Tapas tea

We fancied a bit of a change, and a bit of a cheer up - with the weather being continuously grim.  So, for the veg dodger pork and chorizo, for the pescatarian garlic prawns … and for the using up of the veg box - potatoes, onion and pepper, creamy cabbage, avocado and radish salad and some manchego … delish.

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Yellow (or whichever) pepper
Potatoes
Sherry
Cider vinegar
Pork loin chops
Chorizo
Cabbage
Lemon
Egg
Soya cream (or sour cream)
Little gem lettuce
Radishes
Avocado
Cherry tomatoes
Prawns
chilli flakes

1.  Chop one white and one red onion.  Sautee the white onion in olive oil, add a little crushed garlic.  Then add chopped pepper, sliced potatoes, a splash of sherry, a splash of cider vinegar and some water.  Simmer gently, turning occasionally.
2.  Sautee half the red onion in olive oil, add chopped pork loin chops and chopped chorizo.  Brown a little, then leave to stew gently.
3.  Sautee the other half of red onion, with a little garlic, add shredded cabbage and a little water.   Season and cook until soft, squeeze on juice of half a lemon.  Whisk an egg into cream, add to the cabbage mixture and stir in.
4.  Chop salad vegetables, spritz with lemon juice to stop the avocado discolouring.
5.  Fry crushed garlic, prawns and a little chilli in olive oil.
6.  Serve, scoff ...

Paella (well, an easy version)

Easy, quick and extremely tasty - this version of the Spanish classic can be on the table in 30 minutes.  All ingredients available from Todmorden Market (Paul's fresh fish, The Mediterranean  Pantry and the vegetables from Kevin).

Olive oil
Shallots
Celery
Red pepper
Tomato puree
Paella rice
Saffron
Smoked paprika
Vegetable stock (from bouillon)
Tomatoes
Prawns
peas

1.  Finely chop shallots, a stick of celery and a red pepper.  Sautee in olive oil until nearly soft.
2.   Add a good dollop of tomato puree, a pinch of saffron and stir in.
3.  Add a big handful of paella rice and stir in until every grain is coated in oil.   Add a mugful of stock.
4.  Add a pinch of saffron and a teaspoon of paprika and stir in.  Add grated tomatoes (or a tin) and more stock and leave to simmer.
5.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, checking that it's not going too dry.
6.  Taste the rice - when it is the tiniest bit "chalky" on the inside add the prawns and peas - probably more stock as well, just to finish off.
7.  When the juice has pretty much been absorbed turn the heat off under the pan, and let it sit for a couple of minutes to absorb the rest (it should sit as a spoonful and not leak juice into a puddle when it's served).
8.  Serve, scoff …. have seconds - be chastised for nicking prawns without the accompanying rice (I only pinched one!)

Meals in minutes: stir fries

We needed food fast, so this isn't a recipe as such - as it involved prechopped veggies and ready to wok noodles … however, it gave us two delicious stir fries - one featuring prawns and the other one cashew nuts.

Peanut oil
Garlic paste
Chilli flakes
Soy sauce
Ginger
Rice wine vinegar
Ketchup
Pre-prepared veg stir fry mixes (we had 1 x Chinese veg, 1 x mushroom stir fry & 1 x broccoli and butternut squash …) or chop up veg into bite sized pieces
Frozen prawns
Cashew nuts
Ready to wok noodles

1.  Make a paste from a couple of spoonfuls of peanut oil, garlic and ginger paste, a tablespoon of ketchup and chilli flakes to taste.
2.  Thaw frozen prawns by running hot water over them.
3.  In tow woks heat a little peanut oil until hot.
4.  Fling in veg - I used Chinese type in one wok, and the other two combined in the other one.
5.  Add the prepared mix to the Chinese mix, and a good splash of soy sauce.
6.  Add garlic paste and soy sauce to the mushroom etc mix, and a splash of rice wine.
7.  Toss the veg about for a few minutes, add a little water to help steam the veg.
8.  Add the noodles …. unknit them a bit with your fingers to make them easier to mix in.
9.  Toss around until veg is done and noodles are heated through.
10.  Serve, scoff … add more soy sauce/chilli sauce if desired.

Ten minutes, start to finish.

Seafood and asparagus risotto

It's not a very good picture, but it was a very tasty standby dinner.

