Just recuperating after a lovely food-filled Easter. First, leeks vinaigrette and smoked salmon canapes. Next, my mother-in-law and I had a gorgeous bit of halibut poached in lemon and olive oil (everyone else went for lamb) alongside too many different veggies to count. Finally - a gorgeous chocolate mousse, made from scratch.
I woke up this morning with a pained stomach. To be clear, I enjoyed every minute of it - but my stomach was straining under the sheer magnitude of food.
Today, something light and fresh was needed for dinner. And something easy, if you're still a bit sluggish from all the chocolate.
Baked haddock with homemade green olive tapenade and purple sprouting broccoli
(serves 2)
2 large fillets of haddock, skin-on (between 175-200 g each)
1 small carrot
5-6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
1 tin of anchovies in olive oil, drained
10 green olives in brine, drained
zest of 1 small lemon
200 g purple sprouting broccoli
Preheat the oven to 190 C. Combine the carrot, thyme, anchovies, green olives and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until you have an even consistency. Use a pallet knife to spread evenly atop each fillet of fish.
Bake the fish on a foil-lined baking tray for 20 minutes. With 10 minutes left, steam the broccoli.
Serve immediately with a lemon wedge.
Calories: 300. A filling, satisfying and very clean 300 calories. Plenty for me for the rest of the night (though Pete is heading back to the Mars egg even as I type.)
Showing posts with label april recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label april recipes. Show all posts
Monday, 13 April 2009
Sunday, 5 April 2009
april food!
It's a little sparse come April time. I have to admit, I haven't been cooking much. As much as I love leeks, purple sprouting broccoli, and lamb, there are only so many variations and times you can cook it before you give up and reach for the takeaway menu. I'm a little ashamed, actually, as we've been eating out A LOT recently, and it hasn't been top-notch food all the time. (Though some of it was. See Buen Ayre.)
April, UK, nutshell: rosemary, spinach, spring onions, spring lamb, cockles, leeks, kale, watercress, jersey royals.
That's a lot of green and brown.
I just keep reminding myself that... wait for it... wait for it... ASPARAGUS is just 'round the corner.
This month, this is what I'm planning to keep myself busy - and interested - in the kitchen:
• Fish and tapenade: I'm thinking a green olive one, mixed with anchovy, lemon, carrot, and thyme?
• Some basic storecupboard meals: sardine linguine, chilli con carne, green bean and parmesan soup (using frozen green beans)
• Leek risotto, heavy on the leeks: inspired by Nigel Slater.
• Steak with watercress, hazelnut and chilli pesto: as seen in the May issue of the BBC Good Food magazine (which, by the way, has been FAB lately. I'd all but given up on print mags.)
• And so to the spice rack: curried coconut prawns, perhaps?
April, UK, nutshell: rosemary, spinach, spring onions, spring lamb, cockles, leeks, kale, watercress, jersey royals.
That's a lot of green and brown.
I just keep reminding myself that... wait for it... wait for it... ASPARAGUS is just 'round the corner.
This month, this is what I'm planning to keep myself busy - and interested - in the kitchen:
• Fish and tapenade: I'm thinking a green olive one, mixed with anchovy, lemon, carrot, and thyme?
• Some basic storecupboard meals: sardine linguine, chilli con carne, green bean and parmesan soup (using frozen green beans)
• Leek risotto, heavy on the leeks: inspired by Nigel Slater.
• Steak with watercress, hazelnut and chilli pesto: as seen in the May issue of the BBC Good Food magazine (which, by the way, has been FAB lately. I'd all but given up on print mags.)
• And so to the spice rack: curried coconut prawns, perhaps?
Saturday, 5 April 2008
april cometh
It’s spring. Has it sprung? Probably not if you live on my little island. But nonetheless, more brightly-coloured creatures are beginning to be born, be they Spanish strawberries or little pea shoots. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited. I’m sick of root vegetables. They’re brilliant in November, but boring in April.
It’s not all new in April though. We’re still getting carrots and kale, though we can use them with newer ingredients to come up with something wholly seasonal. New herbs are popping up – we’ve been using mint, but rosemary’s coming now too – and there’s spring lamb. One of my springtime goals is to cook more lamb.
It’s about time to turn our heads away from apples as our monthly fruit. I stopped picking up English apples a month or two ago – I’m finding them too mealy and simply not enticing. Golden Delicious and Granny Smith from France have been good friends, but soon we’ll leave them to it while we hang out with the cool berry crowd. And I’m not mentioning rhubarb, simply because I don’t think I’ll ever truly fancy it.
spring lamb
A bit of a lamb novice, I haven't quite gotten my head around buying lamb that's travelled all the way from New Zealand, even if it is tasty. I'd rather go with what's nearby. It may need spicing up, though, as the meat is so new. Use strong flavours and lots of herbs.
