OCEAN TROUT WITH BABY LEEKS, CRUSHED POTATO & TOMATO BUTTER SAUCE

 

From Gordon Ramsay's book

"Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy"

Serves 2

 

2 ocean trout fillets, skin on ( about 150g each)

6 gourmet potatoes

125g (half punnet) vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbs olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

125g baby leeks, halved

A few spring onions, chopped

2tbs classic vinaigrette dressing

 

Tomato Butter Sauce

1 tbs olive oil

125g (half punnet) vine-ripened cherry tomatoes

1 tsp sherry vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar

21/2 tbs thick cream

25g unsalted butter, diced

1tbs chopped basil leaves.

 

Score skin side of fish fillets deeply and pat dry with paper towel.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Heat oven at  190 degrees C.

For the sauce, heat the oil in a small non-stick pan, add the tomatoes and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until softened. Combine tomatoes, sugar and vinegar and blitz with a stick blender to puree. Pass through a sieve back into the pan. Add the cream and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in butter and basil and keep warm.

 

Put the tomato halves, cut-side up, on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake the tomatoes in the oven for 5 minutes. Steam the leeks until tender.

Drain the potatoes, toss with a little oil over medium high heat, then crush lightly with the back of a fork. Stir in the spring onions and the vinaigrette. Season to taste.

 

Heat oil in a non stick fry pan. Fry fish skin side down until the skin is crisp, then turn and cook for 30 seconds. Season lightly and rest in  the pan for a few minutes.

 

Pile the potatoes and leeks in the centre of 2 warm serving plates. Top with the fish, surround with the baked cherry tomatoes and serve with tomato butter sauce on the side.
I really enjoyed this combination. The sauce was very subtle and complimented the trout beautifully.

 

Cutlets

 

 





TURKISH APRICOT CHICKEN

 

 

This is an updated and spicy version of an old 70's favourite.

Thanks to Better Homes and Garden.

Serves 4

 

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp ground turmeric

8 pieces bone-in chicken thighs

  (free range)

100ml olive oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

100g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

5 garlic cloves, bruised

2 green chillies, split lengthways

2 tbs tomato paste

2 pinch saffron threads

5 thyme sprigs

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs honey

250g dried apricots, diced

200ml white wine

2 chicken stock cubes

Fresh mint

 

1.  Put sea salt, cumin, chilli flakes, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and turmeric in a large plastic bag. Add chicken and shake to coat.

 

2. Heat oil in large heavy based pan over a high heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, ginger, garlic, and chilli and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, saffron, thyme, lemon zest and juice, honey, apricots and wine. Stir, bring to a simmer, then return chicken to pan.

 

3. Add stock cubes and just enough water to cover the chicken. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, simmer for a further 25-30 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced. Garnish with mint.

 

Serve with couscous and natural yoghurt.

 

Tip: I like to grind the spices rather than use already ground as the aroma fills the kitchen as you grind!

 

Cutlets





Orange Maple glazed Lamb Shanks

These sticky Glazed Lamb shanks were so popular I could have made two bowls of these shanks – the bones were licked clean and the only conversation to be heard was ‘mmmm’ ‘nomnomnom’.  

I think they liked it. 
I think one shank per person is plenty but the lads disagreed and gnawed on two each.

Thanks to Donna Hay for the inspiration for such a hearty aromatic lamb recipe.

Preparation         10 minutes

Cooking              15 minutes stove-top then 3 – 3 ½ hours in the oven. Needs occasional basting

Ingredients

8 Frenched Lamb Shanks

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea Salt and cracked pepper to taste

¾ litre salt reduced chicken stock

4 cloves garlic crushed

½ cup maple syrup. Use real maple syrup but does not need to be premium brand

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup malt vinegar

Peel of 1 well washed orange

3 sprigs rosemary

1/3 cup orange juice

Chopped mint for garnish

Method

You will need a wide deep heavy cooking pot with a tight fitting lid. I use my wide red cast iron lidded pot

Preheat oven to 180˚ C.

Season the lamb with sea salt and pepper.

On the stovetop - Heat the oil in the pan and brown the shanks, in batches if necessary.

Remove the lamb and add the stock, garlic, syrup, sugar, vinegar, rosemary, orange juice and peel. Bring to the boil the reduce heat and add the lamb shanks. 

Remove from stovetop, cover the pot ensuring lid is tightly sealed and place in oven.

Cook for 2 ½ hours checking and turning the shanks after 1 hour.

After 2 ½ hours, increase oven temp to 220 ˚ C. Remove the lid.  Roast for further 30 – 45 minutes uncovered but you need to turn and baste the shanks every 15 minutes until sauce thickens and shanks are deep golden and sticky glossy.

Remove the shanks and keep warm whilst you strain the juices and skim off the fat.

Taste and add a little more salt or pepper to your taste.

Then pour some of the sauce over the lamb and serve the remainder in a jug.

