Posts tagged mint

Pearl Barley Salad & Pea Puree

July 13, 2021 Comments Off read Seafood, Vegetables and Salads

haven’t blogged anything new in some time. Don’t worry I haven’t stopped cooking, our meals have just rotated between old favourites, cheap quick fixes and emergency lentils. I’ve been somewhat preoccupied with…a wedding. My wedding! My first blog post as a married woman. He was a happy man he said as he cheerfully devoured this dinner. Little does he know the menus to come…just wait for anniversary one!

The promise of a proper summer streamed through our balcony windows today and the forecast for our precious weekends begins to look brighter, dressy and filled with cold crisp pints. It is also a pinnacle time for the world opening up again. I very much look forward to stopping for an unplanned, non-booked drink at a random pub and even ordering it myself at a bar. Heck I might even pay in cash (perhaps one step too far?).

Back to this recipe. The dish is so fresh and vibrant in flavour yet it is deceivingly satiating. The barely salad is filled with summery, flavours all coated in the gorgeously sweet velvety pea that I always wish I’d made more of.

Serves 2

2 fillets of fish – seabass, bream, cod – pick your favourite.
300g frozen peas
1 garlic clove
1/2 stock cube
100g pearl barley
1/2 courgette
1 handful mint & parsley, leave picked
Handful of pine nuts
1 lemon
1 knob butter

Prepare your pearl barely salad ingredients. Cut your courgette into dice, bite sized pieces and set aside.
Roughly chop the herbs and grate the zest of the lemon juice on top. Set aside with the courgette.
Toast you pine nuts in a dry hot frying pan until golden, set aside.
Simmer the pearl barley in boiling water for about 20-30 minutes until just soft and the bite has gone. Drain and return to the pan and keep warm with a lid on. You’ll finish this at the last minute.
Make you pea puree just before serving, right before you cook you fish. Prepare a pan of stock and add the garlic clove and the peas. Boil for about 2 minutes then remove from the heat. Add the peas & garlic clove only (keep the stock) to a blender/nutribullet with some seasoning and a knob of butter. Add a small splash of the hot stock to the mix but best to add little to start so you can thin it down to the desired consistency, its harder to make thicker again! Blend and add more stock to achieve a smooth creamy texture but you really don’t need a lot. You’re not looking for soup but you’re not looking for mash! Season well to taste. Set aside and keep as hot as you can while you cook the fish.
Heat a frying pan until piping hot and add a tiny bit of oil. Season you fish and cook, skin side down for about 2-3 minutes, finishing for 30 seconds on the flesh side (timings for a seabass/bream fillet)
Combine herbs, lemon zest, juice of the lemon, courgette and the pine nuts and mix well into the barely you set aside.
Spoon a lovely ladleful of pea puree onto a plate. Top with your pearl barley salad and finally your fish fillet. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil if you like, extra pine nuts or another squeeze of lemon

Eat ideally in a sunny garden while the birds chirping in the background. I will have to settle for a balcony, London sirens but a handsome husband to gaze into the eyes of. Who knows, perhaps a garden and bird song is on our list for the next adventure.

Spinach & Cheese Spiral

July 16, 2019 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

ilo pastry is one of my favourite pastries. Its light, crispy, buttery and gives the most amazing texture contrast when baked with a soft filling. Its not only ideal for savoury pies such as here but impressive when cooked with a sweet filling. This very spiral can be packed with a sweet almond frangipane and dusted with icing sugar for a delicious dessert.

This a a spiral version of the traditional Greek spanakopita that can be made in a round tin also. This may look more complicated but its actually a lot easier if you don’t have a tin to hand! It can be a bit tricky to manipulate however I promise once baked it will look like stunning. As someone who grumpily shoved the raw pie into the oven, cursing at how it looked “nothing like the recipe photo” and “how on earth can that be expected to work” it came out looking like a model spanakopita. I felt smug.

Serve with a simple fresh green salad with plenty of lemon juice and a scoop of Greek yoghurt.

TIP: Keep the filo pastry under a damp tea towel when not using to stop it drying out. It WILL dry out in minutes and break apart if not.

TIP: Use plenty of melted butter. Don’t leave any raw pastry un-buttered. It will make it easier to form into a spiral, prevent cracks and taste better.

Adapted from delicious magazine.

