Tomato Soup with Orzo (Recipe from June 2013 Jamie Magazine)

I think I'm currently going a bit Jamie crazy! I do love most of the recipes of his that I've tried - and after writing about the June 2013 Jamie Magazine on Friday I was inspired to have a go at one of the recipes over the weekend. I decided to try to make 'Tomato Soup with Orzo' (which appears on pg 119) as it uses storecupboard ingredients which I already owned. Plus, I had a box or orzo which has been sat in my cupboard unused for months (probably a year or so actually!) and I didn't really know what to do with it until now. It's basically pasta that looks like rice....

Recipe - Tomato Soup with Orzo
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp dried mint
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
750ml chickent or vegetable stock (I used chicken)

100g orzo pasta

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a big saucepan and add the onion, garlic, mint and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over a medium high heat until the onions soften.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Use a stick blender to blitz the soup until smooth.
3. Add the stock and the orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the orzo is tender.
4. Serve! I added a couple of roughly torn fresh basil leaves too on serving, just because I love the tomato/basil combo.

A quick and easy recipe to make a filling and tasty soup!

Lisa x

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Jamie Magazine - June 2013

 

Just a quick post about the June 2013 edition of Jamie Magazine - I picked up my copy last week for £3.99 and it has 2 good freebies included - a packet of Suttons Sweet Basil seeds and a liqourice and peppermint Teapigs tea bag.

I adore Teapigs and peppermint tea so was pleased to be able to try this flavour before deciding whether or not to buy myself a box.  I've also been thinking about attempting to grow my own herbs from seeds (having just bought myself a parsley Seedpod kit) - so will have a go at planting the basil seeds at the weekend.

As for the magazine content this month, it's an Italian themed issue - one of my favourite cuisines! I'm definately keen to try the lasagne that Jamie is holding on the cover, and there is a recipe for chicken panzanella - not something I'd previously heard of, but it sounds amazing! The recipe includes a ciabatta loaf which soaks up the herby juices from a roasted chicken to create delicious crunchy croutons.
There is also a recipe for a tomato soup with orzo that looks really simple - I have some orzo in my cupboard and I've been unsure what to do with it up until now! So think I'll be giving this one a go in the next few days.
Finally, there are some really tasty looking chocolate dessert recipes that aim to 'evoke the spirit and sweet tastes of Tuscany', including a milk chocolate torte and white chocolate panna cotta - both of which I will be adding to my Sweet Treats recipe file for future use (see here!) 
Just flicking through this magazine makes me hungry!

Lisa x

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Jamie Oliver's Pork and Cider Stew Recipe

Another recipe from Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food' cookbook - a simple pork stew made with cider. I love the simplicity of this recipe - and it takes hardly any time to prepare. Preparing the stew takes less than 20 minutes, and then you can just forget it whilst it slow cooks in the oven for a couple of hours. The end result is beautifully tender meat and veggies - a hearty meal for the family!

Recipe - Jamie Oliver's Pork and Cider Stew
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tbsp of plain flour
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Salt and Pepper (to season)
3 sprigs fresh sage 
500g diced stewing pork 
500ml bottle of medium-dry cider

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Wash, peel and roughly chop the vegetables.
3. Put a casserole dish on the hob, add a couple of glugs of olive oil and tip in the vegetables and sage. Fry over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the diced pork and the flour, followed by the cider and chopped tomatoes. Give the stew a stir and season with salt and pepper.

5. Bring to the boil and give the mixture a good stir, then transfer the casserole dish to the oven.
6. Cook in the oven for 2½ hours. Keep the lid on until the final hour of cooking.

7. I served my stew with mashed potatoes, as they are a favourite in my household! In his cookbook Jamie suggests serving with dumplings - find his recipe for dumplings here.

Lisa x 

 
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Jamie Oliver's Mince and Onions

Of all the Jamie Oliver recipe books I own (and I have many of them!), I think I love his Ministry of Food book the most. My friend (who refers to him as 'Saint Jamie'!) first introduced me to the book in 2010 and some of my all-time favourite dishes I make are from it. One of the recipes is for a 'Classic Mince and Onion Pie', which forms the basis of the meal I made for my family yesterday evening.

I actually had a whole load of new potatoes that needed finishing so instead of doing the pie, I decided to make the mince and onions and serve it with vegetables and the new potatoes that I roasted with garlic and rosemary. It worked out really well, and I suppose it was healthier than using a load of pastry to make it into a pie! So here is the Ministry of Food recipe I followed to make mince and onions...

Recipe: Jamie Oliver's Mince and Onions
Serves 4

Ingredients:

olive oil
3 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
500g beef mince
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 teaspoon Marmite
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon flour, plus extra for dusting
beef stock cubes

Method:

1. Peel and roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery until fine (I whizzed mine in my Kenwoods mini-chopper, available here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kenwood-CH180-Mini-Chopper-Watt/dp/B0000C6WPC)
2. Remove rosemary leaves from their stalks and finely chop.
3. Add 2 glugs of olive oil to a large casserole-style pan and place on a high heat on the stove top. Add the chopped veggies, rosemary and the 2 bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are softened (remember to keep stirring whilst they cook to avoid burning/sticking to the pan)
4. Add the beef mince and cook until browned, before adding the mustard, Marmite, Worcestershire sauce and flour.
5. Make up 1 litre of beef stock using boiling water and the appropriate number of stock cubes (dependent on brand used) - I used 2 Knorr stock cubes. Add this to the pan and bring to the boil.
6. Turn down the heat and bring to a simmer for about an hour until the stock has reduced to form a lovely thick gravy that coats the mince. Jamie recommends keeping it covered whilst cooking, but I find that if I cover the mixture the gravy doesn't reduce and the mixture stays very liquidy. Therefore I like to leave it simmering uncovered, allowing for some of the liquid to evaporate to achieve a thicker consistency. Remember to give it a stir every so often.
7. Before serving remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Whilst my mince was cooking I made my roasted new potatoes which was so simple. I halved each potato and popped them into a roasting pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and 1 garlic clove (minced with a garlic press). This went into the pre-heated oven at 200°C for about 45 minutes until the potatoes were golden. I completed the meal with some broccoli and peas.

Lisa x

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