Serve with mint sauce. (Beerenburg from South Australia make a nice one if you don’t have time to make your own).

Sprinkle with finely shredded mint.

Is delicious served with either crunchy roasted potatoes or a combination of mashed potatoes, sweet potato or pumpkin and also lots of steamed greens.

                                        Enjoy!  Colleen

Inspiration for the grill from The Blonde Nomad and her Follow The Sun Adventures - Special Report

Twist on an old classic!

Following our recent visit to the Dometic Follow The Sun Launch Party and watching fellow blogger Kellie Stephenson aka The Blonde Nomad in the cooking demonstration we were inspired to create a family favourite using the humble sausage.  

When I arrived home a couple of youngsters came over and were keen to fire up the barbie and hear the sizzle of sausages - something I don't cook very often.  But I could not refuse their pleas and before long that unmistakeable aroma of snags on the barbie enveloped the yard and I too was daydreaming about "Following The Sun" and cooking in the great outdoors.

They chose: Pork and Fennel Sausages with grilled halloumi and zucchini, kale and spinach salad topped with mango chutney served on a laugen sandwich loaf.

You can follow Kellie and her adventures around Australia at…

https://www.facebook.com/theblondenomad

and read more about Dometic and their Follow the Sun Adventures at 

http://www.dometicfollowthesun.com.au/

The photos were snapped by one of the young guests and just as well they did, because dinner disappeared faster than a Public Holiday.  Hope you get a chance to "Follow the Sun" like Kellie and her family!

Sausages -  pick up your favourites (pork and fennel or lamb and rosemary perhaps) from a Great Local Aussie Butcher.  Cook on the barbie turning sausages regularly until cooked and a dark golden brown.

Salad

Grill halloumi and zucchini on an oiled grill. Finish with a generous drizzle of lemon juice, add fresh kale and spinach to your salad. Dollop a spoonful of Mango Chutney on the side.

Serve on traditional German Laugen sandwich bread which has just the right density of crunch and soft.

Mango Chutney  

(or you could use a good quality purchased one - maybe from a market or fete)

you will need sterilised jars to store your delicious Chutney

2 large mangoes - firm - chopped into chunks

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic - chopped

1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger - grated
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Use a medium saucepan, simmer ingredients 40-45 minutes until mangoes soften. Ladle into sterilised jars and seal.

                                          Enjoy!     Colleen and her hungry visitors

Summit Organics Farm Open Day

Special Report
From Mamma Marmalade

Farmer's markets provide the opportunity for city folk to support local farmers.  Just imagine if you had the chance to visit the farm where your wonderful organic herbs and vegetables are grown.  That is just the opportunity we enjoyed when Summit Organics held their recent farm walk.  On a chilly winter morning we gathered to listen to Rod and Tania explain how they raise the seedlings nurturing them until it is time to transplant into the fields.

Time to walk up the steep road to where the 6 acres of vegetables are grown.  We stop at the compost and soil preparation area for a talk on the importance of getting the growing medium just right, so as to nurture the plants.  Strong, healthy plants are more capable of fending off bugs and disease.

Then we saw row after row of gorgeous healthy certified organic vegetables, Carrots, celery, Asian greens, kale, parsley, coriander and more.

To keep their Organic certification is an extremely high labour and dollar investment so let's do our bit to support organic farmers.  Click on the link below to find out where they sell their outstanding produce.

And then to top of a great morning we are treated to farm grown Vegetable or Pumpkin Soup washed down with some delicious Lemon Myrtle and ginger cordial.

Summit Organics is situated 20 kilometres west of Uki  Northern NSW.
 

The farm is a family-owned 338-acre (128 hectare) property, right next to the World Heritage-listed Border Ranges National Park. The vegetable production area is an intensive market garden and utilises approximately six acres.

summitorganics.com

Potato Latkes

Want something a little more special for weekend breakfasts?  Whip up a batch of these healthier hash browns (better than a packet!) and watch them disappear. Best make a double batch.  To make these gluten free, simply substitute coconut or potato flour instead of plain flour.  Or why not add some grated parmesan as my eldest son attests, everything tastes  better with cheese.

  

Ingredients

1 organic/free range egg

1 organic/free range egg yolk

1 large onion

1.2 kgs potatoes

25 grams plain flour

1 tablespoon salt flakes

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or parsley

Oil for frying

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Peel and grate onion and potatoes.  A food processor makes this a breeze. Place in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid.

Tip into a clean bowl, add beaten egg and extra yolk, flour, salt, pepper and herbs.

Heat oil in a heavy based frypan.

Place 2 tablespoons of mixture into the oil, flattening the mixture with a spatula.

Cook for 6-8 minutes each side until golden.

Keep warm by placing cooked latkes on a tray in a hot oven (200 degrees).

This will make them crunchy, whilst you cook the remaining mixture.

Serve topped with a dollop of crème fresh or sour cream.

Enjoy,

Mamma Marmalade