Chilli Crab Cakes

Chilli Crab Cakes
These crab cakes are great on their own or you may want to add a chilli sauce. In that case I would recommend my home made version, more flavours that the bottled kind and less sweet.

Serve as part of a dinner with:
Starter – Fresh and Fruity Vegetable Starter
Main course – Together with Rosemary Courgette Spaghetti and Home made Chilli Sauce
Dessert – Sweet and Sour Sauce with Strawberries and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Serves 4

2 eggs, whisked
75 ml Quinoa flakes
1 tbsp psyllium husk

500 g crabmeat
Fresh coriander, chopped
½ stalk of lemongrass, chopped
½ medium sized red onion, chopped
½ lime, zest
1 red chilli fruit, chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Chilli flakes, salt and pepper
Rapeseed or olive oil to fry

  1. Combine eggs, quinoa and psyllium husk, set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add the egg mixture to the crab mixture and form small patties/crab cakes.
  4. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the cakes until golden on both sides turning one time only.

Serve on top of spinach leaves with a sprinkle of chilli flakes on top

Balsamic Chicken with Fruity Quinoa

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The soy sauce creates a quite salty chicken dish which is really delicious together with the fruity quinoa. Perfect on a hot summer day!

Serve as part of a menu together with:
Starter: Stuffed Marinated Courgette Rolls
Dessert: Frozen Coffee Banana After Dinner Drink

Serves 4

500 g chicken fillets diagonally cut into 2 cm strips
75 ml gluten free soy sauce
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp oil, to sauté
1/3 green pepper, finely diced for decorations

300 ml Quinoa (white)
600 ml vegetable stock
1 finely diced leek
3 tomatoes, finely diced (seeds removed)
1 ripe Mango, finely diced
1,5 tbsp olive oil
2,5 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp hot mango chutney
Salt and pepper
chilli flakes

Chicken:

  1. Marinate the chicken in the soy and vinegar mix for 30 minutes or longer
  2. Gently sauté the chicken in the oil, while saving the marinade for later.
  3. When the chicken is browned, add the marinade and let simmer until done.

Quinoa:

  1. Boil the Quinoa in the vegetable stock according to instructions on package
  2. When done, combine the oil and vinegar with the Quinoa in a bowl.
  3. Add the finely diced vegetables and fruit and season with salt and pepper.

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Assembly:

  1. Using ring molds, arrange the quinoa on serving plates and sprinkle with chilli flakes.
  2. Add the chicken with some finely chopped green pepper on top.

Poached Sea Trout with Champagne Sauce and Quinoa with Herbs and Semi-Dried Tomatoes

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Fairly straight forward but still with complex tastes. Make sure not to boil the fish, the liquid should be just below boiling point.

Serves 6

750 ml dry white wine
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and finely sliced
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 lemons, finely sliced, pips removed
1 bunch tarragon, 12 leaves finely chopped and remaining leaves stripped
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed
1 kg side of sea trout, skin-on and pin-boned

1 egg yolk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
250 ml sunflower oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
white pepper
80 ml champagne

6 plum tomatoes, quartered
olive oil
300 ml quinoa
70 g pumpkin seeds, roasted
40 g flaked almonds, roasted
large handful mint, finely chopped
large handful basil, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees, and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place tomatoes on the tray, season and sprinkle with some oil. Roast for 2 hours, or until semi-dried and just starting to brown around the edges.
2. Boil quinoa according to instructions on the package. Set aside until needed.
3. Prepare the poaching liquid: Pour the wine and 2.5 litres water into a large roasting tin, then add the celery, fennel, peppercorns, lemon slices, whole tarragon leaves and capers. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the fish (skin-side down) to the poaching liquid, and simmer for 5 minutes, spooning the liquid over the fish now and then. Turn off the heat and leave the fish in the liquid for a further 10 minutes.
5. Make the sauce by placing egg yolk, vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor. Mix on high speed, adding the oil in a thin stream. You should end up with a thick glossy mayonnaise. Add the mustard, some white pepper and the finely chopped tarragon leaves and mix. Pour in the champagne and mix.
6. Mix quinoa with chopped mint and basil, pumpkin seeds, almonds and the semi-dried tomatoes. Season well and mix to combine.
7. To serve, carefully remove the poached fish using two spatulas and place on a serving platter. Scatter chopped thyme over the fish and grind over some pepper. Serve together with the sauce and the quinoa.

Wild Rice with Chanterelles and Chorizo

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In this recipe, the Chorizo provides a little heat (depending on what kind you choose to use) and the tomatoes a hint of sweetness. The Parmesan cheese allows the molded shape to stay together on the plate. If you can’t find fresh chanterelles, use a mix of any other fresh mushroom you like. A delicious, quick and easy dish! May also be served as an accompanying dish for very hungry guests, goes well with baked, fresh salmon.

Serve as part of a menu together with
Starter: Smoked Salmon Salad with Lime
Dessert: Chilled Strawberry Coconut Dessert Soup

Serves 4

300 ml Wild Rice
300 ml white wine
350 ml chicken broth

½ leek, finely sliced
400 g fresh chanterelles (or any other mixed mushrooms such as Chestnut mushrooms, Portobello mushrooms…)
150 g Chorizo, diced
5 sundried, marinated tomatoes, cut into fine strips
250 g fresh baby leaf spinach, shredded
4-5 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil for frying

  1. Boil the rice a few minutes shorter than the time indicated on the package.
  2. In the oil, sauté leek and mushrooms on low to medium heat until most of the water has evaporated.
  3. Stir in the chorizo and the sundried tomatoes. Sauté until hot.
  4. Add the spinach, stir until wilted.
  5. Take off heat and add the cheese.
  6. Add the rice and mix well.
  7. Season with some salt, if needed.
  8. To serve; use a small bowl covered with cling film. Press the rice firmly into the bowl. Turn out onto a plate (put the plate on top of the bowl and then turn over), remove the bowl and cling film and sprinkle some black pepper on top and over the plate.

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Perfect Pizza

A rustic, delicious pizza – it does not taste nor look gluten free!
Gluten free pizza is sometimes hard, crumbly and stale. This recipe overcomes all that. You will have a dough that is elastic and easy to handle and a ready pizza with a thin beautiful crust. Try spinning it the air to make it even thinner – I’m afraid I have not yet mastered the spinning technique myself though…
If you are fortunate enough to have a pizza stone – use it! The crust will turn out even better!

Serve as part of a Children’s Party Menu with:
Churros, Chocolate Maple Sauce, Very Blueberry Scones, Banana Choco Bread and Grandma’s Chocolate Balls.

200 ml water, 37C

Up to 50 ml additional water
20 g fresh yeast (or 7g dry used as per the manufacturers advice)
1 tbsp Psyllium Husk
50 ml olive oil
1 tsp salt
350 g gluten free flour (not self rising)
1 tsp baking powder

Tomato sauce:
6 plum tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1,5 tbsp oregano
fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt

Pizza toppings:
2-3 tbsp tomato puree
Sliced ham
Grated cheese

The sauce:
1. Set the oven to 200C
2. Place the tomatoes in shallow casserole, sprinkle the other sauce ingredients on top. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. When done, let cool slightly, then puree in food processor. Set to cool further.

The pizza dough:
1. Keep the oven at 200C. Make sure you have heat from above and below.
2. Dissolve the yeast and Psyllium Husk into 200 ml water. Let stand 10 minutes to form a gel.
3. Add the oil and the salt. Stir carefully.
4. Add the baking powder to the flour.
5. In a stand mixer (or in a bowl using the dough hooks of an electric mixer), pour in the yeast mixture and gradually add the flour mix. Work the dough for about 10 minutes. If the dough is too hard, add a few drops of the additional water, but do this slowly – just a few drops at the time. Work the dough a few more minutes so that the extra water is well mixed in.
6. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Roll out the dough very thinly with a rolling pin . If sticky, sprinkle some flour on the pin.

Assembly:
1. Spread tomato paste on the pizza. Fold up 2 cm of dough all around the pizza to make a small “wall”
2. Spoon the tomato sauce on top.
3. Sprinkle with ham and then the cheese.
4. Place in oven on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes.

