Pan Seared Scallops , Black Pudding and Pea Puree

you will need

• fresh scallops seasoned with lots of cracked black pepper
• Black pudding cut into 1 inch pieces
• pea puree which I already have a recipe up on
• Half a juice of a lemon

Simply heat a saucepan on a high heat.
Drizzle scallops with good olive oil and season with black pepper.
Arrange the scallops clockwise, this will make it easier to know when to turn the scallops over.
Cook for 2 minutes on each side, for the last 30 seconds or so of cooking the scallops squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the saucepan.
Simply grill the black pudding for 5 minutes each side until its cooked through and crispy on the outside.
Plate up and serve hot !

Pea Puree
You will need

• 1-2 cups of frozen peas, depending on how much your making
• 1 pint of chicken stock
• a handful of chopped fresh parsley
• Juice of one small lemon and zest
• cracked black pepper and salt to taste
• 200ml sour cream
• a pinch of chilli powder

Bring a saucepan to the boil with chicken stock, you can use water BUT chicken stock adds flavour.
Cook frozen peas according to packet instructions.
Add a handful of freshly chopped parsley.
Season with black pepper.
When the peas are fully cooked ,Drain, add to the food processer and add 200ml of sour cream and blitz till smooth, or whatever consistency you prefer.
Add the zest and juice of 1 small lemon
Season with salt and pepper and chilli powder and its done! Easy peasy.. sorry I had to do it

Blueberry and Lemon Pudding

You will need

• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 250ml milk
• 250 g caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons of flour, sifted
• a pinch of sea salt
• grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 100g blueberries

Preheat the oven to 200.
Grease six 200ml ramekins or teacups with butter and set aside.
Beat the egg yolks with the milk. Combine the sugar, flour and salt, then pour in the milk and egg mixture and fold in the lemon juice and zest.
With an electric beater, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold through the lemon mixture.. ( I would like to point out that I don't have an electric whisker, and I had to do it by hand which is okay cause ill have muscles in the morning)....
Pour into the ramekins and put in 4-5 blueberries into the batter.
Place the ramekins in a roasting tin , pour enough boiling water around them to reach roughly 3cm deep and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and set.
Serve with double cream and mint.

Roasted Lemon Chicken

You will need

• a chicken.... obviously :-)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• a bunch of fresh thyme
• a bunch of fresh sage
• half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper
•  a good glug of olive oil

Preheat your oven to 200.
Pat dry the chicken with some kitchen paper, this will absorb the moisture and will help the chicken crisp up nicely in the oven.
Season the chicken inside and outside!
Stuff the cavity of the chicken with 3 garlic cloves, sage ,thyme and half a lemon.
 Drizzle a good glug of olive oil on the chicken.
For the first 15 minutes of cooking leave the oven at 200, but then turn down to 180.
Depending on the size of your chicken, cooking time will vary but my chicken was cooked perfectly in 1 hour and roughly around 15 minutes. You should see clear juices running clear from the chicken. To test this simply insert a knife into between the thigh and the end of the breast, and if you see any pink or red juices , put back into the oven.
Baste your chicken with the juices in the pan whilst cooking, this will ensure moisture in the chicken, and especially as breast meat can be quite dry.
When your chicken is cooked , simply rest for a few minutes. Serve hot and Enjoy!

Naan Bread

This is extremely easy to make and you can make a batch of it and freeze it
You will need

• 250g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 110ml of milk
• 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter for brushing
• you can also use chopped garlic, poppy seeds, coriander for your naan bread

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
 Mix together the milk and the oil.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquids.
Slowly mix together the dough by working outwards from the centre and incorporating the flour from the edges of the well to make a smooth, soft dough.
Knead well for 8-10 minutes, adding a little flour if the dough is too sticky.
Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea-towel and leave for at least 1 hour in a warm place to double in size. When risen, punch out and form into five balls.
Preheat the grill to its highest setting and put a heavy baking sheet on the upper shelf.
Meanwhile, start to roll out the dough into teardrop shapes, gently prick with a fork , this avoids it puffing up.
Sprinkle over topping of your choice and press into the dough, Place the naans on the hot baking sheet and grill for 1-2 minutes or until there are brown spots on the surface. Brush with the melted butter and serve hot.

