Editor’s December Pick #7: You don’t eat meat but do eat fish…

Whilst perusing the fish category I thought I’d continue the theme, and this one is a doozy.  I'm a huge fan of mackerel - it's an oily fish and the beetroot balances it perfectly. This one is going to go down well with pescatarians or omnis of any kind. Mackerel is a fish that lends itself to lots of recipes but isn’t the first choice for a lot of us. It's quick and easy to prepare - a win-win! 

You don't eat meat but do eat fish ...

… I said that we were going to try and cater for everyone – now for a recipe to suit the pescatarians.

If you love your fish I think you'll enjoy this dish :

Smoked Mack Stack

Serves 2 - generous portions

230g of smoked mackerel, flaked

2 tbsp of mayonnaise

2 tsps of creamed horseradish

black pepper, mix together gently

250g of roasted beetroot, cut into small cubes

(or an organic vac pack)

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar and

black pepper - mix together

1 sharp eating apple – a Cox would be

perfect – a medium sized apple weighs approximately 140g -

quartered, peeled and cut into small cubes

add a glug of lemon juice and mix

You'll need a ring measuring 9cms in diameter – 3½” in

old money

Now it's just a matter of assembly :

an important note to self – make sure the ring is

placed in or on the serving dish or plate before you begin!

Place the ring in the centre and begin with two tablespoons of beetroot, pressed gently into the base. Add two tablespoons of the smoked mackerel mixture, pressed gently on top of the beetroot so that it sticks together. Finally add a generous tablespoon of the cubed apple.

Gently ease the ring away from the stack, slowly is the key!

Some hints and tips coming next … then a photo or three.

Editor’s December Pick#6: Time for cake!

Now this is a personal showstopper. I remember a time before I acquired the taste for fruitcake of any kind – peeling icing and marzipan off Christmas cake anyone?! – but now I have embraced it wholeheartedly. Some amazing tips included here - check out the photos - do yourself a favour and try this instead of a Christmas Pudding this year.  I feel like it was written for me - I love it when recipes are specific and to the point.

Time for cake …

… there's a recipe on the blog called Grandad Jack's Tea Loaf – tea loaves are great – they contain eggs but no other fat. The moisture comes in the steeping of the fruit in hot black tea overnight.

You have to be careful that you get the balance of ingredients right – if a tea loaf has a downside it's that it can be dry but you won't know that until you've cut it – it's too late.

I'm always on the look out for something different – here's the Orange Fruit Tea Loaf.

Here's the recipe :

Orange Fruit Tea Loaf

for a 900g loaf

300g mixed dried fruit of your choice -

cranberries work well

150g dark brown sugar

grated zest of two oranges

300ml of hot tea – without milk – just in

case you were wondering

1 egg, lightly beaten

300g self raising flour

a pinch of salt

Mix the dried fruit, sugar, orange zest and hot tea together, cover and leave overnight.

Pre-heat your oven 130fan/150c/Gas

Grease your loaf tin.

Stir the egg into the fruit mixture then add the flour and salt. Transfer the mixture into your loaf tin and bake for about 1½ hours until risen and firm. Use a bamboo skewer inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean. Turn out and cool on a rack.

Now for a grumble rather than a rant. The recipe is exactly as I found it. When I read it I realised that it mentions “1 egg, lightly beaten”. So often recipes are badly written – not deliberately – the author perhaps presumes the reader will know – NO! Baking is a science and accuracy is important.

I mentioned moisture in your loaf, texture is equally important. I follow my own rule – if it isn't clear always use large eggs.

Hints and Tips

All is not lost if you produce a dry loaf – you'll just have to toast a slice and add butter – breakfast treat?!

I added ½ tsp of orange extract to the mixture. You can definitely smell the orange zest, I just wanted a little extra boost of flavour.

The secret to the success of this loaf is adding the sugar to the mixed fruit, zest and tea and steeping overnight. Other tea loaf recipes I've come across are based on, for example, “2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar” - treating the sugar as a dry ingredient – including it as part of the wet ingredients gives a much better consistency, you can gauge as you're adding the flour gradually to the mixture. “Gradually” is the key, ensuring that the flour is folded in before adding more. I'd already decided to add fresh orange juice if it looked too dry – not necessary!

Old habits die hard – I set my timer for 45 minutes and then turned the loaf tin around. I tested the cake at 1 hour 20 minutes with the skewer which came out clean – out it came. Ovens will vary – a timer will help and remind you to check.

Have a look :

As always, taste tested … “the best slice of fruit cake I've had in a long while”.

A great result!

Editor’s December Pick #5: Here’s what I mean by resourceful and creative

Editor's note: I’ve been craving some flavour lately after a fair few cold evening meals of soups and the like and this recipe is just the ticket. Spiced Salmon is a tried and tested favourite of MiamMiam and just the ticket for a little something different. It's recipes like this that inspire the most – I would never have put salmon in a frittata without reading it here, but you won’t look at a plain cheese omelette the same again!

Here's what I mean …

… by resourceful and creative – a canapé that can turn into a lunch or a supper.

