THEGAYUK

Tag: Dips Recipe

  • RECIPE | Italian Chicken Liver Pate

    Pate is renowned for being ridiculously fatty, but I try and keep that to an absolute minimum by using only 1 tbsp of butter. In fact, I used a dairy-free alternative the other day when making this and it was perfectly fine. Although the cholesterol content of chicken livers is high it does provide us with a good intake of vitamin A, B-12 and folic acid.

    CREDIT: Jordan Lohan

    The Italian spin on this French classic comes from anchovy, capers, sage and parmesan- and it really is tasty! Don’t be put off by the anchovies- I’m not a lover of them on there own but in dishes like this it really takes the flavour up a notch!

    Ingredients.
    250g chicken livers, defrosted if frozen
    1 tbsp unsalted butter
    1 shallot, finely sliced
    1 clove garlic
    2 anchovy fillets
    ½ tbsp capers, chopped finely
    3 sage leaves
    80ml white wine
    small grating of lemon zest
    30g parmesan, grated

    Method.
    1. Prepare your livers by getting rid of any fat, or greenish parts.

    1. Melt the butter and a glug of olive oil in a large frying pan, and begin to cook the shallot, garlic, sage, capers, and anchovy fillets until they are golden.

    2. Add in the chicken livers and continue to fry until well browned.

    3. Add in half of the white wine, whilst stirring the pan until the wine has been almost absorbed.

    4. Add in the final half of wine and repeat stirring.

    5. Take the pan off the heat and transfer to a small food processor. I like mine completely smooth, so blitz until my desired consistency is reached.

    6. Finally add in a small grating of lemon zest, along with the parmesan. Give a final pulse and stir with a spoon to ensure zest and parmesan are incorporated within the pate.

    7. You can now serve warm spread on crositini, or alternatively spoon into ramekins and cover in the fridge until you’re ready.

  • RECIPE | Cauliflower Cheese “Snowballs” with a fiery goji berry dip

    Makes 20-25 |  Prep 15 mins | Cook 30 mins

    Scrummy mouthfuls of mellow gruyere and cauliflower matched with a smoky, spicy tomato and goji berry dip. I serve the dip inside a red cabbage leaf as the colours really compliment each other, and it’s a cheerful way to present dips in general, I think so anyway.

    You could still make the dip without goji berries if you don’t have them, but replace with something like a pitted date, or a tablespoon of honey for sweetness.

    Ingredients.

    snowballs

    150g gruyere, grated

    100g fresh breadcrumbs

    300g cauliflower florets, blitzed into tiny pieces

    2 organic eggs, beaten

    1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

    100g panko breadcrumbs

     

    dip

    1 large tomato (80g)

    125g sundried tomatoes

    2 tbsp goji berries, covered in a little water and left to plump for 10 mins

    1/2 lemon, juice only

    1 red chilli, deseeded

     

    Method.

    Preheat your oven to 210c / 190c (fan) / Gas Mark 6-7

     

    1. First make the dip. Drain any water from the goji berries, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until required.
    2. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and oil very lightly with coconut oil or similar.
    3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the snowballs except for the panko breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly, season with pepper.
    4. Lay the panko breadcrumbs on a plate.
    5. Using your hands, take a small amount of the cauliflower cheese mix and roll into a ball.
    6. Roll the ball around on the plate of panko breadcrumbs and place on your lined baking tray.
    7. Repeat the rolling process until all the mix has been used up.
    8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
    9. Remove from the oven and serve with the dip straight away, although these are pretty damn tasty the morning after from the fridge!

  • RECIPE | “Fire” – Red Pepper Dip

    Serves 4-8 people (along side other dishes) |  Prep 10 mins | cook 30 mins (roasting red peppers & chilli @ 220c / 200(fan) / Gas Mark 7)

    Inexpensive / Gluten-Free / Vegan /

    If you want this light dip to live up to it’s fiery name then leave the seeds of the chilli in for the ultimate kick. This goes really well along side my recipe for Coal (black quinoa coated chicken nuggets) – to create Coal & Fire. This is also great along side vegetable sticks for a healthy buffet style dinner. Any leftovers can be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 days.

    RED PEPPER- Contains anti-oxidant vitamins C & A. Which both help to support a healthy immune system. Rich in flavanoids and anti-oxidants, these brightly coloured peppers have been linked to anti-cancer benefits. (SOURCE: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=50&tname=foodspice )

    WALNUTS- Good source of B7, which is the vitamin that helps strengthen hair and reduce hair loss. The other B-complex vitamins in the walnut help you fight the ageing process on your skin and can help obtain a healthy glow. (SOURCE: http://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/go-walnuts-13-health-benefits-of-this-awesome-nut/ ) . Walnuts have also been found to have anti-cancer benefits with the slowing of tumour growth in breast and prostate cancers. (SOURCE: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/19/7-walnuts-benefits.aspx )

     

    Ingredients.

    2 red peppers, roasted in the oven whole, de-skinned / de-seeded and sliced

    1 long red chilli, roasted in the oven whole, de-skinned / de-seeded and sliced

    30g walnuts, dry-toasted in a frying pan

    1 tsp lemon juice

    ½ tsp smoked paprika

    ½ tsp cumin

    Glug pomegranate juice

    Olive oil

     

    Method.

    1. Combine all the ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until smooth.
    2. Add around 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse again. Serve.