Sort of Steak Fajitas

I created this recipe with a view to a more healthier way of eating. Rather than all the ingredients being cooked the only thing which is cooked is the steak and all the other ingredients are raw. You can serve this with the wraps or just have the steak with all the raw salad ingredients if you are trying to cut down.

Serves 4
Ingredients

500g rump steak
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp thyme
1 garlic clove- finely chopped
juice of 1 lime

Slice the rump steak into 1 inch thick strips. Mix all the other ingredients together and mix with the steak. Allow to  marinate for about half an hour.

200g cherry tomatoes- halved
1 can kidney beans - drained
1 small bunch coriander - chopped
1 medium red onion - finely chopped
1 green or red pepper- chopped
juice of half a  lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix all these ingredients together and allow to stand for the flavours to develop while you cook the steak.
To cook the steak heat a griddle or frying pan and brush with a small amount of oil. Sear the steak quickly until it is cooked but still pink about 1 minute will be enough..
Serve the steak with the salad ingredients and serve with warm tortillas if liked.

Lamb Burgers stuffed with Feta Cheese

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some easy to cook, summer recipes which are perfect for when the weather gets a bit warmer.

130g couscous
120ml chicken stock
500g lamb mince
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
small pinch dried chilli flakes or to taste
4 oz feta cheese crumbled
salt and pepper

To serve pitta bread, fresh salad of tomato, cucumber, coriander and spring onions.

Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the chicken stock. Cover with cling film and allow to stand for a while until all the chicken stock is absorbed.
Place all the other ingredients apart from the feta cheese in a bowl and mix together. Add the couscous and mix again making sure all the ingredients are well combined.
Shape the mix into burger shape. Make a small dip in the middle of the burger with your finger and stuff with the crumbled feta cheese. Mould the meat around the cheese to fully enclose it.
To cook your burgers heat a griddle pan brushed with a small amount of oil until it is hot. Cook the burgers on the hot griddle for about 5 to 7 minutes a side until the outside is crisp and the burger has  cooked through.
Serve in some warmed pitta bread with salad of your choice and good squeeze of lemon juice.

Indian Spiced Salmon with Basmati Rice and Peas

This is a delicious way to cook salmon as the spices lift the salmon fillet into something special.
It is also really easy and quick to prepare.

600g salmon fillets( skin removed)         1 inch piece fresh ginger ( grated)
1 garlic clove ( crushed)                                1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon turmeric                                      3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon chilli flakes                                   salt and pepper
1 large onion -chopped                             1 can chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds              juice of 1 lime to taste
½ teaspoon ground coriander                    fresh chopped coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin                          1 green chilli,chopped

Cut the salmon into 2 inch pieces and place in a bowl with the garlic, chilli
flakes, turmeric and a pinch of salt. Stir cover and chill for 2 hours. ( you can
leave it for less time if you are short of time).

Warm the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the spices, chilli and salt and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tin of tomatoes, lime juice and 200ml of water and simmer gently
for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

 Place the marinated salmon in the pan of sauce, cover with a lid and simmer for 5
minutes until the sauce is thick and salmon is cooked through.
Sprinkle with the coriander and serve with some steamed basmati rice through which

you have stirred some cooked peas.

Beef and Ginger Stir Fry

Something quick, easy, healthy and delicious for a great midweek meal. You can also make this dish with chicken.
Serves 4

500g/1lb rump steak sliced into strips
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
baby sweetcorn
mangetout
1 red pepper - sliced


Marinade
1 inch piece fresh ginger thinly sliced or grated
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp five spice
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 small fresh chilli chopped finely
1 tbsp rice wine( mirin)



Steamed rice or noodles to serve.

Mix together all the marinade ingredients and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or heavy based pan and fry the beef strips until sealed and brown. Remove from the pan.
Fry the onion and garlic until just begining to soften.
Add the vegetable and stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Return the steak to the pan and add the mariande. Stir around and allow the whole dish to cook for about 5 minutes.

Chargrilled Halloumi and Courgette Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

AS SEEN IN WILTHSHIRE LIFE MAGAZINE

This is a recipe which I created for Wiltshire Life Magazine and it will appear in the May edition which comes out today.

The article discusses my culinary journey and how I  learnt to cook with my family. This recipe draws on the Mediterranean influences in my cooking and contains some amazing ingredients from the region.

Serves 4

9oz/250g small courgettes
8oz/ 200g halloumi cheese cut into thick slices
4oz/100g toasted walnuts
4oz/100g pomegranate seeds
4 rye crisp breads
mixed salad leaves
salt and pepper

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2oz/50g fresh mint –leaves picked and chopped

Shave the courgettes into thin ribbons with a potato peeler and place into a bowl. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour half the dressing over the courgette ribbons and set aside. 

Prepare your salad plates by placing a crisp bread in the bottom of each plate ( or you can use one large platter). The crisp bread acts as a base for your salad ensuring your salad leaves don’t get soggy and soaking up all the lovely juices from the dressing.

Place your salad leaves on top of the crisp breads.

Toast the walnuts in a hot frying pan for a few minutes. Take care to watch them carefully as they burn easily. Set aside.

Preheat the grill and place the halloumi slices under the grill and cook until brown.

   Arrange on top of the salad leaves. Sprinkle over the toasted walnuts and pomegranates and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Greek Style Baked Fish

Serves 6

6 white fish fillets e.g haddock, cod
freshly squeezed juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper
2 large onions – chopped
3 garlic cloves – finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
8 fl oz/250ml white wine
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 oz/100g black olives
3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkle the fish with lemon juice and a little salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Drain the fish from its marinade and place in a wide shallow pan. Add the onions, garlic, herbs and wine. Sprinkle with the cayenne pepper. Add the tinned tomatoes and olives and drizzle with the olive oil. Cover with foil and bake in a hot oven gas 6/200◦ C for about half an hour until the fish is cooked through.

Remove the foil and allow to cook for 10 minutes to brown the top

Serve with steamed rice or new potatoes and  some green vegetables.

Stir Fried Chicken and Vegetables

 I know its Valentines Day but I felt like something clean and fresh tasting tonight. So decided on a last minute stir fry.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g/ 1lb 4oz chicken breast -diced

1 tbsp cooking oil
100g/ 4oz baby sweetcorn
100g/4oz mangetout
2 carrots shaved into strips with a peeler
1tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 garlic clove-crushed
1 onion -roughly chopped
75g/3oz water chestnuts

1x300g/12oz pack of beansprouts

Marinade

2tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp five spice
1tbsp mirin ( rice wine)

noodles or rice to serve

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients together and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry over a high heat until the chicken is browned.

Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add a little more oil if necessary and fry the onion and garlic for a few seconds. Add the remaining vegetables and stir fry for  about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and pour on the marinade. 

Cook you stir fry for another 5 minutes until vegetables are tender and the chicken has heated through.

Serve with some cooked noodles or rice.

My Minestrone Soup

I am not a fan of fad diets or crazes. The newest diet fad is the “fasting  diet” where you eat normally for 5 days of the week and reduce your calorie intake for the other 2 days to 500 calories for women and 600 for men.

I still feel it is better to eat a healthy balanced diet as your body will balance out the calories over time anyway and this diet may be difficult to sustain for the long term.

If you are looking to eat more healthily and have a lighter meal there is nothing better than homemade soup. My Minestrone soup is packed with lots of vegetables so you are getting all your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants too.

This recipe makes a large batch but you can keep some for lunch the next day or freeze for later.

  Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic- finely chopped
3 medium leeks- finely sliced
1 small celery heart –finely sliced
4 medium carrots – peeled and chopped into small dice
1-400g tin chopped tomatoes or 1 jar of passata ( about 600g)
3 pints hot stock or water
1 medium fennel bulb – chopped into dice
1 red and 1 yellow pepper – chopped into dice
1 pack green beans – cut into short lengths
3 medium courgettes – chopped into dice
1 can mixed beans or other beans of your choice
2oz small pasta shapes or broken up bits of spaghetti
300g chard, spinach or cavolo nero
fresh basil leaves, olive oil and grated parmesan cheese to serve.

Method

Wash and prepare all the vegetables as directed above. You need to keep your vegetables as similar in size as possible to allow for even cooking.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and gently sweat the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic for about 15 minutes. This means you will cook them over a gentle heat without browning in order to soften them. Add the fennel and peppers and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes or passata and dried herbs and stir to mix.

Add the stock or water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and allow to  cook for about 15 minutes.

Now add the green beans, courgettes and pasta and allow to  cook for 30 – 45 minutes until the pasta and vegetables are tender. If the soup is becoming too thick add a little more water or stock.

Add the canned beans and chard or spinach and cook for 10 more minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Serve in deep bowls, drizzled with some peppery olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese. Some good chewy crusty bread goes really well with this soup.

Filo Pastry Pie with Spinach, Feta and Herbs

I made this recipe today as I had some spinach which I wanted to use up.  I wanted something a bit more substantial for us to have for lunch rather than a traditional spanakopitta so came up with this recipe which is a sort of amalgamation of a spanakopitta and a quiche. In Greece and Cyprus there is a similar version of this pie which is made using wild greens which are foraged from the mountainside. I used other types of green stuff which I thought would be a suitable substitute. Even my children loved it which I was quite surprised about as it had so much "green" in it!

1 pack of filo pastry sheets -about 200g -( the one I used had 8 sheets of filo)
3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion chopped

100g of chicory chopped
100g wild rocket
200g spinach

25g fresh mint - leaves picked and chopped
25g fresh dill- chopped

200g feta cheese crumbled
200g ricotta cheese

4 eggs lightly beaten
80g melted butter
50g breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
a good grating of fresh nutmeg.

28cm/11" round tin with a removable base

Heat the oven to gas 180 degrees centigrade/gas 7

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onion and cook over a low heat until the onion is soft. Add the chicory, rocket and spinach and allow all the greens to wilt down for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped herbs, crumbled feta cheese and ricotta. Mix in the eggs and lightly season with salt and pepper ( as the feta is quite salty) and the nutmeg. Set aside.

 Place on sheet of filo pastry into the base of your tin and brush with melted butter. Layer another 3 sheets into the pan allowing the excess to hang over the sides of the tin. You will need to fold these over to enclose the filling later. Brush each sheet with melted butter as you go. Sprinkle the base of your filo pastry with the breadcrumbs. These will absorb any excess moisture which will come out of your greens and ensure your pie does not have a "soggy bottom".

Pour in your prepared filling and fold over the excess filo pastry. Make a top for your pie by lightly "scrunching" the remaining filo sheets and lightly placing them on top of the filling. Again brush each sheet with melted butter.

Place your pie on a baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes to an hour. Keep an eye on your pie. Check it after about half an hour and if it is browning too quickly lightly cover the top with a piece of foil.

When your pie is cooked remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing the side of the tin. Serve hot or cold cut into wedges.