Category: Carrots

Berbere spiced salmon with warm summer garden vegetables

September 2, 2015






So last weekend was August Bank Holiday weekend, the last of the year. I was on BBC Radio Leicester for my regular cooking slot with Ben Jackson on his show on the Friday and I was determined more than ever to keep summer alive for one last time at least this year. I’d met Ben for Lunch earlier on that week and already Ben was talking about Blackberries, chutneys etc… The reaction from me was just not yet, not THIS weekend.

  As you know by now, all of my spices are from Spice Kitchen and they have sent me recently some extra Middle Eastern and African spices to develop with. One in the pack is Berbere which is an Ethiopian spice and is amazing! Lovely flavours with a slight kick of chilli as you’ll hear in the recording. 

  I used salmon as I just happened to still have more in the freezer from the Whole one I bought for only a fiver! But you could use other fish such as Loch trout, pollack, coley or even turkey or chicken. I teamed this up with a melange of colourful, garden, summer vegetables to try and keep that summer feeling alive.


  Little did I know how quickly the weather would change this week. So if you aren’t ready to bring out the casserole pot out yet, this is for you.


  Listen here to hear myself and Ben on the Radio:




Berbere spiced salmon with warm summer garden vegetables:








* Please excuse some of the pictures as I sometimes forget to take photos and just dive into the food! Including Ben.


Ingredients:

(2 people approximately)

Salmon:

–  2 salmon fillets
–  2 tsp of Berbere spice ( Ethiopian spice ) Or you could use, piri piri, cajun, jerk etc Mine is from Spice Kitchen
–  salt and cracked black pepper to season
–  a couple of slices of red chilli chopped finely
–  Few sprigs of fresh coriander
–  1 slice of lemon


For the Garden Vegetables:

–  1 tbsp Rapeseed oil
–  1 red pepper sliced lengthways
–  1 orange pepper sliced lengthways 
–  1 courgette sliced into ribbons
–  2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
–  1 small red onion sliced
–  1 Corn on the cob ( kernels taken off when cooked )
–  handful of cherry tomatoes sliced
–  a couple of slices of red chilli chopped finely
–  handful of fresh herbs: Oregano, lemon thyme and mint chopped finely
–  Salt and cracked black pepper to season
–  chopped fresh coriander to finish 

Method:

–   Marinate salmon fillets with berbere spice and season a little for at least an hour ( the longer you can the better)


–  Preheat oven to 190c

–  Pop on a pan of water to boil for your Sweetcorn and cook until tender



–  Pop salmon into foil in a ceramic/metal baking tray. Pop a little water into the foil. Place lemon, coriander and chilli on top of salmon and create a little parcel. Place into the oven for approximately 10- 12 minutes

–  Drain off your sweetcorn and pop aside to cool slightly

–  Fry of peppers in a frying pan, stir for a couple of minutes. Add your onion and cool for a further minute or two.

–  Add to your mix your Garlic and Tomatoes. Then your Courgette ribbons. Cook for a minute or two and stir.

–  Take off your sweetcorn kernels with a knife and add to your vegetable mixture. You could even grill the sweetcorn or bbq.

–  Add the fresh herbs and chilli, season to finish if needed.

–  Take out your salmon, serve vegetables on a plate, pop on salmon and juices and finish with fresh coriander.







Spring Lamb Stew with Vegetables and Pearl Barley

April 14, 2015


Last thing you need on a Sunday is to have yourself slaving over a Hot Stove cooking a Large Roast Dinner. Especially now the weather is beginning to become slightly warmer.
    In this recipe, yes it does take some time, however, it is all in one pot as you can leave it to carry on with your Planned activities. Of course, it isn’t just a recipe specifically for Sunday’s but I chose this as an easier option for you.

  This Recipe is Light, Fresh and Easy to do.  You don’t want to overpower this either with bold flavours as you want to capture that Lovely Spring taste of the Lamb, the Sweetness of those Peas popping away in your mouth and a favourite of mine…The Pearl Barley being velvety along the stew’s juices.  

  I have used stewing Lamb in this as the bones will give the extra flavour you need.  I personally like to pick up the Bones with my Hands and get every last Morsel I can Find.
  A dish like this  is always a great winner for me when you can pop it down as a talking point on the dinner table, tuck in and not to forget, there is a MUST for some Crispy Bread to mop up those last bits that have been sitting patiently at the bottom of your bowl. 

