This is a really simple and super BBQ sauce you can keep refrigerated for up to 1 week, so if you’re planning a BBQ party, this part of it, you can do well in advance. It’s easily doubled too.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
1/2 cup vegetable oil or any other oil ( don’t waste really good olive oil)
4 large cloves garlic, finely diced or minced
a good handful fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from the stalk, finely chopped (minced)
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp curry powder
4 tbsp sesame oil(toasted is nice too)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup store-bought BBQ sauce (yes, I really mean it!)
salt to taste
Place ALL the ingredients in a jar with a tightfitting lid and shake really well.
Use to brush on absolutely anything that you BBQ, mushrooms, chicken, meat, onions, fish…
Enjoy!
This is a terrific recipe from the Barefoot Contessa and all it needs is some rice or good bread to mop up the juices
Serve 4
4 tbsp good olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups medium-diced fennel
1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp Pernod
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 lbs (16 to 20 per pound) peeled shrimp with tails on
5 oz good feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 lemons
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-or 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, tomato paste, oregano, Pernod, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato-mixture in the skillet. Scatter the feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the shrimp.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.
As you probably know by now, anything with coconut makes me stop in my tracks, so when I saw this on the BBC GoodFood website, I had to try it. It’s easy and very tasty, what more do I need to say!
Serves 8
Made in 30 mins or less
2 oz butter, ghee or clarified butter
8 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and finely crushed
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 plump fresh red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 pinch ground turmeric
8 slim boneless skinless salmon fillets
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
UP TO A DAY AHEAD:.
Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the cardamon and coconut and stir non-stop for 2-3 minutes until the coconut starts to toast. Stir in the chili, ginger, garlic, ground coriander and turmeric. Cook for another minute then leave to cool.
Arrange the salmon in a single layer, spaced slightly apart, in 1 large or two smaller buttered ovenproof dishes. Season the salmon, scatter on the cilantro and spread the coconut mixture on top. Cover in cling film and chill (for up to one day) UNTIL ONE HOUR BEFORE COOKING.
TO SERVE:
Turn the oven to conventional 400F/200°C .
Roast the salmon for 13-15 minutes until cooked, but still moist. If this is for a buffet, bring to the table in the dish(es).
This has got to be the headiest combination of ingredients and although simple to make, your guests will adore this and there will never ever be any leftovers! The recipe uses a Mexican cheese called “cotija” but you can easily substitute feta cheese.
Serve 4 to 6
5 strips of thick-cut bacon
4 ears corn, husks and silks removed
3 oz cotija or feta cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 good sized Hass avocado
salt and pepper to taste
Fry the bacon strips on both sides until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to dry and remove all but 1 tbsp of the bacon fat from the frying pan.
Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and put into the frying pan with the 1 tbsp bacon fat.
Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 mins or until slightly golden-brown. Turn off the heat and tip the corn into a nice serving bowl, leaving behind as much of the bacon fat as possible. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Crumble in the cotija or feta cheese and add the cilantro and lime juice.
Roughly crumble the bacon into the corn mixture and toss to combine.
Cut the avocado flesh into 1/2 inch cubes. Put the avocado cubes into the frying pan and gently toss.
Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for later.
Bring to room temp before serving
This is delicious served with rice crackers or tortilla chips as an appetizer and also gorgeous on a dinner plate with a piece of sauteed salmon sitting on it. I like to roast my cumin, then grind it myself, as the oils are released and the smokiness of the roasting really adds something to the flavor. You can also add a can of drained and rinsed black beans to the salsa for extra protein.
Makes about 3 cups and serves 6
3 ears corn, husks and silks removed. (I have been known to use the equivalent in drained, tinned corn, when pushed)
1 good sized Hass avocado
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno chili pepper
1/2 to 3/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the kernels off the corn cobs by using a sharp knife and transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the flesh and cut the avocado into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to the bowl with the corn.
Add the cherry tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, chives, cilantro, jalapeno and cumin to the bowl, and toss together gently so as not to mash the avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate the salsa for about 30 minutes and bring back to room temperature before serving.
I love anything to do with avocados and this recipe, served with those lovely sesame rice crackers, is the perfect appetizer. Beware though, you will look like all your front teeth have fillings in them due to the black sesame seeds, so have toothpicks handy!
Serves 4
3 good-sized ripe Hass avocados
1/3 cup chopped red onion (fairly finely chopped)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts. Reserve some for decoration
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce or Coconut Aminos
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sesame rice crackers, or celery sticks for serving.
Cut each avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin and place the flesh in a bowl.
Add the chopped red onion, scallions, lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, ginger, 1 tsp of the sesame seeds and the sesame oil.
Mash with a fork until half smooth and half chunky.
Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp sesame seeds and some chopped scallions and serve immediately with the rice crackers
This is a vibrant and fairly easy fish soup from the wonderful “Delicious” website. The recipe makes a fair amount so feel free to freeze what you don’t eat.
3 tbsp oil
1 medium chopped onion
2 medium leeks, chopped
2 red peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
A large pinch of saffron
1 dried hot red chilli (optional)
1 fresh bay leaf
½ tsp dried thyme
400g can chopped plum tomatoes
9 fl oz dry white wine
8 oz potato, cut into 2cm cubes
16 fl oz fish stock
1 1/2 mixed skinless fish fillets (such as halibut, bass or cod), cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup double/heavy cream
Large bunch of fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
For the croutons
6 oz ciabatta (preferably 1 day old), torn into large chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp thyme
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-heat. Add the onion and sweat for 10-12 minutes until translucent.
Add the leek, red pepper, garlic and saffron. Cook for 1 minute, then add the chili (if using), bay leaf and thyme. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 400 F/200°C/gas 6.
Stir in the tomatoes, cook for 1 minute, then add the wine and potato and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and fish and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a boil, then take it immediately off the heat. Stir through most of the parsley, then season to taste.
Meanwhile, make the croutons. Toss the bread in the olive oil and thyme, then season well. Spread out on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Ladle the soup into bowls (discard the chili, if using) and serve topped with the croutons and the remaining parsley.
When the weeks are cooler, I tend to open the fridge doors and haul out any vegetables that could go into a soup. You will be surprised what wonderful concoctions you can come up with and how much soup you can make from very little.
Don’t overthink it and definitely don’t measure anything as soups are one of the most forgiving and inventive things you can make.
The beginning stage
The middle stage
The end stage
This week my ingredients are;
4 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 large turnip, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 head of celery, including leaves, peeled of stringy stuff
1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed, tossed in olive oil and seasoning and roasted at 350 degrees for 45 mins
1 whole cauliflower, broken into florets
about 12 asparagus spears, snapping off the tough ends and chopping into 1 inch lengths
5 zucchini, halved then quartered lengthways and chopped across into 3/4″ pieces
3 heads of broccoli including stems chopped
1 whole bunch fresh parsley stalks and all
french green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1″ lengths
4 to 6 (32 oz) containers chicken broth. (You can use vegetable broth if you’re vegetarian, but I think chicken broth adds far more flavor.
I put about 1/4 cup of olive oil and about 3 tbsp butter into the bottom of a very large soup stock pot, then in goes the onions, turnip, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli and everything else, stirring as I go so everything mixes together.
After about 15 minutes of this, add the broth, stirring and it should cover the vegetables with an extra level of about 1 to 2 inches, so the soup isn’t too thick.
Let the soup bubble away, stirring it every 20 mins, for about 45 mins at least, until all the vegetables are soft. Taste the juice and season with salt and pepper, but not too much as this is something you can do after you have pureed it.
When it’s cooked, take it off the heat and leave aside for about 1 hour until it’s not so hot. Puree the soup in a blender and at this stage you can add a little cream for a more velvety texture, some soft goat cheese for a really lovely flavor and even some grated mature cheddar or Parmesan cheese, returning it back to a large saucepan after it’s pureed.
Put back on the heat, taste and season until it tastes perfect.
Just remember, play with it, even adding some chopped pancetta or bacon when you fry the vegetables and know that this huge pot of flavorful goodness will feed you for quite a long time and cost nothing more!
The “haul” for the rest of the week
* Some other great vegetables to use are;
spinach
potatoes
sweet potatoes
tomatoes
Jerusalem artichokes (the knobbly ones)
celeriac (celery root)
fennel
kale
frozen peas, thawed
Swiss chard
Remember, whatever vegetables you put in the soup, there are certain ones that will naturally thicken the soup, like
asparagus
butternut squash
potatoes
sweet potatoes
parsnips
carrots
Cannellini or other tinned beans
cauliflower
This recipe is really special as it combines the most wonderful melange of flavors that complement asparagus so beautifully
Serves 4
4 oz pancetta or prosciutto cut into 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch dice
1 tbsp butter, ghee or clarified
1lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces on the bias
1 1/4 cups leeks, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts or almonds
1-2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large non-stick pan, sauté the pancetta, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until crisp and lightly golden. Remove onto some paper towels to get rid of some of the oil. Wipe the pan clean and add 1 tbsp of butter to pan. Add the asparagus pieces and leeks and sauté until the asparagus is tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic, lemon and orange zest, toasted pine nuts and parsley and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. At the last minute, stir in the pancetta and heat through for about 1 minute.
Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt and serve immediately.
This is a really super recipe from a neighbor in London many years ago. We used to adore it, and I only found it again recently.
Make sure you serve it very chilled.
Serves 4 to 6
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup full fat plain yoghurt
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tart apples, (Granny Smith) cut into thin slices
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill weed
2 x 8 oz jars pickled herring, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
Combine the sour cream, yoghurt, lemon juice, sugar, sliced onions that have been separated into rings, apple and dill.
Alternate the herring and sour cream mixture in layers in a dish.
Cover and refrigerate for 5 hours at least.
Serve very chilled.
