Monday 22 November 2010

Wild Mushrooms with Beer and Mustard Sauce


500 g mixed wild mushrooms (e. g. chanterelle, pied de mouton (hedgehog fungus), pied bleu, etc.), cleaned and cut into chunks
2 portabello mushrooms, cleaned and cut into chunks
100 g fresh baby spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
150 ml lager
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
200-250 ml soured cream
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp wholemeal flour, dissolved in a little cold water
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
freshly ground nutmeg

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the mushrooms making sure they're all well done - some mushrooms must not be eaten raw or undercooked, for example pied bleu. Season with pepper and salt. When done, remove into a warmed plate and set aside.

2. Add the lager and flour to the pan and bring to the boil. Stir in the soured cream, mustard and add the garlic. Season with pepper and a little nutmeg. Simmer at a very low heat for a couple of minutes to soften the garlic.

3. Return the mushrooms to the pan and add the spinach. When the spinach has wilted, check the seasoning and serve immediately on a bed of rice.

Monday 15 November 2010

Pork with Coriander Oil and Mango


Serves 4.

1-1.25 kg of boneless leg of pork with skin on
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
20 g fresh coriander
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 large mangos, cut into wegdes
1 heaped tsp flour
cold water

1. Make the coriander oil: Place the coriander into a beaker and season with pepper and salt. Add 6 tbsp of olive oil and blend. If it's too thick, add a little more olive oil.

2. Wash the meat and pat it dry. Score the skin in thin strips or in a diamond pattern. Season the meat with pepper and salt, rubbing it into the skin.

3. Rub all over with the coriander oil. Set the remainder aside for basting. Marinate for a few hours in the fridge, if there is time.

4. Place into a roasting tray and place into a preheated oven. Roast at 200 °C/gas mark 6 for a total of 1.5 - 2 hours basting with the remaining coriander oil every now and again. (I use a meat thermometer to check if the meat is cooked.)

5. With about 30 minutes cooking time to go, add the mango wedges to the roasting tray.

6. Once done, remove the meat and the mangoes from the oven and place on a heated plate to rest the meat for 10-15 minutes. Before serving cut off the crackling dividing it into 4 portions. Lastly, trim the excessive fat off the meat.

7. Meanwhile, pour the cooking juices into a saucepan. Dissolve the flower in a little cold water and add to the cooking juices. Bring to the boil, then lower the heeat. Add about 1/3 of the mango wedges to the gravy and blend. Check the seasoning.

Serving suggestion: Serve with herby quinoa.

Variation:
Use a mixture of mango and kaki fruit.

Friday 12 November 2010

Cream of Mushroom Soup



This is a light soup and ideal for a starter.

1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500 g of flat mushrooms, halved and sliced
0.8-1 l vegetable stock
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
herbes de Provence
freshly chopped parsley
soured cream or crème fraîche

1. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over a low heat for about 5 miutes stirring regularly to prevent browning.
2. Add the herbes de Provence and continue sautéing for another 3-5 minutes.
3. In the meantime, heat some oil in a frying pan and lightly brown the mushrooms. Season with pepper.
4. Add the mushrooms to the saucepan and pour in the stock.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and purer the soup.
7. To serve add a generous dollop of soured cream or crème fraîche to each serving and sprinkle with the parsley.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Spaghetti with Lemon, Garlic and Chili



This is one of the dishes my other half excels at. Hard to believe but I've never actually prepared this dish myself! We originally found the recipe in a cook book. It soon became a favourite comfort food as it's tasty and quick to prepare. Over time it's evolved by adding chili and rocket. Still comfort food but more sophisticated ;)

Update 8 Feb 2015: Add grated lemon zest from an unwaxed lemon and sautée along with the garlic.

250 g spaghetti
sea salt
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 2 lemons
1 bulb of garlic, very, very finely julienned or coarsely grated
1/2 - 1 red chili (or more!), finely sliced
a few handfuls of wild rocket, washed and spun
freshly grated parmesan/parmesan shavings(optional)

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti until almost al dente. If they're ready to eat at this stage, they'll end up overcooked.

2. Drain the spaghetti and return to the saucepan.

3. Add the olive oil, garlic, chili, lemon juice and stir at low heat for 2 min.

4. Optionally season with freshly ground black pepper. Scatter with a handful of rocket and some parmesan. Serve immediately in warmed plates.

Monday 8 November 2010

Spiced Rice with Tiger Prawns



cooked rice
250 g cooked tiger prawns
1 leek, very finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 carrot, julienenned
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
freshly ground pepper
sea salt
2 tsp balsamic glaze
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

250 g sweet green peppers
olive oil
freshly ground pepper
sea salt

1x Charmoula

peparing the sweet peppers
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Sauté the peppers until blistered all over.
3. Season with pepper and salt.
4. Remove from the pan and place on paper towel to drain.



1. Sauté the leek, garlic and carrot over a low heat for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garam masala and sauté for a further 2 minutes.
3. Season with pepper and salt.
4. Add the basamic glaze and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are soft.


5. Add the rice, sweet peppers and and prawns.
6. Put a lid on and heat through for 10 minutes.
7. Serve in preheated plates sprinkled with freshly chopped coriander and charmoula.

Sunday 7 November 2010

Charmoula (Rick Stein)

This is not my own recipe. It's by Rick Stein and I originally found it on the BBC food website but it has since been taken down (January 2016).


2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1½ tsp ground cumin
½ red finger chilli, seeded and chopped roughly
½ tsp saffron strands
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juice only
1½ tsp paprika
1 tsp salt

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Mussels with leek and tomatoes



Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter.

1/2 a quantity of leek and tomato sauce (see below)
1 kg fresh mussels, cleaned and checked

leek and tomato sauce
1 leek, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
100 ml full-bodied red wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
125 g fresh spinach, washed, spun and coarsely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the leek and garlic over a medium heat until soft but not brown. Season with pepper and salt.
2. Add the red wine and tomatoes and bring to a high simmer. Check the seasoning.
3. Simmer for a couple of minutes until very hot. Then add the spinach mixing it in.
4. Remove half the sauce and set aside.
5. Pour in the mussels and close the lid. Cook for a minute then shake the contents of the saucepan. Cook for another minute, shake the saucepan and check if the mussels have opened.
6. Serve immediately with crusty bread.