A collection of recipes, videos and ideas from our St Anne's College kitchens to keep you inspired over the lock-down period and beyond. Follow St Anne's Kitchen on Instagram @st_annes_kitchen
Cooking Demonstrations
Feta Cheese and Sunblushed Tomato Savoury Cake.
Ingredients:
225g gluten free self raising flour (self-raising flour can also be used or if you only have plain flour, use 225g plain flour with 3tsp baking powder)
3 large eggs
100ml olive oil
100ml white wine
100g vegetarian style Parmesan (or any hard cheese)
250g sunblushed tomatoes
150g feta cheese
4 sprigs of chopped thyme
Salt and pepper to season
‘Salmorejo’, an Andalusian chilled tomato and bread soup.
Ingredients:
6 ripe plum tomatoes
3 slices of stale bread
2 cloves of garlic
600ml olive oil
2 dessert spoons of sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper
This dish works very well as a starter or light lunch.
The Loaf, The Myth, The Legend, Sourdough
Ben Gibbons, Head Chef at St Anne’s College, delves into the mysteries of sourdough and gives hints and tips on how you can create this notoriously tricky loaf.
Once you have got your starter going, why not try Ben’s sourdough pizza base recipe below?
Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake
Recipe from Pastry Chef Ian Smith and demonstration by Head Chef Ben Gibbons.
Ingredients:
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
240ml water
6 tbsp oil
1 tbsp white wine vingar
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g icing sugar
1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp vegan butter
Recipes
Don’t miss the three course meal developed by Head Chef Ben Gibbons for our Online Founders Dinner 2021, the recipes can be found here.
Click on the dots at the bottom of the image to see the next instructions.
Artichoke, Potato and Criollo Chorizo Stew, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Mushroom Soup, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Butternut Squash and Barley Wellington, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Tortellini, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Monkfish a la King, recipe from Catering Manager Natalie Smyth
King Prawn Taglatelle & Moules Frites, recipe from 2nd Chef Lewis Colwell
Crispy Duck Pancakes, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Butternut squash Tatin with harissa butter, recipe from Catering Manager Natalie Smyth
Smokey Fish Pie, recipe from 2nd Chef Lewis Colwell
Thai Prawn Broth, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Korean Knife Cut Noodles, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Charcoal grilled chicken, sourdough tacos, Oaxacan mole, cucumber & mint salsa, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Sourdough Pizza Base, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Beef Hotpot, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Quick Brioche, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Flourless Peach Cake, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Cinnamon Swirl, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Tarta de Santiago, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Profiteroles, recipe from Chef de Partie Claude Henry
Apple Tarte Tatin, recipe from Chef de Partie Claude Henry
Plum Jam and Scones, recipe from 3rd Chef Luke Smith
NHS Rainbow Victoria Sponge, recipe from 4th Chef Daisy Street.
Banana Cake and Peanut Butter Frosting, recipe from Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Chocolate and Ale Cake with Choc Ale Icing, recipe from 2nd Chef Lewis Colwell. Recipe book by Tom Kerridge.
Serve alongside a healthy swipe of Greek yogurt drizzled with XVO oil and topped with finely sliced spring onions.
Non-fried crispy chicken
A cheeky cheat fried chicken recipe by Head Chef Ben Gibbons. This is healthier thanks to no frying and it’s also a really good way to use up random crunchy in texture ingredients in your cupboards. The crumbs used to coat the photographed chicken came from blitzing a bag of Thai spiced snack mix!
Serve with some chilli sauce and a dollop of yoghurt.
Mongolian crispy pork
From Pastry Chef Ian Smith
For the pork:
Mix the below ingredients together and marinate for 24 hours. Put into a vacuum pack bag and steam for 3 hours, if you don’t have vacuum bags you can braise in stock or confit in fat until tender. Set aside to cool completely (can be frozen for later use)
1kg rindless pork belly
100ml soy sauce
100ml red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Garlic chilli ginger paste
For the garnish, deep fry the following:
1 carrot julienned
1 bunch of spring onions sliced on angle
100g shredded green beans
1 bulb of garlic sliced
For the dressing, mix the following in a bowl:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp black sesame
1 chopped fresh chilli
2 tbsp sesame oil
To serve:
Dust the chilled pork belly in corn flour and deep fry until golden and crisp. Just before serving, mix the fried garnish and dressing through the pork belly and plate up.
Healthier pancakes
By Head Chef Ben Gibbons
Serves 2:
150g oats
120ml milk
2 eggs
2 bananas
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of cinnamon
Purée all of the ingredients together in a food processor.
In batches, shallow fry in coconut oil until golden on both sides.
Stack up and load with whatever you like. We opted for banana, low fat Greek yoghurt and honey.
Carne con patatas (meat and potatoes)
By Head Chef Ben Gibbons. Traditionally a cheap peasant dish, a stew or ‘estofado’ made with cheap cuts of stewing meat bulked up with cheap potatoes.
Serves 4. For a plant based alternative try switching the beef for celeriac.
800g diced shin of beef
500g waxy potatoes approx 1 inch pieces
1 large onion diced
1 bulb of garlic sliced
2 tbsp Sherry vinegar
1 can of lager
1 litre beef or chicken stock
4 sprigs of thyme chopped
4 bay leaves
1 tsp saffron
Sea salt & pepper
Fry the beef in a large based pan until browned all over, season the meat with salt and pepper whilst cooking.
Add onions and garlic, cook down until soft.
Add Sherry vinegar, cook for 1 minute before adding lager. Reduce by half.
Add thyme and bay followed by the stock.
Cover with a lid and gently simmer on a low heat for approx 1 hour or until the meat begins to soften.
Check and adjust seasoning.
Add potatoes and saffron, cook for a further 20/25 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
Check seasoning once more and serve with greens and some good crusty bread.
Tomato, Romano pepper & ricotta puff pastry galette
By Head Chef Ben Gibbons. Serves 4.
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 Romano pepper sliced 1cm thick
2 vine tomatoes sliced 1cm thick
10 vine cherry tomatoes halved
Sea salt & black pepper
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 bulb of garlic thinly sliced
50ml Sherry vinegar
200g ricotta
100g cheddar grated
2 tsp pesto
1/2 tbsp capers
1 egg beaten for egg wash
Pre heat oven to 200c
Mix the sliced and halved tomatoes with sliced peppers and some sea salt. Set aside for 5 minutes allowing the salt to draw out water from the vegetables before straining the water away.
Now mix the tomato and peppers with the onions, garlic and Sherry vinegar.
Lay the puff pastry onto an oven proof tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Spread half of the ricotta across the centre of the pastry leaving approx 1 to 2 inches around the edges without.
Put the grated cheddar over the ricotta and add a little salt & pepper.
Lay the tomato mixture evenly over the cheese followed by more salt & pepper.
Roughly fold the edges of pastry in towards and over the tomato mix, leaving a rustic finish. Egg wash all around the pastry before placing in the oven for approx 30 minutes.
When it’s cooked and the pastry is crisp around the edges and the base, take it out and place it onto your serving dish of choice.
Loosen the pesto with a little olive oil and drizzle it over the top of the galette, then spoon the remaining ricotta over the top, followed by the capers.
Goes perfectly with a side salad.
Chorizo & chickpea rice, aubergine ‘cannelloni’ in tomato Frito with ricotta, lemon & thyme.
Recipe by Head Chef Ben Gibbons. Prep 20 min, Cook 1 hour, Serves 6
1 aubergine thinly sliced lengthways – ideally on a mandolin.
150g brown rice.
4 chorizo Rosario – skinned and chopped.
1 red onion diced.
1 bulb of garlic sliced.
60ml Sherry vinegar.
1 tin of chickpeas.
5 sprigs thyme chopped.
400ml tomato frito (or any other smooth tomato sauce such as passata)
4 sprigs thyme picked.
100g ricotta.
1 lemon – zest only.
Olive oil for cooking and finishing drizzles.
Sea salt & black pepper.
Rub the sliced aubergine in oil, salt & pepper and grill on both sides until soft and cooked. Set aside.
Cook the brown rice in salted water until the rice is cooked and water has been soaked up. Ratio 1 part rice to 2 parts water.
Put the skinned chopped chorizo in a cold dry frying pan and place on a high heat. Natural oils will release, cook until crispy. Add to the cooked rice.
Fry the garlic until golden before adding the onions, cook until soft and sweet. Add the Sherry vinegar and cook until no liquid remains, add the chopped thyme and a drained tin of chickpeas. Mix this through the rice.
Roll the aubergine slices with the rice mix inside, like stuffed rolls of cannelloni. Lay in an oven proof dish. Top with tomato sauce and either fridge for later or put straight in a 160C pre heated oven for approx 30 mins. If cooking from fridge add an extra 10-15 mins cooking time.
Remove from oven, top with spoons of ricotta, lemon zest, picked thyme and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Chistorra, purple sprouting & saffron potato salad with feta cheese & Sherry vinegar soaked sultanas
Chistorra is a kind of cooking chorizo, you can use any cooking chorizo in this recipe. Recipe by Head Chef Ben Gibbons. Serves two, time taken 20 minutes.
1 large chistorra sausage cut into 1.5 inch pieces.
200g purple sprouting trimmed.
300g waxy potatoes into 1.5cm cubes.
1 bay leaf.
1/2 bulb of garlic thinly sliced.
Pinch of saffron.
1/2 tbsp sultanas.
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar.
50g feta cheese.
Salt, black pepper & extra virgin olive oil.
