Cod with clams

The cod and clams as the main course to our easter meal, was more successful, but still not amazing.  Waitrose had littleneck clams, which i don't think were nearly as delicious as the Palourde clams from M. Rascal in primrose hill.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Prawn and aubergine crostini

I am not in danger of over-using "delicious" with this recipe.  Prawn and aubergine together did not bode well to begin with and there's nothing in this recipe to suggest that they will ever make it to the altar.  It was quite frankly revolting and a waste of good tiger prawns that had come all the way from Kalimantan in Borneo, a place i know a lot about courtesy of Marinah, and a place i've got very close to on my trips to northern Borneo.  However, they couldn't salvage this dish.  If you would like to prove me wrong, here's the recipe:

- Cook an aubergine in an oven for 1 hour at 200C, then remove and leave to cool.
- Scrape the flesh into a sieve to drain any excess liquid.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add 1 clove finely sliced garlic and 1 chopped dried red chilli.
- Cook for a couple of mins, then add 150g raw tiger prawns, and cook for another couple of mins, until they turn coral colour.
- Remove from the heat and put everything into a processor.
- When the prawns are chopped, add the aubergine and give another quick pulse.
- Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander (we also added seasoning and lime juice, which improved it, but still horrible!)

PS I've just remembered that this was my second attempt - at the first attempt, the aubergine literally exploded in the oven with a bang.  I pricked this one a few times to stop this happening.  I've just googled "exploding aubergines" and i'm not the only one it would seem.  I've never cooked an aubergine like this so i found out the hard way - nigella doesn't mention it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Squid and clams with chilli

Some of nigella's most successful recipes are the simple asian flavour dishes and this another one of those.  Very and quick to make, with only a few key ingredients, and yet the end result has the flavour of a seemingly much more complex dish.  I recommend this to anyone to try.

- Rinse 600g clams under a cold tap, throwing any that are cracked, damaged or stay open.
- Slice 4 large squid or 10 small ones, into rings.
- Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a wide pan on a high heat, and when hot, add 4 cloves chopped garlic, and 1 chopped dried chilli.
- Stir, then add the squid, cooking for about 1 min.
- Add the clams along with 250ml sake and 250ml water.
- Cook with the lid on for 4-5 mins, shaking a couple of times.
- Check the clams have all opened, pour into a large bowl and serve sprinkled with parsley or thai basil.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai style mussels

The moules mariniere were pretty good, but this was even better.  It may just be my personal preference, but i think this is a tastier way to eat mussels.  I doubled the quantities below to make it a low fat main course for tara and I.

- Put 400g mussels in a cold pan of water and throw any that don't sink to the bottom, and any that don't close when tapped.
- Put 100ml stock in a pan together with 1 shallot, 2 cloves garlic, 3 kaffir limes leaves (or stick lemon grass) and 1 cm piece ginger, all chopped finely.
- Heat for 3-5 mins until there's a thickish, soft mess in the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1 chopped chilli, and after 30 seconds, add the mussels, 120ml boiling water, and 1 tablespoon each of lime juice, mirin and fish sauce.
- Put the lid on, shake the pan and cook for about 3 mins.
- Pour into a bowl and serve sprinkled with coriander.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ceviche with garlic potatoes

Back to the fishmonger in primrose hill, and he surpassed himself.  He does sushi fish - fish that has been kept at a much lower temperature from being caught to being on our plate.  I found this out when someone who worked for me eventually got really ill from eating raw fish from sainsburys!- and its not easy to find.  He however, had salmon, tuna and sea bass.  With a lot of flourishing of knives, i found myself leaving with perfectly filleted and thinly sliced salmon and sea bass.

- Cover 600g of sushi fish with the juice of 3 limes, 2 lemons, 1 orange and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and leave for a few hours in the fridge.
- Chop 300g new potatoes into 1cm chunks, coat in 4 tablespoons olive oil and 3 minced cloves of garlic, and roast for 40 mins at 200C until brown and crispy.
- Tke the fish out of the marinade, and arrange on a bed of watercress, sprinkle over the potato croutons, and add some chopped coriander.

