Pan Fried Red Mullet with Potatoes & Aioli

Red mullet if not a fish I tend to see often in supermarkets in London; you have to head to a fishmongers usually. Which is a shame as its a beautiful fish. Much loved in the Mediterranean, I decided to make this as a sort of tapas dish - simply pan fried, served on some garlic and lemon potato with a lovely garlic aioli. Serve either as part of a mixed platter of tapas, or just have for lunch with some salad, bread and a glass of crisp white wine. Delicious!

Ingredients:

Red mullet fillets, scaled and boned
2 tbsp. flour
salt & pepper

Dip the fish into the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil to hot in a large frying pan and pan fry the fish. Skin side down first for 2 minutes, then the other side until crisp. Keep warm.

For the potatoes:

1 large potato, peeled and sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Set the oven to 190 C. In a bowl, gently mix together the potatoes with the garlic, lemon and oil. Season and put onto a baking sheet. cook for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to toss in the oil, until cooked. Serve on a plate with the fish on top.


For the garlic aioli:

4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 egg yolks
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup (240ml) extra virgin olive oil

Crush the garlic on a board with the salt until a paste. Put into a bowl with the egg yolks and using a hand blender on a low speed, slowly add the oil in a steam until incorporated. Do the same with the lemon juice until you have a creamy mix.

 

Sausage & Halloumi Couscous with Fresh Rocket Pesto

I nearly didn't cook tonight. After a long day at work I was tempted to not bother, but as much as I thought I wasn't in the mood to hit the kitchen with gusto... once I had got there, as always, I felt inspired. My lovely range cooker just literally calls out to me..

So, I have pork sausages, I have some rocket and I have halloumi cheese. This is where my head went. These sorts of dishes with fresh pesto and the like sound a bit too much work. But if you happen to own a hand blender, it takes less that 3 minutes to make. I loved it!

Ingredients:

6 (400g) thick pork sausages
250g halloumi cheese, cubed

Cube the halloumi and fry in a little oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Gently push the centre of each sausage until you can twist the middle (making half size sausages). Pop in the oven at 180 C for about 35 minutes until browned and cooked through.

Pesto:

55g fresh rocket
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. pine nuts
4 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

Put the first three ingredients into a hand blender and blitz. Add the seasoning and olive oil and blitz again to make a pesto. Put into a bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

Couscous:

1 cup  (150g) couscous
1 vegetable stock cube
1 1/2 cups (365ml) boiling water
1 small courgette, finely diced
1/4 red pepper, finely diced

Put the couscous and crumbled stock cube into a boil and pour over 1 1/2 cups (365ml) boiling water. Cover with cling film to steam for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the vegetables.

To serve:

Stir 20g fresh rocket into the couscous and put in the centre of the plate. Add some sausages, halloumi, pesto and a little plain low fat yoghurt. Scatter over some pine nuts and serve.

South Asian Chicken Dopiaza Curry

Dopiaza is a Persian word meaning 'two onions'. This is a curry that changes so much from recipe to recipe but the onions are basically predominant. This is the version I made last night when I was craving a little spice. This is a dry (ish) medium hot curry, but it really depends on where you buy your chillies - I buy mine from an Indian shop local to me and used two. They are surprisingly fiery!

Quick to make - and delicious served with rice or just chapati. I served with two chapati per person and the meal was rather low in fat! Winner!

Ingredients:    (Serves 2)

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 large onions, peeled
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 fresh green chillies, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 inch ginger, peeled
1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. turmeric powder
6 tbsp. low fat yoghurt
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. garum Masala
handful fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

Slice one of the onions and in a large pan, fry in 1 tbsp. of oil until soft and browning. Set to one side, on a plate, for later.

Chop the other onion and put into a small blender with one of the chilles, the garlic and ginger. Blitz to a paste. Using the same pan, add the other tbsp. of oil and the onion paste. Cook for about 5 minutes on a high heat to get some colour (mind out as it will splutter). Grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a grinder or a pestle and mortar. Add to the onion paste in the pan with the turmeric and salt. Stir well.

