Easy salmon coconut curry

September 8, 2020September 8, 2020 Belinda

Salmon coconut curry is an easy weeknight dinner bowl that’s on the table in less than 30 minutes. We’re talking big juicy chunks of salmon and fresh spinach in a light Thai inspired red curry sauce ~ popped with the holy trinity of lime, cilantro and fresh ginger.

Serves 4

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (more to taste)
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp powdered turmeric
1 Serrano pepper, thinly sliced into rounds
15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
fresh lime juice, to taste
sea salt to taste
1 lb salmon fillet, cut into large chunks (or you can do smaller chunks if you prefer)
3 handfuls of fresh clean spinach leaves

Garnish
lots of fresh cilantro
lime wedges

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
Add the curry paste, turmeric, and hot peppers to the pan and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for a few more minutes, stirring almost constantly.
Add the coconut milk and a tablespoon of lime juice (you can add more to taste.) Bring the mixture up to a bubble. Add salt to taste.

Add the chunks of salmon and let the pot gently simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, just until the salmon is cooked, it doesn’t take long. Stir to cover the fish with the sauce. Add the spinach and cook just until it wilts.
Check the seasoning again, and serve the curry over hot rice

Make ahead instructions:
The sauce can be made a day in advance. Don’t add the fresh cilantro until ready to serve.

Do-ahead · Soup

Cream of Jalapeno soup

September 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

A lovely recipe from “A view from the Great Island”
Cream of Jalapeño Soup is a lovely combination of spicy peppers in a creamy, cheesy soup base. Fresh cilantro and lime add the perfect touch to this unique soup.

As written it’s spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. I used 4 fat jalapeño peppers in mine, but you can moderate the heat if you like by using less, and/or by leaving out the inner pith and seeds. In any event the cream and cheese moderate the heat a bit.

I find cornbread is the perfect sidekick for the soup. The slightly sweet bread offsets the spiciness of the soup, and makes a satisfying meal. Cornbread is one of the easiest quickbreads to make, but I have used a Marie Callander’s mix which is was pretty good.

Serves 6

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 large jalapenos, sliced(Use less if you don’t what the heat)
large handful of fresh cilantro
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
15 ounce can chicken stock, divided
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lime
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild cheddar cheese

Heat the oil and one tablespoon of the butter in a stock pot and saute the onion until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Put the onions, jalapeno peppers (seeds and all, if you like the heat) cilantro, salt, pepper, and one cup of the stock into a high speed blender. Puree until smooth.

Melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot and add the flour to make a paste, or roux. Stir for a minute, but do not brown. Slowly add the rest of the stock and the cream, stirring or whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and thick.

Add the pureed pepper mixture to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring up to a boil, then turn down the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Add a squeeze of lime juice if you like.

Serve immediately in small bowls topped with fresh cilantro and cracked black pepper.

Accompaniments · Baking · Breakfast · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Apple, cheddar and sage scones

September 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Enjoy these cheesy scones for breakfast, with a warm bowl of soup, or in a Thanksgiving bread basket!
Recipe from blog, “The View from Great Island”

Makes 8 scones

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp light brown sugar (optional, this isn’t enough to make the scones taste noticeably sweet, but helps balance out the flavors. You can omit it if you’d like.)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1/2 cup milk, buttermilk, or half and half
1 cup finely chopped apple
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage leaves, plus a few small leaves for laminating the tops of the biscuits, if desired.
2 Tbsp milk or cream for brushing, optional

Preheat oven to 375F and line or butter a baking sheet.

Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Add the butter to the food processor, and continue to pulse until no large chunks of the butter remain and the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
Slowly add in the milk and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball.
Remove the dough from the food processor and place it into a mixing bowl with the chopped apple, shredded cheese, and sage. By hand, mix it all together until everything is well dispersed, but try not to over-mix it.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or gently roll it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch scone cutter, cut about 8-9 scones and place them on your prepared baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with milk or cream, and place a small sage leaf or two on top of each scone, brushing it with more milk so that they stay put.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Accompaniments · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead

Gin and tonic jello

September 7, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from Nigella Lawson
This is so far from being the sort of jello you’d expect at a children’s party as can be imagined! The white currant decoration may be unavailable, but what matters is the drink-made-dessert itself!

Serves: 8

1¼ cups water (plus 3 tablespoons more)
1½ cups superfine sugar
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1⅔ cups tonic water (not diet)
1 cup gin
1 ounce sheet gelatin (platinum grade) Available on Amazon. Worth it
2 containers of white currants or raspberries
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar (if using raspberries)

You will need a 5 cup jello mould, lightly greased with almond or vegetable oil.

Put the 1¼ cups water and the sugar into a wide, thick-bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, take off the heat, add the lemon zest and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a measuring jug, then add the lemon juice, the tonic water and the gin; you should have reached the scant 5 cup mark; if not, add more tonic water, gin or lemon juice to taste.

Soak the sheet gelatin (platinum grade) in a dish of cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, warm 1 cup of the gin and tonic mixture in a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Take off the heat and let it cool a little, then squeeze out the sheet gelatin (platinum grade) and stir them into the warm gin and tonic mixture until dissolved. Then stir this into the remaining gin and tonic mixture in the measuring jug, making sure it is thoroughly dispersed.
Pour into the mould and, when cold, put in the fridge to set. This should take about 6 hours.

