Smoked fish (and prawns) in a lemony white sauce

This is a lovely filling for a baked potato. Serves about four. It is easier to make than it sounds!

Gently heat some butter/spread in a pan (about an ounce)

Chop an onion or two (depending on size) and soften for a couple of minutes, then stir in about an ounce of plain flour (I don't measure this out, a heaped dessert or rounded table spoon is about an ounce) so it combines with the flour and then cook it gently for a minute or two.

Add about 2-3 tbsp lemon juice (depending on how sharp you like it). This is about the juice of one lemon if you are using fresh and not bottled.

Now start to add a bit of milk slowly while stirring, then add some more and stir, more and stir as you make a sauce from the paste...

This is the slightly tricky bit as lemon juice and milk are not natural friends, but be bold and stir fast - if the milk splits to start with, the mixing it with the flour paste does bring it all back together, honest!)

Keep adding the milk until you have as much milk in as you want sauce (probably up to a pint*) and let it cook on low for a minute or two to thicken and until it starts to gently bubble. Grind in some black pepper while it heats. (If you do use a fresh lemon, grating the zest into the sauce is really nice too.)

Add chunks** of smoked fish (eg cod/haddock/coley, about 1lb. I prefer un-dyed) with the skin removed*** and stir carefully to coat the fish with the sauce (you want the fish to stay in chunks as much as possible) then put the lid on. Check after about five minutes and carefully stir again. It might need a couple more minutes, depending on the size of the chunks)

Once the fish is cooked, stir in any prawns if you are using them (bear in mind that if they are still frozen it will add more liquid and salt, probably worth thawing first, or at least giving them a quick rinse in a sieve under the cold tap and patting gently with some kitchen roll)

Give them a minute or two to heat through, then add in any frozen veg (sweetcorn, peas, green beans) to heat through too. (Or it's nice served with courgettes, or fresh green beans/mange-tout/sugar-snaps)


*You want the sauce to be a bit wet so it cooks the fish, but also bear in mind that the fish and any prawns and veg you add will also add liquid, so keep it quite thick at this stage. (I usually add a little bit of milk around the edge of the pan just before I add the fish so it steams)

** Big chunks take a little longer to cook, but if you start big and the chunks break up, at least you are left with smaller chunks and not mince-y fish rubble. I usually start with inch-pieces.

*** Start at the tail end with a sharp knife and cut down at a slight angle to the skin. Hold the tail firmly and pull it while sliding the knife along towards the other end. If you've done it a few times, you can do this while the sauce is heating up, as it does only take a minute or two to skin and chop if you have a bit of confidence. Otherwise maybe do this before you start the sauce, or switch the heat off while you are doing it.


1oz = 25g
1tbsp = 15ml
1pt = 450ml
1lb = 450g




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Quick Baked Potatoes

I don't often have time to bake potatoes from scratch in the oven (yes, I know I could set the oven to timed, but it would mean just one more thing to do in the morning, and doesn't work for gas ovens either), but I do like the crisp jacket of a proper oven baked potato that a microwave just can't achieve

Apologies for a fairly simple post, but when I mention combining the methods, people do often say they have never thought of this.

Prog your potatoes and put them in the microwave on high for five minutes. Switch the oven on to about 200c/GM6 and start preparing the filling.

After five minutes, stab the potatoes to see how they are getting on. You'll probably need to turn them over and pop back in for another couple of minutes. Keep checking, and when soft through, put them into the oven to crisp while you finish off the filling.

Even just five minutes to dry out and crisp off really makes a difference, ten to fifteen is ideal.


Things to have with baked potatoes:

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Smoked fish and prawns

Chilli Beef Stew



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Chicken Kebabs

Quick and tasty. Serves 4

Marinade (to cover 1lb of chicken cut into bite size pieces)

2tsps ground coriander

2tsps ground cumin

(I am a bit more generous with the coriander, rounded spoons for coriander, flat ones for the cumin)

1tsp turmeric

¼ - 1 tsp paprika or cayenne pepper (according to how spicy you like it)

Crushed garlic (depends on how garlic-y you like it– I think half a bulb is about right!)

Lemon juice, add enough to make a thick paste, but not sloppy, about 1-2 tbsp

Add chicken and mix to coat. Leave for about 10 minutes while grill heats up.

Foil line a roasting tin, spread chicken out and cook under a hot grill for 5-10 mins. Cut into a big piece to check chicken cooked through (ie no pink remaining)

Serve with toasted pita breads, yoghurt (I think greek is best) and chopped peppers (the marinated chicken is lovely on its own, but the peppers and yoghurt work brilliantly together stuffed in pita bread).

This is also good in tortilla wraps.

It is tasty cold on a picnic as well.

1tsp = 5ml

1tbsp = 15ml

1lb = 450g

You might also like

Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Salsa Salad

Spicy Prawn Salad

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Bacon and Potato Soup

Quick, simple, cheap and tasty

This will serve four but it scales up and down easily according to how hungry you are, how many it has to feed and what you have to hand.

