3BM KItchen: Ottolenghi Roasted Sweet Potato and Fresh Figs

We recently blogged about our first at home Ottolenghi experience from the amazing Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook. We started with the delicious Turkey and Courgette Burgers and after devouring all of them in record time, we decided to go for recipe number two! 

I love food and I love cooking, but I find it mind boggling that something can take hours to create and minutes to demolish, however I suppose that must be a good sign! Suitably inspired by our recent obsession with Celebrity Masterchef and The Great British Bake Off, we decided on this recipe as a tasty lunch to be kept in the fridge and eaten throughout the week! 

It's quick, easy and super tasty - however one word of warning make sure you have someone to share it with - Middle Mouse went on holiday after one days worth and by the end of the week I was one big sweet potato! 

Here's what you need...

Ingredients

4 small sweet potatoes (1 kg in total)
5 tbsp olive oil
40ml balsamic vinegar
20g caster sugar
12 spring onions, halved length ways and cut into 4cm segments
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
6 fresh and ripe figs (240g in total), quartered
150g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled (optional)
Maldon sea salt and black pepper
Here's what you do...

Method

Preheat the oven to 240°C Fan / 220°C / Gas Mark 9

Wash the sweet potatoes, halve them length ways and then cut each again similarly into three long wedges. Mix with three tablespoons of the olive oil, two teaspoons of salt and some black pepper. 

Spread the wedges out on a baking sheet, skin-side down, and cook for about 25 minutes until soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.

To make a balsamic reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 2–4 minutes, or until it thickens. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when the vinegar is still runnier than honey; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Believe me when the recipe it will thicken it really does - mine ended up so thick my spoon stood up in it so don't be afraid to remove a little from the heat! When you come to serve it stir in hot drops of water to help thin so you can drizzle all over!

Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan and add the spring onions and chili. Fry on a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring often so not to burn...

Spoon the oil, onions and chili over the sweet potatoes...

Dot the figs among the wedges and then drizzle over the balsamic reduction. 

Serve at room temperature with the cheese crumbled over, if using. We also decided to throw in some broccoli to add a little more substance and extra added goodness...

3BM Cook: Sea Bass, Sweet Potato Mash and Asian Greens...

Another weekend has zoomed by, a blur of lots of red wine, catching up with my girlies, losing the Grand National, watching Matilda at the theatre, a few more cocktails and all topped off with a very sore throat and a BAD case of Sunday blues! There was only one thing for it...make a super scrumptious Sunday night dinner of course!!

If powerful, punchy flavours are your thing then this is a recipe for you! Definitely one of my favourite Jamie Oliver recipes I have cooked and the fact it is part of his 30 minute meals and reasonably easy to put together, made me like it even more! The original recipe also features berry ice cream and a sparkling ginger drink which we didn't make as it was just us London Mice but believe me it's seriously tasty!

Push those sleeves up, grab your apron and make sure you have the following...

Serves 4

For the sea bass:

8 thin slices of pancetta
4 x 150g fillets of sea bass, skin on, scaled and pin boned
1 lemon

For the mash:

700g sweet potatoes
Fresh coriander
2 tbsp sweet mango chutney
Soy Sauce
2 x limes

For the greens:

1 fresh red chili
1 clove of garlic
1 x lime
Sesame Oil
250g asparagus
1 head of broccoli

For seasoning:

Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Now you've got everything, here's how you whip up this little plate of heaven...

Wash the sweet potatoes, cut off any gnarly bits but don't peel. Now destress by stabbing each potato a few times with a knife! Find a microwave-proof bowl, add half a lime, pop in the potatoes, cover with a double layer of clingfilm and microwave on full power for 12 minutes.

De-seed and finely chop the chili, adding half to a large serving bowl and setting the rest aside. Crush the unpeeled clove of garlic into the bowl and add 2tbsp of soy sauce and 4-6tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and add a splash of sesame oil. Mix, taste and tweak with the soy sauce if needed. 

Trim the asparagus stalks. Quarter the head of the broccoli length ways from the head to the base of the stalk.

Fry the pancetta in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, until it crisps. 

Once crisp remove the pancetta, put aside leaving the fat in the pan. Add the fish to the pan, skin side down, and press down flat with a spatula for a few seconds. Grind 1tsp of fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar and sprinkle over the fish with a pinch of salt and pepper. Zest the lemon over the fish in the pan, then cut the lemon in quarters and set aside.

Finely chop the coriander and put in a bowl. 

Add the mango chutney,  a good splash of soy, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of half a lime and remaining chopped chili. 

Chop and mix all together. 

Put the greens onto boil

Check the fish, the skin should be golden brown and crispy and turn the heat down.

Get the potatoes out of the microwave, ensure they are cooked and then squeeze the hot lime from the microwave bowl over them. Add to the bowl of chili and mango chutney mix and use a knife / masher to chop and mash all together. Make sure you leave the skins on as it creates texture and believe me makes it super yum. 

Season to taste and add more lime juice if required.

Remove the fish from the heat, flip over gently and let the fish gently finish cooking on the flesh side. Return the pancetta to the pan to gently warm through. Dollop the potato on a plate and place the fish and pancetta on top, add a lemon wedge on the side to squeeze just before tucking in.

Drain the greens and add to the soy and chili dressing made earlier, toss and serve along side. 

And finally.....ENJOY!!

Find the full recipe including the ice cream and ginger drink here.