Posts tagged herbs

Scallops and Herb Crusted Cod

April 12, 2017 Comments Off read Seafood

ast weekend really did spark the start of a British summer…hopefully….Blues skies, dog walks, reading in the garden and cheeky trips to the local pub. Although they’re never cheeky in our household. More of a requirement. I escaped home to Wiltshire for the briefest of visits. Just 36 hours but I packed them full with foodie treats. Gorgeous weather means simple, fresh food. Torn between my love of the kitchen and my sun worshipping, I found a speedy recipe to prepare for Saturday supper. Time to indulge in the kitchen but also to balance my sunbathing. Priorities.

Jazz and apron on, cool white Muscadet in hand….recommendations below….

Music to cook to: St Germain – Tourist (see here)

Wine recommendation: Muscadet or something zesty and fresh! Recommended from Armit Wines specifically is my favourite- Bianca di Evro Inzolia, a Sicilian wine (see here)

n the topic of wine (I feel like I say that a lot) I’d eat this starter with a zesty, fresh, citrus wine. Nothing flashy….Muscadet is perfect. After a planned and cheeky G&T(sssssss) at the local pub in the setting sunshine pre dinner, this starter was very much a miracle on its own let alone anything too time consuming or thought provoking. A classic combination I’ll admit but I wasn’t looking for a trophy for originality. I did however omit the generic bacon wafer or chorizo cubes….whilst admittedly it was because I was too gin fuelled to bother, I did in fact pass it off as unnecessary to my guests but I do in fact agree (…with myself…) it is! It doesn’t need it. The greens, lemon, a Muscadet and the hearty fried capers are perfectly indulgent enough and allow the scallops to take the show without bacon raining on the parade.

Scallops and Greenery

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)

12-16 scallops (roe removed if wanted)
Large bunch rocket
300g ish peas (frozen)
Bunch mint leaves, picked
2 large knobs butter
1 heaped tbsp capers
1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Boil the peas for a few minutes. Drain immediately and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add the mint, seasoning and 1 large knob of butter. Blend until smooth – or chunky, mine was rustic. If too thick, add a splash of milk. Set aside and keep warm.
Get a sharing platter and scatter over the rocket. Squeeze over just a little of the lemon juice.
Season the scallops and heat a splash of oil and the rest of the butter in a frying pan until hot.
Add the scallops and fry on a high heat for just a few minutes each side until golden brown. For the last minute, add the capers and fry briefly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add a good squeeze of lemon (it will sizzle). Baste the scallops in the buttery juice.
Serve immediately. Spoon 12-16 spoonfuls of the pea puree onto the rocket and top each with a juicy golden scallops. Drizzle with the buttery capers and juices. Serve!

This next recipe is very easy but again and complements a pub visit. However, I did do a little pre pub prep just to make sure.

Herb Crusted Cod with Puy Lentils and Balsamic Onions

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 fillets of cod/haddock/hake (or any meaty white fish)
2 slices brown bread
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 x packets (or bunches) of parsley (I used 1 bunch flat leaf and 1 bunch curly)
1 lemon
1 egg
8oz Puy lentils
2 large red onions, sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Serves 4

Begin by making the crust. Blitz the bread in a food processor into crumbs. Add the garlic, the herbs and the zest of the lemon. Season and blend until everything is chopped and combined finely.
Add the egg and blend again.
Cut your fish into 4 fillets. Take a good spoonful of the herb topping – it should be fairly sticky with the bread and the egg – and compact onto the top of each fillet. Chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes until needed.
Preheat the over to 190°C.
Meanwhile, simmer the Puy lentils for about 20 minutes until just cooked and tender but with a bite. Drain and keep warm. Season.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan and gently sweat the onions for a good 10 minutes until soft. Start to add some colour until caramelised. Season.
Turn the heat up a little and add the balsamic which should sizzle and begin to reduce. Coat the onions then remove from the heat.
Tip the balsamic red onions into the warm lentils and stir to combine.
Remove the fish from the fridge about 5 minutes before ready to cook. Place on a greased or lined baking tray, and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet (15 minutes for those sized above).
Remove from the oven when just cooked and beginning to flake. the fish will keep cooking when removed from the oven with the residual heat so don’t over cook initially.
Place a spoonful of the lentils into deep warm serving bowls and top with the fish. Serve with a good wedge of lemon for squeezing over the crunchy crust! Enjoy!

Lahmacun Meatballs

February 6, 2017 Comments Off read Meat

ahmacun is like a Turkish meat pizza which I’ve sampled in my many escapades to my favourite middle eastern restaurants and holiday destinations. Pizza you say? In a very loose sense. A thin dough topped with a layer of spiced minced meat and a scattering of tasty salad. However, I’ve been experimenting with textures and I decided to turn mine into meatballs – maintaining the spices and flavours of a traditional Lahmacun serving them on a warm pillowy nigella seed flecked flatbread and topped with a fresh crunchy raw salad.

This would make an excellent dinner party starter in a mini version or a light meal or lunch.

