Recipe: Traditional Monkfish Casserole (Sopa de Rape)

There are no monks in my band

We love monkfish (or rape in Spanish), even though the little blighters can be tricky to get hold of, as it is quite unconventional. It is worth persevering for a dish of this sort, as there are very few fish which are robust enough to be stewed without disintegrating. If you are not familiar with monkfish, it is firm and meaty, as opposed to cod or haddock. The texture is similar to large prawns. It is simply delicious and a joy to cook with.

Monkfish, unfortunately, is not cheap (at least in the UK). As an alternative, you could substitute the fish for prawns (shrimp) or even use haddock or cod, but add it five minutes towards the end. However, just to reiterate, it is worth the time and cost to preserve the traditional aspects of this dish.

Ingredients

• 500g Monkfish fillets, cut into bitesized pieces
• 2 Medium potatoes, diced
• 1 Medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 125g Long sweet red pepper (we used a combination of Spanish Pimiento and Romano)
• 125g Vine ripened tomatoes
• 150ml Fish stock
• 150ml Dry white wine
• 3 tbsp Plain flour
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar will do)
• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp Salt, plus extra for adjusting the seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Chopped parsley
• 2 Hard boiled eggs, sliced

Method

1. Cut the red peppers in half lengthways and remove the stalk and seeds. Place under a grill on a high heat for 8 minutes until the skin darkens a little and begins to blister. Remove from the heat and cut into long thin strips.
2. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds and dunk into ice water. Score the skin remove from the flesh. Discard the skin, chop the flesh coarsely and leave to one side.
3. Add the flour to a mixing bowl with the salt, pepper and cinnamon.
4. Add the monkfish pieces to the flour and mix until they have an even coating.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pan and add the fish. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove and set to one side for later.
6. Add the remainder of the oil to the pan with the onion and garlic. Cook on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.
7. Turn the heat up, add the potatoes and cook until they begin to brown and then turn back down to a medium to low heat.
8. Add 2/3 of the red peppers to the potatoes and pour in the wine, stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer, place a lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
9. Add the tomatoes and fish to the pan, replace the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.
10. Transfer the casserole to a suitable serving bowl. Scatter over the remaining peppers, then the egg slices and finally sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with a green salad mixed with thinly sliced red onion, dressed with a red wine vinaigrette.

We should add, it is worth googling monkfish, so that you can familiarise yourself with its appearance. We have not included a picture as it is probably the most ugly fish in the sea. I guess beauty does come from within.

Wine Paring

Planalto Douro White Reserva 2009 (£6.99 from Majestic) A crisp and fresh aromatic white wine from Portugal with a subtle zest that compliments the tomatoes in the dish and allowing the meaty fish to stand proud.

Gyokai Udon, Mixed seafood with Japanese style noodles

If U-don know me by now

My Sunday food request to Keith was fat noodles, squid, scallops and king prawns, and he came up with a beautifully colourful and scrumptious Japanese dish.  It is inspired by the Ekachai, a local restaurant in the City.  There's quite a kick to this meal, so if you prefer your food a little less spicy then de-seed the chillies or exclude the flakes.  We have blogged about tough octopus before and its “cousin” the squid is no different.  In the past, I have tenderised squid by marinading it in olive oil and lemon for a couple of hours before barbecuing, but Keith's method below works better if you are time constrained.

