Cod, Thai green curry, Basmati rice

The garden needed too much work to go shopping on Saturday, but the supermarket had just announced they would be open on Sunday morning. They were, but not their butcher nor the fish department. 

Had to buy some frozen cod and a packet of ready made Thai green curry. Still had some papadums and Basmati rice in the larder.

Covered the fish with some flour (just put them together in a plastic bag and shake). 

Boiled the rice. Heated up the curry mix in 5 minutes. In the same time fried the fish.

Crisped the papadums in the microwave (1 min at 900 W). Served as shown with some fresh coriander. Delicious!

< Works with salmon as well. Or chicken.
    










Or sea trout >

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Potatoes, smoked salmon, asparagus, horseradish mayo

Boil the potatoes. 

Mix mayo with horseradish and some capers. 

Boil the green asparagus. 

Start plating with the potatoes, add some mayo mix. 

Then asparagus and salmon, and finally an extra dollop of the sauce

Scallops, leek, beetroot

Normally I would serve this with crumbled Spanish or Italian ham, but as the guest was a fish eating vegetarian I came up with the beetroot crumble. Quite chuffed about it. 

Sweat some some shallot in butter till soft. Add a glass of Noilly Prat and reduce till 20%. Add a glass of desert wine and do the same. Add lobster or shrimp stock and reduce till a nice consistency. Keep the sauce warm. 

Cut a leek in thin match like strips, sweat in butter till soft. Set apart. 

Slice a fresh (uncooked) beetroot in crisps thin slices. 

Grill the scallops in a dry pan. 

Deep fry the beetroot, dry with kitchen paper and crumble.

Melon & ham. Same old, new presentation

Chocolat and meringue semifreddo, raspberries

A fabulous recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He added a recipe for meringues, but our French baker makes them so good, why bother

150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 large eggs
75g caster sugar
225ml double cream (>35% fat)

Line a 1kg loaf tin (ie, around 11cm x 22cm internal dimensions) with clingfilm. Put the chocolate in a basin over a pan of simmering water until melted, then leave to cool until tepid.

Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk (or mixer) until quadrupled in volume, thick, pale and creamy. The mix should hold a trail when you lift the beaters. Fold in the chocolate. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold into the mixture, too.

Roughly crush 2 or 3 meringues – you want some nice big bits in there – and fold into the chocolate mix. Spread into the tin and freeze for about eight hours. You should be able to slice it straight from the freezer. Serve in small slices (it's very rich), with some raspberries alongside.

Instead of freezing the lot, we poured some in nice glasses and kept them in the fridge, to serve this combination of mousse and icecream 

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Best hummus ever, Ajo Blanco and Spicy Aubergines

 Best hummus ever

 Ajo Blanco, cold soup from almonds and garlic

Aubergine, Japanese style

 Cucumber Raita

As we didnot change anything (it tasted so delicious), here are Simon Hopkinson's recipes. We made the tomato curry as well (surprisingly good) but by then it was too dark for a picture.

http://www.simonhopkinson.tv/recipe/12/ouzo.aspx

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Dorade, babyleeks, parmesan

Boil the baby leeks for 2 minutes in water, the broil them in a hot griddle pan. 

Serve with a mustard dressing (1,5 tsp Dyon mustard, 1,5 tsp white wine vinegar, 8 tsp olive oil) a soft boiled egg and Parmesan flakes.

I added some beetroot for color.

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Pan-fried small sole, fennel/potato salad, fennel mayo

Cut a fennel bulb in thin wedges, keep the green. Fry in a griddle pan. Cut 2 potatoes in 3 mm slices, boil in salted water for 15 mins till just done. The potatoes should still have a 'bite'.

Cut the fennel green finely and mix with 6 tbsp mayonaise. Add some lemon juice. Use 1 tbsp of the mayo to cover the potatoes lightly. 

Use a plastic bag to dust 2 soles with flour. Sauté the fish in lots and lots of butter, 3 mins per side, all the time spooning butter over the fishes

Serve as shown 

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Asparagus, pear, sorrel

This Alain Passard recipe asked for white asparagus and red sorrel, which I didnot have.

So I blanched green asparagus for just under 3 mins and rinsed them under cold water to stop the cooking. Heated 30 grs salted butter. Dried the asparagus and put them in the butter when it started to foam. 

Cut a nice pear in 8 parts (leaving the skin on) and added these segments to the asparagus. Turned everything a few times, 5 to 6 mins in total. 

At the last minute added the shredded green sorrel. Plated, keeping the butter in the pan.

Mixed the juice of 1/2 lemon with the butter and poured the sauce over the plates, with some seasalt and black pepper.

Ham, salsify, honey/mustard dressing

Boil the salsify (schorseneren) for about 20 mins. Drain and fry a minute or two in a hot grillpan. 

For the dressing mix 2 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Then add wall- or hazelnut-oil and whisk. 

I wanted to add some chives...but didnot have any. 

Serve with a soft boiled egg, ham and some caviar.