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Chicken and Aubergine Skewers with Pistachio Dukkah and Orange and Feta Sallad

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This Morocco-inspired meal will please everyone at the table, and much of it can be prepared a day ahead! Roll the sticky skewers in the dukkah for the perfect taste sensation!

Serve with:
Starter: Crackers with Glazed Onion and Blue Cheese
Dessert: Warm Mango with Ginger and Honey

Serves 4

500 g chicken breast, cut into 3 cm cubes
2 large aubergines, cut into 3 cm cubes

marinade:
3 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 tbsp + 2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
salt and pepper

dukkah:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
50 g peeled pistachios
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
salt

Sallad:
quinoa
4 oranges, zest from 2, segments from 4
1 lemon, zest and juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp harissa
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
2 sallad onion, finely chopped
400 g feta cheese
50 ml chopped mint
100 g baby spinach
1. Mix the ingredients to the marinade and divide between two bowls. Add the chicken and aubergine to the bowls and let marinade in the fridge for 24 hours.
2. To make the dukkah roast sesame seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a dry pan until they start giving off a scent. In the meantime, mix the pistachios until coarsely ground and add to a bowl. Mix the roasted seeds in the mixer and add to the pistachios. Incorporate the rest of the spices and mix well.
3. Boil the quinoa according to instructions on the package. Zest 2 of the oranges and peel to cut segments of the flesh. Keep the juice that forms. Mix quinoa with orange juice and zest, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, harissa and spices. Let cool. Until here you can prepare a day in ahead.
4. Soak the wooden skewers in warm water for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 220 degrees. Add the chicken and the aubergines to the skewers separately. Bake the aubergine skewers in the oven for 30 minutes, turning them around after half the time. Pan fry the chicken skewers to give colour on all sides, then add to the tray in the oven during the last 5-10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining ingredients to the sallad including the segmented oranges and mix.
6. Serve the sallad room tempered and the skewers with the dukkah to sprinkle generously on top.

Miso Marinated Black Cod with Pickled Ginger, Red Rice and Vegetables

black cod

Black cod is a soft and fatty fish, without the strong taste of fat fish like tuna or mackerel. This recipe is inspired by a dish from Nobu restaurant. The sharpness of the miso and sweetness of the mirin work perfectly to cut the fish’s fattiness. Remember that preparation starts 3 days in advance!

Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Pan-fried goat’s cheese
– Dessert: Rosemary panna cotta

Serves 4 people

4 x 150 g skinless, boneless black cod fillets
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp sake
120 ml white miso paste
80 ml caster sugar
vegetable oil for frying

3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly using a mandolin
50 ml rice vinegar
50 ml caster sugar
a pinch of salt

300 ml red camargue and wild rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 baby pak choi, washed and halved lengthways
sesame oil for frying
100 ml soy beans

1. In a small pan, bring the miring and sake to the boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Let cool, then add to the fish, making sure to coat both sides of the fillets. Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
2. Mix rice vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Take aside, add salt and ginger. Let cool, then seal and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours to develop the flavour (this can be prepared a day ahead).
3. Boil the rice according to instructions. Once cooked, discard remaining liquid and add butter. Add the rice to a small cup and push down the rice to make it more compact. Keep warm until serving.
4. Boil the soy beans for 3 minutes. Refresh in cold water, then peel off the skin.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat a grill pan and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes, on each side. Transfer the fish to the oven and roast for 5 minutes, until the fish is flaky.
6. Put the remaining marinade into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then take aside and keep warm.
7. Fry the pak choi in sesame oil in high heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
8. To plate, carefully turn over the cup with the rice onto the plate and remove the cup. Add the fish, vegetables and sauce. Decorate with some pickled ginger.

Seafood Quinotto

Seafood quinotti

A wonderful alternative to risotto. This dish is creamy, yet light. I prefer using the white quinoa since, although colourful and beautiful, the black and red versions can be perceived as a bit hard in texture.