Serves 4 (Makes approx. 16 meatballs)

Meatballs

500g minced beef
1 small onion, diced finely
1 small red chilli, diced
1tsp (heaped) ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked paprika
50g toasted pine nuts (dry fry in a hot pan until beginning to turn golden and release a nutty aroma!)
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

Nigella Seed Flatbreads

250g self raising flour
150ml warm water
1 1/2tbsp nigella seeds
Salt and pepper

Salad

1 bag radishes, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, cubed into 1cm dice
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
Small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 little gem lettuces, chopped (optional)
1/2 lemon
Tahini

You’ll need 3 large bowl, one for each component to get yourself started. A large frying pan and preheat the oven to 180°C.

Start by making the meatballs. Mix all the ingredients in your first large bowl and combine with your hands, squeezing the mixture together to ensure all the flavours are dispersed. Don’t overwork or pound the meat however. Season well. Taking golf ball sized chunks, roll into meatballs and place on a plate. Continue until you’ve used up all the meat and you have around 16 meatballs. Cover the plate and chill in the fridge until needed.
Next, make the flatbread dough. Combine the flours, salt and pepper and seeds in your second bowl. Pour in the water and mix with a fork. As it comes together, get your hands in and combine into a dough. It shouldn’t be dry but nor should it be sticky. Depending on the texture, add a tough more water/flour to enable you to roll into a smooth ball. Knead for 2-3 minutes on a clean floured worktop. Set aside in a floured bowl and cover with cling film and leave to rest for about 20 minutes or so.
Assemble the salad. Combine all ingredients in your final bowl except the tahini and lemon. Season and then set aside until ready to serve.
Begin the cooking – remove the meatballs from the fridge! Heat a splash of vegetable or light olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and fry the meatballs on all sides until they are golden and a nice crust has formed on the outside. Line a baking tray with foil and add the meatballs (the rest of the cooking can be done in the oven). Scrunch up the foil around them to keep them sealed ask they cook and stay moist. Place int he oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, fry your flatbreads. Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat (you will likely need your extractor fan on here) Take your dough, divide into 4 balls. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out into a small saucer size about the thickness of a 10p piece. When the pan is hot, add one flatbread at a time and fry on both sides, turning when beginning to brown and char in places. The dough will ideally bubble up and create air pockets but it doesn’t matter if not.
As you fry and complete each one, wrap them in a pile in a clean tea towel to keep them warm and soft until needed.
Once the flatbreads are toasted and the meatballs are ready, remove them from the oven.
Dress the salad with the lemon juice and toss to combine.
To serve, top each flatbread with 3-4 meatballs. Add a large handful or salad over the top and drizzle with the tahini if you like.

(A lime and mint yoghurt would also go down well here instead of tahini if wanted)

Enjoy!

Rump Steak, Herb Fire Sauce

November 13, 2014 Comments Off read Meat

Work has been stressful recently I’m not going to lie. So after another long and challenging day I eagerly donned my well worn trainers, embarrassing (but necessary) high vis and rucksack and took to the road and ran home. I love running home after work, its a great way to relax blow the cobwebs from my mind and cleanse my lungs….until I hit Earls Court that is and the bus fumes. Alas.

My run usually involves daydreaming about recipes and what I’m going to cook along with other things. After a long week and some serious after work power yoga sessions I’ve been eating healthy but quick to make suppers and I craved a steak and a little time spent in the kitchen. So….I made a well needed detour past the butchers and nabbed myself a lovely dark, dry piece of rump steak with an unhealthily large piece of flavoursome fat along the back and continued my run home…noticably faster.

Inspired by a chimichurri sauce this to be honest was made on the spot with leftover herbs, plenty of chilli and some lime. I have tried to remember what was added so use this as a guide. Add a touch of anything to balance the flavours and eat with joy! I packed a lot of chilli into mine…it was hot!

Serves 2

Green Sauce

Large handful flat leaf parsley
Large handful fresh basil
Large handful coriander
½ tsp chilli flakes
¼ red chilli (if a hot one)
1 garlic clove
¼ red onion, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 btsp lime juice
3 tbsp rapeseed oil

To serve

2 large sweet potatoes, chopped into wedges
2 rump steaks
Green beans, asparagus, broccoli or choice of vegetables

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the potato wedges on a baking tray, season generously and drizzle with oil. Roast for about 30-40 minutes until tender and crispy round the edges.
Meanwhile make the sauce. Add all the ingredients except the oil, lime and vinegar to a food processor and season. Blend until chopped. Add the lime and vinegar and blend again. Add enough oil to loosen and bring the sauce together into a thick but spoonable ‘paste’. You don’t want it too runny – more like a salsa.
Heat a frying pan until hot and add a dash of oil. Season the steaks with freshly cracked black pepper and salt. Sear the steak on their edge on the fat side for about 1 minute to render down the fat and allow you to fry the steak in this lovely flavoursome oil. The time will depend on how much fat you have on your steak.
Once rendered and crisp, fry your steak for about 2 to 2 ½ minutes each side for a piece around 2 ½ cm thick (this will give you medium rare). Once cooked leave to rest wrapped tightly in foil for 5 minutes.
When ready to serve, slice your rested steak and drizzle with any resting juices. Serve alongside the roasted potato wedges and any vegetables of your choice. Spoon over your punchy sauce and enjoy!

