Blackened Salmon, Mango & Black Bean Salad with Mofongo

You know what I love most about cooking? Its the fact that yesterday I took some salmon fillets out of the freezer and could have done salmon ravioli with a basil sauce, or pan fried the salmon with griddled asparagus, or en croute. By using flavours from over the world can take you any where! It so happened that yesterday it took me to the vibrant Puerto Rico.

Mango & Black Bean Salad

Firstly the salad:

1 small red onion, sliced
1 400g tin black beans (drained)
small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 large ripe mango, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
zest and juice of 2 limes.

Whisk together the lime zest, juice and olive oil. Put the remaining ingredients into a bowl and dress with the lime dressing. Zingy, colourful, refreshing and vibrant!

Then the Salmon.

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
2 salmon fillets, skin removed

Mix the herbs, garlic and oil in a shallow bowl. Marinade the salmon fillets for 20 mins. Put a frying pan on hot with a tbsp. vegetable oil and put the salmon in. Leave for 7-8 minutes to blacken and pop in the oven  at 180 C for a further 8 minutes to cook through. Serve.

Blackened Salmon

Finally, let me talk about the Mofongo. Now anyone who has been to Puerto Rico is likely to have either heard of, seen or eaten this. It is basically mashed cooked plantains (green bananas) with garlic, olive oil, a little stock and bits of bacon. It is sometimes stuffed and usually served with a cooked meat or in a broth with fish. Traditionally it is also used as a turkey stuffing during celebrations!

To make Mofongo:

2 green plantains
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
40g bacon bits (I fried a little diced pancetta)
about 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock.

In a bowl, crush the garlic with the salt until a paste, using the end of a rolling pin (or similar). Add the oil and mix in. Leave to one side. Peel and cut the plantain into 1 inch pieces and fry gently on both sides until golden (but not too browned). Drain on kitchen paper and add to the garlic oil. Add the bacon and start to crush the plantain against the side of the bowl. Keep crushing, slowly adding the stock as the plantain will be quite stiff. Keep crushing and mixing until nicely mashed. Oil a ramekin or small bowl and tip out onto a plate. Garnish with coriander and squeeze over a little lime juice. Very different - and very, very tasty!

Colourful and delicious!

This dish is moist enough as it is but for extra yummy - I made a simple vinaigrette for the Mofongo, with olive oil, white wine vinegar and a pinch of saffron.

On a final note - its certainly not traditional - but next time I make this I think a thinly sliced red chilli would work in any of these dishes!! But I like chillies in everything!

Turkey stuffed with Cheese, Quince & Pine nuts

Turkey breasts are not only cheaper than chicken, but also lower in a fat - a three ounce serving has only 1g of fat compared to chicken which has 5g fat. And it is so versatile.

Yesterday I wanted to use up the Fontina cheese (from the Breakfast Loaf yesterday) so I decided to use that as a base for the stuffing - but you can use cheddar, or any type of cheese you like for this. I imagine camembert would be lovely..

I also had 4 slices of parma ham left over from the weekend, so I thought that would be nice with cheese - and whilst rummaging in the fridge I found some quince paste unused. Perfect.

So I made this:

Turkey wrapped in parma ham, stuffed with grated cheese, onions, garlic, pine nuts & quince paste. With a simple cream & white wine sauce. Very nice. I have a good third of it leftover in the fridge and already I am wondering what it would be like for sandwiches sliced thinly....

Ingredients:   (Serves 3-4)

2 turkey breasts
4 slices parma ham
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
75g quince paste
50g Fontina cheese, grated
25g cheddar, grated
30g pine nuts, chopped
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock (a cube will do)
3 tbsp. double cream

Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Lightly fry the onion and garlic until cooked and then add the quince paste; the paste will be quick thick and you need to slightly heat it to loosen it up. Leave to one side to cool.

Between 2 sheets of cling film, batter the turkey breasts until larger and thinner. Then place one slightly overlapping the other, cover with cling film and batter again, leaving no gaps. They will adhere to each other. Take off the top layer of cling film and lay the 4 slices of parma ham over the top of the turkey followed by a sheet of tin foil. Press firmly and carefully flip the whole thing over.

Add the pine nuts and cheese to the onion & quince and mix thoroughly Season with pepper (the salt will come from the ham). Now remove the top layer of cling film from the turkey (the ham and foil is now underneath). In the centre of the turkey, place the filling, from one end to the other. Now using the foil as a grip (you may need to assist the ham to come away from the foil) roll up the lot as tightly as you can into a sausage shape so it is all encased and firmly twist the ends of the foil - making a secure package. Put the foil sausage onto a baking tray and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

For the sauce, on a medium- high, heat cook the cup of white wine in a small pan, until reduced by half. Then add the chicken stock and again reduce by half. Season lightly with pepper (no salt if you have used a stock cube) and now on a low heat, add the cream. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Stir and leave on a gentle heat for 5 minutes. Keep warm.

