Crab and Prawn Thai cakes

Ingredients; 

Serves 6 for a starter or 3 for a main course. 

350g of peeled (Maris Pipper) potatoes, cut into even chunks

300g of dressed crab ( from a good deli or fishmongers) 

100g of fresh Prawns cut into cubes

2 Kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

I finely diced sweet onions or 150g of chopped spring onions 

Salt and pepper to taste

100g of Pako breadcrumbs 

1 tablespoons of coconut oil

80g of chopped coriander 

Method; 

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, fill with water till the potatoes are covered. 

Place the potatoes on a medium heat and cook for about 15-20 till tender. Use a fork or skewer to check your potatoes are done. If you insert the fork or skewer 

into the potatoes and there isn't any resistance, your potatoes are done. 

Drain your potatoes using a colander and leave till warm, which should be about 6 minutes. 

Using a fork, crush the potatoes, add the finely chopped Kafir lime, mix well and leave till cold. 

Add the grated Ginger and mix well

Now add the remaining ingredients, the Prawns, Crab, Coriander, Spring onions and sweet onions. 

Season with salt and pepper and mix everything together. 

Scoop a handful of the spiced mash and shape it into a 6cm disc and width. 

Roll each fish cake into the Pako breadcrumbs till covered completely and leave to rest. 

Preheat your oven to 180*c

Place a frying on a medium heat and add the coconut oil for about 2 minutes. 

Add the cakes to the frying pan. 

Brown each side and edges for about 2 minutes (you can pan fry them for about 12 minutes) or place them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Best with an Avocado salad and a spicy coconut curry. 

All photos and recipes  are by the owner of this blog. 

Grilled aromatic Cod

This is a quick and easy recipe which you can make for lunch/ dinner under 15 minutes. You can substitute the Cod for Pollock or Halibut and the choice of having the skin on or off, will be your personal preference.

Ingredients; 

3 teaspoonful of Aromatic oil with bits

I teaspoon of grated ginger

400g of cleaned line caught Cod cut in two 

Season with freshly milled black pepper and salt 

Method;

Preheat the oven grill to 180*c

Place your prefered fish into a baking tray. 

Add the ginger, aromatic oil with bits. 

Rub the marinade over the fish, add your freshly milled black pepper and pinch of salt. 

Place the fish in the oven and grill for 3 minutes on each side or until the fish is opaque and juicy. 

Remove it from the oven and serve with rice, in salads, potatoes or beans. 

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog

Aromatic curry oil

For an aromatic curry oil

200ml of sunflower oil/ coconut oil/ peanut oil/ olive oil.

2 fresh Kaffir limes finely chopped

2 medium sized finely diced shallots 

1 rind and juice of a lime.

2 teaspoonfuls of curry powder

4 stalks of finely chopped lemon grass ( the most scented part of a lemongrass is at it's roots and that's what's needed for this recipe. 

Salt and pepper to taste

Method;

Place a saucepan on a medium heat till hot. 

Add your curry spice and toast it for a minute. 

Lower the heat and add your oil. 

Mix the curry and oil for about a minute and add your shallots. 

Fry gently for about 4 minutes. 

Then add the finely chopped lemongrass 

Fry for a further 3 minutes and add the lime rind.

Mix well and add the juice. Cook for another 3 minutes and take it off the heat. 

Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for about a week. 

This aromatic oil is a perfect base for marinades to fish and chicken. 

All recipes are by the owner of this blog. 

SUYA & THYME CHICKEN WINGS

This is an easy starter to make and a perfect addition to any picnic. Recipe for the Suya used in this recipe is on my blog. Click here. 

Ingredients; 

Serves 4

16 chicken wings

4 tablespoons of Suya mix

3 tablespoonful of olive oil 

1 tablespoon of crushed peanuts 

40g of chopped chives

30g of chopped thyme 

Zest of 1 Lemon and it's juice

Mixed green salad

Salt and pepper taste 

 Method;

In a bowl add the chicken wings, olive oil, thyme, Lemon zest and juice.

Combine everything together and marinade it for at least an hour (in a refrigerator).

 

Remove from the refrigerator and add your Suya mix. 

Mix 3 tablespoons of the Suya mix to the chicken wings till well coated.

Preheat your oven grill to 175*c or 260 degrees Fahrenheit if you're using a Hallogen oven. 

Place the wings into a baking tray , drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and place in the preheated oven.

Grill for 15-18 minutes and remove from oven. 

In a separate bowl , add the remaining Suya , 1 tablespoon of crushed roasted peanuts, chopped chives and mix well. 

Place your chicken wings on a plate and sprinkle with your crunchy Suya mix. 

Serve with a sliced wedge of lime. Best served with a chilled dry cider. 

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog

Hot cross bread and Granny Smith's Apple pudding

After a successful Easter lunch, I noticed I had leftovers of hotcrossbuns and I thought of a bread and butter pudding with my own twist. 

I quickly visited my local corner shop to get a few things for my pudding. The shop didn't have any lemon curd, so I decided to make my own. 

Lemon curd is rather easy to make and the recipe is available on my blog. Click here for the recipe. 

Ingredients; 

7-8 mini hotcrossbuns 

1 teaspoon of ginger

200ml of Ginger beer 

1 Granny Smith's apple cored and cut lengthwise 

2 beaten free range eggs

300ml of double cream

300g of lemon curd

1 teaspoon of Demerara sugar  

Method;

Cut your hotcrossbuns in two, as shown below

Spread with some Lemon curd

If you're using a baking tin, grease with butter and set aside

Fit the buns snugly together into the tin.

Fit the Granny apples in between the buns

Spread your freshly grated ginger on top

In a bowl, mix the eggs, remaining lemon curd, milk and ginger beer together 

Pour the mixture over the buns and leave to infuse for about 30-45 minutes. This will enable the buns to soak up the milk mixture. 

