panfried scallops

We were in our fishshop and the scallops stared at me saying buy,buy. So we did.

I lightly toasted slices, crusts off, of my 80% white bread, then drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled with crushed garlic. On one half I put a thick slice off a beef tomato and over the other half two thin slices of gruyere cheese. Back into the still warm grill to finish off. Meanwhile I pan seared my wiped clean scallops in butter until just firm then rested them for a few minutes in a warm place.

Served with two strands of chives and scallop on top of the tomato and a light salad What delicious lunch!

my Chill Con Carne

There are a lot of chilli con carne recipes out there, often with wide ranging ingredient plus a couple of exotics like chocolate or coffee. I wanted to get back to what a more simple traditional dish may have been like. It seems to shout out for a slow cook pot. So here is my take on it.

Ingredients
1kg Shin of beef
lard or oil
500gm dried red kidney beans
3 onions sliced
3 cloves garlic sliced
I red pepper
3 red chillies
bunch fresh coriander leaves
1.5 pint good stock
2 tspn ground cumin
2 tspn dried oregano
salt and pepper
1Tbspn treacle
6 plum tomatoes

First off soak the kidney beans over night. Wash and drain until water runs clear then put them on the stove, bring to the boil, and this is important, rapid boil for at least ten minutes.
Meanwhile cut the shin into a small dice. Most recipes call for mince, for one you never know what is in 'mince' and secondly I wanted to get more texture out of the beef. Put about two tablespoons oil in a pan over a high heat fry off the beef in batches until the moisture is driven off and the meat just begins to colour. Transfer to the cookpot and carry on with the next batch, adding more oil as needed. Drain the kidney beans, rinse well, then add to the meat in the cookpot

When the meat has browned and transferred into cookpot, reduce pan to low heat, put in the onion and garlic slices, stir and let them sweat. They will take on colour from the meat but do not brown them.

 

Cover and leave on the low heat until softened.

Prepare the peppers and chillies, deseed then medium chop. Cut the old ends of the coriander and fine chop about four tablespoons of stalks and leaves. 

When onion and garlic has softened but not coloured, turn heat up high, drive of any moisture then and put in the peppers, chille, cumin and oregano, stir and leave for a few moments.

 

Now add about 1.5pints of a good stock and the coriander, let it come to the simmer and leave for a couple of minutes.

Mix the meat and the kidney beans together then add the stock, spices, peppers, chillies and coriander.

The liquid should just about cover the beans, add a little more if necessary. To ensure the beans cook thoroughly I have kept the water level high and I set the cooker onto high for eight hours. This was too long and six hours should be sufficient, depending on how old your beans are.

Halfway through the cooking time, give the pot a good stir and reduce to the low setting for the remainder time. Test for tender beans and meat that falls apart in your mouth or give a little longer cooking. Drain the juice out of the cookpot and transfer into a pan, reduce over a high heat adding a tablespoon of treacle. As the juices reduce and thicken the chillie heat will amalgamate and blend to a degree. Take off heat when reduced to about two cupful's.

Coarsely chop six plum tomatoes and a few more coriander leaves.

Add to the cookpot the tomato, coriander with the reduced juices, give a good gentle stir, leave to warm for half an hour. Then enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 



 

pigeon breast

A compilation menu, came across a pack of six pigeon breasts that I just had to buy.

Marinated the pigeon breasts in Masala, garlic, crushed peppercorn and thyme for a few hours, turning from time to time. Lifted the breast out of the marinade and set aside. Put a generous handful of dried porcini mushroom slices into the marinade with 6 juniper berries and half a glass of red wine. Put it on a low heat, stirring from time to time.

In meantime sautéed par-boiled potato slices in the oven where I roasted oiled fresh baby beetroot wrapped in tinfoil.

Got a skillet really hot, in grapeseed oil flashed fried the pigeon breast, just 2-3 minutes each side. The Masala will cause them to go dark brown quickly. When judged sufficiently cooked removed and set aside to keep warm for another 5 minutes. Had some leftover seedless red grapes, so halved them and threw them into the residual oil with a splash of white wine, tossed them to drive off some of the wine. By this time the porcini mushrooms liquor had reduced to a thick sauce.

Time to plate.

Thickly sliced breast onto the porcini mushrooms (removing the juniper berries). A baby beetroot to one side, then a range of potato slices, a dab of grapes with their jus and some steamed cabbage slices. Wow what a balance of flavours and textures.

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

Just an update

It has been a long time since a posting here. Given up, chastened, diet victim, run out of inspiration? None of the above! I did some butterfly sprats the other day, lightly breadcrumbed just on the skin side then fried off on that one side only until almost cooked. Turned out well it was just the photo seemed inadequate not capturing their appeal. Then yet another variation on chickpeas this time with butternut squash, but hey you have had chickpeas more than enough and the photos were lousy. So still at it.

Just had a lunchtime dinner party with some ideas that might be of interest. No photos so you will have to use your imagination. Starter: filo pastry cases filled with chopped mushroom, spinach, feta cheese and bound with breadcrumbs and egg yolk served with length quarters of avocado in lime juice and stuffed with mashed avocado, hot bell peppers and crème fraiche. Stuffing was too sloppy, shall have to re-think.
Mains: Saffron, onion risotto rice with a medley of pan-fried fish. I had Red Mullet, John Dory, Monkfish and Salmon. Put Red Mullet fillets on at the very last moment so they do not get mushed up. Afterthought, John Dory was a step too far. Served with sautéed marrow, tomato with parsley and strips of fennel, carrot and courgette marinated in line, warmed then tossed in sheep's yoghurt. Pudding: A five layer torte filled with whole raspberries in a raspberry jam and whipped cream.
What do you think?

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.

poached bream

Fillet sea bream. Take carcase put in a pan with water to cover, splash of white wine, onion, bay leaf, stick of celery, 1/2doz fennel seeds and simmer gently. In a large pan strain about an inch depth of the fish stock into the pan, bring to a barest simmer, just occasional bubbles breaking the surface. Put in one slice of lime and three to four sprigs of tarragon, slide in the bream fillets, skin down, hold down until relaxed and flat. Very gently poach in the broth, until the flesh just turns colour to white, do not boil or over cook. Carefully slide the fillets without breaking them out onto a plate and reserve keeping warm. Bring the pan up to a vigorous boil and reduce until thickened and reduce to just a cup full. Take off the heat, stir in two tablespoons of cream. Take reserved fillets, carefully turn over, remove skin then turn back and put on plate and spoon over the sauce. Delicious, the creamy sauce with a hint of citrus tang and tarragon compliment the buttery smooth and creamy fish, Divine. Yet again not photo!