Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seafood. Show all posts
12/12/2014
08/12/2014
Haddock & Crushed Potatoes
Monday evening and I just want something quick ...
Kettle on, water boiled ... pototoes on and a steamer of broccoli, asparagus & peas and a couple of lime wedges ready to go on towards the end.
Small skillet on, cream, sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, white pepper, smoked sea salt and chopped dill. Low, slow heat ... let the mushrooms colour through the cream which will reduce to a thick and suptuous sauce.
Almost there ...
Pop the steamer over the potatoes and get a larger skillet on with some butter. Pan fry the haddock fillets for three or four minutes on the presentation side then flip over and remove from the heat allowing the heat from the pan to finish the cooking.
Meanwhile, crush some butter into the potatoes, add in sliced spring onions and some sliced chicory.
Server out, potatoes down in the middle, green vegetables over to one side and the fish the other, sauce over the fish.
Monday dinner, done!
Kettle on, water boiled ... pototoes on and a steamer of broccoli, asparagus & peas and a couple of lime wedges ready to go on towards the end.
Small skillet on, cream, sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, white pepper, smoked sea salt and chopped dill. Low, slow heat ... let the mushrooms colour through the cream which will reduce to a thick and suptuous sauce.
Almost there ...
Pop the steamer over the potatoes and get a larger skillet on with some butter. Pan fry the haddock fillets for three or four minutes on the presentation side then flip over and remove from the heat allowing the heat from the pan to finish the cooking.
Meanwhile, crush some butter into the potatoes, add in sliced spring onions and some sliced chicory.
Server out, potatoes down in the middle, green vegetables over to one side and the fish the other, sauce over the fish.
Monday dinner, done!
06/12/2014
Rice & Peas, Jerk Chicken ... and Breakfast
I'm experimenting with occasional meals that include legumes, just a small, select few: so, Puy lentils, green lentils, red lentils, black beans and gungo beans.
Tonight, it's that Jamaican classic: Rice & Peas with Jerk Chicken ...
Jerk Chicken
My jerk sauce is simple: crushed up Scotch Bonnet peppers, spring onions, sea salt, fresh thyme and olive oil. Massage into the chicken (I went with some drumsticks), slashed ... and commit to the oven for about an hour at 200C (400F?), turning over once during the cooking.
... which leaves us perfectly sufficient time to cook the Rice & Peas.
Rice & Peas
Rice & Peas should not be rushed. Personally, I think of it like a Pilaf but with coconut milk in place of the stock, and if you keep that in mind your Rice & Peas will come out perfect!
Take a large skillet and soften some finely chopped onion in butter.
Add the rice (remember, rice will swell up during cooking, so have a sufficient sized skillet) for which I go with a ramekin amount per person, which will make plenty for a dinner and plenty left over. Just allow the rice to get coated in the remaining butter.
Add a pint of chicken stock and boil hard and fast for about five minutes after which the liquid will be slightly reduced and the rice well on its way.
Add in a 400g can of coconut milk and a 400g can of gungo beans. That's the peas.
Low heat and very gently simmer for the remainder of the time it takes to cook the chicken through. If your rice is fully cooked, just add as splash of water to keep it going until you're ready.
Serve
Serve out a mound of Rice & Peas and lay the chicken alongside.
Drink? Guinness, of course, in my case a pack of Foreign Extra from the Nigerian brewery. Awesome!
Anyone else experimenting with legumes in their primal paradigm?
Breakfast
Leftovers. Breakfast is leftovers ... and something easy enough to come by, say some eggs or a fish.
Sprats for me! I love 'em! Whole, heads, guts in, the lot ... so does my mog, especially the crunchy heads.
Tonight, it's that Jamaican classic: Rice & Peas with Jerk Chicken ...
Jerk Chicken
My jerk sauce is simple: crushed up Scotch Bonnet peppers, spring onions, sea salt, fresh thyme and olive oil. Massage into the chicken (I went with some drumsticks), slashed ... and commit to the oven for about an hour at 200C (400F?), turning over once during the cooking.
... which leaves us perfectly sufficient time to cook the Rice & Peas.
Rice & Peas
Rice & Peas should not be rushed. Personally, I think of it like a Pilaf but with coconut milk in place of the stock, and if you keep that in mind your Rice & Peas will come out perfect!
Take a large skillet and soften some finely chopped onion in butter.
