whole cloves
225g/8oz/1½ cups of whole peeled chestnuts
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
Cut the squash and the potatoes into equal size pieces so that they will take a uniform time to cook. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the vegetables for 3 minutes in the boiling water. Refresh under cold water and leave to dry for 10 minutes.
Brush the squash and potato pieces with oil and spread them evenly over an oiled baking sheet.
Season with salt, pepper, grated cloves and nutmeg and then sprinkle with the whole cloves.
Roast in the oven for about 1½ hours. Add the chestnuts 15 minutes before the end so that they heat through.
Serve straight from the oven and remind everyone not to eat the cloves!
Sweet Potato and Orange Purée
In order to be able to enjoy my own dinner parties, I usually prepare the vegetables in the morning and cook them in the microwave as the meat is being carved. No steam, splashes or smells is the essence of a good dinner party in my tiny kitchen.
Serves 6–8
1.5kg/3.3lb/10/½ cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
The grated rind and juice of 2 large oranges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 heaped tablespoon of (DF) margarine
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Remove any blemishes from the potatoes and then cook in boiling salted water for 20 minutes or until very soft. Turn off the heat and drain them. Return to the saucepan and mash the potatoes with all of the remaining ingredients until light and fluffy and without lumps. Transfer to a warm serving dish and keep warm until needed.
CHAPTER 3 Pizza, Pasta and Risotto
Chorizo and Artichoke Pizza
Intoxicating, hot and spicy – Spanish or Portuguese sausage is so versatile, eaten cold with a glass of chilled port, or sizzling on a pizza.
Serves 4
BASE
14g/½oz/1 package of easy-bake yeast or fast-action dried yeast
2 teaspoons of caster (superfine) sugar
300ml/10fl oz/1¼ cups of warm water
400g/14oz/2¾ cups of (GF) or (WF) flour ¼ teaspoon of salt
Extra (WF) flour for dusting and kneading
TOPPING
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
425g/15oz/2 cups of canned chopped tomatoes, excess liquid drained off
2 tablespoons of tomato purée (paste)
A handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
140g/5oz/11/3 cups of chorizo sausages, skinned and sliced
400g/14oz of canned artichoke hearts, drained and halved
A sprinkling of cayenne pepper
Optional:250g/9oz carton of virtually fat-free cottage cheese or grated reduced-fat mozzarella for low-fat toppings, which are not dairy-free or a sprinkling of low-fat goat’s or sheep’s cheese if you can tolerate either of them
2 large, non-stick baking trays
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6
Dissolve the easy-bake yeast, sugar and hot water together in a large jug and whisk thoroughly.
Leave in a warm place until the surface is covered with about 2cm/¾ inch of froth, about 10–15 minutes, then whisk again. Alternatively, follow the instructions on the packet of fast-action dried yeast but do add the sugar.
Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Beat in the liquid with a wooden spoon and bring the dough together into a ball. To do this, you may need to add a little more warm water until the dough is malleable (different flours absorb varying amounts of water).
Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead with floured hands for 6–10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Spray or lightly grease a large bowl with a little olive oil, place the pizza dough in it and cover with a plate or another bowl. Leave the bowl in a draft-free, very warm area until the dough has doubled in size. This can take 1–2 hours depending on the temperature of your room.
Meanwhile, make the topping. Place the garlic, chopped chilli and oil in a saucepan and cook for a second or two. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato purée (paste) and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the basil, salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid.
Place the pizza dough on a floured board and flatten with a rolling pin. Divide it into 4 portions.
Roll out each portion on a floured board into a thin 20cm/8 inch circle. Place the pizzas on the baking trays. Push each pizza gently outwards with your fingers and pinch up the edges to make a rim and a neat circle.
Cover each pizza with the tomato topping and sprinkle with the chorizo and the artichoke halves.
Top the pizzas with the cheese, if using, and then sprinkle the cayenne over them. Bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy and the cheese is bubbling.
Carefully slide the pizzas onto hot plates and serve immediately.
Char-grilled Chicken Pasta With Pesto
Hopelessly addicted to fresh coriander (cilantro), I have deviously incorporated it into most of my favourite recipes. In this dish I have used it in place of the more traditional basil in the pesto sauce.
Serves 6
300ml/10fl oz/1¼ cups of olive oil
3 fresh rosemary sprigs, halved
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