After 25 minutes, take the turkey sausage out of the oven and carefully remove the foil. Place back on the baking tray and cook, uncovered for a further 5-10 minutes to brown a little.

Remove from the oven, leave to rest for a few minutes while you re-heat the sauce and then slice into thick slices. Top with the sauce and serve with vegetables of your choice. Delicious!

Restaurant Review - Zinco Italian

Today I had lunch at an old favourite place of mine, Zinco's Italian in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. I met with my niece for lunch and although I wanted to try everything on the menu - I haven't been there in 11 years - I knew I could only eat one course, as could she.

I arrived at 12pm and they settled me at a table as I waited for my niece. I ordered a San Pellegrino Orange and perused the menu which was different to 11 years ago but still as delightful. A starter and a main was too much so I decided on the Lobster and Crab Handmade Ravioli.

My niece arrived, and being allergic to cheese but wanting pizza, the owner himself came over to the table to make sure she had a non cheese, yet still beautifully presented pizza. They did a wonderful made to perfection rich tomato base pizza with pepperoni, sweet corn and green pepper. I didn't think it would look so good without cheese, but oh it did. We ate with gusto.

Its only a shame I didn't get to try the wine or the beautiful sounding starters (the one I wanted was shelled king prawns, with wine and cream, served with ciabatta). But I knew I wouldn't have managed it all. So I just had the crab and lobster ravioli which came in a white wine sauce with tomatoes, prawns and spinach. It was simply beautiful.

It was quiet for lunch but we were the early lunch people and the jazz music was perfect for the ambiance.

If I had to say one bad thing, I would be pushing it - but we were sitting in the window seat and the sun was bearing down on us - but to be fair it was clear they wouldn't have batted an eyelid at moving us - we decided having deployed our notepads etc., that we would be okay. And the sun soon turned to rain anyway, so not a problem as it turned out.

The waiter was friendly and polite. The décor is a cool beige with ivy in pots which is very modern and relaxed. I felt I was treated as well as a top London restaurant and with a £30 bill for everything (including the double espresso's to complete the meal) was surprisingly reasonable.

I would definitely recommend.

Sunday Morning Breakfast Loaf

Sunday morning was cold. The only warmth seemed to be coming from the three cats piled on the bed. Even they, who normally are pestering for breakfast, didn't seem to want to open their eyes and looked a bit put out when I disturbed the nest by getting up.

In the kitchen, thinking what to make over a large mug of tea.. I pulled out the flour. Today was definitely a 'breakfast loaf' kind of day. But I really didn't feel like the 2 1/2 hours wait for rising time. Before I could even cook the loaf!

Don't get me wrong - I adore making bread. But some days? Are cheat days.

Now the great thing about these wonderful products is that you just tip the contents into a bowl, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and (in this pack size) 350ml of warm water. Mix, knead for a few minutes and its done. No setting aside to prove at this stage.

Shape the dough with your hands directly on a floured baking sheet. You want it to be a large rectangle. Then you can start to fill.

Whilst I was putting the dough together I had hardboiled 3 eggs and they were cooling in cold water. In the middle strip of the rectangle I put 6 slices of Parma ham, breaking it up a little as I laid them out. I peeled the eggs, sliced them, and laid out a layer of the egg. Then I chopped up some sun blush tomatoes (semi dried) and placed them on top. Then a mix of 100g cheddar and 100g Fontina cheese (use what you have), grated and put a layer of the cheese. Then a little fresh basil - and seasoned with plenty of black pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil.

You then lift the dough over the filling, sealing well to close. Flip the whole loaf over so its sitting on the seam. Then you cover it loosely with cling film leave it to prove in a warm place for just 25 minutes! Pop in the oven at 190 C for 30 minutes and its done.

A large slice of this is everything you need in a breakfast, piping hot, oozing cheese with flavours of the Parma ham, the basil.. just delicious. And also a great idea for picnics.

Ethiopean Chicken Doro Wat Curry

Friday night was home-cooked 'takeaway' night and yet again - curry won. This Ethiopian Doro Wat is my favourite curry that I tend to make at least once a month. I have found that buying the spice mix for it is around - but not in many places, so I make it myself now. Its very easy and keeps in a sealed tub for months. The recipe for the Berbere spice mix is on my website (www.julesdinnertable.co.uk) under 'Random Dishes' and takes no more than 10 minutes to make.



Berbere Spice Mix

Berbere has so much flavour and can be used in lots of other soups, stews or any quick curry that you want to rustle up. Doro Wat curry takes a little time as the thickener for the sauce is all in the pureed onions and the butter. I think its worth it. The delight in this dish to me is the traditional addition of hardboiled eggs that, although may sound strange, is just wonderful. And boiled yams are a fun change from rice.

3 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
2 onions
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 Berbere
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp. runny honey
1/2 cup white wine
3 eggs, hardboiled, peeled and pricked all over with a fork
6" piece white yam

Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and marinade in the lemon juice at room temperature for 20 mins.

Using a food processor or hand bender, process the onion until it is a thick puree. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a pan along with the oil and add the onion. Cover and leave on the on the hob for 20 minutes, checking it occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger and another 1 tbsp. butter, stir in and leave, still on a low setting for another 20 minutes. Add the Berbere, the final tbsp. of butter. Stir in and leave for another 20 minutes.

Now you can add the chicken pieces, stock, honey and wine. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat. Cover and leave to simmer for a further 40 mins. Add the eggs to heat though and serve with boiled yams or rice.

Note: Another way you can make the above is to marinade the chicken pieces for a few hours in my home made piri piri marinade (recipe also on www.julesdinnertable.co.uk). Then you set the grill to high and cook the chicken before adding it to the sauce (you just add it with the eggs). It adds to the flavour and seriously knocks up the heat!

With the grilled piri piri chicken just gone into the sauce

 

 

Stollen Three Ways

So how many of you made a Christmas cake at the end of last year? Hands up...? Well, I do one every year and every January I end up with leftover glace cherries, mixed peel and a half a pack (about 250g) of marzipan unused. So I decided rather than have it sit there for a couple of months and then throw it out - I would make something. I made Stollen Bites which were, I have to say, lovely. Perfect with a cup of tea. (Recipe at bottom of page)

But it didn't end there. The thing is - they are made with yeast - basically like a bread dough. Which is all very well, but as we all know, homemade bread lasts a day or two at best. So we scoffed what we wanted and I was left with a dozen delicious, but now getting stale, stolen bites. What now? I hate waste...although the worms in the wormery would have made short work of it! I needed to make them moist again. So I sliced them up and poured on a custard. Not too sweet a custard, as the marzipan in the stollen is already quite sweet. Baked for 35 minutes and I got a piping hot Stollen Bread & Butter Pudding:

Perfect to have with custard for any bread and butter pudding fans. But then, we rarely get round to eating desserts in this house, so I needed it a bit more 'grab and go'.

So I sliced them into squares as a more bite sized version and ended up with these. Moist, chewy, fruity, nutty, marzipan filled sticky yumminess. I don't think I'll have many leftovers of these!

Stollen Bites Recipe:

Ingredients:     (Makes 24)

180g mix of raisins & sultanas
50g glace cherries
25g mixed peel
50g almonds, roughly chopped
2 lemons, zest only
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla essence
2 tbsp. brandy
200g marzipan
375g strong white bread flour
7g pack of dried yeast
50g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
70g butter, melted
150ml milk, warmed
icing sugar, for dusting

 

Method:

 

Put the raisins, sultanas, cherries, mixed peel, almonds, lemon zest, nutmeg, vanilla extract and brandy together in a bowl and mix well. Cover with clingfilm and set aside.

 

Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Mix in 50g of the butter and the beaten egg and combine to make a dough. Add a tbsp. milk if the dough too dry. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until smooth. Put into a lightly oiled bowl and leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour.

 

Put the dough back onto a lightly floured surface and work the fruit mix into the dough until well incorporated. Leave to one side for 15 minutes.

 

Cut the marzipan into six pieces and roll into a 4 inch long log shape. Cut the dough into six pieces, and on a floured board roll into rectangles 4 inches wide and wrap the dough around the marzipan log, sealing with a little milk. Put the mini stollen loaves (seam side down) on a baking sheet and leave for 30 minutes to rise again, setting the oven to 180 C towards the end of that time.. Brush the mini stollen loaves with a little milk and pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden.

 

Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter and liberally dust with icing sugar. Leave to cool for 10 minutes and cut each 'loaf' into 4 pieces - you should have 24 pieces.

 

Lettuce Wrapped Chicken & Char Sui Bao

It being Chinese New Year, of course I didn't just make Mongolian Beef. Its a celebration! and therefore more than one dish was needed. Along with the beef, I chose a chicken dish of Lettuce Wrapped Chicken and a pork dish of Char Sui Bao.

Firstly the Lettuce Wrapped Chicken of which the full recipe is on my website (www.julesdinnertable.co.uk) under Main Dishes.

A mound of moist chopped chicken with carrots, spring onions, garlic, water chestnuts, mushrooms, ginger and bamboo shoots heaped onto crispy fried rice vermicelli noodles. Ready to be put into cups of crisp iceberg lettuce with a spoon of plum sauce (or hoisin as I used this particular time). You just pile it in, roll it up and eat!

