Enid’s Grilled Seafood & Plantain Kebabs

Enid is the chef at our hotel and this is her recipe.   Best served with a citrus salsa and a large rum punch at sunset.  No problem.

Ingredients for 6

12 large prawns, cleaned, deveined, and shelled

6 scallops, cut in half

Lime and salt

1⁄2 cup Bajan seasoning

3 Large ripe plantains

 1 cup Bajan dark rum

1 cup olive oil

12 short skewers

Method

 Place cleaned prawns and scallops in plastic bowl and cover with water. Add lime and salt and soak for 15 minutes.  Drain and season with Bajan seasoning

Remove the plantain skin and cut into 1⁄2-inch rings and cut each in half then skewer one piece of prawn, one piece of plantain, one half of scallop and one plantain piece. Place skewers in single layer in 2-inch deep baking pan or dish. Mix oil and rum together and pour over skewers.  Grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until seafood is firm and opaque.

Serve hot with salsa.

Chorizo, Avocado and Mozzarella Salad

Ooo, we've had a lovely Sunday Lunch but, I know by now that later on we'll be peckish.  So here's what I'm planning.

Ingredients
8 mini chorizo sausages
100g cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
1 ball of mozzarella
2 handfuls rocket or salad leaves
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 teasp Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Crusty bread, to serve.

Method
Fry the sausages until cooked through then cut them in half.  Sear the tomatoes, briefly in the same pan with some seasoning until they soften slightly.  Halve the avocado and scoop out onto a serving platter.  Next tear the mozzarella and add this to the platter.  Add the salad leaves then the tomatoes and the chorizo.  Whisk together the vinegar, mustard and 2 teasp of oil, season and drizzle over the salad.  Crusty bread will be served on the side.

Hot and Smoky Beef Chilli

With an open mind I’ve tackled this new recipe I found in Olive magazine for a quite different take on a family favourite.  Hubby has already has a taste and it’s looking promising. 

Ingredients

2 tins of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1kg-stewing beef, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 tbsp tomato puree

3-4 chipotles (dried jalapeño chillies)

1 teasp ground cumin

2 teasp medium curry powder

1 stick of cinnamon

½ teasp oregano

800ml chicken stock

2 tbsp malt vinegar

2tbsp dark muscovado sugar.

Method

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large ovenproof dish, add the onions and cook until golden.  Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another minute.  Remove the mixture from the pan and keep to one side.

Heat another tbsp of oil in the pan and brown in batches.  Return the onion mixture to the pan and then add the tomato puree, chipotle, spices and dried oregano.  Cook for one minute, and then add the stock, vinegar, sugar and beans.

Heat the oven to 160C.  Bring the chilli to the boil.  Cover with a tight fitting lid.  Put in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until the meat is really tender.  We’ll eat this with boiled rice and some guacamole.  

Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Tarka Dall

We're having a Friday night eat in for a change after treating ourselves to meals at Hunan and Bentley's this week.  Good home cooking is needed.  Tandoori chicken thighs, my best ever pilau rice, tarka dall, naan and pickles will definitely hit the spot.  I posted the pilau rice recipe a few months ago.  I wonder if Hubby will build me a tandoor?

Ingredients for the Tandoori chicken

8 chicken thighs, with the skin on and slashed to the bone a couple of times

300mls natural yoghurt

Tandoori powder

1 lemon, quartered

4 tomatoes, halved

1 onion, thickly sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and thickly sliced

Oil, to drizzle over the veg.  

Method

Mix the yoghurt and tandoori powder to gather in a bowl following the instructions on the packet.  Place the thighs into an oven proof dish and pour over the spice mix making sure it gets into every nook and cranny.  Leave it to marinade in the fridge covered, for at least an hour but longer if you can.  

Heat the oven as high as it will go and then put the chicken pieces onto a rack and into the oven.  Turn every 10 minutes. Cook for 30 minutes until cooked through with toasty edges.  In a separate dish, cook the onion, pepper and tomatoes with a little oil.  Serve with the lemon wedges and roasted vegetables, dall and naan. 