  This Recipe capture’s seasonality at its best, It can be done quite inexpensively and will have you craving for more. 




Spring Lamb Stew with Vegetables and Pearl Barley:

Ingredients:
(Serves 4-6 people depending on size of Lamb pieces you buy)

–   1 Kg Of British Stewing Lamb (approximately 8 pieces) You could use Neck of Lamb also
–  1 Tbsp of Rapeseed Oil 
–  A Splash of Dry White Wine
–  2 Onions Roughly Chopped
–  2 Large Garlic Cloves finely Diced
–   3 Tbsp’s Tomato Puree
–  Homemade Chicken stock or 1 Stock pot (Knorr) to every 4 pieces of Lamb you have 
–  A good handful of Chantennay Carrots ( 200g roughly) Halved lengthways 
–  100g Pearl Barley cooked before hand in a little Chicken stock
–  4 medium potatoes diced into cubes of 6. I used Shannon but any will do.Could even use new season Baby ones.
–  1 Large Leek sliced a centimetre thick.
–  5-6 Spring onions Sliced into 4  
–  Small Sprig of Rosemary chopped finely 
–  100g of Petit Pois
–  A few sprigs of Fresh Mint chopped finely
–  A couple of Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley chopped finely 
–  Salt and Pepper to season




Method:

*  Take your Lamb Pieces and pat dry with Kitchen Paper. Season Your Lamb with Salt and pepper if required.

*  In a Heavy bottomed Casserole Dish/Large Saucepan heat up the Rapeseed oil and start to sear of the Lamb just till browned on the outside. Placing each pieces of Lamb into a separate dish once browned on the outside.

*  Fry off your Chopped Onions for a minute or two.

*  Add your splash of White wine to de glaze your large saucepan( allow juices to come away)  Add Your Lamb, Chicken Stock and 2 Tbsp’s of Tomato puree. Cover with water covering everything. 

*  Simmer away for 1/1/2 – 2 hrs adding water when needed.

*  Cook your Pearl Barley to packet instructions with a little chicken stock added and leave to one side.

*  After 2 hours or when the Lamb is starting to soften and theres about 30 mins to go. Then add your Carrots, Garlic and Rosemary.

*  Then pop in your potatoes after another 5 minutes.

*  When your carrots are starting to soften, add your Leeks, rest of your tomato puree and the  Cooked Pearl Barley.

* After another 5 minutes add your Spring Onions and Petit Pois. Only cook for a further 2-3 minutes

*  By now the lamb should be falling off the bones and the veg all cooked. Now Finish with your Chopped Fresh Mint and Parsley

*  Finally, Serve into Bowls with Crusty Bread 








  







Pot Roasted Partridge with Parsnips, Perry and Pearl Barley

January 24, 2015

If you follow my cooking regularly then you may recall just before christmas I was eating quite a bit of Game, as it is in Season, well, I still am! Although we don’t have much longer left of the game season, until early February if Im not mistaken?

So, one Sunday, there was a dish that I cooked that absolutely blew myself and my Fiancé away and the great thing about it is that there were hardly any ingredients or cooking to it;  Just great flavours. Also, there were no herbs in this which I always cook with, so that amazed me.

   Anyway, We had been given two Lovely Partridges and two Pheasants from my Father who lives up in Yorkshire. I decided to Pot roast the Partridges this particular Sunday as being a Chef I know that being a small bird it can easily dry out, so occasionally I prefer to pot roast Game and of course when one is cooking on a Sunday afternoon, there is more time to sip at a lovely Red wine and read the 17 supplements of the Sunday Paper.

  I had some Perry knocking about in the pantry so instead of Wine I thought this would make a lighter touch, maybe add some pears also but in the end I didn’t need to even add the fruit it was that flavoursome and so quick for a Sunday Lunch/Dinner. However the perry added a really nice Flavour.
  If you are a meat eater and you aren’t sure about Game, please try cooking Partridge first as its lighter than Pheasant. It is a great little, versatile Bird.
  