The other dish was BBQ Pork Char Sui Bao (or Char Sui Buns) which is a steamed dim sum dish of white fluffy dough with a filling of BBQ pork (I heard them called 'clouds' recently). The filling is very quick and simple, but you do need the time to made the dough.

Ingredients:   (Makes 24)

For the dough:
1 tsp (7g) dried yeast
1 tsp. caster sugar
4 tbsp. plain flour
4 tbsp. warm water
200g plain flour
110ml warm water
1/4 tsp.salt
2 tbsp. caster sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
24 baking paper cut into 4x4cm squares

Method:

Mix together the yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, 4 tbsp. flour and 4 tbsp. warm water. Mix well and leave to stand for 30 mins.

Then combine the yeast mix with the 200g flour, salt, warm water, sugar and oil. Knead until smooth and leave to prove for at least 2 hours.

Punch down the dough and cut in half - put one half in cling film as you work with the other. Make into a sausage shape and cut into twelve equal pieces. Roll into a ball and set on a small square of baking paper while you make the filling.

For the filling:
240g pork tenderloin
6 tbsp. (any type) Chinese BBQ sauce
2 shallots, chopped finely
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. caster sugar
4 tbsp. chicken stock

Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Pan fry the pork tenderloin to seal and then pop in the oven for approx. 20 mins until cooked through, but still moist. Leave to cool and then chop finely. Put into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.

To assemble, get one of the dough balls and roll into a circle. Put a heaped tsp. of the filling in the centre of the circle and bring together the sides. Twist to ensure sealed and put seam side down back on the small square of baking paper. Continue until all the dough has been used. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Either in a steamer or a wire rack over boiling water, place as many buns as are comfortable into the steamer, but not touching. Steam for 15 minutes and continue until all the pork buns are cooked.

Inside the fluffy white dough will be a steaming hot and sticky BBQ pork which is melt in the mouth. Enjoy! 

Mongolian Beef with noodles

Its Chinese New Year so definitely time to try this Chinese-American dish. Like spicy food? Like stretching one fillet steak to make a meal for two? This recipe is great. And the best thing about it is that you can prepare it and leave it till when a friend arrives and 'Voila!' Ready in 5 minutes.

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but please don't be put off. Sake wine keeps for ages - as does Oyster sauce. If you don't want spicy, remove the seeds from the chilli. I didn't and it was perfect - but I like spicy food.

You make this dish in three stages - cook the meat and put in a bowl, make the sauce and put in a separate bowl. Cook the veg and leave to one side. Then its simply just pulling it all together in 5 minutes when you are ready for it. Garnished with sesame seeds and shredded spring onion it looks good and tastes great!

Ingredients:     (Serves 2)

For the beef:
1 beef fillet steak
1 tbsp. plain flour
1 tbsp. cornflour (corn starch)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
oil for frying

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
piece ginger, chopped
1 birds eye chill, sliced thinly (seeds removed if liked)
1/2 cup Sake (Chinese wine)
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
50ml chicken stock

For the vegetables:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
piece ginger, chopped
1 birds eye chilli, thinly sliced (seeds removed if liked)
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced

Method:

With a sharp knife, slice the beef as thinly as you can. (You can wrap the beef in foil and put in the freezer for about 45 mins if finding it hard to slice thinly). Put the sliced beef in a bowl and add the flours and spices. Mix thoroughly. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pan or wok and fry for 2-3 minutes till crispy and drain on kitchen paper.

For the sauce, heat the oil in a wide pan and add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the sake, soy, oyster sauce and stock. Cook on high for 7-8 minutes to reduce by half. Turn off the heat and put the sauce in a bowl.

In a little vegetable oil, fry all the vegetables together for about 10 minutes until caramelised and soft. Put to one side.

These can all be assembled now - or left for when you are ready. To assemble, put the vegetables and beef together in a hot pan or wok and stir fry until heated through. Add the sauce and stir to combine. And that's it. Place on top of a plate of egg noodles and garnish with sesame seeds and shredded spring onion. Filling and delicious!

Quick Apple Scones

Last weekend we had a cousin pop over with her new baby. They were only coming for a cup of tea and I knew they were going to be eating later - but I just couldn't do it. I HAD to have something to go with the tea - even if they didn't want it. Sunday 11am - what would be perfect? Apple scones. Easy to make from start to finish in under half an hour I served them with the tea...still warm. Talking about them has made me want to make more now..

Ingredients    (Makes 8)

225g self raising flour
50g butter, cold & cubed
60g caster sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 large eating apple, peeled, cored and chopped finely
125ml milk

Method:

Set oven to 200 C. Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until you have a texture like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and apple. Now pour in the milk stirring well to make a dough.