Ingredients

150g red lentils

½ tsp turmeric

3 fat garlic cloves, grated into a paste

Thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled weight, grated into a paste

Salt, to taste

A handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

For the tarka:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 rounded tbsp butter

2–4 dried red chillies

1 rounded tsp cumin seeds

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 small tomatoes, chopped

½–¾ tsp garam masala, or to taste

Method

Wash the lentils in several changes of water. Place the lentils and 1 litre of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, skimming off any residue that forms. Add the turmeric, garlic, ginger and a little salt. Simmer, covered, for 40 minutes, giving the pot an occasional stir.

After the lentils have been cooking for about 30 minutes, heat the oil and butter for the tarka. Add the whole dried chillies and cumin seeds and, once they have browned, add the onion; sauté until well-browned. Add the tomatoes, garam masala and a little more salt and sauté until the masala releases oil, around 10 minutes. Pour some of the lentils into this pan, to release the cooked on spices, then pour everything back into the lentils.

Cook for another 10 minutes, mashing some of the lentils on the side of the pan to make the textured dhal. Add a little water if the lentils are too thick and also because it will thicken further as it cools. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve scattered with the chopped coriander.

Hoisin or Sweet Chilli Chicken Wraps

If you buy pre cooked chicken then older kids could knock these up themselves while you put your feet up with a cuppa, now there's an idea.  Ideal for lunch boxes too. 

Ingredients for 2 

200g cooked turkey or chicken, cut into strips

4 tbsp hoisin sauce or if you fancy it sweet chilli sauce

2 flour tortillas

¼ cucumber, deseeded and cut into thin strips

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely shredded

A handful watercress or iceberg lettuce. 

Method

Heat the grill to high. Mix the turkey or chicken with half of the hoisin sauce so that it’s coated, then spread out onto an ovenproof dish and grill until sizzling. Warm the tortillas under the grill or according to pack instructions.

Spread the tortillas with the rest of the hoisin sauce, then use to wrap up the turkey or chicken with the cucumber, onions and watercress. Cut in half and tuck in.

Abi's Goulash, AKA Stew!

When my eldest daughter was younger I always told her this recipe was goulash as it sounded exotic and more interesting than stew which was apparently not at all the right food to give a trendy teen.  It's just what I need after a busy day, a meal that's been transformed by the magic of the slow cooker.  I'll probably make some mash to go with it but it is even easier if you add potatoes into the pot too.  I've not written the recipe down before as I tend to just chuck it all in but here's an approximation.  I'll let you know if it works.

Ready for the long cook

Ingredients for 6 
700g stewing beef, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp plain flour
3tbsp sunflower oil
1 bag of mixed vegetables from the supermarket or a mix of your own such as:
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks
1 small swede, peeled and chopped into chunks, use only what you need
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped into chunks
3 medium sized potatoes such as Desiree, peeled and cut into large chunks
700 mls beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of Lea n' Perrins
2 teasp paprika, if you want a hint of goulash
2 handfuls of chopped parsley, to finish, optional.

Method
Warm up your slow cooker or oven to 150C.  Coat your beef chunks with the flour and season.  In small batches seal the beef in a large frying pan, but you can leave this step out if you're pushed for time.  If so just coat the beef and put into your casserole or slow cooker.  Next prep all the veg and add them to the pot.  Cover with the stock, lea 'n perrins, check the seasoning and cook long low and slow until the beef falls apart, probably for 1 1/2 hours in the oven or 6 hours on low in the slow cooker.  So, if you chuck it all in in the morning it'll be ready for when you and the kids are home in the evening.

Luscious Leek and Potato Soup

Treat yourself to a bowl of creamy delicious soup.  No additives, except love.

Ingredients
2 leeks, about 350g, cleaned and sliced
350g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 teasp salt
1 litre of water
125ml double cream
1 tbsp chopped parsley, flat or curly
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Put the leek and potatoes into a large saucepan.  Add the water and salt and bring to the boil.  Simmer until soft and cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Turn off the heat, allow to cool slightly then blitz until smooth using a hand blender.
Add the cream and stir into the soup, then add the parsley and crack in some black pepper.  Have a taste, adjust the seasoning and pour the creamy soup into bowls.  Crusty bread or chunky croutons work well with this.

