Pan-fried sea trout with caponata

This one is based on a mackerel recipe by Simon Rimmer. We have adapted it slightly to our own taste and it turned out super. What was surprising was the chilli,  honey,  soy and orange sauce, it was very sweet but only a small drizzle over the fish when served up really makes it come alive. We have never had caponata before and that too went perfect with the sea trout.

serves 2

Equipment:-

• 2 Pans
• 1 Frying or griddle pan
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• 2 Wooden spoons
• 1 bowl

Roated pine nuts

Ingredients

• 2 Sea trout fillets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Red onion chopped
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb chopped
• 1 small Aubergine chopped
• 1 celery stalk chopped
• 1 tsp of tomato puree
• 25g capers
• 25g of raisins
• 25g toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 of a red pepper chopped
• salt and pepper

• The Sauce
• 50ml of soy sauce
• 1 juice of orange and zest
• 75ml of honey
• 1 small red chilli finely chopped

Sea Trout recipe

Method

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in pan and fry onions, fennel, aubergine and celery for 8 mins

Fennel and Aubergine

• Add the tomato and fry for another 2 mins, then set mixture aside in a bowl

Caponata

• Add to the bowl the capers, raisins, pine nits, pepper,  salt and pepper
• Stir until combined well (caponata done)
• Rub the remaining olive oil into the sea trout fillets
• Pad fry the trout fillets for 2 mins each side and then remove and let drain on kitchen paper

Sea Trout

• For the Sauce heat soy, orange, hone and chilli in a pan until warmed through
• To serve, divide the coponata between 2 plates, place a piece of sea trout on each and drizzle with the sauce.

Sea Trout with caponata

Pan-fried sea trout with caponata Done!!!!

The Paleo Recipe Book

PRAWN AND SWEETCORN CHOWDER

PRAWN AND SWEETCORN CHOWDER

This is another first time for us making a chowder; However chowder is a generic name for a thickened seafood or vegetable stew or soup and has a very creamy texture. It is a more common term used in America and is possibly derived from the French word chaudiere (stewing pot).  Another possible source is from the old English word iowter meaning fishmonger.  Fish chowder, corn chowder and clam chowder are very popular in America and Canada and the chowder we have made is based on their more traditional way of making a chowder. This was very easy to make and was not disappointed at all and would recommend to any one for a fairly cheap one pot delicious creamy soup.

Seves 4-6

Equipment:-

• A large Pot
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Measuring jug

INGREDIENTS

• Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced finely
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced finely
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 2 tbsp of plain flour
• 500ml of vegetable stock, cooled
• 2 large potatoes chopped
• 2 x 200g can of sweetcorn drained
• 300ml semi-skimmed milt
• 100ml single cream
• 200g raw peeled king prawns
• A bunch of flat leaf parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper

 

METHOD

• Heat some oil and butter in a large pan
• Add the onion, garlic, Dijon mustard, Paprika and fry for 5 mins
• Sprinkle in the flour and stir until absorbed

• Remove from heat and add the stock in batches, stirring each time, until smooth.
• Return to the heat and add the chopped potatoes.

• Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 mins stirring occasionally
• Add the sweet corn and simmer for 1 min
• Pour in milk, cream and add king prawns and cook for 5 mins

• Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper
• Serve with some rustic bread and garnish with parsley and Paprika

PRAWN AND SWEETCORN CHOWDER DONE!!!

Fajita is a term found in Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex and it's meaning is basically grilled meat served on a tortilla.  Is quite a fun dish as traditionally it is all put out on a table and the person makes up their own fajitas with there own personal choice of  fillings and quantity.  Me I like mine with mostly meat, peppers, onions, salsa and a little guacamole, cheese and sour cream so that i can roll it up neatly. Carola she generally has huge quantities of everything in her fajitas so that it can't be rolled up and stay together, very messy but the main thing is we both thoroughly enjoyed them.

