Marinated beetroot carpaccio with rocket & horseradish mackerel

Beets & horseradish.

Horseradish & mackerel.

Beetroot, horseradish & mackerel.

I know perfectly well this lovely combination and have to say this is one of my favourite ever, so this time I am presenting an elegant starter using this well known combination of flavours. I served it recently for a supper to our friend who really enjoyed this combination and mentioned that probably most of the local farmers would be very unhappy if I served them raw beets. These in a fact are marinated, crunchy and zingy as ever. By marinating they loose some of their earthiness, that some people find unattractive.

 

serves 4

4-5 medium beetroots, peeled and sliced into very thin slices

4 tbsp of red wine vinegar

8 tbsp olive oil

2 level tbsp sugar

200g smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed, flaked into chunks

3 tbsp of freshly grated horseradish

juice of one small lemon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 small handfuls of rocket

little poppy seeds

Place the vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, sugar and little slat in an airtight container. Add the sliced beetroots, cover and leave it in a cool place for minimum 12 hours, preferably 24 hours. Shake the box every few hours so the beets are getting marinated evenly. 

In a second box mix the remaining olive oil, horseradish, lemon juice, some salt and pepper and mix well. Next add mackerel pieces, mix gently so you don't break up fish too much and cover. Leave it in a cool place for minimum 12 hours, preferably 24 hours.

Before serving remove bring it to the room temperature - I kept them in warm kitchen for about 1 hours before serving.

Drain the beets from the marinate and place on the plates in one layer, overlapping. Place small handful of the rocket and some mackerel in the middle. Drizzle with horseradish olive oil left from marinating the fish. If there is not enough left add some extra lemon juice and olive oil into the box and mix well.

Sprinkle with some poppy seeds and serve with good bread.

Where to eat? Stein's Fish & Chips, Padstow

If you want to try probably the best fish & chips to take away prepared according to the recipes of well known and respected chef and at affordable prices this is a place for you. Fish is at it's freshest, selection is impressive and I like the fact you can either go for fried or grilled one. Tartare sauce was to die for, batter extremely crispy, real proper chips and garnish of lemon wedge and parsley just added this extra touch, as well as nicely presented box and wooden curterly. For me the best takeaway fish & chips I have ever had. Highly recommended! 

Stein's Fish & Chips 

South Quay

Padstow

Cornwall

PL28 8BL

http://www.rickstein.com/Steins-Fish-and-Chips.html

Opening times:

Takeaway
12 noon - 3pm
5pm - 9pm
Restaurant
12 noon - 2.30pm
5pm - 9pm

Fish and chips prices between £7.85 - £12.25, sauces and extras £0.35-2.00

Fish & chips with a view

Beetroot, smoked mackerel & horseradish pizza

This is probably the most bizarre pizza I came across (well, not mentioning some of American inventions I guess..). I am a big fan of minimalistic pizza with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella, so I don't call myself a pizza toppings expert. I hate when pizza is overloaded with ingredients, especially cheese. 

This is also one of the best pizzas I ever made and ate. I mean the topping as well as the base. 

Recipe comes from "Hugh's Three Good Things (on a plate)" and to be honest it was on my mind constantly for last two weeks. First I though: "What a bizarre mix of ingredients in general and especially on a pizza" , but then second thought:

" What's not to like? Beets? Good! Mackerel? Good! Horseradish? Good!” 

(do you remember this scene from "Friends", in which Rachel prepared a dessert with beef?)

Anyway this combination is perfect. Beets &horseradish – delicious. Smoked mackerel & horseradish - delicious. These three work brilliantly in one dish.

What is the most bizarre pizza you have ever eaten?

3 medium pizzas

Dough

250g plain flour

250g white strong bread flour

1 level tsp of salt  

1 tsp instant yeast 

1 tbsp olive oil 

about 300ml water (or how much flour will take – different types of flour take different amount of water)

Sauce

1 tbsp freshly grated horseradish 

3 tbsp plain yoghurt  

1 tbsp lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper 

salt

Topping

 

2 medium beetroots, unpeeled

2 fillets of smoked mackerel

2 shallots (I used French, if you go for English ones double the amount, as they are much smaller)

a splash of olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Firstly prepare the dough. Mix both flours together and add the salt, yeast and olive oil. Next little by little add the water and mix either with your hands or with a mixer. You need to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, it could be sticky at first but it will become more elastic during the kneading. Then place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave it until doubled in size.

In the meantime prepare the sauce. Mix horseradish, yoghurt, lemon juice and mix and then season with some salt and pepper. Set aside and prepare the topping.

Heat the oven to 180 C, place beets in oven proof dish, drizzle with little olive oil and roast until soft. Knife should go in easily when they're ready. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool down. Then peel and slice.

Remove the skin from the mackerel and fake it with your fingers to bite size pieces.

Peel and slice the shallots (not too thinly, I cut them too thinly and some of them were burnt, still tasty though!). Place in a bowl, drizzle with little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss it, until covered with oil.

Heat the oven to 250 C (or at least 220 C) with a pizza stone or a baking tray.

When dough is ready remove it from the bowl onto a floured worktop and gently press with yours hands. Divide into three parts and again press each to flatten them a bit. Leave it to rest for about 15 minutes. Then place one piece onto a tray or pizza shovel and roll thinly.

Place one third of the sliced beets onto prepared base, as well as mackerel and top with shallot rings. Drizzle with little more olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Slide the pizza onto a hot tray or stone and bake until crisp and golden. Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.

Divide into portions and serve with the horseradish sauce.

Tuna & chickpea burgers + Thai inspired salad dressing

Perhaps you have made your homemade sweet chilli sauce and fancy something that will go well with it. Recently I had it with some chickpea and tuna burgers. I have made them based upon what we had in a fridge, freezer and cupboards. I wanted to cook a dinner that firstly will not require additional shopping and secondly will comfort mine appetite, that recently is so not into meat and also will not live my dear meat eater hungry. So this is improvisation and have to say it was very successful.

makes about 12 

about  200g dry chickpea

2 x 175g tins of tuna (in oil)

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 small red chilli, chopped

handful of fresh coriander (I used frozen, as I have some in the freezer)

2 small eggs, beaten

2 level tbsp of ground cumin

juice of half lemon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

some gram flour

oil for frying (I used sunflower)

lime wedges for serving (optional)

Soak the chickpea in a water overnight, then drain, cover with fresh water, add some salt and cook over a low heat until tender. Then drain and let it cool down.

Fry the onion in little oil over a low heat - it should be softened but not browned. Just before you finish frying the onion add the chilli and garlic and fry for about 1 minute. Remove from a heat and leave it to cool down.

Place the chickpea on a food processor and whiz until coarse in consistency - it should not be smooth, but it still should keep some of its texture. Place in a bowl.

Flake a tuna using a fork and place in the bowl. I did not drain mine, as it was in very little oil. Then add the fried onion, chilli, garlic, coriander, eggs, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands.

Next wet your hands and form small burgers, then dip them in a gram flour and place onto a chopping board.

Heat a decent amount of oil in a frying pan _ you don't want to deep fry the burgers, but they should be dipped in a fat about half way. Fry on both sides until golden, remove from a pan and sit aside on a paper kitchen roll to drain the excess of oil.

I served these burgers with roast potato wadges, lime wedges, sweet chilli sauce and some iceberg salad with Thai inspired dressing.

Thai inspired salad dressing 

2 tbsp groundnut oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)

juice of half lime

pinch of chilli powder

Place all of the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake until mixed. Wash and chop the salad, place in a bowl, add dressing just before serving, mix well and divide between plates. Sprinkle with some dry roasted cumin seeds.

Bon appetite!

Smoked salmon parcels with caper cream cheese

 

This is my last post before Easter and my trip to Poland. I have some time off, so there will be a short break on my blog. Please do not forget about me, because like Terminator "I'll be back" and it will be fab time to go back to cooking and blogging - asparagus in season. Shall I say "I'll be back with a bunch of asparagus"?

