Tapenade

Such an easy thing to make, and SOOO expensive to buy ready-made, so if you are fond of this spread, make it yourself, and it tastes much better too.  The only consideration is whether to 'anchovy' or not.  I'm not a huge fan of the little fish, myself, so I leave it out, but add a well-drained fillet or two if you like it.  I take a jar of pitted black olives in brine, about 120g drained weight, rinsed well under a running tap.  Bung into a food processor along with a tablespoon of well-rinsed salted capers, half a clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and a spritz of lemon juice.  Grind in lots of black pepper, but no salt, then pour in 3 or 4 tablespoons of good olive oil.  Zazz in the processor for 30 seconds, then scrape the sides of the bowl, add another spoonful or two of oil and zazz for another 30 seconds.  Spoon and scrape into a bowl, pour over another tablespoon of oil, and keep covered, in the fridge.  This lasts well for a couple of weeks in the fridge, and is lovely spread on toasted ciabatta, or spread on a chunky piece of fish before grilling, or as a dip for baby new potatoes, so many things.  A great supper, by the way, is a pouch of Merchant Gourmet ready-cooked Puy Lentils, piled on salad, topped with a soft-boiled or poached egg, and toasted sourdough with tapenade spread on.  I could happily live on this!  In the meantime, on toast for us tonight, to accompany a Dry Martini.  Cin cin!

Pork Meatballs with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

A somewhat Swedish vibe for this lovely supper, which can be served with rice or pasta.  For 4 people, mix 500g of minced pork, a thick slice of white bread turned into crumbs, a medium onion, finely chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, 1 egg, a tablespoon each of chopped dill and parsley, the zest of a lemon, and plenty of salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands, then form into meatballs - whatever size you prefer, but I got 20 out of the mixture.  Brown the meatballs in oil, then finish off in the oven on a baking sheet at 180C for about 20 minutes to cook through.  Whilst that is happening, melt 40g of butter in a pan big enough to hold the meatballs later.  Over a medium heat, fry a finely-chopped medium onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.  Slice 500g mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms) and add to the buttery onions.  Stir and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Now stir in a tablespoon of flour and 300ml of vegetable or chicken stock.  Simmer for 5 minutes until thick and the flour has cooked out.  Now stir in a small (150ml) pot of double cream or equivalent of creme fraiche, along with a further tablespoon of chopped dill and parsley.  Taste for seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and stir in the now cooked meatballs.  Pork mince is good value, and can be substituted with turkey mince if you prefer. Either way, this qualifies for under a fiver!

Baked Salmon with Lemon and Parsley Crust

I have made a variation of this for years, but with a breadcrumb topping of olive oil, parsley, garlic and Parmesan.  It is delicious, but this version was altogether fresher and lighter and made a welcome change.  It is based on a recipe from Lorraine Pascale's latest book, "Home Cooking Made Easy".  For two, all you do is blitz a slice of good white bread with about 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, a clove of crushed garlic, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, the finely-grated zest of a lemon, and 15g of melted butter.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Put 2 fillets of salmon on baking parchment or buttered foil on a baking sheet and pile the crumbs on top.  It doesn't matter if some tumbles off, you will just have some extra crisp crumbs to serve along-side.  Now bake in a hot oven (200C) for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish and how well done you like it.  I don't mind mine a little rosy in the middle, but leave them in up to a further 5 minutes, watching so the crumbs don't burn.  Serve straight away with the zested lemon cut to squeeze over at the table.  Simple and delicious, served with stems of purple sprouting broccoli and some sauteed potatoes.

Lemon Courgette Pasta

Influenced by a recipe on the Tesco site, and refined by another online recipe, this is a little corker - filling yet light and summery.  For two - boil 200g spaghetti until al dente.  Whilst this is happening, slice two courgettes lengthwise into 3 or 4 slices and then cut each slice into long strips.  Saute in about 10g of butter until softening and lightly golden - about 7 or 8 minutes over a brisk heat, but don't allow to get too dark in colour.  Halfway through, add a crushed clove of garlic, and the zest and juice of a lemon.  Grate about 3 tablespoons of parmesan and chop some flat parsley.  Drain the pasta, holding back 3 or 4 tablespoons of cooking water.  Return the pasta to its pan with the reserved water, and stir in the cooked juicy courgettes and lemon juice, a handful of chopped parsley and 100g or so of ricotta along with 2 tablespoons of parmesan.  Stir together well, adding lots of black pepper and a little salt if it needs it.  Tip into a dish, sprinkle over the remaining parmesan, and brown under the grill until lovely and golden and bubbling.  Allow to settle for a few minutes and dig in!  Not the lowest-fat dish we've had of late, but still not too bad.