Spiced Salmon Frittata

For the spiced salmon marinade :

Marinade

2 x 4oz Salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp powdered star anise or one star anise

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Mix together the marinade, pour over the salmon fillets, turning to coat thoroughly, cover and leave in fridge for an hour or so – preferably in a foil tray – much easier to transfer straight to the oven later.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6. If you've used a foil tray to marinade the salmon then wrap it in foil and bake it for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. When the salmon has cooled flake it into small pieces, ready to add to the frittata.

For the frittata :

5 spring onions, finely chopped

tiny drop of rapeseed oil

100g/4oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

4 large eggs

salt and black pepper

Whisk four eggs in a large mixing bowl, add the cheese and whisk again. Add a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper.

Using a non-stick frying pan – as a guide 28cms/11” in diameter. Heat a tiny drop of rapeseed oil and add the spring onions. Sauté until softened, sprinkle in your salmon pieces including any residual marinade, then pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Cook on your hob for 2/3 minutes to set the bottom. Transfer the pan to the grill - cook for 2/3 minutes REMOVE USING OVEN GLOVES – SEE WARNING!

Words of Warning!

Pre-heat your grill – BEFORE YOU TURN IT ON ENSURE THAT THE FRYING PAN YOU'RE USING WILL SLIDE EASILY INTO THE SPACE LEAVING AT LEAST TWO INCHES GAP BETWEEN THE PAN AND THE GRILL ITSELF, OTHERWISE YOU'LL BURN THE TOP AND THE MIDDLE WON'T BE COOKED.

Using a fish slice gently flatten down the frittata so that you break the top – you may find that the

mixture is still not quite cooked. Place back under the grill for another 2/3

minutes and check – it should be golden brown but if your preference is for a darker colour

carry on to your desired taste.

For a canapé I used a straight sided cutter measuring 6cms/2½” in diameter and you should get 12-14 canapés depending on how careful you are cutting out.

Minimum effort – maximum taste. Can definitely be made ahead as a canapé. A frittata is excellent served cold in whatever guise!

Don't forget to salmon fillets to your freezer shopping list. There are good deals out there – usually individually packaged – in bags of six. You can pull out whatever you need. The bonus is that they don't take up too much space in the freezer.

What to serve with … hmm

Editor's Pick - Tartare Sauce – faster and the building of the burger!

Editor's note: Throw black olives in anything and I'm there in a flash. So adding them to a sauce is even better. It will hopefully amuse some but I hadn't ever considered the ingredients of tartare sauce included olives until I read the MiamMiam recipe. Assemble your sauce, fry up some halloumi to taste and boom! Just make sure you've enough sauce for another meal.

 

Tartare Sauce – faster and the building of the burger!

I appreciate that not everyone wants to make their own mayo, which is just fine – use a good quality brand – two heaped tablespoons as mentioned previously – you'll need to add lemon juice and Dijon mustard and I'd suggest you begin with 1 teaspoon of each. You may need a little more – it's a matter of personal taste, together with a little celery salt and white pepper. All that remains is to add your capers, cornichons and black olives! Don't forget a drizzle of double cream to loosen the consistency.

A note of caution with seasonings, as I'm fond of saying, add gradually and taste as you go, you can always add a little more, you can't take it back!

If you'd like a vegan version, use a vegan mayo and a vegan plant alternative to double cream.

Now for the burger!

A few of my favourite ingredients :

Brioche buns – warmed in the oven or toasted

Spiced Halloumi – shallow fried in a drop of rapeseed oil

Roasted sliced onions – made ahead

Sliced avocado

shredded lettuce

sliced beef tomatoes

This is just my take on a burger stack, filled with stuff I love – it's whatever floats your own boat – I'd probably include beetroot too in some form – either sliced and added to the stack or a relish on the side.

It's important how the burger is assembled – a brioche bun, split and warmed – or toasted if you prefer – a generous spread of dressing on each side, add the avocado, lettuce and tomato to the bottom half, add spiced Halloumi to the top, add another spread of dressing and fold together!

This is not set in stone – it's just an example of what you could “build”, the world is your “Big Veg”.

I'm thinking that by calling this “burger dressing” a version of tartare sauce everyone will have the thought of scampi and chips in their heads! It began life as an homage to the dressing in the Big Mac and so I think it deserves a name of its own so, I name this sauce Quasi-T - it seems appropriate since its meaning is partly or almost a tartare sauce!

Finally the Spiced, Sliced Halloumi …

I make no apology for repeating the Spiced Halloumi recipe, it's much easier when you've got all the elements for an idea at your fingertips!

Spiced Halloumi

Serves 4

225g/8oz Halloumi sliced into 4 pieces

45g/2oz plain flour mix with

1 tbsp of seasoning of your choice

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

The 225g pack will give you four portions, sliced lengthways – 8x7cms/3x3½ inches approximately. Open the pack and discard the liquid, pat the cheese dry with kitchen roll and then slice into four. Pat each slice dry, then box and fridge ready for cooking.