Pre heat the oven to 170*c or if you're using a Hallogen oven, pre heat to 260 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Sprinkle the top, evenly with the Demerara sugar and place in the middle of your preheated oven. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until there is a golden crust with the custard just set. 

To serve;

Mix a tablespoon of lemon curd to 100ml of cream together or a scoop on Vanilla ice cream

All photos and recipes are by owner of this blog.

SCOTCH EGG RECIPE

In the name of Easter and all things yellow and eggs, I made this scotch egg influenced by the day. When buying your sausages, please read the label and go for one with a minimum of 90% meat. This makes a difference to this recipe. 

Ingredients;

Serves 4

4 large free range eggs

300g Toulouse sausage 

2 medium sized diced shallots

3 medium sized diced Chiquito peppers or any peppers you prefer. 

1 teaspoon of chopped fresh Sage or Tarragon

1 teaspoon of freshly milled black peppercorns 

For Frying

1 litre of Sunflower oil

1 egg

160g of Panko breadcrumbs  or any breadcrumbs you prefer ( I like the Japanese Panko breadcrumbs as they are light and don't soak too much oil)

Method;

Carefully place your 4 eggs in a saucepan, fill with enough water to cover the eggs and cook for 4 minutes. 

Remove the eggs from the saucepan and quickly place it in a bowl of cold water filled with ice cubes. 

Remove the sausage skins and place the meat in a bowl. 

Add the Shallots , Peppers , milled Peppercorns  and Tarragon  /Sage. 

Mix every thing together with your clean hands, till you have a firm mixture. 

Wash your hands thoroughly and take the shells off the egg. 

Divide your mixture into four equal parts. Using a cling film, spread one part of your sausage mix, as shown above.

  

Place your peeled egg in the middle, scoop the edges of the cling film and wrap it around the egg. 

I prefer this process as the meat is evenly distributed and cooks perfectly. 

Repeat the process till you have 4 perfectly wrapped eggs. 

Crack an egg into a bowl and whisk till combined. In a separate bowl, add the breadcrumbs. 

Place a saucepan with the sunflower oil on a medium heat. Heat the oil to 160*c, using a food thermometer or for 4-5 minutes. 

Dip each Scotch egg into your beaten egg. Make sure the egg mixture covers all surfaces of the Scotch eggs.

Then dip your scotch egg into your breadcrumbs, making sure all surfaces are coated. 

If you're lucky enough to own a deep fat fryer, place your Scotch egg in the basket  and deep fry for 4 minutes or until golden. 

Alternatively, if you're using a saucepan, place the Scotch egg on a slotted spoon and lower it gently into your pan. Fry it for  4 minutes, remove with your slotted spoon and place it in a colander covered with kitchen paper napkins ( soak any excess oil).

Repeat the above process till you've fried all the Scotch eggs.

Citrus Mustard Dressing 

In a bowl add, 

Half  a teaspoon of Tumeric, 

1 tablespoon of English mustard, 

1 teaspoon of whole grain Mustard a

2 tablespoonfuls of Olive oil, 

3 tablespoonfuls of orange or passion fruit juice

Pepper to taste

 Mix all the ingredients till perfectly combined. 

To serve;

Best served with any green salad of your choosing. 

Let the Scotch egg rest a bit before cutting in two or alternatively serve whole. 

Drizzle the mustard sauce over the Scotch egg and serve. 

Herby olive bread

Homemade bread making, is rather therapeutic and a perfect escapism from all stress. This is a perfect way of using up your herbs and you can tailor this recipe by using seeds, wholewheat flour and different herbs. In this instance I used thyme, chives and Greek basil. Try using rosemary, sage or tarragon if you wish. Recipes are meant to inspire, so get your creative juices flowing and crest different flavours.

Ingredients; 

500g of plain all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of dry yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of extra virgin oil

125ml of warm water 

30g of chopped thyme 

30g of chopped chives

30g of chopped Greek basil

2 teaspoons of fennel seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon of nigella seeds (optional)

Method;

In a cup mix the dry yeast, sugar and warm water together. 

Leave in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes until it froths.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixer or a bowl.

Add your chopped Greek basil, Chives and thyme 

Attach the mixer bowl and bread hook to your mixer. Gently add the yeast mix, olive oil on a medium speed. Add 250ml of warm water and mix for about 7-9 minutes on a high speed. 

If you're not using a mixer, make a well in the centre of the flour, add the yeast mix and olive oil.  Add 250ml of warm water and knead the bread for about 10-12 minutes on a floured surface.

The bread dough will be very soft.  Add a little flour to the surface and roll into a ball and leave in a bowl. 

If using a mixer bowl, just leave the bread dough in it, cover with a clean, damp, warm kitchen towel and place in a warm place for about 1-2hrs till the dough has proofed. 

The dough should double up in size.

Grease a bread tin (6 x 10.5 x 21cm) with butter

Preheat your oven to 210*c

On a floured surface punch the air out of the dough and knead for a further 5 minutes.

Mould your bread dough and place it in your grease bread tin. Sprinkle both the nigella and fennel seeds over the bread (this is optional).

Cover with an oiled cling film or warm damp cloth and leave in a warm place to rise. 

Leave it to rise for about 35-50 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, place it in the middle of your preheated oven. 

Add about 500ml of water to your bottom tray. I prefer to bake my bread this way as it forms a perfect crust and moist bread.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until brown. When you tap the bread it should give a hollow sound, which indicates it's ready. 

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 5 minutes. Turn your bread unto a board, with a gentle tap to the bottom of the bread tin(use a glove to protect your hands). Serve with balsamic and olive oil mix or goats butter. 

All photos are by the owner of this blog