Sonia's Tomato Salad

Drew's tomatoes from Little Whitley are as tasty as those you buy from a Mediterranean market.  Anyway,  this salad goes down well at a party but I like it most piled onto bruschetta with a slice of Parma Ham.  It goes well with roasted hog too!

Ingredients
Tomatoes, the best quality you can find and cut into quarters
1/2 a red onion, finely sliced
A generous glug or three of extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teasp caster sugar
A garlic clove, bashed to a paste, optional
Chives, snipped with scissors
A handful of black olives, halved, optional.

Method
Combine all the ingredients and leave to stand for at least an hour to allow the flavours to develop and serve with crusty bread, or even a roast pork gap.

Potato Salad with Curried Mayo

As if we didn't have enough to eat last night I made this potato salad too.  

Ingredients

1¼kg salad potatoes, such as Charlotte, halved if large

A bunch of spring onions

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tsp black mustard seed, plus extra to serve

1 tbsp Madras curry paste

200g tub low-fat natural yogurt

4 tbsp mayonnaise

4 sticks celery, thickly sliced.

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil then add the potatoes. Return to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. The potatoes should be just tender to the point of a knife. Drain in a colander and cool for 5-10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, trim the roots from the spring onions then slice the white bulb ends. Reserve the green stems. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan, add the mustard seeds and cook until they start to jump and pop. Add the chopped spring onion and curry paste. Cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes.

Tip the mixture into a large bowl then stir in the yogurt and mayonnaise with plenty of salt and ground black pepper. Now you have a choice: for everyday you could the keep skins on salad potatoes, but for entertaining it's 10 minutes well spent to remove them – they look better and take on the flavour of the dressing more easily.

Chop all but 2 of the green spring onion stems and add to the dressing along with the potatoes and celery and carefully fold everything together until evenly coated. Reserve the remaining stems in water. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill until ready to eat.

To serve remove the potatoes from the fridge a good hour before serving so they return to room temperature. Pile the salad into a serving bowl. Cut the reserved spring onion stems into long shreds and scatter them over the salad along with a few mustard seeds.

Radish and Cucumber Salad

I managed to find time to make a few salads to go with Mr Piggy and the Poached Salmon.  I forgot to add the dressing, what a twit........

Ingredients

1 cucumber

500g radishes, quartered

1 celery heart, sticks cut into 1cm pieces

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

3 tbsp lemon juice

6 tbsp rapeseed oil

Method

Quarter the cucumber lengthways. Cut each quarter into roughly 1cm chunks, cutting on the angle to give a more interesting shape. Scatter into a serving bowl or onto a platter. Add the radishes, celery, onion and parsley.

Put the lemon juice and oil in a glass jar with a lid, season and shake well. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

Poached Whole Salmon

We had a party last night and the star of the show was the Hog Roast.  As we have a few friends who aren’t partial to pig I poached a whole salmon using this James Martin recipe.  It looks impressive and is really succulent and requires no skill at all just a little patience to wait for it to cool. 

Ingredients

1 whole salmon 2.5-2.75kg

1 onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 lemon, quartered

A sprinkle of sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper.

Method

Place the salmon in a fish kettle. If you haven't got one a large roasting tin will do fine.

Add enough cold water to cover the fish (it must be covered). Add the onion, bay leaves, vinegar and lemon and a good pinch of salt and a little black pepper.

Cover with a lid, or tin foil, and bring to the boil on the stove. It is easier and quicker to put two rings on underneath the fish. Once it is boiling, turn off the heat and allow the fish to stand in the water until cool.

Carefully remove the salmon and place onto a board. Carefully scrape off the skin and place on a large flat serving dish. Serve with a bowl of lemon wedges, some watercress and a bowl of hollandaise.

Stir Fried Beef with Oyster Sauce

This is mouthwateringly tasty and ready in a flash.  It's based on an old Ken Hom recipe from Simple Chinese Cookery.  I like to add mushrooms or thinly sliced red pepper for added colour and a bit of crunch.  I've yet to try it with courgette, but I might tonight......

Ingredients
450g lean beef steak
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 teasp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
2 teasp cornflour
3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions, to garnish.
Thickly sliced mushrooms, optional.

Method
Cut the beef into 5 cm long slices and 5mm thick, cutting against the grain of the meat.  Put the meat into a bowl.
Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and cornflour together with the meat and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
Heat your wok or large frying pan until it is very hot then add the groundnut oil.  When it is very hot and slightly smoking and the beef slices and stir fry for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove the meat from the pan and drain in a colander set inside a bowl.  Discard the drained oil.
Wipe the wok clean and reheat it over a high heat.  Add the oyster sauce and bring it to a simmer.  Return the beef slices to the wok and toss them thoroughly with the oyster sauce.  Turn the mixture onto a serving dish, garnish with the spring onions and serve at once.  I like to serve this with medium egg noodles drizzled with a tad of sesame oil.

Red Kidney Bean Curry with Rice (Rajmah Chawal)

My lovely friend Sarah was served this dish by monks whilst staying in a Monastery in New Zealand.   So this post is for her and my vegetarian friends.

