Charlotte Pike

Award-winning cookery writer, teacher and chef

Dinner

Courgette Fritters

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These delicious fritters are wonderfully simple to make, and are a great use or larger courgettes, which, in my view, do not look as appealing or have the delicate flavour of the first, young courgettes of the season. Chickpea or gram flour has a lovely flavour, but use plain white flour if you don’t have it to hand. This recipe is very versatile, so feel free to try different cheeses and herbs.

Courgette Fritters
Serves 4
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390 calories
43 g
184 g
17 g
19 g
9 g
420 g
675 g
9 g
0 g
6 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
420g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 390
Calories from Fat 146
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17g
25%
Saturated Fat 9g
45%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 184mg
61%
Sodium 675mg
28%
Total Carbohydrates 43g
14%
Dietary Fiber 5g
20%
Sugars 9g
Protein 19g
Vitamin A
27%
Vitamin C
110%
Calcium
34%
Iron
18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 3 large courgettes, grated coarsely
  2. 4 spring onions, very thinly sliced
  3. 200g feta, crumbled into small pieces
  4. 3 large eggs, beaten
  5. 150g gram flour
  6. 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  7. 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
  8. Sea salt and black pepper
  9. 2-4 tbsp olive or sunflower oil, for frying
  10. 1-2 lemons, cut into wedges
Instructions
  1. It really doesn’t take long to prepare and cook these fritters, so start by doing all the prep, and cooking them just before you want to eat them, so they’re at their freshest.
  2. Start by putting the courgettes, spring onions and feta into a large mixing bowl. Stir together gently. Add the beaten eggs, flour and chopped herbs and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until the ingredients are evenly combined and the flour has been incorporated. The mixture will look a little lumpy, but don’t worry.
  3. Pour half the oil into a large non-stick frying pan and heat over a medium-high heat.
  4. When the oil is hot, spoon in the mixture, one large tablespoon at a time. The fritters may take one to two minutes to become richly browned and slightly crisp underneath, and then they can be flipped over, using a spatula. Once they are turned over, press each fritter slightly, to flatten and encourage the centre to cook through. Once firm and righly browned on each side, remove and place on kitchen paper to blot. Repeat until the mixture is used up. You should end up with 15-20 fritters, depending on size.
  5. Serve fresh from the pan, but keep them warm in the oven on a baking tray if you need to.
  6. Serve with lemon wedges, and maybe a tomato and herb salad. If the fritters aren’t all eaten up, you can keep them in the fridge and eat them cold or reheat in the oven later.
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calories
390
fat
17g
protein
19g
carbs
43g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/

Gazpacho

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Gazpacho

Gazpacho is one of the highlights of summer cooking and eating, for me. Chilled soups are some of my favourite things to eat on hot days, and gazpacho is probably my favourite of all. I first learnt how to make gazpacho when I lived in Madrid. The summer was seriously hot, well into the mid 40s, and this was pretty much all I fancied for my evening meal. Gazpacho is eaten very widely in Spain, and in every deli or supermarket, you’ll see cartons of gazpacho for sale in the chiller. 

We ate this every day a few weeks ago, during the heatwave here in the U.K., and it reminded me just why I love it so much. It is perfect for those evenings when it almost feels too hot to bother cooking and eating. It’s cooling, refreshing, nourishing, with such lively and exciting flavours. 

This really is a soup to make in the peak of summer, when the ingredients are at their best. Quite simply, it won’t taste the same if you try it at any other time. The flavour of properly ripe tomatoes really make gazpacho sing. Good bread is essential, for body and texture.

For the best results, make this gazpacho in a blender or liquidiser, rather than a food processor, for the smoothest result. When it’s really hot, I often make this in the Nutribullet, meaning there is even less equipment to clear up afterwards. Olive oil and parsley make a wonderful topping, but chopped vegetables are quite traditional. 

Gazpacho
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
15 min
239 calories
30 g
0 g
12 g
6 g
2 g
440 g
180 g
11 g
0 g
10 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
440g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 239
Calories from Fat 104
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g
18%
Saturated Fat 2g
8%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 180mg
7%
Total Carbohydrates 30g
10%
Dietary Fiber 6g
22%
Sugars 11g
Protein 6g
Vitamin A
74%
Vitamin C
295%
Calcium
11%
Iron
12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. ½ large cucumber, peeled, roughly chopped
  2. 1 large yellow pepper, de-seeded, roughly chopped
  3. 1 large red pepper, de-seeded, roughly chopped
  4. 6 large, perfectly ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  5. 2 banana shallots, roughly chopped
  6. 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  7. 100g best quality bread, such as sourdough
  8. 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  9. 2 tbsp Sherry vinegar
  10. Sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend most of the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and shallots to a rough purée in a food processor, reserving a couple of chunks of each vegetable for a garnish, if you like.
  2. Add the garlic, bread, olive oil and sherry vinegar to the food processor and blend again until smooth, or to a more textured consistency if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  3. Transfer the soup to a jug, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes, or until cold.
  4. Cut the reserved vegetables into small cubes. When ready to serve, pour the gazpacho into bowls and garnish with the vegetables, or a drizzle of oil.
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calories
239
fat
12g
protein
6g
carbs
30g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/

The Perfect Turkey

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Perfect Turkey

The centrepiece on the Christmas – and indeed Thanksgiving – table is, for so many of us, a turkey.

This Christmas, I wanted to share my top tips for the perfect turkey. It’s been delicious work re-testing my recipe, to make sure it works faultlessly for you on the big day.