Tip the dough out onto a floured board and shape the pastry into a round at a height of approx. 1 inch deep. With a 2 inch cutter cut scones from the pastry. Keep pulling the leftovers together and gently make into a smaller round and keep cutting. The last bit of dough should make the 8th scone.

Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk, place on a lightly floured baking sheet and put in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Delicious simply buttered, or you can make a berry fruit compote. I personally like apple with blueberries so made a simple blueberry compote. Just put some blueberries in a small pan with some sugar to taste and 1-2 teaspoons of water. Cook on a low heat until the blueberries start to burst. Put into a bowl and chill. Then serve the scones with the chilled blueberry compote and some whipped cream!

Chicken and Brocolli Crispy Pancakes

I dearly wanted to make pancakes for breakfast this morning but it was not going to be. The rush to get to work never seems to let it happen. So I am waiting until tonight.

Sweet, simple pancakes are a must, just with lemon and sugar. Everyones favourite. But I want to incorporate the pancakes into dinner too, so I am also making Chicken & Broccoli Crispy Pancakes. Which I will serve with a crunchy salad of lettuce, grated carrot and red onion.

Here's what you do:

For the pancakes:      (Makes about 7-8)

Mix 100g plain flour with a pinch of salt, 2 eggs and 1 tbsp. oil with a splash from 250ml measured milk. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add remaining (of 250ml) milk until you have a mixture like single cream - keep whisking. Do a bit at a time to be sure. Then beat the mixture to get a smooth paste.

Heat a frying pan and smear with a little oil using a kitchen paper. Use a ladleful (about 40-50ml) per pancake and add to the pan, swirling to cover the base. (You want a thin layer so if there is too much pour it back into the remaining batter). Cook for 30 seconds until you see the sides beginning to set. Using a spatula, flip the pancake over and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you make the remaining pancakes.

For the Chicken & Broccoli Pancakes

Ingredients:    (Makes about 8)

1 tbsp. oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 fat clove garlic, chopped
2 chicken breasts, chopped into 1cm cubes
120g broccoli, cut into 1 cm small florets
25g butter
30g plain flour
approx. 280ml milk
good pinch of nutmeg
zest of 1 lemon
1 medium egg, beaten,
100g fine breadcrumbs
tbsp. grated parmesan

Set oven to 200 C. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan over a low heat and gently fry the onion & garlic for 5 minutes until soft. Add the chicken, then increase the heat and fry for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Put into a bowl and leave to one side. Steam or boil the broccoli for 5-6 minutes until tender. Drain and add to the chicken. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt & pepper.
 

Melt the butter in a small pan and then add the flour. Cook, stirring for 1 minute and slowly add the milk, stirring to make a thick sauce. Add the chicken mix and combine. Season with a little more pepper, nutmeg and the lemon zest.



Just going in the oven!

Put one of your pancakes flat on a chopping board and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into the centre of the pancake. Brush beaten egg on the edges, fold in half and press well to seal. Repeat with the remaining pancakes.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the parmesan in a bowl. Brush the top of the pancakes with a little more beaten egg and sprinkle the pancakes liberally with the breadcrumb and parmesan mix. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15mins until the breadcrumbs are golden and the filling heated through.
 

Serve hot with a crispy salad on the side.

 

Creamy Clams with Spaghetti

Creamy and warming, this is a favourite weeknight meal as it takes 15 minutes to make.

Cooked frozen clams vacuum packed in their shell are so handy for the freezer and defrost in less than half an hour when put (in their bag) in a sink of cold water. Put together with a garlic, parsley and cream sauce served on spaghetti tastes restaurant worthy and is perfect for this (still cold) weather.

In our house, we tend to have mussels about once a fortnight, but recently I have moved onto clams. They are more delicate, low in fat and are naturally high in iron and vitamin B12.

Ingredients:     (serves 2)

500g defrosted clams in shell
1 banana shallot (or 1 small onion)
1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. dried parsley
glass of white wine
100ml double cream
200g spaghetti

Method:

Boil a large pan of water. When boiling, put in the spaghetti.

While the spaghetti is boiling, chop and fry the shallot and garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add the wine and cook on high for two minutes, lower the heat and add the cream and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the clams to warm through and stir.

When the pasta is al dente, add the creamy clams, stir to combine and serve.

That's it! It really doesn't need anything else. Other than maybe some bread and butter on the side to mop up any creamy remaining sauce. Delicious!

Chimichurri & Ancho Chill Sauce

Over the years, experimenting with food and flavours from around the world...the one thing I have learnt is that its either the spice/herb mix or the sauce that makes a dish. A chicken breast, or a lamb chop will taste the same if it is just cooked. Even if it is perfectly cooked. But when you are abroad and you get that... 'ooh what IS that' moment. That flavour that makes your mouth water and your brain ask you for more. Its the sauce. Its the dip. Or the rub. Today I made two of them.

