Dinner: 27/05

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Whilst lolling about in a friends kitchen recently, I sauntered past an open cookbook. It was one of Jamie Oliver's, open on the page below; and on the page were scallops, asparagus and lentils- displayed together with a glossy full page photo.

I adore lentils. I love how comforting they are, and so rich in flavour, even when just boiled with pepper. I could only imagine how this would be intensified by the pancetta and asparagus.
I also love scallops, but couldn't imagine such a delicate meat combined with an otherwise heavy and robust combination of ingredients.

I waited for two long weeks before the opportunity to try it presented itself, and when it did, it entirely lived up to my expectations- warming and hearty. The bay and sage leaves really make this recipe, so if you try it (and I suggest you do) please don't leave them out!



Ingredients:

■10 1/2 Puy lentils
■1 bay leaf (dried ok)
■2 cloves of garlic
■1 potato, peeled
■1 tomato
■a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
■herb or red wine vinegar
■good-quality extra virgin olive oil
■sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
■5 heaped tbsp creme fraiche or thick, natural plain yogurt (full fat yogurt worked great)
■juice of 1 lemon
■2 handfuls of asparagus
■12 slices of pancetta or bacon (I vote for pancetta!)
■olive oil
■12 large or 16 small scallops, shelled and trimmed (large worked better for me)
■24 sage leaves

Instructions:

In a saucepan, cover the lentils with water and, to give them great flavor, add the bay leaf, garlic cloves, potato and tomato. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20-25 minutes (topping up with water if necessary) until the lentils are tender but holding their shape (i.e. not mushy). Drain off 90% of the water, discard the bay leaf, tomato skin and garlic skin and mash the potato, tomato and garlic into the lentils with a fork. Add the parsley and around 2 tbsp of vinegar and 4 tbsp of olive oil. Mix into the lentils and season carefully to taste.

Season the creme fraiche or yogurt with salt, pepper and just enough lemon juice to give it a twang – the juice of 1 lemon will probably be enough.

Trim the asparagus to remove fibrous ends. Drizzle a little olive oil into a pan, and fry the pancetta or bacon until crisp and golden brown. Remove and place into a separate platter. Add asparagus into the ‘pancetta pan’ along with seasoned scallops and cook over a high heat until the scallops are golden on both sides. Remove these to the platter too. Finally drizzle int a little more olive oil and lay in your sage leaves. Fry on both sides for 40 seconds or so until crisp and remove to the platter.

Plate with lentils at the bottom, topped with scallops, pancetta, asparagus, sage and a dollop of yogurt.

Try it and enjoy!

xxx

Dinner: Trout with Cream

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My family are very fortunate to have a friend who goes trout fishing. Sometimes he palms a couple off on us to free up space (for more fishing... It's a mutually beneficial arrangement.)
So this Sunday, my Papa cooked the trout with mussels and prawns in a creamy dill sauce. He did a great job of it and it was really beautiful- so I though I'd share the recipe. As I was eating with my family, this serves the traditional four.



Trout with Mussels and Prawns


Sautee 12 button mushrooms until brown and set aside. Put one chopped shallot, some garlic and 250ml white wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the hat to low and add some mussels and a pack of prawns. Simmer for 4 minutes until the prawns turn pink.

Lay the 2 trout fillets in a dish and place in a preheated oven and cover with the strained juices. Sprinkle with the mushrooms. Cover with foil and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven and add the shellfish. Cover to keep warm.

To make the Beurre Manie, mash together butter and 15 g flour together to make a thick paste. To make into a sauce, pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan, adding small amounts of the beurre Manie at a time, whisking constantly. Continue until the sauce is thick and shiny.

Stir in 250ml double cream and boil until the sauce has reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the mussels and prawns and warm through. At this point my Papa added plenty of chopped dill. This kind of made the sauce, so don't forget it!

Transfer the trout to plates and top with the shellfish and sauce.

Thankyou Papa, for a lovely dinner! We had four fat little trouts in total so I'll be following up this post with another- on what to do with the leftovers... Drop back soon

x

Dinner 29.12.2010

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So last night I had dinner with my friend Aleks. We like to cook with a fishy theme, so after squid stews and salmon en croutes, I decided to go for the King of all fish dishes- a classic fish pie.
I particularly like this recipe as (Aleks look away) its so easy to do. There is no blanching, poaching, frying etc. It's a genuine one pot dish. Throw in the onions and broccoli alongside the prawns, salmon and cod and you're good to go.
I also made a massive wholegrain loaf to accompany it. Well... To be honest, I made the bread first and planned the fish pie entirely around that... As, unless you're a carb-o-phobe, fish pie is so much better with chunks of bread. Talking of carbs and the like... I have plenty of low fat, healthy versions- but like low fat cakes- they just aren't the same.

The pudding is another incredibly simple recipe. Puff pastry rolled with marzipan and topped with sliced nectarines, blueberries and a fruit glaze... It's actually one of my favourite desserts!

Thanks Aleks- for the Prosecco, clean and well stocked kitchen, squid themed movies and a lovely evening :)

x