Serves 4

1 pack filo pastry (about 6-7 sheets)
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds

Filling

1 large red onion, sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 x 400g bags spinach leaves
300g feta, crumbled
150g goats cheese, crumbled
40g parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 free range eggs
Bunch dill, finely chopped
Bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
Pinch chilli flakes
1 lemon, zest and juice
75g pine nuts, toasted
Nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 190 and line a baking tray with parchment.
Wilt the spinach in batches in your biggest pan with a splash of water. Drain, cool and then squeeze out any excess water. Then, using a muslin cloth or tea towel, tightly squeeze the remaining water (you’ll be shocked at how little spinach you end up with).
Roughly chop the remaining spinach and add to a big mixing bowl. Set aside.
Fry the red onions for about 5 minutes until soft. Season and add the balsamic. Let this sizzle and cook and coat the onions until they become sticky. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Add all the cheeses, the eggs, the dill (save a handful for serving), mint, chilli, lemon, pine nuts and a pinch of nutmeg to the spinach bowl. Season well. Finally, add the onions and mix well.
Melt the butter if not already done so.
Put one sheet of rectangular filo on a clear work surface and brush generously with butter. Top with another sheet and brush as before. Add 1/3 of the spinach mixture in a line against the long edge of the pastry. Roll into a cylinder, brushing with butter to cover any raw pastry.
Twirl the long roll into a coil keeping it tight at the centre. Ensure its generously buttered or it will crack. Don’t worry if it does, you can patch it up with extra buttered filo before baking.
Repeat this step with the other pastry sheets and the other 2/3 of mixture adding the rolls to the coil making it larger as you go.
Brush the whole wheel liberally with butter. If there are any large cracks and the filling is exposed, take a spare piece of pastry, butter and then patch it up as best you can. Finally, scatter with a pinch of salt and the sesame and nigella seeds.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown and cooked.
Serve scattered with extra dill.

I like to cut mine into a slice like you would a quiche. Some serve by the roll, pealing off bits of the spiral. As you like. My way you end up with a higher pastry ratio!

Guinness Lamb Shanks

February 26, 2019 Comments Off read Meat

‘ll start by admitting that this is a trusty Jamie O recipe that I’ve adapted. I think quite rightly adapted, by adding a lot more Guinness than his recipe suggests. Seeing as it’s in the title, I felt a good pint minus a few motivating sips should be involved. You can basically slow cook lamb shanks in any liquid with some stock – ale, cider, wine etc, so this was screaming for the booze.

Jamie O is both the reason I started cooking when I was younger and my constant inspiration. He is my go-to for tasty and reliable recipes when lacking ideas. I also love lamb shank. Forever a crowd pleaser and a winner when cooked slowly. I’ve a number of tasty lamb shank recipes on the blog but February 14th was calling for something with an indulgent difference. If you’ve read last weeks post you’ll know that my lucky date polished off a cleansing Peruvian sea bass cerviche before enrolling in Guinness lamb shank. He had no choice.

What did I get in return you might wonder? Only the luckiest of men would get his own menu I hear you say. And little did I know that a mere 22 hours after serving this Irish inspired delight, that I’d be whisked away on a plane to none other than…Dublin!!! For a surprise weekend away! Only the luckiest of ladies would be treated to such adventures. Too close a coincidence some might say…but little did I know that I’d be standing over Dublin sipping a Guinness in the Guinness factory panoramic bar a day later. Cheers to Dublin and Guinness. Enjoy this recipe.

Serves 4

4 lamb shanks
2 red onions, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
Handful raisins
1 heaped tbsp red onion marmalade
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
1 can Guinness
Few sticks rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 litre hot beef/lamb stock

Mint oil

Bunch fresh mint, leaves picked
1 lemon
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Heat a large casserole dish, large enough to hold the lamb shanks, on the hob on a medium heat and add a splash of oil. Seasons the shanks then brown them to caramelise the edges and develop some flavour. Do this for 5-8 minutes or so, just to brown the main end and sides, don’t be too fussy, it’ll brown fully later. Set aside on a plate.
Add a touch more oil to the casserole and reduce the heat to gently soften the onions for about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add the rosemary and stir to combine. Season.
Add the marmalade, raisins, ketchup and W sauce and stir to combine. Turn the heat up a touch and add the Guinness.
Add the lamb shanks back to the pan and top up with enough stock to bring the liquid about 1/2 way up the sides so its submerged but not drowning.
Now you can leave it alone in the oven with a lid on. Leave to cook for about 2 hours. After this time, remove the lid and increase the temperature to 180°C. This will enable the juices to reduce and the mixture to thicken. Leave this for about an hour but after it has been in for 2 & 1/2 hours in total, its really up to you and your timings. I left mine for about 3 hours total and really reduced and thickened the sauce and browned the shanks to a dark ale colour. You can play with the temperature to achieve your style. Careful not to dry the sauce though.
Once cooked, remove from the oven. Serve with creamy mash, polenta, creamy beans and leeks or whatever your heart desires. Top with mint oil.

