Summer Mackerel

If you are looking for a super-quick, inexpensive, healthy supper for family and friends, then try this quick-fried mackerel fillets with garlic and bay.  Mackerel is rich in protein and fatty acid omega-3, which can help to protect the heart.  It is also an excellent source of vitamin D which is important for maintaining strong bones and teeth.  An elegant dish for lunch or dinner in the garden this summer.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 whole mackerel filleted.

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

Olive oil

3-4 bay leaves

Sea salt

Fresh black pepper

12-15 new potatoes

Brocoli

Preparation Method

1) Wash mackerel fillets.  Cook new potatoes in a pan of water then leave to cool for 10 minutes.

2) Slice new potatoes in 1/2cm thick slices.  Fry potatoes and garlic in a large frying pan on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

3) Add mackerel fillets and bay leaves and cook over a medium heat of another 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

4) Meanwhile bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add in the broccoli. Cook for 10 minutes until tender.

5) Serve with a wedge of lemon.  Delicious!

Fiery prawn Risotto

The Factory Floor at Surrey Kitchen

Now that the sun is finally out in the UK I wanted to share my favourite summary prawn risotto.  A great recipe for those of you like me who believe summer and seafood are inextricably linked.  The wonderful taste and texture of fresh tiger prawns are given a punch of chili heat, balanced by the cool freshness of courgette and peas.  A comforting dish that is still light enough for a summer dinner party or lunch with friends and family.  This dish is brilliant if you are looking to impress your guests without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

Keep any leftovers for a delicious lunch the following day as this recipe tastes even better the following day when the flavours have been given more time to intensify.

For those who like this kind of stuff:

Put a photo out there of the factory floor at Surrey Kitchen. It’s not just about the oven and pans. It’s about the camera and the iMac.

And of course: of a few of Miles lovin the prawns

For the full experience – cook this to ‘Twist n’ shout’ preferable by Chaka Demus & Pliers but for purists the Beatles is OK too.

Love to ya all. Esp ChefMimi SurreyKitchen’s BFF.

SurreyKitchen xxx

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g of fresh tiger prawns

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

1 red onion finely chopped

1 1/2 pt fish stock

1 courgette chopped

6 mushrooms chopped

A handful of frozen peas

300g arborio rice

A dash of white wine

Preparation Method

1) Fry onion, garlic and chili in a large frying pan over a medium heat until soft.

2) Add 2 cube’s of fish stock to 1 1/2 pints of boiling hot water from the kettle.

3) Add the courgette and mushrooms to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.

4) Add a quarter of the arborio rice to the pan and stir thoroughly.  Heat through for 1 minute.

5) Add a quarter of the stock and simmer on a medium heat until totally evaporated.  Then add another quarter of the rice and stock and repeat.

6) Add a dash of white wine and stir thoroughly.  Repeat step 5 until all of the rice and stock has been added to the pan.

7) Two minutes before you wish to serve add the prawns and frozen peas and stir.  It should take 25-30 minutes to cook in total.  Serve when the rice is al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle).  The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy.

8) Let the risotto rest for 2 minutes, then serve with a wedge of lemon and a glass of white wine.  Delicious!

Chocolate, Ricotta and Raspberry Cake

It was my husband’s birthday so I needed to come up with a cake that was both decadent and gorgeous.  My first thought was chocolate and raspberry as it is one of those heavenly combinations.  The only problem was neither of us like the overly sweet buttercream icing that usually accompany chocolate cake.  We are both huge fans of cream cheese icing so I decided to try adding cocoa powder to my usual recipe to see what happened.  To my delight I managed to create a chocolate icing that was neither sweet or sickly.

With a striking balance of sweetness from the raspberries, richness from the ricotta and bitterness from the cocoa power, this cake totally made my husband’s day.  Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee in the garden!

Serves 10

6 inch round cake

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup of good quality cocoa powder

1/2 cup of ricotta

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

1 cup of fresh raspberries

Cream cheese and cocoa icing

1 tub cream cheese

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 tbsp hot water

Preparation Method

1) Preheat oven to 180C/350F

2) Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa & baking powder) in a large mixing bowl.

3) In a separate bowl whisk the egg and sugar until they are mixed together.  Add the oil, ricotta and milk and whisk together.

4) Empty the mixed dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together.

5) Add the fresh raspberries and mix in gently.

6) Pour the cake batter into a 6 inch round baking pan that has already been greased and bake for about 40 minutes or until its cooked through.  Test by inserting a skewer.  If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.  Leave to cool.

