Oven Baked Fresh Cod with Potatoes and Charlottes

Ingredients: (for 4 people)

• 2 fresh cod fillets (about 700grs) skinless and boneless (cut into small pieces)
• 4 Large pealed potatoes cut into very thin slices (about 5mm thick)
• 8 Charlotte's (thinly sliced)
• 8 Spring onions (sliced)
• 2 Broccoli heads (cut into pieces)
• 4 Garlic cloves (finely diced)
• 250mls fresh cream (you can use creme fraiche)
• 1 fish stock cube (knorr or any other brand)
• 1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/2 Glass of white wine (sweet)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• A little olive oil, salt, black pepper and butter.

An uncomplicated recipe, simply cook the potatoes in water until they become translucent, but not completely cooked (cooking for around 7-10 minutes depending on the potatoes quality), at the same time place on a frying pan a little olive oil and as soon as is very hot add the Charlotte's and the garlic with a pinch of both salt and pepper, stir regularly until these become golden, which then you should add the wine and the spring onions, leaving these to cook until soft (about 3-4 minutes.

In a Pyrex tray, cover the bottom with a film of olive oil, then lay out the sliced potatoes until the bottom is covered, on top of these place half of the onions mixture and also crumble half of the stock cube over it, repeat the process potatoes and onion mixture and stock cube, on on top of this final layer place the filleted fish pieces on top, and cover the fish with sliced red (or white onions) and finally to top it all add the fresh cream over it all, cover the tray with foil and place in a 180 degrees Celsius preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes are over, remove the aluminium foil from the tray, with care not to burn yourself or for food to be stuck to it, and let it remain in the oven at the same temperature for a further 20 minutes.

During the last 20 minutes place a deep pan on the stove with two fingers deep of water in it adding to it the broccoli put the lid on and once reaches the boil reduce to minimum leaving it to cook for those 20 minutes.

During the last five minutes before the broccoli are ready, place a little bowl in bain-marie and place in it a little butter around two soup spoons, until its melted adding to it at this stage the chopped parsley    and the lemon juice.

Now that all is ready at the same time is just to assemble the dish on the plate and eat it. Bon apettit!!

Chocolate Cheese Cake

Ingredients for Recipe:

• 1 bar of dark chocolate, around 150grs (cocoa, min 50% max 65%)
• 250grs of whipping cream.
• 250grs of Mascarpone cheese.
• 70grs + 50grs of butter
• 10-12 digestive biscuits (crushed)
• White chocolate buttons (about 20)
• 1 cap of chocolate liquor
• (Optional 1 to 1 / 2 sheets of gelatin dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of warm water)

Get two bowls and a cheesecake tin, put the biscuits in one of the bowls and completely crush them till resembling breadcrumbs, to these add the 70 grams of softened butter and the chocolate liquor as well as two tablespoons full of the chocolate ganache (see below on how to make this ganache, made with butter instead of cream ) mix well and put it in the cheesecake tin, pressing it with a smooth surface like the bottom of a glass, to about 1 cm thick.

In another bowl put the cream and whisk it until almost fully whipped, adding to it the powdered sugar, continue whisking until fully thick whipped. Aside mix chocolate ganache (also optionally add the dissolved gelatin, I prefer it without) with mascarpone cheese, after being well integrated pour it in the the whipped cream and mix lightly until well blended.

Now put this mixture over the pressed down biscuit mixture and spread it evenly with a spatula. Garnish it with white chocolate buttons and refrigerate a minimum 1 hour, better if it stays a few hours.

The ganache is very simple to make .... put the chocolate squares in a glass bowl immersed in a bain marie once melted, mix it with the butter 50g (+ or-) until well incorporated.

This is a recipe that I tried and would recommend to be tested by you too. I promise you  not to be disappointed.

Tagliatelli a la Rico

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4 or 3 very hungry ones)

• 400grs mixed tagliatelle egg and spinach
  
• 1/2 can of black olives (cut in halves) roughly 120gr +or-
• 12 cherry tomatoes (cut in halves) with skin
  
• 1 courgette (cut in small cubes)
• 4 spring onions (cut in slices)
• 1 garlic clove minced
  
• 1 lid of nice balsamic vinegar
  
• 1/4 fresh cream
  
• 2 soup spoons of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 coriander bunch (finely chopped)
• sufficient, salt, black pepper and olive oil
  

From beginning to end it only took me 15 minutes to complete this meal. Put a pan with boiling water on the stove + a little salt and oil (tip, the oil prevents water from foaming up as well as it keeps pasta separated after cooked, rather than clumping up, I learnt this from the age of 9) in there put the pasta cooking.

Wile the pasta is cooking put a Wok on the stove, and in it add a little olive oil enough to cover the bottom, heat it up and as soon as fumes start coming out of it, add in there the following vegetables, courgette, spring onion and garlic + seasoning (salt and B pepper). Let these ones cook for around 3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the tomatoes and onion + a the balsamic vinegar, and continue to stir for a further 3 minutes.

To that now you add the fresh cream and the cheese, and stir for a further 2 minutes, add to it now the drained tagliatelli, give it a few more turns, than switch the fire of on the stove and throw in the coriander, giving it a few more turns to mix it in well, then serve and (optional) you can add extra B pepper and or Grated dried parmesan cheese...And have a nice quick healthy cheap meal.

Courgette Risotto (vegetarian)

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 400grs Risotto rice (American Long Grain will also work)
  
• 1 courgette (sliced into little cubes)
• 150grs Button Mushrooms (if bigger cut in halves) please do not use canned..not the same.
  
• 1 large onion (finely diced)
  
• 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
  
• 1 Vegetable stock cube (Oxo is fine or Knorr)
  
• 1 heaped soup spoon of chopped up parsley.
  
• a little olive oil
  
• 25-30grs butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 3 soup spoons of fresh single cream
  
• (optional) shavings of cured parmesan cheese (optional extravagant) shavings of Truffle
  

Place a pan on the stove with enough olive oil to cover the bottom, once hot add the, onion, garlic, courgette and seasoning (salt and pepper), let them cook stirring it occasionally once the onion is semi-transparent add the rice, stirring it to be completely covered in the olive oil, let the rice cook around 3 minutes stirring frequently, this will make the rice thirsty and ready to start absorbing the stock, you make this by adding the stock cube to about 70dcl of warm water, making sure is well dissolved. So you add some stock just enough to cover the rice and continuously stir, as it dries add a little more stock and so on until it finishes,but when you have used 2/3 of the stock is time to add the mushrooms and the butter, and then continue the process as before.


The risotto requires that the rice is fully cooked but still firm in the grain interior, so don't be afraid test and taste it as you cook, you'll know when is right for you, it should never be overcooked and soft all the way through, once I almost finished cooking I added then the three spoons of fresh cream, and let it cook just one further minute then added the parsley and gave it one last stir, and served it. It is lovely to then put on top for both decoration and flavour the optional bits, just slithers of cured parmesan, or shavings of truffle, or both..hehe you decide how extravagant you wanna be.....It is also lovely with a nice medium dry ice cold white wine...have fun ..is easy and you don't need the optionals to be good... cheers!!!

Somked Hadock Filled Portabello Mushrooms Grattin

Receita em Português AQUI

This was a very delicious meal I was fortunate to prepare. An invention no doubt, and like all inventions I was afraid of failure, but not the case, this was a success with the family.

Recipe Ingredients:(enough for 4)

• 4 Portabello mushrooms (if not portabello large open ones will do)
• 2 Bunches of broccolis spears (about 400grs)
• 400grs mixed red and white new potatoes (cut in half)
  
• 125grs fresh single cream
  
• 2 soup spoons of Gruyère pieces (if not available, extra mature chedar will do"grated")
• 2 soup spoons of mild cheddar (grated)
• 1 glass of milk
  
• 50grs butter
• 1 big bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
  
• 1/2 reb bell pepper (cut into little strips)
• 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  
• 300grs smoked hake (no skin and chopped into small cubes)
• 1/2 lemon juice
  
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• Olive oil
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Put the potatoes cooking in a pan with a little salt, these will take about 15-20 minutes depending on their size. On another pan cook the broccoli spears, these will take between 7-10 minutes to be cooked so only start cooking these 10 minutes after you have put the potatoes on, once the broccoli is cooked just put a little butter in them (optional).

However before all that you need to prepare the mushrooms as these will take around 20 minutes in the oven (at 200c). So to prepare them drizzle a little olive oil in a large pirex dish to fit all mushrooms or 2 small ones, put the mushrooms upside down in the dish and previously remove the stalk, chopping them into small bits. Now season the mushroom with some salt and pepper, then top it with (dividing by the 4), 2 chopped garlic cloves, chopped mush stalk, the pepper (save a little to also decorate), half of the parsley and the smoked fish, finally the bechamel (see how to make this bechamel bellow) and on the top of the bechamel, the mild cheddar and the remaining pepper for decor.

For the bechamel you place in a little pan, the cream and the milk, let it get very hot at that stage add a little seasoning, salt pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the Gruyère cheese. Once all melted get 1/3 of a glass with water and mix in a soup spoon of plain flour, once well mixed , pour it into the sauce and stir briskly and the sauce will thicken substantially, should be the consistency of runny mayonnaise.

Once the potatoes are cooked put them in a frying pan with the butter, remaining parsley and remaining garlic and fry them for 3 minutes adding the lemon juice at the end, plate it all up and you're done. Is super delicious I cannot tell you how much you need to make it and find out.

Rich Tea Biscuit Cake witth Almond

Ingredients for the Recipe: ( enough for many :D )

• 4 yolks
  
• 125 g butter
• 125 g Fine sugar (Caster fine sugar)
• 125 g Icing sugar
  
• 40 g ground almonds (I ground my own for a more intense flavour)
• 1/2 almond essence
  
• +/- 2 packets McVities Rich Tea biscuits (or Maria biscuits)
• 1 cup strong coffee (just warm nearly cold)
• 10 flaked almonds (I flaked my own with my Santuku knife)

In a bowl place the yolks, butter (soft or into little cubes), sugars, and the almond essence, blend these very well with a mixer, until it forms a whitish cream, once it gets to that point add the almond while still mixing , mix these very well until all the ground almond is all blended in. Then refrigerate it for about an hour so it hardens to a thick cream consistency.

Then get the biscuits and one by one dip them in the (almost cold) coffee for about 3 seconds each, don't leave them too long or they will become soft and break apart, and also if too soft is impossible to spread the cream. Arrange them on a plate or tray one in the centre and six surrounding the centre one, then apply a thin layer of cream (that you had refrigerated), repeat the process until the cake is around 5-6 biscuits high, and finally cover the whole of the cake outside in the same cream, and sprinkle the almond flakes on top, them refrigerate until very cold and firm.

It is very nice served with a nice strong cup of coffee. I believe the original recipe doesn't have almonds at all and the walls and top of the cake is decorated with dessicated coconut shavings.
We all know that almond goes extremely well with coffee, as a lot of times when out for a coffee you get a little almond biscuit with it, therefore the reason why I used it.