Add the rice (remember, rice will swell up during cooking, so have a sufficient sized skillet) for which I go with a ramekin amount per person, which will make plenty for a dinner and plenty left over. Just allow the rice to get coated in the remaining butter.
Add a pint of chicken stock and boil hard and fast for about five minutes after which the liquid will be slightly reduced and the rice well on its way.
Add in a 400g can of coconut milk and a 400g can of gungo beans. That's the peas.
Low heat and very gently simmer for the remainder of the time it takes to cook the chicken through. If your rice is fully cooked, just add as splash of water to keep it going until you're ready.
Serve
Serve out a mound of Rice & Peas and lay the chicken alongside.
Drink? Guinness, of course, in my case a pack of Foreign Extra from the Nigerian brewery. Awesome!
Anyone else experimenting with legumes in their primal paradigm?
Breakfast
Leftovers. Breakfast is leftovers ... and something easy enough to come by, say some eggs or a fish.
Sprats for me! I love 'em! Whole, heads, guts in, the lot ... so does my mog, especially the crunchy heads.
27/11/2014
Salmon Bikesmad
All pretty self-explanatory, really ...
Cubed roots par-boiled and fried off in butter with some spring onions.
Salmon pan-fried in butter.
Asparagus dropped in boiling water for 60 seconds.
Dill and soured cream sauce.
Pickles and a poached egg.
Dinner is served ...
Cubed roots par-boiled and fried off in butter with some spring onions.
Salmon pan-fried in butter.
Asparagus dropped in boiling water for 60 seconds.
Dill and soured cream sauce.
Pickles and a poached egg.
Dinner is served ...
24/11/2014
23/11/2014
Grilled Mackerel & Stir Fry Vegetables
Got a load of veggies to use up? Shred the lot and stir-fry 'em ...
Now you need some protein.
Ha! Fish! Mackerel! I love mackerel ...
Fish
Gut your fish and fillet, v-boning to remove the middle bone set and slash the skin.
Fry off in a skillet with a little butter, skin side down until crispy then flip over, turn the heat off and let the flesh cook through in the residual heat.
Meanwhile ...
Stir-Fry Vegetables
I don't need to tell you how to do this, do I?
Suffice to say, shred whatever you want and toss it through with a little fat in a skillet or wok.
Serve
Serve out, vegetable down, fish on top, lemon or lime wedge alongside, perhaps an avocado? This was my breakfast, so I did just that ... and forgot the boiled egg.
Now you need some protein.
Ha! Fish! Mackerel! I love mackerel ...
Fish
Gut your fish and fillet, v-boning to remove the middle bone set and slash the skin.
Fry off in a skillet with a little butter, skin side down until crispy then flip over, turn the heat off and let the flesh cook through in the residual heat.
Meanwhile ...
Stir-Fry Vegetables
I don't need to tell you how to do this, do I?
Suffice to say, shred whatever you want and toss it through with a little fat in a skillet or wok.
Serve
Serve out, vegetable down, fish on top, lemon or lime wedge alongside, perhaps an avocado? This was my breakfast, so I did just that ... and forgot the boiled egg.
20/11/2014
Grilled Jerk Mackerel & Vegetable Rice
Leftover are great! Instant dinner ...
I have some pre-cooked rice in the fridge (resistant starch, and all that) and some leftover cubed vegetables from some meal, or other. Protein? I have a fish! It's a mackerel ... lovely soft, fatty flesh.
What to do, then?
Well, I could spice up the vegetable rice with some chilli, or do it the other way around and jerk my fish. Let's do that ...
Jerk Seasoning
Simple stuff, this, and good to make in a batch.
You need Scotch Bonnet peppers, fresh thyme, spring onions, sunflower oil, black pepper and sea salt.
Blend the lot together. The bulk comes from the spring onions and the Scotch Bonnet pepper, fragrance from the thyme and a good saltiness, so over-salt, from the sea salt, wetness from the oil and the black pepper adds another depth of hotness (hotness, not heat) to it.
But, sunflower oil? Well, yes. I know, there's the omega-6 thing what with all that linoleic acid but as Mark points out in his Is it Primal? post, not all sunflower oil is bad. Grab yourself a cold-pressed example "which preserves vitamin E and reduces oxidation" that is a "high-oleic/high-stearic oil".
... and relax.