 

Serve as part of a menu with
Starter: Avocado Gazpacho
Dessert: Duo Choco Mousse with Cassis Syrup

Serves 4

200 ml Quinoa
400 ml chicken broth
1 banana shallot, finely diced
100 g pancetta, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
0,5 g saffron
250 g mushroom, sliced
200 ml white wine
100 ml cream
30 g parmesan cheese, grated
cooked crayfish tails, shrimp, clams or other seafood
Black pepper

  1. Boil the quinoa (in chicken broth) according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.
  2. Sauté the onion over medium heat, then add the pancetta and sauté another couple of minutes. Add the garlic and saffron and then the mushrooms. Cook until most of the water (from the mushrooms) have evaporated, about 5-6 minutes.
  3. Pour the wine into the mixture and cook for a few minutes. Then add the cream and let simmer for another few minutes.
  4. Add the cooked quinoa and reheat while stirring.
  5. Add the parmesan cheese and gently fold in the seafood, saving a few pieces for the garnish. Carefully stir for a few minutes to heat through.
  6. Serve on individual plates (in ring molds) and add a few pieces of seafood on top. Finish by sprinkling some black pepper over the dish.

Seared Salmon with Piperade Basquaise and Cheddar-Quinoa

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This dish is simple but oh so tasty. A perfectly cooked fish with the sweet, slow-cooked vegetables is hard to beat. Feel free to prepare the Piperade Basquaise a day in advance and simply reheat it on the day before serving.

Serve as part of a menu with:
-Starter: Mint Lemonade Drink
-Dessert: Vanilla-Crème Fraiche with Balsamico and Berries

Serves 4

4 x 150 g salmon filet, skin on

For the Piperade Basquaise:
2 red capsicum (bell pepper)
2 yellow capsicum (bell pepper)
4 tomatoes, blanched and peeled
olive oil
4 brown onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 thyme sprigs, levees picked
sea salt and pepper

150 ml quinoa
300 ml vegetable broth
50 ml grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

1. For the Piperade Basquaise: Peel the capsicum with a peeler. Thinly slice each capsicum, removing the white ribs from the inside. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, then remove the seeds and inner core and thinly slice the flesh. Fry onion, garlic and thyme (keeping some of the leaves for decoration) in oil in a pan with a pinch of sea salt to help the onions to soften. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid giving colour to the onion. Add the capsicum and cook for another 20-30 minutes, until very soft. Now add the tomato and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix quinoa with the vegetable broth and let boil according to instructions on the package. Once ready, remove from heat and add the cheese. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
3. For the salmon: Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and fry in oil in a pan with the skin-side down until it has a nice colour. Transfer to the oven for another 4-5 minutes.
4. For the plating, use a ring mold to assemble the quinoa at the bottom, followed by the Piperade Basquaise. Carefully remove the ring mold and place the fish as illustrated in the picture, with the skin-side up. Decorate with fresh thyme leaves and sprinkle some sea salt over the fish.

Caribbean Corn Fed Chicken with Avocado Wild Rice and Red Pepper Vinaigrette

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A flavoursome chicken dish with a rice salad that you will want to serve alongside other dishes too – or just on its own as a starter. The char grilled pepper gives the vinaigrette a rich taste and the Aivar sauce on the side adds a bit of spiciness. A wonderful summer dish!

Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Summer Salad with Basil Walnut Dressing
– Dessert: Chocolate Rum Cake with Chocolate Crème Angalaise

Serves 4

4 Corn fed chicken breasts, skin on
¼ tsp ground white pepper corns
¼ tsp ground black pepper corns
¼ tsp ground pink pepper corns
½ tbsp coriander, ground
½ tbsp fennel, ground
¼ tsp Coleman’s mustard powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Rice:
200 ml Wild Rice
400 ml chicken broth
250 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
6 sundried tomatoes, cut into small strips
1 jar of marinated char grilled pepper (less 50 grams to be used later)
3 salad onions, sliced
3 avocado, cut into pieces
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil

Vinaigrette:
½ garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp lemon juice
50 g marinated char grilled pepper
salt and black pepper to taste

