Healthy weekday Meal #9........{Fish Pie Parcels}

I love me a fish pie - huge chunks of fish, creamy glossy sauce, flavoursome leeks and mounds of mash potato. It's a dreamy British staple but it's not dreamy to the waistband and it also doesn't lend itself that well to the summer days that are creeping up on us. In my quest to find an alternative I came up with this dish - Fish Pie Parcels. You may not think the use of pastry is particularly healthy but I am using filo pastry and a few sheets go a long way....Use what ever combination of fish you desire and for heaven's sake make sure you keep an eye on the oven - as you can see from the photos i left mine in a couple of minutes too long. but I am no professional, these are my recipes and little slip ups sometimes happen! It still tasted great and that's all that matters to me and that's all that should matter to you - relax and just give the recipe a go!

Fish Pie Parcels

2 leeks, finely sliced

unsalted butter

couple of splashes of white wine 

100ml milk

bay leaf

500g fish - I used large chunks of smoked haddock, cod, salmon and raw prawns 

4 tbsp creme fraiche

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

filo pastry 

1 egg, beaten 

in a pan cook your leeks with a small amount of butter and a couple of splashes of wine, once soft remove from pan. add in the milk, bay leaf and the fish and put the lid on the pan, allow the fish to stand for 5 minutes until it is almost cooked through. remove the fish, give it a little season and then set aside. mix the creme fraiche with the lemon juice and mustard and then season. lay out a sheet of filo pastry, brush with melted butter, place another sheet over and then repeat the process - i used three sheets for one parcel and four for another - I didn't make much difference and two would be fine I'm sure. in the middle of the square place a couple of spoonfuls of the leeks then a spoonful of the creme fraiche and then add half the fish and top with another spoonful of creme fraiche. bring up the sides of pastry and twist the top so you have a parcel. repeat the process. brush the two parcels with egg wash and place on a baking tray. cook at a moderate to high heat for around 30 minutes or until the pastry is nicely golden. serve with vegetables or a salad. 

Fish in Paper........ {Fish en Papillote}

It's a funny thing when people say to me that they think cooking fish is laborious and a pain. Many a friend of mine will turn their nose up at cooking fish but to them I say "try this dish, it's simple, healthy and tastes delicious"

Cooking en papillote basically refers to the parcel you cook it in - this is a French dish and it's basically a parcel encasing the fish and vegetables which then steam cook in the oven. Mmmmm so delicious. You can be adventurous on what veg you want to use - celeriac and fennel as well as cherry tomatoes work particularly well. You don't have to make my simple creme fraiche sauce, often I will just use a bit of white wine which works just as well.

The best thing is that this dish takes very little prep and is quick to cook - a fish supper couldn't be simpler but at the same time its a pretty fancy way of cooking so you could serve it at a dinner party to much fanfare and no one would ever know - you're welcome. 

Fish en Papillote

2 fillets of halibut, or you can use any white fish plus salmon is good too

1 potato very thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced batons

1 leek, thinly sliced

4 TBSP creme fraiche

4 TBSP dry white wine

zest half lemon

2 bay leaves

S&P

Mix the creme fraiche, wine and lemon zest in a small bowl,  season. take a piece of grease proof paper and create 1 or two layers of the potato - I often add a couple of bits of butter in between to help cooking. season. layer on the leek and carrot, a bay leave and a spoonful of the sauce. place fish on top with another spoonful of sauce and season again. 

fold the grease proof paper loosely and then tuck in the sides to create a parcel (see photos). 

Cook at 200oC for approx 25mins. when out of oven make a small cut in the top so that the steam escapes and leave for a couple of minutes before serving. I just serve these in the parcel as I like the rustic look but feel free to serve nicely on the plate.

