As we are lucky to still be receiving Italian Blood oranges, and what’s in season together, goes together! It just makes complete sense to pair them with the radicchio. Then lots of good quality olive oil, flaked sea salt, cracked black pepper, fresh herbs & creamy Burrata.
The only thing that could increase the deliciousness of this tart, is to be eating it in Italy but if you put an ep of Stanley Tucci on at the same time, it’s close enough. I know I am late to the party watching his series but I am now obsessed! Love you Stanley.
This recipe makes for a lovely weekend lunch and would pair nicely with a chilled glass of Ciello Bianco Catarratto, a bright and crisp low intervention white wine from Sicily
Radicchio, Blood Orange & Burrata Tart
Prep time, 15minutes
Bake time, 20minutes
Feeds 4 as a starter or 2 as a main
Ingredients Salad
1 head of Rosa Del Veneto Radicchio (alternatively any bitter leave of choice)
1 blood orange (can use normal orange if struggling to find these)
1 small bunch of chives (half a normal pack)
3 stalks of basil
1 large burrata (mozzarella also works perfectly)
Dressing
25ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tspn sea salt
1 tspn cracked black pepper
Reserved blood orange juice from segmenting
Tart
1 packet of Dorset ready rolled puff pastry (or whatever you can get yours hands on)
1 egg (whisked for egg wash)
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 180c/ Gas mark 4. Line a large flat baking tray with baking parchment. Then roll out your pastry and transfer it onto the tray. As opposed to trimming the pastry to fit the size of your tray and wasting unnecessary offcuts, fold the edges of the pastry in to create a border if needed. Then brush generously with egg wash and prick all over with a fork, this will help reduce the rise.
Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, usually you want your puff pastry to rise as much as possible but with this recipe we want to control it, fork the center again and gently push down to flatten (don’t worry that you’re cracking it, it’s meant to) . Then continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until evenly golden, lift to check the base is also golden and crisp before removing to cool.
Whilst the pastry is cooling, cut the base of the radicchio, then wash & drain the leaves. Cut the chives into 1inch lengths and pick the basil leaves from the stems. If these are a little droopy, cover in cold water then drain and dry on a clean tea towel.
Segment the blood orange by first cutting the base, so it’s flat to the board then using a sharp knife to remove all the rind & pith. Reserve as much of the juice as possible into a bowl, this is going to add to the dressing later.
To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, blood orange juice, honey, salt & pepper. I like to whizz this in the nutri bullet for 30 seconds as it emulsifies quickly but you can also whisk by hand to dissolve the honey & salt. Take the radicchio and toss with the dressing in a bowl.
Now it’s time to assemble the tart, place the pastry on a board, layer on the radicchio, segmented orange, fresh herbs. Then place the burrata on top, tearing into pieces. Finish with any remaining dressing, an extra drizzle of olive oil & seasoning.
Bringing together the NISTE staple of sourdough rye bread with an amazing array of seasonal veg and Belazu ingredients to create simple yet show stopping light bites, suitable for anytime of the day!
Each recipe makes 2 slices
Soft boiled egg on dill, mustard and pickle yoghurt
Ingredients: 2 slices of rye bread, 2 free range eggs, 1Tsp Belazu wholegrain mustard, 2 Belazu borretane onions, 4 Tbsp of thick yoghurt, 2 sprigs of dill, pinch of flaked sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Soft boil your eggs (place into boiling water for 61/2minutes then remove and place straight into cold, for the perfect fudgey centre leave them to cool fully)
Rough chop the onions & half the dill, then add into a bowl with the mustard & yoghurt, combine and season to taste.
Place your 2 slices of rye in the toaster.
Whilst they are toasting slice your egg into quarters.
Top the rye with a generous dollop of the yoghurty mix and arrange the egg in a row.
Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, black pepper & garnish with sprigs of dill.
Top tips - if your dill is looking sad, cover it with cold water and leave for 5 minutes, then drain it off and leave to dry on a clean cloth. Instantly vibrant & bouncy!
You can easily prep both the yoghurt and eggs a day ahead for an even quicker assembly.