Mint oil

bash the min leaves in a pestle and mortar with some flaky salt. Add a very small touch of oil and mash until the desired consistency.
You don’t want to add too much oil and lamb is notoriously oil and fatty so this should freshen rather than cloy the pallet.

Peruvian Ceviche

February 15, 2019 Comments Off read Seafood

alentine’s day is the perfect opportunity for me to experiment in the kitchen and spend long days dreaming and cultivating the perfect menu. This year was no different. I wanted a light starter and one that didn’t involve too much last minute prep or any time that took me away from my gorgeous date (…and my wine glass) so ceviche was a hit.

I’ve never considered it for a dinner party starter but it couldn’t be better suited! Assembly in under 5 minutes and all the prep can be done beforehand. Light, refreshing and, if served well, can impress your guests with your modern and stylish flair.

I used sea bass here as I love the flavour but feel free to use any white chunky fish. Try and buy fresh from a fish monger rather than supermarket just to get the best of your starter.

Serves 2 (adapted from Jamie Oliver)

200g seabass, skinned and cubed in 1 cm pieces
1/2 small red onion, diced very finely
2 spring onions, sliced finely
1/2 red chilli, diced finely
Bunch mint, leaves picked
Bunch coriander, leaves picked
1 lime, zest
2 lemons, juice only
1 punnet cress (optional)

Cube or prepare the fish as needed and set aside in a shallow bowl and add the red onion, spring onion and red chilli
Chop the herbs finely and set aside.
Squeeze the juice of the lemons and the lime zest into a separate bowl and set aside. Add 1 tsp salt.
When ready to serve, mix all but a handful of the herbs into the fish.
Pour over the lemon juice and stir to combine. Leave for about 3 minutes while you prepare the serving bowls.
Once 3 minutes has passed, spoon the cerviche into 2 separate serving bowls and top with the remaining herbs and the cress. Spoon over the some of the remaining juices. Serve

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

May 21, 2018 Comments Off read Poultry, Vegetables and Salads

his recipe was required on a warm summer evening when a healthy dinner was the priority but sustenance was a must. I took inspiration for this from one of the simplest and freshest salads I greedily devoured at an Asian supper club I went to last year. If you haven’t been to or heard of Uyen Luu and her culinary adventures then I highly encourage you to head over to her website (see here). But not yet…read my blog post and cook this recipe first!

This recipe is all about the freshness, variety and abundance of herbs – these are vital and will either make or break the dish. Uyen’s version is far cleaner, using poached chicken that she shreds and stirs throughout the salad. This is ideal as a fresh starter but my hunger and craving demanded something crispier and oiler so I opted to fry my tender succulent chicken strips. I also opted for a punchier dressing, using lime, sesame and soy, than Uyen’s simpler version but both are eqaully as delicious.

One thing we do share is the need for prawn crackers here. Personally if you can’t get hold of the big, golden ones they offer in the best Thai restaurants, then the cheaper the better! And I suggest you buy 2 bags as if you’re anything like me the first bag gets demolished during cooking.

Tip – If you really want to make this salad to its best (and generally for a must-have in the any keen cooks kitchen pantry) then I strongly recommend you buy a julienne peeler noted below. They might occasionally shave your fingers off (beware – they’re sharp!) but hey…its worth it for such a great salad.