 

Raita

Pomegranate Raita
You will need

• 1 small pomegranate
• 400ml of plain yoghurt
• handful of fresh coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
• a pinch of chilli powder , to taste

Lightly press down on the pomegranate and roll with your hands on a hard surface, this will help you release the seeds on all sides.
Slice in half and over a bowl tap the outside with a wooden spoon , the seeds should come out... if not hit harder :-).
Mix yoghurt , most of the pomegranate seeds ,coriander ,season with salt and lots of black pepper, cumin powder and the red chilli powder.
Garnish with a handful of pomegranate seeds and a few coriander leaves.

Tomato ,Cucumber and Onion Raita
You will need

• 1 tomato diced
• 1 small red onion, peeled and diced
• 12 cm of cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons of fresh coriander leaves
• 400ml of plain yoghurt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder

Simply mix all the indigents together , I like to serve these with naan bread, and hot curry's.

Cucumber and Mint Raita
You will need

• 12cm of cucumber ,peeled then coarsely grate on a box grater and squeeze out all the excess moisture out of it, a muslin cloth or even a tea towel works.
• 3 tablespoon of shredded fresh mint
• 400ml of plain yoghurt
• salt and black pepper to taste
• pinch of chilli powder and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin powder

This is all about dressings, There extremely simple to make and take no time and far much better than shop bought dressings in my opinion.

Whisk all ingredients together!!

Asian dressing

• 3 Tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 1 Tablespoon of dark soy sauce, remember light soy sauce is for flavour and dark is more used for the colour
• 2 garlic cloves finely minced
• 1 thumb piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tablespoon of honey 
• Juice of one lime

French Mustard Dressing

• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Creamy Chive Dressing

• 3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of crème fraiche
• Juice of half a lemon
• Handful of snipped chives
• season with salt and pepper

Herby Balsamic Dressing

• 1 garlic clove finely minced
• a few sprigs of rosemary, thyme and basil finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• season with salt and pepper

Garlic Honey Dressing

• 1/4 cup of peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon of freshly snipped chives
• salt and pepper
• 6 tablespoon of honey
• 1 garlic clove finely minced

Orange and Sesame Dressing

• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon of grated orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon of grated ginger
• salt and pepper

Basil Dressing

• 1/3 cup of basil leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 garlic clove finely minced
• 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
• salt and pepper
• add a little extra oil to thin out

Mango Chutney

You will need

• Two large mangos, peeled, stoned and finely chopped
• Two tablespoons of lime juice
• One tablespoon of vegetable oil
• Two shallots finely chopped
• One garlic clove ,finely chopped
• Two green chilli's, deseeded and finely chopped
• Five tablespoons of brown sugar
• Five tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• One tablespoon of salt
• One tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

Put mango in a non metallic bowl with the lime juice and set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the shallots and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic ,chilli and fresh ginger and cook for a further two minutes but this time turning down the heat to avoid the garlic from burning and becoming bitter. Add the mango to the pan and the brown sugar, vinegar and salt ,stir around.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 10 minutes, until the liquid thickens and the mango becomes sticky.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container , cover and chill for 3 days before using.

Onion Bhajias

You will need

• 4 large onions sliced thinly, I used the food processor on the slicer blade because lets face it no one wants to thinly slice 4 onions
• 2 cups of gram flour, you more than likely wont need this much
• 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• 2 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
• a little water to make the mixture sticky
• tablespoon of salt 

Either using a sharp knife or your blender make your your onions are thinly sliced. In a bowl mix together your spices and salt , the salt will draw out moisture out of the onions. Add your crushed seeds, mix well until ingredients are well combined. Add enough cold water to make a paste then stir in more water to make a thick batter that coats the onions.
Heat enough oil in a large saucepan , Make sure your oil is hot otherwise your onion bhajias will absorb too much oil and they'll become soggy. Test your oil by putting a cube of bread in it and if it browns in around 30 seconds your oil is perfect.
You can form them into small little patties and let them firm up in the fridge , or just form them as the oil heats up.
Fry for 4-5 minutes until golden brown turn over during cooking to ensure all is evenly golden brown.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

This picture is very dodgy looking but well get over that....