I was looking at the lamb leg steaks and the aubergine and my mind was trying to drag itself away from the usual. Moroccan tagine...Lebanese style with pitta.. Turkish lamb kebabs.. Greek lamb. I wanted something NEW.

So I decided to metaphorically take a trip to Argentina. Now I don't suppose lamb and aubergines are the first thought for South America but they do a few dishes. I stole their flavours and went with it. I decided to cut the lamb into very thin slivers and put it into a Mexican Mole (mo-lay) sauce. The Mole recipe is on my website (www.julesdinnertable.co.uk). But that's not we are talking about here. Its all about the SAUCES.

The one on the left is Chimichurri. Its like an Argentinian pesto and can be used as a marinade or a dip.

Its simply - 1 cup of fresh coriander, 1 cup of fresh parsley, 2 fat cloves of garlic, 1/3 cup of olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli flakes. Use a hand blender or if you don't have one - mash the garlic and finely chop the herbs. Blend together to make a chunky paste.

The one on the right is a chilli sauce made from one Ancho chilli (picture of the dried chilli in the photo). Again - a marinade or a dip. You can get these from markets and some supermarkets.

You open out the dried chilli and remove the stem and seeds (you can add seeds later for heat as you like - I did!) Put the chilli in a small pan of water, bring it to the boil and turn off the heat for ten minutes to let the chilli soften. Put into a hand blender. Crush 4 cloves and 4 peppercorns in a pestle and mortar and add to the blender. Add one peeled clove of garlic and 3/4 cup of water. Blend till smooth and pop into a small saucepan with a tablespoon of honey (and some of the seeds if you like the heat). Simmer gently for 10 minutes, skimming off any foam. Put into a bowl and cool.

You'll have a dark red, smokey, delicately rich flavoured chilli sauce you can use with anything! I'm using it to put on the Shredded Lamb Mole in a flour tortilla.

Sadly I am out of avocado - they would be perfect for tonight, but we'll manage. I am serving the lamb in the flavourful mole sauce (think like pulled pork - only not), which we will put in a flour tortilla with some shredded lettuce and sliced red onion. Topped with a teaspoon of each of the sauces will be a flavour explosion! I personally can't wait. Thank you South America - I do love your flavours.

Buffalo fillet steak & Beer Battered Onion rings

Although we stopped buying Friday night takeaway food many years ago for various reasons - I still see Friday night as 'treat food'. Usually a homemade curry or Chinese, or Thai. But also very often, The Blokes personal favourite, steak, chips & peas. Sometimes when I'm in the mood I'll make an addition... like onion rings or make it a full 'surf & turf' with scampi. Friday night just gone I made this. Buffalo fillet steak with Beer Battered onion rings (with the expected chips and peas, natch).

He loved it and polished it off in minutes - I am less of a red meat eater than he is so I was wary, but was impressed at how tender and lean it is!! It has half the fat of normal beef and is also lower in cholesterol. You cook it just like a fillet steak - pan fried - and it was juicy and tender. If you like your red meat - give it a go.

For the steak - literally just brush it with a little olive oil both sides, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and pan fry, medium heat, for about 3-4 minutes each side (depending on thickness). I would normally say a high heat but this had no fat on it at all! So to prevent it burning I didn't do it quite as high.

For the onion rings: In a bowl, put 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and season with salt, pepper, 1 tsp. of garlic powder and a 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and add approx. half a bottle ( 170ml) of your favourite beer. Whisk together to get a mix like thick-ish double cream.

Peel an onion and cut into slices, separating the rings. Heat a pan with about 2 inches of vegetable oil until a chunk of bread browns in a few seconds. Dip the onion first into some flour, then the batter and then drop into the oil. Cook for about 3-4 minutes turning halfway through, until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the steak.


Note: The buffalo fillet steak is relatively expensive - but considering the costs of takeaways these days, it still comes out cheaper. Also - the buffalo rump steak is available and much cheaper.

Chicken & Spinach lasagne

The other night, I had a craving for lasagne. Thing is - not only had we just had a red meat overload the night before but also I was short of time. So the thought of making the beef in sauce AND the béchamel (white sauce) was too time consuming.

So I decided on a chicken, spinach and tomato sauce - I made it looser than my usual thick meat mix and didn't make a béchamel. It was moist and flavourful and was lovely after work, with a simple salad on the side. And was pretty quick.

(Before you ask - no, I didn't make the pasta... I had dried sheets so why would I in a hurry? Perfect..)