Sauce:
200 ml Crème fraiche
100 ml Aivar

Sauce 2:
200 ml Crème fraiche
3-4 tbsp Dijon Mustard

  1. In a small saucepan, use a hand held blender to mix all vinaigrette ingredients together for a smooth sauce.
  2. Boil the rice in the broth.
  3. In a sauté pan, gently fry the mushrooms in olive oil until all liquid has evaporated. Add the onions, peppers and sundried tomatoes and sauté for another few minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice.
  4. When the rice is done, add to mushroom mixture. Lastly, gently fold in the avocados.
  5. Mix all spices together and cover all sides of the chicken breasts.
  6. Sauté the chicken, start with the skin side down.
  7. Mix the Aivar sauce with Crème fraiche.
  8. Mix the Dijon Mustard with Crème fraiche
  9. Heat up the rice salad and the vinaigrette.
  10. Serve the chicken with rice salad, drizzle the vinaigrette on top and spoon the Aivar mixture and the Dijon sauce on the side.

Venison with Smokey Bean Puré and Sauce Poivrade

venison

Venison is a game meat but can be eaten all year round. Be careful not to overcook the meat, as it contains very little amount of fat it can easily become dry. The sauce is a typical game sauce, and works well with other types of game meat! Do not add more juniper berries than in the recipe as they give off plenty of flavour.

Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash Puré, Balsamic Vinegar and Roasted Pistachio
– Dessert: Daim Cake

Serves 4

600 g venison loin

For the bean puré:
500 g dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in water
1 l chicken stock
1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 bay leaf
50 g smoked bacon
100 ml double cream
50 g butter

For the sauce poivrade:
1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
40 g tomato paste
1 garlic clove, crushed
200 ml red wine
750 ml veal stock
5 juniper berries, crushed
1 peel of 1/2 orange
5 g crushed black pepper
20 g unsalted butter

2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
olive oil
1 pack button mushrooms
50 g butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
10 g flat parsley, chopped

1. For the bean puré: Assemble the onion, celery, carrot and bay leaf in a muslim cloth, and using a string close it up into a bag, as in the picture. muslin clothStrain the pinto beans and add to a pot together with the muslim cloth, chicken stock and bacon. Cook with lid on until the beans are soft, about 30 minutes.
2. To start making the sauce: In a bit of olive oil, fry the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a pan, without giving colour, until they have become soft. Add the tomato puré and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over high heat to reduce to 50%. Add the veal stock, juniper berries, pepper, orange peel and let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes (or longer if possible), to let the flavours evolve. Foam will appear, and this should be removed using a spoon.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 150. Add the red onions to an oven-proof pan, season with salt and pepper and add olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 40 min. Take out and keep warm.
4. Cut the mushrooms in 4 and fry together with the garlic in a pan with butter to give a golden colour. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley.
5. Once the beans are soft, mix in a blender, adding cream and a bit of the cooking liquid if needed for the right consistency. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Add butter, taste and season with salt and pepper.
6. Put the oven to 180 degrees. Sear the meat in a hot pan with some butter to give colour, then transfer the meat to the oven for 5 minutes. Take out and let rest wrapped in aluminium foil before carving up pieces (the resting process will allow the meat to tenderise).
7. Once the sauce has simmered for a while, strain it through a fine sieve, reduce it about 70% (the consistency should be that of a thick sauce which covers the back of a spoon). Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add butter while slowly whisking until it has dissolved.
8. For the plating, using a spoon add bean puré to the plate and run the spoon across the plate to create a line. Carve pieces of the meat and plate. Finish off with the garniture and the sauce.

Pulled Pork

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This is a great sunday dish! Prepare it in the morning, put it in the oven and let it cook by itself for the whole day. It gives a great smell in the apartment and tastes just as good the following day, so don’t worry about leftovers.