Bacon – how much is up to you, I would suggest at least a slice or a couple of rashers per person. Smoked bacon recommended. Chopping up part of a raw bacon/gammon joint into small pieces can be more economical and tasty than sliced bacon. Lardons work well. Pieces of leftover roast gammon or bacon is fine too, but doesn’t flavour it quite so well. Wiltshire cured bacon doesn’t seem to work particularly well though.

New potatoes – again, depends how filling a soup you want, about 1-2 per person. The more you add, unsurprisingly the chunkier or thicker the soup. You can use up cold ones, which is quicker to make but the flavour is much better if they go in raw, as they soak up the soup flavour.

Onion finely chopped – at least 1 medium or large, or a couple of small

Milk – about a pint.

Parsley – dried or fresh

Black pepper

Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and put in pan. Start off on a gentle heat to release some of the fat so no oil is needed. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the onion and continue to cook until the onion is soft (about 2-3 minutes).

Add milk and chopped potatoes, and parsley and black pepper to taste. Heat and then simmer gently until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes if raw used, depending on size of pieces) stirring occasionally. (If you like your soup thicker, bash the potatoes up a bit when stirring.)

(If using leftover gammon, start by softening onions in a little oil, then add it with the potatoes)

A handful of frozen sweetcorn can be added when it’s simmering if you want to include some veg.


Loaded skins


Mushroom Soup

Tomato Soup

Mushroom Rice

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Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

The best toasted sandwich

Take a couple of slices of bread and spread with a sauce (I favour Reggae Reggae sauce, but anything with a bit of a kick, or brown eg HP if spicy isn't for you). Spread one slice thin and the other a bit thicker.

Put a slice of ham onto the thinly spread slice. Add cheese, either thin slices or a bit grated. (I like extra-mature cheddar, but whatever you have is good, even those little plastic sausages of Austrian Smoked thinly sliced)

Put the thicker sauced slice on top of cheese.

This bit can get a bit messy, but basically you need to lightly butter (or whatever spread you use) the outside of the sandwich before toasting it. This makes it lovely and crunchy. (I usually butter one side, put that side down on the grill and then butter the top.

For best results if you have a George Forman grill (about two minutes) or sandwich toaster, use that (with thinner spread slice with ham on the bottom down so cheese is less likely to try to escape through bread and weld to appliance), otherwise put under the cooker grill, or you can put it into a frying pan (no oil) and turn when crsipy.


(My second favourite toasted sandwich is cream cheese with some thinly sliced spring onion in - sounds a bit odd but is very nice!)


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Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Rice with chorizo and prawns (sometimes also with chicken)

Not really a risotto or a paella, but v tasty.

This serves three to four hungry people sometimes with leftovers for lunch the next day.

Takes twenty to thirty mins, depending on how fast you chop.

Quantities of meat and veg up to you, be as economical or indulgent as you like to make what you have go round.

(If you are using chicken chop it into small pieces and cook it before you add in the onions)

Chop an onion or two (depending on size) soften in a big pan with a tiny bit of butter/spread/oil, stirring on a gentle heat.

While onion is softening, chop some peppers  (I usually do one and a half to two, but whatever you have to hand and your own taste) and add to the pan to soften too, stirring.

Boil the kettle. Weigh out rice (about 8 ozs. I usually use basmati, but it doesn't really matter) and stir it into the pan.

Add about 15 fl oz to a pint of boiling water (just to cover) and add some oregano, black pepper and a stock cube (chicken or veg, I usually just add a half,, you probably won't need one at all if you are using a fair bit of chorizo) while bringing back to the boil.

Give it a good stir, lower the heat and stick a lid on for about five minutes while you chop the chorizo into chunks. (You can use a pack of sliced, but I think the cooked sausage ones are better value)

Take the lid off, give it a good stir, especially making sure it isn't sticking to the bottom. (If there's not much liquid left, you might need to add a little more, but beware too much especially  if you are adding frozen stuff in a few minutes)

Add the chorizo, stir and put the lid back on for 2-3 mins.

Check it, if the rice is just about cooked through, add in some prawns (frozen is fine, just they will add more liquid and it'll be saltier than if they are defrosted and drained) and any frozen veg you fancy; sweetcorn, peas, green beans.

Another good stir and cook for another couple of mins until prawns and veg hot through. (Usually with lid back on, but if it is looking a bit wet, leave it off and keep stirring)

Eat!

(8ozs is aprox 250g, 15 fl oz is about 400mls)


You might also like:

Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

Mushroom Rice

Spicy Prawn Salad

Chicken Kebabs


For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Intro

I often get asked for the recipes of what I cook, as well as how I manage to cook meals quickly when I get in from work. This blog is to share this.

I hope you enjoy it; please feel free to leave comments, suggestions and questions.



For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas