Posts by Jess

Lime Salmon, Sesame Courgette Noodles

August 24, 2014 Comments Off read Seafood, Vegetables and Salads

Here is a delicious new salmon recipe I’ve been meaning to attempt! Inspired and adapted from ‘Moorish; cook book. Drying the lime zest here really intensifies the flavour and baking in a parchment parcel guarantees a beautifully moist salmon fillet. Serving suggestions are endless but I’m obsessed with my julienne peeler so not even my countlessly grated fingers (they are very sharp!) has stopped my experiments. Use here for a courgette ‘noodle’ salad. I literally think I’d choose these oven pasta in a blind tasting. Healthier and more delicious. Sorry Italy.

Serves 2

Lime Salmon

2 salmon fillets
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly roasted and crushed
Zest of 1 lime
Pinch Cayenne pepper/Chilli powder
¼ tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil

Courgette Noodle Salad

1 large courgette
½ small cucumber
Bunch mint, finely chopped
Bunch coriander, chopped
Small green chilli, chopped finely
1 tsp sesame oil
Juice ½ lime
Handful roasted salted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 75°C. Place the lime zest on a piece of parchment on a baking tray and dry in the low oven for about 20 minutes to intensify the flavours. Alternatively you can leave it to dry overnight.
Mix the dried zest with the fennel seed, chilli and cayenne.
Turn the oven up to 190°C. Rub the salmon in olive oil and coat with the spice mix. Place each fillet on an oiled piece of parchment and wrap into a parcel. If you fillets are the same thickness as mine, roast for 10minutes which will give you a lovely slightly pink centre.
Meanwhile, using a julienne peeler (recommended purchase for any health food/raw food junkie. They are so quick to use) julienne the courgette and the cucumber into a bowl. Add the chopped herbs and chilli and scatter with the nuts. Mix with the sesame oil and the lime juice and toss all together,
When the salmon is cooked, remove from the parchment and serve on top of the courgette noodles and rice if you like!

Balsamic Beets, Lentil and Hazelnut Salad

August 23, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

This can only be described as a super hearty salad. A man salad if you will. Bits and pieces foraged from both the allotment, the pantry and the dark saddened depths of the vegetable fridge draw. Not sure if its just me but does anyone else suffer from the wilting and unappetising reduced packet of dill sitting shyly in the bottom draw of the fridge? Often usually buried beneath the more popular and beautiful fresh non-reduced delights…

Put to good use here however:

Serves 2

4oz Puy lentils
2 raw beetroot, washed
1 large garlic clove, crushed
Handful dill, chopped,
Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Handful chives, chopped
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Handful hazelnuts
Olive oil
Salt and fresh black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Chop the beetroot into wedges and place in a roasting tray. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 20-30 minutes until tender and beginning to crisp.
Meanwhile, simmer the lentils in water for about 18 minutes until tender but with a slight bite.
Roast the whole hazelnuts in the hot oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and if skinned, wrap in a tea towel and rub them until the skins peal away easily then leave to cool before roughly chopping.
After the beetroot is tender enough turn the oven down to 180°C. Add the garlic and coat the beetroot in the balsamic vinegar. Continue to roast for 5-10 minutes until the balsamic begins to glaze the beetroot slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside to keep warm.
Drain the lentils when ready. Season well (it will need it) and add the roasted garlicy beetroot and any balsamic juices. Add the chopped herbs and the chopped hazelnuts.
Combine all well and serve. I served mine topped with some lovely pan fried sea bream and a raw shaved fennel and pea salad! Delicious…

Pearl Barley with Walnut, Mint and Basil Pesto

August 11, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Pesto is such a great addition to bland food – pearl barley, pasta, tossed on boiled vege of ripped through your favourite pizza dough base (personal favourite!) I’m not a regular to the jar of shop bought but sometimes a tablespoon of the punchy stuff is needed, homemade or not. Pesto is all about the basic ingredients (Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, nuts, lemon and oil) mixed until you get the right balance. Basil and pine nuts if you’re a traditionalist but its also delicious with other nuts or herbs. As usual, my lazy self can’t be bothered to weigh so the ‘handful’ measurement has come in again here….I have averaged-small sized hands so do as you please…

