Friday 28 March 2014

Salmon and Fennel Portobello

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food


A great starter for any occasion, Portobello mushrooms are so tasty and juicy but at the same time they don’t overpower the gentle flavour of the salmon. The wonderfully gentle aniseed flavour of the fennel compliments any kind of fish.  

Salmon and Fennel Portobello
Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food
You will need

2 - Salmon Fillets
4 - Portobello Mushrooms (about 80 Gm each)
½ bulb - Fennel (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon - Garlic Granules
25 Gm – Butter
150 Ml – Single Cream
4 teaspoons - Cream Cheese



Poach the salmon gently on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food

Carefully remove the skin, flake with a fork then set aside.

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food
Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food








Melt the butter in a pan, then twist and remove the stalks from the mushrooms, finely chop and add to the pan.
Fry for about 2 minutes then add the fennel and the garlic and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food

Add the cream then stir in the salmon, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the fennel is soft.

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food


Meanwhile put the mushrooms under a hot grill for 5 minutes each side.
Fill the mushrooms with the salmon and fennel mixture then spread about a teaspoon of cream cheese on top.

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food
Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food








Put under the grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Salmon and Fennel Portobello ~ Simple Food

Friday 21 March 2014

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food


Marsala is a medium to sweet Italian desert wine usually made from grapes grown in Western Sicily and gives a delicious flavour to any sauce.

This is a very simple sauce flavoured with garlic and the sweetness of Italian Marsala wine.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple FoodYou will need

2 – Salmon Fillets

For the sauce

2 – Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
35 Ml - Marsala Wine
150 Ml - Single Cream
60 Gm - Butter


Melt 30 Gm of butter in a pan then season the skin side of the salmon with salt and pepper and place skin side down into the pan on a medium to high heat.
Let the salmon cook for about 10 minutes without moving it, then turn it over and let it cook through on a 
medium heat.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food
Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food







Set the salmon aside somewhere to keep warm while you make the sauce.

Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes then add the Marsala and cook off for about 5 minutes.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food
Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food








After the Marsala has cooked off add the cream and simmer on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes stirring well.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food


Pour over the salmon and serve with fresh vegetables and sauté potatoes.


Crispy Skin Salmon with Marsala Cream Sauce ~ Simple Food

Sunday 16 March 2014

Beef in Guinness and Shallots

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food


A great St Patrick's Day treat

Beef in Guinness and Shallots

You will need
Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food
10 – Shallots (peeled)
850 Gm Silverside Beef
1 – Red Onion (chopped)
4 – Large Carrots (cut in half long ways) 
300 Ml – Guinness
100 Ml - Water
1 teaspoon – Dried Thyme
2 – Beef Stock Cubes
1 desert spoon - Corn Flour (mixed with a little water into a paste)


Parboil the carrots 10 minutes

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food

Put a little olive oil in an oven proof dish and put on the hob on a medium heat.

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food

Seal the beef then add the shallots,red onion and thyme then cook for 10 minutes with the beef.

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food

Add the carrots, Guinness, and water then cover and put in 160°c oven for 1 ½  hours.
Take out the beef to rest and remove the carrots and shallots to a separate bowl

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food
Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food







Put the dish on the hob on a medium heat and add the beef stock cubes and corn flour mix and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes; you need to do this to cook out the Guinness a little more to get rid of any bitterness.
Put back the carrots and shallots for the last 5 minutes.

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food

Serve with sweet potatoes and vegetables

Beef in Guinness and Shallots ~ Simple Food

Thursday 13 March 2014

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food


Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie
Linking to the HOST

This is like a kind of pizza and taste delicious hot or cold.

You will need
Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food500 Gm - Shortcrust Pastry
2 – Large Red Peppers
3 – Rashers Back Bacon (chopped) 
2 cloves – Garlic (crushed)
100 Gm - Brie
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
A little olive oil

Roll the pastry out to about 4 mm thick and line a flan tin then place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food












Blind bake with baking beans at 200°c for 10 minutes until dry. Remove the beans and return to the oven for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked.

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food
Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food







De seed and quarter the peppers drizzle with a little olive oil and roast at 180c for 20 minutes, allow to cool then blitz in the blender.

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food
Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food







Dry fry the bacon for five minutes, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes then add the blended peppers give a good few twists of freshly ground black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes on a medium heat.

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food
Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food







Now spread the mixture evenly over the flan case and lay the brie on top, then place under a hot grill for 10 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food
Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food








So easy and so delicious

Roasted Red Pepper Flan with Bacon and Brie ~ Simple Food

Friday 7 March 2014

Pickled Rollmops (Herrings)

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food


Pickled Rollmops (Herrings)

Herrings are a really versatile fish and also a very healthy food source and this is a really tasty way to serve them.

You will need

6 – Whole Herrings
1 – Small Onion (chopped)
Gherkins (chopped)
Ground Black Pepper

For the brine

250 Gm - Salt
500 Ml - Water

For the marinade

400 Ml – White Wine Vinegar
2 – Bay Leaves
1 teaspoon – Cracked White Peppercorns
¼ teaspoon – Dried Ginger
1 teaspoon – Fennel Seeds
½ teaspoon – Whole Cloves
¼ teaspoon – cinnamon
1 – Small Onion (thinly sliced)    

First of all let me show you how to prepare a whole herring.                                                                                                                                      

Remove the scales from the herring by rubbing them off with your thumb then rinse it well in cold running water.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food


Remove the head and tail then cut off the fins with scissors.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food



Slit the complete length of the underside, clean it out and rinse well under cold running water.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food








Open out the herring and place it skin side up on your chopping board and press down in the centre the whole length of the fish until it is completely flat.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food








Turn the fish over and carefully remove the backbone making sure not to remove too much flesh with it.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food


Now cut each fish in half longways, and then they are ready.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food


Now make up the brine by simply mixing the salt in the water until it dissolves, place the fillets into the brine so that they are well covered and place in the fridge for 24 hours or at least overnight.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food


Put all the marinade ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil then allow to cool.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food








After your fillets have cured for 24 hours take them out one by one, rinse them off with cold water and pat them dry.
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food

Lay each fillet skin down and place some chopped onion and chopped gherkins on top, give a good grind of black pepper and roll securing with a cocktail stick.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food







After you have done that with each fillet line the bottom of a jar with them cramming them in quite tightly, spread some onion from the marinade over then add another layer of rolled filets and carry on until the jar is full.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food
Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food








Fill the jar to the top with the marinade, seal it and place in the fridge for at least 5 days. The longer you keep them the more soft and pickled the rollmops become, once opened use them within a couple of weeks.

Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food


Serve with a salad or just eat then with wholemeal bread and butter.


Pickled Rollmops ~ Simple Food