Friday, November 30, 2007

funghi ripieni!!

                                       

Now, before any Piccola customers get too excited this is NOT the recipe for the stuffed mushrooms in the family restaurant La Piccola Italia. The stuffed mushrooms on the restaurant menu are famous, there was even an article about them in one of the Irish newspapers a while back. They also do them in the family restaurant in Atina “Il Viccolo” and Italians come from far and wide for them as they are a family recipe developed by The Mil and Bru’s Zia Theresa so you won’t see them on any other menu in Italy!! They are basically mushrooms stuffed with a meat mixture and served in a creamy red wine sauce, so many people have asked for the recipe over the years but only the family know it and we have all been sworn to secrecy. 

This stuffed mushroom recipe from Ursula Ferrigno is a great accompaniment to a piece of grilled fillet or lamb, it features under the antipasti section but I wouldn’t like them on their own, a piece ot meat compliments them perfectly. I’ve noticed I haven’t featured any meat recipes for a while, my next of couple of posts will be vegetarian but meat will be back on the menu, lamb shanks perhaps???

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 50g porcini mushrooms

 - 4 large field mushrooms - I used the large breakfast mushrooms from Superquinn.

 - 2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained.

 - 1 garlic clove chopped finely.

 - 100g fresh white breadcrumbs.

 - pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

 - 2 tbsp olive oil

 - handful of chopped flat leaf parsley.

 - sea salt and black pepper.

WHAT TO DO:

 - soak the porcini in warm water for 10 - 15 mins. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

 - pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

 - remove the stems from the mushrooms.

 - chop the porcini, mushroom stems, anchovies and garlic together. Put in a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Don’t add too much salt as the anchovies are quite salty.

 - heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the mushroom and breadcrumb mix and saute for 5 mins.

 - lay the mushroom caps on an oiled baking sheet, hollow side up. Fill with the breadcrumb mixture, sprinkle your parsley on top of each mushroom and drizzle with olive oil.

 - bake for 10-15 mins until soft and serve at room temperature.

                                                 
                              

Posted by LOR&BRU at 21:34:27 | Permalink | Comments (9)

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

bruschetta d’asparagi!!!

                                 

I can’t believe Christmas is around the corner, I say this every year and tell myself that next year I will be more organised but of course this will never happen, I will still be doing my shopping on Christmas Eve as usual. I can’t even use the princess as an excuse as I’ve always been the same:) I actually miss the restaurant this time of year as December is a great month in the restaurant calendar, mainly for the turnover;) but also the atmosphere and buzz of the party dining season. Everyone is glammed up to the nines, the vino is flowing freely and everybody eating out is there for enjoyment and celebration which makes the restaurant a happy place to work in at this time of year! The Christmas season doesn’t really affect La Cucina as it’s a take-away so we don’t actually get much busier, if anything the weekend’s get quieter. We close from the 22 Dec until Jan 3 just to give ourselves a break and give us the option of going to Italy if we want to. We’re not going this year as everybody is staying put so there will probably be up to 25 of us at the MIL’s again this year - BRING ON THE FEAST:)

I’ve been dying with the flu for the last few days so I’ve been trying to incorporate more veg into my diet at lunch instead of the regular ham and cheese ciabatta so I made this yesterday after having a big bowl of minestrone. I know asparagus isn’t in season but I’m forced to buy it from my local supermarket and it never was in season as it was coming from Peru during the summer and still is! This bruschetta is great for a light lunch or a simple starter and is quick and easy to make.

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 1 bunch asparagus spears

 - 2 slices bruschetta bread or ciabatta

 - 1 garlic clove

 - extra virgin olive oil

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - balsamic vinegar

 - shavings of Parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO:

 - snap off the hard woody bases of asparagus about halfway down the spear.

 - season spears and brush with some olive oil

 - heat a griddle pan and cook your asparagus until it has the charred marks on it. Put a heavy pot or pan on top and press down to cook faster.

 - using the same grill pan or a second one cook your bread on both sides until lightly browned and charred.

 - rub your garlic on one side of your bread and drizzle some olive oil.

