Jerk Whole Red Snapper

Lucky for us, a new butcher and fishmonger has opened up a five minute walk from my house!! So at the weekend we took a walk over to buy some fresh fish for dinner. It didn't take long to choose - the red snapper looked amazing.

Having never cooked red snapper before, I wasn't sure what to expect...although I have heard its slightly sweet and firm and works well in Caribbean cookery. Having always got a jar of my homemade jerk paste (recipe here) in the fridge - I knew what we would be having. Served with some rice and peas (yes its kidney beans, but this dish you don't actually use green peas). Perfect!

You can use shop bought jerk paste, or even jerk seasoning if you like.

Ingredients:

2 x red snapper, gutted and de-scaled
3-4 tbsp. jerk paste
drizzle of oil

Cut slashes into the fish sides and spread the paste in and around them. Leave to marinade for an hour if you have the time. Place onto a baking sheet and drizzle with just a little oil.

Heat the oven to 220 C and bake the fish for 20 minutes, turning over fish half way through cooking time.

For the rice and peas accompaniment:

Ingredients:

150g rice (I use basmati)
1 small onion, chopped finely
200ml coconut milk
200ml water
200g tinned kidney beans, rinsed
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Fry the onion in 1 tbsp. oil until soft and add the rice. Stir briefly over a high heat and then add the coconut milk and water. Turn the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the beans, thyme and seasoning. Warm through. 

Serve the fish whole on the rice and peas and sprinkle with chopped spring onion. Enjoy!

Sticky Honey & BBQ Chicken Wings

A firm favourite of mine; we had these delicious sticky wings on Friday night, with a buttery corn on the cob, hand cut chips and salad.

Juicy and sticky, this is a perfect recipe that works every time.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chilli powder (optional)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

20 chicken wings
1 cup bbq sauce (your favourite)
1/2 cup honey


Method:

Set the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper (a good tip is to sprinkle a little water on the tray which makes the paper stick flat).

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Dip the wings in to coat and shake off the excess. Place the wings on the baking tray and cook for 45 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Mix the honey and the bbq sauce together in a bowl. Dip the cooked wings into the sauce and place back on the same tray. Pop into the oven for a further 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Note: If the wings are big enough, I tend to cut off the tip completely, then cut the remaining two parts in half. To do this, cut the skin in between, bend the knuckle backwards until it snaps and snip the last bit with a pair of scissors.

Thai Beef & Tofu Noodle Soup

This not only is an easy soup to put together, but it stretches 1 beef fillet for 2 people (always good). And with all the flavours and textures you would want. Serve this with a couple of spring rolls on the side and its a filling, delicious dinner.

Ingredients:

1 litre beef miso stock (made with 1 Oxo cube & 30g Miso paste)
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. mirin
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 red chilli, sliced
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 beef fillet, sliced thinly
100g soba noodles (cooked)

Toppings:

1 pack Tofu, cubed
handful coriander, roughly chopped
handful beansprouts
3 spring onions, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
crispy garlic (see note at bottom)

Method:

Add the stock to a large pan and heat to boiling. Add all of the main ingredients apart from the beef and noodles (and toppings). Leave to simmer for 15 minutes for the flavours to develop.

Pat the tofu dry with kitchen paper and toss in a little cornflour. Add a tbsp. of oil to a frying pan and fry the tofu until brown on all sides.

Ensure you have all the toppings ready. Now add the sliced beef to the stock and immediately turn off the heat. The stock will be hot enough to cook the beef. Warm the cooked noodles in boiling water and drain.

To serve, put some noodles into the base of a warmed bowl. Spoon over the stock and beef. Add some tofu and the remaining toppings. Serve and enjoy! 


Note: For the crispy garlic, peel and slice 2 cloves garlic. Add some oil to a pan and tilt the pan so that the oil gathers in one place. Put the garlic in the hot oil and fry until golden. By tipping the pan, it 'deep' fries the garlic rather than having it flat which makes it burn too quickly. Drain on kitchen paper.

Note: If you don't like spicy food you can omit the chillies, or remove the seeds as liked.

North Italian Lamb Ragu with Pappardelle

This is my absolute favourite lamb ragu recipe. Although I do like tomato based ragu - I definitely prefer this North Italian style (although they would likely add veal and beef) with no tomatoes in the sauce. Milk, cream and stock is used instead.

You may be surprised at the length of time it takes to cook, particularly the 60 minutes for the mince. But it is a labour of love and you will be rewarded by a rich, beautiful flavour that will delight!

Ingredients:       (Serves 4)
500g lamb mince
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
grate of nutmeg
salt and pepper
100ml. milk
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato puree (paste)
200ml. vegetable stock (cube is fine)
60ml. double cream
freshly grated parmesan
250g dried pappardelle

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, carrot, garlic and parsley. Cook on a medium heat, stirring for about 5 minutes, or until the onion translucent. Add the lamb mince and cook, stirring to combine with the onion mix and breaking up the mince with a spoon as you go. With the heat on medium/low, continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 60 minutes. The lamb should cook gently and start to brown. If the lamb is going too brown too quickly, you have the heat too high.

Add a grating of nutmeg, some salt and pepper to taste, and milk. Cook until most of the milk has absorbed, then add the tomato puree and stock. Stir again. Reduce the heat to low. Half cover and cook for a further 60-90 minutes. Finally add the cream and a little more parsley.

Towards the end of the cooking time, boil some water in a saucepan for the pappardelle. Add pasta and cook until still a bit too al dente (still not completely cooked) Drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Put the drained pasta back into the saucepan and add a couple of ladlefuls of the lamb ragu and a a good splash of the pasta water. Mix and let the pasta cook its final few minutes in the ragu. This will get the flavour into the pasta. Taste to check the pasta is cooked to your liking and serve the pasta in a large bowl. Top with more ragu, fresh parmesan and some fresh parsley if liked.