Foodie Fridays: Jamie's Clandestine Fish Pie

Jamie Oliver's Clandestine Fish Pie Recipe

Deleted from his own website and replaced by an inferior version, this is the original and best fish pie recipe.

1 kg potatoes (mashed)

1 x Carrot (grated)

2 x Celery sticks (finely diced)

1 x Red chilli (finely chopped)

Parsley (1 x 30g packet)

150g cheddar cheese (grated)

1 lemon juice and zest

Handful of spinach

2 x plum tomatoes

Fish pie pack, defrosted

King prawns, ditto

Olive oil, glug!

Seasoning, the usual suspects

In a big oven dish; grate the carrot and cheese, add the chopped celery, chilli, spinach, parsely and tomatoes, add the fish and prawns, zest the lemon and squeeze the juice, big glug of olive oil, season AND mix!

Top with mashed potato.

Bang into a pre-heated oven at 180c (fan) or 200c for 40-50 minutes.

Done.

Serve with (nice) bread and butter.

Foodie Whatever: Spanish Stew and Viv Dhal

It wouldn't be a surprise to hear that I'm finding the thought of discussing or thinking about British politics, society and all her ills a massive depressing stressful bore presently. Frankly I don't think I'm alone in being fed up with the constant infighting, division, and most egregious, the continual bare-faced lying by those in power and those that would take power undeservedly (i.e. Farage, Bannon, Tommy etc).

It also doesn't help that our seven month old child has decided to cease sleeping for more than two or three hours at any one point, meaning I'm in a state of almost permanent zombie-like torpor, which makes dealing with my job, a increasingly frantic exercise in futility as I attempt to do four people's jobs while the whole place seemingly falls apart, nigh on impossible.

Plus it's now well on the way to Winter in Scotland. A prospect that should fill most sentient mammals with dread as the big warm glowing orb goes away for three months and we live in a state a cold, dark, soggy misery and this time I can't even drink myself unconscious like most sane Scottish people do during 'the dark months'.

Given all this, it is probably time to practice some mental health management. So, it's away with social media and all the unhelpfully biased news coverage, time to focus on caring for the family and spending time with them, and do good things for myself such as eating really nice foods. One of which is an old classic recipe paraphrased from a friend and the other is a recent experiment.

Spanish Stew, or 'Guapo Fantastico'

Chicken, Chorizo, Bean and Olive Stew

This stew came about from having half a chorizo sausage and a big pot of olives in the fridge. A few brief searches of the internet later, a lightning fast supermarket sweep, and we were ready to get creative in the kitchen together.

It's a lovely experience to cook together, although our sous chef is a little young he does provide excellent musical accompaniments, as well as providing a morale boost when required. If you can't replicate a baby in a bouncy seat, at least play some funk and soul music while you cook, which we also did.

Ingredients List
Chicken Thighs (off the bone, although this point is contentious, I prefer them like this)
Chorizo, a sausage not slices
Cannelini Beans, tin of
Green and Black Olives with oil, herbs and garlic (or just a heap of olives that you like)
Red Bell Pepper
Small 'baby' potatoes
A tin/carton of 'nice' tomatoes
Tomato puree
Onions
Garlic
Paprika
Olive Oil
White Wine (a white Rioja or other Spanish white seems appropriate)
Crusty Bread to serve, ciabatta will do

Method
1. If, like us, you don't have a massive stoneware casserole dish then you'll have to make do with your largest saucepan. Heat a good glug of the olive oil at a medium-high temperature on the hob and then add the roughly cubed chicken. Stir this until the meat is sealed, it probably will stick a bit but this is fine as it'll all come off once the wine gets added later.
2. Add the chopped red pepper, onions, chorizo and garlic. Add some paprika, about a teaspoon will do. Heat this for a couple of minutes or so, stirring all the time. Now pour in a good amount of the wine, like a half glass or so. Add the olives as you stir in the wine, you want to let this reduce a bit. Our olives were very salty, oily and herby so no additions were needed, but you might want to.
3. While that's happening, bring some water to boil in another pan and add the potatoes. You want to these to be 'nearly' done, which will take ten minutes at most.
4. Add the tomatoes and half again the amount of water from the tin/carton, give it a good squirt of tomato puree (about a tablespoon). Add the tinned beans, strained of their juice. Stir, reduce the heat to low and put the lid on. Give it a stir every five minutes or so.
5. Once the potatoes are ready strain them and add to the stew. Walk away and forget about it while you bath the baby and it all burns to the bottom.
6. Add some more water, a bit more puree, a pinch of chilli flakes (pul biber) and stir the burned goodness back into the stew. Also have a glass of wine about this time because it's all too much really.
7. Serve with bread and the rest of the wine, but only once the baby is asleep.

Some of these steps don't need to be exactly followed of course, I'm sure it would taste just as nice without burning it for example, but who knows maybe that added to the flavour?

Viv Dhal

Classic Masoor Dhal

I've been making dhal varieties for a very long time now. It provides a basic base for all sorts of other more exciting ingredients to be added, but this list and method is one that I got from a good friend (the titular Viv) and is so fool-proof that it's worth following through everytime. Additions are still possible and encouraged, but I'll leave that to you. This is the classic dhal and is good enough on it's own with Basmati (method also covered) and Raita (ditto) only.

Ingredient List
Dhal
1 onion, finely chopped
1 3cm ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, grated/crushed
3 green finger chillies, sliced (deseeded or not, heat tolerance depending)
1 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp tumeric powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 lemon, juiced
Fresh coriander
Butter
Oil
Enough Red Lentils for Two, washed
Access to water (I've cooked this while camping)

Raita
Greek Yoghurt
Cucumber
Fresh Mint (these three minimally)
Nigella Seeds
Garam Masala
Spring onions
Sea salt flakes

Method
1. Fry your ingredients in the same pan that you'll use for cooking the lentils. Heat the oil and butter, add the onion and fry for a minute or two stirring. Add the ginger, garlic, chillies and spices. Also at this point don't tell Viv that I ALWAYS add a hearty shake of ground fenugreek, which I think is the tangible taste/smell of Indian food and is probably my second favoruite food smell after Dill. You might need a touch more oil/butter if you're being frugal. You want a paste like consistency. Fry this on a medium heat for five minutes or so. You want everything cooked through.
2. Remove 2/3 of this mix and set aside in a dish, add a wee touch more butter to melt through this because why not?
3. Add the lentils to the pan and stir them through the remaining mixture for a minute or so. Then add water and once boiling (should be almost immediate) reduce the heat to a minimal simmer and pop a lid on.
4. Oh yeah, timing. Hope you're reading this BEFORE starting the recipe. Anyway, at around the time you're adding the onions and spice mixture to the dhal pan you also want to be adding your washed basmati rice to a pan of cold water and a lid on. 1:2 rice to water. Brind this to boil and then reduce to simmer and cook for fifteen minutes or until all the water is gone. A glass lid is invaluable for this task! Either that or shaking the pan while holding the lid.
5. Did you make your raita already and put it in the fridge? If not, go back in time and do that. How to make? Chop and mix. Personally, I quite like to grate my cucumber, but that's just my kink.
6. Hopefully your lentils and rice both evaporate their respective waters aroundthe same time. The dhal, of course, should be a bit looser than the rice. Mix through your set aside masala mix and squeeze through the lemon juice, serve topped with chopped fresh coriander, alongside the rice and raita. Oh yeah, did you buy mango chutney? Get some of that too.

Keep eating happy.

Love,

C x

Foodie Fridays: Butternut Squash Pasta

I suppose I could speak about the reasons for nearly deleting my blog (again) but instead let's just breeze over that and talk about one of my staple foods, as it's tailor made for this time of year, because I don't know where you are, but at the moment in Scotland it's definitely winter and despite my desire to continue to eat healthily (see some of my previous years winter salads, some healthier than other) sometimes you just need a bit of comfort.

& this meal is the physical manifestation of comfort!

I've given up on measurements, go by the eye and stomach of the chef.