Onion
Olive oil
Risotto rice
White wine
Asparagus
Stock
Pack of frozen seafood (from frozen)
Frozen prawns (defrosted)

1.  Finely chop onion and sautee in olive oil until soft.
2.  Add risotto rice, and turn in the oil until every grain has a light coating fo oil.
3.  Splash in half a glass of dry white wine.
4.  Add the chopped stems of the asparagus - keep the tips until the last 5 minutes.
5.  Add stock, stir and simmer, add seafood mix from frozen.  Keep adding stock, a bit at a time and cooking out until rice is nearly done.
6.  Make sure that prawns are defrosted, and add them.
6.  Now add the asparagus spears, and a little stock.  Cook for a further few minutes.
7.  After a final stir, let the mixture sit, so that the rice can soak up the moisture, so that it doesn't seep out to a watery puddle in the bowl.
8.  Serve, scoff ... have seconds.

Plaice with a shrimp and garlic sauce

Paul the fish on Todmorden market has confirmed our Friday is fish day habits as his fish is so consistently fantastic..  There is no religious significance to this, but it has developed into a thing ... and today I choose plaice and to jazz it up a bit with a buttery, garlicy shrimp sauce.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Plaice
Butter
Garlic
Shrimps
Black pepper
Frozen peas

1.  Roast chopped potatoes in olive oil.
2.  Chat ... there's nothing to do until 10 minutes before you eat.
3.  Fry the plaice gently in a mix of butter and oil (to stop it burning) for a a couple of minutes on each side - keep warm in the oven.
4.  Boil peas.
5.  Briefly fry crushed garlic and peas in butter and oil in the fish pan - pour over the fish.
6.  Serve, scoff

Prawn paella

Open fridge, scratch head, shut fridge.  Open fridge again ... leek, red pepper, green beans, half a bag of spinach and some mushrooms ... add rice, frozen prawns and a tin of tomatoes and you have "paella", or something resembling it - not too shabby for a mid-week tea.

Veg available from Garry on the outside market, rice and spices from The Mediterranean Pantry - fresh prawns from Paul the Fish (or frozen).

Olive oil
onion
leek
garlic
saffron
Stock
red pepper
short grain rice
chilli flakes
mixed herbs
king prawns
mushrooms
spinach

1.  Sautee chopped leek and onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic when it's soft.
2.  Add chopped red pepper, cook for a minute or so.
3.  Soften a pinch of saffron in a dropof warm water.
4.  Add a good handful of rice to the pan, turn over in the oil so that every grain is coated.
5.  Add saffron water, chilli flakes and herbs and a pint or so of stock, stir in.
6.  Simmer gently, add chopped mushrooms and a tin of chopped tomatoes.  Stir now and again to stop it sticking.
7.  Defrost prawns in hot water, drain.
8.  Test the rice, season - when it's nearly done add in prawns and a big handful of spinach.  Turn it over in the pan.
9.  The prawns will cook in about 2 minutes.
10.  Serve, scoff ... have seconds.

Just another Todmorden tapas

This time it was a sort of american-spanish take ...

Spicy mini potato roasties
Chorizo
Cauliflower with pine nuts and raisins
Pepper filled with stockfish
Coleslaw
Corn on the cob
Grilled chilli and garlic prawns

Not bad for a Wednesday night!

Start with the potatoes, and work steadily for about an hour, and it will all get done.

Ingredients.....

From The Mediterranean Pantry:  Olive oil, cajun spices, chorizo, pine nuts, raisins, garlic, chilli flakes, stuffed peppers
From Garry:  Potatoes, onions, cauliflower, sweetcorn, lemon, carrots, cabbage
From Paul:  Prawns

also ... sherry

1.  Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces, put into a roasting tray with a dusting of cajun seasoning.  Roast in a medium-hot oven (about 180).
2.  Finely slice 2 onions - one for the cauliflower, and one for the coleslaw - actually it's about 1 and a quarter for the cauliflower, and 3/4 for the coleslaw.
3.  Gently sautee the onion for the cauliflower in olive oil, then add cauliflower florets, and a drop of water, put the lid on and "steam" the cauliflower until done.
4.  Finish making the coleslaw by adding julienned carrots and shredded cabbage.  Season, add the juice of half a lemon and a splash of olive oil.
5.  Prep the sweetcorn, and put into a pan of water, ready to boil at 20 minutes to serving.
6.  Take the peppers with fish out of tin, into an oven dish and put into the oven with the potatoes to heat through.
7.  Marinate the prawns in chilli falkes, crushed garlic, lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.
8.  Chop chorizo into bite sized pieces.
9.  Check on the potatoes, I think you should be about 5 minutes from all done.
10.  Splash some sherry into the cauliflower and add a small handful of pinenuts and raisins, cook the alcohol off.
11. Fry the chorizo and the prawns in 2 separate pans - turn the prawns after a couple of minutes, keep the chorizo moving until it's done.
12.  Serve, scoff - some people will mix in mayonnaise to make their coleslaw creamy.

Chili garlic prawns with okra gumbo

Caribbean food week:  Day 7

Gumbo is more linked to the Deep South, I believe, but with the chili garlic prawns, I think this should qualify.  Whatever, it was delicious.

Gumbo traditionally is really quite gloopy, with the okra cut to allow the gooey insides to escape.  I don't like the texture of that, so I choose smallish okra and keep them whole.  The flavour is delicious, but the texture much improved (IMHO).

So, start with the potatoes, marinate the prawns, then make the gumbo and finally fry the prawns.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Garlic
Chili flakes
Prawns/Lingoustine
Onions
Thyme
Mushrooms
Red pepper
Okra
Tinned chopped tomatoes

1.  Parboil the potatoes, then roast in olive oil for about 40 minutes.
2.  Marinate the prawns in lemon juice, garlic, chili flakes and olive oil.
3.  Chop onions and crush garlic, saute a little.
4.  Add chopped mushrooms, red pepper, thyme, okra and a tin of chopped tomatoes to the onion, simmer - add water/stock if it's looking dry.  After 15 minutes or so ....
5.  Fry the prawns on each side for a few minutes.
6.  Serve - with a plate for the shells and oodles of kitchen towel.

Seafood paella

The joy of a freezer!  Didn't know what to do for dinner, and lots of people here, so had a ferret about in the freezer - frozen squid, seafood salad, king prawns, red peppers and peas ... well, that was pretty much decided then - seafood paella.

Olive oil
spring onions
celery
garlic
mixed herbs
turmeric
paprika
short grained rice (1 small handful per person)
white wine
roasted red peppers
water/stock
tinned chopped tomatoes
squid
seafood salad
king prawns
ginger
chili

Allow all frozen things, except peas, to thaw.

You need two frying pans - one enormous for the paella, and one smaller for the prawns.

1.  Put olive oil in both pans, but only put the heat under the big one.
2.  Saute the spring onions and celery in the big pan, for a few minutes.  Then add crushed garlic - add a clove of crushed garlic to the cold oil in the other pan now too, it saves faff later.
3.  Add turmeric and mixed herbs to the softenned veg, turn over a time or two.
4.  Add the rice, and turn over in the oil to make sure that every grain in slightly coated.
5.  Splash in white wine and simmer until it is absorbed.
6.  Add chopped peppers, paprika and some stock or water.  Simmer until absorbed.  Repeat for about 12 minutes.
7.  Add squid rings.
8.  Turn heat under the other pan and grate in small piece of fresh ginger and chuck in a good pinch of chili flakes.
9.  Add the seafood salad to the paella, and the prawns to the garlic mixture.
10.  Add the peas to the paella, and take off the heat.  Allow the rice to suck up the rest of the juice for a few minutes.

Serve, scoff ... gathered people will be impressed.

I'm sorry, I don't add amounts, as I measure by eye - just use common sense, and what is available!

Wild fennel and tomato pesto tagliatelle, prawns and salad

We needed a very quick dinner, and fortunately I had been waiting to try the wild fennel and tomato pesto which I now stock - well!  it is outstanding!  Some good pasta - tagliatelle today and some salad and we were good to go.  I added some grilled prawns as well, to please the gathered ... but there were three views on this!  i) fantastic, love it, having thirds; ii) really good pesto, pasta and salad - would make a really good veggie dinner; iii) nice dinner - but would be fan-bloody-tastic to have this pasta and pesto with steak, or indeed, chicken ... and the same salad would be great too.  I think I come down with iii ... but, damn good pesto, damn good pasta, damn good dinner.

Takes about 12 minutes from cold ...

1.  Put on a pan of water to boil.
2.  Prepare lettuce.
3.  Make salad dressing - a splash of garlic infused olive oil, a squirt of lemon juice and a grind of sea salt and black pepper - into a salad bowl.
4.  Chuck lettuce and very finely sliced half moons of onion into the dressing.
5.  When water is boiling, chuck in the pasta and cook for 4 minutes until al dente.
6.  Grill prawns in hot pan.
7.  When the pasta is done, drain and stir in pesto.  Toss the salad.

Serve, scoff ...   then get the opinions written above ... thinking about it now - I think this pasta/pesto combo would be AMAZING with a good steak.  (Sorry vegetarians!)

Grilled prawns with vegetable risotto

The weather outside is dreadful, the forecast is something frightful etc etc ... I am really hoping that the predicted torrential rainfall doesn't result in further floods.  But, in the meantime, tried to capture some sunshine with the help of frozen prawns and some tasty seasoning.

olive oil
chopped onions
crushed garlic
italian herbs
green beans
arborio rice
white wine
stock - made from organic vegan bouillon
frozen peas

king prawns

1.  Sautee onions in olive oil, until nearly soft.
2.  Add crushed garlic, a good pinch of herbs and some chopped green beans.  Stir about a bit.
3.  Add a good handful of arborio rice and stir in the pan until every grain has a light coating of oil.
4.  Chuck in a glassful of white wine, simmer.
5.  Add stock, made up from stock powder and hot water, a ladle at a time, letting it simmer and absorb into the rice.
6.  Heat a tiny amount of olive oil on a griddle pan.
7.  When the rice is just before al dente (ie. just under done, should take about 10 minutes from first addition  of stock) chuck in a handful of frozen peas.
8. Griddle the prawns on the hot pan - a couple, or three, minutes per side (from frozen) should do it.  Should you be lucky enough to have fresh prawns it would only take a minute or so each side.
9.  When risotto is done turn off the heat - it will enjoy resting and soaking up the juices for up to about 10 minutes.
10.  Serve risotto, top with prawns and scoff.

Tonight we had a risotto sceptic, and a prawn sceptic ... but clean plates (and seconds) all round.

Todmorden tapas

Saw some nice looking Manchego in our local well known budget supermarket - it became the inspiration for this.

Potatas bravas
Garlic mushrooms
Garlic proawns and peas
Green salad
(Some pepper and cheese things from a jar)



1.  Peel and chop potatoes into chunks, boil.
2.  Peel and chop 2 red onions.  Sautee in 2 pans, one for the potatoes, one for the mushrooms.
3.  Add butter to the mushroom pan, garlic and chopped mushrooms, cook down.
4.  Add tomatoes, and a pinch of chili flakes to the onions for the potatoes, cook down.
5.  In a third pan, slosh olive oil, and handful of frozen prawns and frozen peas, crushed garlic and chili flakes, with a splosh of white wine.  Leave to sit and cook off hard when everything else is just about done.
6. Add cooked drained potatoes to onions and tomatoes.
7.  Dress green salad leaves with olive oil and lemon juice.

Scoff.

Hot spicy prawns, vegetable stir fry ... more Chinese New Year deliciousness

 Gung Hay Fat Choi ... more Happy Chinese New Year.  Loving it!

I am not practised in chinese cooking, but I do give it a go now and again.  I was proud of tonight's dishes.  The spring rolls were from a chinese supermarket - they should be fried (deep fried or shallow fried is less important) and not baked for good tasty crispiness.

Dip in sweet chili sauce.

Jasmine rice - cooked according to packet instructions.

Spicy prawns

Spring onions
Garlic
Chili Flakes
Peanut oil

Stir fry spring onions in peanut oil.
Add prawns and spices, toss about for a couple of minutes.

Vegetable stir fry

Peanut oil
Spring onion
Celery
Red pepper
Carrots
Courgette
Mushrooms
Garlic
Ginger
Chili flakes
Chinese 5 spice
Chinese rice wine
Rice vinegar
Tomato ketchup
Light soy sauce
Pak choi
Beansprouts
Toasted sesame oil

1.  Prepare all veg and cut into bite sized pieces.
2.  Heat peanut oil in wok.
3.  Add spring onions, then hard veg, then spices, tossing all the time.
4.  Splosh in wine and vinegar - then tomato ketchup and soy sauce to taste.
5.  Just before serving toss in pak choi leaves, beans sprouts and a tiny hint of sesame oil.

I preferred this to the noodles earlier in the week, but both were delicious.

Prawn curry

I am currently emptying the freezer.  There are many prawns in the freezer, because former primary victim is very fond, but rarely cooked, so a backlog has developed.

So what to make which I would enjoy ... prawn curry... treating what some people think is a big treat as a fairly bland protein source.  And, it worked... big style - have had seconds, which I rarely do!

Recipe:

1 leek, chopped
1 tbsp mild olive oil
1 red pepper
Handful of green beans
1 tbsp curry paste (tandoori in this case)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tin tomatoes
prawns (200g ish)

Method:

I defrosted the prawns,  don't suppose it's essential, but it was a ruse to make me use them!

1.  Saute leek in olive oil, add chopped pepper and green beans.
2.  When a little soft add curry paste and garlic and a cup of water - lid in and simmer until veg are softish.
3.  Add tin tomatoes, simmer for another 10 minutes.
4.  Add prawns, and simmer gently until heated through - about 3-4 minutes.
5.  Serve with rice/ naan.

Prawny stir fry with noodles

An interesting day all round.  Victim may have the opportunity of an adventure of a lifetime, but we can't say much yet.  A mate has had an amazing invite to an International trade thingymajig... but not allowed to say anything about that either!  There was a traffic jam on the way to the pool, so swimming training was stalled for the day (only 160 lengths this week.. smug grin).  Then, we were going to go out for dinner, but couldn't decide where to go - and came to the conclusion that it is usually quite disappointing, so opted for a nice spicy prawny treat  instead.  Victim didn't say much - but I think that is mostly down to me insisting on a Corrie overdose rather than a reaction to the dinner - cos it was all eaten.

So, prawny stir fry with noodles:-

Serves 2:  Takes:  about 20ish mins - start to finish - 10 mins cooking time: Approx calories per serving:  395  approx price per serving: £1.90

Ingredients (indicative, not exhaustive - use veg you have available, amounts approximate to say the least)

1 tbsp peanut oil
Vegetables: spring onions, orange pepper, carrot, courgette, mushrooms, green beans, radish, beansprouts
handful of prawns
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger puree
1 finely chopped chili
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp rice wine
2 "cakes" of dried noodles
pinch of sesame seeds

Method:

1. Chop veg, and mince garlic and ginger, finely chop chili.
2. Put water on for noodles, heat peanut oil in large frying pan/wok
3. When the oil is hot chuck all veg in and toss around a bit.  Add garlic, ginger, chili and toss around a bit more.
4. After a couple of minutes add tomato puree, soy sauce and a splash of rice wine - and about half a cup of water.
5. When noodle water boils chuck noodles into it - and chuck prawns into veg (if you are using frozen prawns thaw them out in boiling water first - boil kettle pour onto frozen prawns, swirl about, leave for 30 seconds or so, check they are soft - then chuck into veg).
6. Chuck veg about happily, and a minute or so later add beansprouts.
7. Drain noodles and add to stir fry.
8. Toss energetically, sprinkle on sesame seeds, and more soy sauce if you think it needs it.
9. Scoff

Prawny fried rice

If you have left over boiled rice this is an ideal use - but it's worth making fresh too.  Chop loads of veg - today - spring onion, red pepper, carrot, kholrabi, radish, celery, mushroom.. and fry in peanut (or vegetable) oil at top whack, add crushed garlic, grated ginger and finely chopped chili.  Splash in soy sauce. Keep stirring until cooked, but some bite left.   Add cooked rice, and frozen peas.  Keep stirring for a couple of minutes.  Stir in prawns (if frozen, they need to be thawed first).  Taste - adjust seasoning.  Whisk 3 eggs together - stir rice - and flatten about  a 3 inch circle in the middle section - pour eggs in a shallow layer, into the shallow layer of rice - leave,... leave a bit more, when it starts to set underneath like an omelette - turn into the rice mixture very gently.  Turn gently until egg is cooked and all rice mixture is hot -stir in more soy sauce and rice wine to taste.  You might want to add - soy sauce, chili, oyster sauce, coriander ....  Victim said "yum, yum, bear" ... which is praise indeed around here.

Prawn fried rice

Cooked rice.  Stir fried onion, mushroom, red pepper and celery in peanut oil with garlic, ginger and chili.  Added cooked rice and defrosted prawns.  Stirred some more.  Chucked in handful of frozen peas.  Stirred some more.  Poured in 2 beaten eggs, in a layer so that it set.  Did not stir - let the egg set.  Added soy sauce and rice wine.  After a couple of minutes stirred it all round so that everything mixes in - but not too vigourously, so that some of the bits of egg were recognisable.  Serve, scoff.  Victim approved.

Prawn and pepper risotto

Gently fried chopped onion, runner beans and pepper.  After a couple of minutes added rice and stir until every grain is turned in the oil.  Then added crushed garlic, a pinch of herbs, a tiny pinch of chili flakes and a splash of white wine.  Added stock, a ladle full at a time at first... probably about a pint or so.  Stirred in thawed prawns and frozen peas.  Left on a low heat for about 10 mins until rice is done.  Black pepper to taste, in our case a lot.