Italian Style Salmon and Cannellini Beans

Italian Style Salmon and Cannellini Beans

This is a fantastic, healthy dinner which goes marvelously with a glass of sauvignon blanc.

It is really easy to pull together and is a nice taste to zing up winter.

Ingredients

fish
300g salmon fillet
salt and pepper
juice of half a lemon

beans
tin of Cannellini Beans
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 cloves of garlic
100ml water
juices of half a lemon
olive oil
chopped parsley
3 chopped spring onions

tomatoes
200g cherry tomatoes
a finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
12 torn basil leaves
salt, pepper
olive oil


Method

Start by putting the beans, rosemary and whole, peeled cloves of garlic and water in a saucepan and very gently heat until just starting to reach a boil then remove from the heat. The purpose of this is to infuse the flavors.

For the cherry tomatoes, cut them in half and place in a bowl with the shallot (finely chopped). Add the red wine vinegar and a glug of olive oil and stir and let stand whilst you prepare the rest of the meal.

Skin the salmon, cut into healthy size chunks (about the width of 2 fingers), season with salt and paper and coat in olive oil and place in a searing hot pan until just cooked through, squeeze over the lemon juice 30 seconds before removing from the pan.

Whilst the salmon is cooking drain the beans and remove the garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary. Discard the sprigs of rosemary (don't worry if a few leaves stay with the beans) and mash the garlic in the lemon juice. Add the chopped parsley and spring onion to the beans and lemon juice and garlic. Mix well with a glug of olive oil.

Just before serving, season the tomatoes with salt and vinegar then add the ripped basil leaves mix well with a little more olive oil.

Serve and enjoy.

Salmon Fishcakes

Salmon Fishcakes

Ingredients

600g skinned and boned salmon
generous handful of coriander
100ml goats milk
good knob of goats butter
salt and pepper
2 tsp chillie chutney (see previous post)
egg
flour
dried breadcrumbs
500g mashed potatoes (I used King Edwards)
sunflower oil

Method

Poach the salmon in the milk with the stems of the coriander and some salt and pepper for 10 mins. Set aside to cool and flake.

Boil the potatoes and then mash in a little of the poaching milk and a good knob of goats butter. Let cool

Chop the coriander leaves and mix with the mashed potato, flaked salmon and chillie chutney.

Shape into patties using a small fist of the fishcake mix.

Cool in the fridge for an hour then dip in the beaten egg, then the flour and then the dried bread.crumbs. Shallow fry in sunflower oil. Dry on kitchen towel and serve.

I served with grilled peppers in olive oil and garlic.

Turkey Chillie

Turkey Chillie

Ingredients

500g minced turkey
3 carrots
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
tin of chopped tomatoes
glass of red wine
200ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp tomato puree
tin of kidney beans

2 tsp Chilli Chutney

Chilli Chutney

Ingredients

20 birds eye chillies
2 inches of root ginger
4 cloves of garlic
100ml red wine vinegar
50g brown sugar
100ml water
packet of gelatine

Method

for the chilli chop the onion and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the minced turkey and brown. Add the peppers and fry for 3 minutes. Add all the tomato puree stir for 30 seconds and then add the wet ingredients (tomatoes, wine and stock) and the carrots. Simmer for 15 minutes. Just before serving add the kidney beans and the chilli chutney.

Serve with brown rice

To make the chilli chutney

in a food processor chop the chillis - a mix of red and green is what I used (less the stalks), the ginger and the garlic.

In a pan make a syrup with the water and sugar then add the chopped chillies, garlic and ginger. then add the red wine vinegar and reduce down. add the gelatine (as per packet instructions - some require mixing in cold water) and let cool. Jar and put in the fridge.

This is really versatile and can be used in sauces, on sandwiches and the fishcakes (in the next recipe). It is really firey hot but you can modify the heat with the ingredients. The recipe above made 2 jars.

