Sea bass with sizzled ginger, chilli and spring onions

Ingredients:
2 sea bass fillets, about 5oz each, skin on and scaled
1 tbsp sunflower oil
small piece (1tsp) ginger, peeled and shredded into matchsticks
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 fat, fresh red chilli, de-seeded and thinly shredded
2 spring onions, shredded long-ways
1/3 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions: 
1. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then slash the skin 3 times. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Once hot, fry the fish, skin-side down, for 5 mins or until the skin is very crisp and golden. The fish will be almost cooked through. Turn over, cook for another 30 secs-1 min, then transfer to a serving plate and keep warm.
2. Heat the remaining oil, then fry the ginger, garlic and chillies for about 2 mins until golden. Take off the heat and toss in the spring onions. Splash the fish with a little soy sauce and spoon over the contents of the pan.

Tuna Patties

Ingredients:  
2 6-ounce cans tuna
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup white bread torn into small pieces
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp water (or liquid from the cans of tuna)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, green onions, or shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A couple squirts of Crystal hot sauce or tabasco
1 raw egg
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon butter

Makes 4 patties
 
Instructions:
1. Drain the liquid from the tuna cans. If you are using tuna packed in water, reserve a tablespoon of the tuna water, and add a teaspoon of olive oil to the tuna mixture in the next step.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the tuna, mustard, torn white bread, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, parsley, chives, and hot sauce. Sprinkle on salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the mixture before adding the egg to see if it needs more seasoning to your taste. Mix in the egg.

 
3. Divide the mixture into 4 parts. With each part, form into a ball and then flatten into a patty. Place onto a wax paper lined tray and chill for an hour. (You can skip the chilling if you want, chilling just helps the patties stay together when you cook them.)
4.  Heat the olive oil and a little butter (for taste) in a cast iron or stick-free skillet on medium high. Gently place the patties in the pan, and cook until nicely browned, 3-4 minutes on each side.
Serve with wedges of lemon. You can also serve with tartar sauce on slider buns for a tuna burger.

Taken from SimplyRecipes.com

 

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Thai Green Curry Paste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in to bite size pieces
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
200ml coconut milk
3oz mushrooms, chopped
3 spring onions, trimmed
chopped coriander, to garnish

Serves 2

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir. Add the chicken and stir for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned. 
2. Pur in the fish sauce and coconut milk, and bring to the boil, stirring.  Lower the heat, stir in the mushrooms and most of the spring onions, and season with salt and pepper to taste, then simmer for about 8 minutes or so, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
3. Serve hot, garnished with coriander and the remaining spring onions. 

Taken from MasterChef Kitchen Bible

Lemon Thyme Grilled Chicken

Ingredients: 
4 chicken thighs, or 2 chicken breasts
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 tbsp olive oil
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:
1. Mix the lemon juice, garlic, herbs, 2tbsp of the oil and a little salt and pepper in a shallow non-metallic bowl. Marinade the chicken pieces for at least an hour.
2. Preheat the grill to moderate. Grill the chicken pieces, skin side down, for 10 minutes. Then turn over. Brush with any remaining marinade and grill until cooked through (another 8-10minutes).
3. Alternatively, roast the chicken in an oven at 190°c (375°f) for about 30 minutes. Tuck the squeezed lemon halves into the roasting tin for added flavour.
4. Transfer to warm serving plates and spoon any pan juices over. Garnish with lemon zest.

Tips: Replace the thyme and rosemary with a handful of torn basil, scattered over the chicken 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. 

Taken from Allergy-free Cookbook - Alice Sherwood

Cream of Roasted Swede Soup

Ingredients: 

1 swede, peeled and cut into cubes

3 tbsp olive oil 

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely sliced

2 stalks celery, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 stalks fresh thyme, leaves only

1.25 litres/2 pints vegetable stock 

142ml/5fl oz carton single cream 

fresh thyme leaves to garnish

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

2. Place the cubes of swede in a roasting tray. Drizzle over two tablespoons of the olive oil and season.

3. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, stir in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme leaves and fry for 4-5 minutes until softened but not browned.

5. Add the roasted swede to the pan and pour over the stock.

6. Bring gently to the boil, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Purée the soup in a food processor or liquidiser until completely smooth. Pass through a sieve for an extra fine texture if preferred.

8. Transfer the soup back to a clean saucepan. Stir in most of the cream, reserving some for garnishing. Gently heat through and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

9. Serve in warm bowls or a soup tureen and garnish with a swirl of cream, some fresh thyme leaves and freshly ground black pepper. 

Taken from BBC Food - Anthony Worral Thompson

Tips: I didn't use the single cream - just a splash of milk before heating to serve. 

 

Homestyle Chicken Curry

 Ingredients: 
1/2 large onion
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
30g ginger, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2.5cm cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp caster sugar
200g (1/2 tin) chopped tomatoes
1 large chicken breast (400g)
150ml chicken stock (gluten free)

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Serves 2

 Instructions:
1. Roughly chop the onion, transfer to a small food processor, and add 3 tablespoons of water - process to a slack paste. You could use a stick blender for this or coarsely grate the onion into a bowl - there's no need to add any water if you are grating the onion. Tip into a small bowl and leave on one side.
2. Put the chopped garlic and ginger into the same food processor and add 4 tbsp water - process until smooth and spoon into another small bowl. Alternatively, crush the garlic to a paste with a knife or garlic press and finely grate the ginger.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or sturdy pan set over a medium heat. Combine the cumin and fennel seeds with the cinnamon and chilli flakes and add to the pan in one go. Swirl everything around for about 30 secs until the spices release a fragrant aroma.
4. Add the onion paste - it will splutter in the beginning. Fry until the water evaporates and the onions turn a lovely dark golden - this should take about 7-8 mins. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 2 mins - stirring all the time.
5. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, and sugar and continue cooking for 20 secs before tipping in the tomatoes. Continue cooking on a medium heat for about 10 mins without a lid until the tomatoes reduce and darken.  
6. Cut the chicken thighs into 3cm chunks and add to the pan once the tomatoes have thickened to a paste. Cook for 5 mins to coat the chicken in the masala and seal in the juices, and then pour over the hot chicken stock. Simmer for 8-10 mins without a lid until the chicken is tender and the masala lightly thickened - you might need to add an extra ladleful of stock or water if the curry needs it. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with Indian flatbreads or fluffy basmati rice and a pot of yogurt on the side.  

Taken from BBC Good Food - Roopa Gulati

Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil 
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
75g chorizo, sliced
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
250g long grain rice
400g can plum tomatoes
350ml chicken stock (gluten free)








Instructions: 
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan with a lid and brown the chicken for 5-8 mins until golden. Remove and set aside. Tip in the onion and cook for 3-4 mins until soft. Then add the pepper, garlic, chorizo and Cajun seasoning, and cook for 5 mins more. 
2. Stir the chicken back in with the rice, add the tomatoes and stock. Cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the rice is tender. 

Taken from BBC Good Food