Olive It! and Tapas Revolution restauranteur Omar Allibhoy recently held a culinary masterclass at The Brighton Cookery School. It was to celebrate the Olive and to teach people about their health benefits, which olives work well in which dishes, their seasonality and new and delicious ways to enjoy Spanish olives.

Spanish chef and cookbook author Omar Allibhoy who has been called the Antonio Banderas of cooking by none other than Gordon Ramsey, runs four Tapas Revolution restaurants, three in London, one in Birmingham and one newly opened in Sheffield.

The exclusive hands-on cookery tuition session by Omar showed a a variety of tapas inspired recipes using olives. We also learnt how the olive starts out as green on the tree, turning purple and then finally black, all from the same tree!  Olives are low in calories (unless you eat the whole bowl of course!), they contain monounsaturated fats, over three quarters of their fat content is oleic acid.  They are a good natural source of vitamin E, with black olives also containing a good amount of iron.

Omar showed us how to prepare an olive, candied cherry and goats cheese dessert with double cream and a splash of sherry. I am always up for different flavour combinations and this sweet and salty fusion did not disappoint, I could have eaten two portions, oh wait I did as there was some left over at the end, utterly delicious!

We then made a couple of olive oil marinades using cayenne and oregano for the green olives and ginger, cardomon and cinnamon to combine with black olives. I must admit to a huge penchant for olives, we cook with them (tapenades, hummus, with pasta, etc) but also love a bowl of green olives with a glass of wine. I have never marinaded them before but it’s certainly on my another way with olives list now!

Our main course was salad based with a thick and very filling Romesco dressing.  Into a food processor went the roasted red peppers, tomatoes and garlic (I absolutely love roasted garlic), hazelnuts, toasted bread and a healthy dose of olive oil.  The dressing was then blobbed onto a bed of salad leaves along with flaked Tuna and chopped anchovies, with more black olives scattered over the finished dish.

There was plenty of Spanish wine flowing to accompany the dishes which we devoured at the end of a very pleasant and knowledgeable evening. We were given a goody bag with tins of olives, an apron and the Olive It! cookery book which as you can imagine is crammed full of olive recipes which we will be trying.

Thanks to Omar, Olive It! and the Storm Communications team for the invitation and a wonderful evening.

Inspired by the Spelt Buttermilk Soda Bread we made at River Cottage cookery school last month, this loaf was made with the buttermilk from the butter I made earlier in the week (I couldn’t resist having another go, the butter tastes so deliciously creamy too!).

My loaf contains Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame, Flaxseeds and Walnuts which are packed full of health giving properties.  

Pumpkin seeds are full of omega 3 essential fatty acids, along with some omega 6, rich in B vitamins, selenium and zinc. They are also a good source of calcium and magnesium.

Sunflower seeds too are a valuable source of B vitamins, vitamin E, omega 6 essential fatty acids and monounsaturated fats.  The seeds are rich in calcium and magnesium too.

Sesame seeds, these tiny calcium rich seeds are brilliant non-dairy bone builders, rich also in zinc and vitamins B and E as well as magnesium.  They contain both omega 6 and 9 fatty acids.

Flaxseeds have an abundance of balanced levels of omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids plus vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, E, Folic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc.  A true wonderfood!

Walnuts, fabulous Walnuts, my go-to snack and a wonderful addition to breads.  They are one of the richest sources of antioxidants plus vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, E, biotin, Folic acid, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc.

Spelt Seeded Buttermilk Soda Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan

Ingredients

175g Spelt Flour
50g Oats
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon each of Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame and Flaxseeds (more or less to your own taste)
100g Walnuts (more of less to your own taste)
100g Cheese (Cheddar and Goats cheese are favourites)
1 tablespoon Honey
275 ml Buttermilk

Extra seeds and cheese to sprinkle on top before baking.

Method

Combine the Spelt flour, oats, bicarbonate of soda, salt, seeds and nuts in a large bowl.  Mix in well.

Add the Cheese, Honey and Buttermilk and stir in until it all comes together, form into a ball and transfer onto a floured surface.  Gently knead until all ingredients are well combined, do not over work.  

Pop the dough onto a greased and/or lined baking tray and shape into a round, cut the dough with a knife twice, making sure not to go all the way though.  The bread should pull apart easily once baked into four generous pieces.

Sprinkle with the extra seeds and cheese then place into the oven to bake for around 25-30 minutes until nicely golden brown.  This soda bread comes out of the oven with a delicious crusty finish, soft and pillowy on the inside.

After a 3 hour drive to Dorset with Elinor from Beach Hut Cook (who very kindly drove us there and back in her fabulous yellow mini!) we checked into our hotel, had an early dinner of pan-fried cod with a chickpea ratatouille, then an early night (8 uninterrupted hours for me!) and up at 6.30am for a very good full English breakfast washed down with tea, then onwards to Devon and River Cottage HQ.

We were both so excited to be invited to this VIP event for food bloggers by River Cottage and Foodies100.  The chance to see first hand how the farm operates and to sample the food.

We were transported from the farm entrance by tractor which was brilliant, Miss ND would have loved it, to say it was bumpy is a huge understatement but it really started the day on a great note with lots of laughing and hanging on to our seats!

We were greeted with a campfire and to go over the day’s itinerary from the relative comfort of a yurt.  Then it was coffee and pastries and time to network and have a little wander around this amazing space before starting the day’s activities.

Our first session was a Baking Soda Bread and Butter making session in the well-equipped River Cottage Cookery School with Group Head Chef Gill Meller.

The River Cottage Cookery school hosts 1, 2 or 4 day classic cookery courses covering a range of techniques and skills from baking breads, cakes and pastries to fish and shellfish cookery to specialist courses with more specific interests or dietary requirements covering anything from gluten-free baking to vegetarian cookery, cheese making, curing and smoking meats!  There is so much more to do at River Cottage, from dining to fairs, festivals and even weddings, check it all out here.

I make soda bread frequently as I have a mild yeast allergy, this bread, however, was made with Spelt flour, a flour I have in my larder but never used to make soda bread.  I shall be posting my version in another post (we still have a huge amount apples from our trees to cook with and blackberries in the freezer from our garden) along with another attempt at making butter.

The bread was packed with apples and blackberries (which we picked ourselves from the bushes outside), oats, goats cheese, fennel seeds, black pepper and honey.  We then attempted butter making, very much easier than I ever thought (if you use a mixer!) and the buttermilk that was squeezed out of the butter used as the liquid for our bread.  

I buy butter and buttermilk every week, but I think I may be making more of my own butter now!

Our next session was food photography styling with the lovely Lucy Heath who gave us a lot of inspiration for ideas and how to present our shots for the different social media platforms.  She laid out a lot of food props for us to have a hands-on session to try to replicate some of her ideas.  I love food photography, always learning so this was a real treat for me.

Lunch was then served in the barn, along with the amazing menu, it was a chance to relax and chat with like-minded food bloggers, food does have a way of bringing people together.

Our first course was a beef ravioli or leek and goat’s cheese ravioli for the vegetarians, freshly made silken wholemeal pasta with a beautiful basil pesto, served on a bed of ratatouille, leeks, thyme and garlic.  

River Cottage Beef Ravioli

River Cottage Leek, Goat’s Cheese Ravioli

This was served with delicious roasted corn on the cob and their freshly baked bread which had a crunchy crust with a pillowy soft centre that I slathered with lashings of butter!

Dessert was local foraged damsons with fennel meringue and the best icecream I have ever tasted, made that very morning, infused with salted caramel, coffee beans and Madagascan vanilla. I definitely need the recipe for that!

Our final session was a tour of the farm including the kitchen garden.  Will, the head gardener regaled us with his extensive knowledge of River Cottage’s certified organic farm and the vegetable kitchen garden where we found some unusual herbs and learnt about their methods of composting, crop rotation and harmonious planting.

We also saw some of the farm animals, notably the Black Pigs and the laying Chickens.  As a born and bred city girl (who now lives in the coastal/countryside) I loved seeing these creatures roaming relatively free and being treated with the utmost respect.

Throughout the day the River Cottage staff kept us well topped up with tea and coffee and to end the day we were treated to gorgeously soft (and moreish! I had 2!!) chocolate truffles with a final coffee to keep us going on the long journey home.

Thank you to River Cottage HQ and Foodies100 for the generous hospitality and putting on such a wonderful day of events and food!  I will definitely be revisiting.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa Vegetable Stuffing is a highly nutritious, extremely filling lunch or supper dish.  You can roast the Butternut Squash ahead of time, make the stuffing, assemble and pop back in the oven to warm through.

Butternut Squash is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants. The beautiful orange colour of the butternut squash delivers an abundance of powerhouse nutrients known as carotenoids.  Rich in vitamin A in the form of beta carotene, its seeds are also rich in protein, healthy fats and zinc. Butternut Squash contains a good amount of fibre, potassium and magnesium. It is also a good source of Vitamins B1,B2, B6, Folic Acid, E, Calcium and Magnesium, and a rich source Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese.

I roasted the Butternut Squash in Pukka Organic Ghee on recommendation and was not disappointed with the results, tasted so very buttery and soft.

The vegetable rich stuffing has added protein from the Quinoa to balance the meal with health giving properties of garlic, paprika and cumin make the dish tasty and nourishing.

Print

Yum

Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa Vegetable Stuffing

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

• 1 medium - large Butternut Squash
• Ghee
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 large carrot, blended or grated
• 1 large courgette, chopped or spiralised
• 2 tablespoons Tomato purée
• 200g approx passata
• Black Pepper
• 50g approx Quinoa, cooked
• 50g Mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Cut the Butternut Squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds.
2. Score the Butternut Squash diagonally to around 1cm depth.
3. Dot with as much Ghee or butter as necessary.
4. Roast at 160C for around 45 minutes until the Butternut Squash is buttery soft.
5. Gently fry the red onion and garlic until soft.
6. Add the Paprika and Cumin and fry for around 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the blended Carrot (I used my blender blade to finely chop the carrot).
8. Add a couple of tablespoons (or so) of water to the pan and place a lid on to steam them until softened.
9. Add the Courgette and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
10. Add the Tomato purée and Passata, stir in well and cook for a few minutes.
11. Season to taste with black pepper.
12. Add the cooked Quinoa to the Vegetable mixture and combine well.
13. Place the Quinoa, Vegetable mixture onto the roasted Butternut Squash, add to the scooped out holes and along the middle.
14. Sprinkle the grated Cheese evenly along the whole length of the Quinoa, Vegetable mixture.
15. Return the completed Butternut Squash to the oven and bake for around 10 minutes at 160C until the cheese has melted.

Notes

Cook Time includes 45 minutes roasting Butternut Squash, which can be roasted ahead of time and set aside.

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