7) Meanwhile scoop out a tub of cream cheese into a small mixing bowl.  Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder and a tbsp of hot water and mix thoroughly with a fork.  Then add 2 tbsp of icing sugar and stir together.

8) After the cake has been left to cool for a few hours spread the cream cheese and cocoa icing over the top with a palette knife.  Decorate with remaining fresh raspberries.  Delicious!

Chakalaka

Born in the townships of South Africa, Chakalaka is a simple and healthy dish of spicy onions, tomatoes and beans.  It has been a staple for generations of South Africans and is a required condiment at braais or barbecues.  It is a versatile dish that can be served with almost any meal.  Serve hot with bacon or sausages for breakfast, cold on its own for lunch with freshly baked bread, or hot for dinner with grilled chicken, fish or steak.  A refreshingly sweet and spicy dish that we could not help falling in love with while on safari.  After tasting this you will never be happy with plain old baked beans again.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 small red onion chopped

1 chilli chopped

3 tomatoes chopped

1 red pepper chopped

1 green pepper chopped

2 tsp curry powder

1 can baked beans in tomato sauce

salt and pepper to season

Preparation Method

1) Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame.  Add onions, garlic, chilli and curry powder.  Saute ingredients for 4-5 minutes until soft.

2) Stir in tomatoes and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to a medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

3) Sir in the baked beans, salt and pepper and stir to heat through.  Serve with jerk chicken.  Delicious!

Spanish tortilla with a twist.

With another wet weekend ahead and summer yet to appear here is a dish that is guaranteed to bring a little sunshine to your plate. This recipe takes a traditional spanish tortilla and mixes it with African flavours by using sweet potatoes instead of regular ones.  It is also healthier as sweet potatoes contain significant levels of beta carotene and twice as much vitamin C as ordinary potatoes.  A simple yet satisfying dish that can be served both hot and cold virtually any time of the day.  Delicious between chunks of crusty bread as picnic food on a summer’s day.  Impressive served as tapas, cut into small cubes and speared with cocktail sticks as they do in Spain.

Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes sliced thinly

6 large free range eggs

1 red onion cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 red pepper cut into chunks

A handful of frozen peas

Olive oil

1 tsp paprika

Preparation Method

1) Preheat the oven 200C/gas mark 6 and the grill.

2) Place sweet potato, peppers and onions in an oven tray, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

3) Heat a large frying pan with a glug of oil over a medium heat.  Fry garlic until soft.  Mix 6 eggs in a bowl with paprika, salt and pepper and then pour into the pan.

4) Remove roast vegetables from the oven and lay in frying pan with a handful of frozen peas.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

5) Place the frying pan under the grill making sure it is 4 inches away from the heat for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

6) Serve hot or cold with a side salad.  Delicious with a glass of white wine!

South African Prawn Curry

The cuisine of South Africa is often referred to as “rainbow cuisine” as it has had a variety of multicultural sources and stages.  Following our safari adventure we decided to share some flavours of this incredible country with our readers.  I could probably write an entire novel about why I love South Africa.  A world in one country, full of natural beauty and breathtaking landscapes.  No where else on the planet can match the great Kruger National park.

The overwhelming range of different seafood dishes in South Africa and the straight from the sea freshness has become legendary.  This recipe might look like a lot of ingredients, but if you measure them first, it’s an easy, one pan job.  Instead of your typical chicken curry, try this delicious South African dish for an unforgettable curry night.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil

400g shelled prawns

1 tin chopped tomatoes

I tsp ground ginger

2 garlic cloves chopped finely

6 curry leaves

125ml chicken stock

1 red onion chopped finely

1 large green chili chopped finely

70g tomato puree

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp curry powder

250g long grain white rice.

Preparation Method

1) Heat a glug of olive oil in a pan (medium heat).

2) Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent (reduce to low).

3) Add the chilli and curry leaves.

4) Add the ginger, ground coriander and curry powder.

5) Cook for a minute.

6) Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes.

7) Simmer for 3 minutes.

8) Pour in the chicken stock.

9) Reduce over a low heat to half the volume.

10) Season with salt and pepper.

11) Add the prawns

12) Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes.

13) Garnish with coriander.

14) Serve with long grain white rice.

SurreyKitchen on holiday!

SurreyKitchen just wanted to let our readers know that we are off on holiday for two weeks.  Miles has been sitting on our cases for the past two days with a very sad look on his face as he knows he is off to the cattery shortly.  We hope to bring you back some South African and Mauritian recipes from our travels in early May.  Happy holidays!