Category: recipes

Grape chutney by luke

A short one today. For this chutney you will need:

  • 1 punnet of Grapes
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 1 pinch Chinese 5 spice
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 40 mls Irish whiskey (“The liberator” was used in this recipe)

Add all ingredients to a medium sized pot, put on a low heat and cook until grapes are soft, until the skin is almost falling off of them. Remove from pot and put into a bowl, blend until desired consistency and chill.
Compliments cold cured meats

Luke cooks tartlets

Pissaladiere Tartlets:
Pissaladiere is a dish originating from Liguria, specifically Genoa, and then making its way across to Nice in France where its popularity flourished. The traditional pissaladiere dish is prepared on a bread dough slightly thicker than that of pizza margherita, however in this recipe, they have been adapted and prepared in short crust pastry tartlets. Although caramelised onions constitute most of the filling, the salty taste of the anchovies balances well with the sweetness said onions.
For the pastry, you will need:

  • 250g Plain white flour
  • 125g Butter
  • Pinch of salt
    For the filling, you will need:
  • 5 small onions (Preferably French onions) peeled and chopped.
  • Black olives, Pitted and sliced
  • Anchovies, one small tin
  • 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
  • Red wine (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Short crust Pastry:
Begin by making a short crust pastry. To do so, add the flour and butter (cubed) to a food processer, alternatively you can mix these together by hand, but the warmth of your hands may make the butter greasy. Pulse in the food processer until a fine crumb. Add the pinch of salt and pulse once more. Next to get the pastry to come together add a tablespoon of water, then pulse. Repeat until the crumb begins to clump together. Once the pastry begins forming in the food processer, tip out onto a clean worktop and form into a ball. Cover with cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes, ideally overnight. Take the ball of pastry out of the fridge, unwrap and place onto a floured worktop. Begin rolling out the pasty to roughly a third of an inch thick. For this next part you will need a cupcake tray, cut pastry into circles that will fit the holes of your cupcake tray, lay pastry into the holes and cut accordingly.
Caramelized Onions:
Pre-heat oven to Fan 180 degrees. Get a large frying pan, giving the onions plenty of room, add olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Add onions and some salt to draw out the moisture from the onions helping caramelization. Stir occasionally and add a small amount of water to enhance the colour. As onions begin to brown significantly, add the red wine (optional). Lastly add the balsamic vinegar and stir.
Slice anchovies and add to taste, use very little as they have a strong taste and may easily overpower the onions, mix into the caramelized onions and scoop mixture into your pastry.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until pastry is a golden brown.