Salmon and Sweet Potato Quiche

Ingredients: 
1/2 pack of ready made shortcrust pastry
1 salmon fillet - cooked and skinned
1 sweet potato - diced and cooked 
8 mint leaves - roughly chopped
2 large eggs - beaten
100ml single cream 
Black pepper

Method:
Roll out the pastry and line a quiche dish
Cover the pastry with parchment paper, add in baking beans and bake in the oven, 180 degrees, for 10 minutes 
Remove the parchment and beans and cook for a further 2 minutes
Leave the pastry to cool for at least 10 minutes 

For the filling: 
Flake the salmon fillet and spread evenly on the bottom of the pastry case
Add the diced, cooked sweet potato on top of the salmon
In a jug or bowl beat the eggs, add in the cream and beat again
Stir in the mint and add a twist of back pepper
Pour the egg and cream mixture over the salmon and potato until it reaches the top of the pastry case
Cook for 30 minutes at 180 degrees

I used a 18-19cm quiche dish
I had a bit of potato and some of the egg mixture left over once the quiche dish was full.  I split the potato into the bottom of 2 muffin cases and added in the egg mixture.  These cooked in the oven for the same amount of time as the quiche.  These have turned into small savoury souffles/quiches without the pastry crust. 

The quiche divides into 2 large, or 4 smaller portions

Oven Baked Sea Bream

Ingredients: 
2 sea bream fillets
3 large salad tomatoes 
1 small red pepper - de-seeded and chopped 
2 tbsp sliced back olives
1 tsp dried oregano 
Drizzle of balsamic glaze to serve 

Method: 
Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for one minute, drain, then remove and discard the skin.  Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl
Add in the chopped pepper, sliced back olives, oregano and mix together 
Place about a third of the tomato mixture into the bottom of an ovenproof dish
Place the sea bream fillets on the top and then spoon over the remaining tomato mixture 
Cook in the oven for about 12-15 minutes at 180 degrees
Carefully lift each fillet from the dish with a fish slice and then drizzle with balsamic glaze 

Serves 2
Served as a Sunday lunch with roast potatoes, broccoli and carrots 

Fig Frangipane Tart

Ingredients:
1 pack ready rolled shortcrust pastry
4 1/2 oz olive oil spread
4 1/2 oz sugar
5 oz ground almonds
2 oz self raising flour
3 large eggs - beaten 
6 fresh figs 

Method: 
Roll out the pastry slightly to make it a bit thinner
Line the pastry into a loose bottomed shallow tin
Place baking parchment on the top of the pastry and add baking beans
Blind bake the pastry at 180 degrees for 10 minutes
Remove the beans and parchment, lightly pick over the base of the pastry with a fork and then return to the oven to cook for another 2 minutes
Leave to cool slightly

To make the frangipane filling:
Beat together the sugar and olive oil spread
Add in the flour, ground almonds and beaten eggs and mix together until smooth
Tip into the pastry case and spread out evenly
Cut 4 of the figs into halves and arrange in a circle around the outside of the tart - push them into the mixture
Cut the other 2 figs into quarters and arrange in a smaller inner circle on the tart - push them into the mixture
Cook at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown all over

Serves 8 
Served with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of blackberry vinegar (see previous recipe) 

Blackberry Vinegar

Ingredients:
Blackberries (medium sized bowl full)
White wine vinegar (600ml)
Sugar (1 lb) 

Method: 
Place blackberries into a sealable jar.  I used a 1 litre Le Parfait preserve jar
Completely cover the blackberries with white wine vinegar and then add in a bit more
Seal the jar and leave in a cupboard for 2 weeks

After two weeks strain the blackberries from the vinegar - do not squash the fruit or the final vinegar may become cloudy.  First I just tipped the whole of the contents of the jar into a large sieve over a jug, then I strained the vinegar through a paper coffee filter
Place the vinegar in a pan add the sugar and bring to the boil
Boil gently for 15 minutes
Allow to cool before placing into sterilised bottles 

I started off using 12oz of sugar but when testing the vinegar I found it was not sweet enough, so I aded in another 4oz.  I have another batch on the go but this time I am using red wine vinegar.  I will use the same proportion of sugar to vinegar when I boil this up.  I didn't want to put too much sugar in at the start as I didn't want to turn this into a thick syrup. 

This recipe made 3 small bottles (they are single portion wine bottles).  There was a little bit extra left over which we used as a cordial with tonic water, and also added some to glasses of Prosecco.  

Some suggested uses for Blackberry Vinegar: 

• Drizzle on ice-cream or pancakes 
• Use as a cordial and dilute with soda, tonic or lemonade
• Add to a glass or Prosecco - place in the glass first to get a drink which is all pink, add after and it will sink to the bottom and give a sunrise effect
• Drizzle on salad leaves, or use with oil to make a vinaigrette dressing
• Add to a vodka and tonic 

Vinegar in first       Prosecco in first
before Prosecco       vinegar in last    

Thank you to my very kind neighbour who allows me to pick blackberries from his garden. 

Salmon and Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients:
8oz arborio risotto rice 
1 small onion - finely chopped 
1/4 pt white wine
1 pt vegetable stock (I used 2 cubes)
8 white cup mushrooms - sliced
6 long, fine asparagus shoots - cut into 1-2cm lengths 
creme fraiche 
smoked salmon - cut into strips 
Splash of oil
Extra water may be needed 

Method: 
With the oil, soften the onion in a large based pan - do not brown, add water if needed so that it does not stick 
Add in the rice and white wine, stir around and cook for a couple of minutes
Add the stock, bring to the boil then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently
Add in the mushrooms and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently
Add in the asparagus and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently 
Don't let the rice boil dry or stick on the bottom of the pan, add a little extra water if needed
When the rice is cooked, stir in the creme fraiche and allow to warm through for a minute (I used about half of a 200g pot of 0% fat creme fraiche)
Just before serving stir in the smoked salmon.  The heat from the rice will cook the salmon in seconds

Serves two

Chicken in White Wine and Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts 
5 white cup mushrooms - sliced
1/2 pt vegetable stock (I used one cube) 
1/4 pt white wine 
1 small pot of single cream (170ml)
Splash of olive oil

Method:
Using the oil, brown the chicken in a large frying pan - start skin side down if the breasts have skin on them
Turn and begin to cook/seal the other side for a couple of minutes 
Add the stock and white wine and bring up to the boil
Turn down to simmer for 10 minutes - turn chicken occasionally
Add the mushrooms and continue to simmer for another 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through 
Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm
Stir in the pot of cream and warm through - do not boil

Serves 2
Served with basmati rice, broccoli florets, carrot batons and asparagus spears. 

If I make this again I may add in some tarragon for additional colour and flavour.  

Beetroot and Feta Soup

Ingredients:
5 medium sized, cooked beetroots - roughly chopped
3 spring onions - sliced 
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 pt vegetable stock (I used one cube)
Splash of olive oil
1/3 pack of feta cheese 

Method:
Soften the spring onions in the oil
Add the beetroot, tomatoes and stock
Bring up to the boil
Simmer for 10 minutes
Blend or liquidise the soup
Re-heat slightly before serving
Season if required
Crumble feta on the top of the soup once in bowls

Serves 4 as a starter

Use disposable gloves whilst dicing the beetroot to avoid staining hands.
A glass chopping board is good to use too as wood or plastic will become very stained.

Mediterranean Scotch Egg (vegetarian)

Ingredients:
2 eggs 
1 tin of cannellini beans - drained and rinsed
2 sun-dried tomatoes - finely chopped
4 black olives - finely chopped 
salt and pepper
1/2 slice granary bread - grated into breadcrumbs 

Method:
Hard boil the eggs - about 10 minutes 
Mash or crush the cannellini beans 
Mix in the chopped tomatoes and olives and add a twist of salt and pepper 
Peel and rinse the eggs and then coat each egg with half of the bean mixture, making it into a ball shape
Roll each ball in the breadcrumbs until completely covered
Place onto parchment paper on a baking sheet 
Cook in the oven, 180 degrees for 12-15 minutes
Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the baking sheet - they will be very delicate and liable to break up if moved too soon

Makes 2 scotch eggs 
Served with salad

Chicken and Lentil Curry with Bombay Style Potatoes

Ingredients: 

For the curry: 

1 chicken breast - cut into pieces

2oz green lentils (this is the dry weight - they need to be pre-soaked and rinsed)

1 medium onion - chopped 

1 green chilli - chopped

1 clove of garlic - crushed 

1 tsp minced ginger paste

1 tsp garam masala

3/4 pt passata 

2 large cauliflower florets - cut into pieces through the stem

Splash of oil 

For the Bombay Style Potatoes: 

3 small to medium sized potatoes - cut into bite sized pieces and cooked 

1 tsp whole coriander seeds

1 tsp turmeric 

1/4 tsp chilli power

2 tbsp water

Splash of oil 

Method:

For the curry: 

Place the lentils in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for a number of hours then drain and rinse (I left mine to soak all day)

Gently soften the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger in a pan with a splash of oil

Add in the chicken and cook and 3-4 minutes

Add in all the rest of the curry ingredients, bring up to the boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes 

For the Bombay Style Potatoes: 

Cook the diced potatoes in boiling water for about 10-12 minutes and then drain

Place the coriander seeds, turmeric and chilli power in a pan with a splash of oil and cook for a minute

Add in the potatoes and water and stir around to coat the potatoes with the spices

Cook gently for 5-8 minutes until the potatoes are tender

Curry served with basmati and wild rice with the potatoes on the side

Serves two

Hot Beetroot Chutney (with port)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb cooked beetroot (I used 10 medium sized beetroots) - diced 
1 large red onion - finely chopped
2 medium bramley apples - skinned, cored and diced 
12 oz sugar
4 oz sultanas 
1/2 pt red wine vinegar
1/4 pt port
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika 
1 tsp ground ginger 
zest of 1 orange 

Method: 
Place all of the ingredients into a large pan and bring up to the boil
Turn down heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 3/4 hours
Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly, for about 5 minutes, before ladling into pre-prepared jars

Use disposable gloves whilst dicing the beetroot to avoid staining hands.
A glass chopping board is good to use too as wood or plastic will become very stained.
I put my jars and lids into the dishwasher before I started to dice the beetroot so that they were clean and hot when the chutney was ready. 

Before sealing the jars I tried a spoon of the chutney, perhaps as it has one third port to two thirds vinegar it tasted quite mellow and so this won't need to sit in the jars for very long before it's ready to use.  I will try it after about 2-3 weeks to see how it tastes. 

This chutney is quite hot because of the amount of cayenne pepper used.  
The recipe made 4 small to medium sized jars of chutney. 

Spicy Chickpea and Chorizo Stew

Ingredients:

1 small leek - sliced
1 red pepper - chopped 
1 small chorizo sausage (or about 6-8cm from a large ring) - sliced
1 red chilli - chopped 
1 tin of chickpeas - drained and rinsed 
1/2 pt passata 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp paprika 
Splash of olive oil

Method: 
Soften the leek, pepper and chilli in the oil
Add the chorizo and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes
Add in all the other ingredients and bring up to the boil
Simmer for about 5 minutes 

On its own this serves one.  
Add rice or couscous alongside and this will serve two.  

This makes a very quick, easy and tasty meal.  Any other vegetable which cooks quickly can be used, for example, courgette and onion.  Alternatively, if using harder vegetables such as carrot, butternut squash etc, just add more passata and cook for longer.  

Thai Fishcakes with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients: 
2 skinless and boneless haddock fillets (about 10oz)
3 spring onions - chopped 
1 clove garlic - crushed
1/2 stem lemongrass - chopped 
1 red chilli - chopped
6 french green beans - chopped 
2cm root ginger - peeled and chopped 
Small amount of flour 

For the sauce: 
2oz sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp cold water
1/2 red chilli - chopped 
6 thin slices of cucumber - finely cut into matchsticks 

Method: 
Blend together all the ingredients for the fish cakes
Take a small amount of the mixture and roll into a ball - about the size of a meatball
Gently pat the top and bottom to flatten slightly and then roll in the flour to cover
Continue until all the mixture is used - mine made 12 small fish cakes 
Place the fishcakes on a plate in the fridge for about 40-60 minutes before cooking
Cook in a small amount of oil in a frying pan for about 6 minutes each side at a medium temperature

For the sauce:
Put the sugar, water and vinegar into a small pan and bring up to the boil
Immediately remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes
Pour into a ramekin dish and add the chopped chilli and cucumber 
Leave to infuse for a short time until the fish cakes are cooked 

Served with a small salad 
Makes 12 small fishcakes which serves 2.