Lamb with anchovy and mint is another Nigel Slater triumph. Anchovies are a great way of introducing strong flavours into your food - although they are an oily fish, it doesn't take much. And one fillet is something like 9 calories! So go crazy, use a handful if you like.
spring herbs
Rosemary, wild garlic, mint... these are all fabulous flavours to use this time of year. While wild garlic is really only sourced from a stroll through a field (or a farmer's market), rosemary and mint can be growth from the comfort of your own window box. It's really up to you how you use them. But I think they're best used with the root vegetables that we're still using - carrots, new potatoes, and so on.
spring greens
These first shoots remind us that warmer weather is on the way. Pea shoots and greens, and even the new season of spinach, can be eaten raw and don't need any cooking. In fact, they're probably best raw, in a salad with lemon juice and a dribble of olive oil. If you must cook them, just lightly steam them.
I'm really starting to crave salads again, after a winter of heavier meals. Try a salad of pea shoots, sliced beetroot, fresh French goats cheese and a drizzle of honey. It will taste just so fresh.
strawberries
Like I said, these strawberries aren't from England - yet. But the Spanish variety aren't so bad. I greedily downed a punnet of these a few days ago. And to be honest, I don't think anything should be done with them - save any strawberry recipes for the summer, when there's a glut of them. For now just enjoy biting into this juicy, tongue-pleasing fruit.
Jersey potatoes
The new season of Jersey new potatoes has arrived. Please, please, please don't buy any of those potatoes on the shelf from Israel when we've got these just off shore. Like all the other delicate produce we have in April, these potatoes benefit from less treatment rather than more. Steam them and crush with a fork, adding your favourite herb. Earlier this week I used chopped rosemary and salt - but mint would be amazing as well.
It’s not all new in April though. We’re still getting carrots and kale, though we can use them with newer ingredients to come up with something wholly seasonal. New herbs are popping up – we’ve been using mint, but rosemary’s coming now too – and there’s spring lamb. One of my springtime goals is to cook more lamb.
It’s about time to turn our heads away from apples as our monthly fruit. I stopped picking up English apples a month or two ago – I’m finding them too mealy and simply not enticing. Golden Delicious and Granny Smith from France have been good friends, but soon we’ll leave them to it while we hang out with the cool berry crowd. And I’m not mentioning rhubarb, simply because I don’t think I’ll ever truly fancy it.
spring lamb
A bit of a lamb novice, I haven't quite gotten my head around buying lamb that's travelled all the way from New Zealand, even if it is tasty. I'd rather go with what's nearby. It may need spicing up, though, as the meat is so new. Use strong flavours and lots of herbs.
Lamb with anchovy and mint is another Nigel Slater triumph. Anchovies are a great way of introducing strong flavours into your food - although they are an oily fish, it doesn't take much. And one fillet is something like 9 calories! So go crazy, use a handful if you like.
spring herbs
Rosemary, wild garlic, mint... these are all fabulous flavours to use this time of year. While wild garlic is really only sourced from a stroll through a field (or a farmer's market), rosemary and mint can be growth from the comfort of your own window box. It's really up to you how you use them. But I think they're best used with the root vegetables that we're still using - carrots, new potatoes, and so on.
spring greens
These first shoots remind us that warmer weather is on the way. Pea shoots and greens, and even the new season of spinach, can be eaten raw and don't need any cooking. In fact, they're probably best raw, in a salad with lemon juice and a dribble of olive oil. If you must cook them, just lightly steam them.
I'm really starting to crave salads again, after a winter of heavier meals. Try a salad of pea shoots, sliced beetroot, fresh French goats cheese and a drizzle of honey. It will taste just so fresh.
strawberries
Like I said, these strawberries aren't from England - yet. But the Spanish variety aren't so bad. I greedily downed a punnet of these a few days ago. And to be honest, I don't think anything should be done with them - save any strawberry recipes for the summer, when there's a glut of them. For now just enjoy biting into this juicy, tongue-pleasing fruit.
Jersey potatoes
The new season of Jersey new potatoes has arrived. Please, please, please don't buy any of those potatoes on the shelf from Israel when we've got these just off shore. Like all the other delicate produce we have in April, these potatoes benefit from less treatment rather than more. Steam them and crush with a fork, adding your favourite herb. Earlier this week I used chopped rosemary and salt - but mint would be amazing as well.
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