Before I go I would like to show you something that looks nice and I think this is very interesting way of presenting cream cheese. I found the idea of wrapping cream cheese in smoked salmon in some ancient "Dales Life" magazine (recipe by Merry Berry) and originally the cooked and chopped prawns were used for a fillingalong with cheese. Since I tried the original one I went through several variations and all of them seemed fine i.e. chopped smoked salmon, gherkins, various herbs and today I will show you one with capers.

This is very rich dish so do not be tempted to serve one to one person only. In my opinion one parcel served with some crusty bread or toast or even good quality crackers or oat cakes should serve up to 3 people as a snack or starter. I cut each in six and let guest help themselves.

I wish you happy Easter and talk to you when I get back! 

 

Makes 2

 

4 large slices of smoked salmon 

about 150g cream cheese

1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and chopped 

2 tbsp of fresh dill, chopped

zest of one lemon

1 tsp of lemon juice 

salt (optional, capers are salty)

freshly ground black pepper

some salad leaves and lemon wedges to serve 

springs of fresh dill to garnish (optional)

Mix the cream cheese with lemon zest and juice, capers, dill and freshly ground black pepper.

Line two soufflé dishes with some cling film making sure it is overlapping the dishes. Next line the dishes with smoked salmon slices in the same way - some of the fish should overlap each dish. Next add the cheese to the dishes and gently press with a spatula or spoon. Cover with the overlapping smoked salmonand then with the cling film and place in the fridge. Ideally overnight, but 2 hours will do. I also try to press them with some weight while they are resting.

Remove from the fridge, unwrap the foil and gently place upside down onto a serving plate. Garnish with some salad leaves, lemon wedges and serve.

Celery, orange & mackerel salad

Today another Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipe. I like to watch this Eton College graduate, who talks perfect English. I find his recipes easy to follow and I am always very pleased with the result. It was the same this time when I tried this unusual salad. He made it in "River Cottage" TV series for somebody who hates celery sticks, to convince fussy eater that celery can be quite pleasant. I do not have any problems with this veg, but I found this recipe quite unusual and intriguing. It is very easy and quick to make although very good looking and tasty.

I highly recommend it and say good bye for few weeks. We are off for holiday, this year my dream about seeing Rome and Lazio region will finally come true. Lot of history, ancient monuments, beautiful nature and without any doubt - marvellous food are waiting for my partner and I.

So enjoy the salad, take care and I talk to you in few weeks!

Serves 2

2 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and boned, torn into chunks

2 oranges, peeled and segmented, juice saved for the dressing

4-6 celery sticks, chopped into bite size pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

celery salt

For the dressing mix the orange juice with pepper and salt, ser aside. Arrange celery, oranges and mackerel together in a serving dish and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately. You can also serve it warm with freshly fried mackerel fillets on the top instead of smoked one.

Sweet & sour bread salad

Anchovies and bread. Not too much, huh? Yes it may seem a little, but it was enough to take an ordinary vegetable salad to new, exciting level. Perhaps I should start form the beginning…

When I first saw “Two Greedy Italians” series and then I read the book I paid a special attention to  he dishes coming from la cucina povera, created by the poverty. They are simple, seasonal, using locally sourced ingredients, quite often using bread (stale, so it did not go to waste), as it was relatively cheap and widely available. It also feels up easily. One of the classic dishes of la cucina povera is panzanella - a salad made from stale bread, tomatoes, oil and vinegar. Sometimes people add some basil and onion, however less is more in this case.

In the book I have found a recipe for a salad inspired by classic panzanella. Contaldo used more vegetables and made this sweet and sour twist on this classic dish. I have fallen in love when I saw this on TV, but the outcome was even better that I would have ever expected. Lets be honest – with this number of ingredients it is not longer la cucina povera, but you have to admit the influence is quite strong.

The original recipe used double baked bread called frasella (or freselle, frisedde, fresedde, frise). If you do not have it you can use decent country style, sourdough bread, that you have to bake or toast.