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice

3 cups boiling water

Generous pinch of saffron, optional

2-3 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

1-2 green bird's eye chilies, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes and juices, or passata

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala + 1/2 teaspoon to garnish

1/2 teaspoon amchur, optional

2 tins of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup vegetable stock

Hot water, as required

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Fresh coriander, chopped, to garnish

Julienned strips of ginger, to garnish (optional)

Method

Wash and drain the basmati rice. Place in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. Add the boiling water and saffron, bring it to a slow simmer, and turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid, or seal it with aluminum foil.

Steam the rice for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes. Open the lid, or foil, and fluff up the rice with a fork.

To make the rajmah, heat the oil in a heavy based pot and add the diced onions. Fry over a medium high heat, until the onions are soft and start going golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger and chiles, and fry together until fragrant, another minute.

Add the crushed tomatoes, ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and amchur, if using. Season with a little salt. Turn down the heat and cook, stirring every so often until the masala starts reducing, comes together and the oil starts separating from it, 7 to 10 minutes

Add the kidney beans and the stock. Simmer for a few more minutes, until the beans are heated through. Add a little more hot water if the sauce is too thick.

Stir in the reserved garam masala and coriander, taste, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if needed. Top with julienned ginger strips (if using) just before serving.

The Best Pilau Rice

I am a bit of a heathen and usually make boiled rice in the microwave but occasionally I make the time to cook this dish.  It knocks spots off any shop bought or takeaway pilau rice so it's worth the effort and almost a meal in itself.  I'll be serving it with panfried sea bass fillets dusted in garam masala and some wilted buttered spinach.

Ingredients
275g basmati rice
50g ghee or unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely sliced
2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
8 whole cloves
8 green cardamons, split open the top of each pod
2 cinnamon sticks, each 2 inches long, broken up
8 whole peppercorns
1 teasp turmeric
570 mls water
11/4 teasp salt or to taste
1 heaped teasp butter
25g seedless sultanas
25g flaked almonds.

Method
Wash the rice and soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain well.
In a heavy based pan melt the ghee or butter over a medium heat and fry the onions until they are soft but not brown (about 5 minutes).
Add the garlic, cloves, cardamon, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Stir and fry until the onions are golden brown (3-4 minutes).
Add the rice and turmeric, stir and fry for 1- 2 minutes.  Adjust the heat to low, stir and fry the rice for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the water and the salt, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Remove the pan from the heat and keep it undisturbed for a further 10-12 minutes.
Melt the 1 teasp butter over a gentle heat and fry the sultanas until they change colour and swell up (1 minute).  Transfer the sultanas onto a plate and in the same pan fry the almonds until they are lightly browned.  Remove and put onto separate plate.
Put the pilau rice into a serving dish and using a fork, gently mix in the the fired sultanas and almonds.

Poacher's Pie

Enough of courgette recipes, the deluge of rain was almost biblical yesterday and turned my mind to real comfort food .... Poachers pie covered in a golden puff pastry topping.  I adapted my favourite steak and kidney pie recipe to use 2 packs of mixed game I bought from Bewdley farmer's market a while ago.  Rabbit, venison and pheasant in a really gutsy sauce.  It really hit the spot, as did lighting the fire and warming up a truly miserable day.  It's not a quick dish but worth the effort I think.

Ingredients
800g mixed game, or rabbit cut into chunks
12 chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 oz plain flour
Sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1 large leek, thinly sliced
100ml red wine
250mls beef stock
2 teasp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pack of pre made puff pastry
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teasp water.

Method
Toss the meat in the flour and fry in the oil in small batches until browned, adding more oil if needed.   When all the meat is browned, reduce the heat and add the vegetables, cook until just softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the wine, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Return the meat to the pan and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and cover, simmer for 20 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
Spoon into a 2 pint pie dish and pop a pie funnel in the centre.  Roll out a circle of the pre made pastry 2 inches larger all round than the dish.  Cut a 1 inch strip from the pastry edge and lay on the dampened rim of the dish, lay the circle of pastry on top, trim and flute.  Brush with the egg yolk and water glaze and make a slit in the centre with the point of a knife for steam to escape.   Bake at 200C for about 30 - 35 minutes.  I served it with potatoes and buttered savoy cabbage.

Courgette Leek and Potato Soup

I made this soup yesterday using courgettes and potatoes from the veg patch.  Quite satisfying to know how fresh it was, about 20 steps from patch to pot!

Ingredients
3 courgettes, thickly sliced
1 large leek, cleaned and sliced
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp sunflower oil
800mls veg stock
White pepper to taste
A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
A teasp dried mixed dried herbs
100 mls single cream.

Method
Heat the oil in a pan and add the courgettes and leeks cooking until softened.  Then add the potatoes, herbs and stock.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potato is soft.  Season with the white pepper to taste.  I don't add salt as the stock tends to have salt in it already.
Blitz the vegetables using a stick blender until smooth and stir though the cream.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with a lovely crusty cob.

Chilli Party Poppers

We're having a party next weekend and these little darlings will be on the buffet.  So, even if the weather isn't that hot these will warm every one to the core.  I might post a few more party dishes this week too.

Ingredients
12 fresh jalapeño chillies
200g cream cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed

A small handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated parmesan
1 lime to serve.

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.  Half the chillies lengthways, leaving the stalks intact and discard the seeds.  In a bowl, mix the cream cheese with the garlic and coriander, then spoon it into the chilli halves.  Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan on a plate then press the cheesy side of the chillies into the breadcrumb mixture until well coated.  Place them crumb side up on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until golden.  Squeeze over a little lime juice and serve.