Serves 6

1 kg pork shoulder, skin removed
1 whole garlic, cloves peeled and halved
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
1 red chili pepper
3 tbsp smokey ground paprika
6 dl barbecue sauce
salt and pepper

2 avocado
½ lime
1 tbsp coriander
1 ml chili flakes
salt and pepper
1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
green sallad
onion jam
cashew nuts
gluten-free tortilla wraps

1. Add the onion, garlic and chili to a casserole.
2. Season the meat with salt, pepper and rub in the ground paprika using your hand, then add it to the casserole.
3. Pour the sauce over the meat and the remaining ingredients. Cook in the oven at 100 degrees for 7 hours. Every once in a while, pour some of the sauce from the casserole over the meat.
4. To make the guacamole put the avocado, lime juice, coriander and chili flakes into a food processor and process until smooth. Keep chilled until use.
5. Before serving, take out and pull the pork meat apart using two forks. Put it into a bowl and add some of the sauce from the casserole. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve the pulled pork wrapped in the tortilla together with the guacamole, sallad, coriander, onion jam and nuts.

Baked Fillet of Hake with Gremolata

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A fabulous fish dish that will suit most people. The recipe comes from a popular Swedish fish restaurant. The sauce can be used in other dishes as well. Be generous with the sauce because your guests will ask for more!

Serve after a starter of Green Pea Soup and with a sweet ending of Roasted Fruit with White Chocolate.

This dish requires quite a bit of time in the kitchen, but is well worth it. The sauce and the potato mix can be prepared in advanced and then reheated.

If you can’t find hake, cod loins or another thick fish fillet to your liking works just as well. (Actually, for this illustration, I didn’t find hake but used cod instead).

 

Serves 6

1,2 kilo fillet of hake, with skin
Salt
2 tbsp butter

Sauce:
4 echalion shallots (“banana shallots”)
2 tbsp butter
500 ml fish broth
300 ml white wine
50 ml white wine vinegar
300 ml double cream
10 parsley stalks, crushed
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsp butter

Vegetable mix:

2 large baking potatoes
1 large fennel
150 g black olives, pitted
100 g sundried tomatoes (in oil)
2 tbsp butter
Salt

Gremolata:

1 lemon
4 garlic cloves
Flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp butter

Sauce (this part may be prepared in advance and later heated. If so, keep refrigerated covered by cling film):

  1. Finely chop the shallots. In a saucepan, sauté until translucent, do not brown.
  2. Add the broth, wine and vinegar. Let boil over high heat until it has reduced to about half in volume.
  3. Add the cream, parsley stalks, lemon peel and juice. Reduce to half by boiling.
  4. Strain the sauce into small pan and leave off heat. Add a little butter (will thicken the sauce a bit more) and maybe salt and pepper.

Vegetable mix:

  1. Peel potatoes and cut in small cubes. Rinse with cold water (removes some starch before frying).
  2. Cut fennel in small cubes (same size as the potato).
  3. Halve the olives.
  4. Drain the tomatoes and cut in pieces.
  5. Over medium heat, brown the potato in butter. Add fennel and sauté for a few more minutes. Add olives and tomatoes.
  6. Set aside. Will be re-heated later.

Gremolata:

  1. With a potato peeler, peel the lemon thinly (take care not to include too much of the white part as this is bitter). Slice the peel very thinly to form long “threads”.
  2. Shred the parsley leaves.
  3. Cut the garlic cloves in thin slices and sauté in butter until golden.
  4. Mix the lemon peel, parsley and garlic together.

 

Fish:

  1. Oven on 125C
  2. Sprinkle the fish with salt.
  3. Place the fish in melted butter in hot pan with skin side down. Fry until the skin is golden brown. Do not turn.
  4. On a greased oven proof dish, spread ½ of the gremolata to cover an equal area to the fish. Place the fish on top, skin side up this time, and place the dish in the oven until done (about 25-30 minutes).

