Pan Fried Tilapia with Aubergine Salad & Cherry Tomato Salsa

A nice light supper perfect for a summer evening.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 Tilapia fillets, cleaned & descaled
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Juice of two Limes

Aubergine Salad
1 Aubergine, sliced lengthways in 0.5cm slices
1 Red Chilli, deseeded and diced
1 clove Garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Coriander, freshly chopped
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cherry Tomato Salsa
12 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
1 Red Chilli, deseeded and diced
1 tbsp Mint, shredded
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Zest of two Limes
Salt & Pepper to taste


Method

Prepare the Aubergine Salad

1. Heat a griddle pan over a medium to high heat


2. Coat the aubergine slices with the olive oil and fry for one to two minutes on either side.


3. Place in a heat proof dish. Add the remaining ingredients and combine together.


4. Cover the dish with a piece of aluminium foil and allow to sit in it's own steam.

Prepare the Cherry Tomato Salad

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.

Cook the fish

1. Slash the skin side of the fillets but not completely through the flesh.


2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.


3. Season with salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.


4. Place the fillets skin side down and cook 3/4 of the way through. You can see uo the side of the fish.


5. Turn the fillets over and turn off the heat to the pan. The residual heat will finish cooking the fish,


6. Combine the paprika with the lime juice and pour over the fillets in the pan.

Plate up

1. Place a fillet of Tilapia on each plate and divide the Aubergine salad and Cherry Tomato salsa between the two plates.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Lattice Pie

The photo below is of my first attempt at this. The original recipe didn't call for the blind baking or to cook down the fruit first. This resulted in both the fruit and the pastry on the bottom of the pie being undercooked. I made some tweaks to the recipe and also because I'm a lazy sod substituted the pastry for shop bought ready made. Follow the method below and you shouldn't have any problems.

Ingredients

400g Rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces
400g Strawberries, destalked and chopped in half if large
170g Granulated Sugar
50g Cornflour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pack of frozen or fresh ready rolled Shortcrust Pastry (defrost for 1.5 hours of frozen)
1 Egg Yolk
2tbsp Milk
9" diameter pie dish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.



2. Line the pie dish with the pastry sheet. Trim the overhanging pastry and keep to one side.



3. Cover the pastry with some grease proof paper and pour in a handful of rice.



4. Place the pie dish in the oven and bake for 10 mins.



5. Remove the grease proof paper and throw away the rice as it can no longer be used. Put the pie dish back in the oven for another 5 minutes until the pastry is a light golden brown.



6. In a mixing bowl add the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornflour and vanilla extract. Mix together and let stand for five minutes.



7. Add the contents of the mixing bowl to a frying pan on a low to medium heat.



8. Continue stirring the mixture until the sugar has melted and the juices have thickened to a jammy consistency (10-15 mins) then remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly.



9. Tip the pie filling into the pie dish and pat down to level out.



10. From the left over pastry cut out 1cm strip and use to make a lattice pattern on top of the pie filling.



11. Mix the egg yolk and milk together and brush over the uncooked pastry.



12. Put the pie in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins or until the pastry is a light golden brown.



13. Serve with a good pouring of Bird's Custard.

Baked Rainbow Trout with New Potatoes & Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

For the Trout:

2 Rainbow Trout (gutted, heads, tail & fins removed, descaled deboned and cleaned)
2 tsps Olive Oil
6-8 stalks of flat leaf Parsley
1 Lemons sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika
Butter

For the New Potatoes:

250g New Potatoes
knob of Butter
1tbsp chopped flat leaf Parsley

For the Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes:

2tsp Olive Oil
2 doz Cherry Tomatoes on the vine
4 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped Basil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.



2. Line a baking dish with a sheet of tin foil.



3. For each fish, pour a tsp of olive oil on the inside of the cavity, add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle a pinch of paprika then stuff the fish with the parsley and lemon slices.



4. Place a couple of small knobs of butter on the skin of the fish. Turn over and repeat on the other side. Place the fish onto the tin foil in the baking tray.



5. Roll the tin foil together to make a sealed package or fold another sheet of tin foil over the fish and roll down all the edges together to seal.



6. Place the baking dish in the oven for 25-30 mins.



7. Boil the new poataotes for 20-25 mins or until cooked through.



8. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.



9. Remove the cherry tomatoes from the vine and add to the frying pan.



10. Toss the tomatoes around in the oil for 5-10 mins. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with salt & pepepr to taste.



11. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 15-20 mins.



12. 5 mins before the fish is due to come out of the oven turn off the heat to the tomatoes and add the chopped basiloss the tomatoes in the basil and the pan juices.



13. Drain the potatoes. Add a knob of butter and the chopped parsley and toss until the butter is melted and the potatoes are covered in the parsley.



14. Serve the fish with the potatoes and tomatoes. Drizzle a little of the reduced pan juices over the tomatoes.

Chantenay Carrots

Ingredients

250g Chantenay Carrots, cleaned and trimmed
50g granulated sugar

Method

1. Put the carrots in a frying pan on a low to medium heat.



2. Add the sugar to the carrots and heat until the sugar is melted. Don't heat too fast or the sugar will catch and burn.



3. Toss the carrots in the melted sugar and add boiling water to the frying pan until the carrots are just covered.



4. Increase the heat and keep the carrots on the boil until tender (15 - 20 mins).

Chicken & Bacon Pie

Ingredients

3 tbsp Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tsps chopped fresh Lemon Thyme
2 Chicken breasts, diced
2 tsps Olive Oil
4 rashers of streaky Smoked Bacon, cut into small strips
1 small tin Sliced Mushrooms (drained) or 125g Chestnut Mushrooms, thinly sliced
15g Butter
300ml hot Chicken Stock
1 sheet of frozen or fresh Puff Pastry (defrost for 1.5 hours in the fridge if frozen)
1 Egg Yolk
2 tbsp Milk

For the actual pie dish I used a 6" square 1" deep dish, or alternatively you could use two indivdual pie dishes.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C



2. Place the flour, salt, pepper, lemon thyme and chicken in a plastic freezer bag. Seal the bag and toss the chicken to coat the pieces in the flour and seasoning. Keep to one side.



3. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan on a medium to high heat. Add the bacon pieces and fry until golden.



4. Add the mushrooms to the pan and continue to heat until softened.



5. Add the butter to the bacon and mushrooms and heat until melted.



6. Tip the chicken pieces and all the seasond flour into the pan. Stir with the bacon and mushrooms until all the flour and butter has mixed together and the chicken begins to brown.



7. Pour in the hot stock and stir to make the sauce. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low to medium and simmer for five minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as required.



8. Line the rim of your pie dish with a thin (1cm) strip of pastry. Dampen the rim with a little water if the pstry will not stick.



9. Cut the pastry sheet just a little larger than the pie dish you are using. Fill the pie dish with the chicken filling.



10. Dampen the pastry rim a little and place your pie lid on top of the dish. Trim any over hanging pastry. Crimp the pie edges with a fork and make a couple of holes in the pie lid to release any steam.



11. Mix the egg yolk and milk together and brush over the pastry.



12. Cook the pie for 20 - 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Turn the pie round halfway throught the cooking time for an even colouring



13. Serve the pie with Mashed Potato and Chantenay Carrots

Wild Mushroom Risotto

A nice creamy risotto. Suitable for vegetarians but easily adaptable for meat or seafood. I used a combination of Oyster and Chantelle mushrooms. If you can't get these then use brown chestnut mushrooms. Don't use button or closed cap as they really don't add any flavour to the dish.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive Oil
Knob of Butter
2 Shallots finely chopped
2 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
250g Wild Mushrooms roughly chopped
Worcestershire Sauce
Chilli Flakes
Pepper to taste
150g Arboria Rice
Glass of Wite Wine
1 pint Vegetable or Chucken stock
50g Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Crème Fraîche

Method

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saute or frying pan on a low to medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and saute until cooked soft.



2. Add the chopped garlic and fry for another minute.



3. Turn the heat up to medium to high and chopped mushrooms and fry until golden (you may need to add a touch more oil at this point as the mushrooms will soak a lot of it up).



4. Add the Worstershire Sauce, pinh of dried chilli flakes and black pepper to taste.



5. Add the rice to the pan and stir until all the grains of rice are coated in the oil and glistening.



6. Add the wite wine to the pan and cook until all the liquid has been more or less cooked off.



7. Add a ladle of the stock and while constantly stirring cook until all the liquid has again been cooked off. Repeat with another ladle of stock.



8. After about 20 - 25 minutes the rice should be cooked and the risotto is a creamy consistency. (Note you may not need all the stock to reach this point but add enough stock so that the risotto is not too dry).
Add the grated cheese to the pan and stir until until melted.