Heritage tomatoes, tahini, all the herbs
Ingredients: 2 slices of rye bread, 1 large heritage tomato (or 2 smaller ones!) , 1 Tbsp Belazu Tahini , Small handful of fresh green herbs of your choice, Pinch of flaked sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Place your 2 slices of rye in the toaster.
Whilst they are toasting, slice your tomatoes.
Arrange the slices overlapping on your bread, drizzle with tahini, sprinkle with sea salt & a generous grinding of fresh black pepper.
Then top with all the herbs! Personally I love a mix of dill, parsley & chives, but anything goes.
Fresh Strawberry, balsamic, roasted hazelnuts on strained yoghurt
Ingredients: 2 slices of rye bread, 6 British Strawberries, 4 Tbsp strained yoghurt (or thick yoghurt), 2 Tbsp chopped toasted hazelnuts, 1 Tsp Belazu Modena Balsamic vinegar, freshly ground black pepper
Straining yoghurt method: take 1 x 500ml pot of plain yoghurt, combine with ½ Tsp of salt, pour this into a clean muslin or tea towel, then tie into a knot, hang above a bowl in the fridge for 2 hours. Then remove and store in a container. Wash the cloth with cold water thoroughly before putting it in the washing machine.
Method:
Remove your strawbs from the fridge, give them a wash and leave them to come up to room temp! This may sound OTT, but strawberries shouldnt be served cold.
Place your 2 pieces of rye in the toaster.
Whilst these are toasting, cut your strawberries into quarters, leaving the green top on (they are edible!)
Place a generous dollop of yoghurt onto each slice of rye, then smooth with the back of the spoon.
Arrange your strawberry pieces at angles, drizzle with balsamic, a light grinding of black pepper and then finish with chopped toasted hazelnuts.
I’m not sure it’s possible to beat the soft pillowy centre and crispy olive oil drenched crust of a freshly baked focaccia. This dough is pretty much foolproof, simply mix, leave in the fridge overnight then proof and bake the following morning. The perfect addition to any picnic, tearing & sharing, mopping up those sauces or filling with chunks of cheese.
Serves 4-8 as a side depending on your appetite for carbs or makes 6 large sarnies
Ingredients
500g Strong white bread flour
2 Tsp Flaked sea salt (I use Maldon)
1 Tsp Caster sugar
2 Tsp Fast action yeast
425ml Luke warm water
Top with 3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt
Optional extra toppings - sundried tomatoes, rosemary, roasted veg or whatever you fancy!
Method
Day Ahead - make your dough between 2pm-7pm to allow enough time for the first proof
Weigh 500g flour into a large bowl, sprinkle the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl. This is so you don’t pour the yeast directly onto the salt (which can slow down the speed of the reaction)
Fill a jug with 425ml of luke warm water, sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and leave for 2-3minutes. The yeast will start to dissolve and bubble, this is called blooming.
Once the yeast appears bubbly, pour all the liquid into the centre of the flour and combine with your hand. You want all the flour to be mixed, no dry patches.
Once combined, tip your dough into a clean greased bowl or greased large tupperware double the size of the dough, as it will grow in size overnight. Cover your bowl with cling film or place the lid on your tupperware then place in the fridge.
Morning Bake - Start at 8:30am to have a loaf ready by Midday
Remove the dough from the fridge, line a brownie tin/baking dish with a sheet of greaseproof and a drizzle of oil.
Wet your fingers with cold water then tip the dough into the tray, using your hands to scrape out any straggly bits! You may want to rinse your hands again with cold water at this stage, then you want to stretch the dough with your fingertips to fill two thirds of the tin - the dough will bounce back as you stretch it, this is the gluten doing it’s job. As it relaxes and proves the dough will fill the whole tray.
Cover the tray with clingfilm or a clean tea towel and leave to proof for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size and has a nice wobble.
Check on your dough every 30minutes, when it has almost doubled in size Pre-heat your oven to 220Degrees.
Drizzle the dough generously with olive oil then using your fingertips dimple the dough (this is one of the best moments of making focaccia), sprinkle with sea salt and any other toppings .Then bake in the oven for 30-35 Minutes or until the top is nice and golden and the base is crisp.
Leave to cool for 5minutes then flip your focaccia out onto a wire wrack - this will help keep the bread crisp, leaving it to cool in the tin may result in a soggy bottom!