You can use some of the marinade to make a dressing, adding a tablespoon olive oil.  We thought that the ceviche was tart enough already, and in fact needed some sesame oil over it to complement the acidic marinade.  It was delicious however, although i'm not sure the croutons added much.  I'm going to do this again - next time though, i think i would marinade in just a little lime juice for a shorter period of time, and definitely dress with some sesame oil.  In fact, i'm salivating just thinking about it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crab and saffron tart

This tart was okay, but i think i could have improved it in various ways - i didn't bake the pastry blind for long enough so it became a bit wet; there was too much tomato in the recipe which slightly overpowered the crab and definitely the saffron which i couldn't taste at all; and i should have used better crab meat than pre-packaged crabs from sainsburys.  I'm going to give this another go at some point because it should be amazing - i love crab and i love a nice tart.  So a search for a really good crab tart starts here!
- First make the pastry, as here, baking it blind for 15 mins. - Put half tin chopped tomatoes in a pan with 1 bay leaf and 1 sprig thyme, season, and reduce to a thick sauce.- Cool, remove the herbs and spread on the bottom of the pastry case.- Warm 3 tablespoons double cream with 1/2 teaspoon saffron and steep for a few mins.- Beat 4 egg yolks together with 250ml double cream, then add the saffron cream.- Add 150g white crab meat and 2 tablespoons brown meat, season and carefully add to the pastry case.- Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins and serve warm.
 
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sole with chanterelles

Dover sole is one of favourite fishes (having it at the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Restaurant was one of the best  things i've ever tasted) so i splashed out for this dish at the Budgens in belsize park.  i had just taken Marni to her first trip to the cinema - the parent and baby screening at the Everyman in belsize park - and which she absolutely loved.  Unfortunately neither they nor sainsburys in camden do either chanterelle or oyster mushrooms that nigella recommends.  I did it with chestnut mushrooms which worked okay, but they are slightly too firm a texture for the fish so try to at least get oyster (waitrose do them).

- Cook 600g chanterelle/oyster mushrooms in 125g butter with some garlic oil.
- Season then remove to a plate.
- Add more butter if necessary, then cook 8 sole fillets in 2 batches (i did them whole) for 2 mins on one side, then a few seconds on the other, depending on size.
- Remove to a large warm plate and add the mushrooms back, together with a squirt of lemon juice and 125ml vermouth or white wine.
- Let the mushrooms bubble up, then stir in a tablespoon butter, pour over the sole, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Moules mariniere

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thai clam pot

Tara's parents, fiona and j came over for dinner last night after just getting back from Sri Lanka.  Another great clam dish with palourdes clams from my new favourite shop - the fishmongers in primrose hill.  It tasted good, but wasn't very thai.  I couldn't find thai basil at short notice, so used ordinary basil, which might have made some difference.  I think a bit of lemon grass and more chilli would make it taste more authentic.

- Soak 800g clams in cold water.
- Cook 125g dried thin noodles (i used ramen) in boiling water as per the instructions (normally around 3-4 mins) then drain, rinse and set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons groundnut oil in a pan until hot, then add 3 crushed cloves garlic, 2 spring onions (chopped into 3cm lengths) and 2 chopped dried chillis.
- Fry for 10 secs, then add 300ml water and 150ml sake and bring to the boil.
- Once boiling, add the clams, cover and simmer for 3-4 mins so that the clams are open.
- Add large handful thai basil or coriander, gently stir for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons fish sauce.
- Divide the noodles into 2 bowls and ladle in the clams and broth. Serves 2.

We ended up with a slight round the world wine tasting with it - started the evening off with an alsace riesling, then a new zealand sauvignon blanc, then a pinot noir from beaune, then a rioja, then a cahors, then a bottle of montbazillac.  slight hangover this morning!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crepes parmentier with smoked haddock

I made this a while ago, and it didn't quite live up to expectations.  The ingredient list makes it sound great, but it didn't quite work, probably down to my cooking.  It was probably because i cooked the smoked haddock as well as marinading it because it wasn't that fresh.

- Peel and dice 500g potatoes and steam them for 20-30 mins until tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, marinade 500g smoked haddock in 3 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 3 lemons and some salt, for about 5-10 mins.
- Put the potatoes into a bowl and add 4 teaspoons plain flour, mixing well, using an electric mixer.
- Now add 3 eggs, 4 egg whites, 50ml creme fraiche, and 50ml milk, and mix to a smooth batter, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a film of vegetable oil in small pan, and when its very hot, add a ladleful of batter.
- You should get around 8-9 pancakes, enough for 4 people.
- Serve the pancakes with the marinaded smoked haddock, some creme fraiche and chopped chives and coriander.