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Lobster, asparagus, mayo, ginger/lemon jelly

To make the jelly start with 1 cup hot water with chunks of ginger left to soak in it for as long as your like - the longer the stronger the taste.
Mix 2 leaves of gelatine with the cooled ginger liquid.

When the gelatine is dissolved add 2 cups of hot water, the juice of a lemon and a tsp sugar.

Pour into a  glass container and place in the fridge to set.

Cedo"s sweetbread

Years ago we loved to go to Konoba, a small then Yugoslavian (now it would be Croatian) restaurant run by chef Cedo and with Neven as front of house. There was no menu. You had to go into the tiny kitchen where Cedo let you inspect his pots and fridge, all the while explaining what he could do. His sweetbread was legendary. So when I could buy some yesterday I posted a message on his Facebook page and he emailed this recipe from Croatia:

'Zwezerik moet zijn uit omgeving van het hart...dan is hij wat rond...op en diepe bord zeten en dan  flinke gewicht erop...bijvoorbeld smale pan met water...dit laten in koelkast overnachten bedekt met plastiek folie...

andere dag...pan water met wat zout...als water kokend is afgedroogde zwezerik dompelen en laten 2 min schriken...uit halen en dan onder de stromend water laten afkoelen...vervolgens met klein mes vliesjes en restjes van vet eraf snijden...neem scherp mes in je hand en zwezerik vorzichtig snijden in dunne plakjes...op en bord plat laten ligen...zout en peper er op bijde kanten...

voorbereiding...drie diepe borden...en met bloem tweede met opgekloetse ei...en laatste met paneermeel...

inhoud van de tweede bord...en of twee opgekloetste eireen...fijn gesniperde knoflook...fijn gesniperde rosemarijn...zout en peper...

zwezerik door bloem wentelen...dan door eieren mengsel...en dan door paneer meel...

kort bruin baken...en op de keukenpapier, welke ligt op en warme bord bakvet uit korst van zwezerik laten opzuigen...

opdienen met zeer dun sneetje citroen, zonder schil, op elk plakje zwezerik...

voor het eten even met de plate kant van vork citroen zacht opdruken...

om de smaak van de zwezerik voledig tot je laten komen raad erbij aleen rucola zonder dressig te eten...

noot...rest van bloem, eieren en kruimels samen voegen dan met paar drupels olijfolie samen kneden en en plate panenkoek maken...baken aan twee kanten snijden in zeer dune repjes...en bij rucola toevoegen...'

Salmon, eggwhite, beetroot and horseradish 'snow'.

Place 400g salmon fillet flesh up on a double sheet of foil. Sprinkle 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp toasted fennel seeds and 1/2 tsp lemon zest over. Pour on 2 tbsp  Pernod (if using) and close the foil. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Rinse off the marinade under cold water then pat dry the salmon. Cut 2 beetroots into 5mm dice. Peel a boiled egg. Separate the white from the yolk, then chop the whites.

Slice the salmon very finely across the fillet, line the slices up nicely on plates and arrange the beetroot on top. Sprinkle on the chopped egg whites then arrange some picked dill all over. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a little grated, frozen horseradish "snow".

(Here the original Bruno Loubet recipe)

Slow cooked guinea fowl

A simplfied recipe by Ash Mair. 

Buy a whole guinea fowl in order to have the carcass as well, to make a nice stock that then can be used for a tasty sauce. Buy a pigs trotter as well. Do this the day before. 

Remove the breasts and the legs. Put the rest with the pigs trotter in an ovendish and almost burn it at 300C (about 15 mins). In the meantime brown 2 sliced carrots, 1 garlic clove and a bay leaf in some olive oil. Add 50 ml fino sherry and 50 ml port and reduce till the liquid becomes sticky. Add 1 liter of chicken stock, 2 onions cut in half (incl the skin!), one or two tomatoes, some thyme, a bayleaf, 8 crushed black peppercorns, 2 celery stalks incl the leaves, a tbsp tomato paste. Add the carcass and pigs trotter and bring to the boil, then simmer for at least half a day.

The next day take out the vegetables and meat and strain the liquid trough a fine sieve. Then reduce till you end up with a nice thick sauce. Discard the vegetables, give the meat from the trotter do the dogs and dicard the bone. But keep the guinea fowl carcass.

Then cut 2 onions finely. Sweat them in a knob of butter in a sauce pan. Add a (beer)bottle of sweet cider, some salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Continue on a low heat till the onions are soft and the cider all but evaporated. Use the blender to make a puree. You can do this in advance and warm it later in the microwave.

Heat the oven at 200C. Peel a potato per person and grate them. Then leave the stuff in warm salted water for 10 mins.  Clarify 50 gr of butter.  Squeeze the potatoes as dry as possible and cover in butter. Put loosely in a couple of baking cases. Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 30 mins or untill golden brown and crispy.

Now open a second bottle of cider and pour in a second saucepan with 1/2 liter chicken stock, bring to the boil and put the legs in, remove to a very low flame and simmer for half an hour till well done. Keep apart and warm in alufoil..

