Soused Mackerel

Fillet and pin bone two mackerel. Set aside. In a shallow dish sufficient to take a pair of fillets side by side, strew bottom with two bay leaves, 12 white peppercorns crushed, 5 juniper berries quartered and one onion thinly shaved on a mandolin. Arrange opposing fillets on top and scatter some English mustard power over them. Strew to cover with another shaved onion. In one to two proportions sprinkle about dessert spoon of white wine vinegar followed by olive oil. Cover dish with one large tomato in 5mm slices then sprinkle with coarse breadcrumbs. Cover with well buttered greaseproof paper and put into a hot oven 180C for just under half hour. Take off greaseproof and put dish under grill until golden. Delicious

Stuffed Marrow Rings

This worked out well, tasted good and look fit for show.
Cut English marrow into sufficient 1" rings. Peel then scoop out seed core.
In a moderate pan with a little butter gently fry both sides of the rings, until they just take on colour, but do not over cook. Lift out and reserve.
Skin a large tomato, slice fairly thickly, so you can just handle them, discard the core.
Take young washed and spun young spinach leafs and finely chop. You will have to guess quantities depending on the number of marrow rings and their size.
Grate a Red Leicester cheese. You need roughly two thirds cheese to one third chopped spinach.
Assembly.
Place the marrow rings on a buttered grill pan. Press a tomato slice to the bottom of each ring. Now fill each ring with spinach and cheese, lightly pressing down, the spinach will collapse. Top with any remainder cheese.
Put under a 260°C grill for about 6 minutes, check marrow ring is now tender. Serve.
I know, no photo yet again, what am I like? But the red cheese against the spinach and lightly coloured marrow looked really inviting.

Chick Pea medley - variation

So I prepare a lot of hummus and like to keep some of the chick peas back to serve as a vegetable. As a variation on my Sautéed Chick Pea  or my Chick Pea Medley try this one.

About half pound of chick peas and sufficient cooking liquor to cover. Prepare all in advance. Coarsely chop a medium onion and put into a pan with Tblspn of olive oil. Gradually turn up the heat as the onion sweats off, then take off lid and dry off, turning until the onion is golden, not brown. Heat to high.

1/8 tspn cumin, cayenne, 1/4 tspn coriander, 1/2 tspn paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir, throw in stalk of celery small chopped, and one red pepper seeded and coarsely chopped. Stir, than ladle in some cooking liquor, dry off, continue until all the liquor is used up then put in the chick peas, turn until dried off again. Stir, lower heat to a simmer, put in 1/2 dozen cherry tomatoes with cut cross tops, cover until tomatoes just begin to wilt. 

Put in 3Tblspn coarsely chopped parsley and the juice of a lime, stir and serve. 

 

There, remembered the photo this time, it tastes as good as it looks.

Stirfry courgette

On a medium juliet manadolin slice one small carrot, then a medium courgette. Keep separate. In a hot pan over a just off high heat, put in half tablespoon of a mild olive oil. Toss in carrot stir around to soften without colouring. Then add courgette, carry on stirring until it just begins to soften. Then add thin crescents of two ripe sweet tomatoes, stir occasionally in the dying heat, adding 1/8th teaspoon of paprika, a teaspoon of walnut oil and a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Do not overcook as it will turn mushy, just catch it when the courgette is still slightly al dente. Gave the quantities as I used them. You will need to adjust quantities. The ratio of vegetables to aim at are 1 carrot: 3 courgette: just under 2 tomato.

Remember to take a photo before eating, unlike me. It looks great and has sweet clean flavour.

Chick Pea medley

Rather than lose it, thought I would record this one I came up with. Quantities are as I used so you will have to adjust to suit. About 200gm of chick pea soaked over night, washed in fresh water and drained. Cover with water in pan bring to boil, boil for ten minutes they say, drain, rinse and replace in clean pan with water to well cover. Bring back to simmer with garlic, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and cook for about 1.5hr depending on age of pea. Should be really soft, no hardness. Set aside, keep back some liquor.


Cut into 6mm dice, onion and stick of celery, sweat off in a little olive oil. Add half red pepper in same dice. Raise temperature, stir around and just as they begin to soften add two tablespoons of reserved liquor, juice of a lemon. Reduce. Add a very little toasted sesame oil, around 1/16th teaspoon, It should only be a background flavour, not standing out distinctly. Fine chop a red chillie, without seeds and add. Add chick peas and stir in. Dry off without colouring.


Take three tomatoes, skin de-seed and coarsely chop, add to pan, turn over. Add a handful of chopped coriander leaf, adjust seasoning and serve. Vegetables should be soft but with just a suggestion of al-dente and dish should have very little liquid.

Damn, forgot to take a photo again, but it looks good and tastes great.