Mains

Beef and Quince Casserole

February 2, 2013
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I had described in the Lamb, Quinces and Cardamon recipe how the quinces cook down to produce a beautiful savouriness flavour to the dish that is neither sweet nor acid.  This beef and quince casserole has become a family favourite. I started out using one too many quinces and have now settled in using one […]

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How to make a casserole or stew

February 2, 2013
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Casseroles or stews are divided into two categories, those where all the ingredients are added to the pan without browning the meat first, and those that do brown the meat and deglaze the pan.  I make both types, it really depends on the time I have.  I can also make a decision as with my […]

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Fish in aromatic spices

January 26, 2013
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The spices here are mellow to give an overall flavour to the dish and be very much in the background.  If you’re thinking of this as a curry-type thing, it’s not, I wanted the flavour of the fish especially blander fish to be allowed through.  I first made this a few months ago when a […]

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Molho fervido – Cooked olive oil dressing (fish & potato salad)

January 23, 2013
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The idea of molho fervido, also called azeite fervido is to add flavour to starchy plain boiled potatoes and a plain cooked fish usually poached, and often the choice of fish will be bacalhau (salt cod) but also popular is pescada (hake).  I don’t know about you but sometimes when cold weather demands something warm and […]

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Chipotle sauce – spicy smoky versatile dressing for meat, vegetables, salads

October 20, 2012
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I gave this sauce to Nicola mixed in the black-eye bean salad last weekend, and to Monica  to add it to her fish dish this weekend and both of them raved about this sauce.  Monica who loves everything chili would happily add it to all her food.  A very versatile sauce can be used to […]

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Octopus Rice – Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho

August 15, 2012
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If you’ve never eaten octopus I think octopus rice is the best way to try it.  This is my favourite way with octopus, the flavour of the rice comes from the water the octopus cooks in and the water it releases during cooking, giving the rice a very meaty flavour and a lovely hue of […]

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Aduki / Azuki Bean Salad

January 23, 2012
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I made this salad for my lunch today.  I was reminded yesterday reading Carl’s post on his vegetarian haggis how good aduki beans are, they’re the puy lentil of the bean world for me.  They’re flavoursome, the taste reminds me of black-eye beans/peas and being so small they give you a lovely texture and if […]

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Tarka,Tadka, Chaunk, Dhungar: Tempering Spices & Making Dal

November 15, 2011
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I’ve recently made 2 posts on spices and now would like to mention one of my favourite ways of spicing lentils; tarka.  Tarka, tadka or chaunk and also known by other names if you look on wiki here, is a very good way of spicing food, not just legumes. I first noticed it years ago […]

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Some Spicing Tips

November 9, 2011
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I’ve written the post on Don’t Dry Roast Spices here, and wanted to do a quick one on a couple of tips.  A week or so ago I was asked by Carl if I had any tips for a Goan curry he was making, to which I answered no, but I said I do have […]

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Lentil Curry, Spinach Curry with Fresh Apricots

August 21, 2011
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I have to make a note of these curries I quickly made last night otherwise they will be forgotten never to be made again which according to my oldest daughter is a habit of mine.  When I make it again I will take better photos and post those.  It was one of those full days, […]

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Fish Stuffed with Herbs

August 13, 2011
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This is the sort of meal I like to cook in any given evening, easy to prepare and packs so much flavour which I can change depending on my whim on the day.  I came across these long fillets of hake, quite unusual where I live, as soon as I spotted them I started to […]

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Fish in Herb Salt Crust

August 13, 2011
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I made this recipe by Giorgio Locatelli back in the Spring, it’s his version of the more classic salt crust baked fish as I’ve made here.  Giorgio makes it with seabass fillets rather than a whole seabass like mine.  The recipe is here, scroll down to where it says Sea Bass in Sea Salt.  Last […]

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Fish Baked in Salt Crust on the Barbecue

August 13, 2011
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These photos go back two summers, I’ve had them in my photo album with the idea of repeating the experience this summer.  I would then take a lovely shot of the plated fish set on a stylised table with the backdrop of the green outlook of my garden.  I have no idea what happen to […]

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Good Quick Marinade for Chicken and Ribs

April 20, 2011
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I had bought chicken to make my Sweet Miso & Lemon Chicken but at the last minute had to change plans, allergy daughter had over done on soya previous days and I needed to make a soya and maize free dish for the family.  Rummaging through the kitchen cupboard I saw the bottles of Wilkson […]

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Linguine with Brown Shrimp, Crab, Lemon & Chili

April 3, 2011
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I love everything made with flour but it just loves me back too much.   For this reason I choose to eat bread over pasta unless the pasta dishes are like these.  It’s such a delicious dish and even better than the usual crab linguine I use to make based on the River Cafe cookbook. […]

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