 - arrange your asparagus on the prepared bruschetta, sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

                     

  Buon Appetito!!

p.s. there is another great new Limerick food blog on the blogging scene, Sarah has always been a great Italian Foodies commenter and is a big foodie,  if her recipes so far are a taste of what’s to come, we are in for a real treat!! Check her out here!!

p.p.s - I’m trying to organise my sister’s hen party in Dublin in Feb and have no idea where to eat, I was thinking Eden or Venu, would love some suggestions if anybody has any ideas??? HELP MEEEEE!!!!

Posted by LOR&BRU at 18:55:17 | Permalink | Comments (18)

Sunday, November 25, 2007

melanzane e zucchini arrosto!!

                           
Anybody who has been to Italy would be familiar with the big “antipasto” buffet selection in most restaurants, I’m like a kid in a sweet shop trying to decide what to have and of course I always fill my plate with too much (spot the Irish person) that I can never fit my pasta and meat course! I love marinated aubergines and courgettes, they are so simple but so tasty and versatile, my favourite way to eat them is on their own with some crunchy bread but they are great on a bruschetta, pizza or in a sandwich. We use them for one of our most popular sandwiches “Grigliata” which is a ciabatta filled with pesto, aubergine, roast peppers, rocket and mozzarella cheese.

I’m going to give you the recipe for “melanzane arrosto” but the courgettes would be done more or less the same way!!

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 3 aubergines sliced

 - 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced

 - 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped

 - 1 chilli finely chopped (optional)

 - white wine vinegar

 - olive oil

 - sea salt and black pepper

WHAT TO DO:

 - place the aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for about 30 mins.

 - in a bowl mix all your ingredients together and season.

 - rinse the aubergine slices and pat dry with kitchen paper.

 - heat a grill pan and cook aubergine slices on both sides giving a nice charred look.

 - remove from the heat and leave to cool.

 - arrange the aubergine slices in layers on a serving dish and spoon some of your mix over each layer.

 - leave to marinate for a few hours before serving.

                       

BUON APPETITO!!

LA CUCINA NEWS!!

We have these aubergines and courgettes for sale in La Cucina and also in the deli counter this week

 - spinach & ricotta cannelloni
 - pasta al forno
 - parmigiana
 - meat lasagna

All of the above serve 2 and take about 20-30 mins in the oven at 190 degrees.

This weeks:

pasta special - fettucine served with italian sausage and porcini.
risotto special - prawn risotto
pizza special - buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato on the vine, basil and oregano.

Posted by LOR&BRU at 14:25:26 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

scampi arrosto!!

                  
I’m sticking with my fish theme after stocking up at the weekend at Superquinn, they had nice fresh prawn tails so we had them as a “secondi” on Monday night after a big bowl of pasta. Prawns and shrimp actually belong to the same family as the lobster, my all time favourite fish!! The “gambero di aqua dolce” is a actually an exact miniature copy of the lobster and is almost as popular on the culinary scene. Like the lobster the many natural colours of prawns, from pale orange and deep red to dark grayish blue all turn red when cooked.

It is actually very difficult to get fresh prawns today due to a huge worldwide demand so most prawns are caught in large numbers and frozen on board enormous North Atlantic trawlers, there is a huge difference between fresh and frozen but we probably don’t really know the difference here as most are probably frozen and we have no choice. In Italy the smallest gamberetti are usually eaten dusted in flour and deep fried until crisp, I’ve eaten them this way myself and they are sooo nice, you don’t even have to shell it as they are so tender. The larger gamberoni or as they are known this side of the world as langoustines or Dublin Bay prawns can be either boiled or grilled with the shells on or just sauteed in the pan with just the body shelled with a little lemon juice and oil. 

I like fish just served quite simple so you can actually taste the flavour of the fish. I hate spices with fish e.g cajun which seemed to be all the rage a while back, you can’t taste anything except the spice so I always tend to use similar ingredients - olive oil, lemon, chilli, garlic etc which just enhance the flavour rather than drown it out. This recipe is very simple and as usual very tasty!!

                                          

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - prawns

 - 1 chilli seeded and diced (optional)

 - 1 garlic clove finely chopped

 - 2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

 - juice of 1 lemon

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

 - preheat the oven to 220 degrees

 - wash the prawns and pat dry and remove the black intestine. Put the prawns in a large bowl.

 - mix together the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Pour over the prawns and leave to marinate in the fridge for about 30 mins.

 - place the prawns in a metal roasting dish and roast them in the oven for about 10 mins, turning from time to time. Serve hot or cold with a simple rocket salad with shavings of Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil.

This marinade could also be used for swordfish like I made here or with fresh tuna. Just pour over your fish when cooked.

                       

BUON APPETITO!!!

reference - Silver Spoon, Carluccio, Valentina Harris

Posted by LOR&BRU at 22:09:05 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

branzino e patate al forno!!

I’ve been a bit lazy on the fish front lately mainly due to a very limited selection in my local Superquinn!! There is only salmon or cod basically from Monday to Thursday and then there is a bit more at the weekend. They used to have a great selection but as usual in Ireland it probably didn’t sell so they have cut it back to the good sellers and they have one whole stand dedicated to “salmon”, now there is nothing wrong with salmon but I’m not going to eat it every week so I was delighted to see this weekend they has loads of fish - tuna, swordfish, clams, prawns, mussels and sea bass so I bought a bit of everything!!! I better get the Silver Spoon out;) 

On the subject of Superquinn I have to say I’m really impressed with their new Superior Range, now I know we all complain about the supermarkets but the fact of the matter is we are dependant on them and this is not going to change for the foreseeable future, yes we will all make an effort to buy at the local Farmer’s Market but this is only on one day a week in Limerick and unfortunately we all can’t get there all the time. It’s got to the stage where it’s fashionable now to frown on buying in the supermarket BUT everybody still is!!! So I’m happy to see they are making an effort in providing better quality produce, I have tried most of the new range at this stage and can honestly say the pears and tomatoes are the best I have tasted outside of Italy. The lamb noisettes are so moist and tender and The MIL gives the chicken with parma ham the big thumbs up and that’s saying something. We had the ricotta and rocket ravioli the other night with our own tomato sauce and they were perfect “fast food” - tasty, good quality and fast!! The only complaint I have is that they are out of stock of everything for the last few days, the range obviously went down well!!

 This recipe for sea bass is really handy as everything goes into the one tray, it’s simple and full of flavour!!

                                         

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - sea bass - I always ask at the fish counter for my fish to be filleted. I bought 3 bass for the 2 of us.

 - 4 garlic cloves: 2 left in skins and 2 sliced really thinly
the new SQ purple garlic is streets ahead of any other supermarket garlic, such a strong flavour, it really made this dish! 

 - 2 lemons: use the juice of one and cut 1 into wedges

 - 4 potatoes: I used the new Oilean in SQ. Slice as thin as you can as everything is cooked together and the fish cooks quite fast. If you prefer your potatoes a little thicker then cook them on their own for about 10 mins and then add the fish!!

 - flat parsley chopped

 - chives chopped

 - olive oil

 - margarine to grease your tray so the potatoes don’t stick.

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - white wine

WHAT TO DO:

 - grease your oven dish and pour in some olive oil

 - line the base with your potatoes and your half of your sliced garlic. Season and pour over a little more olive oil

 - place your sea bass on top, season, add remaining sliced garlic and  herbs.

 - pour over your lemon juice, wine and olive oil. Add your garlic cloves and a couple of lemon wedges!!

 - cook for 20 to 30 mins and serve!!

 - the oven roasted tomatoes would be perfect with this dish!!

BUON APPETITO!!

p.s. I have no cooked photo as I prepared it that day and we ate it at night, but believe me it was DELICIOUS!!:)

Posted by LOR&BRU at 21:32:34 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Saturday, November 17, 2007

I’ve been tagged!!!

                         

I have been tagged for my first meme by the lovely Marie over at Proud Italian Cook, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, it is basically a way of learning more about the blogger and their lives!! Here it goes:

WHAT 4 JOBS I HAVE HAD:

 - SHOP ASSISTANT IN SHANNON AIRPORT - I worked in the newsagents in the airport for about 6 years while I was in college!! I used to do the early shift on Sat and Sun morning 6am to 4pm and hated it, I’d often just be in the door at 4 and then out at 5 but it paid well at the time so I stuck it out!! I used to work the whole summer to pay off all my drinking sorry college loans;) and used to be so jealous of everyone else heading off on their J1 visas to the States:(

 - WAITRESS - I did this in a number of places down through the years mainly in the Pizzeria and loved it, I always made great tips;) The Irish “gob” comes in handy in these jobs!!

 - BANK ASSISTANT - I went straight from college into the Bank of Ireland and hated every minute of it, I wouldn’t mind but they stuck me in customer service which wasn’t too bad but it just wasn’t me!! I was always making mistakes, I had to do the big non cash lodgements and of course lodged 10,000 into the wrong account but I did increase the customer satisfaction rating while I was there:)

 - SALES MANAGER - I got offered a job while in the bank as a sales rep with a frozen food company but there was one teeny requirement, I had to drive but I couldn’t!! I had only tried once and was pretty bad so I applied for the test and got a bloody cancellation straight away so I had a month to learn. I took 3-4 lessons a week for 4 weeks and passed with flying colours!! I had never driven another car besides my instructors! I got the job and then had to drive a brand new golf from the garage about an hour away from where I live and took the wing mirror off a car on the way!! OOOps:) I stayed there for 4 years and learned so much about the food industry in Ireland and it was through this that I spotted the gap in the market for La Cucina!!

4 PLACES I’VE LIVED:

 - Shannon: It’s where I’m from, god help me:)

 - Tralee: It’s where I went to college

 - Australia: I did the whole backpacking thing in 1995 when no one else was doing it and we were only “babies”. The MIL didn’t sleep for months:)

 - Limerick: I swore I would never live in Ireland, we came back from Australia for me to finish my degree so we could apply for residency and Bru decided to open a restaurant - after 15 long years I have learnt to cope with the anger:)!!! We’ve never looked back even though the Irish weather still kills me!!

4 PLACES I’VE BEEN ON HOLIDAY:

 - Boston and Chicago

 - France

 - Italy: to be honest we are not very adventurous and just go to Italy all the time, it’s a tough life!!

 - The Canaries - what Irish person hasn’t!!!

4 FAVOURITE FOODS:

 - PIZZA - margherita with buffalo mozzarella and cherry tomatoes.

 - PASTA - spaghetti or linguine with clams

 - COFFEE - cappucino and espresso

 - GELATO - crema, nocciola, fragola and my all time favourite lemon sorbet!!

4 PLACES I’D RATHER BE:

 - I have to say life is pretty good and once I’m with Bru and the princess I’m a contented little camper, a little trip to Italy and the beach help every now and again:) but if I had to choose it would be here and here.

The 4 people I tag are, they mightn’t want to do it but I’ve done my bit and passed it on!!

Laura, Val, Maz, Deborah

Ciao!!!!

Posted by LOR&BRU at 23:17:11 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday, November 15, 2007

crema di spinaci!!

              

Spinach was fairly unpopular in Ireland until recently, I know I never ate it as a child as it didn’t feature much in the Irish kitchen - the closest I got to it was watching Popeye;). It’s only in the last couple of years that I have begun to like it especially since being introduced to the ricotta and spinach combination - these 2 ingredients work so well together! We used to make tarts in La Cucina filled with spinach and ricotta mixed together with lots of Parmesan cheese and they were quite popular and of course the most popular way of eating it has to be in Ravioli. We’ve started selling the mixture in Calzone now and they are selling really well, I do love the broccoli and Italian sausage option too though - mmmm “torn between 2 lovers”…..! We eat it a lot more at home now, we normally have it as a side to a piece of fillet or chicken by just wilting it in the pan with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a pinch of nutmeg - delicious!!

We all know how nutritious it is as it contains large amounts of vitamin A and C and is full of iron, it does require careful cleaning which takes a little time but it is worth the effort as it is so good for you!!! In Italy it is grown in the North and the centre where the climate is mild but not too hot. Spinach is available all year round now due to modern cultivation techniques whereas before it was only produced in the autumn and winter.When buying spinach the leaves should be firm, fleshy and green with no signs of yellowing, to check for freshness, look at the stalks, they should be firm with no sign of floppiness. Another favourite way of cooking with spinach is in soup and we often have a spinach and potato soup on the menu in La Cucina, this recipe is from the Silver spoon and fresh or frozen spinach can be used

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 1 litre of veg or meat stock

 - 40g butter

 - 2 onions finely chopped

 - 40g plain flour

 - 500g frozen chopped spinach, thawed. If you are using fresh just blanch it in hot water, drain and squeeze out excess liquid.

 - 3 tbsp lemon juice

 - 2 tbsp double cream

 - salt and pepper

WHAT TO DO:

 - bring the stock to the boil

 - melt the butter in a pot, add the onions and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 mins until softened.

 - stir in the flour and cook, constantly stirring for 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the hot stock.

 - add the spinach and simmer for 20 minutes.

 - stir in the lemon juice and take off the heat. Liquidize with a hand blender or use a food processor.

 - return to the heat, season with salt and pepper, stir in the cream and simmer briefly.

 - serve with some Parmesan and black pepper on top and a little swirl of cream or olive oil!!

Buon Appetito!!

On the subject of soup - WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE???? Mine would have to be minestrone hands down, it’s just so nourishing and warm on a cold wintry day:)

p.s. There is a new Irish blog on the horizon, the lovely Rachel has taken the plunge and started her own blog “Fairycake Heaven“, most of you would know her from here as Ciao Bella, she always leaves lovely comments on my blog and I’m looking forward to reading her fabulous recipes. Welcome to the blog world Rachel:) 

Today’s Random Cooking Term - “Acidulate”
 - to add vinegar or lemon juice to water for immersing some vegetables, such as globe artichokes to prevent them from turning black before cooking!!

Posted by LOR&BRU at 21:13:48 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Monday, November 12, 2007

bruschetta con maramellata di cipolle rosse e pecorino!!

 

We are officially starting our new take-away meals this week, we had a trial run last week and we used ourselves and our neighbours as guinea pigs and it went down really well!! We had a porcini encrusted rack of lamb served with baby new potatoes with rosemary and garlic and a side of cabbage “Italian style”. It took 15 minutes to heat in the oven and it was as good as you would get in any restaurant if I say so myself. I’ve roped in 4 of the Munster team to try them out tomorrow night even though I have to say, it didn’t take much persuasion. I will post the menu towards the end of the week and because it is a new concept and I’m feeling rather generous I’m going to give one of my Limerick blog readers a meal for 2 with a lovely bottle of Italian wine compliments of Alfredo and you can let us know what you think??? - I know, I know I’m too kind:)

All you have to do is leave your name in the comment section, just your first name if you prefer or send me an email, La Cucina customers can enter in the shop!! This isn’t going to happen again so take advantage;)

Monday night is always lazy on the cooking front so bruschetta often features, I found this recipe in my latest book purchase Ursela Ferrigno’s “Complete Italian Cookery Course” , the book is really good and I have bookmarked lots of  recipes!! My cookbook collection is starting to grow by the week - damn TK MAXX;)

WHAT YOU NEED:

 - 4 red onions

 - 1 bay leaf

 - 1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped

 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

 - 55g soft brown sugar - I used light muscovado

 - 4 slices bruschetta bread or ciabatta/country style bread

 - pecorino cheese

 - 2 tbsp olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

 - heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onions, bay leaf and rosemary.

 - brown the onions well over a low to medium heat, stirring regularly.

 - add the vinegar and stir well.

 - add the sugar and cook over a low heat for 20-30 mins and leave to cool.

 - heat a grill pan until hot and cook your bread on each side until lightly toasted and charred at the edges.

 - place your onions on top of your bread and serve with shavings of pecorino.

It was absolutely delicious and so easy to make so add it to your menu plan this week:)

Buon Appetito!!!

p.s. if any La Cucina customers want to buy a little loaf of bruschetta bread, just let me know and we can make it for you. At the moment we just make huge loaves of bread but it’s no problem to make the small ones too but we will only do them to order!! Just send me an email or let me know in the comments!!

Posted by LOR&BRU at 20:50:30 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Sunday, November 11, 2007

IT’S MY PARTY…….

Just a quick pic of Alessia’s cake, it was absolutely delicious!!! The MIL made it - sponge, Italian cream, Italian chocolate cream and the creamiest icing on top!! It was huge, I have half of it sitting here in my kitchen which of course will have to be eaten by me for the week - oh the lbs;(, anybody like a slice????:). She had a great day and loved all the attention especially the singing of happy birthday in English and Italian. The MIL laid out a feast of course - pasta in tomato sauce with peas and pancetta on top, rack of lamb, Italian sausage, roasted carrots, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, salad and a beautiful bottle of Primitivo to wash it all down and finished off with a creamy espresso! Not too dissimilar to our normal Sunday feast - god are we spoilt:) Till the next one!!!

Ciao!!

p.s. thanks for all your lovely comments on her birthday post:)

Posted by LOR&BRU at 21:41:36 | Permalink | Comments (9)

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

POMODORINI AL FORNO!!

 

We’ve decided that this is the year we open La Cucina no. 2 but it is proving rather difficult!! We want to open in the city centre and would love to have a unit on Thomas St or Bedford Row as it seems to be the new “cafe quarter” and it looks so well since the redevelopment. The only problem is the RENT, it is astronomically high and I know we would have better “foot traffic” in this area but I don’t think you could ever sell enough food to cover all the other costs too. Food business owners always complain about the overheads and I think most people just think we are moaning over nothing. People take the price of food at face value and often question why something is so expensive when the cost of the raw materials are so low and this is true, the cost of making a simple pasta dish is so cheap but it’s everything else that costs so much!!! The profit margins in the food business are soooo low, they average between 3 and 8% and staff costs are huge making up roughly 38% of a business’s turnover!!

A couple of years ago food businesses received a lot of bad press about the price of food compared to other countries and customers really began to complain. I remember one customer ringing to tell me that the food was lovely but she didn’t know how we slept at night with the prices we were charging and that she could make it at home for half the price, all she thought about was the cost of the ingredients but if she had to factor in this list she might have a better understanding why prices are what they are, I wouldn’t mind but we were hardly breaking even at the time!! This is a summary of the basic overheads of our business just to give you an insight into the day to day running, so for example out of every pasta we sell the price has to cover the following:

 - cost of ingredients
 - staff wages - preparation chef, pasta chef, wash up and the person who serves you etc
 - packaging it is served in (plastic container, forks, serviettes, carrier bag)
 - cleaning products (huge bill)
 - ESB
 - Gas
 - Rates
 - Rent
 - Accountant 
 - Refuse collection
 - Management Fees premises
 - Printing (menus, flyers)
 - Advertising
 - Machinery - something always breaks down, we recently just got a new fly screen door, insectocutor, dishwasher and till!!
 - Maintenance of Machinery and Shop i.e. servicing of fridges, painting of shop etc.
 - kitchenware - pots, pans, plates, knives etc
 - Eircom
 - Uniforms
 - IMRO - radio license
 - bank charges
 - on top of all this you have to pay VAT and TAX!!!!

There is a very high restaurant failure rate in Ireland and it is definitely a direct result of the costs involved because with any new business it takes time to develop but unfortunately you still have to pay all of the above no matter how busy you are!! I remember when we opened first, it was pretty tough the first couple of years and even now we have to constantly try new things to bring in new business to keep us profitable!! 

Sorry for the serious post but I think most people wouldn’t factor in half of these costs so I just wanted to give our side, don’t worry we do just fine, we’re not out on the street yet;) I’ll keep you updated on the city centre shop as it happens, we will find something!! Back to the food, this recipe is so simple and a great side dish to some grilled fish or meat!

                        
WHAT YOU NEED:

 - vine cherry tomatoes and mixed tomatoes ( Superquinn do a really good organic mixed tomato box with a great variety of colours as you can see above)

 - fresh basil

 - fresh thyme(optional)

 - garlic cloves (leave whole with skin on)

 - sea salt and black pepper

 - olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

 - heat your oven to 190 degrees

 - put your tomatoes, basil, thyme and garlic in an oven proof dish, season with salt and pepper and add some olive oil.

 - cook for 30 - 45 mins depending how you like them!! We like them quite dried out so it’s up to you!!

 

BUON APPETITO!!

Posted by LOR&BRU at 21:41:16 | Permalink | Comments (13)