The seasoning for the Halloumi is your choice – a good quality shop bought version is fine and on that note here are a couple of suggestions :

the Chip Seasoning is suitable for vegetarians,

it is mild in flavour, a blend of paprika, onion & garlic

Old Bay is “bolder” in flavour but does not blow

your head off!

Both seasonings are versatile and excellent store

cupboard additions to zhuzh your veggies, particularly

over roasted new potatoes or wedges

Editor's December Pick - Tartare Sauce and a burger …

Editor's note: This next selection is from a much more recent post, but one that is too important not to shine a light on. Both in the surprised sense, and also in a "Why didn't I think of that" way! I am a huge fan of sauces and as usual MiamMiam pulls out the great idea adding homemade tartare sauce to a burger. A condiment I accidentally tried as a child when I thought a waitress was mispronouncing tomato but following that, couldn't get enough of. A deliciously different idea for the accompanying burger - hits the spot every time. Can't be bad!

Tartare Sauce and a burger …

… not a combination that immediately springs to mind I know – bear with me!

I don't normally crave “fast food” but I confess that for some while I have been dreaming of a burger.

If you live in a village the “fast food” options are limited and because we don't have any fast food outlets the nearest are in the next village which, I think you'll agree, rather contradicts the “fast” element since you have to get in your car to go get it, kinda defeating the object.

When the time comes to go get the food I've lost the will – taking into account the drive, the queue to pick up the food and drive home I could have made it myself.

I decided I'd create my own burger, making sure I had the ingredients in the store cupboard and added any I needed to my shopping list.

What has tartare sauce got to do with a burger? This might seem a convoluted train of thought but, think of the famous Big Mac – I remember vividly indulging many years ago and the stand-out element I remember most of all is the dressing – it wasn't mayo, nor Thousand Island or any other you could name – it was the dressing that belongs to the Big Mac.

Here's my veggie homage to the Big Mac with my tartare sauce as the dressing but before I begin, here's what I call a useless bit of information – the Big Mac was first introduced in the UK in 1974 – gulp – that's 47 years ago – enough said!

A dressing on a burger is not just important – it's vital - which brings me to tartare sauce or rather my version of it – it's a sauce that is almost exclusively associated with fish. Shop bought versions vary with most being either too sloppy or too vinegary – solution – make your own! What follows gives a fast recipe using ready-made good quality mayo and then a fastish version making your own mayo.

Here are the capers, cornichons and

black olives, finely chopped – whilst it's not

compulsory, it's worth taking the time to achieve

as fine a result as you can

ta dah! Here's the sauce, now all you need

is ideas for creating your own version of

the “Big Mac” - could this be a “Big Veg”?!

Coming up, an even faster recipe just in case you don't want to make your own mayo!

Editor's December Pick - Posh Chilli

Editor's note: This recipe and photo-guide combo is coming up on it's second blog birthday which is hard to believe. I still maintain that this is the only one I've seen in my limited culinary adventures that suggest using something other than mince as the base, and after trying, it's a wonderful way of zhushing it up!

December thoughts – Posh Chilli method

Seal the diced steak in batches in a large frying pan using a drop of rapeseed oil then set aside in your slow cooker.

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add to the sealed diced steak and then slow cook for 4 hours. Turn off and then leave to cool. Freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity.

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans, sweet baby peppers or chorizo.

For the optional extras :

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop. Here's a thought – you could double the recipe and serve as a supper or as part of a larger supper buffet. Hot food seems to go down so well and it's easier to cook and serve.

A great New Year Party idea – but you might want to double the recipe!

And now for a photo guide:

Sealed diced steak in the slow cooker

softened onion and garlic

the four “c”s – cumin, coriander

cinnamon and chilli

the four “c”s cooked out with the onion

the chilli – ready to slow cook and perform its magic!

glistening with the beans and a blob of

sour cream

ditto with flat breads

Editor's December Pick - Posh Chilli

Editor's note: Everyone I know has a go-to recipe for chilli. It's such a staple that whatever your chosen method - packet, from scratch, ready meal - you get stuck in a rut with it and can make it in your sleep. Same meat, same veg, same "secret" (I can't be the only one that uses Worcestershire sauce, but some apparently use chocolate or .. coffee?!). You get a bit desensitized to the process and to the taste when you've made it so often in the same way. Now is a fantastic time to forget what you usually do, follow along with this recipe and rediscover why it's such a well-loved meal.

December thoughts – and what's forgotten

We're so focused on the day that just when you thought it was safe … there are the days leading up to and those in-between too.

Here's a dish that will suit either of the above and it uses your favourite friend – the slow cooker.

Make a chilli but not any old chilli - when I think of chilli I think of minced beef. Another confession – I hate minced beef. What makes this chilli special, nay posh, is it uses diced steak and slow cooks it. The only remaining task is to add the red kidney beans and any garnishes. A word of warning – just in case you've forgotten – do not slow cook the kidney beans.

Posh Chilli

Serves 4

500g diced steak

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder (to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Method up next …