So yet again we are fighting the weather but I think we have finally seen the back of those awful chilly mornings and evenings and although there is a bit of a dearth of prolonged sunshine we are now getting some of the rain we needed too. (that has been a hindrance in other respects!) We are slowly beginning to plant in the hope that the crazy deer doesn't pop out of his hiding place and decimate everything as he has done on previous occasions!
I wrote these blogs a while ago but the timing hasn't been right to publish them so they are a little unseasonal ... there is however still some long stemmed broccoli in the shops. I also have a little stash of chillis I froze down at the end of last year and the chives are going great guns just outside the back door so I'm not quite breaking my rules of only blogging using produce we are currently harvesting but hopefully the recipes might tempt you enough to pop them in a folder for later.
We are back to a bit of a health kick. So consequently lots of fish recipes for you to enjoy.... if you don’t count the salty soy sauce in the first one! It showcases a meaty piece of tuna enhanced with chilli, lime and ginger infused noodles and crunchy celery and pak choi. I used my less fiery chills rather than the cayennes this time so they didn’t make our eyes water and made us catch our breath less!
I adapt this from a Waitrose recipe.
.First make up some coriander butter.
.Add to a pan and fry your tuna steaks to your liking ( the Aldi's frozen ones are very good value) adding a little soy sauce when you turn the fish. Keep warm.
.Soak some rice noodles.
.Add some more soy sauce and the zest and juice of a lime to the pan and when it bubbles add 235g of pak choi, stalks sliced and leaves whole, two sliced celery stalks, a good handful of chopped chilli, some chopped ginger and some coriander.
.Cook for a couple of minutes till soft and coated in the glaze .
.Toss with the noodles and a little more coriander and serve with the fish.
Unfortunately dipped into my birthday chocolate raisins after making this so slightly negated any healthy benefits!
The second one might be a meal my lovely nephew would enjoy as one of my recipes using orzo has become one of his staples. It says to use cod but I used haddock as I sometimes feel cod falls apart and disintegrates during cooking.
Chipotle and smoked paprika give the orzo its smokiness and aromats dill and parsley add a further depth of flavour. Verdant long stemmed broccoli and peas introduce colour and more veg and fibre into the dish.
I didn't make the herby yoghurt as I didn't figure that it would necessarily enhance the dish any further. It was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed it so much I cant wait to make it again, with cod next time I think though. The picture definitely doesn't do it justice!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/smoky-cod-broccoli-orzo-bake
Then completely different flavours again. This time using up my courgettes and home made gloriously rich passata from the freezer. You make a ratatouille base and then top salmon with Boursin and breadcrumbs and pine nuts. Another one that comes highly recommended! ( Took dreadful pictures though so am just posting the one of the ratatouille!)
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-salmon-chunky-ratatouille
Last but not least herby pollock wrapped in bacon. Another recipe all cooked in one pan which can only be a bonus from a washing up point of view:) I used basa fillets instead as I knew it might be hard to source pollock and they seemed to work just as well and they are also pretty cheap and cheerful.
I can't find a link to this one so here is the recipe
.Heat oven to 160 degrees (fan)
.Lay 8-10 baby carrots and a thinly sliced leek on a baking tray .
.Drizzle with oil, cover with foil and bake for half an hour till just tender.
.Mix 75g of butter (I use Olivio) ,a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of chives, oregano and sage.
.Spread over the fish and wrap into a spiral and wrap tightly in bacon.
.Bake for 25 minutes.
.Boil enough new potatoes for two, crush and mix in chives, one tablespoon of creme fraiche and a knob of butter.
.Serve the fish on top of the potato and scatter the vegetables around.
I think lots of people find it hard to get inspired by fish but there are so many good recipes I'd say it's definitely worth adding some to your repertoire (might not be quite the right word there but think you'll get the gist!)