When you are ready to unmould, half-fill a sink with warm water and stand the jello mould in it for 30 seconds or so. Clamp a big flat plate over the jello and invert to unmould, shaking it as you do so.
If it doesn’t work, stand it in the warm water for another half-minute or so and try again. If you’ve used a dome mould, surround the jello with the white currants/raspberries or fill the hole with them if you’ve used a ring mould.
Raspberries are just as good, but dust these with confectioners’ sugar – it sounds poncey, but it makes the pale-jade glimmer of the jello and the otherwise-too-vibrant red of the fruit come together on the plate. The whitecurrants should be left to glimmer, opal-like, without interference.

Asian flavors · Curry · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · lentils · Vegan

Sweet potato and lentil curry

September 7, 2020 Belinda

A vibrant, low-calorie and vegan dinner, made with sweet potatoes, red split lentils, coconut milk and plenty of spices.
Recipe from Olive Magazine

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger , finely grated
6 fresh or dried curry leaves (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 medium (about 500g) sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
3oz (75 g) red split lentils
14 oz (400 ml) low-fat coconut milk
14 oz (400 ml) vegetable stock
a handful of cilantro leaves
1 lime, wedged

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook three-quarters of the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves, if using, and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet potato and lentils, then add the coconut milk and stock. Stir well, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding a splash of water if it’s getting dry, until the potatoes and lentils are cooked through. Season.

Serve in bowls with coriander and the remaining onion on top, with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Asian flavors · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Rice

Coconut, rum and raisin rice pudding

September 6, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a fabulous dessert from Barney Desmazery in the BBC Good Food Magazine.
When posting non-American recipes I am now keeping the metric system as it’s far more accurate.
It’s worth investing in kitchen scales that have metric as well.Most of the measuring cups are both these days, so they are easy to find

50g butter
150g short-grain (pudding) rice
150g golden caster sugar (Bakers or superfine sugar for the USA)
2 x 400ml cans coconut milk
300ml double cream , plus a little extra
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the rum & raisin syrup
150ml spiced rum
100g muscovado sugar (It’s a dark molasses-y sugar available on Amazon)
100g raisins

For the rum & raisin syrup, tip all the ingredients into a large saucepan and heat gently over a low heat for 5 mins, or until the sugar has dissolved and created a syrup and the raisins have plumped up. Tip into a bowl, cover and set aside.

In the same saucepan (there’s no need to clean it) melt the butter over a medium heat until sizzling, then scatter over the rice and toast in the hot butter until the butter is just starting to brown. Stir in the sugar, then pour over the coconut milk, cream and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook gently for 40-45 mins until the rice is tender, adding a splash more cream if it becomes too thick.

To serve hot, stir a third of the rum & raisin syrup through the pudding and spoon the rest over the top. To serve cold, leave the pudding to cool, then chill in the fridge to firm up so that you can serve it in scoops with the rum & raisin syrup spooned over.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides

Catalan-style Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins

September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 Belinda

This is a lovely recipe from Jose Andres

Serves 4

2 tbsp Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 golden delicious apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch cubes
4 tbsp pine nuts
4 tbsp seedless dark raisins
10 oz baby spinach, washed and whole
Salt to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a high flame. When the oil is very hot, add the apple cubes and sauté until slightly browned, about a minute. Add the pine nuts to the skillet and cook another 20 seconds until slightly browned. Keep the pan moving so the ingredients don’t burn.

Add the raisins and sauté another 20 seconds. Add the spinach and sauté briefly until the spinach starts to wilt. Remove from the heat; the spinach will continue to wilt off the flame. Add salt to taste and serve immediately.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides

Miso butter onions

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 Belinda

These onions are a revelation, and the very definition of low effort/high impact.

Two things are vital, though: the roasting tray must be big enough to fit 16 onion halves (if not, roast fewer, decreasing other ingredients proportionally) and these must be basted well, so they remain moist. Serve spooned over toast, mashed potatoes or rice, or with roast chicken.

Serves 6 as a side

8 medium onions, skinned (1.2kg)
4oz (100g) unsalted butter, melted
4oz (100g) white miso paste

Heat the oven to 500F/gas 10. Halve the onions lengthways, trim tops and a little off the bottom (you want the halves held together at the base).

Whisk the butter, miso and 2.1 pints (one litre) of warm water until fully combined.

Space apart the onion halves, cut side down, in a 16″ (40cm) x 11″ (28cm) high-sided baking tray or dish.
Pour over the miso water, cover tightly with foil, bake for 35 minutes, then remove foil and turn onions cut side up.
Baste well and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until very soft and deep brown.

Carefully transfer to a platter, pouring the sauce over. Serve at once.

Baking · Breakfast · Do-ahead

Zucchini and cheddar soda bread

August 27, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Soda bread is one of those wonderful rustic, crusty, easy breads that requires very little kneading. This one is particularly lovely with the added cheese and zucchini flecked through it.

14oz (400g) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
2 medium zucchini
2oz (50g) rolled oat
1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3oz (75g) mature cheddar, grated
small bunch thyme , leaves only
10 fl oz (284ml) buttermilk
1 tbsp clear honey
1 egg , beaten

Heat the oven to 400F/gas 6 and dust a baking sheet with a little flour. Place a box grater on top of a clean tea towel and coarsely grate the courgettes. Lift the corners of the tea towel and, holding it over the sink, twist to compact the courgettes and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.

Put the flour, oats, bicarb and 1 tsp fine salt in a large bowl. Add most of the cheddar (save a little for the top), the thyme and the courgette. Mix the buttermilk and honey, then pour into the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to clump together, then tip onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring all the loose bits together – try not to overwork the dough or the bread will be heavy.

Shape into a round loaf and place on the baking sheet. Brush with egg and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Use a sharp knife to score a deep cross on top of the loaf, then bake for 40 mins until deep golden brown. Best served warm, but leftovers will keep for 1-2 days.