Now add the yoghurt, a tbsp. at a time, mixing in well each time to make a sauce. Add the chicken & tomatoes and put a lid on the pan. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle on the garum masala and the fresh coriander. Top with the second chilli and serve. Delicious!

Slow Cooker Lamb Pie with Pink Port & Peppercorns

Now I don't know about anyone else, but if I ever get served a lamb shank my first thought is 'fabulous, I love lamb shank'. However the thought that comes immediately afterwards is 'oh the SIZE of it!!' In my opinion, they're just too big to serve on a plate for one person. Almost intimidating.

I was determined to try this method. Slow cooked lamb shank in my trusty slow cooker with some pink port, pulled into nice size mouthfuls and popped into filo pastry to make a delicious pie. You can, of course, use shortcrust pastry if you prefer, but I think this works best. And the great thing is that it serves four meals - not two!

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
2 shot glasses of pink port
6 shot glasses of water
1 tsp. peppercorns, crushed (use pink ones if you have them!)
big pinch salt

bisto gravy granules
six sheets filo pastry sheets
25g butter, melted

Method:

Put the first 8 ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for about 6-7 hours. The meat will be falling off the bone. Put the meat onto a plate to cool and strain the juice from the veg, reserving both.

Make the stock into gravy using gravy granules (or thicken with cornflour) until its nice and thick. Put the vegetables into a bowl and pull the lamb apart with your fingers, keeping the chunks a good size, adding it to the veg. Pour enough gravy in to moisten well and stir to combine.

Layer the pie dish with the pastry (brushing melted better in between the layers) leaving the sides hanging over to make the top (see pic below) and then add the filling.

Gently place the overhanging pastry and brush with the last of the butter (see below)

Pop in the oven at 190 C for about 30 minutes, or until golden. Serve with lots of green vegetables like peas and broccoli.

Absolutely delicious with a crisp pastry and soft lamb filling. You'll love it!

Plaice stuffed with Pancetta and Spinach

Here's a nice easy recipe for you. The Bloke wanted fish and chips after coming home from the pub on Friday night and I wanted healthy so I decided a on plaice.. stuffed, rolled and baked (not fried!). A very simple recipe that takes the fish to an almost Mediterranean feel - with a healthy and delicious punch of flavour.

Ingredients:     (Serves 2)

2 plaice fillets
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, peeled & chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 slices pancetta
150g fresh spinach
parsley for garnish


Method:

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil gently for 5 minutes until soft. Add the pancetta slices, ripped into pieces. Fry for another 5 mins until pancetta crisp.

Put the spinach in a colander and pour over a kettle over boiling water to wilt. Drain well (I cooled the spinach and put in a clean tea towel and squeezed out the water). Add to the pan with the spinach and onion. Put the mix into a bowl and crumble over a slice of bread. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Put the plaice fillets flesh side up on a board and put half of the filling in the middle of each fillet. Roll up the fish and place seam side down in a ceramic dish. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked.

Sprinkle with a little dried or fresh parsley and serve with chips and peas. Enjoy!

Celeriac, Salsify and Roast Onion Soup

Yes, it does sound a bit odd but I was doing my usual peering in the fridge at what needed to be eaten and I had a stick of salsify and a half a celeriac. I knew it needed something to give it a sweet twist so I roasted two onions. Ahh the smell was amazing. And the soup was so moreish.. really worth a try.

I love soup. During these cold months its just so easy to make and not only does it use up vegetables you need to eat before they go bad...its easy. And good for you. And comforting. Give it a go..

Ingredients:

2 large onions, peeled & left whole
1 tsp. olive oil
120g salsify, peeled & chopped
1/2 head celeriac, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
salt & pepper


Method:

Put the two onions in a small ceramic dish. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper and roast for 1 hour at 200 C.  Leave to cool and remove the tough blackened outer skin (You can leave a few browned bits in) and chop roughly.

Put the vegetables(salsify, celeriac & garlic)  in a large saucepan and boil for about 30 minutes until soft. Add the roasted onion and blitz with a hand blender. Season with salt & pepper and serve hot with crusty bread. Its that easy!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagne (V)

This is one for cousin Joe. He is a vegetarian and I know its been a little while since I have given the vegetarian readers a treat! This dish is a delight and meat eaters will not give a hoot that its vegetarian. Its that good.

Layers of mashed caramelised roasted butternut squash dotted with garlic and toasted pine nuts, fresh pasta and soft steamed spinach with a gruyere cheese sauce. What's not to like?! Its winter - treat yourself.

Ingredients:

700g butternut squash, peeled & chopped (1 large squash)
300g fresh spinach leaves
40g pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp. olive oil
10 sheets lasagne (I used fresh, but dried is fine)
75g gruyere cheese (for topping)

For the sauce:

50g butter
50g flour
600ml milk
75g gruyere cheese


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C and pop the chopped squash on a baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt & pepper and cook for about 40 minutes, until soft and beginning to slightly char at the edges. Put into a bowl and mash with a fork. If you get lots of brown bits that's okay - its caramelised.

Put the spinach in a colander in the sink and pour over a full kettle of boiling water to wilt. Leave to cool and put in the middle of a clean tea towel. Squeeze out the water.

To make the sauce, simply melt the butter in a sauce pan and tip in the flour. Stir and let cook for 1 minute to get the 'floury' taste out. Then add the milk in about 4 portions, stirring well to incorporate in between each adding. Stir well until creamy and add the 75g gruyere cheese. Stir in.

Put the oil in a little pan and add the garlic slices. Fry for 2 minutes and add the pine nuts. Cook stirring for another minute or two and drain on kitchen paper. Now you can assemble!

Put some cheese sauce in the base of a 9 inch lasagne dish. Put in a layer of lasagne and then layer 1/2 the ingredients - plus sauce and then some more lasagne. Then the rest of the ingredients and ending with a third layer of lasagne. Top with the remaining cheese sauce (you might want to heat it with some milk to make it pourable at this stage) and then the grated gruyere.

Bake in a 180 C oven (uncovered) for 40 minutes and its ready.

Bbq Chicken Pizza

I've not been the biggest fan of pizza over the years and to be honest the main reason is I just see it as glorified cheese on toast. And often overcharged in a restaurant for what it is. But after touring around Italy, I did appreciate them and have been making them in varying formats. I also don't often see enough variations on the bbq pizza, which is my preference. The tomato ones can get a bit boring. So I think I might have a play. I wonder what chicken tikka pizza would be like?

These days you can buy pizza dough, so I rarely bother to make it. You buy a pack of two balls of dough that you simply roll out yourself and top with anything. Here I have made a bbq chicken one. Absolutely delicious! If you like heat, add a sliced chill on top!

Ingredients:       (Makes 2 pizzas)

1 pack pizza dough (2 x 220g)
1 chicken breast
1 red onion, sliced in rings
1 red pepper
100g tinned sweetcorn
1 cup bbq sauce (your favourite)
garlic salt (optional)
75g cheddar or gruyere cheese


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C and put the chicken breast in a small dish. Cover with kitchen foil and cook for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size). When it has cooked, chop and put in a bowl with about 2 tbsp. of the bbq sauce.

Flour a board and rolling pin and roll out your dough balls to about 12 inches. Place each one on a baking sheet. Generously spread the bbq sauce on the dough and top with sliced onion, pepper, the chicken and sweetcorn. Season with a little black pepper and garlic salt. Then sprinkle over the cheese. Turn the oven up to 230 C and put the pizzas into the oven. Cook for 10 minutes and the swap them over so that they both get a turn on the top shelf and cook evenly.

Take out of the oven, slice and enjoy!!

Mauritian Banana Tart with Hazelnut Topping

This is for those moments when you notice you have 3 or four bananas in the fruit bowl going way past their best. Bananas are one of those fruits that I just cannot eat when over ripe, but when you cook with them they taste fantastic as the flavour deepens as they ripen.

These gorgeous little Mauritian Banana Tarts were topped with a little hazelnut crumb on top for texture and added flavour. Quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

3 over ripe bananas
2 tbsp. brown sugar
pack of shortcrust pastry
1 egg
12 hazelnuts
1 tsp. brown sugar
little butter for greasing

Method:

Mash the bananas and the 2 tbsp. brown sugar in a small sauce pan. Pop on the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. Leave to cool.

Use the butter to grease 2 x 12cm fluted, loose bottom tart tins. Cut 2 circles in the pastry a little larger than the tins and press the pastry in. Use a rolling pin rolled over the top to cut off the excess. Fill the pastry with the cooled banana mix and use the rest of the pastry to make a lattice top.

Use a small food processor to chopped the hazelnuts (or chop by hand) and mix with the 1 tsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle over the tarts and put on a baking sheet. Put in a 190 C oven for 15 minutes until golden on top.

Serve with ice cream - either hot or warm. Delicious! 

Horseradish & Garlic Barnsley Lamb with Salsify

These have to be one of my favourite chops. I actually personally don't like pork chops at all and some lamb chops you get are tiny! Barnsley lamb chops (also called saddle chops) are a decent size and you can really play with the flavours.

I have decided that horseradish is too good for just beef, so I have marinated the lamb in garlic and horseradish to really play with those funky flavours. I have included salsify, which I have to admit is the first time I have ever bought, cooked or eaten it. Its an odd vegetable that was popular back in Victorian times, but you can find it occasionally - so I thought I'd cook it too. Wanting to know what it tasted like exactly, I decided to simply pan fry it with a little butter, so I know its exact taste, before mixing it with anything else.

Served with simple vegetables and a very easy balsamic and honey sauce.. it looks delectable and tastes divine.

Ingredients:

2 Barnsley lamb chops, trimmed of excess fat
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. horseradish (from a jar)
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

Simply mix all of the marinade ingredients together and press all over the lamb chops. Refrigerate for an hour to let the flavours develop.

Set the oven to 200 C. Put the lamb on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with foil to let rest for 5 minutes.

For the sauce:

Use a hand blender (or small food processor) to blend 1/4 cup balsamic, 1 tbsp. runny honey and 2 cloves garlic. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil and 3 tsp. horseradish (from a jar). Season with salt & pepper and blend again until smooth. To heat, pop in the microwave for 1 minute (or in a small pan).

For the salsify:

Prepare a small bowl of water and lemon juice. Peel one or two sticks of salsify and cut into one inch pieces and put into the lemon water (it discolours quickly if you don't). To cook, heat 1 tbsp. oil in a small pan and fry the salsify for a good 8  minutes, until browned all over. Add a knob of butter and melt, while tossing in the pan. Now its ready to serve.

For the veg:

Choose some new potatoes and asparagus and steam until cooked.

To plate up: Place the lamb on the plate with the vegetables. Spoon the sauce around the food so it can be 'dipped in' rather than covering the food. Serve and enjoy!


Note: The chop looks a little less pretty than it could, because I trimmed the fat off - you may want to leave it on to crisp up. Tastes amazing - but not so good for your health!!

Spicy Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Without intention, it really is starting to be 'Soup Saturdays'. I love soup, but never really like the canned variety so am building up a huge collection of soup recipes, just by picking one main ingredient and working around from there.

This Saturdays ingredient was a chicken carcass from a herby roast chicken I had made some days before. Having made many simple chicken soups, I wanted to try something else. The carcass was set into boiling water on the Saturday morning to make the stock as I peered into the fridge to see what to add. A lone soaked chipotle chilli leftover from another dish told me it had to be spicy Mexican chicken soup. With a quesadilla on the side. And it was delicious.