 
Serves 2

1 small carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks (julienne)

2 pieces of  celery, as above

50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 anchovy fillets

1 shallots, peeled and finely sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

½ red pepper, seeds removed, cut into matchsticks (julienne)

½ yellow pepper, as above

½ aubergine,as above

1 small courgette, as above

2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only ( I used lemon thyme)

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt 

freshly ground black pepper

piece of country bread, toasted

handful basil leaves

Blanch the carrot and celery strips in a pan of boiling salted water for three minutes. Drain, place in cool water for few minutes, to prevent further cooking, drain again and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large lidded frying pan and stir in the anchovies. Cook until they have almost dissolved into the oil. Add the shallot and garlic and fry until softened.

Add the peppers, aubergine and courgette strips and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes, then stir in the thyme leaves, sugar and vinegar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Carefully add the blanched carrot and celery to the pan and cook for five minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Break the country bread slices into bite-sized pieces and arrange half of the bread on a plate. Top with the vegetables, scatter over the basil leaves, the remaning bread and drizzle with a little oil. Serve warm or cold.

Bloody Mary sardines

One of the most common language mistakes being made by Polish people in United Kingdom seems to be ordering bloody steak as oppose to rare. Many Poles don't realise that steak that has some blood running out of it is not called bloody. By the way bloody hell I find very interesting and useful and this is one of my favourite English expressions. And talking about bloody - I love Bloody Mary cocktail. Mixture of vodka, tomato juice and flavourings such as Tabasco and celery salt makes me really excited.

This is why I couldn't resist a recipe that I have seen in Hugh's Fearnley-Whittingstall River Cottage. He has done a genius thing by mixing Bloody Mary classic taste with... tinned sardines.

Serves 2

2x95g tins of sardines in oil, drained
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
few drops Tabasco sauce
few shakes Worcestershire sauce
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of celery salt
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tsp good quality cold vodka (I really encourage you to use good quality Polish rye vodkas - they are the best!)
bread to serve + butter (optionally)

In a small bowl roughly mash the sardines with the ketchup, Tabasco, Worcestershire, lemon juice, celery salt and black pepper.

Pile the mixture on the bread. Finish off with a sprinkling of vodka and serve straight away. I am sure it tastes great as an accompaniment to a shot of good quality freezing cold rye vodka. (get some of Polish ones such as Królewska, Chopin, Belvedere, Pan Tadeusz, Sobieski, Wyborowa).

Smoked rainbow trout, peas & mint puree

This is not a dip but you can make it more smooth. My initial intention was to make it quite smooth, but after few pulses of food processor I decided I prefer it as a rough puree. However next time I will try to make it smooth and serve on oatcakes or on rye bread as canapés.

Some time ago I really fancied a smoked fish and when I found lovely smoked rainbow trout on my local market I thought I will make pate in the same way I have made this smoked mackerel one. However I had a light bulb moment and decided to make it differently.

I was trying to find some fish combinations in my memory and I remembered this baked rainbow trout with mint and almonds. When I thought about a mint naturally peas came to my mind - this is one of my favourite snacks and flavour combinations. I started to have a rough idea of this puree, even if I thought it is going to b smooth. Especially that fish and peas is one of the popular risotto combinations, not even mentioning mushy peas with fish & chips in UK.

I used frozen peas, but next time I will wait for this lovely summer, sweet peas. Under any circumstances do not use tinned peas. It is something completely different story. (inedible for me)



2 smoked rainbow trout fillets, roughly chopped, skin off
400ml peas, defrosted slowly in a sieve
half lemon juice
handful of fresh mint (optionally few extra leaves for garnishing)
tsp fresh thyme, leaves picked (I used lemon thyme)
few tbsp mild olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Place all the above in a food processor and whiz until smooth or up to your taste. I served it with toasted wheat - rye bread slices and garnished with some fresh leaves.

Tuna & sundried tomato pâté

I love pátés and dips. I think my favourite one is hummus that I showed you already, also because I can incorporate different extra ingredients to the basic recipe and develop so many different flavours.

In the last few weeks I had some dips and pátés that I like very much and make them quite often, sometimes I change herbs and spices and discover new versions of old favourites.

One, two, three. Today the first one.