Drink with nothing but a cold beer of water……..I opted for beer.

Bream and Herby Quinoa

November 11, 2014 Comments Off read Seafood

Simple, healthy, super quick and will hit the spot for flavour. I live off suppers like this throughout the week as they can be made within half an hour and grains and pulses like quinoa are so versatile to play with depending on whats in your fridge. My fridge this evening included bunches of fresh herbs, half a red onion and a fading packet of lonely pine nuts. Feel free to add whatever you have to hand: Chorizo, leftover chicken, stray vegetables or some lemony crumbled goats cheese….

Serves 2

120g quinoa/bulgar wheat mix (I used this one)
Large handful of each: Basil, dill, coriander, parsley, chopped
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp ground cumin
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Handful pine nuts, toasted
2 sea bream fillets

Simmer the quinoa in water for about 10-15 minutes until ready and soft (follow packet instructions for different types) Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
Heat a frying pan until hot and dry toast the pine nuts until just starting to colour and smell fragrant then remove and leave to cool.
Heat a little oil in the frying pan and soften the onion for about 5 minutes until starting to turn translucent. When soft, add the ground cumin and stir for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and stir this into the quinoa with the pine nuts and herbs.
Season and stir in the lemon juice and zest.
Heat a frying pan until hot. Season and score the skin side of your bream fillets. Add a dash of oil to the pan and fry skin side down for about 3 minutes and then flip over for the final minute to finish the cooking.
Serve on top of your herby quinoa with some lemony or spiced yoghurt if you like!

Spiced Lamb, Charred Carrots, Green Coucous, Saffron Yoghurt

September 6, 2014 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

I strongly recommend and encourage you to use Organic carrots here but if they’re homegrown, all the better. You can usually tell by their wispy piggy-tail-like ends – these bits always seem to taste the sweetest and nicest. Being simply boiled and charred in a griddle with lemon, the flavour has to good otherwise you’ll just end up chewing on a tasteless carrot stick….

The green couscous recipe is adapted from Ottolenghi and the remainder is a combination of flavours and textures I love and craved last weekend of August that raced by in the blink of my (luckily sun glass clad) eyes!

Serves 2

Green Couscous

100g cous cous
150ml boiling water
1 small onion, finely sliced
Ground cumin
25g pistachios, chopped roughly
1 small green chilli, chopped
Large bunch herbs: Parsley, basil, mint, coriander, dill
Good olive oil

Place the couscous in a shallow bowl and season well. Add a very small knob of butter if you wish and then pour over the boiling water. Cover and set aside.
Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and gently and slowly fry the onion until soft and beginning to colour. Add a big pinch of cumin and fry for a few minutes before taking off the heat.
While the onion is cooking, make the herb paste. Blend the herbs in a food processor, adding a slow stream of oil until blended nicely into a paste (The amount of oil you add here is up to you. The more you add the more moist the couscous will be).
When the couscous has absorbed all the water, use a fork to fluff up the grains and add to the pan with the cumin onions. Add the green chilli and pistachios and finely stir through your herb paste.
Taste and add a touch or lemon juice or seasoning or more olive oil to loosen.

Carrots

6-8 Organic/home grown carrots, cleaned
1 lemon, zest
1tbsp olive oil

Leave the carrots whole and cook in simmering water for about 4 minutes or so but just until tender when pierced with a knife but still with lots of bite and a bit of crunch. Drain and leave to cool and dry a little.
Heat a griddle pan until hot and add the oil.
Griddle the carrots until beginning to char on the outside for a few minutes
Serve warm with the couscous, with the grated lemon zest scattered over the top.

Lamb Steaks and Yoghurt

2 lamb leg steaks (You can also use lamb cutlets if you wish)
Ras el Hanout, Smoked paprika, spice mix (see here)
Olive oil
150g plain yoghurt
Pinch saffron threads

Sprinkle a good pinch of the dry spices and spice mix over your lamb steaks. Drizzle with olive oil and massage the spices into the meat. Set aside at room temperature.
Put the saffron in a small cup and add 1 tbsp of hot water. Leave to infuse.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan or griddle pan until hot.
Fry the steaks for 2 minutes per side (for a piece the thickness of mine, about 2cm, for medium) and then wrap tightly in foil and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes while you assemble the dish.
Take the saffron water (which should be a vibrate yellow) Pour into the yoghurt with some generous seasoning and stir to combine.
When ready to serve, carve your rested lamb and serve on top of your couscous and carrots with a generous dollop of yoghurt. Drizzle with the resting lamb juices!

Wine suggestion: Sijnn White 2012 (Chenin-Viogner)

I devoured this with a glass (or two) of Sijnn White 2012. South African, 84% Chenin Blanc, 16% Viogner. Stony fruits, peach, mineral and nutty flavour went deliciously with the spices in this dish.