Foodsnaps

My sister Olga emailed me today this delicious and easy salmon recipe.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 salmon fillets
• 2 tbs mustard
• a small bunch of dill
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 1 tbs honey
• 4 spring onions

For the potato and carrot mash

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 tbs olive oil

How to:

1. For the mash, half-fill a pot with water, add salt, cover and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and carrots to the boiling water, together with the sugar and garlic. Boil for 20 minutes on a moderate heat until the vegetables are tender.  Drain and mash vigorously, mixing in the olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and seasoning to taste.
2. In a blender add the mustard, dill, lemon juice, honey and the spring onions.
3. Place the salmon fillets in a heated skillet, turn them after 20 seconds pour the sauce over the fillets and cook for about five minutes over medium heat.

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500gr lean beef mince
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon hot chilli powder
• 1 can tomatoes
• 125ml red wine
• 150ml beef stock
• 1 x 410gr can red kidney beans in water, drained and rinsed
• 6 tablespoons smoky BBQ sauce
• 4 tbs cheddar cheese

How to:

• Heat a wide, non stick saucepan and add 1 tsp olive oil. Add the beef mince and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with the wooden spoon. Add the garlic and chillii powder and cook 2 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato, red wine, beef stock, kidney beans and BBQ sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes until thickened.
• Serve with a tbs of cheddar cheese on top and a slice of corn bread or boiled rice.

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Ingredients (serves 2)

• butter
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 150g risotto rice
• small glass white wine , about 125ml
• 1l vegetable stock , heated and simmering
• 1 lemon , juiced and zested
• a handful dill , chopped
• 150g hot-smoked salmon fillets , flaked

 How to:

1. Melt a knob of butter in a wide shallow pan. Cook the onions until soft, then add the rice and stir to coat. Tip in the wine and bubble until absorbed, then gradually add the stock stirring until the rice is just tender.
2. Add the lemon, stir in the salmon and dill and serve.

Goes well with a chilled Soave.

Recipe via BBC Good Food

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 200g egg or rice noodles
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2-3 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 spring onions , chopped
• 1 sweet potato , cubed
• 200ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 100ml skimmed milk
• 2 skinless salmon fillets , cut in half and then into fine strips
• ½ small bunch coriander , roughly chopped

How to:

1. Cook the noodles following the pack instructions, rinse and drain. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan and fry the curry paste for 1 min until fragrant. Add the spring onions, reserving 1 tbsp, the sweet potato, stock and milk, bring quickly to the boil and simmer for 5 mins until the potato is tender. Add the salmon pieces and cook for 2 mins, then stir in half the coriander.
2. Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and spoon over the salmon and sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander and spring onions.

Recipe via BBC Good Food

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Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 swordfish steaks
•  350 g beetroot, uncooked
• 100 g whole dried lentils, preferably the Puy variety
• 1 portion stock cube, enough to make 600ml (1 pint)
• 1 portion lemon(s), zest and juice
• 2 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, (a small bunch), finely chopped
• 1 pinch salt, and fresh ground black pepper

 How to:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7/220ºC/425ºF and place the beetroot on a roasting tray. 
2. Roast for 30 mins until tender when pierced with a knife.
3. Meanwhile place the lentils and stock in a saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 25 mins until the lentils are tender.
4. Meanwhile place the juice and zest of lemon in a large bowl. Peel and chop the cooked beetroot and add to the bowl, also add the cooked lentils.
5. Lastly, add the oil, chives and seasoning, toss gently together.

Serve with the grilled swordfish.

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Ingredients (makes about 30)

• 140g ground almonds
• 250g icing sugar
• 2 egg whites
• a pinch of salt

 For the filling 

• 100g low-fat soft cheese
• 25g 70% cocoa dark chocolate

How to

1. Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140/gas 3.
2. Whizz the almonds and 25g of the icing sugar in a food processor until fine. Mix with 175g more icing sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add the remaining 50g icing sugar and whisk again until thick and glossy. Fold into the nut mix. Spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and pipe out 10p-coin-size blobs of mixture, well spaced. Poke any pointy tops down with a wet finger. If you don't have a piping bag, just snip the end off a sandwich bag and use that instead.
3. Leave to dry for 30 mins, then bake for 12- 15 mins until risen. Cool on the paper. Beat the cream cheese with the chocolate and use to sandwich the macarons together. Will keep for 1 day filled, or up to 3 days unfilled, stored in an airtight container.

Chewy chocolate macarons

Mix 140g ground almonds with 175g icing sugar and 25g cocoa powder. Whisk the egg whites. Once stiff, add 50g icing sugar, then whisk again. For a coffee filling, mix the soft cheese with ½ tsp instant coffee dissolved in a few drops boiling water.

Delicate vanilla macarons

Mix 140g ground almonds with 200g icing sugar and rub in seeds from 1 vanilla pod. Whisk the egg whites. Once stiff, add 50g icing sugar, then whisk again. Sandwich together with a little dulce de leche.