185g tinned sustainable tuna (preferably steaks)
2-3 tbsp olive oil (optional, no need of oil if you use tuna in oil)
handful of fresh parsley
6-8 sundried tomato halves (dry or in oil)
level tsp of tomato pure
tsp of lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground chilli
some freshly ground black pepper

I used dried tomatoes so I soaked them in hot water until softened. They are quite salty so I didn't need extra salt.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until smooth.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

Cod curry & Fish Fight

Beginning of this year there was a series on Channel 4 called the Big Fish Fight. Channel 4's top chefs: Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver, Arthur Potts Dawson joined the forces in the Big Fish Fight championing sustainable seafood and celebrating lesser known delicacies of the deep.

Hugh, the actual founder of this campaign (supported by many people and organisations such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund) spent quite a lot time travelling around the UK and meeting fishermen marine conservationists, politicians, supermarkets bosses, and of course fish-eating members of the public and it really changed the way he thinks about fish now.

This campaign changed my way of thinking about fish. I simply did not realise that around 40-60% of the fish caught by fishermen in the North Sea are unnecessarily thrown back into the ocean dead. Many different fish live together, fishermen cannot control the species that they catch and all those dead fish dramatically change the natural balance in the sea. Many of these are very tasty, but unfortunately unfashionable. Those chefs shown how to cook delicious fish dishes using less popular types of fish. This is how we, consumers can help to prevent their discard - by rediscovering our taste for them and diversifying our fish eating habits.

Today I will show you fish curry using yes! quite popular cod, however this campaign made me pay more attention to the fish that I buy. I read the labels carefully or ask fishmonger if fish I buy comes from sustainable source. Trying to choose fish from a certified sustainable fishery is another way to support Fish Fight - so check out label for a certificate of the Marine Stewardship Council. This guarantees that the fish you are eating was caught or farmed to a high standard.

This recipe was improvised by me based upon a knowledge about other curries that I cooked in the past. Most of my Indian recipes come from "The food of India. A journey for food lovers". I have made it in the past with salmon and monkfish, however any meaty fish should be fine. I will definitely try it with less popular fish recommended on Hugh's website.


Serves 2-3


about 400-500g cod, fillet, skin off, cut into large chunks
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
tsp ground coriander
tsp ground cumin
tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
piece of fresh ginger (about 3cm), peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
about 200ml chopped tinned tomatoes
about 400ml coconut milk
salt


To serve:

rice (basmati or jasmine)
fresh chopped coriander or spring onion
quartered lime (optional)

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft, but not browned. Add all the spices, mix well and fry another minute. Next add chilli, ginger and garlic and fry for another minute or so, stirring.

Next add tomatoes and coconut milk to the pan, stir well and bring it to boil. Turn heat down to simmer, add fish chunks sprinkled with little salt, cover and simmer for about 7 minutes. Stir gently half way through.

Serve with rice sprinkled with chopped spring onion (or coriander) and lime wedges.

Smoked salmon & leek risotto

Don't you think it seems like ages since last time I posted risotto on this blog? I have checked - last time I did it in September. Would you believe? We obviously had risotto since then, many, many times. I simply did not have a chance to take some photos, and believe me or not I have a good excuse. Every time I cook risotto I cannot wait to eat it, my hands are shaking, how do I suppose to focus on making a good photo?

If you are, like me, risotto maniacs or perhaps you just want to learn to how to cook this dish I believe today's should be a good one for you. It is a classic flavour combination and in my opinion is dead easy to make. A good winter risotto while I am waiting for all those lovely season vegetables like peas or asparagus.

I have improvised, if you want you can add the salmon to the risotto just before resting it, I prefer uncooked smoked fish on the top. Bon appetite!


Serves 2-4

about. 25 g butter
1 leek, white and light green part, cut lengthwise and sliced
about 200g arborio rice (or other risotto rice ie. carnaroli)
about 150 ml dry white wine
zest and juice of one lemon
about 1l vegetable stock
about 250g smoked salmon
few tbsp chopped fresh dill
salt
freshly ground black pepper



Keep the stock hot all the time.

