Couscous salad

A week without internet access and it looks like i haven't been making much progress.  In fact the opposite is true - a week at west wittering, and the main thing i did was cook!  Although not many of nigella's recipes require a bbq on the beach, i was still able to tick off 9 recipes.  Now all i have to is write them up.  Here goes:

Couscous salad was easy to do but a bit disappointing - not sure i need a nigella recipe to tell me to add tomatoes, red onion and cucumber to couscous - and the end result was okay.

- Put 200g couscous in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt, add 250ml boiling water, and leave covered for 15 mins.
- Fluff up with a fork, and add 6 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and pepper.
- Blanch, peel, de-seed and dice 6 good tomatoes and add this to the coucous, along with 1 small chopped red onion.
- Add 1 diced cucumber and a chopped bunch of parsley and salt/vinegar to taste.

As you can see, pretty unexciting.  It went well though with the dover sole and king prawns that my brother bbq'ed on the main beach at west wittering.

Cambodian Hot and Sour Beef Salad

There were some lovely crisp flavours in this recipe, and what is great about Cambodian and Vietnamese cooking is the raw-ness of the cooking and the ingredients.  I don't think though that grilling the beef, complements the other flavours - next time i would definitely sear the beef in a pan.

- Cook 225g fillet steak - Nigella says grill but I say sear in a hot pan.
- However you cook it, thinly slice the beef and keep the juices from the cooking and slicing..
- In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon fish sauce, the juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1-2 red/green chillies and 1 finely sliced shallot.
- Add the beef juices to the sauce and pour over some rocket and lettuce leaves.
- Add the thinly sliced beef.

I think i slightly overdid my beef on the grill, which i think is also part of the problem with grilling.  Overall however, a simple tasty way of enjoying beef.

Queen of Puddings

I had planned to make a clementine cake for Marni's 4 week birthday, but i started on the wrong recipe (they are on the same page!).  By the time i'd added orange blossom water and caster sugar to breadcrumbs, it was too late.  But am i glad i did - it was a triumph.  So good, that Tara and I just had 3 helpings each for our dinner.

- Put 150g breadcrumbs (or brioche crumbs) in a bowl with a desert spoon caster sugar, zest of 1 orange, and 2 drops orange blossom water.
- Heat 575ml milk and 40g butter in a pan until hot but not boiling, then add to the breadcrumbs.
- Leave to steep for 10 mins, then beat in 5 egg yolks.
- Pour the crumb custard into a buttered oval oven dish and bake for 20-30 mins until custard is set on top, but may still be runny underneath.
- Heat 3-5 tablespoons marmalade in a pan, add 2 teaspoons golden syrup, stir and then pour over the custard.
- Whisk 5 egg whites until stiff, whisk in 60g caster sugar, then fold in another 60g.
- Cover the pudding with the meringue mixture, sprinkle with sugar and cook for another 20 mins until meringue is browned.

And yet another lesson hard learned - i put the mixture too close to the top of the oven and bizarrely, the meringue rose a bit into the grill, so that when i pulled it out, the lovely brown crispy topping was left behind!  Very annoying, and not something i will not do again.  I put it back under the grill to crisp up the top, but the meringue peaks i had created were lost forever...

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.

Restrained Mushroom Risotto

A low fat version of Nigella's mushroom risotto, but almost too low fat.  I found myself, for the first time, thinking i might have to supplement the amount of butter suggested, rather than halve it!  10g butter is suggested in the recipe, but i used 20g in the end, as there wasn't enough to coat the rice, which i think is the unlying point of risotto.  However, it's still quite a low fat version, particularly when compared to her Pea Risotto, but still has a great depth of flavour, if not the extreme silkiness from using more butter or cream.

- Melt 20g butter and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a pan and gently fry 1/2 onion.
- After a few mins, add 200g mixed sliced mushrooms and cook for a further few mins.
- Stir in 125g arborio rice and cook for 2 mins.
- Add 60ml vermouth or white wine and allow to bubble until absorbed.
- Add a ladleful of stock from 375-400ml hot stock (either mushroom stock or stock with 10g porcini added)
- Cook until absorbed, add another ladle, and so on, until add the stock is used up and the rice is just cooked and creamy.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons parmesan and sprinkle with parsley.

I also added a slice of lemon on the side, because i think a squeeze of lemon is generally delicious with risotto and added at the end, lifts the whole dish.

Beef Stroganoff

A deliciously simple and quick recipe.  It's particularly good if you use really good fillet steak.  Nigella recommends cooking the steak through, which i did, but i reckon if you like your steak rare, then cook the steak for less time.

- Gently fry 1 large finely chopped onion in 30g butter and a drop of oil.
- Add 30g more butter and when melted, add 225g sliced mushrooms, and cook for 5 mins.
- Grate some nutmeg and add some pepper.
- Stir well and remove to a plate.
- Add another 30g butter with some more oil, and turn the heat to high.
- When the butter's hot, stir fry 750g beef fillet, cut into thin strips.
- Return the mushrooms/onions to the pan, add some more nutmeg, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, and 200ml creme fraiche.
- Season, and sprinkle over some paprika.

Fried Prawn Cakes

These turned out okay, but somehow just managed to miss the mark. They were a bit floury and lacked a bit of bite. I reckon adding some chilli to nigella's recipe would lift them. She also recommends having them with mayonnaise, but they were better with just lime juice squeezed over them. I only had cooked prawns, which maybe meant they lacked the flavour that would come from using fresh raw prawns.

- Mince 250g raw prawns and put in a blender together with 1 clove garlic, 2 chopped spring onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 50g flour, 4 teaspoons sherry and 2 tablespoons of water.

- If you want to add some bite, add some cayenne pepper or a finely chopped chilli.

- You should have a firm mixture that can be spooned into a frying pan.

- Fry in olive oil for 1-2 mins on each side depending on their thickness.

- Eat with some lime juice and chopped coriander.