The quantities are up to you, but I would advise you start out just blending the Scotch Bonnet pepper together with some spring onions and then start to add the oil, then the thyme, then salt and pepper. You'll build up a sense of how YOU want your jerk seasoning as you go.
Fish
Take your fish, gut is and lay it flat on a board.
Slash the skin both sides, gently so as not to go through the bone and massage some jerk seasoning into the slashes.
Under the grill for 5-7 minutes each side, just to make the skin bubble and you're done.
Vegetable Rice
Combine your pre-cooked rice and leftover vegetables, chopped up, in a skillet with a little (that is a little, since our fish is fatty) of your favourite paleo fat. All together now, "goose fat, for me" ... and cook through.
Serve
Serve out, vegetable rice down, fish on top ... perhaps with a little soured cream alongside.
Breakfast
I still had some rice and vegetables left, so did much the same for breakfast but served with a pickled herring ...
I have some pre-cooked rice in the fridge (resistant starch, and all that) and some leftover cubed vegetables from some meal, or other. Protein? I have a fish! It's a mackerel ... lovely soft, fatty flesh.
What to do, then?
Well, I could spice up the vegetable rice with some chilli, or do it the other way around and jerk my fish. Let's do that ...
Jerk Seasoning
Simple stuff, this, and good to make in a batch.
You need Scotch Bonnet peppers, fresh thyme, spring onions, sunflower oil, black pepper and sea salt.
Blend the lot together. The bulk comes from the spring onions and the Scotch Bonnet pepper, fragrance from the thyme and a good saltiness, so over-salt, from the sea salt, wetness from the oil and the black pepper adds another depth of hotness (hotness, not heat) to it.
But, sunflower oil? Well, yes. I know, there's the omega-6 thing what with all that linoleic acid but as Mark points out in his Is it Primal? post, not all sunflower oil is bad. Grab yourself a cold-pressed example "which preserves vitamin E and reduces oxidation" that is a "high-oleic/high-stearic oil".
... and relax.
The quantities are up to you, but I would advise you start out just blending the Scotch Bonnet pepper together with some spring onions and then start to add the oil, then the thyme, then salt and pepper. You'll build up a sense of how YOU want your jerk seasoning as you go.
Fish
Take your fish, gut is and lay it flat on a board.
Slash the skin both sides, gently so as not to go through the bone and massage some jerk seasoning into the slashes.
Under the grill for 5-7 minutes each side, just to make the skin bubble and you're done.
Vegetable Rice
Combine your pre-cooked rice and leftover vegetables, chopped up, in a skillet with a little (that is a little, since our fish is fatty) of your favourite paleo fat. All together now, "goose fat, for me" ... and cook through.
Serve
Serve out, vegetable rice down, fish on top ... perhaps with a little soured cream alongside.
Breakfast
I still had some rice and vegetables left, so did much the same for breakfast but served with a pickled herring ...
Dead simple! Two great meals for the price of one concept.
17/11/2014
Steamed Cod & Hot Tomato Sauce
Relaxing start of the week dinner ...
Monday dinners can be tough, what with so much to do when you get home from work after the weekend ... not least, cooking dinner.
When you have 10 minutes, or so, you can make up the sauce and just let it simmer on a very low heat until you're ready to cook the rest ...
Hot Tomato Sauce
Carton Chopped Tomatoes (400g)
Half Small Onion
Garlic Cloves (3-4)
Chilli Flakes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Heat up some olive oil in a skillet. Olive oil does not tolerate high heat well, and one of the forgotten skills in Italian cooking is to keep the heat moderate or low and take your time. I repeat: take your time. Relax into the sauce.
Finely chop half an onion and soften in the warmed oil.
Lightly blend the chopped tomatoes so that you have almost a passata, but still with some structure. Pour into the skillet.
Slice the garlic cloves and add. I don't like to add garlic to the oil and onions since it can burn. I much prefer to add garlic later.
Sprinkle over some chilli flakes, add some sea salt and black pepper, reduce the heat and let it simmer ... it will be perfectly happy until you're ready to cook the rest of the dish and will improve with that time. Relax!
Steamed Cod
Cod Loin
Our cats eat fish. They love their fish! I get all the tail ends and offcuts from our local Chippy and all I need to do it remove the really big bones and steam the rest.
So, steamer on, I might as well steam some fish for us humans, too ...
I have a lovely loin of cod, thick, big flakes, gorgeous. Steamed, perhaps 10 minutes.
Salsa
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Spring Onions
Capers
Green Olives
Dried Oregano
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Fish on sauce is a bit dull to the eye, so I made up a quick salsa of olive oil, lemon juice, shredded spring onions, capers, sliced green olives, dried oregano, sea salt and black pepper.
Serve
Sauce down first and gently lay the fish over, salsa over the top.
The fish falls apart in huge flakes, picking up the sauce and gaining an extra pique of interest with the salsa. This truly was a gorgeous meal!
Monday dinners can be tough, what with so much to do when you get home from work after the weekend ... not least, cooking dinner.
When you have 10 minutes, or so, you can make up the sauce and just let it simmer on a very low heat until you're ready to cook the rest ...
Hot Tomato Sauce
Carton Chopped Tomatoes (400g)
Half Small Onion
Garlic Cloves (3-4)
Chilli Flakes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Heat up some olive oil in a skillet. Olive oil does not tolerate high heat well, and one of the forgotten skills in Italian cooking is to keep the heat moderate or low and take your time. I repeat: take your time. Relax into the sauce.
Finely chop half an onion and soften in the warmed oil.
Lightly blend the chopped tomatoes so that you have almost a passata, but still with some structure. Pour into the skillet.
Slice the garlic cloves and add. I don't like to add garlic to the oil and onions since it can burn. I much prefer to add garlic later.
Sprinkle over some chilli flakes, add some sea salt and black pepper, reduce the heat and let it simmer ... it will be perfectly happy until you're ready to cook the rest of the dish and will improve with that time. Relax!
Steamed Cod
Cod Loin
Our cats eat fish. They love their fish! I get all the tail ends and offcuts from our local Chippy and all I need to do it remove the really big bones and steam the rest.
So, steamer on, I might as well steam some fish for us humans, too ...
I have a lovely loin of cod, thick, big flakes, gorgeous. Steamed, perhaps 10 minutes.
Salsa
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Spring Onions
Capers
Green Olives
Dried Oregano
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Fish on sauce is a bit dull to the eye, so I made up a quick salsa of olive oil, lemon juice, shredded spring onions, capers, sliced green olives, dried oregano, sea salt and black pepper.
Serve
Sauce down first and gently lay the fish over, salsa over the top.
The fish falls apart in huge flakes, picking up the sauce and gaining an extra pique of interest with the salsa. This truly was a gorgeous meal!
13/10/2014
Canned Tuna Fish Cakes
Fast and easy ...
Combine drained canned tuna and cold mashed potato at a 1:2 ratio of potato to fish.
Add in any flavourings you like - chilli, ground coriander, lemon rind, whatever.
Gently fry off in your favourite paleo fat, goose fat for me.
Serve with mixed vegetables, some mayonnaise and a wedge of lime, scattered herbs over.
Combine drained canned tuna and cold mashed potato at a 1:2 ratio of potato to fish.
Add in any flavourings you like - chilli, ground coriander, lemon rind, whatever.
Gently fry off in your favourite paleo fat, goose fat for me.
Serve with mixed vegetables, some mayonnaise and a wedge of lime, scattered herbs over.
09/10/2014
Cod with Cavolo Nero & Puy Lentils
Lentils are something that I enjoy eating on occasion, Puy lentils a variety I regard as quite special.Today, a variation on a classic Cod & Puy - you can read my thoughts on lentils in the link, but generally, I regard them as fairly inoffensive and perfectly good to eat every now and again ... if that's what you want to do.
Puy lentils, a Protected Designation of Origin green lentil variety from the Le Puy region of France owes its distinct character to the terroir within which it grows.
It's autumn, and so I'm bulking this meal out a little ...
Constituents
Fish - Cod, although any white fish will do, skin on and fried in butter
Cavolo Nero & Puy Lentils - Cavolo Nero, Puy lentils, sea salt, black pepper, sprinkle of chilli flakes and your favourite paleo fat, goose fat, here
Method
Steam your Cavolo Nero for a few minutes before transferring to a large skillet with your favourite paleo fat, toss in the drained lentils, add sea salt and black pepper along with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and warm through.
Warm some butter through in another skillet and fry the fish, skin side down for a few minutes. Loosen the fish by giving the skillet a gentle shake and flip over. Switch the heat off and let the other side cook through in the residual heat for a really tender piece of fish.
Serve out, kale and lentils down with the cod to crown.
05/10/2014
Grilled Herring
Simple as simple can be ...
Fish, grilled and chilli sauce*.
Beautiful! That's breakfast. Now, out to enjoy the day.
*The sauce I slathered over is my own chilli sauce: red chillies, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, sea salt, white pepper, cider vinegar & lemon juice. Purée well and pass through a sieve. Thicken with a little arrowroot if necessary.
Fish, grilled and chilli sauce*.
Beautiful! That's breakfast. Now, out to enjoy the day.
*The sauce I slathered over is my own chilli sauce: red chillies, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, sea salt, white pepper, cider vinegar & lemon juice. Purée well and pass through a sieve. Thicken with a little arrowroot if necessary.
04/10/2014
Cauliflower Stalk & Potato Soup with Crab Beignet
The soup is simply cauliflower stalks (I never throw away trimmings) and cubes of potato with onion, garlic and some bouillon. Cook through, soup done.
Back to these Beignets ...
Take a can of crab meat, drain and squeeze out thoroughly. Combine with equal portions of cottage cheese and then start to add in tapioca flour until the mixture turns dry enough to roll out into long sausages without it sticking to hands or the rolling board.
Cut into inch long sections and roll each piece in a large bowl with more tapioca flour.
Shallow fry in coconut oil, say in a milk pan. Good and hot, or they'll simply stick together.
Ready? Serve out ...
Soup in a bowl with a good mount of beignets in the middle.
Squid Kedgerish
... sort of Kedgeree.
I bagged a couple of good sized squids on Friday night, going cheap and thought it would make a great breakfast!
Cook some rice or use leftovers.
Boil a couple of eggs.
While the rice is cooking and the eggs boiling, prepare your ingredients:
Thinly chop up a few spring onions, mince a clove of garlic, a little ginger, de-seed and chop a chilli.
Once the rice is cooked through and steamed off, drop it into a large skillet with some ghee and fry off ... adding in the squid once the rice is starting to get a little crispy from the frying, along with the oyster mushrooms.
Add spices: turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida.
Add the ginger, the garlic and the chilli.
Cook through for three or four minutes ...
Just before serving, add in chopped tomato and some fresh chopped coriander.
Serve out and garnish with boiled eggs.
*The sauce I slathered over is my own chilli sauce: red chillies, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, sea salt, white pepper, cider vinegar & lemon juice. Purée well and pass through a sieve. Thicken with a little arrowroot if necessary.
I bagged a couple of good sized squids on Friday night, going cheap and thought it would make a great breakfast!
Cook some rice or use leftovers.
Boil a couple of eggs.
While the rice is cooking and the eggs boiling, prepare your ingredients:
- Squid
- Spring Onions
- Tomato
- Oyster Mushrooms
- Chillies, Ginger & Garlic
- Spices
- Fresh Coriander
- Chilli Sauce* or Condiment
Thinly chop up a few spring onions, mince a clove of garlic, a little ginger, de-seed and chop a chilli.
Once the rice is cooked through and steamed off, drop it into a large skillet with some ghee and fry off ... adding in the squid once the rice is starting to get a little crispy from the frying, along with the oyster mushrooms.
Add spices: turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida.
Add the ginger, the garlic and the chilli.
Cook through for three or four minutes ...
Just before serving, add in chopped tomato and some fresh chopped coriander.
Serve out and garnish with boiled eggs.
*The sauce I slathered over is my own chilli sauce: red chillies, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, sea salt, white pepper, cider vinegar & lemon juice. Purée well and pass through a sieve. Thicken with a little arrowroot if necessary.
02/10/2014
Swordfish with Asparagus and Roasted Beetroot, Squash & Garlic
Simple preparation for a mid-week dinner ...
Oven on ... 200C ...
Peel and segment some beetroots, peel and cube up some squash, take a whole garlic and pick off the bulbs. Add the lot to an oven-proof dish with some fat, goose fat for me, and commit to the oven for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile steam some asparagus and set aside.
Cube up some feta.
Settle a couple of swordfishes onto an oven-proof plate.
After 20 minutes of cooking, pop the swordfish into the oven.
After a further 10 minutes, turn the swordfish over and scatter the asparagus into the roasting vegetables.
Another 10 minutes and we're done ...
Serve out, swordfish down, roasted vegetables down and feta cheese scattered over. Ladle some chilli sauce* over the fish.
*The sauce I slathered over is my own chilli sauce: red chillies, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, sea salt, white pepper, cider vinegar & lemon juice. Purée well and pass through a sieve. Thicken with a little arrowroot if necessary.
Oven on ... 200C ...
Peel and segment some beetroots, peel and cube up some squash, take a whole garlic and pick off the bulbs. Add the lot to an oven-proof dish with some fat, goose fat for me, and commit to the oven for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile steam some asparagus and set aside.
Cube up some feta.
Settle a couple of swordfishes onto an oven-proof plate.
After 20 minutes of cooking, pop the swordfish into the oven.
After a further 10 minutes, turn the swordfish over and scatter the asparagus into the roasting vegetables.
Another 10 minutes and we're done ...
Serve out, swordfish down, roasted vegetables down and feta cheese scattered over. Ladle some chilli sauce* over the fish.
*The sauce I slathered over is my own chilli sauce: red chillies, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, sea salt, white pepper, cider vinegar & lemon juice. Purée well and pass through a sieve. Thicken with a little arrowroot if necessary.
19/09/2014
Spicy Grilled Fish
Inspired by a Mexican dish of food I saw on the internet, I made my own grilled fish, black beans and rice with a little salad underneath and boiled egg with guacamole alongside.
It's all fairy self-explanatory ...
Gut and scale a fish, any fish - it was a sea bass for me, slash it and rub some paste in. My paste is a jerk seasoning of thyme, spring onions and Scotch Bonnet pepper with a little salt. Grill for 15 minutes each side.
Meanwhile cook your rice, your beans - the adventurous might want to combine these with some coconut milk for a Jamaican-style Rice & Peas; make a little salad, boil your eggs and make up a Holy Guacamole by blending avocado with lime juice and salt.
Plate up!
Mrs didn't like hers, which was great for me since leftovers make fantastic breakfasts ... just bung the lot into a skillet with some good fat: goose fat, for me.
I've said it before, but this is living proof that good, real food is simply a case of putting good ingredients together. No recipe, no method, just cook some real food and put it on a plate ... re-cook it and put it on a plate.
It's all fairy self-explanatory ...
Gut and scale a fish, any fish - it was a sea bass for me, slash it and rub some paste in. My paste is a jerk seasoning of thyme, spring onions and Scotch Bonnet pepper with a little salt. Grill for 15 minutes each side.
Meanwhile cook your rice, your beans - the adventurous might want to combine these with some coconut milk for a Jamaican-style Rice & Peas; make a little salad, boil your eggs and make up a Holy Guacamole by blending avocado with lime juice and salt.
Plate up!
Mrs didn't like hers, which was great for me since leftovers make fantastic breakfasts ... just bung the lot into a skillet with some good fat: goose fat, for me.
I've said it before, but this is living proof that good, real food is simply a case of putting good ingredients together. No recipe, no method, just cook some real food and put it on a plate ... re-cook it and put it on a plate.
18/09/2014
Stuffed Aubergine
It's a use-up meal ...
I have a cabbage which has been sitting around for ages and some chorizo that wants using up. Perfect partners and a meal with a good piece of white fish ... but, no fish! I also have an aubergine that is starting to soften, some lovely tomatoes, some prawns and some flaked salmon. I have an idea forming ...
So, cabbage steamed and fried through with some chorizo - that's the side done.
Eggs boiled, yolks popped out and blended with some wasabi, avocado oil, sea salt and a spritz of rice wine vinegar. Pop a parsley leaf in and we've got a delicious garnish.
The aubergine was cut in half, slashed through the flesh (not the skin), slathered in olive oil, given a little salt and committed to the oven set to 180C (350F?) for 15 minutes, skin side up, turned over and give another 15 minutes.
Flesh removed and added into a skillet of prawns, the flaked salmon, the tomatoes, some Scotch Bonnet pepper, parsley, black pepper and sea salt.
Skins re-filled, we have dinner.
I have a cabbage which has been sitting around for ages and some chorizo that wants using up. Perfect partners and a meal with a good piece of white fish ... but, no fish! I also have an aubergine that is starting to soften, some lovely tomatoes, some prawns and some flaked salmon. I have an idea forming ...
So, cabbage steamed and fried through with some chorizo - that's the side done.
Eggs boiled, yolks popped out and blended with some wasabi, avocado oil, sea salt and a spritz of rice wine vinegar. Pop a parsley leaf in and we've got a delicious garnish.
The aubergine was cut in half, slashed through the flesh (not the skin), slathered in olive oil, given a little salt and committed to the oven set to 180C (350F?) for 15 minutes, skin side up, turned over and give another 15 minutes.
Flesh removed and added into a skillet of prawns, the flaked salmon, the tomatoes, some Scotch Bonnet pepper, parsley, black pepper and sea salt.
Skins re-filled, we have dinner.
13/09/2014
Pisces
... after a long day assembling Swedish flat-pack furniture at my son's, I had hoped to go home and cook up a fun Mexican dish of fried fish and all the accompaniments, but as afternoon turned to evening and evening turned to night, it was all getting a bit late.
Home around half past nine, I reckoned I could still cook the fish ...
Simply.
I had a couple of Sea Bream which just wanted gutting, slashing, sea salt, splash of lemon juice and under the grill for 5 minutes each side.
Done, garnished with fresh coriander and some black pepper, laid out on the plate like the star sign and I was ready to eat but Mrs said it was just too late.
So ... I enjoyed two whole Sea Bream with the cat!
I have never seen our cat "fished out" but tonight was the night; the little blighter simply could not eat all the fish I gave him.
What a great meal! So simple, barely any preparation, simple cooking methods, simple flavours and the full enjoyment of the fish cooked on the bone.
Sea Bream are very easy to eat as the fearsome spines top and bottom simply pull away once cooked, skin easily removed and you're left with four fillets (two each side, one either side of the middle line) which slide off readily.
I heartily encourage everyone to try a meal like this ...
Simply done, refreshing and wholesome, just protein and fat.
Home around half past nine, I reckoned I could still cook the fish ...
Simply.
I had a couple of Sea Bream which just wanted gutting, slashing, sea salt, splash of lemon juice and under the grill for 5 minutes each side.
Done, garnished with fresh coriander and some black pepper, laid out on the plate like the star sign and I was ready to eat but Mrs said it was just too late.
So ... I enjoyed two whole Sea Bream with the cat!
I have never seen our cat "fished out" but tonight was the night; the little blighter simply could not eat all the fish I gave him.
What a great meal! So simple, barely any preparation, simple cooking methods, simple flavours and the full enjoyment of the fish cooked on the bone.
Sea Bream are very easy to eat as the fearsome spines top and bottom simply pull away once cooked, skin easily removed and you're left with four fillets (two each side, one either side of the middle line) which slide off readily.
I heartily encourage everyone to try a meal like this ...
Simply done, refreshing and wholesome, just protein and fat.
07/09/2014
Herring? What a jerk!
It's Sunday morning, I've got a herring and a hankering for something spicy ...
Clean, scale and gut your fish, washing out the cavity, slash the skin, rubbing in jerk seasoning and fill the cavity with lemons.
Place into an ovenproof dish, scatter over some onion rings, courgette, mushrooms, perhaps capers and commit to the oven for about 15 minutes before flipping over for another 10 to finish off. 200C (400F?) will do nicely.
The jerk seasoning? Take a few scallions, top tail and shred, a handful of fresh thyme, a couple of Scotch Bonnet peppers and some salt. Mash the lot together. That's your seasoning.
Retrieve, plate up and enjoy ...
Oily, fatty protein. What a way to start the day!
Have a great Sunday!
Clean, scale and gut your fish, washing out the cavity, slash the skin, rubbing in jerk seasoning and fill the cavity with lemons.
Place into an ovenproof dish, scatter over some onion rings, courgette, mushrooms, perhaps capers and commit to the oven for about 15 minutes before flipping over for another 10 to finish off. 200C (400F?) will do nicely.
The jerk seasoning? Take a few scallions, top tail and shred, a handful of fresh thyme, a couple of Scotch Bonnet peppers and some salt. Mash the lot together. That's your seasoning.
Retrieve, plate up and enjoy ...
Oily, fatty protein. What a way to start the day!
Have a great Sunday!
02/09/2014
Basa Soup
I have some Basa fillets and fancied a spicy soup ...
Take a whole bunch of interesting flavours and shred them, matchstick them, mince them and set them aside.
I went with ...
Basa Soup
Spring Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Carrot
Cabbage
Basa Fillets
Poppy Seeds
Into a large open pan, tip in some bone broth and drop in the vegetables to warm through.
Once warmed, add the fish and any final flavours like fresh herbs, seeds or whatever.
Your soup is ready!
Totally fusion, I know but I made a little pistou to stir in ...
Hazelnut Pistou
Hazelnuts
Parsley
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Blend the lot together and you're done. Simply stir a spoonful into the soup.
Take a whole bunch of interesting flavours and shred them, matchstick them, mince them and set them aside.
I went with ...
Basa Soup
Spring Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Carrot
Cabbage
Basa Fillets
Poppy Seeds
Into a large open pan, tip in some bone broth and drop in the vegetables to warm through.
Once warmed, add the fish and any final flavours like fresh herbs, seeds or whatever.
Your soup is ready!
Totally fusion, I know but I made a little pistou to stir in ...
Hazelnut Pistou
Hazelnuts
Parsley
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Blend the lot together and you're done. Simply stir a spoonful into the soup.
13/08/2014
Swordfish Curry & Armadillos!
I've said it once, I've said it many a time ... ancestral eating is simply a case of putting good food together and enjoying it. What grows together goes together; what grows at the same time goes together.
Local and seasonal.
Sometimes though, food combinations come together in the strangest of ways; flashes of genius, even if I say so myself ...
Armadillos!
Armadillos? Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside!
I have some cottage cheese that wanted finishing. So, what to do? Shallow fried? Why the hell not!
Mix together your cottage cheese with tapioca starch (or manioc flour, or polviho azedo, or whatever you call it in your language ... I guess rice flour would do at a push). I kept adding flour and mixing until it made a stodgy puck.
Add in some flavour - I went with asafoetida and a minced chilli. In retrospect, a little salt would have been good.
Into about an inch of hot coconut oil drop balls of this mixture in and let it fry off. The balls will rise to the surface as they cook. Retrieve onto a piece of kitchen roll to absorb the excess fat and enjoy!
They puff up, crisp up and have a gorgeous crispy, chewy texture.
Swordfish Curry
Delicious as the cheese balls are, they're not a meal ...
I made up a main of roasted red peppers, red onion, garlic and chilli, blended to make a wet sauce into which went quartered cherry tomatoes, pieces of squash and pieces of courgette to cook through.
Once reduced, I stirred through cubes of swordfish, added a few peas, some ground coriander, fresh coriander, poppy seeds, black pepper and celery salt for a vibrant punch of flavour.
Garnish with fresh coriander, serve with the cheese balls and a light rocket salad of leaves, thin sliced cucumber, poppy seeds, cider vinegar, splash of olive oil, a little sea salt and some pine nuts.
Cracking!
Local and seasonal.
Sometimes though, food combinations come together in the strangest of ways; flashes of genius, even if I say so myself ...
Armadillos!
Armadillos? Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside!
I have some cottage cheese that wanted finishing. So, what to do? Shallow fried? Why the hell not!
Mix together your cottage cheese with tapioca starch (or manioc flour, or polviho azedo, or whatever you call it in your language ... I guess rice flour would do at a push). I kept adding flour and mixing until it made a stodgy puck.
Add in some flavour - I went with asafoetida and a minced chilli. In retrospect, a little salt would have been good.
Into about an inch of hot coconut oil drop balls of this mixture in and let it fry off. The balls will rise to the surface as they cook. Retrieve onto a piece of kitchen roll to absorb the excess fat and enjoy!
They puff up, crisp up and have a gorgeous crispy, chewy texture.
Swordfish Curry
Delicious as the cheese balls are, they're not a meal ...
I made up a main of roasted red peppers, red onion, garlic and chilli, blended to make a wet sauce into which went quartered cherry tomatoes, pieces of squash and pieces of courgette to cook through.
Once reduced, I stirred through cubes of swordfish, added a few peas, some ground coriander, fresh coriander, poppy seeds, black pepper and celery salt for a vibrant punch of flavour.
Garnish with fresh coriander, serve with the cheese balls and a light rocket salad of leaves, thin sliced cucumber, poppy seeds, cider vinegar, splash of olive oil, a little sea salt and some pine nuts.
Cracking!
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