In a separate pan heat half of the butter, add the leek and fry very slowly without colouring until softened. Then add rice and turn up the heat.

Fry the rice, stirring all the time. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the lemon zest, juice and wine and keep stirring until alcohol will evaporate.

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add a ladle of hot stock and turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring – you will notice a creamy starch from the rice. This is why you have to allow each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15-20 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter, stir well and allow to rest for about one minute. At this stage you can add salmon, but I preferred it on the top. Finish it up with smoked salmon and chopped dill. Serve immediately, risotto cannot be reheated.

Anchovy pasta with breadcrumbs

Why I love pasta? Mainly because pasta dishes take about 15 minutes to cook. Also because I can seat anywhere with a bowl of pasta, on my favourite sofa, even on the floor in the front of fire place and eat my dinner with one hand. In addition pasta dishes don't have to look elegant, and bowl of pasta always bring smile to our faces. It was exactly the same with this pasta. It is tasty, spicy, salty and it has a little bit crunch.


Serves 2

about 200g spaghetti
5-6 tbsp olive oil
8 anchovies
handful of fresh parsley
1 red chilli
about 4 tbsp bread crumbs


Put the water to boil the pasta and prepare rest of the ingredients.

Deseed and chop chilli finely. Chop the parsley finely. Smash anchovies with knife on a chopping board and then roughly chop.

Heat a pan and add olive oil. Next add the chilli, parsley and anchovies, mix well and fry for about one minute. Next add the breadcrumbs and fry until crispy and golden. If they seem to be bit dry add some more olive oil.

Meanwhile cook the pasta accordingly to producer's instruction, drain and add to the pan. Mix well with other ingredients and serve immediately.

Harissa baked salmon & oven chips with capers

I hate when people are looking for the excuses for not cooking meals at home. The most frequent one is lack of time. They try to convince me that buying take-aways is much quicker. Well if you fancy unhealthy meal I can’t see any problem – at the end of the day it is your body not mine, but do not try to tell me that cooking a proper dinner takes more than 30-40 minutes (this is how long it takes me to drive to take-away and back home). You simply cannot admit that you either can’t cook or don’t like to cook, because cooking a meal is a matter of little over half hour.

The key is an attitude I suppose, and multitasking. Think in advance, reheat the oven and pan in the same time, chop the vegetables and boil the kettle so you will have hot water in the pan ready for cooking. This is how meals in restaurants are being prepared.

Today I had chosen a fish, because it only needs about 15-17 minutes in the oven. And there is one more thing that I would like to say – I only prepared one meal in about 35 minutes. Jamie Oliver in his new series makes 3 course dinners in less than 30 minutes.

Serves 2

2 salmon steaks, skinless, boneless
2 level tsp harissa
3 large potatoes (I used Maris Piper)
3 tbsp olive oil
handful salted capers
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
garlic clove
2 lemon slices
salt
some small tomatoes on the vine


Right. Shall we start a timer? Here we go!

I came back from work about 5.45pm on Friday night, dropped coat and shoes and immediately put the oven on, at about 220 C. Also I put the kettle on, and I added about 1 cm of cold water into a pan and put it on a hob so it boiled in a good time.

From my shopping bag I took the salmon, potatoes, tomatoes and spinach out. From the fridge – jar of harissa and one with salted capers.

I peeled the potatoes quickly and chopped each into about 6-8 fat, chunky chips. The water in the kettle has boiled, to I topped the pan on the hob with some hot water and added a sprinkle of salt and boiled the chips for about 8 minutes. (Set the timer – it helps)

I placed handful of capers in a sieve and left it in a sink under running cold water, at the same time I lined two baking trays with some baking paper. I turned the water off and left capers to drain a bit. I put the pan on the hob and reheat it.

On one of the baking trays I have placed the salmon fillets and covered each one with some harissa. The oven was hot already, so I placed the salmon on the lower shelf and I have checked the pan with chips.

I have drained the chips and placed them on the second baking tray, drizzled with 2 tbsp of olive oil and added capers and two slices of lemon. I used very little salt, as capers are quite salty. I have placed the tray over the salmon and set the timer for about 15 minutes.

