Archive | Food RSS feed for this section

Ultimate Fish Cakes

28 Feb

fishA yummy fish cake from Angela Nilsen (BBC Good Food). Great to serve as a starter or main. Have made it lots of times and everyone absolutely loves it!

 

 

Ingredients

FOR THE TARTARE-STYLE SAUCE

  • 125ml mayonnaise
  • 1 rounded tbsp capers , roughly chopped (rinsed and drained if salted)
  • 1 rounded tsp creamed horseradish
  • 1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 small shallot , very finely chopped
  • 1 tsp flatleaf parsley , finely chopped

 

FOR THE FISH CAKES

  • 450g skinned Icelandic cod or haddock fillet (I use the Fish Pie Mix found in supermarkets as I love the smoked haddock)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 150ml milk
  • 350g Maris Piper potatoes
  • ½ tsp finely grated lemons zest
  • 1 tbsp fresh white flatleaf parsley , chopped
  • 1 tbsp snipped chives
  • 1 egg
  • flour , for shaping
  • 85g fresh white breadcrumbs , preferably a day or two old
  • 3-4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil , for shallow frying
  • lemon wedges and watercress , to serve

Method

Method

  1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together. Set aside. Lay the fish and bay leaves in a frying pan. Pour over the milk and 150ml/¼ pint water. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 4 mins. Take off the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 mins to gently finish cooking the fish.
  2. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into even-sized chunks. Put them in a saucepan and just cover with boiling water. Add a pince of salt, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 mins or until tender, but not broken up.
  3. Lift the fish out of the milk with a slotted spoon and put on a plate to cool. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave for a min or two. Tip them back into the hot pan on the lowest heat you can and let them dry out for 1 min, mashing them with a fork and stirring so they don’t stick. You should have a light, dry fluffy mash. Take off the heat and beat in 1 rounded tbsp of the sauce, then the lemon zest, parsley and chives. Season well with salt and pepper. The potato should have a good flavour, so taste and adjust to suit.
  4. Drain off liquid from the fish, grind some pepper over it, then flake it into big chunks into the pan of potatoes. Using your hands, gently lift the fish and potatoes together so they just mix (see pic 1). You’ll only need a couple of turns, or the fish will break up too much. Put to one side and cool.
  5. Beat the egg on a large plate and lightly flour a board. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Divide the fish cake mixture into four. On the floured board, and with floured hands, carefully shape into four cakes, about 2.5cm thick (pic 2). One by one, sit each cake in the egg, and brush over the top and sides so it is completely coated (pic 3). Sit the cakes on the crumbs, patting the crumbs on the sides and tops so they are lightly covered. Transfer to a plate, cover and chill for 30 mins (or up to a day ahead).
  6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. To test when ready, drop a piece of the dry breadcrumbs in – if it sizzles and quickly turns golden brown, it is ready to use. Fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 mins on each side or until crisp and golden. Serve with the rest of the sauce (squeeze in a little lemon zest to taste), lemon wedges for squeezing over and watercress.

Grilled Mustard and Herb Chicken

28 Feb

mustard chicken

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken quarters, de-boned
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, heaping
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, heaping
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

 

Method

  1. De-bone chicken.
  2. Mix the oil, herbs, mustard and vinegar.
  3. Coat chicken and marinade overnight in the fridge.
  4. Get bbq, grill or the griddled frying pan sizzling hot.
  5. Place chicken skin side down.
  6. Expect smoke and sizzling.
  7. Cool until skin is brown and crispy, turning after 4-5 minutes.
  8. Continue cooking until juices run clear – roughly 4-5 further minutes.
  9. Serve with a sprinkle of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon.

Nigel Slater’s Thai Green Curry

28 Feb

Thai Green CurryThis recipe was a real eye opener for me. Up until I tried this, I always thought that making your own curry paste wouldn’t be worthwhile and that the store bought pastes are just as good. Well, after making this for the first time a few years ago, I haven’t bought a single jar from the store! Being able to taste each individual ingredient in the paste makes it so fresh and very exciting.

For the curry paste

  • 4 lemongrass stalks, tougher outer leaves discarded
  • 6 medium-hot green chillies, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 5cm/2in piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chopped lime zest
  • 1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
  • ½ tsp ground black peppercorns

For the curry 

  • 750g/1lb 10oz free-range chicken breasts or thighs, bones removed
  • 3 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 200g/7oz chestnut mushrooms, quartered
  • 400ml/14fl oz tin coconut milk
  • 400ml/14 fl oz homemade or ready-made chicken stock
  • 8 lime leaves
  • 1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
  • 1 tbsp bottled green peppercorns, drained
  • leaves from a large bunch (about 20g/0.7oz) basil, shredded
  • 15g/½oz fresh coriander (leaves and stalks,) roughly chopped

Method

For the curry paste, slice the lemongrass finely. Put it in a food processor with all the remaining curry paste ingredients and whiz to a thick paste, pushing the mixture down from time to time with a spatula. Transfer to a glass or china dish, cover tightly (otherwise it will taint everything in the fridge) and refrigerate.

For the curry, cut the chicken into finger-thick strips.

Warm the oil in a casserole and, when hot and sizzling, add the chicken strips and let them colour slightly on all sides. You will need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan.

Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the casserole with a slotted spoon. Add the quartered mushrooms to the casserole and fry until golden-brown, adding more oil if needed.

Pour in the coconut milk and stock, then add the lime leaves, four heaped tablespoons of the curry paste, the fish sauce, peppercorns and half of the chopped herbs. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Return the chicken to the casserole with a further tablespoon of the paste and simmer for five to six minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the last of the herbs and serve.

Taco Potato Gratin (or whatever you may want to call it)

27 Feb

Taco dish This is a dish that developed out of my love for tacos and potato gratin. It’s a completely something out of my own brain, hence the non-existent word for it! I’ve trawled the web to find anything similar and haven’t found anything – yet! It’s so easy to make + not that calorific either (unless you count the cheese of course….)

Oh, and it’s a real ‘cheat’ dish a la Delia…

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 500g peeled potatoes (I used Desiree variety, but any floury or all-purpose potato would do)
  • 400g mince meat
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 bags of Old El Paso ready-made Salsa (comes with a taco kit) or any other salsa
  • 1 bag of taco spice mix (Old El Paso, but any other will do)
  • Grated cheese

Method:

  1. Slice potatoes finely (use a mandolin if you have one – if not, it’s worth investing in one). Put them in an oven dish with some water and heat in the microwave for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and almost cooked through.
  2. Meanwhile, fry the meat in a frying pan with some oil until all browned.
  3. Mix the tomato and one bag of the salsa with the taco mix in a bowl. Pour it in with the meat and mix it all together.
  4. Remove the cooked potatoes from the oven dish temporarily to another plate and start layering potatoes with the meat & tomato mix into the oven dish until it is almost full.
  5. Finish off with spreading the second bag of salsa over the top of the dish and cover all with a good amount of grated cheese. This can all be done in advance and re-heated in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the mixture bubbles and the cheese is nice and browned. If food is still warm, it will only need to brown up the cheese (15-20 minutes).

Let it cool for a while and serve with some crispy salad and, why not, a dollop of sour cream and guacamole on the side. It’s pretty much like having a taco – only with potatoes!

Options:

  • Add sliced aubergine in with the potatoes for a bit of Greek/Mex moussaka variety. Aubergines need to be pre-cooked, though. Nothing worse than chewy, bitter aubergines!
  • Add chilli for a bit of spice
  • Add beans to the meat mix – or replace the mince with pinto or kidney beans for a veggie option

Jamie’s Tender & Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes

30 Jan

Jamie's Basil ChickenOne of my favourite recipes of all time – courtesy of Jamie Oliver (www.jamieoliver.com) This recipe takes literally minutes to put together but then requires slow, gentle cooking.

However, in return for your patience, what happens in the pan from just a couple of ingredients is an absolute joy and never fails, so it’s a good one to serve if you have guests.

 

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken legs, jointed
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 big bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
  • 2 big handfuls red and yellow cherry tomatoes and ripe plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes halved, plum tomatoes quartered
  • 1 whole bulb garlic, broken into cloves
  • 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
  • olive oil
  • 410 g tinned cannellini beans, drained, optional
  • 2 handfuls new potatoes, scrubbed, optional

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chilli and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1½ hours, turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

If you fancy, you can add some drained cannellini beans (I ALWAYS add – but then I’d add pulses to everything given half a chance) or some sliced new potatoes to the pan (I’ve found that they may need a tad parboiling before putting in depending on what kind of potatoes you use or how finely you slice them – won’t cook in time otherwise) and cook them with the chicken. Or you can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potato. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. You could even make it part of a pasta dish – remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once.

Yummy (and easy!) Onion Gravy

30 Jan

bangers and mashIn my opinion, one of the real ‘finds’ in British cuisine is the lovely ‘bangers and mash’. Can food be more comforting on a cold winters night?