Serves 2

Salad

2 chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 carrots
2 courgettes
Large bunch basil, leaves picked
Large bunch mint, leaves picked
Large bunch coriander
Large handful salted, roasted peanuts, lightly crushed.
Prawn crackers to serve

Picked Onions

1 red onion, sliced
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tsp caster sugar
Salt and pepper

Dressing

1 large garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp runny honey

Start with the onions. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a shallow bowl and add the sliced onion. Season, combine and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a jam jar and shake well. Taste. This is vital as everyones soy sauce is different (low salt, normal, high quality, low quality etc) so all dressings will taste different. Add more lime/soy/fish sauce to taste. Don’t be afraid to go punchy as it will need to told its own when applied to the salad.
Make the salad. (Using a julienne peeler will give you the best results here (see here), but if you’re patient, then you can very very finely slice the carrots and courgettes into strips. Alternatively, you could use a courgetti machine but it won’t give you quite what you want here.) Julienne the carrots and courgettes into a large bowl. Chop the herbs roughly together and add 3/4 of them to the bowl. Add the roasted, chopped peanuts.
Drain the onions after 20-30 minutes of steeping and add all but a handful of these to the salad. Mix all to combine well and set aside while you cook the chicken.
Heat a frying pan until hot and add a splash of vegetable/sunflower oil. Season the chicken strips and fry on a high heat until just cooked and golden but still moist.
Remove from the heat and use forks to pull the chicken into strips.
Dress the salad quickly with the dressing.
Divide the salad between two bowls and top with the succulent chicken (or you can stir the chicken throughout the salad). Scatter over the raminaing handful of red onions and herbs.
Serve with prawn crackers and devour with chop sticks.

Duck & Watermelon Salad

September 26, 2017 Comments Off read Meat, Poultry

‘

‘ve a list of recipes that just catch my eye for one reason or another that I immediately add to my ‘to cook’ list. Those reasons could be the choice of ingredients, the vibrant colours or just a mood and craving but all contribute to the creation of this list. Shamefully the list has been growing faster than it has even had a chance to be depleted this summer! However an easy Tuesday this week called for this vibrant and fuss free salad. Not much cooking here – just a lot of chopping and fancy scattering. Studded with pomegranate gems, hidden with crispy morsels of duck supported by a solid foundation of juicy watermelon bricks.

Having just this week returned from a bootcamp-esque paradise holiday in Greece filled with wake boarding, yoga, volleyball (I could go on), this recipe offered the perfect balance to continue the health kick while fantasising about being back in the turquoise oceans and white sands of my much beloved Greece.

It has been adapted by a recipe from ‘The Londoner’. Adapted with an alternate dressing more heavy on the lime and some extra hidden gems – roasted peanuts in any dish are rarely a bad thing. But what we do share is our appreciation for the hot duck – cold melon combo that is just so refreshing and de-wicious.

*[Alex and Alice – if you’re reading (which I hope you are), put this on your ‘to cook’ list too before summer is completely over!]

Serves 2

1/2 large watermelon, chopped into chunks
2 duck legs
4 spring onions, chopped
1 red chilli, finely diced
Bunch of mint, leaves picked and chopped
Bunch coriander, chopped
Handful of salted, roasted peanuts
Handful pomegranate seeds
1-2 limes, zest and juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Extra Virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the duck and roast in a tray for an hour.
While the duck is cooking, chop your watermelon into big chunks and add to a large salad bowl big enough to contain the whole salad.
Add the chopped spring onions, red chilli and chopped herbs.
Add the peanuts and pomegranate seeds (as many as you wish to balance the rest of the salad) and combine well.
Combine the juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how juicy they are!) and the zest in a jam jar. Add almost the same measure of extra virgin olive oil, but a touch under so its more ‘limey’.
Add the soy, sesame and some seasoning. Place the lid on the jam jar and shake well to combine. Taste and adjust to your liking. The last thing you want to do is add a bad dressing to your wonderful salad!
When the duck is ready, quickly shred the meat and crispy skin. It cools quickly so in order to maintain the hot/cold vibe you’re trying to create here, pop it back in the oven for a final blast of heat to warm.
Once hot, add the shredded duck quickly to the salad bowl and coat the salad and duck liberally in the dressing and combine well.
Serve immediately!

I served mine with a nice fresh rocket and cucumber salad and some homemade coconut flatbreads. But this is still a good and healthy meal in itself. A few chunky roasted croutons would not go a miss here however. Just sayin.

Raw Citrus Salad

June 29, 2017 Comments Off read Seafood, Vegetables and Salads

f you’ve been (un)lucky enough to experience the heat wave that swept the UK last week then you’ll probably agree that appetites change from being food dominant to a welcome craving for frosty, cold and delicious beers. Iced rose if thats more your thing, or perhaps just a freshly made lemonade in the sunshine. However, food still has its place but freshness, lightness and nothing too heavy takes the culinary crown. This salad was perfect after what was probably the hottest day of the year so far. After trawling over London for a meeting – which at the time felt dramatically reminiscent of a desert voyage – I was in no fit state for cooking anything too warm later that evening….

