Pan fried duck breast with sticky figs and swiss chard

Tags

duck breast, duck breasts, figs, fresh figs, sesame seeds, sticky figs, swiss chard

The fig tree has taken over my tiny garden and  resembles a scene from the film ‘Day of the Triffids!’ With this sudden bountiful crop, I have been eating  a lot of figs; fresh figs, fig jam, roasted figs in honey, caramelised figs with yoghurt, fig tarte tatin.  All delicious but I am now beginning to crave for something savoury…

Sticky figs with duck breast and chard work really well together. The sweet and slightly spicy  flavour of the figs,  with the richness of the duck breast are  rounded off with the earthy mineral taste of the chard. This really gets your tastebuds zinging.

English duck breasts tend to be smaller than the French ‘magret’ style duck breasts which are fatter. So allow 2 duck breasts for 3 persons,or for the French magret I allow 1/2 a duck breast per person. I like to serve the duck breasts pink so that the meat is soft and juicy. The best way to cook duck breasts is to score the fat on the breast with a sharp knife in a criss cross pattern taking care not to cut through the fat into the flesh. Season with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and place skin side down into a cold frying pan then turn up the heat. This allows the excess fat to render down and crispen up the skin. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then turn over and cook for another 3-4 minutes (depending on the size of the duck breasts).Leave to rest for in a warm place for 10 minutes before slicing.

To make the sweet sticky figs. (for 4 people)

6 figs cut in half

1tbsp

sesame seeds Toasted in a frying pan for 1 minute

2tbsp teriyaki marinade or sauce (or 2tbsp soya sauce mixed with 2tsp honey)

Heat a splash of light olive oil in a pan then fry the figs for a couple of minutes on both sides. Add the teriyaki sauce and cook for another minute. Remove from the hat season with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

 

 

Stir Fried Summer Veggies with black bean sauce

Tags

black bean, courgette flowers, foraging, Summer, veggies

I have been away for a few days and with the kids at home from uni the cupboards in my kitchen were  looking rather bare. To tired to trail out to the shops I went in search for some sustenance in the garden. The weeks of toiling in the garden in the spring had paid off. I picked a handful of  sugar snap peas, a few leaves of spinach and some courgette flowers. Within ten minutes I had the makings of a delicious supper.

1 handful of sugar snap peas, spinach, courgette flowers, cherry tomatoes, halved and a couple of broccoli spears

1tbsp black bean sauce

1-2 teaspoons of light olive oil and a little  salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a teaspoon or two of light olive oil in a wok until it starts to smoke. Chop the stems of the broccoli into 1cm pieces then add the peas, broccoli stems and spears to the wok and toss for a couple of minutes in the wok before adding the rest of the vegetables. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and stir fry for another two -three minutes before adding  a tablespoon of black bean sauce. Remove from the heat and mix well so that all the vegetables are coated in the sauce. Serve with a large glass of chilled white wine. Enjoy.

 

Saturday Night Dinner

Tags

Al Fresco, Family Meal, mixed salad, orange gin, Roast Asparagus, Saturday night dinner, sauté potatoes, steak, Summer Berries, Tash is home!

 

Natasha took a quick snap of her plate!

With only 3/4 of the family around we still managed to pull a pretty incredible steak and sauté potatoes out in the garden with a couple of greens snuck in!

To  make the best sauté potatoes like my mother-in-law you to make.

10-12 Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes

8-10    garlic cloves skins on

10-12    sage leaves

A few sprigs of Rosemary

Goose fat or light olive or sunflower oil with a knob of butter

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small dice size pieces.

Heat a large spoonful of goose fat or two spoonfuls of oil with a knob of butter in a large frying pan. When melted, add the potatoes. season with salt and pepper, turn the heat down to a low   and cook for ten minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary toss well and cook slowly for a further 30-40 minutes tossing occasionally till the potatoes are turning golden brown and are cooked through.

Turn the heat up, add the sage and cook for a further 3-4 minutes till the potatoes are crisp.

Check for seasoning and serve.

 

To round off a wonderful meal, what better than a generous helping of summer fruits, macerated in homemade orange gin?!

Mmmm…. Fruity goodness.

Natasha and I are planning on experimenting with savoury macaroons tomorrow as she is home for the weekend, so hold on to the edge of your seats, anything could happen…

Tasty Shepherds Pie with a Twist

Tags

porcini mushrooms, Puy lentils, tasty veggie pie

This is a really tasty Shepherds pie with the twist being that it contains no meat! but don’t let that put  you meat eaters off as the porcini mushrooms and Puy lentils pack quite a punch!

1       onion chopped

4       sticks of celery finely sliced

1       clove garlic peeled and chopped

1       tin tomatoes

1       tomato chopped

1       large carrot chopped

20g   porcini soaked in a cup of boiling water

100g   chestnut mushrooms

60g   Puy lentils

 

1       mashed potato and a little parmesan/cheddar for topping

 

Sweat the onion, celery and carrot in a little oil for 5-10 minutes till they start to soften are soften.

Add the garlic and fry gently for 2-3 minutes then add tomatoes, mushrooms, porcini water and Puy lentils. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until Puy lentils are almost soft (adding a little more water if necessary).

Sauté chestnut mushrooms and add to lentil mixture cook for 5 minutes then season with salt and pepper and a splash of soya sauce.

 

Place in a dish and top with mashed potatoes and cheese (optional) and bake in oven at 190oC till golden brown.

 

 

 

 

Seafood and pasta in the rolling hills of Montalcino

Tags

clams, tuscany

I was in  Tuscany  a couple of weeks ago staying in this incredible castle which had 360 degree views over the rolling hills of Montalcino. There I  and had the most amazing squid pasta with tomato sauce.The squid was delicate yet succulent and was perfectly matched with the tomato sauce which was so scrumptious I could have eaten a bucket of it! I will experiment and get back to you with a recipe.