Ingredients:    (Serves 4)

1 tbsp. olive oil
3 chicken breasts, skin removed and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, sliced
2 tbsp. either tomato (or red pepper) paste
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. chilli flakes (or a chopped red chilli)
260g bag of fresh spinach
140g grated cheddar cheese (or other if you have a favourite)
few sheets of dried lasagne

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C. Put the spinach into a large pan on a low heat (no water needed). Steam, stirring occasionally until wilted. Cool and squeeze excess water out and chop. Set to one side.

Heat the oil and fry the sliced chicken for 3 minutes until mostly cooked. Add the garlic, onion, sliced pepper and stir. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the paste, tinned tomatoes and a half of the tin of water and season with salt & pepper and the chilli flakes. Bring to the boil and turn to a low heat for 20 minutes to get the flavours to combine. Finally add the chopped spinach and sugar (the sugar takes the bitterness out of the tinned tomatoes). Taste to check for seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring well.

To assemble, put a third of the chicken & spinach sauce on the base of a 9 inch square lasagne dish. Sprinkle on a third of the cheese and a layer of pasta. Then the second layer of sauce, topped with cheese and another layer of pasta. Finally the last third of the sauce topped with the last of the cheese.

Put in the oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and cooked through. Serve with a simple salad of lettuce, red onion and tomatoes and some garlic bread if you like.. Comfort food at its best!

Apple Ravioli with Blackberry Compote

After the trials and tribulations of yesterdays attempts at using a pasta roller for the first time, I am glad to say the Apple Ravioli was a success. They looked cute, were crisp on the outside and the hot apple, honey & cinnamon filling was soft and sweet. Accompanied with a Blackberry Compote and a large spoon of vanilla ice cream, it was a light sweet delight! I served three per person and froze the rest (uncooked) in a freezer bag for a later date.

Ingredients:    (Makes about 16)

150g '00' flour
25g butter
25g caster sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange

3 tbsp. milk

oil for frying

For the filling:
1 large apple, chopped very finely
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp. runny honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Add all of the dough ingredients, apart from the milk, into a food processor to combine into a breadcrumb texture. Then add the milk, a tablespoon at a time to make a dough. Tip out onto a board and knead lightly to bring it all together. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge.

After half and hour, using a rolling pin or a pasta rolling machine, roll out as thinly as you can without the dough breaking. Using a 6cm cutter, make as many circles as you can.

Mix the apple filling ingredients in a bowl and with one of the dough circles into the palm of your hand, put about 1 tsp. into the centre of the circle. Wet the edges with a little milk and pop a second circle over to cover. Move the ravioli around in your fingers, pushing out any air and sealing the sides of the ravioli. Leave on a tea towel as you work and continue until all the circles have been used up.

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pan until hot and adding about six at a time, fry the ravioli for about a minutes, turning during cooking with a slotted spoon. Drain on kitchen paper and serve piping hot, dusted with icing sugar.

For the blackberry compote, put 170g blackberries into a small pan, add 1 tsp. water and add sugar to taste (about 2-3 tbsp.). Leave on a low heat until blackberries beginning to break up, but still holding their shape and strain most of the liquid away. Chill until needed.

 

 

Pasta Not So Pronto

Its days like today that although I am aware of saying that I am a patient person - that I know for sure I actually am. Now, unless you come from the foothills of Calazo di Cadore or are very particular in your pasta - you have probably avoided a pasta rolling machine. I know there are many people who use them, true, but those people have either got a grandmother called Concetta - or they are just more dedicated than I have been in the past.

Yes I have made pasta. Lots of times - using a rolling pin and working my biceps as I roll. But it is difficult to get the pasta dough thin as its very elastic and bounces back all the time.

So at Christmas just gone, The Bloke decided that was what I needed and its been looking at me - unopened - until today.

I guess it would have helped if I had made the standard pasta dough...but no. I had to be clever and made a sweet pasta dough so I could made Apple Ravioli. I am glad to say it is done and the ravioli is sitting happily in the fridge waiting for tonight to be fried and served with a blackberry compote & clotted cream. (I cooked a test one - was lovely). But be warned. It takes a while to get the hang of it. Two and a half hours to be precise! In theory it seems easy enough, but it comes with more issues than Vogue.

The main problems were a] getting the dough to stay in a straight line with one hand while you wind the wheel with the other (this is easier if normal egg pasta dough as it is considerably more stable that the sweet version). And b] getting the filling not to push through the pasta. After much tutting and huffing, I re rolled the lot in the end and made it less thin than usual - a no. 6 instead of a no. 8, which as it turns out IS thin enough for this particular dough. I'll follow this up later with a photo (before they get demolished) and the recipe.

Next time - I'll give linguine a go!