These steak fajitas serve 2 very hungry humans

Equipment:-

• A Griddle pan or frying pan
• Chopping board
• mixing bowl
• sharp knife

Ingredients

• 2 Sirloin or Rump steaks
• 1 Red Green Pepper de seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 Yellow pepper de seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 Large onion peeled and sliced into rings
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• zest of lime
• juice of 1 lime
• pinch of sugar
• 6 medium white flour medium sized tortillas
• Grated Cheddar cheese
• Sour cream 200ml
• Guacamole 200ml (see our recipe http://www.merrychefs.com/?p=193 )
• Salsa 200ml (see our recipe http://www.merrychefs.com/?p=184)
• shredded Lettuce 1 cup

Method

• 1. In a mixing bowl add the oregano, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, salt, pepper, lime zest, lime juice and sugar. Stir well and set aside

• 2. Cut the steak into fairly thin strips.

Steak strips

• 3. Add the steak to the seasoning in the mixing bowl and with your hands mix in well

Fajita seasoned steak

• 4. cover and put in the refrigerator for an hour or 2
• 5. Heat the oil in the griddle pan on a high heat
• 6.  Add the steak strips and cook them for 1 min so they are slightly charred then turn them over.

Fried steak strips

• 7. Add the peppers and onions on top of the steak strips and leave for 1 min

• 8. Heat the tortillas in warm oven or microwave for 20 seconds
• 9. Stir the ingredients a few times for 2-3 mins until slightly charred and cooked
• 10. For each fajita add some beef, peppers, onions

• Steak fajitas spread

   Steak Fajitas Done!!!

Tilapia with Thyme, chilli and lemon butter

Talipia in Thyme, Chilli and Lemon butter

O.k. it was a lovely Sunday afternoon after coming back from a small local Jazz festival in North Finchley (London). We bought some fresh Tilapia fillets before hand and decided to make a nice Thyme, chilli and lemon butter to pan fry with them. Tilapia is a fresh water fish and in habitats shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes and very much reminded me of Sea Bass due to its firmness. It is certainly worth buying and trying this recipe, we served ours with new potatoes and stir fry peppers, onions and purple stem broccoli.

This Pan fried Tilapia serves 2

Talipia fillets

Equipment:-

• Griddle pan (alternatively frying pan)
• Small mixing dish
• Grater

Ingredients

• 2 Tilapia fillets skinned
• 100g block of butter
• 4 tsp of fresh Thyme
• Zest quarter of a lemon
• 1 tsp of chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Method

• Add the fresh Thyme, lemon zest and chilli flakes to mixing dish

  

  Thyme, chilli and lemon butter

• Add butter to mixing dish and mash and mix very well

  

  Thyme chilli lemon butter

• Chill the butter in the fridge for a couple of hours
• Heat the pan to a medium high heat
• Rub a little oil onto the Tilapia fillets and season with salt and pepper
• Place fillets on pan and fry for no longer than 2 mins
• Turn over fillets and add the butter to pan and fry for 2 mins

  

  Chargrilled Tilapia fillets

• Add some of the stir fried peppers, onions and broccoli and new potatoes to a serving plate
• Place the fillets of Tilapia on top of the stir fried vegetables
• Drizzle the juices over fish and the potatoes and enjoy

  

  Fried brocolli peppers and onions

  

  Chargrilled Tilapia fillet thyme chilli lemon butter

  Tilapia with Thyme, chilli and lemon butter Done!!!

Cous Cous Stuffed Peppers and Mozzarella

Cous cous stuffed peppers are exactly what you expect them to be. That juicy roasted pepper flavour with the zesty soft melty taste of the cous cous and the stringy mellow taste of mozzarella. Very good as a starter or as a main served on a bed of mixed salad leaves.