 This recipe is a keeper for myself and my family now and I hope this one will travel through our generations.  It was one of those dinners that you just sat back and smiled for about an hour after! Oh and I just had to call my Father to tell him how nice they were.
  It has also received a nickname that we find rather quirky, called “All the P’s” .
Which I can see my Partner shouting one Sunday morning, “What’s for dinner darling?” …”Oh All the P’s today”… “Brilliant!”


Pot Roast Partridge with Parsnips, Perry and Pearl Barley:
(“All the P’s”)


Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

(We did one Partridge per person but there were some left for sandwiches the next day)



–  2 Oven ready Partridges 
–  1 Tbsp of plain Flour to dust the Birds
–  1 Tbsp Rapeseed oil
–  Couple of Knobs of Unsalted Butter
–  50g Pearl Barley
–  250ml of Perry (Pear Cider) You may not need it all as season to taste
–  1 Large leek sliced 
–  2 medium sized Carrots chopped fairly chunky
–  1 Onion diced 
–  Homemade chicken stock or 1 gel pot of chicken stock to roughly 800ml water ( depending how big your partridges are) 
–  1 large parsnip chopped the same size as your carrots
–  Cracked Black Pepper to taste

* I served my dish with Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Spring Cabbage.

Method:

*  Cook the Pearl Barley first in a separate pan with a bit of chicken stock to packet instructions. When Halfway through, add Carrots, then after 5 minutes the Parsnips. Less washing up all in one pan and guaranteed not to overcook the Partridge this way.

*  Preheat Oven to 180c-190c

*  Dust the Partridges in flour, add rapeseed oil and a knob of butter to a Casserole/heavy bottomed pan and place Partridges in, searing off (Browning) each side for a minute or two.

*  Take the Birds out and place onto a plate. Add onions to the hot pan, cook for a couple of minutes. Add 250 ml of Perry and stock so when the Partridges are placed back in, it just covers them.

*  Place into the oven with pre cooked veg from earlier, adding the leeks. Put a lid on and cook for 20-30 minutes. Any more than this will dry the bird out.

*  After 20 minutes, check that the partridges are cooked thoroughly, cover over juices.

*  Season to taste as you may not need salt, just the cracked black pepper.

*  And Serve…

This recipe was great served with creamy buttery mash and some Spring cabbage as the thick juices just tumble over. 





Rich Beef Casserole (East Meets West)

October 30, 2014

Normally, at this time of year, this is this food I am always wanting and cooking, but as I begin to write this post apparently here in the Uk tomorrow for Halloween, it is going to be 20c! Well, I am going to post this anyway as soon enough, it will turn chilly! 

 
I still cannot believe, in some tiny way that this Casserole that I came up with months ago was the best I had ever made.  Yes, it was! I am hesitant to admit it as it involves the contents of Chinese sauces. But by the by, it still was the best I had ever made. 

   It was one of the first recipes I thought about doing when I was first produced with this Recipe development project for Lee Kum Kee.  I suppose it is because I remember Chef’s pairing Oysters with fillet steak and creating rich sauces with those oysters.  It was an acquired taste, but one that was around for a while.  Shockingly, years ago I worked with a chef who still thought he was in that era and was trying to recreate a recipe by using tinned Oysters to create a sauce for steak! Yak! 

    Anyway, I set to making this Beef Casserole and am pleased to say that it worked the first time. The lovely flavour of the Oyster sauce pairs beautifully with the Beef and along with that earthy taste of the Chestnut mushrooms and Soy bouncing off that, this was a delightful, rich Bowl of Beef casserole which I will always make now. It’s my little “rule breaking” dish that Im quite fond of! Sometimes maybe rules have to be broken, well… just a little.




Rich Beef Casserole:



Ingredients:

(Serves 4) Takes Approximately 3 hours

–  2 Tbsp of Rapeseed or Olive oil
–  Knob of Unsalted Butter–  400g Shin Beef/Casserole steak cut to 1 1/2 inch cubes
–  2 Tbsp of Plain flour to coat the Beef
–  Salt and cracked black pepper to season
–  1 onion sliced
–  2 Garlic Cloves bashed not chopped
–  1 Celery stick diced fine
–  2 Carrots Chopped Roughly into 1/2 inch pieces
–  1/2 Swede Chopped Roughly into 1/2 inch pieces
–  1 Beef stock cube (may need 2 depending on how intense your stock is) 
–  Small sprig of Thyme taken off stalks and chopped finely
–  2 Bay Leaves
– 1 Tbsp of Tomato Puree
–  250ml of  Chianti Red Wine
–  2-3 Tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce
–  2 Tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Deluxe Soy Sauce

Method:

–  Preheat your Oven to 160c

–  Place your Chopped Beef onto a chopping board or plate and dry off all moisture with a Kitchen Towel.

