GOCHUJANG FISH PIE WITH SWEET POTATO AND BLACK SESAME

A Korean twist on the quintessentially British fish pie, with a sweet potato and black sesame instead of the bog standard potato topping, might sound ODD but OMG this may just be the best savoury pie I have ever had!!!

Spicy, comforting and full of unexpected but wonderful flavour combo - this is a new dinner party favourite I URGE you to make!!

SERVES 3

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 1 fish stock cube or 500ml fish stock
• 90g unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tsp rice wine or white wine vinegar
• 400g fish pie mix
• 150g raw king prawns, shelled 
• 75g frozen peas
• 100g spinach
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 4 tbsp crunchy kimchi to serve

METHOD

• Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until soft (around 20 minutes), then lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside to steam dry. 
• In the same pan of boiling water, cook the eggs for 6½ minutes, then drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking further.
• Meanwhile, pour 500ml boiling water from the kettle over the stock cube, stir to dissolve and set aside. (If using fresh stock, cook it in the microwave on high for 1 minute to warm through). 
• Put 50g of the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and, once melted, stir in the flour to make a paste. 
• Cook, whisking, for 2 minutes to cook out the floury taste, then slowly whisk in the hot fish stock bit by bit, to avoid lumps. 
• Stir in the gochujang paste and vinegar, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper and leave to cool slightly.
• n the potatoes, leave to steam dry for a minute, then return to the pan and mash with the remaining butter. Season with a big pinch of salt. 
• Heat the oven to 180ºC fan/gas 6.
• Stir the fish, prawns, peas and spinach into the sauce and transfer to an ovenproof dish. 
• Peel and halve the eggs, then nestle them into the sauce. 
• Spoon over the sweet potato mash, spread to cover, then sprinkle with black sesame seeds and put in the oven for 30 minutes. 
• Serve with a spoonful of crunchy kimchi on the side.

SALMON, ORANGE & POTATO TRAY BAKE WITH CITRUS AVOCADO SALSA

Another week, another tray bake!!!

Here the combo of salmon with a fresh herb, paprika and orange zest rub, roast potato and orange slices and the most wonderful sriracha and orange dressing works an absolute treat and is packed full of flavour.

The avocado citrus salsa is the perfect finishing touch and adding orange juice to avocado is the ultimate game changer - how is adding it NOT A THING for all guacamole!!!

Fresh, filling, and full of the good stuff!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 2 salmon fillets
• 1 tsp Sweet Smoked Paprika Powder
• 1 tsp Orange Zest
• 1 orange
• 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 tbsp Orange Juice
• 2 Shallots
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• Salt & pepper 

CITRUS AVOCADO SALSA

• 2 avocados
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 200 ºC and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Wash the potatoes, cut in half and spread on the baking sheet. 
• Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. 
• Roast for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. 
• For the salmon, thyme and rosemary, wash, shake dry and pluck the leaves from the stalk. 
• Finely chop the leaves and rinse the salmon in cold water and pat dry.
• Mix the herbs with the smoked paprika powder, orange zest, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper and then spread over the salmon. 
• Rub into the fillet together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice and sriracha sauce. 
• Peel shallots and cut into thin slices. 
• Wash the orange with hot water, dry and cut into slices.
• Take the potatoes from the oven. 
• Add the salmon, sliced shallots and orange slices around the potatoes. 
• Drizzle over the sriracha citrus mixture and return the pan to oven and roast for 10-20 minutes more, until the salmon is done.
• Meanwhile, prepare the salsa. 
• Halve, core and peel the avocado. 
• Cut the pulp into fine cubes. 
• Mix together with orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. 
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve the salmon and potatoes with some fresh citrus avocado salsa.

OTTOLENGHI'S MUSHROOM "CARBONARA"

This pasta is a real show stopper and a must-try dish for any fellow mushroom lovers like myself out there!

Truly the mushrooms, cooked with an asian twist, are the real stars of the show here, chopped so finely that they almost feel like the pancetta that you find the meaty original and are definitely a worthy vegetarian friendly substitute.

The perfect autumnal pasta main to impress that will even win carnivores over.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

For the fried shiitake

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150g fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps chopped into 1cm pieces
• ½ tsp mirin
• ½ tsp soy sauce 
• For the soy shimeji 
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 300g shimeji mushrooms, trimmed, or oyster or king oyster mushrooms, shredded
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp mirin

For the ‘carbonara’

• 5 egg yolks
• 50g parmesan, finely grated 
• 1½ tsp mirin 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Fine sea salt and black pepper
• 400g dried bucatini, or spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

