Spicy Carrot & Potato soup

This is just the thing for a cold day and guaranteed to unblock the sinuses. Simple quick anyone can do this.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1 Leek
• 500g carrots
• 100g potatoes
• teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground ginger & chilli flakes/powder
• 1 litre tepid water
• 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
• Creme fraiche or cream (optional)

Boil a kettle for your stock.

Top and tail the leek but use all the rest. Chop roughly, clean through with water to remove any grit and add to the pot with the butter or oil.

Peel and roughly chop the carrots & potatoes and add to the pot.

Sprinkle with a little salt to bring out the flavours. Give everything a good stir and cook gently for 5 minutes to soften.

Add your spices and stir well so that all the vegetables are coated.

I like to finely grate the stock cube over the vegetables before adding the water but it's fine if you want to dissolve it in the water first.

Add the water and cook gently for 30 - 45 minutes until the veg has softened. I usually set the timer for 15 minutes and give it all a good stir each time.

At the end taste the soup but I would be surprised if you needed to add any seasoning.

Now optional of you want to leave as it is or blend the soup. I usually use a hand blender and roughly blitz about half the veg leaving you with a mix of textures.

Now time to eat. I like to add a dollop of half fat creme fraiche to the mix but it is not necessary.

Eat and enjoy.

Marinated chicken yummy

I have included another marinaded dish which has a superb sweet taste and a lovely gravy to mash in your veg.

Ingredients for 2:

• 2 chicken legs (use thighs, wings whatever you fancy)
• 1 tbs soya sauce
• 1 tbs honey
• 150ml cider
• thumb fresh ginger finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 tbs flour

Take the skin off the chicken.

Mix the soya/honey/cider/ginger & garlic and bathe the chicken legs. Cover & put in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight is even better. If you can turn over at least once to marinate the chicken allover.

Set oven to 160 degrees.

Heat some olive oil and add the chicken and brown both sides, take out of pan. Add some butter and add the chopped onion (keep largish) and fry for about 3-4 minutes on low heat. Add chopped green pepper & cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the flour and give everything a good stir for 30 seconds. Add the marinade and the chicken legs and put in oven. 

I set the timer for 30 minutes to turn chicken legs and cook for another 30 minutes.

I served this with boiled potatoes to soak up the juices but you could have rice. I also had my bacon & cabbage dish(see previous salmon recipe) and some carrots.

Lovely & don't forget to drink the rest of the cider!!

Marinated salmon with stir fried cabbage & bacon

Another little beauty that is simple to put together and tastes great. Farmed salmon can be a little bland and this livens it up.

Ingredients for 2:

• 2 good salmon fillets or 4 smaller ones
• 1 tbs soya sauce
• 1 tsp grain mustard
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 orange just the juice and the rind. (fresh orange juice will do if no oranges)
• a thumb of fresh ginger
• cabbage (I prefer green but white will do)
• half a packet of bacon lardons or 2 rashers of bacon.

First of all marinate the salmon. Mix the soya sauce/mustard/honey and the orange together. If you want a looser mixture add a little water. Bathe the salmon with the marinade and if possible leave for a couple of hours in the fridge, all day even better, but you can use straight away. 

Put in an oven 200 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Check after 15 if you like your salmon slightly pink.

Make some rice, put 200g in boiling water for 7 minutes. Check the grains are not hard. Drain and put back in the pot, off the heat, with lid on and leave for 10 minutes, perfect rice.

I use about 4 leaves of cabbage, shredded thinly. Fry your bacon in butter/olive oil for a few minutes and then throw in the cabbage. Fry for a few minutes, add a little water, take off heat and leave to steam finish for a few minutes. Taste and season.

A lovely simple dish and very tasty.

Prawn and/or Vegetable Curry

As always this is simple, quick & tasty.

For 2-3 but again can be increased or decreased. If you want vegetarian just leave out the prawns.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• Half butternut squash (use the other half for a soup)
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 medium or 2 small apples, skinned & cored
• 1 tsp of your favourite curry paste
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric
• 10 - 20 frozen prawns depending on size & your tummy
• 2 cloves garlic
• 400 ml stock or water
• Thumb of fresh ginger or 1 tsp of powdered if that's all you have.
• A handful raisins/sultanas to taste
• Low fat creme-fraiche

Half and then quarter your onion, you want largish slices, fry gently in oil for 5 minutes or so.

Chop your squash and potatoes into similar sized cubes and add to the onions.

Do likewise with your apple. Chop the garlic finely and however you like your ginger, we like to taste it so large pieces for us, and add to the mix.

Mix all together to be coated in the oil. Then add in your curry paste & turmeric and again give it all a good stir.

I grate in half a chicken stock cube then add 400ml of water. If you want to water only will suffice. 

Throw the raisins into the mix.

I season with salt & pepper at this stage but will almost certainly do so again at the end. The golden rule of seasoning, you can add but you cannot take away.

That's it, bring it to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. At this stage I add the raw prawns. If using pre cooked prawns add these at the end so that they don't go rubbery. Give it a good stir and simmer for another 10 minutes. At this stage taste and season if required.

I like to let the curry rest for the flavours to mingle then reheat gently. I add creme fraiche (I know I add it to everything), when serving and I either have a nan or plain rice with it.

Simple, enjoy.

Smoked Haddock Pasta....delicious

Just had one of our favourites tonight, so quick and easy but so good.
For 2:

A couple of fillets of smoked haddock (about 400g), not the yellow dyed stuff. Put in a pan, add some bayleaves + onion ( either or both ) black pepper, cover with milk, bring to boil, take off heat, and leave for 10 minutes. Take fish out and flake to remove any bones. Keep milk for sauce.

Put pasta of your choice (180g enough for 2)  in boiling water for required time, 10 minutes or so.

Make an easy cheese sauce. Melt a spoonful of butter, add same of plain flour and mix together for a minute. Add in some of the cooking milk and whisk until it thickens. Add more and whisk again, don't worry you don't want it thick. Add in grated cheddar cheese and taste.

Drain pasta, add cheese sauce and combine. Add haddock ( I often throw in some prawns but not a must ), give a good mix. 

If you want add some Arran honey mustard to your cheese sauce.

Put into warmed bowls, bit of crusty bread and maybe more parmesan, enjoy.

Some Albarino goes well with it.