Portuguese Battered Cod & Roasted Potatoes with Cauliflower

Receita em Português AQUI

Now this is a very simple dish and therefore the recipe is mainly on the cod and it's batter, but I will also descriptively tell you how to make the accompaniment.

Recipe ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 1 egg (stirred in a bow)
  
• 4 soup spoons of flour (in another bowl)
  
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 1 lemon (in juice)
  
• 400grs fresh cod fillets (skinless and cut into smaller portions)
  
• salt and pepper (to taste)

The roasted potatoes I done these without any precooking, basically just get some medium to small potatoes (enough for the people you cooking them for, around 2-3 per person), peal them and the larger ones cut in half. Place a roasting tray in the oven with some olive oil to cover the bottom, then once hot place the potatoes in and back into the oven for about 45 minutes at 200c (temperature) and that should be the potatoes done.

The cauliflower and broccoli (yes I did broccoli, but is not on the picture as plate was already full) I steamed these, by putting a pan on the stove with about 1 inch deep of water with a little salt, I washed and cut both of these veg to more manageable pieces and place them in the pan with a lid on and once started boiling I reduced the flame to just above minimum to continue the boiling and placed a lid on the pan to recycle the water and steam, I cooked these for 15 minutes, obviously keep a check as you may want them better cooked or less cooked. but that is the veg done.

The fish, this one you dry very well with either paper towels or kitchen towel, squeezing the fish to really draw the excess water (as they always have lots of water) this is important as next we marinade the fish and we want these marinade to be absorbed. On a little container (maybe a ramekin) mix the lemon juice and the garlic, leave it for about 3-5 minutes to infuse flavours and then put it all over the fish marinading the fish in this leaving it for 30 minutes, don't forget to also add a little salt and pepper to the marinade. Once this is done, you place a frying pan on the stove with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil, and piece by piece (of cod) you pass it through the flour, both sides shake off the excess than into the egg making sure is well involved, than into the piping hot oil, repeat the process until the frying pan is full, but make sure at the same time you need to turn the fish over as soon as it is sealed, letting it cook on both sides until is golden brown, I had to do the fish into two go's as it didn't all fit in the first batch in the frying pan. Once the fish is cooked place it on a plate with a couple of paper towels to absorb the excess oil. And you done, it is delicious and the fish just flakes off when you eat it.

I use the above accompaniment in the winter and in the summer (also a more traditional Portuguese way) I do it with tomato rice and a mix salad of tomato, onion and lettuce (with a little vinaigrette, making this meal lighter and more refreshing. Have fun..

Apple Pancakes with Zesty Vanilla Whip and Maple Syrup

Receita em Português AQUI

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4 if not too sweet toothed)

• 1 glass of self raising flour
  
• 3/4 glass of full fat milk (or a little more if needed)
  
• 3 soup spoons and one tea spoon of sugar
• 1 heaped tea spoon of baking powder
  
• 1/2 glass of whipping cream
  
• 1/2 of a lemon zest
  
• 1 tea spoon of vanilla essence
  
• 4 soup spoons of vegetable oil
  
• 1 egg
• 1 apple (skinless and cut into quarters, then finely slice all the quarters)
• Maple Syrup (to taste)
  

In a bowl put the flour and the baking powder and the 3 soup spoons of sugar, and with the aid of a whisk, mix both very well. Now make a well in the flour and place the egg in there as well as the vegetable oil, start whisking from the centre outwards and as it gets thick start adding the milk little by little and whisking until is all incorporated, it should have the consistency of runny yoghurt. Now pour the thinly sliced apple into that and give it one stir, cover it with a cloth and let it rest around 10 minutes.

Mean while put a non stick frying pan on the stove with the flame just above minimum, and let it heat do this about 4 minutes before the end of the dough rest period. Meanwhile in another bowl put the cream there and start whipping it and when is almost at its peak add the vanilla, lemon zest and sugar, bet remaining to peak and your cream is done.

Now on the preheated frying pan, if this one is large enough like 26-28" you should be able to make 3 pancakes at each time, two soup spoons of dough for each pancake and once these are golden brown on one side turn them over. Always check that they are fully cooked through, that is why pan can't be too hot or it will cook the outside with still runny dough on the inside.