Time for the breasts. Wrap them in thinly sliced Serano ham and then wrap each one in clingfilm. Reheat the cider, add the breasts and simmer for 20 mins.

We are getting there. Remove the clingfilm and dry breasts and legs on kitchen paper.

Slice 1/4 of a Savoye cabbage, slice 2 small leeks, Boil them for about 4 mins.  Peel an apple and cut in pieces of 1/2 cm. Add to the greens and boil for another minute.Then drain.

Put 2 frying pans on the cooker. One to fry the breasts and legs till the skin of the legs and the ham of the breasts is crisp. This will take about 5 mins. The other to reheat the cabbage and apple. Add a small handfull of frozen peas and small carrots. Just  a minute or two will do.

Warm the sauce and the onion puree. Cut the breasts in half and the legs at the knee. (If you only serve 2 people keep the rest in the fridge). Plate as shown

After lunch or dinner take the meat from the carcass. In the next couple of days day use the leftovers to make this. Boil a potato and mash. Mix with the leftover veggies. Fill a serving ring with mix. Top with the meat. Pour over the leaftover sauce.

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Leek and potato soup, smoked salmon

Slice 1 small onion and 4 small leeks. Peel 2 small potatoes and cut them into small cubes.
Sweat onion and leeks in 25 gr butter. Add potatoes and 3/4 liter chicken stock. 

Boil softly for 20 mins. Add a good glug of cream. Blitz. Taste. Add water if too thick. Taste. Add pepper and salt to ones liking. 

Serve lukewarm with slivers of smoked salmon

Lentils, beetroot, mozzarella, mushrooms

Having parttime vegetarian F. for lunch I looked for inspiration in Maria Elia's The Modern Vegetarian and made this version: rinse 200 gr lentils and soak them for an hour. Then boil  a couple of small beetroots ( ca 250 gr) which will take just under an hour as well.

In the meantime start with the dressing, with 2 tsp grated ginger, 2 grated cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp Dyon mustard, 1 tbsp lemonjuice, 30 cl sherry vinegar, 70 cl sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar (make sure everything is at room temperature!).

After soaking the lentils cut 1 big or 2 small onions finely, do the same with 2 cloves of garlic. Soften them in some oil then add the lentils and 2 bay leaves. Cover (just) with water and cook for about 25 mins. Peel the beetroots and cut into wedges.

Cut a buffalo mozzarella in pieces. Slice 8 mushrooms and fry them quickly on both sides. They should still have a bite.

Serve as shown, with the dressing added and some rocket and coriander leaves.

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And have a look at my Kindle book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon.

Spinach salad, blue cheese, figs and pear

Add some thinly sliced red onion for a crunch. 

With a dressing of balsamico and nut-oil

< Serve with for instance with a nice cheesy quiche lorraine

Smoked eel, cauliflower mousse

Fry 150 gr cauliflower softly in 25 gr butter. 

Add 100 ml chicken stock and boil softly till done. 

Add 50 ml cream, simmer for another 5 mins. In the meantime soak 2 gelatine leaves  in cold water.

Take the cauliflower from the heat and dissolve the gelatine. Then use the blender to liquidise.

Fry some Spanish ham in a dry pan. 

Liquidise some parsley with some olive-oil, don't forget a bit of salt to minimise the bitterness. 

Serve the cauliflower mousse in a ring of smoked eel.  

Or like this:

Red fruit salad with mascarpone

Mix 2 eggyolks and 100 gr sugar. Whisk and whisk and whisk again till the yellow becomes white. 

Mix with the contents of a 250 gr. tub of Mascarpone. Whisk till nice and smooth. 

Prepare a red fruit coulis with some creme de cassis. Serve as shown. 

Use a small kitchen burner to burn the mascarpone a bit

Fish soup

The trick here is to come prepared. Each time I buy a whole fish I keep the head and the bones in the freezer for a while. And when we eat nice fat grilled gamba's, with garlic, parsley and olive-oil I keep the heads. 

When I think there is enough, i take the frozen fish bits from the freezer. Bring 2 liters of water to the boil and add the fish and gamba bits, with some onions, celery stalks, carrots, bay leaf, thyme and crushed peppercorns. An hour later I take everything out and strain the fishstock trough a sieve and reduce it till only a 1/2 liter is left. Which gets in the freezer.

The moment we expect guests I buy 12 big juicy Spanish mussels, a handful of vongole, some salmon and 4 juicy gamba's. Plus my secret ingredient: a jar of 'Soupe de Homard a la Bretagne'.

Readymade lobstersoup, yes. But which still need my concentrated fish stock from the freezer to become perfect. So I combine the two an heat them up slowly. I steam the mussels and vongole. Fry the gamba's and cut the fresh salmon.

The salmon cubes go raw in the plates and will be

slightly cooked when I pour over the soup.

The mussels and vongole follow as do the prawns.

Served with bread and a very garlicky rouille

(which comes for free with de soupe).

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