This therefore seemed the perfect opportunity to make a fresh salad but one to replenish the nutrients. And time to crack out an ingredient that’s been waiting patiently in my pantry for the past few months. A little gift from overseas from the Norwegian’s. I’ve not seen a oil like this before but have been delighting in it since. Whilst I’ve tried flavoured oils in the past which I’ve found to be either bland or synthetic, this little oil/balsamic combo – mandarin oil with an epic peach and apricot balsamic – served neat and combined in equal measures with some crusty bread for dipping was amazing! I instantly thought seafood, fennel, and raw salads….after thoughts of frosty beers and rose. I did mention it was very hot…

With a lack of garden space or even a balcony in London (sympathy welcomed) there was sadly no place for a BBQ here. But if you do then this would be an amazing salad served with charred barbecued squid or octopus. Or keep it simple and griddle your asparagus or sea bass. The smoky bbq flavour is perfect for anything citrus here.

Like I said, its a meal for a hot day…minimal effort, more an assembly of flavours. Feel free to add in any other ingredients of choice or fish and seafood.

*NOTE – if you’ve no time to pop to Norway for these delights, a really good extra virgin olive oil with either a generous squeeze of lemon/lime/orange would work a treat. Try adding a few very thin slices of orange segments or grated zest too. Blood orange if you’re feeling extravagant.

Serve 2

2 celery sticks, finely sliced
1 bunch asparagus spears
1 bulb fennel, sliced wafer thin (using a mandolin if you have one)
1 handful walnuts, toasted and lightly crushed
Small bunch fresh basil and mint, finely chopped
1 lemon/orange/lime
Extra virgin olive oil and 1 orange OR flavoured citrus oil or equivalent to above
2 sea bass fillets (or as above, squid, octopus etc)

Hest a frying pan/griddle pan to medium high and add a splash of light olive oil. Griddle the asparagus spears to just take off the rawness for a few minutes until beginning to char. Season and remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the celery, shaved fennel, toasted walnuts and finely chopped herbs.
When the asparagus spears have cooled a little, add them to bowl.
Season and grate in the zest of half the lemon.
The next bit if up to you. Add the citrus oil, and the juice of half a lemon or add the juice of an orange/lime and some plain, extra virgin olive oil. Its all about taste. You need a fresh citrus flavour but it needs to be balanced.
Set aside once done. Fry your fish and serve atop your fresh salad.

I served mine alongside some roasted carrots …I’ll admit this isn’t supporting the cooling and ‘non hassle’ trend I championed above. What can I say, the frosty beer worked a treat…

Slice 2-3 large carrot into chunky diagonal chunks
Season and drizzle with olive oil
Scatter with 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
Roast for about 25 minutes until starting to caramelise and soften. Check after this time and leave in longer if needed.
5 minutes before they look ready, add 1 btsp running honey and combine. roast for 5 more minutes.
Remove from the oven and served, slightly cooled, with your citrus salad (also lovely to add chopped parsley and crumbled feta/goats cheese)

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!

Rum Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Ice Cream, Mint Sugar

May 3, 2016 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

‘m not a dessert person or a sweet tooth, unless it comes to ice cream. And this so happens to be my favourite ice cream recipe! Don’t get me wrong I love making desserts. Planning them, creating them and being able to execute a beautiful creation but I usually never eat them. So with guests for supper this weekend, a fuss free dessert was required. With a fatty hearty main on the cards, a fresh and citrus cleansing after was the perfect match. You can take more time over this as I mention below (see notes) by adding some grated coconut to the ice cream, grilling the pineapple towards the end, caramelising with a blow torch or wonderfully charring on the barbeque but fuss free was the aim here.

I made the ice cream in 5 minutes at breakfast and it was ready and set by dinner time and is just as impressive as a classic recipe. The pineapple is sweet and deliciously roasted and with a depth of flavour from the rum that makes this more than a fruit salad finish to a meal. Sometimes the simple ones are the best and this is no doubt a powerful but humble choice.