Ingredients:

1  large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 dried chipotle chilli, soaked
1 tbsp. chopped pickled jalapenos
3 tbsp. tomato paste (puree)
1/5 litres chicken stock
leftover chicken, picked from the bones
1 x 198g tin sweetcorn
2 corn tortillas
1 tbsp. oil
a little fresh coriander

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and carrots. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute on a low heat and then add the chillies and tomato paste. Stir in well. Turn up the heat and add the chicken stock; bring to the boil. Put the lid half on and cook on a medium boil for about 20 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, cut the two tortillas in half and then cut into 1cm strips. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the strips of tortilla. Fry on a high heat until brown and set to one site.

Take the soup pan off the heat and with a hand blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Put back on a low heat and add the chicken and sweetcorn. Cook gently for a further 8 minutes for the flavours to develop. Taste for seasoning.

To serve: add most of the tortilla strips into bowls and pour over the soup. Garnish with the last of the tortilla and some coriander. Enjoy!

For the quesadillas:

Chop spring onions (scallions) with fresh coriander. Grate cheese. Put a little oil in a frying pan and put in a corn tortilla. Top with the onions, coriander and cheese and place another tortilla on top. Cook while pressing the top one down so the cheese melts and 'glues' them together. Flip the while thing over gently with a large spatula or fish slice and cook the other side. Slice and eat!

Sea Bass and Samphire with a Sage Butter

This is one of those dishes that, I think, looks like you have gone to a lot more work that you actually did. It was on a normal Tuesday night and I wanted sea bass. But I wanted it 'restaurant style'. The first thing I did as I dropped my bag in the hall, was to go straight into the garden (it was raining again) and grabbed a handful of sage leaves. I needed that for the butter!

Samphire is a seaweed product that goes so perfectly with fish (both coming from the sea!). But ensure you rinse it well - I have found it to be a bit gritty when I buy it. And be careful on how much salt you add to the dish. I don't put any on the fish at all when cooking, as the seaweed has its natural salt which is enough for the whole dish.

The fish was pan fried and served with sage butter, crushed potatoes, steamed broccoli and steamed samphire. A king amongst dishes!

Ingredients:     (Serves 2)

30g butter, softened
about 6-8 sage leaves, chopped
400g charlotte (or similar) potatoes, skin on
knob of butter
2 sea bass fillets, skin on and de-boned
2 tbsp. olive oil
160g tenderstem broccoli
90g samphire

Method:

To make the sage butter, simply stir the chopped sage into the softened butter. Tip onto a piece of cling film and make a sausage shape, pushing the air out. Pop in the fridge until ready to serve dinner.

Half the potatoes and pop in boiling water for about 18 minutes (they are cooked when you lift one out with a sharp knife and it slides off the knife back into the water!) Drain and crush with a fork, adding a little olive oil or butter, if liked.

For the sea bass, Heat the 2 tbsp. oil in a frying pan and add the fish skin side down. You don't need to cut it. Cook on a medium/high heat for about 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet) and use a spoon to pour the hot oil over the flesh side of the fish. This lets the skin get beautifully crispy underneath while the top cooks. When the fish is white and firm it is ready.

Steam the broccoli for about 8 minutes and the samphire for 2 minutes.

Put the crushed potatoes in the middle of a serving plate. Add the vegetables to the sides and put the fish, skin side up, on top of the potatoes. Slice a round off the sage butter you made earlier, pop a lemon wedge on the plate and serve as it is. Perfect!

Summer Tagliatelle with a Garlic Crumb Topping

Sadly, here in London, it is so very far from summer. Autumn is well and truly here and the rain and is relentless with a chill in the air, forcing me to drag out my woolly hat. After a hectic day at work I needed cheering up so decided on a summery dish - I try to make most food seasonal but its okay occasionally! Particularly when its raining.

I had some courgettes and prosciutto and a pack of cherry tomatoes. Perfect for a Mediterranean style pasta dish to have with a glass of wine and dreams of sitting outside a café in Rome. 

