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Yara Aguilar, Chisinau (2026)

13/01/2025

Lemon curd
Step 1
Put the lemon zest, juice, sugar and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the butter has melted. Then, using a small whisk or fork, stir in the beaten egg. Keep gently whisking the mixture over the heat for around 10 mins until thickened like custard.
Step 2
Pour the cooked curd through a sieve into a clean jug to remove the zest, then pour into sterilised jars. Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

26/12/2024

Mushroom bourguignon pithivier
Step 1
Cook the mushrooms in a large saucepan, covered, for 5 mins. Remove the lid so the liquid can evaporate, about 15 mins. Add the oil and fry the mushrooms for 5-6 mins until golden. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving any excess oil behind, and set aside.
Step 2
Fry the shallots for 6-8 mins until beginning to brown, then add the carrot, thyme leaves and garlic, and fry for 1 min. Add the tomato purée and flour, mix well and cook for 1-2 mins. Pour in the wine, stir and simmer for 3-4 mins until the alcohol has evaporated.
Step 3
Pour in the stock and cook for 15-20 mins more until the shallots and carrots are almost tender. Return the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 10-15 mins more until everything is cooked through, the liquid has almost evaporated and the sauce is thick. It’s important that you cook the liquid down until thick, or it will be difficult to shape later. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 1 hr until cold. You can make the filling up to three days ahead and chill.
Step 4
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut off a third of the pastry block and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm-thick square. Put on a sheet of baking parchment. Spoon the cooled veg mixture into the centre piling it up high. Roll out the larger pastry block as before, ensuring the square is enough to cover the base. Brush the exposed pastry on the base around the mushroom filling with soya milk, then lay the larger pastry square on top to enclose the filling. Press around the edges to seal, then trim the edges so you end up with an 18cm circle with the filling in the middle. Score lines or patterns into the top of the pastry, being careful not to cut all the way through. Brush all over with soya milk, then bake for 30-40 mins until the filling is hot and the pastry is puffed up and golden.

18/12/2024

Chestnut, spinach & blue cheese en croûte
Step 1
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and garlic, stir well, cover and cook for 10 mins until the leeks are soft, stirring a few times to check that they don’t catch. Tip into a large bowl. Put the spinach in the pan and allow it to wilt. Leave to cool and, when cold, squeeze out as much liquid from it as you possibly can.
Step 2
Tip the chestnut purée into the bowl with the leeks and add the 3 eggs, the nutmeg, chestnuts, spinach, breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning, and stir until well mixed. Chill for at least 1 hr until the mixture firms up.
Step 3
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle large enough to completely enclose the filling. Carefully lift onto a large, long baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment, then brush round all the edges of the pastry with the remaining egg. Spoon the filling down the centre of the length of the pastry, leaving the ends clear. Tuck the ends over the filling, then firmly lift up the sides to wrap them round, trimming away any excess pastry as you go. Brush with more egg to glaze, then make a few holes in the top so steam can escape as it cooks. Bake for 40 mins until golden and the filling is firm. Remove from the oven, brush with more glaze and bake for 10 mins more.
Step 4
To make the sauce, heat the stock in a medium pan, add the leeks, boil for 5 mins, then take off the heat and scoop out 2 tbsp of the leeks. Blitz the rest in the pan with the cornflour using a hand blender, then cook, stirring, until thickened. Pour in the cream and reserved leeks and warm through. Can be made 2 days ahead and chilled. Serve the pastry in thick slices with the sauce.

10/12/2024

Cupcake Christmas tree
Step 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line the muffin tin with the muffin cases. Put half the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add one egg and mix well. Add half the flour and milk, and mix with a spatula until combined. Use 2 teaspoons to distribute the cake mixture evenly among the cases and bake for 12 mins until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted to the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat to make another batch of 24 mini cakes.
Step 2
While the cakes are cooling, make the icing. Put the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and food colouring, and blend again until evenly coloured. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Once the cakes have cooled, use a skewer to make a small hole in the base of each cake. To decorate the cakes, pipe blobs of green icing over the surface of each one.
Step 3
Now you’re ready to start assembling your Christmas tree. Paint the foam cone all over with green paint and leave to dry – don’t worry about it being too neat. Push the cone into the pot. To build the tree, push a cocktail stick into the base of each cake and press it into the cone. Continue until the cone is covered in cakes, trying to keep them as close together as possible. You may have some left over, which you can serve alongside the tree.
Step 4
Spray the chocolate star gold and put on top of the tree, then decorate the rest of the tree with sweets. The cakes will last for 3 days.

25/11/2024

Sausage, roasted veg & puy lentil one-pot
Step 1
Heat grill to high. Put the sausages in a large roasting tin and grill for 8-10 mins until browning, then switch the oven on to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the tin from the oven and add the vegetables and garlic, then drizzle over the oil and toss in the paprika and some seasoning.
Step 2
Roast for 30-35 mins more until the sausages and veg are mostly tender, then stir through the lentils and vinegar. Return to the oven for 5 mins until everything is heated through. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and stir the garlic into the lentils, then season to taste, stir through the parsley and serve.

13/11/2024

Quick pitta pizzas
Step 1
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put a baking sheet inside to heat up. Spread each pitta with 1 tsp purée. Top with the tomatoes, shallot, chorizo and cheddar.
Step 2
Place on the hot sheet and bake for 10 mins until the pittas are crisp, the cheese has melted and the chorizo has frazzled edges. Scatter with basil, if you like, and serve with a green salad.

26/10/2024

Ale-glazed beef fillet with a crispy onion crust

Method
STEP 1
To make the glaze, whisk all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25-30 mins to reduce until sticky. Meanwhile, crush the onions with a pestle and mortar, or blitz in a food processor until you get a fine crumb.

