Tuesday, 31 May 2022

CREAMY SAFFRON & PRAWN PASTA


Saffron and prawns are probably two of my favourite ingredients and this pasta is the perfect carby marriage of the two!

If you can use a mix of shell on and shell off prawns, not only for optics but also for added flavour and make sure to infuse the saffron for a good 15 minutes with the boiling water to to get the most this luxurious and flavourful spice!

An easy peasy, yet delicious and restaurant worthy supper that will not fail to impress.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

  • Put a large pan of water onto boil ready for the pasta.
  • Whilst it comes to the boil place the saffron into a small saucepan and pour over the 4 tablespoon of boiling water. 
  • Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
  • Salt the pasta water well, add the linguine and cook the pasta for a minute less than the instructions suggest.
  • Add the cream, parmesan and the lemon zest to the saffron and stir over a medium heat until simmering. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the chives, peeled prawns and cook until the prawns are starting to go pink. 
  • Add the shell on prawns so that they can warm through.
  • Check the seasoning.
  • Remove from the heat and stir through the egg yolks (if you don't take the pan from the heat you will end up with a nasty scrambled egg sauce)
  • Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
  • Pour the sauce over the pasta and thin with the cooking water as needed.
  • Serve with a garnish of chopped chives.
  • ENJOY!


Thursday, 26 May 2022

SUPER QUICK BROWNED BUTTER GNOCCHI WITH PESTO, ASPARGUS & BURRATA


Last Friday I had one of those days were work was incredibly busy, I was tired from a long week and cooking seemed like a chore, yet it was STILL Friday and I wanted something delicious and a little bit sophisticated to mark the end of the working week.. 

These gnocchi did exactly that! Gnocchi and pesto were shop bought but frying the gnocchi in browned butter and adding burrata and pan fried, in season asparagus made the end result all kinds of wow. 

All was plated up in less than 20 minutes with minimal kitchen mess made, and I got to say it was a pretty stunning dinner!

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
  • Salt
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter 
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • Chilli flakes
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest500g potato gnocchi, cooked to package instructions and drained
  • 1/3 cup basil pesta
  • 2 burrata balls 
  • Grated Parmesan to serve

METHOD

  • In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
  • Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. 
  • Season with salt. 
  • Add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 clove garlic, lemon zest, and chili flakes. 
  • Cook until the butter browns, 1-2 minutes. 
  • Remove from the asparagus from the frying pan. 
  • To the same frying pan, add the gnocchi and 5 tablespoons butter. 
  • Allow the gnocchi to get crispy, about 4-5 minutes, then toss with the butter and add the garlic. 
  • Cook another 2 minutes, then stir in the pesto and remove from the heat. 
  • Season with salt.
  • Break the burrata into serving bowls. 
  • Add gnocchi and top with the asparagus.
  • Top with parmesan and extra pesto.

Wednesday, 25 May 2022

BAJAN FISH TACOS


I am not the biggest fan of Mexican food in general (not sure why, I guess the flavours can be a bit repetitive?!) BUT MY GOD THESE FISH TACOS WERE AMAZING!!!

First there is the zingy twist on a classic coleslaw, the shredded cabbage flavoured with pineapple juice and coriander, which is added on top of your tortilla to give the tacos a good crunch. 

The coleslaw gets topped with sliced avocado and then the star of the show: deep fried, beer battered, spicy chunks of cod, which are flaky yet crunchy and surprisingly easy to achieve perfectly executed at home. 

The finishing touch to the tacos is a punchy and moorish chipotle mayo, which I would recommend you mixing a lot of because I kept on topping my tacos up with more, and which is drizzled on top this wonderful concoction of Mexican flavours and textures.

I literally gobbled these up in 5 minutes and have been thinking about them ever since..an absolute must-make even for those, like me, who aren't usually the biggest fans of Mexican dishes because these tacos definitely changed my mind for good!!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package taco wraps (I used these from Waitrose)
  • 2 cod fillets, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 12 oz. / 1 can of beer (any light beer will work well)
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups shredded red + white cabbage
  • ½ cup coriander
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. pineapple juice
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • ½ cup mayo
  • 1 tsp chipotle paste (I used this one from Waitrose)
  • Sunflower oil for frying
METHOD
  • Prepare the citrus slaw by combining sliced cabbage, coriander, pineapple juice, lime juice, and salt.
  • Prepare the chipotle mayo by combining mayo and chipotle paste
  • Prepare the batter by combining flour, panko bread crumbs, beer, and seasonings.
  • Cut fish into pieces and dip into batter.
  • Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.
  • Cut avocado into thin slices.
  • Assemble tacos by combining fried fish, citrus slaw, sliced avocado and chipotle mayo on your taco wraps
  • Enjoy!

Thursday, 19 May 2022

CREAMY WHITE ASPARAGUS, LEMON & TARRAGON PASTA WITH PAN FRIED COD


OK, ok I will stop with the white asparagus obsession soon but while its are still in season I simply HAD to share this super delicious, simple and quick to make recipe for a creamy pasta with a twist!

It's truly no gourmet cooking, more the sort of thing you can rustle up after a long day of work when only a bowl of carbs will, but it's still packed full of lovely flavours and textures and the grilled cod makes a fab omega 3 packed finishing touch.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS 

  • 500G WHITE ASPARAGUS
  • BUNCH OF TARRAGON
  • 1X LEMON
  • 2 TBSP BUTTER
  • 2 COD FILETTS
  • SALT
  • 400G SPAGHETTI
  • 250ML DOUBLE CREAM

METHOD
  • Peel the asparagus and snap off  the woody ends.
  • Cut off the asparagus tips and set aside.
  • Cut the remaining asparagus spears into bite sized chunks.
  • Next up, finely chop the tarragon.
  • Heat up 1 tbsp of the butter in a frying pan and add the asparagus tips.
  • Sauté until starting to brown.
  • Wash and pat dry the cod fillets, then season them on both sides.
  • Now time for the spaghetti!
  • Cook them until al dente in salted boiling water, adding the chopped up asparagus spears when there is about 4 minutes of cooking time left so that they get cooked through as well.
  • Drain pasta and asparagus chunks, keeping a little of the cooking water to one side.
  • Return the drained pasta and asparagus to the saucepan.
  • Add the double cream, juice of one lemon, chopped tarragon and salt and mix well over a medium heat, adding some pasta water if needed to make a creamy sauce.
  • Heat up the remaining butter in another frying pan and pan fry the cod fillets for 3 minutes on each side until the fish is cooked through.
  • Serve up the pasta, topping it with the asparagus tips and cod fillet.
  • Serve immediately!

Monday, 16 May 2022

HAWAIIAN BBQ SALMON BURGERS WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE & SMASHED AVO


I am always on the look out for a non meaty burger that isn't based around a bland bean patty or a dry fish cake and OH MY...this Hawaiian BBQ salmon burger with grilled pineapple and smashed avocado is all kinds of WOW, I would even go as far as that it is rather restaurant worthy!

A shop bought BBQ sauce is pimped up into something quite extraordinary by adding pineapple and lime juice as well as fresh coriander, while the burger patties are a wonderful combo of finely chopped salmon, Parmesan some of that "Hawaiian" bbq sauce and panko breadcrumbs. 

This sort of perfect marriage of sweet and savoury is continued with pineapple rings which are pan fried in coconut oil, to be later layered on top of the salmon patties and some mashed avocado, all topped with more BBQ sauce and some thin cheese slices, because why the hell not!

It's crunchy, juicy, sweet, savoury and packed full of flavours and one of the best burgers I have ever made!

Perfect for BBQ season, perfect for when you are craving a burger and sure to impress guests, these burgers are a new favourite of mine and will be added to the regular rotation!

Best served with fries (I went for the best easy frozen sweet potato ones from Waitrose) and more of that amazing tropical BBQ sauce!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
  • 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 fillets of fresh raw salmon (skin removed)
  • 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 4 slices sandwich cheese
  • 4 brioche burger buns
  • 2 avocado sliced or mashed (optional)
  • lettuce
  • 2 large pineapple rings preferably from a fresh pineapple

METHOD
  • In a small bowl combine the BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
  • Set aside for later.
  • Add salmon to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it’s somewhat ground. 
  • You can also chop the salmon very finely with a sharp knife like I did!
  • Remove and add salmon to a bowl with the panko bread crumbs, parmesan and 2 tablespoons of the hawaiian BBQ sauce from step 1 (save the rest for serving) and mix with a spoon until just combined.
  • Form into 2 equally sized burger patties.
  • Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of coconut oil.
  • Cook burger patties on each side until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  • During the last minute of cooking add the cheese slices.
  • In a separate frying pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and place the pineapple slices in the pan.
  • Cook for about 3-4 mins, flip and cook another 3-4 minutes.
  • To assemble place a piece of lettuce on the bottom of a bun, then the burger, mashed or sliced avocado and a ring of pineapple.
  • Drizzle each burger with the remaining Hawaiian BBQ sauce.
  • Serve with fries of your liking!

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

TAGLIARINI WITH RAW COURGETTE, BROWN SHRIMP, CHILLI & LEMON


Fresh, super simple to make but very impressive looking and tasting when plated up - this pasta dish is perfect for showcasing fresh, high quality ingredients to their fullest and for me is basically spring on a plate!! 

Brown shrimp aren't that easy to find but definitely worth a trip to a market or fishmonger! 

Normal spaghetti will also work fine but I love the even thiner and finer tagliarini which I got from an Italian deli near me.

It's the sort of dish that is already a joy to shop for, a little more effort involved than a quick trip to your Sainsbury's local but all the more worth it when you have a Saturday or Sunday to yourself and can have a little potter around your favourite foodie produce spots.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g of tagliarini, or use spaghetti or linguine (fresh or dried)
  • 8 tbsp of courgettes, coarsley grated
  • 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
  • 80g of unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/4 lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
  • 6 tbsp of brown shrimp, cooked and peeled

METHOD
  • Place the grated courgette in a colander and add ½ teaspoon fine salt. 
  • Place a bowl under the colander and leave for 1 hour. 
  • Squeeze out the courgette to extract as much liquid as possible
  • Put a large pan of water on to boil. 
  • Once the water is boiling, add enough salt to resemble mild sea water. 
  • Add the tagliarini and cook for 2 minutes (if using dried pasta cook until al dente)
  • At the same time, in a saucepan big enough to hold the pasta, heat together the butter, a splash of the pasta cooking water, lemon juice and chilli over a low to medium heat. 
  • When the pasta is cooked, remove it from the water and add it to the pan of butter and lemon to toss. 
  • Keep the pasta cooking water
  • Add the raw courgette and brown shrimp and vigorously toss the pasta in the pan for at least 30 seconds to work the gluten, adding a splash of starchy cooking water if it starts to dry up. 
  • Continue tossing the pasta until the sauce emulsifies and becomes viscous, and season with salt. 
  • Serve immediately.