Lamb Shoulder

Lamb Shoulder

I don't really know what to call this recipe as its a bit of a mish mash of flavours that I think go well together. Its simply a roast lamb dish.

Ingredients

1/2 shoulder of lamb
3 cloves of garlic
a bay leaf
a star anise
tin of tomatoes
1/2 pint of boiling water
2 carrots
potatoes (as many as you want for each portion)
1 apple
2 tbs cumin powder
lamb stock cube
1 tbs coriander powder
1 tbs turmeric powder
salt and pepper
good handful of parsley
zest and juice of a lemon

Method

In a roasting tin place the garlic cloves (skinned and bruised with the heel of your hand), bay leaf, star anise (broken in the hand), tin of tomatoes, water, the apple (core removed and cut into quarters), the carrot cut into big chunks (about a third of a carrot at a time).

Place the lamb shoulder on top and put cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, lamb stock cube and salt and pepper.

Cover the whole tin in foil and place into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C.

After 45 mins remove the foil and baste the meat with the juices. Return to the oven for 15 minutes then remove and baste once more, before placing back in the oven add the potatoes. Return to the oven for an hour - baste half way through.

Remove the meat from the tin and leave to rest. Whilst the meat is resting remove the carrots and potatoes from the tin and mix into the remaining liquid the parsley (roughly chopped), lemon zest and juice. This makes a lovely sauce to serve the meat with.

Pot Roast Pheasant

Pot Roast Pheasant

Game season is in its full throw so the Farmer's market in Preston City Centre is overflowing with all sorts of Game.

Not being certain as to the age of the bird always makes choosing a Game recipe a bit tricky, only if you get a bird not yet plucked will you be sure of the age and sex.

For pheasant a good way of being sure of not ending up chewing on a tough bird for an evening is to pot roast it. This is my recipe:

Ingredients

1 whole pheasant
8 dried apricots
a large glass of red wine
a double measure of cooking brandy
6 smoked garlic cloves
salt and pepper
3 carrots
a large handful of oyster mushrooms
a bay leaf

In a large casserole dish place the pheasant (make sure all the bits of feather ends are removed).
Add the apricots, garlic cloves, red wine and brandy and bay leaf.
Season and place in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees C for an hour, basting half way through.
Add the carrots, cut into rough batons
cook for a further 15 minutes then add the oyster mushrooms, taking the opportunity to baste the bird again. Leave in the oven, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes.

Let the bird rest before serving, the left over cooking liquor makes a wonderful sauce straight from the pan.

Ostrich Steak with a Simple Paprika Sauce

Ostrich Steak

We have an ostrich farm close by to where we live and the meat is top draw.

Cut a couple of baking potatoes into wedges and bake at 200 degrees for 35-40 minutes

In the same oven dish add some chopped peppers for 20 minutes and some baby tomatoes for 10 minutes.

In a frying pan heat some olive oil and goats butter until close to smoking.

Add well seasoned ostrich fillet steak to the pan, three minutes each side. At the same time add a dozen chopped mushrooms to absorb the flavors from the pan.

Remove the ostrich to rest and add 200ml of creme fraische with a tablespoon of paprika and stir through.

Seafood Paella

Seafood Paella

A loin of cod (skinned)
12 king prawns (cooked)
4 baby octopus
6 asparagus spears
an onion
a clove of smoked garlic
safron (soaked in 200ml boiling water)
6 chestnut mushrooms
12 fresh basil leaves ripped
250ml vegetable stock
salt and pepper
paella rice
glass of white wine
ounce of goats butter

Chop and fry the onion in a big glug of olive oil until clear.

Add the paella rice and stir until the grains are starting to look clear.

Add the glass of white wine until absorbed by the rice

Then add the safron and its stock and the vegetable stock.

boil for 25 mins or until the rice is cooked

add the cod cut into chunks and the vegetables. After 2-3 minutes add the prawns and the squid cut into rings/tentacles (remember to remove the spine).

After 2-3 minutes stir in the butter and basil then serve.