Pan Fried Mackerel with Rhubarb

An unlikely couple I suppose, but the sharpness of the rhubarb really does cut through the oily fish.  Gorgeous, cheap and healthy too, what more could you want?  Early season pink champagne rhubarb is ideal to create the wow factor but not at this time of year unfortunately.

Ingredients
4 mackerel fillets, the fishmonger should do this for you
2 sticks of rhubarb, washed and cut into 4 pieces
1 teasp golden caster sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Some fresh chives, snipped into short pieces, if you have some in the garden.

Method
Gently poach the rhubarb in a little water and the sugar.  You want to just take the edge off the tartness of the rhubarb rather than making it sweet.  Once it has softened and is just cooked remove from the pan and keep warm.  Add the mackerel fillets to the pan and a little oil on a medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, returning the rhubarb to the pan for the last three minutes and sprinkle with the herbs.  Once cooked remove the fish and fruit and keep warm.  Add 3tbsp of water to the pan and stir to blend the juices from the fish and the fruit into an emulsion, creating a speedy sauce.  Pour this over the fish and serve with bread and butter.

Good Old Fashioned Bubble and Squeak

I wasn't going to post this as it's so basic but then I reminded myself that the reason I'm doing this blog is to capture the meals I have made old and new to share primarily with my children.  It would be a shame if they didn't have my recipe for this British classic for using up leftovers.  I will use the mash and veg we had left over from the Liver and Bacon dish last night.

Ingredients
Cold mashed potato for 2
Cold cooked vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli
Sunflower oil x 2tbsp
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Grain mustard, 1 teasp
HP sauce.

Method
Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan on a medium heat.  Decide whether you want to make one large B&S or several smaller ones.  Once it is hot, add in the potato and vegetables, mix them together with the mustard, salt and pepper and press down in the pan.  Do not stir or mix as you want a toasty golden crispy base to form.  Carefully check the base after 3 minutes and if it is golden then turn the B&S over.  Don't worry if it breaks in half, this is not fine dining!  Once you have plenty of golden toastiness, slide it onto a serving dish with grilled gammon steaks, Bewdley Bangers or even a simply fried egg.  HP sauce must be to hand.

Here's another version from an old cook book.

Lamb's Liver with Bacon and an Onion Gravy

Liver bacon and onions has to be the perfect comfort food on a blustery wet day like today, especially if served with fluffy, buttery mash. Just the thought of it is making me feel hungry.  I've added a small glass of sherry to the recipe originating from the Hairy Bikers as a bit of an experiment.......you could just drink it instead. 

Ingredients

450g lamb's liver, sliced

25g butter

2 tbsp sunflower oil

4 tbsp plain flour

1 onion, halved lengthways and sliced

125g rindless streaky bacon rashers, each cut into 4–5 pieces

4-5 sage leaves, optional

1 beef stock cube

500ml just-boiled water

1–2 teasp tomato ketchup

A small glass of dry sherry, optional for the dish or the cook

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method

Rinse the liver in a colander under cold water and drain well on kitchen paper. Melt half of the butter with the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat.

Put three tablespoons of the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Coat half the liver in the seasoned flour, shake off any excess, then fry each slice in the hot oil for 1–2 minutes on each side until lightly browned, but not completely cooked through.

Transfer the slices to a plate and repeat with the remaining liver.

Reduce the heat and melt the remaining butter in the same pan. Add the sliced onion and cook for a minute or so, stirring to separate the layers.

Add the bacon to the pan and cook, stirring from time to time, for 8–10 minutes or until the onion is pale golden-brown and the bacon is beginning to crisp.

Sprinkle the rest of the flour over the onion and bacon and stir it for a minute or so.

Dissolve the stock cube in the just-boiled water and pour slowly into the pan, stirring constantly.

Bring to a simmer and cook over a medium heat until the gravy is thickened. Add a dash of tomato ketchup and the sherry if you are using it and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Return the liver to the pan with the onion gravy for just 1–2 minutes to warm it through and finish cooking.  I'll be serving it with some buttery mash, steamed savoy cabbage and peas.