Potato croquettes
All recipe development and food photography on pages 12-21 © Stockfood, The Food Media Agency
GF SF
Serves 6 | Prep 15 mins plus chilling | Cook 35 mins | Calories 299 (per serving)
FOR THE PASTRY
750g (1lb 7oz) floury potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tbsp butter, cubed
2 tbsp Parmesan, grated
1 tbsp cornflour, plus extra for dusting
1½ ltr (2½pt) sunflower oil, for deep-frying curly lettuce, to serve gluten-free tomato ketchup, to serve mayonnaise, to serve salt
1 Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted, boiling water until tender to the tip of a knife, about 15-20 minutes.
2 Drain well and return to the pan they were cooked in. Add the butter, Parmesan, cornflour and ½ tsp salt, mashing until smooth.
3 Let the mashed potato cool completely.
4 Once cool, pack the mashed potato into assorted silicone moulds, e.g. farm animals, tractors, etc., that have been dusted with some cornflour. Make sure the potato is flush and level in the moulds.
5 Place on a baking tray and freeze until semi-firm, about 20 minutes.
6 In the meantime, heat the oil to 180°C/355ºF; use a thermometer to accurately gauge the temperature.
7 Working in batches of three or four, turn out the potato shapes from their moulds and dust with a little cornflour, shaking off the excess.
8 Carefully lower into the oil and fry until golden-brown, turning over in the oil a few times, about 3-4 minutes; you may need to adjust the heat under the pan to maintain the frying temperature.
9 Carefully remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper, loosely covering them with foil to keep warm. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the remaining shapes.
10 When ready to serve, garnish with some lettuce and serve with ketchup and mayonnaise for dipping.
TIP Use veggie Parmesan if you avoid meat.
Vegetable spaghetti
GF SF
Serves 4-6 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 25 mins | Calories 367 (per serving)
450g (1lb) gluten-free spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
4 streaky bacon rashers, chopped
75g (2¾oz) button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled, finely chopped
150g (5½oz) broccoli florets
100g (3½oz) green beans, trimmed, halved
3 tbsp dried apricots
2 tbsp blanched almonds
100g (3½oz) grated mozzarella a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted, boiling water until ‘al dente’, about 10-12 minutes.
2 In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or paella dish set over a moderate heat. Add the bacon and fry until golden and crisp, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pan to a plate.
3 Add the mushrooms, garlic, broccoli and green beans to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes, add a generous splash of water, cover, then cook until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.
4 Drain the spaghetti when ready. Add to the pan along with the apricots and almonds, tossing to combine.
5 Preheat the grill to hot. Scatter the mozzarella and cooked bacon on top of the spaghetti. Transfer to the grill and cook until browned on top, about 2 minutes.
6 Carefully remove from the grill and scatter with some chopped parsley before serving.
Mini pizzas