Serves 6 starters or 3 mains 

Equipment:-

• Frying pan
• Mixing bowl
• Grater
• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Measuring jug
• Small dish
• Oil brush

Ingredients

• 300ml of warm vegetable stock
• 250g dried cous cous
• 3 Peppers halved and deseeded
• 50g of sundried tomatoes diced
• 1 small courgette  halved and sliced
• 8 chestnut mushrooms roughly chopped
• 200g mozzarella ball sliced into 6 pieces
• A bunch of fresh basil roughly torn
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Zest of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper

Grilled peppers

 Method

• Brush the outside of peppers with a little olive oil
• Place under a hot grill and grill 5 mins on each side
• Add cous cous to the mixing bowl
• Pour in the stock and stir then cover with cling film and set aside
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan
• Add the courgettes and mushrooms to pan and stir fry for 5 mins
• Use a fork to stir through the cous cous thoroughly
• Season cous cous to taste and stir in the 3 tbsp of oil

  

  cous cous lemon

• Stir in the mushrooms, courgettes, sun dried tomatoes, basil leaves & Lemon zest

  

  cous cous

• Fill each pepper half with the cous cous and pack in until level with top of pepper

  

  Cous cous peppers

• Add mozzarella slice on top of each stuffed pepper
• Place peppers under grill for 2-4 mins until mozzarella is melted
• Season with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of mixed leaves

Half a pepper for a starter and 2 halves for a main

Stuffed peppers

Cous Cous Stuffed Peppers and Mozzarella Done!!! 

Duck with Plum Sauce and Carola's Mash

I think when cooking and experimenting a lot there is a time when you out do your expectations, this is one of those times for us. The results in this case spoke for themselves and left us very happy with our lovely dish that can only be compared to top restaurant quality.  I do have to give credit to James Martin for the main recipe idea; however our dish has a little more thyme and we also added garlic to the plum sauce. We served this up with Carola's personal mash recipe which can be found below and this went perfect with the dish every way. I think we need to cook with duck more often as it seems much underestimated and not very well stocked in mainstream supermarkets. It does cost more than most meat but not much more than chicken breast and less than the price of fillet steak. Anyways enough speculating as this is a very very very good dish, go forth and pick up these ingredients and put it all together and enjoy immensely. :)

Makes 2 quacking portions

Equipment:-

• A griddle or frying pan
• 2 pots
• Chopping board
• Colander
• A sharp knife
• A small baking dish
• Potato masher

Ingredients

Duck Breasts

• 2 Duck Breasts with skin scored several times
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 star anise
• 25g of butter
• Salt and pepper
  

  

  Raw duck breast

Plum Sauce

• 4 dark red plums de stoned and cut into wedges
• 300ml of beef stock
• 50ml of red wine
• 2 garlic cloves finely diced
• 3 tbsp of Demerara sugar
• 1 large shallot diced finely
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
  

  

  Plum garlic and onions

Carola's Mash

• 4 medium potatoes chopped into quarters
• 1 small carrot sliced into rings
• 1 small parsnip peeled and sliced into rings
• A knob of butter
• splash of milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
  

  

  Carola's Famous Mash

Method

• Heat 1 tsbp of oil in a pan and fry the shallots for 3-4 mins
• Add the garlic and fry for 1 min
• Add the plums and sugar and fry until the sugar has dissolved
• Add the red wine and stock
• Simmer for 15 mins stirring occasionally until it has thickened

Plum sauce

• Leave to cool to room temperature
• Add the potatoes, carrots and parsnips to a pan
• Cover with water and bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins
• Drain the water from the mash and return to the pan
• Mash a little for a few seconds
• Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, butter and milk
• Mash for about 1 min, taste and season more if needed
• Heat oven to 180C or Gas mark 4
• Heat Griddle pan to medium/high
• Season duck breast and place on griddle pan skin side down
• Leave to cook for 5 mins
• Then turn the duck and add the butter, thyme and star anise
• Once butter has melted baste the duck a couple of times
• Transfer to a baking dish and put in the oven for 5-6 mins for medium rare
• Remove from oven and let rest on chopping board for 5 mins
• Heat some of the plum sauce and in the mean time slice the duck in thin slices
  

  

  Succulent duck breast

• Add some of the mash to a plate and organize the duck around the mash
• Drizzle some of the duck pan juices over the duck
• Spoon some of the plum sauce over the duck and potatoes
  

  

  Succulent duck breast

           Duck with Plum Sauce and Carola's Mash Done!!!