Crab, mango, basil and cilantro noodle salad

August 29, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is a recipe from the wonderful British food magazine called “Delicious”. This is so easy to throw together and no cooking other than boiling a kettle!

Serves 4
8 oz ribbon rice noodles (Thai Taste is a good brand)
1 large very ripe mango
A large bunch fresh Thai basil or regular basil
A large bunch fresh cilantro (coriander)
4 oz fresh white crabmeat
4 tbsp salted peanuts
Dressing
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
Juice 1 lime, plus wedges to serve

Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Put the noodles in a large bowl ans cover with plenty of freshly boiling water. Leave for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Drain, then rinse under warm water to remove the starch. Drain and set aside in the bowl.
For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl. Slice the “cheeks” off the mango, score the flesh into slim wedges, then scoop them out, discarding the skins.
Chop the herbs, setting aside a few whole leaves. Toss the chopped herbs through the noodles with the mango, crabmeat and dressing, then divide among the plates. Chop the peanuts, then scatter over the noodles with the reserved herbs.

Serve with lime wedges and sliced chile if you like.

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Fish

Easy smoked salmon pate

July 14, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Such a lovely pate and gorgeous to start a meal with a crisp glass of dry white wine.Serve with toasted thinly sliced white bread or oatcakes.

Serves 6 to 8
4 oz butter
8 oz smoked salmon, preferably wild
salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 pint (150 mls) heavy cream, lightly whipped
chopped fresh chives and extra smoked salmon for garnish

Put the butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted. Leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Place the smoked salmon in a blender or food processor. With the machine running, pour in the melted butter and mix until the salmon is a smooth paste. Remove the mixture from the bowl, season to taste, then stir in the lemon juice and lightly whipped cream.
Spoon the pate into a serving dish and garnish with chopped chives and smoked salmon. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Appetizers · Gluten Free · Meat

Glazed chorizo with figs

June 14, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

This dark, gooey, sweet, spicy mixture is rich and sumptuous and a great dish for a starter with some toasted bread slices.
You don’t need much and it definitely has the “wow” factor in flavor.

Serves 6 to 8
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. Spanish chorizo, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, sliced lengthwise
2/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup good liquid honey
1 1/2 cup dried figs, trimmed and quartered
1 stick cinnamon
3/4 tsp. whole cloves

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and chorizo and stir for about four minutes, until the garlic and onion is soft and starting to brown.
Add the honey and stir vigorously for approximately 30 seconds, being sure to coat all the ingredients.
Add the wine, vinegar, dried figs, cinnamon and cloves. Heat to a simmer and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and created a glaze for the chorizo and figs.
Serve immediately, or let cool and reheat for serving.

Appetizers · Gluten Free

Salami chips with sour cream and basil

June 6, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

Last night we had close friends for dinner and I made these as an hors d’oeuvres with drinks. They were super.
The recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis.

Our starter was “Papaya,avocado and prawn salad with a Raratongan curry mayonnaise” followed by “Garlic studded beef pot roast”, both of these recipes being on my blog. I highly recommend them as they are always highly successful and foolproof for a casual dinner party.

Salami chips with sour cream and basil

The crispy salami slices turn into a bacony bite and the cool sour cream and fragrant basil is a lovely contrast.
Makes 24, but beware they go fast.

24 thin slices Italian dry Genoa salami (about 4 ounces) Pre-sliced is okay.
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange the salami in a single layer over the baking sheets.
Bake until the salami slices are amber brown, watching closely to ensure they brown evenly, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the salami crisps to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to absorb the excess oil. Set aside to cool.
Spoon a dollop of sour cream on top of each salami crisp. Sprinkle the basil over and serve.

Do-Ahead Tip: The salami crisps can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in airtight containers and keep at room temperature. How easy its that!

Appetizers · Fish · Gluten Free · Salad

Asparagus and crab salad

May 25, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

This makes a light and gorgeous start to a casual dinner party or even an “al fresco” dinner.

20 asparagus spears, trimmed
2 oz baby arugula leaves
4 oz white crab meat

For the dressing
3 tbsp creme fraiche
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
juice ½ lime
brown crab meat, if you have it, but it’s not crucial to the recipe, rather more luxurious!
olive oil, for drizzling

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 2 mins until just cooked.
Drain, tip into iced water to refresh and drain again. Cut each spear on the angle into 2-3 pieces.

