#TROYTribe - Alfresco Dining with Bella Philippi
For the second installment of our Alfresco Series, Bella Philippi, AKA @whatsforsupperbella shares with us her favourite alfresco recipes for the ultimate bank holiday feast.
Potato Gratin with Lemon, Thyme and Courgette
This is an easy gratin full of summer flavours and colours, making good use of courgettes which are growing in abundance in the UK at the moment. Make in advance and then use as a foundation for your next Al Fresco meal, serve with a plate of local charcuterie for everyone to help themselves too, a bowl of olives and a big crisp green salad.
Ingredients
4 good sized potatoes (I used Maris
Piper)
2 courgettes
200ml good quality chicken or vegetable stock
100ml single cream
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only, the woody stalk discarded
1 Lemon, zested
A small knob of butter
Method
Thinly slice the potatoes (don’t worry about peeling them) and the courgettes. Layer them up in an ovenproof dish, with the stock, cream, thyme leaves and the zest of the lemon, added intermittently as you build up the layers. Top with a few small knobs of butter. Bake for approx 1hr30 minutes at 200C or the top right of an Aga, until the potatoes are cooked through and crispy on the top. You may need to cover with foil if the top potatoes get too crispy before the bottom ones have cooked!
Nectarine, Tarragon and Tomato Salad with Mozzarella
Fresh and colourful this is the perfect salad to serve alongside barbecued fish or meat, eaten in late summer sunshine in the garden. Sweet juicy nectarines that dribble down your chin pair beautifully with ripe tomatoes, fresh tarragon, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mozzarella is optional but not absolutely necessary.
Ingredients
3 ripe nectarines
4 to 6 tomatoes
A handful of fresh tarragon
2 to 3 balls of buffalo
mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Method
Cut the nectarines and tomatoes as you wish, scatter them on a serving plate, tear up the mozzarella if you are using it, sprinkle with a generous amount of freshly chopped tarragon and a good drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
LEMON & RICOTTA CAKE
This is a classic Italian Ricotta cake that when made in a loaf tin is ideal for picnics. The cake has a dense almost brioche type texture that is made super moist and slightly savoury by the addition of Ricotta, it slices well and is easy to hand around and eat outside, making it perfect picnic food.
INGREDIENTS
175g butter, at room temperature
360g caster sugar
425g ricotta
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
1 and a half teaspoons baking powder
A generous pinch of salt
360g plain flour
7x9 inch loaf tin (or 9
inch round cake tin) the base lined with baking parchment
METHOD
Preheat oven temperature to 180C.
Mix together the butter and sugar, then add the ricotta and beat or whisk for 5 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, continuing to beat well, then add the zest and juice of the lemons. Gently stir in the salt, flour and baking powder, not overmixing at this stage. Pour into a lined cake/loaf tin and bake at 180C (or the bottom right of an Aga) for approx 50 mins, until if you stick a knife into the middle it comes out clean, with no uncooked cake mixture. Dust with icing sugar and serve alongside seasonal fruit, such as raspberries, apricots or figs.
NOTE: Store in the fridge (and it is even better cold, I think!).
"Running three children, two dogs, a husband and working for a travel company produced a never ending “To Do” list! Much as I love the achievements and challenges it produces I found my creativeness crushed by lack of time. So, I decided enough was enough and after being asked once again “what’s for supper”? I decided to combine the children, the cooking and my creativeness, with a little photography into @whatsforsupperbella. My background is Leiths cooking school, followed by many happy years cooking for a travel company, followed by hiring cooks to cook for that same travel company, combining my love of travel and cooking for over 20 years. Born and raised in Norfolk, I returned with husband in tow to grow children and delve into the counties plentiful supply of fresh seasonal foods. Nutrition and seasonality is at the heart of what I cook, combined with simpleness, menu planning and getting children involved. Has it worked, well take a look and please tell me what you think. Bella x "
Bella's Pick
Round Collar Shirt in Green Check
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