TIFF Advertising

The new video for TIFF Festival in Cluj...

Rea Garvey - Heart of an enemy

Cheese & Bacon Lasagne

Like usual a big thanks to Good Foods Magazine ;)

3 large onions , halved and thinly sliced, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 300g pack lean smoked back bacon, chopped, 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes in rich juice, 20 basil leaves, roughly torn, plus extra to serve if you like, 250g pack fresh egg lasagne 

For the white sauce: 600ml milk, 50g each butter and plain flour, generous grating fresh nutmeg, 50g grated Parmesan

Fry the onions in the oil for about 15 mins until golden. Add the oregano and bacon and fry for 5 mins more, stirring frequently. Tip in the tomatoes, season and bubble uncovered for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. 

Meanwhile, make the white sauce. Pour the milk into a pan and tip in the butter and flour. Whisk continuously over a moderate heat to incorporate the flour, then simmer, stirring until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. 

Spoon a third of the tomato sauce on the base of a lasagne dish. Top with a third of the lasagne sheets. Then top with a third sauce, a third lasagne, the last of the tomato sauce and finally the last sheets of lasagne. Pour over the white sauce and scatter with the cheese and an extra grating of nutmeg. 

Chill. If eating straight away, bake at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 40 mins until golden and bubbling. Scatter with basil, if you like, and serve with a salad and garlic bread. 

To freeze, cool completely, then wrap in cling film, then foil. Will store for 3 months. To serve, thaw for 6 hrs in a cool place. Unwrap and bake at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 50-60 mins until thoroughly heated through.

The 25th Anniversary Ballet Todes

The 25th anniversary of Todes Ballet Company :D

Tortellini with asparagus

I discovered this recipe in an italian magazine and it was worth making it, it was quite tasty and easy to make ;)

100 g frozen peas, 500 g white asparagus, 150 g prosciutto cotto, 100 ml cream, 250 g tortellini ricotta & spinach, 2 tablespoons olive oil

Thaw the frozen peas, wash and cut the asparagus into pieces about 2-3 cm long. Cut the ham into cubes and heat the oil in a skillet and cook the asparagus for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the diced ham and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the cream, stir and cook briefly on low heat. 

Cook the tortellini in boiling water, drain them and, put them in a dish, pour over the sauce and serve.

Caribbean banana & raisin strudel

A quick recipe by Delia Smith, without sugar, so it's healthy, but very sweet because of the bananas...

4 medium bananas, 50g raisins, the grated zest of 1 large navel orange, 2 tablespoons rum, 100g pecan nuts, 75g butter, 4 sheets filo pastry, about 24 x 50cm, defrosted, 2 heaped tablespoons crème fraîche, 1 tablespoon icing sugar, for sprinkling

Soak the raisins and orange zest in the rum for one hour. After that, drain the raisins and zest in a sieve over a bowl to catch the juices, pressing to extract as much juice as possible.
When you're ready to start preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and pop the nuts on the baking sheet to toast for 5-6 minutes and at the same time melt the butter in a saucepan. Then remove the nuts and pulse them in a processor to chop them small.
Now spread out a sheet of baking parchment on the baking sheet. Follow this with one sheet of filo pastry (cover the others with a clean tea towel). Brush the filo pastry all over with melted butter and sprinkle on a quarter of the nuts. Do this another three times with the rest of the filo pastry (saving some butter for the top).
Now peel the bananas and lay two, end to end, about 5cm (2in) from one edge of the pastry. Place the other two bananas directly next to them towards the middle. Next scatter the raisins and zest over the bananas. The strained rum juice now needs to be whisked into the crème fraîche, then spoon this over the bananas.
Use the baking parchment to help you roll the filo pastry over the bananas and then over again. Trim 2.5cm (1in) off each end of the filo parcel, then tuck the ends under - so you are left with the seam and the ends underneath - and discard the parchment.
Brush the rest of the butter all over and bake on the centre shelf for 40 minutes. If you like you can make the strudel a few hours in advance and bake it when you want to serve it.
Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

Sundried tomato and pancetta quiche with parmesan pastry

A tasty quiche by Irish Chef Catherine Fulvio ;)

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting, 100g butter, chilled and diced, 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, 1⁄2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme, 1 egg yolk, beaten, 2–3 tbsp chilled water (you may need less) For the filling: 4 sundried tomatoes, chopped, 2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, 100g pancetta, cubed, 150ml cream, 100g crème fraîche, Salt and freshly ground black pepper, 100g soft goat’s cheese green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease a 23cm flan tin with a removable base or 6 x 9cm tartlet tins.
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, Parmesan and thyme and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and just enough water to form a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry until it’s slightly larger than the tin. Line the tin with the pastry and trim the edges. Place a circle of parchment paper over the pastry and fill with baking beans.Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for 2 minutes to crisp the base. Set aside.
For the filling, place all the ingredients except for the goat’s cheese into a large bowl and mix gently. Pour the filling into the pastry case and divide the goat’s cheese over the top. Bake the quiche for 20–25 minutes, or until the filling is set. Serve warm or cold with a green salad.