9. Taste the risotto and season with salt to taste.



10. Stir in the Crème Fraîche until nice and creamy.



11. Divide between two serving bowls or plates and garnish with some shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

Options

Roast Buternut Squash Risotto: Cut a butternut squash into wedges, remove the seeds and roast in a 200C oven for 40 - 50 minutes. Remove the flesh, mash and stir into the risotto with the cheese.

Crab Risotto: Add some fresh cooked crab meat to the risotto right at the end to just cook through.

Asparagus & Pea Risotto: Replace the mushrooms in the main recipe with some chopped bacon. Add some asparagus when you add the second lot of stock. Right at the end throw in a handful of frozen peas and cook through.

Corn Bread

I have to admit this isn't my recipe but one I found on the web.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmothers-Buttermilk-Cornbread/Detail.aspx

I did find this one a little bit too sweet though, so if you halve the quantity of sugar or omit it altogether then it should work just fine.

Couple of tips:
In the recipe all-purpose flour is the American term for plain flour.
If you can't find Buttermilk then add some lemon juice to normal milk.

Venison Chilli

OK here's my first recipe - Venison Chilli.

Normally Venison isn't a cheap meat but Morrisons are doing just over a half pound (275g) in a vac sealed pack for less than £3 which makes it a bit more affordable. Venison suits a chilli really well as the gamey meat flavour is complimented by the spices in the rich sauce.

Ingredients:

275g Venison cubed
4 tbsp Plain Flour
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Coriander Seed
1 tsp Cumin Seed
1 tsp Fennel Seed
1 tsp Mustard Seed
1 Red Onion diced
2 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
300ml Beef Stock (1 Beef OXO cube in 300ml hot water)
400g tin Chopped Tomatoes
400g tin Red Kidney Beans


Method

1. Place the flour on to a plate. Dust the venison cubes in the flour. Heat 2tbsp of the vegetable oil on a medium to high heat in a saute pan and fry the venison until browned on all sides. It might be best to do this in two batches so you don't over crowd the pan, replacing the oil between batches. Remove the venison and reserve to one side and clean the saute pan for step three.
   


2. In a cold non-stick frying pan add the Coriander, Cumin, Fennel and Mustard Seeds. Place on a medium to high heat and toast the spices until you can smell the aromas and some smoke is only just given off. Take of the heat immediately to prevent burning and place the seeds in a mortar and pestle. Crush the seeds to a fine powder and reserve to one side.
   


3. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of vegetable in the frying pan on a low to medium heat. Add the chopped Red Onion and saute until cooked soft.
   


4. Add the crushed spices to the onion and fry for a minute or two.
   


5. Add the Garlic powder, Chilli powder, Paprika, Salt and Pepper to the onions and fry for another minute.
   


6. Add the Venison back to the saute pan and turn the heat up to medium.
   


7. Add the tinned Tomatoes and Beef Stock to the pan and stir all the ingredients. Bring to the simmer and turn the heat down so that the pan is just on the simmer.
   











8. Cook uncovered for 3 - 4 hours and stirring at regular intervals to make sure the sauce is not catching on the bottom.
   


9. 45 mins before serving drain the Red Kidney beans, add to the pan and stir.
   


10. Serve with Long Grain Rice, spoonful of Sour Cream and a slice of Cornbread.
    

Introduction

My name is Alex and I'm 37. My cooking experience began about five or six years ago after getting addicted to cooking programs. Let's face it besides the football there's no other reason to watch Sky! Before that my skill level was reheating food at best (frozen meals, packet sauces with pasta etc).

I've basically taught myself the skills in the kitchen by copying what I saw on screen and found that I easilly picked it up and saw an improvement not only in my style of cooking but also in the end result - other people besides me could eat it without being poisoned lol.

I decided a while ago that I needed a place I could keep my receipes. Now these are recipes that not only have I pilphered from the web and magazines but also stuff I make up myself -with varying results. I also wanted to share them with my friends and family so decided a blog was the best way to go.

So here I am!

My cooking has various influences from my trying to replicate the stuff I ate as a kid from my mother (bar for the shoe leather beef! - sorry Mum xx) to copying TV chefs. My favourites being Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver and of course Nigella Lawson (mmm...Nigella...). I would say my favourite style of cooking is Mexican, preferably Native Mexican recipes rather than Tex-Mex.

I will try my best to add photos of the resulting finished recipes and where possible link to the original recipe on the web if I've nicked it.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and the blog, try the recipes yourself and feel free to leave comments.

Bon Appetit!