So thus inspired we had seafood pasta, which despite the lack of the Tuscan hills  in the background,was pretty damn tasty anyway!

For four people

1bulb fennel chopped and reserve any of the fennel fronds for garnish

3   cloves garlic crushed

1tsp dried chilli flakes

4   tomatoes skinned and deseeded or a cup full of cherry tomatoes halved

1tbs  tomato puree

1tbs  unami paste (if available)

2  cups of clams  cleaned

2cups mussels  cleaned

8 large raw prawns peeled

250g spaghetti

Put a large pan of salted water onto boil. Cook spaghetti and drain reserving a cup full of the water.

Whilst the pasta is cooking make the sauce. Finely chop a bulb of fennel and gently sweat in a little olive oil for five minutes. Next add to  garlic, chilli flakes and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and paste with 1/2 cup water or white wine and cook over a high heat for 3 minutes now add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes then add the mussels and clams. Give the pan a good shake and cover for 2-3 minutes till the clams and mussels open. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss well loosening the sauce with a little of the pasta water. Sprinkle over the fennel fronds and serve.

I was in

Dinner for one-Leek and pea risotto

Tags

leeks, mint, peas, risotto

I was on my own last night with not much left in the fridge after the hoards had left after the bank holiday. After a quick look in the fridge and a bit of a forage in the garden I ended up making this very tasty risotto.

For one person you will need:

1    leek washed and sliced

1    large handful frozen peas zest of a lemon and juice of 1/2 lemon

1     large handful risotto rice

1     handful chopped parsley/mint or basil

1/2litre approx.Hot chicken or vegetable stock and a generous splash white wine if available

Gently fry the leek in a little oil until it starts to soften, 9 about 3-4 minutes) then add the rice and stir well so that the oil coats the rice. Add the wine if using it and a cup full of the hot stock, stir well , adding the lemon zest and simmer for another 15 minutes adding more stock when required. When the rice is almost cooked and all the liquid absorbed stir in the peas and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Check the rice is cooked (still with a very slight bite to it)add the herbs and lemon juice. Serve with grated parmesan.

Crusty salmon with mushy mint peas and peppers

Tags

herby crust, mint, peas, Salmon

Friday night supper got back late so needed something quick and tasty. This is so easy and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

For two people

Preheat the oven to 190oc.

Take two salmon fillets and place on a baking tray covered with foil. To make the crusty topping, take a handful of breadcrumbs and add the zest of a lemon (use a cheese grater), a tablespoon of chopped parsley and a little salt and pepper. Drizzle over a little olive oil-just enough so that the crumbs will stick together (about a tablespoonful) but not too much that they become greasy. Mix well then place half of the mixture on top of each salmon fillet and press on firmly. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes till the crumbs are crispy and the salmon is just cooked.

Whilst the salmon is cooking put a pan of water on to boil (for the peas) and slice a red pepper or two into thin strips. Fry the peppers in a little oil for about 5 minutes add a crushed clove of garlic and cook for one more minute and keep warm. Cook the peas for 3 minutes and drain. Blitz the peas in a blender or crush with a potato masher or fork.

Add a generous glug of cream and a tablespoon of chopped mint season with salt and pepper and serve with the salmon and peppers.

Tip. The salmon is great served with a salad if you don’t have time to make the rest and it can be prepared well in advance and cooked at the last minute.

If you are making breadcrumbs make a lot and place in a bag in the freezer so that you can take out a handful whenever you need it.

Crispy Duck Confit

Tags

cloves of garlic, confit, cook book, crispy duck, duck confit, duck leg, duck legs, food, little-miss-super-chef, superchef, teatime., writingtagstakesforever

For a long time I’ve been making confit using Reflets de France tins, and this time I decided to try my hand at making my own. The duck was on a special, 4 quid for 4 legs, a one small tub of duck fat (Gressingham).

Quick basics for confit;

Cover the duck legs in a 2 tablespoons of sea salt crystals, add a bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme. Put this in the fridge for 24 hours.

Take it out and remove ALL the salt,rinse under cold water, pat the legs down with kitchen paper, and place in a dish with 8 cloves of garlic and a tin of duck fat (approx. 400ml). Cook in the oven at 140C for 2hrs 30mins.

Remove the legs from the fat, and put the oven up to 190C, and put the legs in the middle to top of the oven for 20-30 minutes until the skin is crisp.

If you want more details on how to make this (there are a couple of relatively trivial things I have left out so you don’t have to sift through a mountain of text) then leave a comment and I’ll give you a full and detailed recipe.

On a completely separate note, I have finished my book (called ‘A Little More Than Pot Noodle’, surprisingly enough) and I am working on getting it published. I have given a few early copies (made with the iPhoto application) to some people, and have received wonderful feedback on it.

-PS-

Hi guys, Natasha here, (although technically I wrote the entire post with Mum narrating, but let’s just call this a change in perspective) I wanted to let you guys know that I’ve been trying out some of the recipes in the book, and although I’ve made a few of them before, it definitely helped not having to call up to ask for specifics on every little detail!

I’m pretty sure she’s planning on making another one, and if you guys have anything in particular you want to mention (any recipes you have ideas for, or even something you want to get out there) then let us know in the comments.

Unlike Little Mrs SuperChef whose recipes always work out, in the past I’ve ended up making a couple of mistakes while cooking (I am getting better though!) so it helps having a cook book which goes into an obscene amount of detail, which is something I’m going to try and make her do for the next one.

Anyway, I’m going to try being a little less useless at posting on this blog while I’m at Uni, so I’ll talk to you all soon. Off to feed my tea addiction, Bye!

Saturday Night Dinner