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food

Here is a video on how to make French Macaroons:

Sucre - Macaroon from Sucre - Founder - Joel Dondis on Vimeo.

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Ingredients (serves 4)

For the sauce vierge 

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 garlic clove
• sea salt
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large ripe tomato
• handful fresh tarragon
• handful fresh basil
• handful fresh coriander (you can substitute mint if you like)
• ½ lemon, juice only

For the scallops

• 8 large diver-caught scallops, roe attached
• olive oil, for drizzling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

To serve

• lemon quarters

How to:

1. For the sauce vierge, dry-fry the coriander seeds in a hot frying pan until they release their aroma. Place them in a pestle and mortar and crush.
2. Peel the garlic clove and mash to a paste with the tip of a knife and some sea salt. Add the garlic paste to the pestle and mortar.
3.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the garlic and coriander and stir.
4. Remove the core and seeds of the tomato. Chop the flesh roughly and add to the pestle and mortar.
5. Roughly chop the herbs and add them to the pestle and mortar. Crush all the ingredients together well to form a sauce. Allow the flavours to infuse while you prepare the scallops.
6. Trim off any tough, sinewy flesh and remove any black veins from the scallops, but keep the roes intact.
7.  Heat a frying pan or griddle pan until hot. Drizzle some olive oil over the scallops and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Place the scallops on the hot pan or griddle and cook until they're just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on size. They'll feel firm to the touch when cooked. (If the scallops are very large, you can finish them in a preheated oven for a few minutes.)
9. Finish the sauce vierge by adding the lemon juice (don't do this until just before serving or the herbs will turn black). Adjust seasoning and stir well.
10. To serve, spoon the sauce vierge over the scallops and garnish with the quartered lemons.

Recipe via the BBC

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Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 x 150g/5oz tuna steaks
• pinch sea salt
• drizzle extra virgin olive oil
  

For the salsa verde 

• 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
• 150-250ml/5-9fl oz fruity, extra virgin olive oil
• 4 anchovy fillets
• handful flatleaf parsley
• handful mint
• handful basil
• handful tarragon
• 1-2 tbsp capers
• 1 garlic clove
• pinch sea salt
• 1 lemon, juice only

To serve

• lemon wedges
• 2 sprigs flatleaf parsley
  

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. For the tuna, season the tuna steaks with the sea salt and drizzle with the olive oil. Rub the salt and oil into the steaks.
3. Heat a heavy-based frying pan until hot. Add a tuna steak to the hot pan and sear until lightly browned. Carefully turn over and sear the other side (this will take about 30 seconds on each side, longer if the tuna is thickly cut). Remove and keep to one side. Repeat with the other tuna steak.
4. Place the tuna steaks in a roasting tray and place in the hot oven for another minute or two (they should still be slightly pink on the inside). Remove and keep warm.
5. For the salsa verde, place the mustard and a few tablespoons of the olive oil in a bowl and whisk to emulsify. Chop the anchovies finely and add to the bowl.
6. Pick the leaves from the herbs (except the basil - you can include the stems in the sauce). Pile the picked herbs onto a chopping board. Sprinkle the capers over the top.
7. Chop the herbs and capers finely with a sharp knife. When finely chopped, add to the bowl with the mustard and oil mixture.
8. Peel the garlic clove. Place it on the chopping board and sprinkle over the sea salt. Crush to a fine paste with a knife blade and add the paste to the bowl and mix.
9.  Add some of the remaining olive oil to the bowl. The sauce should have a spooning consistency, so add just enough oil - you may have some left over. Mix thoroughly.
10. Just before serving, add the lemon juice to the sauce (the lemon will cause the herbs to go brown if you add it too early).
11. To serve, place the tuna steaks onto plates. Squeeze over some lemon juice and serve with a wedge of lemon, a dollop of salsa verde and a sprig of parsley each.

Recipe via BBC

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Well... I wish I knew the recipe but it's a secret!!!

My friend Rachel brought us these lovely cupcakes today. They were divine!

Rachel they've all gone!! Pls bring more!!

You can order online: www.sayitwithacupcake.co.uk

Email: rachel@sayitwithacupcake.co.uk

Tel: 07810616809

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 swordfish steaks, each weighing about 175g/6oz
• olive oil for brushing
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salsa:

• 1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 avocado, cut into 5mm/¼in dice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cucumber, cut into 5mm/¼in dice
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

For the Sauce:

• 4 green olives
• 4 heaped tbsp olive oil mayonnaise
• 50ml/2fl oz double cream
• 120ml/4fl oz water

 How to:

1. Keep all the prepared salsa ingredients cold, and separate until just before serving, then quickly mix them together in a bowl and divide between 4 plates.
2. Cut the olive flesh from the stone in strips then cut these strips into thin pine needle sized shards. In a small pan, mix the mayonnaise, cream and warm water with the olive shards then warm through - the sauce should be served warm not hot.
3. Light the barbecue or heat a ribbed grill pan. Season the swordfish steaks with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side.
4. Serve with a portion of salsa and some of the sauce spread over the steaks and around the plates.

Recipe via the BBC

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