Put the sultanas into a bowl with the vinegar and microwave for 1 minute, set aside and leave to soak.
Put the potatoes into a pot with cold water, saffron, bay leaf and salt. Bring to the boil and then turn down the temperature cooking until just cooked through. Drain off set aside.
In a pan of boiling salted water, cook the sprouting for approx 3 minutes until just cooked. Drain and dress with olive oil, season and set aside.
In a cold pan with a very small amount of oil, add the chistorra. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until crisp all over and cooked through, approx 5 mins. Remove the chistorra and set aside.
Add the garlic to the chistorra oil in the pan and cook until just golden.
Add the potatoes to the pan on full heat, cook until crisped edges.
To plate up, layer up potatoes, sprouting and chistorra with the sultanas and pieces of feta cheese. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Thai Green Chicken Curry recipe
Serves 8
1kg diced chicken breast
200g ginger
10 sticks lemon grass
1 garlic bulb
2 green chillies (this is mild)
7 spring onions (1 for garnish slices)
2 bunches basil (reserve some good leaves as garnish)
1/2 bunch coriander
3 limes zested and juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
50g palm sugar
2 tins of coconut milk
200ml chicken stock
10 kaffir lime leaves
Vegetables of your choice, the photographed curry has sweet red pepper but traditionally you’ll often find Thai Green Aubergines or Pea aubergines.
With a sharp knife slice the ginger, lemon grass, garlic, chillies, spring onions and put into a liquidiser. Run a knife through the basil and coriander and add to the liquidiser along with the lime zest and juice and one tin of coconut milk. Purée all of the ingredients into a smooth green paste.
On a low to medium heat in a wide based pot, seal off the chicken in 1 tbsp coconut oil being careful not to colour the meat.
Once the chicken is white in colour all over but still raw, add your chosen vegetable, all of the lime leaves, the second tin of coconut milk then the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
Finally add the green paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and stir through. Keep cooking on a gentle heat until the chicken is cooked through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed to give a balance of sweet, sour, spice and salt by adding more palm sugar, lime, chilli and fish sauce.
Serve with jasmine rice and your choice of sides.
(For a vegetarian alternative switch the chicken for veg of your choice or tofu and chicken stock for veg stock)
Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder & Lentil Ragu
A delicious slow cooked ragu that works well in the summer months. Serve alongside some beautiful seasonal vegetables such as fresh peas and broad beans, maybe a handful of dressed watercress for good measure. Serves 6
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1kg pork shoulder, diced
2 white onions, diced small
1 garlic bulb, sliced
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 spring thyme, picked
1 tsp fennel seeds
150g green lentils
1 litre chicken stock
2 piquillo peppers
200ml passata sauce
Salt & pepper
In a heavy wide based pot heat up the olive oil before adding the meat and browning all over, seasoning the meat while it’s in the pan. When brown, remove from the pan and set aside.
Into the same pan, on a medium heat, add the garlic and fry until slightly golden before adding the onions. Add a pinch of salt to help release water content from the onions. Cook until softened.
Add the fennel seeds, rosemary and thyme followed by the lentils and then the chicken stock. Cover with a lid and simmer for approx 1.5 hours or until the meat is just becoming tender, occasionally stirring and checking whether more water is needed.
Add the passata and peppers, cook for a further 15-20 minutes with the lid on to cook down the peppers.
Check seasoning before dishing up and tucking in.
Asparagus, spring onion & Brie quiches
Serves 6
Pastry;
250g plain flour
150g butter
1tsp salt
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
Filling;
2 bunches of asparagus, sliced and blanched
3 large spring onions, sliced and blanched
150g Brie, diced
1/4 bunch chives, chopped
custard;
300ml double cream
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
6 grates of whole nutmeg
Black pepper
Sea salt
Put all of the pastry ingredients except the milk into a food processor and on a low to medium speed mix into a fine crumb. Add the milk and continue to mix until it comes together to form a dough. On a surface, work the dough with the palm of your hand before rolling into a ball, cling filming and refrigerating.
Grease your quiche cases with butter and lightly dust with flour.
Once chilled, allow the pastry to soften slightly and roll until approx 2-3mm thin. Cut into discs a few cm larger than your cases, line the cases working the pastry into the corners of the case and leaving an overhang around the rim. Chill once more for 10 minutes.
Use a fork to prick the bases before lining with greaseproof and weighting down with beans or rice. Blind bake in a 190C pre heated oven for 15 minutes before removing the paper and weight and baking for a further 5 minutes.
Leave the cooked pastry inside the cases and fill with the prepared asparagus, spring onions, Brie and chives.
Whisk together the custard ingredients and fill each pastry case to the rim.
Return to the oven and cook for a further 20-25 minutes until set and slightly golden on top.
.
Recipe Blogs
Take a look at some recipe blogs written by our Head Chef, Ben Gibbons;