Good old Chicken Soup

Now this is one of those recipes you hear about again and again and every time I taste it from a different household or restaurant, it tastes different. The only rule I believe, as in all soups, is in the quality of the stock. You can of course, go and buy fresh chicken stock quite easily but if you really like chicken soup, or roasting chickens, it makes more sense to just make it yourself. I had a recent recipe request for a chicken soup - or Jewish Penicillin as it is often called - and it happens I made it yesterday. And ate it today. Its a labour of love and was worth it, as I have loads and it freezes well.

 

 

If you have read the part of my blog from last week where I mentioned that I had guests and cooked 2 Indian style roast chickens you will know that I mentioned that you always get leftovers. But by buying two chickens gives the guests and yourselves not only plenty of meat, but a choice of cut (rather than be stuck with a leg when you wanted a breast!). When the guests left - I popped the leftovers into a large pot and covered with water. The only other addition I made was a handful of bay leaves and some peppercorns, Incidentally, although the chickens had Indian spiced butter under the skin, the flavours hardly came out in the soup. Don't get me wrong, it made a fabulous stock, but the Indian spices were so subtle I wouldn't have known the origin of the carcasses!

Bay leaves are so good for soups!

I brought the chicken carcasses and water to a boil, covered with a lid and turned it down to a low simmer for about 3 hours. I then left it to cool in the stock for a few more hours while I went out. On my return I strained the stock into a large jug and put it in the fridge overnight (the fat will rise to the top and solidify which you remove when making the soup the next day). The chicken on the carcasses was picked off and popped into a freezer bag in the fridge.

 

I know its a two day trial, but again - it is all about the stock - and if you go to the effort above you will be so pleased to have made such a good soup! The next day I chopped up 1 leek, two carrots, 1 large onion, 2 large potatoes and 2 cloves of garlic. With a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, I sautéed the vegetables (in the same large pan the carcasses were cooked in) for 3-4 minutes and boiled a kettle of water. Then added 3 tablespoons of flour and stirred in. You have to cook the flour out so keep stirring. After a minute, add a splash of boiling water to the pan to scrape all the goodness from the bottom. Then add all of the reserved stock along with another bay leaf and salt & pepper. Stir, partially cover and leave to simmer for an hour. Then you can add the reserved chicken along with a couple of handfuls of chopped green beans. 

 

Fifteen minutes later, you can serve with a bit of bread and butter on the side. Bliss.

Restaurant Review - Barcelona Tapas

Tucked quietly away in a street near Aldgate Station is a lovely place called Barcelona Tapas - located at 1 Middlesex Street. Aldgate, London. E1 7AA. I am a huge fan of Spanish food so I had hopeful expectations and crossed fingers as I made my way there with The Bloke and a friend.

I am so glad to say we were not disappointed. The two ladies that I spoke to were Spanish - one from Madrid - and appeared to love their jobs, which is often a rarity to find. They spoke perfect English but I decided to try out my Spanish and they were so patient and helpful when I got confused. I chose about a dozen small tapas dishes (all ranging from £3-£6) which were delivered promptly, steaming hot and full of flavour. The lighting was neither too bright or too dimly lit and the Spanish music in the background took you to a tapas bar back in Spain.

The pork cheeks were melt in the mouth delicious, the squid crisp and tender with a garlicky aioli and the courgette 'chips' were a delight. The bottle of house red wine that they recommended, was a perfect accompaniment. I personally couldn't fault them.

Jerk chicken and Avocado Coleslaw

Thursday night last week The Bloke and I really fancied jerk chicken, so I grabbed two chicken breasts, put slashes all over them and marinated them in 2 tablespoons of my jerk marinade (recipe here). Turned out we didn't get to eat them that night - life got in the way as it often does.

However the next night these chicken breasts were sitting happily in the fridge, having marinated for 24 hours. I just popped them in the oven for 25 minutes at 200 C and we got these steaming hot spicy chicken breasts!

Now as the chicken was going to be quite hot from the chillies in the marinade - I needed something cooling to go with it. Being bored with the standard coleslaw I made Avocado Coleslaw. The flavour was immense and surprisingly looked delicious - even though it was green!

Here's what you do:

Crush one garlic clove and add to a bowl along with a pinch of salt and pepper and the juice of 1/3 lemon. Add one ripe avocado and mash together until its a paste. Stir in one tbsp. of mayonnaise and half a tsp. of salad cream.

Grate one medium carrot, a piece of mooli (white radish) about half the size of the carrot. Finely slice half a red onion and a shred a quarter of a white cabbage. Add the vegetables to the avocado mix and combine.


Note: Mooli is a white radish that looks like a large white carrot and can also be called daikon. You can buy these from some supermarkets and greengrocers - but if you can't find any, you can just leave it out of the recipe.