I am going to try this again at point with fresh smoked haddock and will report back.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Roast cod with upmarket mushy peas

This was a brief and simple lunch that i had the other day.  The mushy peas were a great success while the roast cod was a little disappointing.  I found that the flour outside didn't really crisp up very well, and just became a bit hard and dry.  Maybe breadcrumbs would work better?

- Cook 1 head of garlic (separated but unpeeled) in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10 mins.
- Take out the cloves, peel them, add them back to the water, and add 800g frozen petit pois.
- Cook until slightly more done than normal, drain them, then put in a food processor together with 100g butter.
- Once processed, add 4 tablespoons double cream and process again.
- For the cod, heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan that can also be put in the oven.
- Coat 4 cod fillets (about 200g each) in 1 tablespoon flour, adding salt and pepper.
- Sear the fillets on each side in the pan on the hob, then transfer to the oven and cook for 7-10 mins at 200C.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Linguine with clams

Amanda is over from Los Angeles for a week or so and came over for sunday lunch.  I had finally managed to find clams in the newly opened fishmonger on Gloucester Avenue in Primrose Hill (thanks to nicola for the local knowledge!).  I cooked this linguine with clams to start with, followed by the rhubarb jelly and ice-cream.  I actually bought 2 types of clam - razor clams which are currently in season, and palourde.  The picture above is of the razor clams that i cooked separately, and then forgot to take a picture of the linguine.  However, linguine alla vongole is one of my new favourite things, and Nigella's is a great recipe for it, so i'll no doubt be making again soon.  The following serves 1:

- Soak 200g clams in cold water for around 30 mins.
- Cook 150g linguine until its nearly, but not quite, cooked.
- Finely slice 1 clove garlic and gently fry in 2 tablespoons olive oil without letting the garlic burn.
- Add 1/2 dried chilli pepper, finely sliced.
- Drain the clams (discard any that remain open) and add them to the pan.
- Add 80ml white wine or vermouth and cover.
- Cook for 2-3 mins until the clams open, then add the linguine and cook for a further 1-2 mins.
- Discard any clams which haven't opened, and serve sprinkle with parsley.

I used fresh linguine, so i figured that i would just cook the linguine in the pan.  Problem is that the linguine then absorbed a lot of the moisture in the pan, and it turned out a bit too dry, despite me adding more vermouth and water.  Next time, i'll stick with fresh pasta, but plunge it into boiling water for 30 secs, before adding it to the clams.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fish and porcini pie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Baked sea bass with rosemary

Alex and Amy came over for dinner and i bought a couple of large wild sea bass for which nigella's recipe did us proud.  Buying large whole fish though, means you have to get the flesh off the fish to serve - rather than giving each person a whole fish and let them get on with it!  Luckily Alex was a bit of a dab hand at this as you can see.

- Oil 2 pieces of foil and 2x1kg sea bass on top.
- Stuff each one with about 10 sprigs rosemary
- Dribble each with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, season and wrap the foil around the fish so its baggy but tightly sealed.
- Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins at 190C.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Prawns with garlic and chilli

This is cooking at its easiest but with great results.  The prawns taste delicious cooked in the hot, garlicky, winey sauce and ready to eat in 10 mins!  I cooked it for lunch for myself, home alone while Tara had taken Marni to see claire, george and family.

- Cook 1 clove chopped garlic and 1 fresh red chilli in 1 tablespoons olive oil on a low heat for 2 mins, trying to infuse rather than fry.
- Turn the heat up and cook 150g fresh raw (300g frozen) prawns for a couple of mins so they are still tender.
- Add 75ml white wine, allow it to bubble up, then season to taste and serve with chopped parsley.

Nigella recommends eating it with baguette but i had it with soba noodles.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Salmon in den miso

The black cod at E&O in notting hill is amazing - one of the best things to eat on any menu in London.  And a sister restaurant called XO has just opened down the road in Belsize Park, so we had the black cod only the other evening.  In fact it was over the black cod, that i gave Tara her new sparkly ring as a thank you for Marni.  This is nigella's approximation to black cod it and it works pretty well.  You can also try with cod, which i'm definitely going to, but nigella's suggest salmon because its easier to make work with the fattier fish.

