There’s still a while left of summer, so enjoy it the best way we know how: with food. Add a fun touch to your kitchen this season with Le Creuset’s ceramic cookware in bold colours, such as teal, cassis and volcanic orange, which is particularly vibrant and beautiful. An interesting fact – the French word ‘Creuset’ actually translates to ‘cauldron’ in English, so you can brew something special in your very own very stylish cauldron.
We’d like to share two healthy Le Creuset recipes with you that are perfect to cook using Le Creuset cookware this summer, each requiring only 5 simple steps and just 30 minutes of your time.
Linguine with Gorgonzola Cheese, Sprouting Broccoli and Walnuts Preparation time: 5-10 minutes, cooking time: 15 minutes. Serves 4
Ingredients 400g/14oz dried linguine pasta 225g/8oz Gorgonzola ‘piccante’ cheese, rind removed 25g/1oz butter 2 garlic cloves, crushed Leaves from 2 large sprigs of thyme, chopped 200ml/7fl oz double cream or crème fraîche 1 small, un-waxed lemon, finely grated for zest 600g/1lb 5oz sprouting or tenderstem broccoli, lightly steamed 50g/2oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve 50g/2oz walnut pieces, lightly toasted Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1) Pour 3 litres/5¼ pints of water into a Le Creuset casserole dish, add salt and then bring to the boil. Then add the linguine to the dish and cook for 10-12 minutes, or if you prefer al dente, then cook for a shorter amount of time.
2) Next, you’ll need to drain the linguine, but save a little bit of the cooking liquid. Now that the linguine is cooked, put it on a plate to one side for the time being as well as the cooking liquid, we’ll use both of them later.
3) In the mean time, break the Gorgonzola cheese into small pieces. Now you need to melt your butter into the casserole dish, add the garlic and then cook this mixture for about 1 minute without letting it brown. Add the chopped thyme leaves and cook for a few seconds more. Next, stir in the cream, Gorgonzola cheese, lemon zest and stir this all together until it’s thick and creamy. Use black pepper here to season.
4) Now, gently stir in your linguine and a little bit of the cooking liquid, and add the steamed broccoli and the parmesan cheese.
5) Sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and some extra parmesan cheese, and this dish is now ready to serve!
Thai red chicken curry with green beans, cherry tomatoes and basil Preparation time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 25 minutes. Serves 6-8
Ingredients for The Curry 4 tbsp sunflower oil 5cm/2inch peeled fresh ginger, cut into short thin matchsticks 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2x400ml/14fl oz canned coconut milk 1tbsp light soft brown sugar 4 kaffir lime leaves 300ml/½pint chicken stock 175g/6oz fine green beans, topped, tailed and halved 700g/1lb 9oz chicken breast fillet, cut into long thin strips 225g/8oz small cherry tomatoes 200g/7oz canned bamboo shoots, drained 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce 1 large lime, juice only 25g/1oz fresh basil leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients for the Red Thai Curry Paste 75g/3oz peeled fresh ginger, roughly chopped 6 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed and the core roughly chopped 9 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 100g/4oz shallot, peeled and roughly chopped 1½tsp freshly ground coriander seeds 1½tsp freshly ground cumin seeds ¼tsp Thai shrimp paste 1 tbsp paprika powder ¾tsp turmeric powderOR you can simply use 200g ready-made red Thai curry paste
1) If you’re up for the challenge and will be making your Thai red curry paste from scratch, put all of the mentioned ingredients together into a food processor with 1tsp of salt and 1tbsp of water. Blend this all together for 1 minute until it forms a smooth paste.
2) To prepare your curry, heat the sunflower oil in a Le Creuset casserole dish over a medium heat. Next, add the ginger and garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes without letting it brown. Add your red Thai curry paste and cook for 3 more minutes whilst stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to smell fragrant. Now you need to add the coconut milk, brown sugar, lime leaves and chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
3) In the meantime, put the green beans into a Le Creuset saucepan filled with boiling, salted water and cook them for 3 minutes. Then drain and refresh them under cold water, and drain them well afterwards.
4) Now you’ll need to add the chicken and green beans to the curry and stir them in, allowing the mixture to simmer for 4 minutes. Add in the bamboo shoots and cherry tomatoes and simmer the curry for another 2-3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are tender.
5) Next, skim the excess oil off the surface of your curry, and stir in the Thai fish sauce, lime juice and some seasoning. Finally, scatter the basil leaves over the curry and serve your dish with some steamed basmati rice. Mmm, lovely!
We hope these examples give you some kitchen inspiration, and if you're feeling inspired then shop The Hut’s Le Creuset range to add some colour to your kitchen, and cook in style this summer.
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