After 10 minutes I added tomatoes on the vine to the tray with the chips and turned on the grill.

Pan on the hob was really hot already so I added rest of the oil together with unpeeled crushed garlic clove. I fried it for about 1 minute until the garlic infused the oil and then removed from the pan and put it in the bin. Next I added the spinach to the pan with pinch of salt and lept it over a low heat until was lightly wilted and then removed from a hob and covered.

I placed two plates into a microwave and heat them for about 1 minute. Timer went off so I have removed the fish from the oven. Chips were nice and golden too, so I removed them from the oven and turned it off.

I have arranged some spinach on each plate and placed piece of fish onto each. Next I added some chips with capers and slice of lemon and roasted tomatoes. My partner set out the table, lighted the candles, and prepared the wine. I took few photos of our dinner and we sat at the table. It was around 6.20pm. What more would you like (except from dessert)?

Smoked mackerel páté

I was not so keen to try any fish páté since I had trauma from my childhood when somebody fed me with fish pate on a summer camp. It was made from... I do not know and I prefer not to. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. However some time ago I saw smoked mackerel and I had to buy it. I did not know what I am going to make, but it was one of those moments that I could not resist the feeling of buying something.

I found a lovely recipe from Jamie Oliver on Daily Mail website, but I am unable to find it at the moment, I think it was removed. It was a Christmas party crowd pleaser and he made a huge amount of it, so I decided to make half of it. Few days later I rushed to the local market to get some more smoked fish. It was the best mackerel páté I have ever tried.

I have to admit I hesitated for a moment with a horseradish, so I added half of it but after I tasted it I decided to go for the whole amount because it was the horseradish that gives it a special kick.



I used the following quantities, but if you planning a party, do not hesitate to double it.

400g smoked mackerel
190ml soured cream
3 tsp horseradish
zest and juice of one lemon
big handful of fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Remove skin from the mackerel and mash the flesh with a fork. Add cream, horseradish, pepper, most of the lemon zest, whole lemon juice and most of the chopped parsley. Mix it all together.

Serve on slices of grilled read, topped with some parsley and lemon zest.

Salmon fishcakes

- I am glad it is Friday today. I am going to get some take away and spend evening on the sofa doing nothing. Have you got any plans?
- We will open a cold lager, have a dinner and just relax. I am glad it is Friday too.
- What are you having for a dinner?
- Salmon fishcakes, chips and salad.
- From a local fish & chips?
- No. Homemade.
- ???
- Its is Friday, I bought some fresh fish on the market and I am going to make a fishcakes and real, homemade chips. We did not have it for ages...
- I cannot believe you can be bothered on Friday night.
- Yes, I can...

Serves 2-3

500-600g salmon fillets, skin on
bay leaf
half lemon
few whole black peppercorns
whole allspice
200g potatoes, preferably waxy ones (I used Maris Piper - these are perfect for chips as well)
3 spring onions, chopped
fresh 2.5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
red chilli, deseeded and chopped
salt
pepper

Also:

white bread crumbs (preferably homemade ones, but Japanese panko would be ideal)
some plain white flour
2 eggs, beaten
salt
pepper
sunflower oil for deep frying

Place the salmon in a pan with the bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice and lemon. Pour over enough water to cover the fish, bring to the boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer and leave to poach for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave the fish in the poaching liquid until cooled down slightly.

Cook the potatoes in salty water until tender then mash with a potatoes press/masher until smooth.

Drain the salmon, discard pepper corns, all spice and bay leaf, remove the skin and flake into large pieces with a fork, then mix it with potatoes, ginger, chilli and spring onion and season with salt and pepper.

Using your hands (optionally you can use a culinary ring) to shape a fishcakes. Dust with flour, then dip in the beaten eggs seasoned with salt and pepper and press in the bread crumbs all over, shaking the excess.

Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Fry fishcakes for 5 minutes each side until golden. Remove from a pan and set aside on a paper kitchen towel to remove the excess of fat.