Ingredients

• 125g fresh squid, cleaned and heads removed
• 60g prawns, peeled and de-veined
• 60g small scallops
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp groundnut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 fresh red chilli, chopped
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 star anise, smashed
• 1 small carrot shredded into long strips (I used a potato peeler to do this)
• 40g broccoli tips
• 1 red onion, sliced in rings
• 50g pak choi (we used white cabbage), chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander, chopped
• Soy sauce to taste.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 110C. Put the squid into an oven proof dish. Smash the star anise with a pestle and mortar and add to the squid with the garlic. Drizzle over 2 tbsp of the groundnut oil and 1 tsp of sesame oil, a good dash of soy sauce and place in the oven for 40 minutes to slow cook until tender.
2. Reserve the squid and save the cooking juices.
3. Heat a wok or frying pan. Add saved juices and then the prawns and scallops. Fry for 3 minutes until the prawns are pink and the scallops begin to brown. Remove from the heat and set to one side.
4. Heat the wok with 1 tbsp of groundnut oil. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 5 minutes until tender but retaining some crispness. Add a little soy sauce to season.
5. Whilst the vegetables are cooking, prepare the udon noodles according to the packet instructions. Stir in the the rest of the sesame oil and some soy sauce at the end.
6. Add the seafood to the vegetables and heat through.
7. Serve the noodles in a bowl with the vegetable and seafood on top.
8. Sprinkle the coriander on top and serve with a lemon wedge

Japanese cooking can be extremely lean and our recipe is no exception.  Both sesame and groundnut oil are good oils, plus seafood is a particularly excellent source of protein.

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Review: Manna, in Primrose Hill, London a Vegetarian Delight

And in a manna of speakin'

Every January Keith and I embark upon a month of detoxing.  Some years we are quite good at the detox, other years we stumble trough with blips along the way, lucky to make it to February.  However, every year we try.  Three years ago we happened upon a vegetarian restaurant, Manna in Primrose Hill, which complimented the dietary requirements of our temporary lifestyle.  We were so impressed with Manna it has stayed in our minds ever since.  Thus, for this year's detox we decided we had to go back to blog about this wonderful restaurant.  We have long passed poo-pooing vegetarian dishes.  As a teenager and probably into our early twenties it was considered improper to dine with meat eaters and select a vegetarian dish.  In fact this week when we told friends we were having dinner at a vegetarian restaurant, they were confused about why we would ever go in the first place.

Within seconds of entering Manna it is clear it has aesthetic appeal. The decor is reminiscent of the outdoors and nature and yet there is an elegance that you would expect from an eatery in Primrose Hill. I felt relaxed. It felt like home.  Surprisingly, despite being the second Saturday in January, nearly every table was taken.  Manna's popularity had not diminished over the last three years.

We were not allowed to drink wine unfortunately.  Instead we ordered two mocktails. They were so refreshing, both were drunk in about ten minutes. We would have probably preferred them in highballs and to charge extra as they were so zingy and thirst quenching. One was simply not enough, especially when nibbling on the wonderful basket of homemade breads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  We took a cursory glance at the wine list and there was a reasonable range of medium bodied red wines and refreshing, light acidic white wines.  We did spy a Chateauneuf du Pape (2006) which was about the heaviest wine on the menu.  It was priced at a steep ninety pounds.  If you are interested in organic wines, you will not be disappointed.

For our starters I ordered crisped ravioli and Keith chose bonda and ragada, which was an original selection of spicy potato cakes. My ravioli consisted of three crispy, crescent shaped parcels of field mushroom and walnut pâté.  The crisp ravioli was served with a fennel cream sauce and sundried tomato pesto. There was a number of very powerful and competing flavours in this dish.  However, the aromatic nature of the fennel was toned down by the cream, but equally was strong enough to stand beside the intensity of the field mushroom and nutty flavour of the walnut pâté.  I was very impressed with Keith's moist spicy potato cake starter.  Bonda is a deep fried potato snack in a gram flour batter, whilst regada is a smoky almond pattie with an amazing blend of ethnic spices including cumin, turmeric and garam masala, which together are surprisingly subtle.  Again the accompanying mustard pear and mint coriander chutneys could have been too overpowering but instead the fruity, sweetness and refreshing mint were harmonious to the overall dish.  My favourite touch was the sprinkle of bombay mix, which gave the starter bite and crunch.

For mains Keith picked enchilladas and I chose the leak and mushroom risotto strudel. Both were unexpectedly generous portion sizes.  Keith's enchiladas had a soft creamy texture.  It was filled with spinach, bortolli beans, sweet potato and cheese.  It was accompanied by brown rice, guacamole and a crunchy vibrant, pepper salsa.  My leak and mushroom risotto strudel, served with kale was amazing. The crunchy, flaky pastry enveloped the rich, rustic risotto in a cylinder parcel, and the rich dark, truffle gravy flowed around the strudel providing an added dimension.