 

Finishing:

  1. Heat the vegetable mix.
  2. Heat the sauce; whisk to give it a bit of a foam.
  3. To serve, spoon the vegetable mixture around the fish. Pour a little bit of the sauce around the mix, serve the remaining sauce on the side and the 1/2 gremolata on top.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

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For a while now I have been trying to figure out the perfect recipe for a cauliflower crusted pizza. This one is a winner. I used a pizza stone, which I highly recommend you to get. It gives the perfect crust and is easy to work with. You can find pizza stones in most kitchenware stores. However, if you do not have the time to purchase or the space in the kitchen, you can do without it. Just put the pizza with the parchment paper on a baking tray.
I have given some options on topping for your pizza, but not the specific amount. You know best how you like your pizza, so experiment! To avoid eating all the topping in the kitchen prepare some dates with blue cheese and parma ham to have available while cooking. Finish off your dinner with a fresh fruit salad with cinnamon-star anis sirup and homemade vanilla ice-cream.

Serves 2

For the crust:
1 medium sized cauliflower
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
20 g shredded parmesan cheese
20 g shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper

For the tomato sauce:
1/2 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 canned tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp caster sugar
salt and pepper

Optional topping:
mozarella, spiced
parmesan, grated
slices of parma ham
baby asparagus, blanched
green beans, blanched
fresh basil, chiffonade
ruccola
pine nuts, roasted
balsamic vinegar

1. Pre-heat the pizza stone in the oven at 230 C. Make sure to put in the stone when the oven is cold, otherwise the stone may crack. For the best result, heat up the pizza stone for 40 minutes before baking the crust.
2. Wash and dry the cauliflower. Cut off the florets and steam for 7 minutes, or until tender. For the steaming process, place a steaming rack in a pot and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, not touching the rack. Bring the water to the boil, add the florets and let steam with lid on.
3. Prepare the tomato sauce by frying onion and garlic in oil in a pan until soft. Add the tomato paste and fry for another minute. Pour in the canned tomato and dried basil, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pulse the steamed cauliflower florets in a food processor for 30 seconds, until you get a powder. Wrap up the powder in a dish towel and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible (this will make the crust hold together better). Put into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients for the pizza crust and mix well.
5. Using your hands, form the dough into a crust on the parchment paper. Slide the crust onto the hot pizza stone and bake in the oven for 11 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown. photo 5 6. Taste the tomato sauce and add sugar, salt and peppar. Taste and season more if needed.
7. Once the crust is ready take it out. Add the tomato sauce, mozzarella slices and grated parmesan. Place back into the oven for another 7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden.
8. Remove the pizza from the oven, add the slices of parma ham, the vegetables, basil, ruccola, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. Voila!

Glazed duck served with a honey and green pepper sauce and rice pilaf

duck

This is an amazing dish that sounds more time-consuming than it actually is. The sauce is key so make sure to cook the whole portion! Start off the meny with carrot and ginger soup and finish with a fresh raspberry soufflé.

Serves 4

4 duck breasts

100 g honey
juice of ½ lemon
10 ml olive oil
4 g mixed spice
20 cloves

1 tbsp green pepper, whole
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
300 ml single cream
400 ml chicken stock
200 ml dry white wine
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cider vinegar
salt and pepper

1 shallot, finely chopped
5 ml olive oil
300 ml basmati rice
600 ml vegetable stock
200 mll green peas

1 package cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt

1. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern. Season with salt and pepper and with the help of a knife make small incisions to add cloves to the breast.
2. For the rice pilaf, fry the shallot in oil, add the rice and the stock and let simmer until ready. In a separate pot with salted boiling water, blanche the green peas and add to the rice once cooked.
3. Fry the duck, skin side down in a pan for about 4 minutes, until the skin is golden. Turn the duck over and transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 8 minutes at 180 degrees.
4. Fry shallot and green pepper in butter in a pan over medium heat. Add wine, vinegar, cream, stock and honey and let boil to reduce to half the quantity. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. For the glazing liquid add honey, lemon juice, oil and mixed spice to a pot, bring to the boil and reduce to sirup consistency.
6. Once the duck breast is ready, degrease the pan, add the glazing liquid, and caramelise the duck skin. Remove the duck from the pan, cover with aluminium foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle some olive oil over the tomatoes, season with salt, and roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 8 minutes.
8. For the plating, using a ring mould add the rice to the plate. Cut the duck breast into slices and add to the plate together with the tomatoes. Sprinkle some sauce around and serve.