Serves 6

Pineapple

1 large pineapple
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
6 tsp butter

Coconut Ice Cream

400ml full fat coconut milk
1 can condensed milk
Zest 1 lime
1 fresh coconut, grated/ 150g toasted desiccated coconut (optional)

Mint sugar

Bunch mint leaves picked
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Start on the ice cream. If you’re after a super fast recipe, simply combine the condensed milk, coconut milk and lime zest, whisk to combine then place in a tupperware in the freezer (untouched) for at least 8 hours. For added flavour though you can add in the grated flesh of one fresh coconut or the desiccated coconut but if you’ve ever tried to grate a fresh coconut you’ll know it takes some commitment…
Preheat the oven to 190°C.. Warm the rum gently in a pan and then add the sugar and the seeds of the vanilla pod. Stir to combine.
Top and tail the pineapple and remove the rind. Cut in half lengthways and then cut each half into thirds. Remove the hard centre segment and then place the slices in a large bowl.
Spoon over the rum mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Line a baking tray and spoon the marinading pineapple onto the tray evenly with any of the leftover rum marinade. Place a tsp of butter on top of each and roast for about 30 minutes until tender. You can stick them under the grill for the final few minutes to char them slightly if you like but again, the aim here is fuss free!
Once ready remove from the oven and set aside. Bash the sugar and mint in a pestle and mortar until crushed and vibrant green
Top each slice of pineapple with a little mint sugar and serve warm alongside a creamy scoop of your coconut ice cream

NOTE: There are certainly ways to ‘glam’ this up. Grill the pineapple once cooked for a caramelised effect, scorch with a blowtorch for the same effect or beautifully grilled on the barbecue. Add the fresh coconut to the ice cream as mentioned or make a lovely heard of sesame praline (melt caster sugar until golden, add sesame seeds and turn out onto an oiled sheet of parchment). Shortbread would also never go unwanted here.

Dahl, Roasted Curried Cauliflower, Shredded Duck in Lime

May 1, 2016 Comments Off read Meat

ou won’t be surprised to hear it was another week of stressful and busy work so the long weekend glowed like a beacon on Friday evening with promises of yoga, long runs in the sun and some experimental time in the kitchen to blog and relax the mind. I woke to a beautiful sunny day and after a long run to clear the working cobwebs I was already on my way to some downtime. All that was required was some time in the kitchen.

With a stressful period at work keeping 90% of my mind on the task it was time to start planning my second supper club to focus and begin that excitement again! With the date confirmed and inked in the diary I was more than eager to start developing the menu! With just over 2 month before the (second) big day it might seem premature but to get the invites and advert out as soon as possible and the ticket confirmations rolling in the menu was vital. Starter done. Dessert done and obviously featuring ice cream the main needed some attention. With the somewhat limited kitchen facilities and equipment of my cosy, niche and atmospheric chosen venue the dish needed some attention. Ambition needs to be carefully managed and focussed int he right direction.

While flavour is key here using wholesome ingredients cooked from scratch I wanted a menu that would make my potential guests salivate on reading and be booking tickets on autopilot before they could say ‘Deliveroo’! Flavour vital but practicality is also a contender here when cooking solo for 30 paying guests. And in addition economics, aesthetics and style are also important. Factoring all these competing aspects and a love of all things spice this punchy dish was created. I won’t give anything away but the next supper club main with feature something along these lines…

Serves 4

4 duck legs
1 x speedy dahl recipe (see here) with juice of 1/2 lime added at the end.
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp of black mustard seeds and cumin seeds
3 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
Handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 large lime

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Season the duck legs and roast for about 40 minutes in the oven.
Scatter the cauliflower florets in a large baking tray and drizzle with a good glut of olive oil.
Toss in the curry powder, turmeric cumin and mustard seeds and stir to coat. Add some seasoning.
After the duck has had 20 minutes of roasting add the cauliflower to the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile make the dahl and set aside to keep warm.
Once the duck and cauliflower are ready remove from the oven. leave the duck to rest for a few minutes before shredding the meat into a warm bowl with two forks and quickly squeezing over the juice of the fresh lime.
Toss the warm cauliflower in the spring onions and herbs.
To plate up, ensure you have warm shallow serving bowls or plates and spoon a generous spoonful of dahl onto the bottom and let it ooz out onto the plate. Top with a handful of the cauliflower before finally topping with a quarter of the shredded duck
Serve immediately while still warm and devour! Serve with warm homemade flatbreads or roti if needed.

WINE: This would be great with an aromatic white such as a Riesling or a Gervertz to balance the spice.