For the dressing
Mix all the ingredients together with some brown crab meat, if you have it.
Toss the asparagus through the dressing, then build a nest of asparagus spears on plates.
Place some white crab meat in the center of each nest, top with a small bundle of rocket.
Drizzle everything with a little olive oil before serving.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Fruit · Gluten Free · Salad

Strawberries with mozzarella and mint pesto drizzle

May 20, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

I had this in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago and managed to figure out what was in it and work out a recipe.
It’s such a lovely idea to use sweet strawberries rather than tomatoes with the mint pesto and mozzarella, especially as strawberries go so well with balsamic vinegar dressing as well.

1 lb sweet strawberries, sliced
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 clove garlic
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (1/2 tsp for each serving)

In a bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Cover and set aside.
For the mint pesto drizzle, in a food processor combine the olive oil, mint leaves sliced almonds, Parmesan cheese and garlic.
Divide the mozzarella and place the slices (overlapping) on each serving plate. Spoon ½ cup sugared strawberries around and on cheese.
Spoon ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mint pesto drizzle over cheese and strawberries on each plate. Garnish with mint leaves.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Roasted peppers with basil, olives, scallions, feta & toasted almonds

April 1, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Roasted peppers with basil, olives, scallions, feta and toasted almonds

This is one of the most popular appetizers I serve at home. The recipe started out as one from Nigella Lawson and each time I made it I added ingredients and this is the culmination. It is absolutely divine and is a real taste – tickler!

Serves 4 but is easily augmented.
4 good sized red peppers
a good handful fresh basil leaves
4 – 5 scallions or 1 bunch if you like a lot of scallions, sliced across in 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthways
One 7oz block Greek feta cheese
1/3 cup slivered almonds (the ones with the skins showing at the edges)
Good balsamic vinegar
Good extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

There are two short stages at the beginning which are easy, but important.
1/ About 4 – 5 hours before you want to serve this dish, (or the day before) put your four red peppers over each gas burner turned on full and leave on there until they get nice and black.
Turn them, using kitchen tongs and let the entire skin get good and charred, then either put them in a large glass bowl and immediately cover with cling film and set aside, or get three paper supermarket bags inside each other and put them in there, fold over the top and clip the top shut so it’s well sealed. Leave the peppers for a couple of hours to steam, then the skins will come off really easily, revealing sweet red flesh underneath.
With a tap running, (for your hands, NOT the peppers) remove the charred skin, which should just fall off. Remove the stem and the seeds inside and put the peppers into a colander to drain.
Slice the peppers into long strips, about 1/3 to 1/2″ wide and put them into a shallow serving dish.

2/ Preheat the oven to 400F
Put the almonds on a shallow baking tray and toast until starting to brown, this could take about 10 minutes or more, but keep watching them in case they burn. Set aside until cool. (You can always do as many almonds as you like, and freeze what you don’t need, ready for the next time you make the dish)

Okay, so now the assembly part, and this is a doddle!

To the pepper strips in the shallow serving dish, add the chopped scallions, the olives and the finely sliced basil leaves. Season liberally with salt and pepper and sprinkle a good amount of balsamic vinegar over it. Add about 3 tbsp olive oil and toss the mixture until well coated. taste for seasoning, adding more balsamic or salt if needed.
Crumble up the feta cheese and sprinkle over the dish, then sprinkle a little more balsamic over the feta in decorative streams. Sprinkle a good amount of toasted almonds over the feta.
And you have a really lovely , complex flavored appetizer that people can eat with a small fork.
It is better to bring it to room temperature before serving if you are making the dish in advance, which , by the way, can be done up to 2 days before and will last a good 3 days in the fridge if there are any leftovers.

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Appetizers · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free

The classic British shrimp cocktail sauce

March 30, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

I can hear some of you saying “Huh? Why a recipe for this?” Well, having lived in the US for 17 years, I feel the need to post this recipe, as a shrimp cocktail sauce here is a very acidic, tomato sauce, rather than the smooth, creamy, tangy sauce I was brought up with in New Zealand and the UK. Do try this very easy recipe, and simply boil a bunch of good sized shrimp in advance until just cooked, leave to cool and serve with this divine sauce and some shredded lettuce or curly lettuce underneath.

Serves 6

Cocktail sauce ingredients
1 cup of best quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
2 tsp Worcester sauce
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 or 2 drops of hot sauce
2lbs cooked medium sized shrimp, peeled and tails intact as it’s easier to pick them up.
lettuce shredded or curly lettuce like frisee and lemon wedges for serving

For the cocktail sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Toss in the shrimp and toss around in the sauce till they are coated.
Arrange the shredded lettuce in attractive glass dishes and put a pile of the sauced shrimp on top of the lettuce.
Garnish with a dusting of paprika and a wedge of lemon.

There! Now I feel better already!