Serves 2

Pearl Barley with Walnut, Mint and Basil Pesto

120g pearl barely
Handful walnuts
Handful grated parmesan
½ lemon
Large bunch basil and mint, leaves picked
1 garlic clove, crushed
Extra virgin olive oil
2 x salmon fillets
Slow roasted balsamic onions (see here)

Toast the walnuts in a hot dry frying pan until fragrant or roast in a hot oven for about 6 minutes until warm and smelling delicious!
Transfer to a pestle and mortar or a food processor. Pulse until you have fine crumbs with texture.
Add the herbs, garlic and cheese and blend. Season and thin out with the lemon juice and enough oil to get the right consistency for your liking.
Taste and adjust with more of the above.
Cook your pearl barely until tender in a pan of simmering water. When ready, drain and toss liberally with the pesto. Stir through a few whole walnuts and chopped herbs too if you like. Set aside at room temperature
Roast the salmon in a 200°C preheated oven or pan fry, skin side down until crisp and cooked.
Serve the barely topped with salmon, a spoonful of roasted balsamic onions if you like (see here). Drizzle with a good oil and scatter with mint. Serve with greens beans or similar…

Sunshine and Roasted strawberries for breakfast……

July 26, 2014 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

Summer has been here all week. I love it.

Roasted strawberries…..the fruity equivalent to a toasted marshmallow. Sturdy and non suspicious looking from the outside but deliciously sweet, gooey and almost molten in the middle. Roasting strawberries is such a great way to concentrate their summer flavours. Roast low and slow and serve with anything from yoghurt and granola for breakfast, scattered with cinnamon sugar with pancakes or decadently resting at the bottom of a flute of bubbly with some of their juicy sugary roasting syrup.

Heat the oven to 120°C
Hull the tops from your strawberries but leave whole.
Line them up cut side down in a greased baking dish and scatter with a few teaspoons of sugar (cinnamon/vanilla sugar optional)
Roast for about 1 hour or until tender and soft.

Serving suggestions; yoghurt and granola; mint; pancakes;cinnamon sugar;to top porridge/rice pudding;folded into cake batter (once cooled); crushed on toast; delicious Eton mess…….options are endless.

Crusted Cod, Balsamic Lentils, Chorizo, Pea, Mint

July 16, 2014 Comments Off read Seafood

This recipe was thrown together after I caved as I frequently do to the delights of Portobello market at lunchtime yesterday. Sometimes I leave my purse in the office just to prevent myself buying anything I don’t need. What with that and an ‘All Saints’ up the road I could be in serious trouble. I saw some fresh peas crying out (literally…how could I leave them) to be stripped and podded from their padded overheated jackets now the sun is out and with some oily and spicy chorizo in the fridge at home they were immediately planned for supper.

Serves 2 (as with many of my recipes, this is done with the ‘handful’ measurement so scale up as appropriate. I usually allow 1 handful per person for things like peas etc)

2 cod fillets
2 Large handfuls of breadcrumbs (About 30-50g)
Bunch flat leaf parsley
1-2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed
4 oz Puy Lentils
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
About 500g fresh peas in their pods, 250g shelled (of two large handfuls of frozen peas)
50g chorizo, chopped into chunks
Handful chopped mint
Green beans to serve

Begin by simmering the lentils for about 18-20 minutes until tender
Meanwhile, whiz up the bread crumbs in a processor until fine and then add the parsley and some seasoning and blend until all chopped together. Add enough oil to bind the mixture together so it isn’t too dry.
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking try with foil. Place the cod fillets skin side down on top and pat a large handful of the breadcrumb coating onto the top. (add more oil to the mixture if it looks a bit dry and won’t hold together).
When the lentils are cooked, drain and set aside. Fry the crushed garlic in a little oil to soften on a low heat. Once soft, turn up the heat and add the balsamic and let it simmer for a few seconds before tipping in the lentils and seasoning to taste. Keep warm while you cook the fish.
Bake the cod for about 6 minutes until just cooked and flaky and the breadcrumbs have started to brown and crisp on top.
Lastly while the cod is cooking fry the diced chorizo in a hot pan until the oils begin to release. Add the peas (which you can par- boil first if you like but I love them raw and green) and coat in the lovely orange oil.
When ready to serve, place the cod on top of the warm lentils and spoon the pea and chorizo around the edge. Drizzle with any remaining oil from the pan and scatter with mint.
Serve with buttered and minty green beans if you like!

Dukka Spiced Mackerel, Parsley Lentils, Roasted Hazelnuts

July 12, 2014 Comments Off read Seafood

Mackerel isn’t everyone’s first choice when choosing fish from the supermarket counter. A brownish muddy coloured complexion doesn’t exactly win any beauty competitions and ball your over with a sense of freshness and health. Although popular these days as being cheap people often give it grief for being a ‘dirty fish’. However…its full of excellent healthy oils, is reasonably priced and can importantly handle bold flavours such as Thai marinades, soya sauce and curried spices. Crusted in dukka and served on some nutty lentils here made a satisfactory Friday night supper.

Serves 2

2 mackerel fillets, scored on the skin side
1 tbsp dukka (see here, leave out the mint)
4 oz Puy lentils
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Very large bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
½ lemon
25g hazelnuts
Mint leaves for garnish
Coconut/light olive oil

If large, cut your fillets in half and season in a shallow bowl. Scatter over the dukka and add a slash of olive oil and massage the spices over the fish. Set aside until ready to cook.
Simmer the lentils for about 18-20 minutes until tender but still with a bite/texture and the drain.
Meanwhile, roast the hazelnuts in a very hot oven for about 8 minutes until toasted and the skins are beginning to peel off. When cool enough to handle rub off the skins and chop roughly into halves and set aside.
Saute the crushed garlic in a little oil in the pan you cooked the lentils in until soft. Return the lentils to the pan and season generously. Add the parsley and lemon juice and mix to combine the flavours. Cover the pan to keep warm and set aside while you cook the fish.
Heat a frying pan with a little coconut or olive oil until hot. Fry the fillets scored (to prevent them curling up) skin side for about 3 minutes until crisp. Turn for the final minute or so to finish the cooking and add the chopped hazelnuts to the pan at this stage also. (The mackerel will take a matter of minutes so don’t overcook of they will dry out)
Serve the lentils topped with the mackerel fillets and scattered with the toasted hazelnuts and a few sprigs of mint. Could do with a dollop of lemony homemade mayo and some wilted greens.

Creamy Dijon Lentil Gratin

July 7, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Like many of my dishes this one came about from a fridge of leftovers and a willing pantry. With a craving for a side dish with a little extra added effort I knocked out this gratin. In an almost ‘mystery box’ Masterchef challenge, some simply simmered lentils, a dousing of deep creamy Dijon dressing, some soft goats cheese speckled with parsley and all liberally blanketed in some cheesy breadcrumbs and butter and baked could only taste delicious.

Serves 2

4oz Puy Lentils
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
4 tbsp creme fraiche OR 4 large tbsp creamy goats cheese e.g. Chèvre
Handful chopped flat leaf parsley
2 large handfuls breadcrumbs
1 large handful grated parmesan
Knob of butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Simmer the lentils in boiling water for about 20 minutes or until soft but with a slight bite and not mushy
Drain and return to the pan. Stir in the parsley, creme fraiche, mustard and plenty of cracked black pepper and salt.
Spoon into an oven proof dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese in a bowl and season. Scatter over the lentils and top with a few knobs of butter.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden and crispy on top.

WINE: If using Sancerre’s famous Chèvre, this dish is perfect with a beautiful crisp Sancerre wine to match. Try Fernand Girard, 2014 Sancerre which is available at Armit Wines.

Banana and Cardamon Loaf

June 25, 2014 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

This is my go-to banana loaf recipe for when those bruising and sweetly turning bananas are slowing deteriorating in the fruit bowl, unaware of their potential. This loaf is easy to knock out and can be kept for a while in the cake tin. Here I’ve added the beautifully pungent ground cardamon but this can be left out or substituted.

I love banana loaf as its one of those ‘cakes’ that is less restricted by Paul and Mary’s dreaded ‘science’ of baking. This recipe for example only has one egg in the entire mixture but still manages to set with a lovely rich texture. The recipe is therefore hugely open to adaptation and I change mine practically every time. Try these little additions which I’ve done in the past:

Ground cardamon, cinnamon or ginger
Replace hazelnuts for your classic walnut
Add chunks of chocolate chips
Add a handful or desiccated coconut
Add a decadent molten layer of peanut butter/salted caramel/Nutella inside
Top the mixture with a crumble mixture before baking
Soak the bananas in rum for a bit…

Makes 1 loaf (Taken from Delia Smith’s ‘All in one Banana Loaf’ with a few adaptations)

75g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamon (or other spice of choice)
4 ripe bananas, mashed
70g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped roughly.
Handful demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a loaf tin with parchment.
Place the butter, sugar and egg in a food processor and combine (or use an electric hand whisk)
Sieve over the flour, spices and baking powder and combine (don’t worry if it looks dry!)
Add the bananas to the processor and combine until you have a smooth and creamy batter.
Stir through the nuts (or any chocolate chips, coconuts additions etc)
Pour into the loaf tin and sprinkle generously with the demerara sugar (or crumble) to create a nice crunchy topping. (If adding a layer of peanut butter/caramel etc, add half the batter to the tin, dot with the chosen filling and then spoon on the remaining batter to cover before baking)
Bake for 50-55 minutes until cooked.
Leave to cool in the tin before removing and slicing

Gorgeous sliced, toasted and layered with cinnamon butter

Glazed Salmon, Asian Greens, Sesame Cucumber

June 10, 2014 Comments Off read Seafood

I can’t believe my birthday has come and gone yet again. With another year under my ageing belt it only seemed natural to add another cookbook to my ‘library’. It really is expanding at such a rate that I may have to develop some sort of filing system soon. I currently have them stored in a few tame and humble 6 bottle old wooden wine cases but with each eager book spilling out over the edge, oozing its glossy (some more oil splattered) pictures in front of me it may be time to move out to a magnum case…?

To cut a long story short, my birthday granted me with Bill Granger’s Everyday Asian cookbook. I love this quick and flavourful cooking but with more of a traditional palate I needed a helping hand and a point in the right direction or orientation should I say. East. And to help me along the way not only did I get this vibrant drool-worthy book that I literally want to cook every recipe of (rare I assure you) I also received a few of Bill’s Asian ‘Pantry staples’ to add to my other collection (again, yet to have its own filing system) and some beautiful serving bowls. After all presentation can be half the battle!

NOTE: for those into this style of food I really recommend Bill’s book. There may be some alien ingredients but nothing a quick trip down the ethnic aisle of Tesco can’t solve. A simply written, helpful book. And you really will want to cook everything…there just aren’t enough mealtimes in the day or days in the week unless I start replacing my morning tea with miso soup? Unlikely.

Glazed Salmon

Serves 4

4 tbsp mirin
4tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown soft sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 salmon fillets

Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a shallow bowl with the salmon fillets and pop in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
Preheat your grill or BBQ. Grill for about 7minutes or so until charred on the outside but still pink and very most in the middle. Don’t be tempted to cook too long. The residual heat will carry on cooking it once removed from the grill and it is better served a little pink in the middle.

Sesame Cucumber

1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp ride vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cucumber

Use a mandolin/speed peeler to peel thin strips of cucumber into a bowl.
Combine the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the cucumber

Broccoli

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 red chilli, sliced finely
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced finely

Boil your broccoli for a matter of minutes until still al dente and bright green. Drain and set aside.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan until hot. Flash fry your chilli and shallots until crispy. Add the garlic slices at the end as they will burn easily and fry until golden and crispy. Scoop out from the oil and drain and allow to crisp.
Serve the broccoli, warm and scattered with the crispy garnish and a little drizzle of the infused oil

Beautiful serving dish courtesy of my sister and the Portobello markets

Mexican Roast Chicken Feast

June 3, 2014 Comments Off read Poultry

Sometimes an English roast can be boring (shoot me now)…especially in summer. I’ve experimented with a Spanish roast (see here) but it was time for a Mexican Roast chicken over the weekend as my craving for dark creamy black beans took over. This chicken recipe is a great BBQ favourite of mine…and Jamie’s. You know a good marinade when you make it in the morning, refrain from eating there and then and think about it all day until that charcoal is ready! The sweetcorn puree adds a lovely sweetness to this to counteract the savoury beans and spicy chicken and greens.

Mexican Roast Chicken Feast – Serves 4

BBQ Chicken

1 x spatchcocked chicken
1 x BBQ marinade recipe (see here)
1 lime
Handful of mint leaves for garnish

Marinade the chicken the night before if you can. Massage over the chicken making sure you get it into all the cracks.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line a roasting tray with foil and place the chicken on top with the excess marinade. Wrap in foil and roast for about 1hr and 20 minutes depending on the size. For the final 15 minutes or so, turn up the heat to 200°C and remove the foil to allow the skin to crisp up and brown. (This recipe is actually best cooked in the oven first to keep it moist and then finished on the BBQ so you get that charred outer crust and moist meat).
When cooked remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes wrapped in foil while you finish the side dishes.
When ready to serve, carve rustically, scatter with fresh mint and give everyone a wedge of lime for squeezing over.

Black beans

2 x tins black beans, drained (retain the juice only if not salted)
2 large spring onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ red chilli
Bunch coriander chopped
Lime juice

Fry the spring onion in a little oil to soften for a few minutes then add the garlic and chilli and soften for a few minutes.
Add the beans and top up with a little hot water or the bean can juice (as long as it is not salted). Add enough to cover them gently and allow to simmer.
Simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. The consistency you want will depend on how you like them so simmer longer for a thicker texture. I like mine to be quite loose but still sit on the plate.
Use a masher to lightly crush and mash some of the beans. This will help thicken the mixture and add texture but leave most of the beans whole.
Taste and season. Add the coriander and a squeeze of fresh lime before serving.

Sweetcorn Puree

1 x tin sweetcorn, drained.
Milk to cover
1 knob butter
Salt and pepper

Drain the sweetcorn and add to a saucepan. Add enough milk to just cover and bring to the simmer making sure the milk doesn’t boil over (not speaking from experience at all…..).
Simmer for about 5 minutes then drain reserving the cooking milk.
Add to a food processor with some salt and pepper and a large knob of butter. Puree for a good few minutes until really soft and creamy. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved milk as it blends to thin it out until you have the consistency you’re after.
Sieve the mixture into the pan to remove the tough shells and produce a really creamy velvety puree (this is optional, just as good left non sieved). Set aside to keep warm.

Garlic-Chilli Broccoli

½ red chilli, sliced thinly
2 large cloves garlic, sliced very thinly
Sunflower oil for frying
Broccoli

Heat a good glug of oil in a frying pan until hot. Fry the chilli and garlic for a few minutes until beginning to turn golden and crispy but make sure you don’t burn it. It can turn very quickly so remove from the heat and pour into a serving dish just before it looks ready, as it just turns golden as it will keep cooking a little after.
Cook the broccoli al dente and drain well. While still warm, toss in the garlic-chilli infused oil and serve.