 

 

 

Scones with cheddar cheese, chives and sundried tomato's

 you will need

• 400g self rising flour
• 80g of cold butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 40g
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped oregano
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped chives
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 75g of cheddar cheese
• 150ml of buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 3 sundried tomatoes
• milk for brushing
• salt and pepper

Preheat your oven too 200
Sift flour ,soda and salt and rub in the butter until mixtures look like fine breadcrumbs . stir in fresh herbs, cayenne pepper chopped, sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper and half the cheese. Gradually stir in the milk into the tomato puree so that the tomato puree is well blended. Pour the mixture on the dry ingredients and fix to form a firm dough.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to a thickness about 2cm.
Using a 5cm cutter, cut rounds out of the dough. Gather up pieces into a ball ,roll them out again and cut more rounds, when cutting the rounds don't twist your cutter as this effects them raising in the oven.
Place scone rounds on a baking sheet brush with milk and sprinkle them with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the scones are well risen and springy to the touch.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.

I like to serve these with spicy tomato chutney to make this you will need

• 1 red chilli deseeded and chopped finely
• 1 white onion chopped finely
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
• Sprig of fresh thyme ,chopped finely
• tin of chopped tomatoes
• tablespoon or 2 of white wine vinegar
• half a cup of brown sugar

Simply heat a large saucepan and soften chopped onions with a teaspoon of salt on a medium to low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add your garlic , thyme, ginger, and chilli with the onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add your brown sugar and cook until it forms a liquid but be careful not to burn it ,add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and add your chopped tomatoes. Cook down for at least 20 minutes.

I prefer to make this a couple of days before hand to allow the flavour of the chutney develop.

Basil Hummus

 You will need

• A handful of fresh basil
• A tin of chickpeas drained
• One clove of garlic
• One tablespoon of salt
• Half a tablespoon of black pepper
• Half cup of extra virgin olive oil
• a pinch of paprika

Simply blend all ingredients together , slowly add the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth, check for seasoning and sprinkle paprika on top.

 

Lime Chicken Fajitas

You will need

• Four chicken breasts
• two limes zest and juice
• two garlic cloves
• dash of tabasco sauce
• one red onion sliced thinly
• one white onion sliced thinly
• two tablespoon of fresh sage
• two tablespoon of fresh oregano
• green pepper
• one tablespoon of cumin power
• one tablespoon of paprika
• one tablespoon of turmeric
• one tin of chopped tomatoes
• pinch of sugar
• one red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• salsa
• sour cream 

The marinade for the chicken you will need

• Juice of two limes and zest
• fresh oregano
• one garlic clove minced
• fresh sage chopped finely
• dash of tabasco
• salt and pepper
• two tablespoons of oil, this will keep the chicken moist as chicken breast contains little to no fat

You can use this marinade on steak for fajitas also, Ideally I marinate the chicken overnight so the flavour really seeps through the chicken and the lime juice tenderizes it, but and hour in the fridge will do just fine also. This chicken recipe is also great on barbeques

Preheat your griddle pan or if you only have a frying pan use that, I prefer to use the griddle pan for this as because of the charred marks it leaves. Remove chicken from the marinade and make sure your pan is smoking hot and cook for 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is fully cooked through you should see no redness or pink of the chicken this way you should know its fully cooked....hopefully.
When the chicken is cooked remove from griddle pan. I use a wok whenever I'm frying vegetables because it cooks quicker due to the thin bottom of the wok and it heats up very quickly. Add your onions to a tablespoon of oil and cook until softened to speed up cooking time while cooking onions add some salt, this releases their natural sugars and speeds up the cooking process. Next add your green peppers, garlic ,chilli, turmeric, cumin,paprika and cook for two minutes add a tablespoon of water so the spices don't burn. Add chopped tomatoes and a pinch of sugar  simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes. 
While this is simmering slice your chicken on the bias and add to the sauce ,this will absorb the flavour of the sauce. 
I like to serve these with sour cream, salsa , grated cheese, wedges of lime ,a bottle of tabasco, lettuce I prefer cos lettuce or rocket to serve with these. Heat up your tortillas in the microwave or if your not as lazy as me heat them on a dry frying pan .

 

Crostini
These are extremely easy to make and every time I've made them for friends and family they loved them. The pesto I used on the crostini is one I made myself but a good shop bought one will do just fine.

If you want to try make your own pesto you will need:

• Three handfuls of fresh basil
• One handful of pine nuts, toasted lightly
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Half a clove of garlic
• roughly a handful of grated parmesan cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil

Blend garlic, basil leaves with a pinch black pepper in a food processor. Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry frying pan add pine nuts to food processor and blend with the garlic and fresh basil and now add the parmesan cheese. Slowly add the extra virgin olive oil into the food processor until you can see the sauce starting to bind together. Check for seasoning and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

To make your crostini you simply slice a French baguette its better if the bread is a little stale in my opinion. You lightly brush each slice of the baguette with a little olive oil and bake in a oven until you see the bread lightly golden and toasted.

You can put whatever you like on crostini my favourite combinations are:
Roasted Aubergine
If you would like to know how I make it you will need

• One aubergine, sliced in half and slit across the top and seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. Bake in the oven until its really soft around 30-40 minutes should do
• Remove outer skin of aubergine and add the soft roasted flesh into a bowel with a squeeze of lemon juice, grate half a clove of garlic, half a teaspoon of ground cumin and season with black pepper

        Caramelized sweet red onion topped with feta cheese

• Simply slice red onions very thinly and add a teaspoon of salt and slowly cook for 45 minutes on a low heat. 

• mozzarella, pesto and sundried tomatoes  
•  Goats cheese and dill
• Parmesan cheese and pesto
• Parma ham and balsamic vinegar

Red Thai fish cakes with red onion, green chilli and tomato salsa

This is such a simple dish you can make in minutes, its very cheap to make which is always great , Holly x
    
For the Thai fish cakes you will need

• Two spring onions
• Half a clove of garlic finely chopped
• One red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• One teaspoon of Thai red paste you can use shop bought ,But it is better to make your own
• Two tins of tuna
• Zest of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• One teaspoon of black pepper
• One egg to bind all ingredients

To make Salsa

• Half of a red onion finely diced
• Half a green chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• One tomato deseeded and finely chopped
• Two Tablespoons of Olive Oil
•  pinch of black pepper
•  pinch of salt
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

To make the Thai red curry paste you will need
• One stick of lemon grass, crushed and minced this will release the flavour
• One red chilli deseeded or leave in the seeds to add heat
• One teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
• 2-3 tablespoons of chilli sauce
• One tablespoon ground cumin
• Two tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• Two tablespoons of fresh lime juice

Blend all ingredients in food processer or use a mortal and pestle, This lasts in the fridge for up to one month.

To make your fish cakes either blend all ingredients in a food processer or chop very finely, add your egg to bind the ingredients. Form small patties and place on a plate and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the fish cakes to firm up, this makes cooking them easier so they wont fall apart during the cooking process. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and fry fishcakes for two minute's on each side, this creates a crispy outside yet the inside will remain moist. Remove fishcakes from the saucepan and place on a bed of rocket drizzled with lemon juice and black pepper. Top your fishcakes with your salsa ,you can also garnish with some fresh chopped coriander, serve straight away and enjoy.
Holly x

Seafood pasta with roasted vegetables and garlic white wine sauce 

This is one dish I can say I'm really proud of its my own recipe and with herbs from my own garden its a very comforting easy dish to create at home .I hope you give it a go and tell me what you think of it, Thanks for checking out my blog and I hope you get some form of inspiration to start cooking. 

Holly x

 

 I am using a fan oven also all herbs I use in my cooking are fresh unless stated otherwise , Stocks are made from scratch 



•  Two courgettes 
• Two plum tomatoes
• One large sized yellow pepper, you can use red in this recipe but don't use green
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme & rosemary
• Two cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced
• Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• One teaspoon of salt

One teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat your oven to 170

Slice your tomatoes in half and sprinkle with garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Add your chopped courgettes and peppers to the roasting tray with fresh rosemary and thyme, drizzle with olive oil and mix well to ensure all vegetables are well coated. bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

 

 

For the sauce

• Two garlic cloves finely chopped
• I medium sized onion finely diced
• 150ml of dry white wine
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• Two tins of chopped tomatoes
• A handful of chopped parsley
• A pinch of sugar
• Eight mushrooms
• Teaspoon of salt and black pepper
• A bag of frozen seafood, you'll find it in most supermarkets reasonably cheap

To make your sauce heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan and cook the onion, mushrooms and garlic over a medium heat until onion is softened, be careful if you add garlic to hot oil as if can go bitter. Deglaze the saucepan with 150ml of dry white wine add the zest and juice of lemon along with chopped parsley. Add your chopped tomatoes and a pinch of sugar, this brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes. At the last 10 minutes of cooking add your frozen seafood of you choice, I used Prawns, mussels and squid. The heat of the sauce will cook the seafood it will also add more flavour to your sauce. Remove your roasted vegetables from the oven and add to your sauce Cook your pasta according to packet instructions, But make sure you salt your water well before adding pasta. Arrange pasta on your serving dish and ladle your sauce over pasta, check for seasoning and serve hot.