 

As we waited for dessert, we ordered two decaffeinated lattes, which turned out to be a big mistake.  If you are not used to soya milk you may find it highly unsatisfying. As for the decaffeinated selection, well that was just plain stupid on our part.   

The table service was attentive, but not obtrusive.  We noticed that our waitress changed through the evening several times. However, there was never a dip in the level of service.  It seemed as if any of the waiters were willing to pitch in and help where necessary.  The bar tender made the mocktails with diligence and care.  Even though we were essentially drinking juice, he mixed them with the same attention you would have expected when preparing an alcoholic cocktail.

The dessert was the satisfying punch line to Manna. What a delight! We had seen slabs of pudding being served which through eavesdropping we discovered was a light tiramasu cheesecake topped with a ball of almond ice cream and served with a chocolate, cointreau sauce. That was Keith sorted. It did not go unnoticed that Keith only shared one spoon of pudding with me.  Meanwhile, I grew weak for the manna fruit crumble and ice cream.  The first outer thick layer was crumbly and crunchy, whilst the fruit strata of stewed apple was piping hot and spicy. My vanilla ice cream was rich, creamy and thick. I love the contrast of hot and cold.

In between the starter and main courses, Keith whispered to me in a hushed voice, "do you think there are any meat eaters here?" as if he was an Arsenal supporter sitting in the West Ham stands of a football match. With equal trepidation I furtively scanned the room. There was a gentleman with a tight curly mop of hair that was far too long as well as another guy wearing a tunic style top. "A few" I whispered back "but I think they've also built their reputation on serving really tasty food." This is a statement which I still stand behind, as I believe this is the key to Manna's success. 

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Recipe: Lebanese inspired stuffed chicken

I like spicy chicken

The problem with chicken is that Keith and I often feel there are very few new ways to cook it.  We have tried to re-create an original dish we had at a Lebanese restaurant many years ago.  Whilst our offering is not quite the dish we ate that night, at dinner today we thoroughly enjoyed this lean, but tasty Middle-Eastern inspired dish.  It had amazing texture from the rice, pine nuts, apricots and sultanas. 

You can use leftover rice as the stuffing, but be careful of its shelf life.  Cooked rice should only be kept for three days maximum.  When you cut the pouches for the chicken ensure you use a very sharp knife. Make a small incision and then carefully slice from there.  We also recommend, as with all stuffed chicken dishes, to double-check the meat is cooked all the way through.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 50g cooked rice
• 25g dried apricots, chopped
• 25g sultanas, chopped
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• pinch all spice
• pinch cinnamon
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. Mix 1 tbsp of the oil with the honey, lemon juice and curry powder in a small bowl.
2. Take each of the chicken breasts and with a small sharp knife cut a slit in the side to form a pouch.
3. Put the chicken into a shallow dish and pour the oil and honey mixture over it ensuring its covered well.
4. Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan. Mix in a bowl with the rice, sultanas, apricots, all spice and cinnamon.
5. Carefully fill the chicken pouches with the rice mixture. Close the pouches and secure using a cocktail stick.
6. On a medium heat, add the remainder of the oil to a frying pan and cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side until golden brown.
7. Place in a pre-heated oven (Gas Mark 5 or 200C) for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Serve with middle-eastern styled roasted vegetables.  Our accompaniment includes aubergine, butternut squash, courgettes, chickpeas and tomatoes.  Don't forget to remove the cocktail sticks before serving.