Requirements:

• 1+ Butternut Squash
• Some Mushrooms, closed caps like chestnuts are best
• Rosemary, fresh or dried
• Mascapone
• Something "green and fresh" (this is a JJ addition and can include; peppers, courgettes, spinach etc.)
• More cheese, Parmesan or the closest approximation
• Pasta (conchiglie is our #1 choice, but anything that 'holds sauce')
• Olive Oil
• Roasting Tin of a 'certain size' (i.e. it must hold everything)

Modus Operandi:

• Pre-heat oven to around 200c/fan180c/gas6/400f
• Peel, deseed and chop the squash into whatever consitutes bite-sized chunks for you.
• Roll the squash about in the roasting tin with some oil and rosemary.
• Roast it!
• After about 25 minutes add your mushrooms (chopped) and diced peppers/courgette (if using)
• At this point also:
• Boil a pan of salted water and cook the pasta, don't drain it yet!
• Once the mushrooms and squash (and others) have had another 15 minutes take out.
• Place on the hob, still in pan, add a ladle or two of the pasta water.
• Add the mascapone and heat on the hob while stirring.
• Drain pasta and add (and add spinach if using).
• Serve with plenty of ground black pepper and parmesan grated on the top.

Good with a rocket and tomato salad, garlic bread, and a good cold white wine.

There is presently no photographic representation, because it doesn't last long enough to get a snap!

Does not contain...

Foodie Fridays: Winter Salad #73 (Apple & Bacon & Kale)

It's that time of year again for hearty and (mostly) healthy foods.

Here's another of my attempts at making a winter salad using some of my favourite ingredients.

No, it's not really #73

But, Apple&Bacon&Feta&Kale&Quinoa&SweetPotato SALAD seemed a bit of a mouthful...

Perhaps, "the olde ABFKQSP salad"

It's probably NOT the most healthy salad; with fried bacon, onions, feta cheese, and roast sweet potatoes, but it is tasty! And is almost certainly healthier than another frozen pizza and chips! (note: almost certainty is not a legally binding guarantee). If you're concerned, focus on the apple, kale and quinoa. They're really good for you!

Hope you like it as much as we did :-)

   - Chris

Ingredients: (served 2/3 as a main meal)
2 small Sweet Potatoes peeled and cubed
3 rashers of unsmoked back Bacon cut into strips
2 Onions cut into rings
100g of Feta (or 'Salad Cheese') cubed
100g Green Beans halved
200g of Kale
100g Quinoa
2 sweet/eating Apples cored and sliced
Salt/Pepper/Oil/Syrup (as detailed in Method)

Dressing, Lime/Honey/Jalapeño
Juice of one Lime
Teaspoon of Honey
Olive Oil, a good glug
Small handful of chopped pickled jalapeños
Coriander

Method: (it's worth saying that you don't have to try and do everything at the same time, indeed, without help it might be a bit much. Instead, work through a couple of ingredients at a time, it isn't a HOT hot salad, but only needs to be 'warm-ish')

Fuzzy action shot

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6.

2. Prepare the Kale by removing the thick stalks and tearing/chopping into smaller pieces, set aside in a colander and lightly salt. Leave to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Leave the apple chopping until the very end or it'll brown, otherwise chop up everything else. Put the cubed sweet potato on a roasting tray and lightly toss in olive oil. They need at least 30 minutes in the oven, but a bit more wouldn't hurt. Depending how crispy you like them.

4. Wash the quinoa in cold water, drain, then in a pan cover with double the amount of cold water and bring to the boil with a lid on. Put the heat down very low and leave to simmer for 10 minutes or so. When the water's almost gone turn off the heat and let it sit to absorb the last of the water.

5. In a frying pan, fry the onions with a little oil on a high heat for 5 minutes or until browning, then add the bacon and lower the heat, stirring occasionally while you do everything else! Cook for at least another 15 minutes or until everything is nice and crispy (this can be quicker depending on how you're scheduling this recipe). For extra sweetness a small drizzle of Golden Syrup or even Maple Syrup is very nice (I had golden).

6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the kale and green beans, then when it returns to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer and give it 6 minutes.

7. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring. I would have liked some fresh coriander leaves but just had dried.

8. At this point you're probably ready to start combining all your ingredients in a big salad bowl. Leave the onions/bacon until last, as a topping. Combine everything, stir, add the dressing, stir again, then add your bacon and onion topping. Season with plenty of ground black pepper. Ready to serve!

Suggested Beverage Accompaniment:
A glass of cold lager! (Scottish, natürlich)

Alternatives:
Different Dressing.
I think that a Honey/Mustard dressing, using Dijon mustard would go very well with the apple and bacon combination. Otherwise a good basic balsamic vinaigrette should also work well.

Vegetarian.
Obviously just omitting or replacing the bacon with a veggie alternative is possible, but I think that some cooked chestnuts might also make a good tasty seasonal alternative.

More herbs.
I was a little fresh herb light, this being winter, but a good handful of parsley and maybe some mint would make a great addition.

Foodie Fridays: Winter Jewel Salad

Continuing my attempt in staying healthy over the colder months (in Scotland, quite a lot of them!) here is another squash-based salad creation.

Full disclosure: This came after several days of pizza and other similarly unhealthy stodge :(

More carbs for the carbs king!

So, I started with Kale and Butternut Squash, two of my favourites, but wanted to prepare them a little differently to how I would normally (boil and roast) them.

I'm using chestnuts again here, mainly because I love them, but also because they seem so seasonally correct.

What's probably not widely known (certainly it was not by me) is that it's also the correct season for pomegranate, which is the reason for the 'jewel' in the title.

Courgette isn't seasonal sadly, but I also find them an excellent addition to most dishes.

This is the point when 'healthy' starts to look a little of an exaggeration, mainly because I'm going to sauté the kale and squash in butter... not much butter though!

Here's most of the base ingredients, I'd already started cooking

Ingredients list

(I've given up exact measuring, and tend to just go by eye. I'll tell you what I used for two of us, but then I had leftovers too)

• Brown long grain rice
• Butternut squash
• Kale
• Pomegranate seeds
• Chestnuts (pre-cooked and peeled)
• Courgette
• Lemon
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive oil
• Butter (unsalted)
• Pul Biber (optional)

Method

1. Start by washing the brown rice, put in a lidded saucepan and adding 3 parts water to 1 part rice (you want to strain the rice rather than being left with no water, such as when cooking basmati for example). Place on a high heat and as soon as it starts bubbling (or just before if you've a slow electric cooker like me) turn right down to the lowest heat. Cook for at least 30 minutes or until soft.
2. Peel and dice the butternut squash quite small (I used half a large squash) and sauté on a medium heat for about ten minutes stirring regularly. Also add a pinch of pul biber (red chili flakes) if you're using it and some salt and pepper if needed. Keep a lid on your sauté pan or put a large lid over your wok/frying pan.
3. Once the squash has started to soften add the diced courgette. I used just one courgette for the both of us. Keep the lid off and stir regularly.
4. Wash, chop and remove the large stalks from the kale. I used most of a large pack of kale, probably around 150 g but could easily have used more. Roughly chop/half the chestnuts and add them too. I used a 180 g pack of chestnuts. Add some more butter if needed. (pictured above).
5. Turn up to a higher heat (not too high) and keep stirring until the kale wilts. Hopefully by this time the rice will be done, drain it, and add to the pan, which after a minute you should remove from the heat. Grate the lemon zest. Add the pomegranate seeds (I used one entire pomegranate). Splash over a good amount of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Drizzle some olive oil.
6. Serve warm.

Replacements or additions for larger groups

If you'd prefer to stay seasonal or indeed can't find any courgette then I think that (Jerusalem) artichoke would be the best possible alternative, but then it's not easily available near me whether seasonal or not. So, I'd also suggest mushrooms or leeks as an easier alternative or possible additions.

Indeed, for a large group or a bulkier meal, I'd suggest adding a red onion with the squash, some halved Brussels sprouts with the courgette or kale (depending on how softened you like them, earlier is better from my point of view/taste).

For extra crispness, perhaps adding diced red/yellow/orange (bell) peppers or the more seasonal sliced chicory leaves when you add the pomegranate seeds.

And if due to some crisis there isn't Butternut Squash, perhaps roasting some parsnips and carrots would be an adequate replacement.

Apart from the splash of lemon juice and balsamic, I don't think it needs any additional sauces, but would be interested to hear about an experiments.

Foodie Fridays: Autumnal Za'atar 'Salad'

It's certainly true that "the night's are drawin' in" as we say here, which means an obvious urge to eat masses of stodgy comfort food. However, much like another beer seeming like a good idea, despite the immediate short-term pleasure of cheese, pasta, chips it does very little for your mood or energy levels. So, in an attempt to keep JJ and I still active in these colder nights, I semi-improvised a hot salad dish. Shown here in it's first incarnation. I've already got ideas for a second attempt and would love to hear from anyone that makes it themselves and whatever they add/remove/change.

A note on 'chef' ingredients. I know it can be frustrating reading through a recipe and finding an ingredient that you've never heard of and that seems only to be included just to show how innovative the recipe writer is. So, for those who don't know about Za'atar I apologise, I know it's annoying, but you need to introduce Za'atar into your cooking. In this recipe it heightens the various flavours and binds them all together, like every good spice mix or herb blend should do.

Za'atar is the name of the herb as well as the mix itself. It is a species of wild thyme with an especially long history in the middle-east, being a staple ingredient in Arab, Israeli and North African cooking. The mix varies by locality, but is normally a combination of ground dried herbs, sesame seeds, salt and olive oil. My shop bought Za'atar mix comprises of: sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, salt, basil and sunflower oil, which is fairly basic and traditional, but could also include: oregano, marjoram, savory (satureja),  ground cumin, or caraway seeds.

If you can't find anywhere selling Za'atar mix near you, it's not too hard to get some of the ingredients and grind them up yourself. 

Serves 2

1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 Green and Red Bell Peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks

2 Carrots, grated

1/2 tin of Chickpeas

1/2 bag of Rocket

2 Spring Onions, sliced

1/3 Cucumber, cut into half moons

1 Avocado

1 Lime, juiced

Mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)

Chilli Flakes, pinch (optional)

Honey, spoonful (optional)

Za'atar, BIG pinch (NOT optional)

1 cup of Brown Rice (replace with Pearl Barley if preferred)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200c

2. Add cubed squash to an oven tray, cover with a little oil and one pinch of the za'atar (and the chilli flakes if using), mix and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Start preparing the brown rice, give it a wash, add to a covered pan and add three times the amount of water to rice, i.e. 3 cups of water for my recipe. Put it on boil.

3. After 15 minutes add the chopped peppers, mix and roast for about 30 additional minutes, or whenever they are all softened and slightly charred. Also, once the rice starts boiling turn it right down to a low simmer. The brown rice takes a little over 30 minutes too.

4. Prep all the rest of the ingredients (except the avocado) ready for 'construction' of the salad.

5. Once the roasting veg and the rice are done you're ready to build! (While the veg is hot out of the oven, mix the honey through, if you like it especially sweet!)

6. It's a matter of taste, but I keep the rice separate and build the salad in this order: Rocket-Carrot-Chickpeas-Cucumber. You could mix it all up rather than layering (it's a habit of mine). Scatter the roast veg over the top.

7. Half, de-seed, and slice the avocado. Sprinkle lime juice and seeds over this. Top with sliced spring onions and possibly more za'atar.

8. Done! 

Possible additions: Yoghurt-based dressing with tahini? Toasted pittas breads with olive oil and za'atar dip? It could probably do with some sort of dressing, chilli olive oil?

P.S. If I'd have thought of it sooner, I would have thought of a punning name for the recipe between the 'herbs' of the za'atar and the German word for autumn...

Incredible Christmas Pie

This year was a vegetarian Christmas as we were at my mum's. However, this wasn't my first so I already had some ideas about what we would cook. In years past we've used the BBC Good Food magazine vegetarian Christmas special and simply followed a recipe. A couple of months previously I'd had a trial run with a recipe of my own, that was magpied from several different chestnut roast recipes, with a little of my own added. So, being already confident with my recipe, I was able to recreate the pie Christmas eve with a minimum of fuss. We then had the pie warmed and sliced with the all the usual Christmas sides (rosemary roast potatoes, cumin roast parsnips, brussel sprouts and carrots), cranberry sauce, and gravy.

Before I lose the scrap of notepaper my recipe is written on, here is the ingredients list and basic method to make the incredible Christmas pie, AKA quinoa pie, or the fake pork pie.

Ingredients:

Onion, red (1)

Garlic cloves (3)

Celery sticks (2)

Chestnuts, cooked and peeled (200g)

Panko Breadcrumbs (60g)

Apricots, chopped dried (50g*)

Quiona (100g)

Eggs (3)

Apple (1)

Walnuts (50g*)

Feta cheese (50g)

Lemon zest

Dried herbs, Thyme and Oregano (*)

Fresh herbs, Parsley (*)

Butter and oil

Puff Pastry

Method:

1. Pre-cook the quinoa. In a saucepan cover the quinoa with about double the amount of boiling water. I add the dried herbs at this point, but they can be added directly into the mix also, personal taste. Cover and bring to the boil, then simmer at a low heat for about 15 minutes or until all the water is gone. Set aside and let it cool.

2. Finely chop the onion, garlic and celery. Saute in a little oil at a medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until everything is soft and translucent (but not browned). Let this cool.

3. Chop the chestnuts (finely chopped will help texture and binding the pie together, but I like it a bit more 'rustic' as they say) and gently fry in butter with the zest of one lemon and chopped fresh parsley (if you have any, I didn't have any for Christmas). Finally, let this cool too.

4. In a large mixing bowl (the biggest you can find) beat the three eggs. Add the fruits and nuts you are using, for me this is one grated apple, chopped dried apricots, and chopped walnuts, but you could experiment with whatever you have to hand. Add the Panko Breadcrumbs (it doesn't have to be Panko, but I love them, they are dry and very crisp) and all the cooked ingredients (1, 2, and 3). Mix very thoroughly, start with a spoon then give up and use your hands!

5. Put half the mix in a puff pastry lined loaf tin. Save enough pastry for the top!

 Cube the feta and add to the middle of the mix, without touching any sides. Cover with the other half of the mix. Top with the pastry lid. Pinch the edges together and brush an egg glaze if desired (mix a beaten egg yolk and a little milk).

6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 for at least an hour.

Serve hot, or for a better texture and flavour let it cool before slicing.

Foodie Fridays: Treehouse Super Salad

To finish my Welsh holiday themed day, I thought I'd post this salad recipe that was inspired by a visit to the Treehouse Organic Foodshop and Restaurant in Aberystwyth.

Now that the sun's come out to play a little more often, it feels like the time for lots of lovely healthy salads. This one is a complete meal on its own, but could also work as a super side salad at a barbecue or buffet for those that like a bit of excitement with their salads rather than the usual tired green variety.

So, here it is, the (titled by JJ)...

Like a Treehouse tangerine dream in purple, orange, and green!

This salad could easily serve 4 as a main meal, possibly 6 with some extra leaves (I'm thinking Little Gem or Romaine lettuce) and plenty as a side.

Ingredients:

100g Pearl Barley

200g Fine Green Beans

3 Carrots grated

Equivalent amount of Red Cabbage shredded into strips

Iceberg Lettuce shredded (amount is left to personal preference, I only used a small amount)

1/3 Cucumber finely sliced

50g Seed Mix (I had Sunflower, Pumpkin, Linseed, and Sesame)

2 or 3 Tangerines or 1 Small Orange, cut into small pieces

1 small eating Apple, cut into small cubes

(optional)

Fresh Herbs; Parsley, Mint, and Basil

Salad leaves

Dressing:

1 tbsp of Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp of Black Mustard Seeds
1 finely sliced clove of Garlic

Dried Herbs; Mint and Basil, 1 tsp of each

Ground Black Pepper

Method:

1. Soak the pearl barley in cold water for at least half an hour. Drain and rinse. Add to pan with double the amount of salted water to pearl barley (I have a measuring cup and the barley filled it, so I just added two cups of water) and bring to boil with the lid on. Keep covered and reduce to a low simmer, cook for at least half an hour or all the water has been absorbed. After half an hour taste the pearl barley, it should be al dente. When done, drain and cool (run under cold water).

2. While the pearl barley is cooking chop and prep all the other salad ingredients. Top and tail the green beans, but cook them last, you want a bit of crunch with them! Add everything to the biggest bowl you have.

3. Mix up the dressing. Leave in a cup or jug with a spoon for people to add indivdually.

4. Add the cooked pearl barley and now boil the green beans. Four minutes maximum to keep a bit of bite and colour to them.

5. Give it a big stir and serve straight away with extra salad leaves or cover and chill until later. Enjoy!

Foodie Fridays: Fish Curry

I've been meaning to write down some of my favourite recipes for some time now, but as I tend to improvise when cooking it's difficult to report my formulated results because they don't exist. Anyway, anyone who knows me, knows that I love to cook and eat, especially for and with friends.

I recently cooked a fish curry that I was very pleased with and in order to help myself remember it, I thought I'd write it down here, I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who tries this recipe out for themselves. As with most of my 'recipes' it's a bit of cheat, I cut corners, and tend to add whatever I've got around the kitchen that I think will go.

So, this might become a semi-regular piece, and as I've some more standard recipes (for 'breakfast bars', pumpkin soup, and for hummus) that I tend to do from memory, I thought I might like to share them, because if someone else enjoys them that would please me.

This particular recipe was inspired by a friend's visit to a Kerala restaurant in Leamington and their report of the fantastic fish-based foods therein. Also, I was watching Wes Anderson's 'The Darjeeling Limited' that evening and felt sufficiently inspired to create some Indian cuisine of my own. Here's what I made:

Coconut Madras Fish Curry (lunch the next day)

Ingredients

(This was enough to serve two and feed them lunch the next day, with rice AND potatoes it could easily feed four I think)

Heat - Medium. If you like it hotter add more chili and perhaps top with some fresh green chilies too. Garlic lovers can add more garlic too.

400g White Fish, I used frozen Basa or River Cobbler, cut in large chunks
One and a half inches of fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
4+ cloves of Garlic, smashed and finely chopped
2+ green Chillies, deseeded and chopped
4-6 Spring Onions, chopped (save some 'greens' for topping)
6 Cardamom Pods, seeds removed and ground
1 teaspoon of Turmeric powder
3 tablespoons of Madras Curry Paste (or make your own!)
1 tablespoon of Tamarind paste
200g Fine Green Beans, cut into short lengths
1 large Aubergine, cubed
250ml Coconut Cream
Lime zest, i.e. grated skin of one lime
50ml Single Cream (optional)
Small bunch of Coriander Leaves, chopped
Butter and Vegetable Oil for cooking

Method

1. In a large sauté pan, frying pan, or wok heat the oil (couple of tablespoons worth) and add some butter (I use quite a small amount, but this can be left out altogether). Once you're at a low-medium heat (not too hot, you do NOT want to burn your garlic) add your garlic, ginger, chilies, and spring onions. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. Lower the heat if browning, this should just be softening and sweetening the initial ingredients.
2. Add the beans and aubergine. Keep the lid off and gently stir until lightly browned. You might want to raise the heat a little. Add the fish and cook all for a few more minutes.
3. Add the ground cardamon seeds, turmeric, Madras paste, and tamarind paste. Stir so that all the veg and fish is coated, but be gentle! You don't want to break up the fish. Add a little water and cover. Leave for about five minutes.
4. Add the coconut cream and lime zest. Leave the lid off while the cream melts. Coconut milk or block can be substituted if you can't find any, but you'll need to readjust amounts.
5. Lower the heat and leave to cook, cover with lid if thick, remove if sauce is too thin. It doesn't really need much more cooking now, but 10-30 minutes will do no harm and, indeed, will help intensify the flavours. During this stage cook the rice and/or potatoes (see below)
6. Finally, stir in cream and half the coriander. I took the pan off the heat to do this, as I'd hate to split the cream. It's now ready to serve! After serving, top with the rest of the coriander and the saved chopped spring onions.

New potatoes and Greens

As I like boiled new potatoes with fish, I made up this Indian style addition. Could be served instead of basmati rice or with the rice as a third dish (depending on numbers and appetite).

Enough baby potatoes for any many as needed (9 potatoes for 2 people)
Spinach, Watercress, and Rocket (any combination thereof)
Garam Masala
Black Onion Seeds (a.k.a. Nigella Seeds)
Butter

Wash and chop your baby potatoes in quarters, or however small or large you like them (indeed, boil them whole if you prefer). Boil until soft, drain.
With the potatoes in the colander, add some butter to the pan and once melted add a good spoonful of Garam Masala and your onion seeds. After one minute return the potatoes to the pan, how long you cook them is personal taste. I simply stirred them until they were coated into the Garam Masala and seeds, but you could fry them as long as you like. Remove from heat and stir in the greens. I used about 50g of a spinach, watercress and rocket salad bag, but any combination would work fine (I plan to just use spinach next time and make a quick sag aloo). Stir until the leaves are wilted. Now it's ready to serve.

Serve with plain basmati rice or add a few ground cardamom seeds and a teaspoon of turmeric to the water for an alternative. Indeed, the rice can be as fancy as you like, but as it's such a flavourful curry, perhaps plain is better.

Some homemade naan would also help to soak up the juices of the curry, but we didn't quite get that far. Something to try in the future.

A nice glass of a cold chardonnay finishes this meal off perfectly.