- Mix 150g white miso (i used brown) with 2 tablespoons each of mirin, sake and sugar.
- Cook in a pan for 10 mins - nigella suggest 20 mins but mine was so sticky it was difficult to spread over the salmon.
- Marinade the salmon in the miso mixture for 1-3 days.
- Grill the salmon for a few mins on each side

This worked so well, that Tara said she's always going to cook salmon like this from now on. Praise indeed!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chambery trout

Again, another simple way of cooking fish, but one that keeps the fish very juicy.

- Grease a baking tray with butter or oil then add the trout.
- Pour over 150ml chambery, noilly prat or white wine.
- Loosely cover with foil, making sure the foil doesn't touch the fish, and cook for 2025 mins at 200C.

Worked a treat, although i'm not sure it needed 150ml chambery - i reckon 75-100ml would have done the same job as there was quite a lot left swilling around the bottom.

Cod Wrapped in Ham

This is one of Nigella's dinner menus - "early autumn dinner for 6" she calls it, and having it in late November isn't too far off. As you can see, jocky, julia, angus, sam and dan were the lucky recipients, although jocky is looking doubtful.  The cod i thought was cooked perfectly and the ham added a lovely salty, meaty flavour to it.  We had it with some sage and onion lentils, which were tasty with it, even though i over-cooked them. The simplest recipe list in the book:

- Brush 6 cod fillets with 75g melted butter, wrap each with a slice or 2 of parma ham and brush again with melted butter.
- Cook in the oven for 15 mins at 200C.

I was provided with a plethora of quotes - "utterly delicious" and "I really really like this" among them (angus's words are his tool as you can tell) - i think mainly said in order to get a mention in this somewhat backwater of a blog.  cheers anyway everyone - i'll treasure every  kind word...

Fine Pasta with Crab

Along with the dover sole and king prawns that we bbq'ed, we also bought a couple of crab from the fisherman's hut in east wittering.  It makes a perfect seaside lunch for 2.  

- Gently cook 1 chopped clove garlic, 1/2 finely sliced red chilli, 1 tablespoon coriander, grated zest 1/2 lime and 2-3 finely sliced spring onions, until soft.

- Add 35g brown crab meat, 150ml white wine and simmer for 10 mins until quite a thick texture.

- Cook some 150g linguine.
- Just before the pasta needs draining add 60g white meat to the brown meat, together with another tablespoon coriander, the zest of the other 1/2 lime and a squeeze of lime juice.
- Add about 1 mug of the pasta to the sauce, then drain the pasta, add to the crab and sprinkle with parsley.

The chilli gives a lovely bite, and the cooking of the brown meat, gives it a great strong flavour that is missing from some crab dishes - a great recipe.

This recipe also reminds me that with nigella's cooking, you really to have quite a lot of white and red wine on the go - best stock up on some cheap wine otherwise it gets expensive!

Fish Pie

I made this a while ago, but forgot all about cooking it until i came across it again today.  I do remember being slightly disappointed by the flavours.  The main reason i think is that nigella doesn't suggest using smoked fish, which i think is a mistake.  I do like the mini stock method that you make at the start, which i'm sure you could use with a lot more recipes.

- Heat a carrot, cut into 8 lengthway pieces, a bouquet garni, and a pinch of salt in 125ml water and 125 ml white wine.
- Bring to the boil and let let cool.
- Cook 1kg potatoes in salted water and mash with 80g butter.
- Put 225g cod fillets and 225g haddock in the carrot water, bring to a simmer and poach for 3 mins.
- Remove the cod and haddock, add 225g salmon fillets and poach for 3 mins.
- Add the salmon to the cod and haddock, strain the water (keeping in the bouquet garni) and make up to 450ml with single cream.
- Melt 45g butter in a large saucepan, add 4 tablespoons flour and a pinch of mace.
- Cook for a few mins, then take off the heat and slowly stir in the 450ml cream mixture.
- Put back on the heat and keep cooking for about 5 mins until thick, add 0.25g saffron and cook for another 5 mins, then remove the bouquet garni.
- Butter an oven dish, add the fish, broken up, pour over the saffron sauce, mix up and add the mash potato.
- Grate over some nutmeg and cook for 20-30 mins at 190c.