Related Posts:

• Chicken Stuffed with Pesto Wrapped in Prosciutto served on a bed of tagliatelle
• Peruvian inspired Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Toasted Pine Nuts
• Ají de Gallina, a traditional Peruvian chicken dish

Recipe: Pearl barley risotto with chicken and mushrooms

Upon the fields of barley

When we dined at Texture in November, we had an unforgettable cod and barley risotto courtesy of Michelin Starred Chef Aggi Sverrisson.  We have not been able to get it out of our minds and I have become obsessed with trying to re-create it.  However, taking baby steps we decided to attempt a very simple traditional risotto recipe, with the exception of using arborio rice.  The tiny baubles of barley are perfect if you prefer your foods al dente.  Barley is quite firm and the robust textures leaves you feeling intensely satisfied.

Since January is health kick month, you will find this a great low GI recipe, which compared to rice is a preferable option in terms of regulating hunger and your energy levels.  It therefore make a great, easy weekend cheat-treat. We have more experimental ideas that we are eager to try out with barley.  Watch this space.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 150g uncooked pearl barley
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 600ml Chicken stock
• 175 ml glass of dry vermouth
• 200g chicken breast
• 100g mushrooms
• 40g grated parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut the chicken breast into small pieces and cook in a frying pan with 1 tbsp of the olive oil for 6 minutes until browned. Season and leave to one side.
2. Roughly chop the mushrooms (not too fine and not too chunky) and fry for 3 minutes until cooked.
3. On a medium to low heat, add 1 tbsp of the olive oil into a good sized saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry gently for about 5 minutes until it becomes soft and aromatic.
4. Add the barley straight to the pan with the vermouth and stir for about a minute.
5. Add one ladle full of the stock to the barley and give it a good stir. As the mixture becomes a little drier, use the ladle to add more stock. Keep repeating until the stock has all gone, expect this to take up to about 30 minutes and you should have a nice creamy risotto.
6. Stir in the cooked chicken and mushrooms, the parmesan, chopped chives and serve immediately.

Related posts:

• Review: Texture - A Luxurious Guilt Free Michelin Starred Experience
• Peruvian inspired Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Toasted Pine Nuts
• Ten (somewhat) Easy Weight loss Tips

Peruvian inspired Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Toasted Pine Nuts

Where the road runs down but the butternut grove...

Quinoa And Butternut Squash

It is very rare that either Keith or I totally give up and stop eating a food because we can not stomach the taste.  However, the first time we attempted to prepare quinoa ourselves, we threw in the towel after two or three mouthfuls.  It was that bad!  Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a seed, indigenous to South America.  You can find it amongst the barley, wheat, nuts and other cereals in your supermarket readily nowadays. There are two reasons why we persevered with cooking quinoa.  Firstly, when Keith's culinary mother from Peru prepares quinoa, it tastes delicious with its fluffy texture, nutty flavour and soft crunch.  Therefore, we concluded we must be buffoons and doing something wrong.  It turned out, you need to thoroughly wash the quinoa to remove the resin-like coating, which will otherwise make your beautiful dish taste bitter.  Secondly, quinoa is uber-healthy and has been recognised by the United Nations as a supercrop.  It is gluten free, rich in protein and high in minerals.  If it was good enough for the Incas when they built Machu Picchu, then it is good enough for us.

The below recipe was inspired by Keith's Peruvian mother.  We used butternut squash as it is in season at the moment.  Although, you could use other sweet meaty gourds like pumpkin if you desired.  He allowed the quinoa and vegetable to be fully drowned in stock and have all the wonderful flavours absorbed. 

Ingredients

• 100g quinoa
• 1/2 of a small butternut squash cut into 1.5cm cubes (about 280g)
• 1 echalion shallot, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6 (about 200C of 400F).
2. Toss butternut squash with 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, in an oven-proof dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
3. Rinse quinoa well in a sieve and allow to drain.
4. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and fry shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften slightly.
5. Add the quinoa and cook on a low heat until it has dried out and you start to smell a light toasty aroma.
6. Add the squash along with the thyme and vegetable stock. Reduce to a low heat and cover.
7. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until all the liquid has been is absorbed.
8. Stir in the coriander, lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice if needed.
9. Serve with toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top.

Keith served his butternut squash quinoa with grilled marinated chicken (as prepared for the Kebachelor). 

In the coming weeks, we are intending on preparing healthy, low fat dishes packed with flavour, seasonal herbs and vegetables.  We have a break with friends shortly and there will be a hot tub there folks.  Can you imagine our fear?  If you are having similar night terrors and sweats due to an impending break, watch our blog and join the journey to a svelte figure (or possibly what will end up being a week of sucking in one's roundy belly).

Related posts:

• Recipe: Aji de Gallina, a traditional Peruvian chicken dish
• The Kebachelor – The Ultimate Chicken and Falafel Kebab

Recipe: The Kebachelor - The Ultimate Chicken and Falafel Kebab

Eating a fresh kebab and I want it

Today was supposed to be my third Christmas celebration and therefore another night where hubby was left manning the fort. Unfortunately, due to work my Christmas Party aspirations were cruelly snatched from me. Keith meanwhile was planning a manly bachelor dinner, which involved a kebab, beer and electric guitar. We normally have a kebab on a Friday night after a hard week's work. There are two reasons for this:
1) It's both naughty and nice
2) It is one of those foods (like steak, burger etc) which are guaranteed to get the food nod*.

Another reason why this is spot on the money is because you can make this as evil as you want (mayo, cheese, bacon, beef) or as healthy as you want (marinated chicken, falafel, salad, chilli sauce, low fat mayo). As it's so near to Christmas and therefore the waistline is taking a beating, Keith chose the latter. Still impressive though, no?

The underlying theme was to keep it Turkish inspired, so its packed with flavours and texture; nutty sesame, refreshing cucumber, spicy chilli, parsley.
A final word, this meal tricks people into thinking they are eating naughty.

Constructing the kebab

Ingredients 

• 2 large chicken breasts cut into 2cm cubes
• 6 falafel balls (not more than 2 1/2cm in diameter each)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 large tortilla wraps
• Chilli sauce
• 2 handfuls of shredded lettuce
• 2 tbsp of tabouleh (see recipe below) –  can be substituted for a number salad leaves and herbs
• 1 tbsp tzatziki (see recipe below) –  can be substituted for garlic dressing
• 1 tbsp carrot with tahini sauce (see recipe below) –  you can add shredded carrot with some houmous

Method

1. Add chicken breast pieces into a bowl with olive oil, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice, salt and stir well until all the chicken is evenly coated. Leave covered with cling film in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
2. Place the marinated chicken pieces onto 2 skewers and cook using a griddle, barbecue or in our case a Foreman grill for around 12 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
3. Place the falalfel under a conventional grill to heat for 5 to 8 minutes turning occasionally until they are just crisp and beginning to sizzle.
4. Heat a tortilla wrap in the microwave on full for 40 seconds and place it onto the clean surface to construct the kebab.
5. Place the lettuce on the bottom and then add the meat from one of the skewers with three falafel balls and a squeeze of chilli sauce.
6. Spoon 2 tbsp of the tabouleh and one each of the tzatziki and carrot with tahini on top.
7. Fold in the sides of the wrap and roll to completely encase the filling.
8. Cut in half to reveal the goodness inside and serve on a plate.

Simple tabouleh

Ingreidients

• 3 tbsp Chopped Parsley
• 1 tbsp Chopped Mint
• 2 tbsp Bulgar wheat
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• A small wedge of lemon
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Soak the bulgar wheat with 3 tbsp of hot water for 5 minutes
2. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Simple Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 4cm piece of cucumber
• 3 tbsp of low fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic
• Juice from 1 small lemon wedge
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut cucumber lengthways and remove the soft centre part with the seeds.
2. Finely chop the remainder and add to a bowl.
3. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well.

Carrot and tahini sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vinegar
• Juice from 1 small lemon wedge
• 1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 small carrot, grated

Method

1. Add all the ingredients except carrot into a bowl and stir into a smooth emulsion.
2. Add the carrot and mix until evenly coated.

* for those of you who don't know, the “food nod” is that moment after taking that first bite of your meal and turning to your dining companions with a nod in agreement that the spot is definitely being hit.