The key to getting it right is letting the gravy take its time and getting really nice quality sausages (I like Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Cumberland Pork Sausages).

Here’s the simple gravy recipe I tend to use:

Ingredients

Serves: 4
  • 75g butter
  • 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 100ml red wine
  • 400ml chicken or beef stock
  • 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
  • 2 teaspoons mustard
  • salt and black pepper

Preparation method

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 45 mins

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 10 minutes or until soft. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the onions are brown, around 30 minutes in total.
  2. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute and then add the wine, stock, Worcester sauce and mustard.
  3. Bring the gravy to the boil and simmer for around 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Cook sausages as per the instructions on the pack. Serve with creamy mash and garden peas.

Pesto Genovese

20 Jan

PestoNot many people dislike pesto, but I have a friend who does. This recipe, though, she loves.

Ingredients:

  • 50g basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 125ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 25g grated parmesan

Put the basil leaves into a mortar and bash them witht he pestle until they become a pulp. Add the garlic and nuts and bash repeatedly. Using a metal spoon, stir in the olive oil, followed by the cheese. Add salt if necessary, but bear in mind that Parmesan is salty.

To store pesto, pour into a sterile jar and top with a bit of olive oil to seal. It will last up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

Note! Never heat pesto, simply stir into a hot drained pasta.

 

Soffritto

20 Jan

SoffrittoThis is the essential base for Italian stews and soups, some sauces and ragu. The recipe varies by region, but most versions contain celery, onion and carrot. This is the recipe I was taught at Caldesi cookery school in Bray, Berkshire.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 150g carrot
  • 150g celery
  • 150g onion
  • 150ml olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 large sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Finely chop the ingredients. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and seasoning. Fry for 1 minute before adding the rest of the ingredients.. Keep frying, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Use straight away or freeze.

 

Basic Pasta Dough Recipe

20 Jan

PastaI never thought there would be much difference in good quality store bought pasta and homemade one. Couldn’t really see the fuss. I have sooo changed my mind since I first attempted making my own pasta! It’s unbelievably different.

There are some instances when I wouldn’t bother bringing out my pasta maker – like for making lasagne. Fresh lasagne noodles from any supermarket is just fine. And then there are times where you can’t even compare the store bought variety – such as ravioli or any other filled pasta. I was also surprised how easy it is to make your own pasta!

Anyway, here’s the real basic pasta recipe that I always use and it always works.

Ingredients (enough long pasta for 6 people as a starter, 4 as a main):

  • 300g ’00’ flour
  • 3 medium eggs

Pour the flour onto a flat surface or into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mound. Crack the eggs into the centre of the well. Using a table knife, gradually mix the egg and the flour. When the dough is thick paste, use fingertips to incorporate the rest. And now, knead. This is the only bit that is a bit hard work. You need to work the dough for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. No grainy elements should remain.

Rest the dough in the fridge (wrap in cling film) for 20 minutes or more.

Seafood Chowder

20 Jan

Chowder

I was never much of a fish eater when I was younger despite growing up in Sweden where “fish is king”. The north of Sweden is even famous for its Surströmming (fermented raw herring) – can you blame me for not liking fish???  I’ve realized later in life it’s because it was never cooked the right way! I can’t stand the ‘fishy’ taste and smell you get from fish that is not fresh (which is why I HATE any kind of caviar and roe). I’ve now learned how to cook fish in a way that suits me, as well as my husband, and this is one of those great recipes.

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 100g streaky bacon, chopped
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 600ml stock (I tend to use chicken stock)
  • 225g new potatoes, halved
  • pinch of mace (nutmeg flower) – you can use nutmeg (sparingly) if you don’t have mace
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • 300ml milk
  • 320g fish pie mix (salmon, cod and smoked haddock)
  • 4 tbsp single cream
  • 250g cooked shellfish (whatever you can find)
  • small bunch of parsley
  • crusty bread to serve

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and bacon. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft and the bacon is cooked. Stir in the flour, then cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pour in the stock and bring up to a gentle simmer. Add the potatoes, cover, then simmer for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

Add the mace, cayenne pepper and some seasoning. Then stir in the milk.

Tip the fish pie mix into the pan, gently simmer for 4 minutes. Add the cream and shellfish and the simmer for 1 more minute. Check seasoning.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with some crusty bread.

Yummy! Particularly great during cold winter nights. Think I might make some later….

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →