped in malt vinegar before, be prepared for how oven roasting transforms the flavour into something sweet and delicious. Coupled with a soft white lemony goat’s cheese and topped with golden walnuts it’s a make-ahead winner.

beetroot and goat's cheese

Serves 4

  • 4 large unpeeled beetroot, rinsed and dried. 
  • 125g log of soft white goat’s cheese such as Sainsbury’s Abergervenny Goat Cheese
  • 12 walnuts 
  • A handful of fresh thyme leaves.
  • Dressing: a teaspoon of French mustard, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, a pinch of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of honey. A dash of pomegranate molasses in the dressing is also delicious if you have any in the cupboard.

To make…

  • Preheat the oven to 200C.
  • Wrap the whole beetroot up in a loose foil parcel, place it on a baking tray and roast for about an hour and a half. Set aside to cool once it’s cooked.
  • Put the dressing ingredients in a small screw-top jar and give it a good shake to emulsify the oil, mustard, honey and vinegar. Add the pomegranate molasses if using. Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  • To prepare the beetroot, it’s best to wear rubber gloves so that your hands don’t get stained. The skins should slip off really easily.  If you prep it over the foil you can just discard the leftovers in it and then there’s no mess. Slice a little off the top and bottom of each beet so that they are flat and then cut them carefully into small even dice. Put them into a mixing bowl and toss the dice in the dressing so that they are coated evenly. You can make this part the day before if you want to and assemble the finished dish the following day.
  • To serve, spoon equal amounts of the beetroot into 4 metal rings to create the stack on each plate in the picture or spoon neatly and directly onto each individual plate. Top each serving with pieces of the goat’s cheese, chopped walnuts, a scattering of fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

Share, follow, like, enjoy!

  • To get the latest #TheFridayRecipe from the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen blog, just add your email address to the subscribe box at the top right-hand column of the website.
  • Follow me on Twitter @pigeoncottage,  on Instagram at Pigeon Cottage Kitchen, and the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen page on Facebook.
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Posted in Christmas, Recipes, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Make your own harissa

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

I usually buy harissa paste from the supermarket. Belazu’s rose harissa is a favourite. This year, I grew a sizeable crop of chillies in the garden (very easy to do if you fancy a try next year) so I decided to make my own. Dear Reader, it is delicious! Don’t worry if you don’t have home-grown chillis, you can buy supermarket ones and it will still work. Put it in an airtight jar and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. You could freeze it, just don’t add the oil until after it’s defrosted.

You can serve it with couscous, eggs, bread or roast lamb or in any these previously posted recipes Braised chorizo sausages and vegetables in harissa sauce, Baked chicken in rose harissa sauce, Traybake roast chicken on a bed of chorizo and chickpeas, Hot and sour carrot and chickpea salad, Kisir, Spicy butternut squash hummus, Lamb Zagora (with sausages or lamb neck fillet).

Harissa
  • 250g fresh red chillies
  • 3 tsps ground cumin
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 large red piquillo pepper, oven roasted, peeled and seeded
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 6 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper

To make…

  • First, prep the chillies – I always wear rubber gloves. Slice them in half lengthwise and gently remove the seeds and then roughly chop the flesh.
  • Roast the pepper on a metal tray at 200C for 20 minutes until the skin blisters. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The skin should slip off easily. Remove the stalk and seeds. Chop roughly.
  • The next stage is blending. You can do this in a food processor or, I add mine to a large Pyrex jug and use a stick blender.
  • Add the chopped chilli, red pepper, garlic tomato puree and the lime juice. Blend until smooth. Add the spices, salt and pepper and the oil. Mix thoroughly. Taste and check the balance of seasoning.
  • Decant the paste into a screw top or kilner jar. Cover with a little oil and secure the lid. Keep in the fridge until you need to use it.

Share, follow, like, enjoy!

  • To get the latest #TheFridayRecipe from the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen blog, just add your email address to the subscribe box at the top right-hand column of the website. 
  • Follow me on Twitter @pigeoncottage,  on Instagram at Pigeon Cottage Kitchen, and the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen page on Facebook.
  • Click on the link to get your very own copy of my family recipe book, Whats4teaMum?

Book your one to one cookery coaching session here! 

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