The turkey

Good food starts with good shopping. The turkey you buy really matters. My view is that I’d rather eat meat less frequently and make it really amazing when I do. And if there’s ever a time to buy something good, it’s surely this time of year.

Having conducted independent, extensive taste testing, I’m firmly of the conclusion that the most delicious turkey I have tried is from Copas. Based on their family farm near Cookham, Copas rear and sell their turkeys through their website with home delivery and selected retailers.

The flavour and texture of the meat is unparalleled; juicy, tender breast and richly flavoured, succulent leg meat, and wonderfully thick, dry skin, that turns fantastically crisp and golden once roasted.

Copas turkeys have been carefully reared, hung and slaughtered to ensure the birds enjoy the best life and produce the most delicious centrepiece for a celebration.

What to buy?

I recommend buying what you need for the number of people you need to serve. Don’t feel the need to go overboard, because it’s Christmas. I like to have leftover turkey, and use it in delicious pies, curry and just cold with salads, cheeses and chutneys over the festive week. I therefore budget to have some leftover meat when making my calculations. Cooked turkey freezes very well, so you can ensure every scrap is used and enjoyed.

If you like a mix of white and brown meat, then a whole bird is probably for you. If no-one in your house eats brown meat, you may be best off buying a turkey crown. The crown joint is quicker to cook than a whole bird. For an even quicker option, I occasionally will joint the whole turkey, open up the breast and debone the legs and stuff both, tying them up with string and roasting them for around an hour, creating a quick-cook, easy-carve option. This, however, is probably best attempted by the advanced cook. I’d suggest a crown for a novice cook.

Cooking, resting and carving

My recipe for roast turkey is below. You need to ensure you know the weight of the turkey to calculate the cooking time, and most birds will come labelled with their weight. Whole birds will take longer to cook.

What makes all the difference is resting meat once it has been roasted. I recommend a minimum of 20 minutes, but a large turkey will happily sit for up to an hour, becoming juicier and more tender as it rests. Don’t worry about it getting cold – this will only happen once it is cut.

To carve, I strongly recommend doing this in the kitchen or sideboard. There is no way I’d take a whole turkey to the table to carve. Make sure your carving knife is really sharp. I like to remove the legs and wings from a whole bird, before slicing the breast. Slice the breast as thinly or thinly as you like. My preference is for reasonably thin slices.

This Christmas, I’ll be online on Twitter to help with your Christmas cooking queries. So, please do follow me @charlotte_pike_ and get in touch if you need to.

Roast Turkey
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539 calories
1 g
212 g
31 g
61 g
16 g
236 g
304 g
0 g
1 g
12 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
236g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 539
Calories from Fat 272
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 31g
47%
Saturated Fat 16g
80%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 212mg
71%
Sodium 304mg
13%
Total Carbohydrates 1g
0%
Dietary Fiber 1g
2%
Sugars 0g
Protein 61g
Vitamin A
13%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
7%
Iron
22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 large turkey
  2. Sea salt and black pepper
  3. 25g softened butter (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
  2. Start by weighing the turkey to calculate the cooking time. Cook the turkey for 20 minutes per 500g, plus 20 minutes.
  3. For example, a 2kg bird should be roasted for 1 hour 40 minutes.
  4. Ensure the giblets have been removed from the cavity. You may wish to spread the softened butter over the skin of the turkey before roasting.  Season the turkey well with salt and pepper and roast for the calculated time.
  5. Turkey will be cooked when the juices run clear, and the flesh is no longer pink.
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calories
539
fat
31g
protein
61g
carbs
1g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/
Prune, Orange, Pistachio and Parsley Stuffing
Serves 8
A fresh meat stuffing is very delicious and can be made with either minced pork, sausage meat or minced turkey.
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259 calories
25 g
71 g
8 g
23 g
2 g
124 g
167 g
2 g
0 g
5 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
124g
Servings
8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 259
Calories from Fat 69
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8g
12%
Saturated Fat 2g
8%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 71mg
24%
Sodium 167mg
7%
Total Carbohydrates 25g
8%
Dietary Fiber 2g
7%
Sugars 2g
Protein 23g
Vitamin A
9%
Vitamin C
11%
Calcium
7%
Iron
15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 500g minced meat - turkey, pork or sausage meat
  2. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  3. 1 tsp olive oil
  4. 1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
  5. 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  6. Zest of one large orange
  7. 100g prunes, chopped
  8. 50g pistachios, chopped
  9. 4 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  10. 100g fresh breadcrumbs
  11. 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
  1. Put into a large mixing bowl and season well. Pour the oil into a large non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until translucent and not coloured. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
  2. Add all remaining ingredients to the minced meat, followed by the onion and garlic. Mix well, ensuring the ingredients are evenly combined.
  3. Roll into golf ball-sized balls. It is particularly nice to shape the stuffing into balls, which can be served easily and neatly.Place onto a non-stick baking tray or into the roasting tin around the turkey. Roast, uncovered, for around 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and the meat is fully cooked throughout.
  4. You may need to turn the stuffing balls once, to ensure they are evenly browned as they cook. If your tray is not non-stick, line it with a sheet of non-stick baking paper first. If you are roasting the stuffing with the turkey, add the balls for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time. You may wish to drain out the juices from the meat first, so the stuffing does not become greasy Reserve all cooking juices for use in the gravy.
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calories
259
fat
8g
protein
23g
carbs
25g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/
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