–  Season the Beef and also coat with the flour.

–  In a Heavy Bottomed Casserole Pot heat 1 tbsp of oil until sizzling and start to add the Beef. Do not overcrowd as it will not Brown properly.

–  Once all Beef has browned, take out and place onto a plate. Heat the remanding oil into the same Pot and a knob of butter. When Sizzling add the Onions, Celery, carrots and swede and allow to brown also.

–  At this stage add the Beef back into the Pot, stir and add the Red wine. Pop in the Beef stock, Tomato Puree and herbs and Cover with Water. Bring to a simmer on the hob.

–  Place into the Hot Oven for 2 hours.

–  After the 2 Hours Add the Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce, Stir and place back into the oven for another hour or until Meat and Vegetables are tender.

– At this stage, you may need to balance flavours, i.e if needs a little sugar or more Soy Sauce.

–  This dish is great served with Mashed potato or Boiled Rice.




Breakfast Boost Bars

July 15, 2014



I realise that this isn’t  a Recipe post that is a “New Thing” or “Trend” in the Culinary world,  but it is something that I always used to make and have been meaning to come up with a new recipe for a while now. 

  Today,  As usual, I had some bananas that were way overripe.  So instead of me putting them into a bread or muffin like I normally do, I decided to come up with a Bar of some sort.  Now I say, “some sort” because, well, I am not sure If this recipe is a Flapjack or a Granola Bar? as, in my eyes, it qualifies for both! 

   I have to say, I am not great at eating breakfasts, especially in summer.  I do get easily bored and like something that I can eat quite efficiently  whilst reading my emails, doing my “To Do list” for that day AND drink my morning Coffee. I know, its bad! But I have to find something that suits me, we all do! and I feel with these bars, it will certainly keep me going for a while. Lets hope it will help others too.
  Now I am no nutritional expert but I have tried to keep the recipe packed full of nutrients with the fruit, nuts and seeds. Also adding no extra sugar to the syrup.

  I can’t wait to let my Fiance try these before he goes for his morning run at the weekend.  He’s been trying to find that certain something that works for him as many others have their own energy fix before a run/workout.  I will let you know what happens there on that note at a later date. Not forgetting aswell how great these are for Children, for breakfast or as a boost over those summer holidays! 
  For now, I will be trying these as my breakfast hit for the next few days…These Boost bars are moist, chewy, packed full of goodness and they’re Vegan too!


Breakfast Boost Bars:

Ingredients:

(This mixture made 9 2″x2″ Squares)

–  100g of Soy Spread ( I used Pure Dairy Free)
–  100g of Golden Syrup
–  1 Tbsp of Raw Organic Coconut Oil ( I used Lucy Bee)
–  200g of Whole Rolled Porridge Oats
–  40g of Grated Raw Carrot
–  2 Over ripe Bananas mashed
–  40g Dried Soft Apricots
–  20g Pistachios (De- shelled)
–  40g of Dried mixed Boosting Berries (i.e Blueberries, Cranberries, Goji, Raisins, etc…)
–  Sprinkling of mixed Seeds for on top (i.e Sunflower, Pumpkin, Linseed etc…)

Method:

–  Preheat Oven to 170c

–  Melt the Soya Spread in a Heavy bottomed pan on a low-medium heat and add the Golden Syrup to it.

–  Into a small hand blender/mixer or processor blitz loosely all the dried fruit together and the pistachio nuts.

–  Add the Oats to the Pan and stir coating all the mixture. Then add the Coconut oil, Bananas and grated carrot to the mixture. Stir and turn off the heat.

–  Line a baking tray with baking parchment and add the mixture creating a nice rectangular even shape.

–  Pop into the Oven for about 20 mins.

–  After 20 minutes sprinkle over your seed mix and pop back into the oven for another 20 mins.

–  Once done, take out and allow to cool before cutting into squares/slices.

If you pop these in a larder/Pantry they will keep for a good few days if kept in a sealed cake tin.