Smoked Fish and Prawns in a Pasta and Cream Grattin

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 large courgette cut in half and then in stripes.
  
• 6 carrots with skin (well washed, thinly sliced)
  
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
  
• 3 garlic cloves (two minced, one crushed)
  
• 300mls double fresh cream
  
• 150grs grated cheddar
  
• 800grs pasta (use a mixture of two nice ones, different types)
  
• 400grs smoked filet's like haddock or another smoked fish( skinless and boneless cut into little cubes)
  
• 250grs fresh uncooked king prawns skinless (cut in half's)
  
• 2 soup spoons of butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• a little olive oil
  

Easy recipe to make. Place a large frying pan on the stove and a deep pan with water salt and the crushed garlic to cook the pasta, once the water is boiling add the pasta, leave it cooking for 10 minutes, while on the frying pan ad a glug of olive oil, and once hot add the two minced garlic, onion, courgettes, carrots and seasoning (salt and pepper to taste), stir these frequently until the onion and carrot are half cooked, at this stage add, the butter and then once melted the fresh cream, wait now until the cream starts to bubble, and at this stage add the cut smoked fish, reduce the fire to medium and let it simmer for 3 minutes, lastly add the prawns and let it simmer a further 3 minutes.

Get a couple of large Pyrex, cover the bottom with some of the boiled pasta (half) dividing equally between the both. After that split the sauce into two parts reserving a little liquid with veg bits, put each of those two parts over the bed of pasta, and then cover the sauce with another layer of pasta on each dish until all the pasta has gone, now pour half of the reserved liquid evenly over the pasta of both dishes and over that the grated cheese over the two trays (for more cheese flavour you may add some grated Parmesan "optional") season a little salt and pepper and goes in the oven at 200c for about 15 minutes, well ...until golden brown on top to your liking, this serves 10 people easy. At least that is how many ate this at my house, and to be honest they all loved this dish, so hope yours like it too, if your people eat a lot make this dish for 8. Luv ya ...and thanks for visiting my blog and taking the time to comment.

Lamb Fillet with Paprika Potatoes and Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Recipe Ingredients:

• 10 Small potatoes with skin (cut into quarters)
  
• 2 Garlic cloves (minced)
  
• 6 sliced of halloumi cheese about 1/2cm thick
  
• 1 Lamb fillet (about 300grs, marinated in salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice..for 20-30mins)
• 300grs mushrooms (cut into quarter, I used mixed brown and white for greater flavour)
  
• 1 parsley bunch (finely chopped)
  
• 1 soup spoon of butter
  
• a little olive oil
  
• 1 tea spoon of paprika
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• a little lemon juice
  

Place a pan with water and salt on the stove, once boiling add the quartered potatoes and let these cook until they are about 3 minutes from being fully cooked (is intentional that I am not giving you times as cooking times vary depending on potato quality and time, you should know the potatoes you use cooking times). Once that happens remove them from the stove and drain them and place them in a bowl, adding to them salt pepper a drizzle of olive oil 1 garlic minced and the paprika, toss the potatoes in the bowl (not using instrument, only by moving bowl as you want potatoes to remain whole), and once they are all covered you place these in a tray and in a pre-heated oven to 200c for about 25 minutes.

Now place a frying pan with a glug of olive oil on the stove and once very hot, place the lamb fillet within. The idea is to seal and brown off all the way around the fillet, once this is achieved you set the meat aside and let it rest, until there is only about 15 minutes till the potatoes are done, once that happens, place the fillet in a Pyrex and insert it in the oven as well.

Five minutes away from what is in the oven being cooked, place the same pan you used for the meat, on the stove add a little more olive oil, the butter , and the remaining garlic (minced) a little seasoning salt and pepper, and the mushrooms, as it get hot with the pan start tossing the mushroom, regularly until they are 1 minute away from fully cooked (as they take about 5 minutes in all) at this stage add the parsley turn the fire off and toss them a few times. And as you can see all is done at the same time.

While someone serves, you should have a hot griddle, and a little pepper and lemon drops over each halloumi cheese, the griddle must be non stick (don't have one use a non stick pan or frying pan) put a drizzle of olive oil and grill the cheese for about 1 &1/2 minute on each side, and then plate it ...see picture.

This meal also goes well, if you want to replace the meat , with for example home made fish cakes..you decide.. bom apetite!!!

Mascarpone and Creme Fraiche Mousse with Blueberries

This was made when I received the day before yesterday all my family in my house for diner (they had come from Portugal) so I wanted to impress a little, and may I say with a big head I didn't disappoint them ...according to their comments.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 8 digestives
• 1 soup spoon of butter
  
• 1 pkt of mascarpone (about 200grs)
• 1 pkt of crème fraiche (about 250grs)
• 1 punnet blueberries (about 250grs)
• 4 soup spoons of sugar (+ a little extra)
• 1/2 lemon (just the juice)
• 1 lid of vanilla essence

Just put a the lemon juice the sugar and the berries in a little pan and take it to the stove medium heat, after about 3 minutes the berries start bursting (you know this as the liquid starts to gain the berries colour) squish them with a potato masher, and then let them cook for a further about 5 minutes. Set it aside ready to mix with the mousse.

Prior to making the mousse, you need to line the base of the ramekins with the digestive, so to prepare the digestive for this, in a bowl with your hands crush the digestives until they nothing but powder, then put the butter and the vanilla essence in and still with your hands mix it in until it resembles crumbs, at this stage divide them equally through the ramekins and flatten it down with the base of a glass that fits into the ramekin. They are now ready for the mousse.

On a bowl mix the mascarpone and the crème fraiche and a little sugar (about one heaped then spoon) with a whisk until a smooth paste achieved , pouring in a bit at time of the blueberries compote keep whisking and add it till all is in, than spoon them evenly to the ramekins and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving and that is it.

Chilli con Quorn over Pasta Shells (vagetarian)

Receita em Português AQUI

Very easy recipe that I do repeat several times during the month, as my wife is a vegetarian, and this turns out very similar to the meat one (my opinion) I also enjoy it too. The kids are not so keen, don't take me wrong they still like it but called it fake meat and say would prefer with real meat.

• 2 red chillies (finely sliced) medium hot
  
• 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 green pepper (diced)
• 1 onion diced
  
• 1 large carrot (thinly sliced)
  
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  
• 1 soup spoon tomato concentrate
  
• 1 tin of tomatoes (diced) can also use fresh ones but de-seed them and remove the skin first about 3 large will do (diced)
  
• 1 tin mixed beans (or just kidney beans will do)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1 tea spoon full of cumin powder
  
• 300grs of Quorn (or alternatively soya mince)
  
• 400grs of pasta shells (cooked in water with two crushed garlic cloves)
  
• 1/2 glass of white wine
  
• 4 soup spoons of olive oil
  

Well this recipe is very simple, place the oil in pan and once very hot add the following: Onion, Garlic, chilly, peppers, carrots, cumin powder, salt and black pepper (to taste), let it all cook stirring occasionally until the onion is semi transparent, at this stage add the tomato, the tomato concentrate and the wine, reduce to medium heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Now add the Quorn or Soya and let it continue to simmer stirring occasionally for a further 5 minutes, at the of which you add the beans and let it continue to simmer for a further 3-5 minutes more and the sauce is ready. So remember to put the pasta on cooking around the time you added the Quorn to the sauce.

Once all is ready place the pasta on the plate (you can also do this with rice or Bulgar or even cus cus) and pour a good couple of serving spoons over the pasta, (optionally) you can add some grated cheddar and a little Parmesan on top. makes it just delicious, of course is also good without it. For a meat one just replace the Quorn with beef or pork or lamb mince.

Tip: for fairly hot use the whole chillies sliced, if less heat is required just cat the chillies in half and remove the seeds and the white veins, before cooking them.