5 Minute Food Fix

ARE ALL RICOTTAS CREATED EQUAL?

It's a question to kick off today's episode.
Yumi has also been entertaining one of her besties, and whenever she comes to visit that means it's time to revisit the legendary Spanish dessert Burnt Basque Cheesecake. I've been making this for quite a while using Nagi's recipe, but after a visit to unmissable Redfern eaterie, Flyover Fritterie, I was inspired to try adding saffron, rosewater and cardamom.
To make it, follow the directions from Nagi's recipe but use these quantities:
500g ricotta
2 x blocks of cream cheese
250-300g of caster sugar*
a healthy fat pinch of saffron threads, bloomed in 2tbs of warmed rosewater
about 30 cardamom pods, smashed open, seeds removed then seeds run through the spice grinder (fibrous pods composted).
310g Greek yoghurt
30g custard powder
a squeeze of vanilla paste

*I have made this twice - once using 250g sugar, once using 300g sugar - it was freakin delicious both times so do what you like.

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ORZO TRAY BAKE WITH FETTA AND PEPPERS

Turn oven on to 220C.
Quarter 4 peeled red onions, one whole chilli, one roughly chopped red pepper, and split a head of garlic across the hemisphere of the bulb.
Drizzle with olive oil then roast for 20mins until the onions are cooked and the veg are starting to char.
Add in a tin of cherry tomatoes, a tsp of nigella seeds and a tsp of crushed coriander seeds.
Cook for 20 more mins, squash the tomatoes now on the back of a spoon, squish out the garlic and add it back to the pan with 800ml water, 250g orzo, mix and then dot with a whole packet of fetta (200g) that you crumble over. Cook for 15 mins until the orzo is cooked.
Top with sprinkled green herbs like parsley, dill or fresh coriander.

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Simon and Yumi belly-laugh over some food-related nonsense and it's contagious, so listen if you need to get some sunshine today. Yumi also shares a bit about what happened at her recent (and very fancy) birthday lunch.
And maybe you also need ...chocolate cake? The quite legendary CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe from the wonderful Helen Goh can be found here.

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Yumi and Simon haven't seen much of each other recently so have much to catch up on, including what's going on with Yumi's extremely adoring foster dog, a fantastic Japanese snack that her kids LOVE, and what to do with that leftover chilli oil you've had cluttering your pantry ever since the Great Chilli Crisp Oil Fad of 2014...!

If you want to buy the crunchy "osembe" crackers, they look like this. They're not available at all Asian grocers and the lesser imitations are distinctly LESSER - so make sure they're Japanese and make sure they're Shoyu flavoured. (Sometimes they also come with beans baked through the crackers - these are also excellent and delicious but my kids refuse them.)

To batch-cook eggplant for use in baguettes or a black bean ragu, dice 2-3 eggplants into 1cm dice, preheat a pan, warm through your chilli oil and fry up the eggplant. Setting a timer can help if you struggle to trust when the eggplant is done: You'll need at least 10 good minutes of cook time.
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There's no need to feel sad and scurvyish this winter with this pasta that Simon has been regularly making that bursts with lemony flavour and sunshine.
(Also, has someone seen the *real* Yumi? because this one seems uncommonly interested in sport and not just sport but men's sport and therefore must be bodysnatched, please send help.)

PASTA AL LIMONE
RECIPE
Measure out 200g linguine and set it in a large pan that has a lid that fits.
Zest 2 lemons into the pan. Add in a bashed clove of garlic, 100ml olive oil and a teaspoon salt. Cover with 600ml water, cover with the lid and then bring the whole thing to the boil.
As soon as it reaches boiling, remove the lid and allow it to simmer gently for 8 minutes, turning carefully with tongs every minute.
Squeeze in the juice of one of the lemons, cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat then stir through 50g butter and some finely grated parmesan cheese (optional). Allow it to sit and soak up the juices for 2 minutes.
To serve, add basil leaves (optional), freshly cracked pepper and any more cheese if you want.

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