Roasted salmon with miso, orange, marmalade glaze

October 13, 2013August 1, 2021 Belinda

This is dead simple, really light and gorgeous.

Serves 4

1/3 cup white miso
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp finely grated orange peel

4 x 6oz fillets of wild salmon
finely chopped scallions (green onions)

Whisk the miso, orange juice, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, marmalade and orange peel together in a small bowl.
Put the mixture into a plastic bag and add the fillets of salmon.
Marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, turning the mixture to make sure it’s well submerged.

Preheat the oven to 350F
Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil, take the salmon out of the marinade and place on the foil.
Roast for about 17 minutes checking after 15to see if the salmon is cooked.
Remove when the salmon looks done, sprinkle with the chopped scallions.

Note: I love to make this as an orange-themed meal with:
“orange and currant pilaf”
and
“spicy orange salad Moroccan-style”, both on my blog

Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Mediterranean fish

October 10, 2013January 6, 2017 Belinda

This recipe is one I made up when I only had a few things in the fridge. I was looking for something light but flavorful and was thrilled with the way this came out and it only took 15 minutes to cook!

Serves 2

2 x 6oz pieces of fish like sole, cod, halibut, but not too thick.
3 medium sized onions, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 lemons, juice and grated rind of both of them
1 lemon for squeezing the juice over the fish and grated rind when seasoning the fish
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1/8 to 1/4 cup drained capers, roughly chopped
3/4 pint (punnet) of cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter and 2 turns of the pan of olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil and /or parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 F

Season the fish fillets with salt, pepper, grated lemon rind and sprinkle with a little olive oil. Set aside.

In a shallow, heavy pan that has a lid, (I have a heavy round cast iron one) heat the butter and olive oil gently until starting to sizzle, then put in the onions and garlic, stirring to coat with the oil and butter.. Leave them on a low heat to caramelize for about 45 mins, stirring occasionally, then add the capers, olives, cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and lemon rind. Stir and saute for another 5 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, parsley/basil and mix well. Lay the seasoned fish fillets on the mixture in the pan and spoon the sauce over to 3/4 cover the fish so it picks up the flavors of the mixture. Sprinkle with the extra lemon juice and put the lid on.

Bake at 400 F for about 15 mins, checking to see if the fish is cooked. Don’t over cook! There should be a good amount of juice in the dish.

This is lovely served with my leek and dill pilaf recipe.

Poultry

Honey glazed adobo chicken in your crock pot

October 7, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

This is a lovely recipe from “Pinch of Yum” food blogger. Wonderful for a large family gathering as you make it and walk away for 4 hours

Serves 12

3lbs or more of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (Don’t use breasts as they will become horribly dry)
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white cane vinegar (or rice vinegar or cider vinegar)
10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cornstarch
fresh cilantro for topping
lime for topping
rice for serving

Place the chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and 2 tbsp honey in a large plastic ziplock style bag (or divide between two bags).
Store in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to let the chicken marinate

Pour the ingredients in the bag directly into the crock pot.
Cook on low for 3 hours or until the chicken is cooked.
Remove the chicken, shred with two forks and set aside.

Drain the sauce to remove the bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic. Transfer to a saucepan, stir in 1/4 cup honey and bring to a low simmer.
Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and pour into the warm sauce. Simmer until thickened slightly into a glaze. Serve as an additional topping for the chicken.

Top the chicken with a squeeze of lime juice if you want, fresh herbs if you want ( I like cilantro even though that’s not really Filipino) and serve the whole thing over steaming hot white rice.

Asian flavors · Meat

Pork fillet, asparagus and baby corn stir-fry

October 5, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

Pork fillet is so lean, even leaner than chicken breast and is such a versatile piece of meat. A pork fillet usually comes in one piece weighing about 1lb 3oz, so it’s the perfect thing to have in the freezer.
This is lovely just served with some steamed rice.

Serves 4

1 clove garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 pork fillet (1lb 3oz or thereabouts) thinly sliced
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
6 fresh shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
6oz whole baby corn, drained
4- 6 spears of asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths on the diagonal
2 tbsp oyster sauce

Place the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pepper and rice wine in bowl and mix together well.
Add all the pork and stir until it is well coated in the marinade.
Heat a wok over high heat, add half the oils and swirl to coat the sides of the wok.
Add half the pork mixture and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until the pork changes color.
Remove the pork from the wok.
Repeat with the remaining oils and pork mixture.
Add the mushrooms, corn and asparagus to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Return the pork and any juices to the wok and stir in the oyster sauce.
Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes or until it has evenly heated through.
Divide among four bowls poured over hot rice.

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Romesco dip

October 4, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is great with my spicy chargrilled prawn recipe, raw crudites, cold chicken or salmon.

1 15 oz jar roasted red bell peppers
6 oz blanched almonds
4 to 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Makes about 3 cups

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Season to taste with the salt and black pepper, adding more of any of the spices to get exactly the pungency you want.

Serve!!

Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Spicy chargrilled prawns

October 4, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

These are so wonderful to have in the fridge to throw in salads, serve hot or cold with a spicy mayonnaise or Romesco sauce or any other dish. The possibilities are endless once you’ve made them.

1 lb large (16 to 20 count) raw, peeled and deveined prawns
4 tbsp olive oil, approx
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp granulated garlic (If you use fresh garlic, it can burn and taste bitter)
3/4 tsp paprika sweet or smoked
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Put the prawns into a glass bowl, throw in all the other ingredients and mix really well. The prawns will turn golden because of the the turmeric. Heat a heavy ridged cast iron griddle to high and when it starts to smoke, turn it down a bit and add the prawns.
By the time you lay them all down on the griddle and count to 20 slowly, it will be time to turn them over. The 2nd side won’t take so long.
Don’t over cook them!

They will turn a nice toasty color like the picture above and the yellow from the turmeric won’t be so apparent! They are delicious hot with a spicy mayonnaise dip, or cold in Caesar salads or just as a snack and they pack a punch with flavor too.
I’m sure you will come up with different spices to add to what I suggested so have fun and experiment!

Gluten Free · Grains · Meat · Poultry

Easy chicken and pork paella

October 4, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is much less difficult than a normal paella and very pungent. Paellas are not stirred right to the bottom of the pan during cooking in the hope that a thin crust of crispy rice will form.
This is considered one of the best parts of the paella and for this reason it is a good idea to use a non stick frying pan.

Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red pepper (capsicum), seeded and cut into 1/2” strips
1 1/4 lbs chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 lb Spanish chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2 “ slices
1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 3/4” lengths
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/4 tsp saffron threads dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
2 cups short grain rice
3 cups hot chicken stock
6 lemon wedges

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or paella pan over medium heat.
Add the red pepper and cook for 6 minutes or until softened. Remove from the pan.
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until brown on all sides. Remove.
Add the sausage to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until golden on all sides. Remove
Add the mushrooms, garlic and lemon zest and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato and red pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the tomato is soft.
Add the beans, rosemary, parsley, saffron mixture, rice, chicken and the sausage.
Stir briefly and add the hot stock. Do not stir.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges.