Jerusalem Artichoke and Carrot Soup

This was a recommendation of my mother. I can guarantee that it wont have been as nice as if she had made it - 80% of people believe their mother is the best cook ever - but it is a really nice soup with an almost frothy texture that makes it good on a texture count, as well as the taste one!

Ingredients

4 large Jerusalem Artichokes
2 sticks of celery
4 large carrots
Large knob of goat's butter
1.5 litres of chicken stock
a bay leaf
2 teaspoons of coriander powder
150ml double cream

Method

Thoroughly wash the veg and chop to medium size chunks (see photo).
Soften the celery in the butter then add the artichoke and carrots, let the pan come back up to heat and then add in the stock and the bay leaf - add salt.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots have softened. Add the coriander powder and then using a stick blender take the soup to a puree. Add the cream to thin out and richen the taste. Personally I like pepper with this.

Pork Schnitzel with Apple Bubble & Squeak

I travel to Germany a fair bit so normally I get my pig ration out there. These schnitzels though are a homemade special and I think are excellent as a quick and easy dinner.

Ingredients

Pork leg steak
chopped rosemary
dried breadcrumbs
one egg

one cooking apple
one small savoy cabbage
6 small potatoes

Method

For the schnitzel beat the pork with a rolling pin to flatten/tenderise the meat.

Dip in egg and then into the breadcrumbs and chopped rosemary that should be mixed together.

Shallow fry on a medium heat on both sides until the meat is coked through.

For the Apple Bubble & Squeak first put the potatoes on to boil. With 5 minutes to go add the cabbage (sliced into inch long strips) then the cored and chopped apple with 2 mins left. Drain and mash with a little salt and butter.

Jerusalem Artichoke Rosties

The Jerusalem Artichoke is in season. My mum bought a load up from her garden this week and I just love the smokey taste of the little blighters.

The problem is my wife finds them a bit overpowering in flavour so I devised a recipe to try and make them more suitable to her palate.

Ingredients

2 large Jerusalem artichokes
4 new potatoes
1 onion
50g cheddar cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
chopped chives

Method

grate all the ingredients (except the egg of course - it would be stupid to do that) into bowl and mix together.

Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped chives.

Let stand for 5 minutes then squeeze out as much moisture as you can and discard the liquid.

mix in the egg to help bind the ingredients.

Heat a frying pan with goundnut oil until just short of smoking.

Form a golf ball size of mixture into a pancake shape, first giving it a good squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.

Fry until golden on both sides.

Three was a good portion for me. I served it with red kale and some bacon ribs glazed in a chilli, tomato and basil mixture that I devised. No doubt the Rostis were a hit, my wife loved them too.

Deviled Kidneys and Cumin Cous Cous

Deviled Kidneys I have done before - This might not be the same method but is nice and effective. The star of this dish is the cous cous.

It was the farmer's market again so the Lamb man got a visit and I picked up half a dozen kidneys - his are significantly better than anything I have seen in a supermarket (ever).

Simply cut in half, trim any excess fat and season in flour and dried chilli flakes. Fry in olive oil until cooked through.

For the cous cous measure out your portion of cous cous into a sealable bowl. Add to it a sauteed red pepper, mushrooms and onion (just chop up the red pepper and mushrooms into chunks and finely chop the onion, sautee in olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper) with all the oil from the pan. Stir in one teaspoon of corriander powder and one and a half teaspoons of cumin powder. Top up with boiling water from the kettle(about hlf a pint or so - dependent upon the amount of cous cous used). Leave to rest for 10 minutes and stir through before serving. Top with the kidneys. Quick, easy and tasty.

Ostrich Wellington

Fortunate for us we live within a stones throw of an ostrich farm. Ostrich meat is rich and full of flavour. As a treat my wife bought me a big piece of ostrich fillet thus presenting the opportunity to have a bit of an experiment with something that I had never done before - a wellington.

The cynic in me says that this is just a posh name for a Pastie that restaurants use to bump up the price of a dish - that being said regardless of your views this is tasty and substantial.

Ingredients

A big foot long piece of ostrich fillet
a finely chopped onion
a clove of garlic (finely chopped)
a dozen chestnut mushrooms finely chopped
a tablespoon of tomato puree
half a glass of wine
chopped rosemary
a dozen or so leaves of spinach
ready made puff pastry (one sheet)

Method*

Start by sealing the ostrich in a very hot non stick pan. As there is little or no fat in ostrich meat it may be necessary to rub the meat with a little olive oil first. Set the meat to one side - there is no need for more than a few seconds to seal the meat all around.

Now make a mushroom pate. In the same pan saute the onions, mushrooms and garlic. When soft add the rosemary and tomato puree. Cook out the puree for a minute then add the red wine, season with salt and pepper. Let this reduce down to a thick consistency and set to one side.

Now the layering of the wellington. Roll out the puff pastry (the brand that I use needs to be out of the fridge for half an hour before using)*.

Place a layer of spinach on one half of the pastry, put the osterich fillet on top and then spoon over the mushroom pate trying to keep a consistent thickness over the meat.

Fold over the half of the puff pastry that has not been layered on. Brush the edge of the pastry with some egg wash to make the sealing of the pastry easier. Seal using a basic crimp. Bush with egg wash on the top and place on greaseproof paper.

In a baking tray cook in a pre-heated oven until the pastry is cooked - mine was about 30 mins at 200 degrees.

I served this with crushed potatoes and spinach.

Trout with Parsley, Prawn and Caper Sauce

Trout with Parsley, Prawn and Caper Sauce

This was a dinner shared with my mates Dan and Tom. As such we enjoyed a nice glass of wine with the food followed by a truck load of beer, port and cheese then Jagermeister after eating.

Ingredients

Trout fillets
Chopped parsley
salt and pepper

For the sauce
30g goats butter
clove of garlic (crushed)
100ml milk
50g grated parmesan cheese
chopped parsley
a handful of cooked prawns
6 capers

Method

Coat the trout in olive oil and season, scatter with chopped parsley and wrap in foil. Cook the trout for 15 mins in a pre-heated moderate over (180 degrees C).

For the sauce melt the butter with the crushed garlic in a saucepan. When melted stir in the flour and cook out for 30 seconds. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Add the capers and when boiled and thickened add the parmesan and the chopped parsley. At the last minute add the prawns

Pour over the fish to serve.

I served this with a spinach and rocket salad and some slow roasted peppers and mushrooms

Thai Style Prawn Porridge

Thai Style Prawn Porridge

This is a bit of a thrown together dish but dead tasty. Not authentic Thai, more inspired by Thai flavours.

Ingredients

300g King prawns (shelled and pre cooked)
2 bok choi, roughly chopped
a sliced red pepper
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1cm root ginger (sliced finely)
small piece of dried galangal
a birds eye chillie
one tin of coconut milk
150g cous-cous
Chopped corriander

Method

Heat some groundnut oil in a frying pan and add the garlic, ginger, galangal and chillie for one minute. Keep the chillie whole rather than chopped.
Add the pepper and bok choi for a further minute then add the tin of coconut milk.
After 3 minutes add the cous-cous - this is definitely not Thai style but makes the porridge texture.
After five minutes add the prawns then serve and sprinkle with chopped corriander.