STEP 2
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Generously season the beef all over. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat and spend 10 mins searing the beef well on all sides. Remove from the pan (setting the pan aside to cook the carrots later), then sit the beef on a wire rack in a roasting tin. Brush all over with some of the glaze, roast for 10 mins, then turn it over and do the same again, reserving some of the glaze for brushing over at the end. If you want the beef rare and you have a meat thermometer, the core temperature should be 52C. For medium-rare, roast for another 10-15 mins – the core temperature should be 55-60C. Cover the beef and let it rest for 15-20 mins.

STEP 3
Meanwhile, boil the carrots in salted water for 5-7 mins until just tender, then drain. Tip the carrots into the frying pan you used to sear the beef along with the butter and fennel seeds. Fry over a medium heat until golden, then add the spinach, any resting juices from the meat and 1 tsp of the beef glaze. Cook until the spinach has wilted.

STEP 4
To serve, scatter the crispy onions on a tray or plate. Brush the beef again with the glaze and roll it in the onions. Sit on a board, carve into thick slices and serve with the carrots and spinach.

14/10/2024

Chocolate chip traybake

Method
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil the base and sides of a 33 x 23cm roasting tin that’s at least 2.5cm deep. Line with baking parchment. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl. Break up any sugar lumps with a whisk.

STEP 2
Whisk the oil together with the milk, vanilla and eggs in a jug, and pour into the dry ingredients, then stir in the chocolate chips. Stir well using a spatula until there are no pockets of flour. Pour the mix into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If any wet mix clings to the skewer, return to the oven for 5 mins, then check again. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 20 mins.

STEP 3
Meanwhile, make the icing. Melt the butter, then remove from the heat and stir in the icing sugar, cocoa powder and milk. The icing will be very runny, but will thicken a little as it cools. (If the icing has thickened too much before the cake has cooled, reheat it slightly to make it easier to pour.)

STEP 4
Pour the chocolate icing over the cake and leave until it has set before slicing into squares.

07/10/2024

Sausage traybake

Method
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4. Toss the red onion, potatoes, artichokes, tomatoes, spring onions, sausages, fennel seeds and lemon wedges together in a baking tray or 20 x 20cm baking dish. Drizzle over the oil and season to taste (you won’t need a lot of salt, as the sausages can be quite salty).

STEP 2
Roast for 20 mins, then add the beans and stock. Roast for 35 mins more, then remove from the oven, swirl through the pesto and serve with crusty bread, if you like.

30/09/2024

Easy biscotti

Method
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugars, baking powder and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl and stir together.

STEP 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, vanilla and 3 tbsp hot water. Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry until the mixture comes together into a dough. Gently knead the dough until smooth – it will be quite dry, so add another 1 tbsp water if it’s too difficult to knead after a few minutes. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, shaping each into a 25 x 8cm log. Put the logs on the prepared baking tray and bake for 25-30 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray for around 15 mins.

STEP 3
Using a sharp knife, cut the slightly cooled logs into 1-2cm-thick slices crosswise. Return the biscotti to the lined baking tray and bake for 15-20 mins more (the oven should still be at 180C/160C fan/gas 4), turning the tray around halfway through. Leave to cool slightly on the tray, then transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. If you like, dip one end of each biscotti into some melted chocolate, then leave to set on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Will keep in an airtight container for up to five days.

19/09/2024

Tandoori-ish chicken with lime-pickled cucumber

Method
STEP 1
Slash the chicken with a sharp knife. Mix the yogurt, garlic, ginger, tomato purée, spices, lemon juice and 1½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

STEP 2
For the pickle, mix together the lime juice, sugar, chilli and 1 tsp salt, then toss with the cucumber and red onion. Chill until ready to use or up to 1 hr.

STEP 3
Blitz the yogurt, cumin and herbs with a pinch of salt until smooth. Chill until needed.

STEP 4
Shake off the excess marinade and put the chicken on a baking tray, reserving the marinade. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then once at temperature, change the setting and heat the grill to high. Grill the chicken, skin-side-up, for 10-15 mins or until beginning to blacken a little. Change the setting back to an oven heat of 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tin, then brush with the reserved marinade and cook for 20 mins. Serve with the cucumber, yogurt, cucumber pickle and pilau rice.

13/09/2024

Sourdough pizza

Method
STEP 1
Make a batch of our white sourdough, following the recipe to the end of step 10. When the dough is ready, tip it onto a lightly floured surface and divide into six equal pieces. Roll into balls and leave to rest on a floured tray, covered with a damp teatowel, in the fridge for at least 4 hrs, and up to 18 hrs – the longer you leave the dough, the more sour it will taste.

STEP 2
Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Drain some of the juice from the plummed tomatoes and tip the rest into a bowl with the olive oil, oregano and a generous pinch of salt. Combine by either scrunching everything together with your fingers (this will make a chunky sauce) or blitz with a stick blender (this will make a smooth sauce). Chill until needed.

STEP 3
To make the pizzas, heat a grill to high and prepare an ovenproof frying pan. On a floured surface, push and stretch a ball of dough into a circle roughly the same size as the pan. Get the pan very hot, then working quickly and carefully, drape it into the pan, spread over some of the sauce, a handful of mozzarella and some basil, if using.

STEP 4
Cook for 2 mins, until little bubbles appear, then put the pan under the grill for another 2-4 mins until the sides are puffed up and the cheese has melted. Remove, drizzle with a little olive oil and cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Yara Aguilar

13/01/2025

26/12/2024

18/12/2024

10/12/2024

25/11/2024

13/11/2024

26/10/2024

14/10/2024

07/10/2024

30/09/2024

19/09/2024

13/09/2024

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