I served it with:

Homemade chips - the secret of perfect chips is using a good potatoes, floury one such as Maris Piper or King Edward. Heat the oil, preferably sunflower to 190C, then lower the chips into the oil and fry until the chips are soft - the knife should go in easily. Shake the basket a couple of times to ensure even cooking. Lift out of the basket and drain the chips on whilst heating the oil to 200C. The cooking process can be halted at this stage until you favourite godliness is achieved.

Salad - I used a watercress with Thai style dressing: lime juice, toasted sesame oil and some honey.

Lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce, cold lager and dinner is ready!

Seared thyme scallops & minted peas with broad beans

I was not a big seafood lover before I came to England. Today I know this was due to the lack of fresh seafood in Poland, but since I can go to a fishmonger every Friday on the local market where I have a wide selection of fresh seafood I started to like this type of food.

If you live with person who is a sceptical about seafood or you are this sort of person yourself, you should definitely try scallops first. They are very pleasant to cook, all you have to remember is not to overcook them because they will become rubbery. Otherwise they are easy to prepare, tasty, they have a meaty flesh and do not scare some people with “worm like” appearance.

Today my favourite summer scallops recipe from Gordon Ramsay's "Healthy Appetite".



Serves 1

6 king scallops, shelled and cleaned
handful of podded peas (preferably fresh one)
handful of podded broad beans
few thyme sprigs, leaves only
handful of mint, leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil + extra to drizzle
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of water
few pinches of coarse sea salt (I used flaked one)


Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, tip in the broad beans, and blanch for 5 minutes or until tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and plunge into
a bowl of iced water to refresh. Drain well and tip into a bowl. Do the same thing with peas but it requires less cooking, so cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and add to iced water with beans.

Gently squeeze the broad beans to pop them out of their skins. Add to the peas and set aside.

Put the thyme leaves on a board and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt. Chop and sprinkle the thyme salt over one side of the scallops. Save some thyme salt for later. Heat a skillet and add the olive oil.

Pan-fry the scallops for 1½ minute on one side and 1 minute on other - they should feel slightly springy when pressed. Remove to a warm plate and rest for a minute while you reheat the vegetables.

Tip the peas and broad beans into the skillet and add a 2 tbsp water and a butter. Heat for a minute to warm through, season to taste, and toss through the mint leaves.

Spoon the vegetables onto warm plate and top with the scallops. Sprinkle with a little more thyme salt and drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Five or less ingredients #2

Previously in this series:

#1 Series rules and pork stir fry in caramel sauce


I have not showed a fish for a while so this time it is fishy dish as good quality fish does not need many extra ingredients to be cooked with. Recipe inspired by “Good Food” magazine (some ancient issue).


Salmon baked with fennel and black olives

Serves 2

2 salmon fillets (I used steaks)
fresh fennel
lemon
2 handfuls of black olives (I used whole black olives, not from a brine)
new potatoes to serve
salt



Preheat the oven to 200C.

Slice the fennel finely, saving some top leaves for later and place in an ovenproof dish.

Half the lemon and save one half for serving and squeeze the other half juice onto the fennel.

Place the salmon on the top of the fennel, sprinkle with salt and chopped fennel top leaves. Add olives and bake for about 15 minutes (depends on fish weight). Serve with boiled new potatoes and lemon wedges.

Rainbow trout baked with almonds, cherry tomatoes and mint

Makes 2

2 rainbow trout fillets (you can use other fish like salmon, halibut, haddock – I used skinless and boneless fish)
4-6 slices of lemon
2-3 tbsp almond flakes
4 tbsp dry white wine
handful of fresh mint
few cherry tomatoes (on the vine, or others)
salt
freshly ground black pepper


Place trout fillets in ovenproof dish, lined with baking paper. If you do not have baking paper you have to lightly oil the dish. Drizzle white wine over the fish.

On the top of the fish place some lemon, almond flakes, fresh mint and arrange the tomatoes in the dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and bake for approx. 15 minutes in preheated oven (200 C).

Serve on its own, but if you require bigger meal this fish goes very well with potatoes wages baked in olive oil and sprinkled with flaked sea salt.