Pineapple Salsa

This is a sweet, hot and very good looking little number, so for most of us that buy pineapples and  forget to use them try this recipe you won't be disappointed. Its goes excellent with mackerel, in fact the salsa will go with most fish or try it with slow roast shoulder of lamb.

Serves 4

3 prunes, pitted and finely chopped

25ml good quality tequila

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

1/4 red Scotch bonnet chilli finely chopped (minus the seeds)

1/2 pineapple, peeled and cut into very small cubes

Pinch of salt

Put the prunes into a bowl and pour over the tequila and lime juice, leave to marinade for 1 hour, now  add the vinegar and the scotch bonnet chilli, and the pineapple and salt. Leave the flavours come together for a while before serving

Elderflower Champagne

If you need an excuse to go for a walk in the country side this is it. Elderflower season has finally arrived, this fragrant white flower is everywhere and it makes the most delicious refreshing drink. So put on your walking boots, grab a bag and get outside and pick a few of these beautiful blooms.

Elderflower Champagne

12 heads of elderflowers (pick in full bloom and scent)
700g sugar
1 large lemon
2 tablespoons of organic white wine vinegar

Put the elderflowers in a bowl with the juice and finely grated rind of the lemon. Add the sugar, vinegar and 4 litres of water and leave for 24 hours. The next day strain the liquor off and place it into screw top bottles. Leave the bottles in a cool, dark place for two weeks. The liquid will start to ferment a little, this gives the drink lovely little bubbles. Serve with ice and enjoy.

Sweet Potato Hummus (a dip with a difference)

This is one of those easy recipes to prepare but when you serve it up for friends to enjoy it becomes a talking point. I love it because it is full of flavor and interesting to eat especially with a nice bottle of craft beer. Serve it with toasted sour dough or simply crisps or anything else you can think of.

1 large sweet potato, baked in a hot oven until very tender

400g tin of chickpeas

2 garlic cloves peeled

100ml tahini

½ teaspoon of cumin seeds

½ teaspoon of coriander seeds

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt

1 tablespoon of chopped flat parsley

Scoop the flesh out of the sweet potato. Put the flesh, chickpeas, garlic and tahini in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Heat the cumin and coriander seed in a dry frying pan until they become fragrant, pound in a pestle and mortar until finely ground. Add to the processor with the lemon juice and zest, 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 -4 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Blitz together until the hummus is nice and smooth and not stiff.

Serve in a nice bowl with the chopped parsley on top.

The King of breads must be Brioche

This is the King of breads, sweet and rich and is best eaten with good coffee on a Sunday morning.

1 loaf

500g strong white flour

1-teaspoon fine sea salt

4 teaspoons of castor sugar

15g of fresh yeast or 10g fast action yeast

50ml of tepid water

6 eggs

300g butter

Egg wash

In an electric mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar. Crumb the yeast into water, stir to dissolve and add to the flour. Using the dough hook, start the mixer on a slow speed and add the egg one by one. The mix will appear wet but that is exactly what we are looking for. Continue mixing on a medium speed until the dough just starts to come away from the sides. This will take up to ten minutes.

Dice the butter and add it a third at a time while continuing to mix. Add the next third once the first third has been incorporated into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough comes away from the side of the mixing bowl. It will still be wet but should be smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to prove for 1 hour in a warm place. The dough can be placed in a fridge at this stage and let rest for several hours.

When ready to make your brioche, remove the dough from the fridge. Portion the dough into three equal parts; shape the dough into three balls and place into the bread tin. Cover with a cloth and leave to prove for about another hour or until the dough has doubled in size again.

Place in a preheated oven 200c and put a roasting tin in the bottom. Brush gently with egg wash, then place in the oven and steam by adding cold water to the roasting tray. Cook for ten minutes then reduce the temperature to 180c and cook for a further 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

Enjoy with good coffee and a smile

just listen to a master at work

http://youtu.be/U5AoK1H6Wfo

Chicken Curry with cashew nuts and mango

This is a old recipe taken from a unique Indian cookery book PRASHAD, cooking with the indian masters. The dish is a  mild chicken curry cooked with an abundance of onion and garnished with cashew nuts, sunflower seeds and mango. Have a go and see what you think.

Serves 6

1 free range chicken

150g Ghee

400g onions

30g ginger paste

30g garlic paste

5g red chilli powder

5g turmeric

Salt

10g Garam Masala

2 tin of coconut milk

40g mango chutney

20g fresh coriander

20g fresh mint

20g sunflower seeds

50g Cashew nuts

Cut the chicken into 10 pieces, if you like a butcher will do this for you. The important thing here is to leave as much of the meat on the bone as possible, this will increase the flavor of the finished dish. Slice the onions finely and sauté in the hot ghee, once the onions start to soften add the garlic and ginger paste, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add the chicken pieces and the coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat. Now add the mango chutney, mint and coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes. Just before serving add the cashew nuts and sunflower seeds and check for seasoning.

A dream come true

For many years now I have had a dream to pack up everything, surf boards included, and head to the west coast of France, cross the Pyrenees and see what all this ultra modern food that is coming out of Spain is truly like. Well now is my chance. I bought a van last year and have converted it into a basic camper with a  good cooker, fridge, and bed, my young son who is five months old has his own pad, a plush doggy basket. So folks I will keep you posted with what happens on this adventure of food and fun......

Summer Risotto of Pea, Parmesan and Broad Beans

 This is a fantastic vibrant summer dish, it will accompany almost any fish or Foul or can be served on its own with extra parmesan shavings and a little squeeze of lemon juice. The trick is to open a nice bottle of chilled white wine and have a glass while you make this risotto....

Serves 4

1 Onion finely diced

100g- Butter

300g-risotto rice

150ml of white wine

1.75 litres of chicken stock

Salt and white pepper

50g peas

50g Broad beans

50g- Parmesan

For the pea Puree

1 shallot finely chopped

15g butter

200ml chicken stock

350g garden peas

Salt and pepper

Melt half of the butter in a large shallow pan and add the onion, sweat on a low heat until soft and translucent. Now add the rice to the pan and stir until all the grains are coated in the butter, add the wine and bring to the boil, keep stirring until the rice has absorbed all the wine. Meanwhile, put the stock in a separate saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

Once the wine has been absorbed add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stir continuously and do not add more stock until the rice has soaked up the previous ladle full. Continue until the rice is almost cooked but still al dente which should take about 15 minutes.

To make the pea puree, in a separate pot add the shallot and butter, sweat off until soft, add the chicken stock and bring to the boil, now add the peas and season. Blitz until smooth.

Take the risotto pan off the heat and add the pea puree, Parmesan, whole peas and broad beans, serve in large white bowls and garnish with pea shoots. Serve at once.