Ingredients:      (Serves 2)

70g prosciutto, pulled into strips
180g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large courgette, cut into batons
1 small leek, sliced
handful frozen peas
160g tagliatelle nests
salt & pepper

1 large clove garlic, chopped finely
1 slice (ideally stale) bread

Method:

 In a large sauté pan add the halved tomatoes and the oil. Cook on a high heat for a minute to let them soften slightly and then add the leeks and prosciutto. Stir fry for 2 minutes and then add the courgettes with a grind of black pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Turn the heat to low and add the pasta to a large pan of boiling water. Cook the pasta to pack instructions (about 15 minutes) and drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Add the peas to the vegetables and let cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the pasta to the pan along with a little of the reserved pasta water. The pasta water and the juice from the tomatoes will create a lovely sauce so nothing else needed.

To make the garlic crumb - set a small frying pan on the hob along with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Crumble the bread into the pan and add the garlic. Cook on a high heat until golden.

Serve the pasta with the crunchy garlic topping and a fork. And a glass of dry white wine if liked!

Herbed Roast Chicken with Spicy Potatoes & Tzatziki

Halloween night we knew that we would be up and down with the 'trick or treaters' (and oh goodness we were!). With that in mind, I wanted an easy dinner, but with my traditional roast of sorts. So I went into the garden - somewhat overgrown at the moment - with a bowl to see what I could gather. Basil, parsley, coriander, sage and thyme were carefully cut and put in the bowl. Then on a whim, I picked a few nasturtium and borage flowers (both edible) and added them.

Back in the kitchen I set to work and produced such a pretty dish it was hard to eat. Okay, we devoured it...but you know what I mean?!

Ingredients:

1 roasting chicken (1.6 kg)
a GOOD bunch of herbs (basil, parsley, coriander, sage etc.)
50g butter, softened
edible flower (if using)

Set the oven to 200 C and get a roasting tin ready. Prepare the chicken but gently putting your hand under the breast skin and lifting it away from the flesh. Chop the herbs well and mix with the butter until well combined. Put 2/3 of the mix under the skin and press around to cover as much of the breasts as possible. Rub the remaining 1/3 of the butter over the outer part, covering the legs and wings.

Put into the roasting tray, season with salt & pepper and cover with foil. Cook for 1 hour and 15 mins. Remove the foil and put back in for another 15 minutes. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes - its actually nice served 'warm' in this recipe.

For the potatoes:

Peel 3 medium potatoes and cut into 1/2 size of a normal roast potato. Put in a bowl and drizzle with oil. Add 2 tbsp. of any Cajun seasoning you like and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes.

For the tzatziki:

Cut 1/2 cucumber in half and discard the seeds in the middle with a teaspoon. Grate the rest into the middle of a clean tea towel. Add 1 small grated clove garlic and season with salt & pepper. Now pull up the sides of the tea towel and twist, squeezing as much water out as you can. Pop in a bowl with about 200g low fat yoghurt & a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Serve the chicken on a platter with the potatoes sitting around it. A bowl of baby gem lettuce 'cups' and some tzatziki. I also steamed some broccoli for a bit of 'green',

The best way to eat this is to pop some chicken in the lettuce with a blob of tzatziki. Eat with the potatoes - definite finger food!

Note: Save some random herbs and scatter them over the chicken with some edible flowers if you can get your hands on some.. so pretty!

Thick Vegetable Soup with Pearl Barley

Similar to wheat in its caloric, protein, vitamin and mineral content, pearl barley is barley that has been processed to remove its hull and bran. All barley must have its fibrous outer hull removed before it can be eaten; pearl barley is then polished to remove the bran layer.

When I was a child in Ireland, our soups and stews often had pearl barley. We were a big family so I imagine it was so make the food go further to feed us all. But it seems to be making a comeback. I've seen it in restaurants made as a base with peas underneath a succulent fillet of fish.

On Saturday afternoon, as if often the case, we fancied soup as the weather was colder than we had hoped! Fortunately, I had soaked some barley the night before, in case that happened. You don't have to soak it for that long of course, its just easier, but it does cut down on the cooking time.

Ingredients:  (Serves 6)

70g peal barley, soaked overnight & drained
2 small leeks, cut in half lengthways and sliced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp. oil
25g butter
3 heaped tbsp. flour
1 litre lamb stock (cube is fine)
500ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
large handful shredded cabbage
large handful frozen peas
salt & pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the leeks, onion, garlic, carrots and potato. Then add the butter and melt, stirring. Add the flour and coat all of the vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the lamb stock in stages to incorporate well and let cook with the lid half on for about 10 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock, cabbage & peas and again leave to cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the pearl barley and season with salt and pepper. Give it another 5-10 minutes and you will see it thicken up beautifully. Serve with crusty rolls and an extra crack of black pepper. Delicious!

Baked Camembert & Onion Strings

Its usually at the weekend where I have time to make my favourite type of food. Different salads, bread, cheese... here I have made a lovely cheese dip from the baked whole camembert with the moreish texture of onion strings. Serve with crusty bread, fresh tomatoes, a good chilli sauce and dip away!

For the cheese:

1 whole camembert (the one in a thin box is best)
1 spring fresh thyme
1 small clove garlic, peeled
drizzle olive oil

Set the oven to 200 C. Unpack the cheese from the plastic and put the whole cheese back in the box uncovered. Chip away little bits of the top so you have a little cheese exposed from the white rind. Cut the garlic into little slivers and insert. Sprinkle the thyme leaves over the top and drizzle with oil. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

For the onion strings:

Slice 1 onion into the thinnest slices you can with a very sharp knife or a mandolin. Soak in 1 cup milk for about an hour. Put 1 cup flour into a bowl and add salt & pepper and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy based saucepan to about 1 inch in height up the sides of the pan. Test the heat by flicking in a pinch of flour. When it sizzles, its ready. Using kitchen tongs pick up some of the onion out of the milk and dump into the flour mix. Coat well and put into the hot oil. The onion will take about 20 seconds to cook and crisp up. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat until all the onion is cooked. Sprinkle with a little salt.

Serve the baked cheese with the onion strings, chilli sauce, crusty bread to dip in the cheese and a fresh tomato salad.

Halibut with Celeriac & Potato Rosti

Although halibut is a fish that can take a fair bit of flavour, and I adore punchy flavours, this is one fish that I don't like to mess around with too much. This is because it has one of the best flavours of all of the flatfish - also its the largest. It tastes creamy and buttery and just perfect simply pan fried with a lovely sauce. Here I have made a white wine & caper cream sauce which is delicious.

I have also served this with a potato and celeriac rosti, which some people assume is difficult to make, but its so simple. Ideally if you use a chefs ring too it not only looks lovely, but has some bite which you don't get with the flatter, smaller, free style ones. A rather posh looking and tasting meal that you can make any night of the week!

For the rosti:

1/2 celeriac, peeled
1 large potato, peeled
1/2 onion, peeled
salt & pepper
1 tbsp. oil
knob of butter

Method:

Grate the celeriac, onion and potato into the middle of a clean tea towel. Season with salt & pepper and bring up the sides of the tea towel so that the vegetables are in a ball. Twist and squeeze the water out. Grease the chefs rings with a little butter and place in a lightly oiled non stick frying pan.

Pack the vegetables neatly into the rings (to the top of the ring) and flatten off. Fry on a low/medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, before carefully turning over with a fish slice. Add a little more oil.. Cook the other side for 5 minutes and then add a little knob of butter. After 8 minutes it should be cooked through. Check by pushing a sharp knife through the middle - you will feel that its cooked.

For the sauce:

Add 1 cup white wine to a small pan and put on a medium/high heat. Cook until reduced by half. Make up 1 cup vegetable stock from a cube and add to the wine. Again cook until reduced, this time by about 3/4 so you have about 1/2 cup of concentrate. Add 1 tbsp. chopped capers, salt & pepper and 100ml double cream. Heat through and its ready.

For the halibut:

Simply season lightly with a little salt & pepper and fry in a smear of olive oil for about 4 minutes each side (depending on the thickness - mine were thick).

Serve with fish with the rosti and some steamed green beans and then spoon some sauce over the fish. Serve and enjoy!

Note To make life easy: I premade the sauce ready to be heated up before serving