METHOD

• Start with the shiitake. 
• Put the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat, add the chopped shiitake and cook, stirring often, for about seven minutes, until golden all over. 
• Mix the mirin and soy in a small bowl, pour into the pan and cook, stirring quickly for another minute. 
• Tip the shiitake mix on to a plate and set aside.
• Wipe the pan clean and put it on a high heat. 
• Pour a teaspoon of oil into the pan, then add a third of the shimeji (or oyster or king oyster mushrooms) and cook, stirring often, for two to three minutes, until lightly golden all over. 
• Tip into a large bowl, then repeat with the remaining shimeji, cooking them in two more batches and adding a teaspoon of oil. 
• When the last batch of shimeji is cooked, return them all to the pan. Mix the mirin and soy in a small bowl, pour over the top of the shimeji, stir to coat, then tip out into the large bowl and set aside.
• Now for the carbonara. 
• Put the egg yolks, parmesan, soy and mirin in a bowl, add a few good grinds of pepper, mix well and put aside.
• Put 1.3 litres of water and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt in a large pan and bring to a boil. 
• Turn down the heat to medium-high, add the pasta and cook until al dente. 
• Two minutes before the pasta is done, return the saute pan to a medium heat and, once it’s hot, add the oil and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Using tongs, lift the cooked pasta out of the boiling water and stir it into the garlicky oil. 
• Measure out 200ml pasta water into a bowl, quickly stir in the egg mixture, to combine, then pour the lot into the pasta pan and stir vigorously for a minute, just until the mix thickens into a sauce that coats the pasta.
• Take the pan off the heat, stir in the shimeji until well combined, then use tongs to transfer the pasta to two bowls. 
• Scatter a quarter of the fried shiitake over the top of each bowl of pasta and serve with the rest of the shiitake on the side.
• ENJOY!

NO STIR LEEK, SMOKED SALMON & DILL RISOTTO

Making a risotto can involve a lot of faff and having to watch over a pot continuously for at least half an hour while stirring is fun and games when you have the time for it but not ideal when you are after an easy yet fancy dinner.

Well my smoked salmon, leek and dill risotto may be the answer for those short on time - a risotto that tastes like the real deal and like you have slaved over it for hours but is in fact super easy and quick to make, your oven in fact doing all the hard work!

I was shocked how perfectly cooked and creamy the final risotto was and was seriously impressed with the wonderful flavour combo of the leeks, dill and ample smoked salmon!

One of those dishes that will be a total dinner party winner but will leave you with minimal washing up and cooking effort!

A new fav!

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil for frying
• 500g leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300g arborio risotto rice
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 25ml fish stock
• 750ml semi-skimmed milk
• 100ml low-fat crème fraîche
• Juice 2 lemons
• 400g smoked salmon, sliced
• Bunch fresh dill, chopped

METHOD

• Heat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan/gas 4. 
• In a large flameproof casserole (one that has a lid), heat a glug of oil and add the leeks (see tip). 
• Fry for 5 minutes on a medium heat until starting to brown.
• Add the garlic, dill and rice, then cook for 2-3 minutes until the rice is translucent. 
• Pour in the stock and 600ml of the milk, put the lid on and bake for 35-40 minutes until the rice is tender and has swelled. Warm the remaining milk.
• Remove the casserole form the oven – it will look like the milk has split, but don’t worry, it will come back together. 
• Stir in the remaining milk, crème fraîche and half the lemon juice. 
• Taste and add more lemon juice, if you like. Stir in the salmon and dill, then season.
• Top with more smoked salmon slices and serve!

COPYCAT JOE & JUICE SPICY TUNA SANDWICH

Like half the millennial and most of the Gen Zers out there I am OBSESSED with JOE & THE JUICE sandwiches.

Eating one of their, pushing the £8 mark, slimline sandwiches gives me immense joy every time I treat myself to one, especially their spicy tuna version which is the perfect combo of crispy thin wholewheat bread, tuna salad, jalapeño, tomato and pesto.

I have been so obsessed with them recently that I made it my mission to recreate a worthy "copycat" and "make it your own at home" version, and after a bit of research online and thoroughly analysing what ingredients I thought I could taste in the sandwich I came up with pretty spot on recipe!!!

In fact my version was so damn tasty and close to the original that I basically ate it for dinner, then breakfast and lunch the next day!

Of course, I will still got to Joe & the Juice when feeling lazy or like treating myself but it was so easy and cheap to make this outstanding sandwich at home that I will be repeating this little recipe A LOT in the future, trust me!

MAKES 4 SANDWICHES

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE TUNA SALAD

• 2x 150g tins of canned tuna in spring water
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 150g light mayo (add / reduce until you get your desired consistency, I don't like it too mayo heavy)
• 2 tablespoon chopped jalapeños, drained (add more if you like it extra spicy)
• Tabasco (I added about 10 splashes)

TO ASSEMBLE

• 4x wholemeal pittas (Warburton's had the best shape for this), ends and sides trimmed to give you two rectangle pieces for each pitta.
• Pesto
• 2x beef tomatoes, sliced
• 2x ripe avocados, sliced

METHOD

• Make your tuna salad - combine the tuna, mayo, jalapeños, tabasco and dill.
• Mix well and adjust the tuna salad seasoning + spice level to your liking, then set aside in the fridge.
• Get a griddle pan hot on a high heat
• Add your pitta slices and grill both sides until hot and crispy
• Now it's time to assemble the sandwich!
• Spread the bottom pitta slice with plenty of pesto.
• Top with tomato and avocado slices.
• Spread your tuna salad generously as final layer then add the top pitta slice and ENJOY!
• The tuna salad keeps a good few days in the fridge so keep on making those sandwiches!!