HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

I used hummus topped with dukkha  and with a splash of garlic, chili and truffle oil instead of the taramasalata. INGREDIENTS 200g tub taramasalata or hummus 1/2 cup marinated chilli peppers 1/2 cup marinated kalamata olives 12 dolmades grilled lavash or pita bread to serve Salad 3/4 cup fresh oregano leaves 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp lemon juice 250g Greek feta, sliced 125g cherry tomatoes, halved 1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced METHOD: For the salad, place the oregano, garlic, oil, lemon juice and 2 Tbsp warm water in a blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Place  the feta, tomato and cucumber in a bowl and drizzle with the dressing, then serve, arranged on a platter, with the remaining ingredients. Put the marinated ingredients on a wooden platter or in bowls and serve with the bread. Choose your own mix of marinated ingredients and fresh vegetables. A dd some marinated artichokes, thinly sliced gherkins, sundried tomatoes or ...

I used cold meats such as prosciutto, salami, pastrami, ham and Jarlsberg cheese, but you can use whatever cold meat you like. It is a Catalan tradition to eat it with 'pa amb tomàquet ' . Soo yummy! INGREDIENTS 150g ham 150g prosciutto or serrano 150g salami 150g pastrami 150g Jarlsberg dried or fresh figs (optional) fresh dates (optional) 1 baguette 2 very ripe tomatoes sea salt extra virgin olive oil METHOD: Put all meats on a wooden board or platter and the figs and dates on a bowl.  To make the 'pa amb tomàquet', cut the baguette into thick slices. Cut the tomatoes in half and rub on the bread slices. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Serve the cold meats and cheese on top of the bread. You can also toast the bread, rub with a garlic clove and then follow the instructions as per 'pa amb tomàquet '. 

What can you do when you have people coming for drinks and have no time. These are some delicious platters that can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Soft blue cheese, crumbly cheese, serrano ham or prosciutto, salami, biscuits, dry figs, walnuts, pecans and anything else you can find in the fridge or pantry! Yummo! 😄😜 Cucumber, serrano ham or prosciutto, dolmades, white asparagus. Add salt and pepper to the cucumber and a splash of olive oil just before serving. Add a few vegetables to cold meats. I like a variety of biscuits to serve with the cheeses and deli platters, but a variety of breads and wraps, sliced and warm, also go extremely well with deli platters.

Bake the ricotta as per recipe below. (I use small ramekins so that I can get single servings.) Let it cool and before serving preheat oven to 180C. Remove ricotta from ramekin and put on a oven safe tray. Add 100 ml of pure cream on top of ricotta and sprinkle with some parmesan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese has turned golden brown and cream has thickened. Sprinkle with lightly toasted pine nuts. I love it served with this  rocket salad instead of the goat cheese. I usually bake a big batch of ricotta and when cold I put it in the freezer in the ramekins. It is great for when you don't have much time for cooking, just thaw them out and serve with a salad or as part of an antipasto platter. INGREDIENTS: Olive oil 500g fresh ricotta, drained 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 Tbsp fresh thyme, leaves picked 1 tsp grated lemon zest 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) freshly ground black pepper a pinch of paprika METHOD Preheat oven to 1...