Linking up with Honest Mum 

And with Delcious Dish Tuesday with Eat Drink and Be Mary and Full Time Mama 

Beans, Beans, Good for the Heart...... {One Pot Boston Baked Beans}

Exceptionally good for the heart are beans. Also good for the heart and general well-being is food that is natural with no artificial additives, step in to the spotlight Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I love Kikkomen sauces especially their soy sauce, mainly because I think it tastes great and I love the fact it is made from all natural ingredients. When the lovely people at Kikkoman asked if I would like to create a recipe using their soy sauce I jumped at the opportunity, especially when they said they didn't want it to be an Asian dish as they want to show the versatility of soy sauce in all variety of dishes. This is great for me as I often use soy sauce to substitute for Worcester sauce as I prefer the taste - just as savory but not as strong. 

After having a ponder, as one likes to do I decided to use the soy sauce for my classic American, one pot, winter warmer dish: Boston Beans. The savouriness and richness of the soy sauce really helps bring out the smokiness of these BBQ style beans. Often you find recipes for Boston Beans call for bacon or pork belly as the meat but I like to go for chorizo as I think it adds so much more flavour and colour to the dish. You can be flexible with what beans you use, cannellini beans work well for this dish. I just love the way you basically throw everything into the pan and leave it bubble away in the oven whilst your house smells of lovely BBQ food - it's the perfect comfort food as the dark night draw in and would be a great addition to any bonfire parties! 

Boston Baked Beans 

150g chorizo, cubed

1 onion, finely diced

1 tin (400g) kidney beans 

1 tin (400g) haricot beans 

1 tin (400g) butter beans 

3 TBSP soft brown sugar

2 TBSP black treacle

4 TBSP Kikkoman soy sauce

2 TSP English mustard powder

½ TSP smoked paprika

400g chopped tomatoes

300ml chicken stock, or you could use beef if you prefer

crusty bread, toasted

cook the chorizo and onion in a large pan or casserole dish until the onions are soft and the chorizo crispy. Stir through the beans, sugar, soy sauce, treacle, mustard powder, treacle, paprika and chopped tomatoes. add the stock making sure beans are covered. cover pan with a lid and either cook in oven at 180OC for two hours or simmer on the hob for the same amount of time, until beans are soft and the sauce had thickened. Serve on the toast.  

***Thank you to Kikkoman for asking me to be involved in this recipe challenge and sending the bottle of soy sauce to create this recipe***

End of Summer Pasta..... {Lemon, garlic and chili Pasta with Halloumi}

The summer days are coming to an end and the time spent in the garden is becoming less and less. There's still some produces growing away but mainly they are getting ready to hibernate as the days get colder. I have a glut of home grown chillies and garlic that seem to glare at me when I wander in to my little kitchen “you put so much effort into growing me, cook with me, eat me". And so I did. 

End of Summer Pasta

1 green chilli, finely diced 
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 small red onion, diced
1DSP lemon zest, finely grated 
6TBSP Olive oil
couple of squeezes fresh lemon juice
slice of halloumi
Spaghetti / Linguine 

Cook pasta according to instructions. place the oil, chilli, onion and garlic into  pan and then warm through gently until softened (10 - 15mins). Add pasta and stir through with lemon zest,. Lemon juice and S&P. Grill halloumi and serve on top of the pasta. Eat outside and lament the end of al fresco dinners for 2014.      

The Sandwich Sessions, #1 Fish Finger Sandwich with Homemade Tartar Sauce

A food fanatic like myself  often gets asked "What's your favourite food?" and oh my I have so many, I'm not sure I could possibly pick a favourite... but one of my favourite food groups is the sandwich, and yes I truly believe that the sandwich is a food group. Comforting and so versatile I don't think there is anything humble about a good sandwich, they are the perfect food often H and I will just have a good sandwich for our dinner and that's just fine and dandy with us.

My eldest little sister (who blogs over here) gave me the idea yesterday that I should do a blog on sandwiches and whilst I'm loyal to this blog only I'm going to make this a little series (maybe a link up one day) and every couple of weeks I'm going to show you how to take your sandwiches to a whole other level and enjoy this most perfect of comfort foods.

I'm starting with the Fishfinger sandwich which seems to have become a bit of a staple on UK pub menus and rightly so. Nothing screams nursery food more than fishfingers and by putting them in a sandwich its like we are saying that its acceptable to eat as adults. Make your own tartar sauce because it's not difficult and tastes so much better than shop bought rubbish. You can also make it to your tastes them; I hate too many capers so only add a few.  I used sub rolls as I like the texture with the filling, although you could just use white bread or baguette. However it should be white,  this is not a time for wholemeal. Please forgive me for my use of a processed cheese slice, this is the only occasion where I feel that it is totally acceptable to use them!

Fish Finger Sandwich 

Fishfingers (I used 2 jumbo ones per sandwich but use whatever ones you prefer)

Submarine rolls 

Optional: thinly shredded Iceberg Lettuce, processed cheese slice 

For the Tartar Sauce:

3 - 4 TBSP finely chopped gherkins 

1 TBSP very finely chopped onion

1 TSP Capers 

8 TBSP Good quality mayonnaise

2 TSP freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 TSP of the pickle juice from your jar of gherkins (trust me it makes all the difference)

Cook the fishfingers according to the directions. Put all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, taste and make any adjustments you think it may need - maybe some more lemon juice? Slice your rolls along one and spread the sauce along the top and the cheese and lettuce on the bottom, add the fishfingers and then push the sides together. Eat, preferably with your lovely housemate whilst watching Great British Bake Off, and be transported to your childhood when life was ever so simple.  

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy ... {aka Lemon Posset's}

Dessert. Something to be enjoyed and lingered over, preferably whilst coffee is brewing in the background. I don't have a great sweet tooth though and I always lean toward citrusy and slightly tart tastes when it comes to pudding. We had a friends over for dinner the other day and this is what I served, Little pots of lemony cream. Simple but effective

  

Lemon Possets

600ml Double cream

150g Caster Sugar

2 large lemons, zest and juice

On a low heat warm the sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil slowly. Boil for approximately three minutes, before taking of the heat and cooling for a while. Whisk in the zest and juice and then pour into 6 dishes / glasses (they look lovely in little espresso cups) before refrigerating. I served these with little Ameretti biscuits but they also taste great with homemade shortbread!   

....... I said it was easy!



I'm linking up this post with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

 

And  Supergolden bakes!  

Grown Up Chicken Nuggets

We have a term in the UK whereby we call comfort food that stems back from our childhood "Nursery Food". It's usually pretty simply in terms of flavour but it evokes that warm comforting feeling as the taste takes us back to a time when life was a lot simpler.

Chicken Nuggets are an example of such food for me, I loved them growing up and although I rarely got them as a child as I grew up into a hormonal 13-14 year old I would sometimes have a plate of chicken dippers with some sour cream as my Saturday evening dinner whilst watching Charmed on the television. 

H loves a chicken nugget too and so I decided to make a more grown up version for us both. When I came across many recipes on Pinterest for Cheesy Ritz Chicken I knew I was on to a winner, because Ritz crackers are a staple in our house - we both love them and we always have a box in the cupboard. Throw cheese into the mix and my boyfriend is in heaven! So yesterday as the wind and rain lashed against the window (British weather) we warmed up with this simple but very tasty dish. H took the leftover salad and nuggets in for his lunch today as well - lucky man. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner 

Grown Up Chicken Nuggets 

3 Chicken breasts cut into large chunks

10 Ritz crackers, crushed into breadcrumbs with S&P added to taste

grated cheddar cheese 

milk

Line a baking dish with foil and lightly grease it with some oil. Take the pieces of chicken and dunk them in the milk. Press the grated cheese on the top of the piece of chicken and then coat the whole of it in the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for about 30-40 mins at 200°C. I served it with a fresh Caesar salad which was lovely. You also could just serve this as one big piece of chicken although if you did that I would recommend you flatten the chicken slightly.  

These nuggets would be great for children as well, and you can easily omit the cheese 

I'm linking up this post with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

 

And for the first time I'm linking up with Supergolden bakes!  

Hosting a Spa party at Home {My Temple Spa Party}

Here in the UK there is great company called Temple Spa  who make some lush products - that are really great for the skin! The best thing about the company is that their representative comes to your house and you have a mini facial as you learn about the products. Its a great chance to get the girls together and have a girly pamper!

When I was organising my party I knew that the food had to be important and look great. In fitting with the night I also made sure it was all super healthy! Here's how it looked:

The Spread!

The Food:

 Kale Crisps 

Bake kale in an oven with some S&P and a little olive oil until crisp

Baked Tortilla Chips and Dip

Cut Tortillas into triangles and put under a grill for a few minutes until golden and then turn and do the same. Serve with guacamole and salsa

Salmon on Rye

Cut some Rye bread into small squares, top with extra light soft cheese, some smoked salmon, a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper

Mushroom Pate and Rosemary Biscuits

not going to lie - i bought these
Hummus and Crudites
I bought the hummus and cut up celery, peppers and carrots to dunk 

Chocolate strawberries

melt some dark chocolate and dunk the strawberries in. Chill and then serve 

Fruit Kebabs

Cocktail stick with cubes of fruit and grapes - easy! 

The food was a hit and the fact that it was guilt free really helped!  I decorated the table simply with fresh flowers and little tags saying what each item was. I think its really easy to go overboard with these sorts of things so I tried not to make to much and kept it to little nibbles. Once I came in from work I only had an hour or so to get ready so it had to be quick! 

Chocolate strawberries - everyone's favourite

The Drinks:

Prosecco - Our favourite

Raspberry Fizz

Prosecco with a fresh raspberry

Ginger Lemonade 

Sparkling water with freshly squeezed lemon juice and slices of fresh ginger 

Spa Water 

jug filled with water, ice, lemon, lime and cucumber

Ginger Lemonade ans a bit of the spa water!

And there you have it, my ideas for throwing a Spa party. You could always do your own and do face masks, pedicures and manicure.... Although its much easier when someone comes and does it for you!

Moules Mariniere; it's easier than you think (trust me)

Obviously my trip to Whitstable has not satisfied my hunger for all things seafood as last night I cooked some of my own in my little kitchen. Mussels are just so darn cheap... £1.99 for a bag (500g) in the supermarket and yet they are a great source of protein and cooked well they can be very filling. I guess because you buy them "live" people can be nervous cooking them but they are very easy and they cook fast... This very traditional sauce/broth the mussels are cooked in is simple and light but full of flavour and is the perfect accompaniment for your plump and juicy mussels

You do have to do a bit of prep first but don't worry it's dead simple!

Moules Mariniere

(Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter)
500g live mussels
3 shallots slice finely
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
200ml dry white wine
50g butter
70ml double cream
Handful of parsley, chopped (I had to omit this as pesky slugs ate my parsley!)
S&P

Preparation

Place mussels in a large bowl of cold water (or in the sink) and one by one pull of any beards and use a knife to scrape off any nasty bits on the shells. Discard any that have opened as that means they are dead and they won't be good. Give them another rinse and you are good to go.

Cooking

Melt the butter in a large lidded pan, add shallots and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until they have softened. Add the white wine and S&P and cook of for a minute before adding the mussels. Put lid on firmly and give pan a shake. Keep giving pan gentle shakes here and there and when the shells have opened up (literally took 3 minutes) take of lid and stir in cream and parsley. Told you it was easy! Just divide into two bowls and you are ready to go!

Serve with crusty bread and butter or chips if you are that way inclined. We ate this out in our garden him with a glass of wine me with some sparkling water. It was a very easy, cheap weekday meal that felt like a treat to eat!

Linking up with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

Sweet like..... Sweetcorn

I have a funny relationship with sweetcorn. Without meaning to put you off your breakfast they are the one food that your body cannot digest (that's what I heard anyways) so it leaves me wondering why we bother? But then when I taste its crunchy sweet golden goodness it suddenly doesn't matter that its going to go straight through me, it tastes amazing!

These fritters are a go-to recipe for me as I always have the ingredients lying around the kitchen. They are incredibly easy to make but taste great and I often add any other vegetables going off in my fridge.

Sweetcorn Fritters 

2 heads of sweetcorn or 1 can of sweetcorn - fresh is best, tinned is ok, frozen doesn't work!

sprinkle of fresh red / green chilli

30g / 1 heaped TBS self raising flour 

1 egg 

1 egg white

Butter for frying 

S&P

Using a large knife, remove kernels from the cob, put into mixing bowl with whole egg, chilli, flour and season. in separate bowl beat an egg white until stiff and fold into the sweetcorn mixture. Melt some butter in a frying pan with a touch of oil so it doesn't burn. Place large TBSP of the batter into the pan, this amount will make around 6 decent sized fritters. Leave the patties to go brown on one side then flip them over and cook over side. Drain them on some kitchen paper and eat as soon as you can bear the heat in your mouth. Keeping it fairly healthy I had these with some cooked beetroot and some salad but I've had them before with some smoked mackerel (good) and on another occasion with fresh sausages (great)! Once I had them with a bit of cream cheese and chilli jam - terribly bad for me but tasted sensational. 

The only tomato sauce recipe you will ever need or want

I used to swear by ole' Nigel's tomato sauce and while it I will still continue to use it on occasion, I have switched my fickle affections to Marcella Hazan - sorry Nige you'll have to make do with being my bit on the side.

This sauce was a revelation. All intensely tomatoey, rich, melt in the mouth consistency, it also clings to the pasta in a most satisfying way. I can see now why this sauce kind of has cult status across the tinternet! I have never come across Marcella's cooking before and I'm pleased that I found this recipe (thanks Instagram, follow me @girlinthekentishkitchen), her book is now in my amazon basket ready to purchase at the end of frugal month. Or maybe if someone wants to purchase it for me (HINT)?!

The best thing about it is that it is so frugal. You need next to nothing to make it and everything in the recipe are ingredients that I had in the fridge or my cupboard. But it tastes so special and spaghetti and sauce is always a good thing. Always.

Marcella's Tomato, Butter and Onion sauce

adapted from recipe here

1 tin (400g) tomatoes, use good quality ones
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
4tbsp butter
1tsp sugar
S&P
Pasta - cooked according to instructions (I used spaghetti)
Parmesan

Put the tomatoes in a pan and the fill up the tin halfway with water and add that in as well. Place the onion halves, the butter, sugar and season in the pan.

Warm on a low heat for as long as it takes for the fat to separate from the tomatoes and for it to go an intensely red colour.

 As it cooked I stirred it quite a bit and squashed down any chunks of tomatoes. Cook your spaghetti and then mix it into the sauce.

 And you are done - eat with Parmesan sprinkled on, a glass of wine and a napkin tucked in to your white shirt!

Wholesome Sluts Pasta aka spaghetti alla puttanesca

Wholesome "Sluts" Pasta!

 

 

 

I'm no quite sure why this is sometimes known as sluts pasta or whores spaghetti (which is the translation of the name of this Italian dish). From my limited research it seems that this dish originated from the Italian street ladies who needed to make something quick before they saw another gentleman caller. Another reason is that is all made from no fresh ingredients so those who make it are slutty lazybones! Whatever the reason its a great name for a lovely simple pasta dish. Sharp and spicy it has a great flavour and it takes no time at all and is made from store cupboard ingredients which makes it a great standby dish. The "wholesome" part of the dish comes from using wholemeal pasta - tenuous link I know! The original version of this recipe calls for a handful of chopped black olives - not my cup of tea but of course you should feel free.....

 

Wholesome Sluts Pasta aka spaghetti alla puttanesca

1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
½ TSP dried chilli flakes (I used 1 TSP cos I like it hot)
4 - 6 anchovy fillets chopped roughly
2 tbsp olive oil
400g chopped tomatoes
250g dried spaghetti, although any pasta will do
1 DSP capers

 

Pour the olive oil into a pan and add the garlic, chilli flakes and anchovy fillets and gradually warm over a low heat. Stir as it cooks for five minutes or so until the anchovies start to disintegrate. Turn up the heat, adding the tomatoes. Leave to cook for 20 minutes or so. At the same time cook 250g of pasta. When the sauce is ready, stir in the capers (and olives if you want), then toss with the lightly drained pasta. Its that easy. I served with a simple salad and this recipe makes enough for two.

Whilst making this I listened to Laura White's EP - "What My Mother Taught Me" it's rather good, her voice is all raspy, rough and beautiful.