Fungi and Quorn Cooked in a Butternut Squash Sauce & Carrot and Tomato Rice (Vegan-Vegetarian)

Receita em Português AQUI

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 1/2 Butternut Squash (very finely diced)
• 1 small onion (very finely sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (very finely sliced)
• 1 courgette (finely diced)
• 300grs button mushrooms (whole)
• 200grs Quorn pieces
• 400grs rice
• 2 large carrots
• 1 tomato (skin removed to for rose, rest diced)
• 1 soup spoon of tomato paste
• 1/4 glass of water with a tea spoon of plain flour diluted
• 1/2 tea spoon of paprica
• 2 glugs of olive oil
  

Put a pan on the stove on high temp, cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil, then once hot add, half of the garlic half of the onion and the butternut, start stirring it and as it starts to stick and dry add a bit of water (vegetable stock is better) mix again letting it cook it will dry again pour a little more water. the process is repeated around 3 to four times until the butternut starts disintegrating into a paste, when that happens season it (salt and pepper) add about 1/2 glass of water (or veg stock) and now add the courgette, Quorn and the mushrooms, put a lid on and reduce flame to minimum, letting it simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

While that is doing let's do the rice, put a pan with water and salt on the stove on high, then pour the rice in and give it a stir, it will take approx 10-12 minutes until fully cooked, once done strain it passing also boiling water through to remove starch then add the carrot sauce.

While the rice is boiling you put a frying pan on the stove, with a little olive oil and once hot add the carrot, remaining garlic and onion as well as some seasoning, stir fry it for about 3-5 minutes and add a little water (or veg stock) and then let it cook another 10 minutes and at this stage will join the rice.

With all taking the 15 minutes the sauce takes to be ready all will be ready at the same time, so remove the lid from the butternut sauce and add the water with flour this will thicken the sauce further making it extremely smooth and nice.

Plate it up and eat it, it has a delicate sweetish taste due to the butternut which is in my opinion quite divine. If you want a meat one just replace the Quorn with the meat of your choice.

Herbed Pancakes and Mini Spring Burgers with a tuft of Salad (Pancake day Gastro Feast)

Pancake day gastro feast... Only had a small dinner as had some more sweet pancakes to come after as desert...this was really enjoyable.

Recipe Ingredients: (good for 3-4 people)

• 1small glass of self raising flour
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 tea spoon of baking powder
• 2/3 of a glass with milk
• 3 soup spoons of olive oil
• 1 bunch of parsley (chopped)
• 1/4 tea spoon of garlic granules
• 400grs lean beef mince
• 3 spring onions (thinly sliced)
  
• 1 small onion (sliced)
• one bag of mixed salad
• 1 hand full of bread crumbs
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/3 tea spoon paprika
• 1 soup spoon of smoked barbecue sauce
• also some barbecue and ketchup sauce to top burgers
• salt and pepper to taste
  

With so many ingredients sounds difficult...No? Well it is not.
Dead easy, pour the flour in a bowl and the baking powder, whisk well together, then make a well and in the middle put 1 egg, oil, garlic granules, salt and pepper and start to mix, as it gets thicker add the milk a little a the time and continue mixing it in until all the milk is used up (it should be the consistency of thick bechamel, so add more milk if needed). Lastly add the parsley and set it aside to rest.

In another bowl place the mince, and add: bread crumbs, 1 egg, barbecue sauce, spring onions (save a little for decorating), garlic "minced", paprika and salt + pepper (to taste). Mix it all in with your hands, and after make balls the size of golf balls, which then you squash to make the mini burgers, these are grilled in a hot griddle pan, and the pancake mix is made in a non stick frying pan (no oil needed as these already contain oil) two soup spoons per pancake should be the right size, make sure they are cooked on both sides.

Serve the burgers over the savoury pancakes, squeeze a dollop of BBQ sauce and Ketchup over each burger and add a little spring onions to decorate as well as normal sliced onions (you can also use mini tomato slices, cucumber etc. " i didn't have any in" lol) put also a tuft of mixed leaves salad in each plate and drizzle some olive oil balsamic vinegar and refined salt. there you are a nice little healthy pancake meal for your pancake day.!!!