Roasted Sausages and Root Vegetables with Sweet Chilli Glaze

A great bung-it-all-in-the-oven main course, this and perfect Saturday night family fodder with a green salad.  You peel and chop root veg - whatever you have in the house, I used a parsnip, a couple of carrots and an onion.  Toss in a tablespoon of olive oil and scatter on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Add some good sausages (we like Porkinson's Bangers, but good butcher's sausages at least, please!) and rub a little oil onto them too - this is fun........Now, bake at 180C for half an hour until the veg is tender and the sausages nice and brown.  Give everything a good stir, turn the bangers over, and then brush on a good couple of tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce to glaze everything.  Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, then dish up, mixing the melted sauce into everything as you serve.  A dish of crisp, simply-dressed lettuce leaves is a nice accompaniment, as is a glass of Old Noll ale from my boss's own micro-brewery, Cherwell Valley.   photo courtesy of tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com

Courgette and Roast Tomato Sauce

A lovely simple dish for supper tonight. For 2 people, take 5 or 6 really ripe tomatoes, halve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped garlic and bake at 160 degrees for 3/4 of an hour. When ready, chop roughly (I do this in a jug with a pair of scissors). Towards the end, saute a couple of diced courgettes in a tablespoon of oil until golden, and then throw in a handful of chopped parsley. Add the roasted tomatoes, and then toss through pasta, whatever shape you like.

Chicken and Asparagus Salad with Garlic and Parsley Dressing

Another great way of using asparagus - chargrilled this time, and then tossed with chunks of roast chicken in a dressing made from loads of finely chopped parsley, some grated garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Served on a bed of fantastic lettuce from our Riverford veg box, with some Jersey Royals and roast tomatoes. I must say, the veg box is really inspiring me - just the most fantastic seasonal veg which included, this week, some Swiss chard (making a gratin of that for Sunday to accompany roast duck), the lettuce we used here, the freshest and most pungent spring onions I have ever seen, more asparagus, vigorous leeks, mushrooms - it is very exciting. Next week promises kohlrabi, which I've never used before, so watch this space for a recipe!

Grilled Plaice with Caper, Lemon and Parsley Butter [#240]

Lovely fresh plaice available today, so we adapted a Mitch Tonks' recipe for grilled Dover Sole. Sadly, the budget can't quite run to Dover Sole, and plaice made a very pleasant substitute. Incredibly easy - butter a baking sheet and season, put the fish on the sheet and brush it with melted butter, and season again. Grill under a really hot element for about 5 to 6 minutes until golden brown and the flesh flakes easily. Serve on a hot plate, and spoon over a simple sauce of a little melted butter seasoned with the zest and juice of half a lemon, a dessertspoon of salted capers (rinsed), black pepper and lots of finely chopped parsley. Fluffy mash is essential with this, to soak up all the buttery, lemony juices, and some lovely, seasonal, purple sprouting broccoli added colour and a lovely bitter note to proceedings. I wish we lived by the sea, so we could eat fresh fish every day. Fish is good for the brain too, so I am virtually force-feeding poor old Hubby with the stuff.

Roasted Mackerel with North African Spices [#221]

Hayman's fishmonger in Oxford's Covered Market had beautiful, ultra-fresh mackerel, so rare to find away from the coast. So, we had to do this superb recipe from Mitch Tonks. The North African Spices are actually something called Chermoula, a vivid green, slushy rub made up from masses of fresh coriander, parsley and mint, blitzed in a processor with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, chilli, ground coriander and cumin. This is spooned over, and rubbed into, whole mackerel, that has been slashed a couple of times, and left to marinate for an hour or so. Then, roast the fish on a foil-covered baking sheet in a really hot oven (220C) for 12 minutes or so and serve with more lemon for squeezing over. I accompanied it with saffron rice mixed with roasted peppers, onions and aubergines. Really great dish, and fantastic, I imagine, for the barbie in the summer.

Smoked Haddock with Caper, Parsley and Egg Sauce [#210]

No chance to do anything before today, as I have been laid low with a nasty cold. It is still lurking, but now I have a little energy and most of my olfactory senses back, I turned to this lovely, homely dish from Mitch Tonks for a bit of comfort. Essentially, it is a stew of fish, chopped boiled eggs and buttery onions in a creamy sauce, given piquancy with English mustard and capers, and enlivened with lots of chopped parsley - almost, as Mitch says, like the filling for a good fish pie but without the potato topping, and like a thicker chowder or cullen skink. Very soothing served in a bowl and accompanied by broccoli and some crisp toast to scoop it all up with. Of course, it is necessary to use the very best fish, and we get fabulous smoked haddock from the Port of Lancaster Smokehouse. In the absence of such splendid fish, do at least make sure you use undyed smoked haddock from the fish counter. If you haven't come across Mitch Tonks before, do yourself a favour and get down to The Seahorse restaurant in beautiful Dartmouth - a place to rival, and possibly surpass, Rick Stein. What Mitch doesn't know about fish isn't worth bothering with. And when in Dartmouth, don't even THINK of going to Burton-Race's Carved Angel next door.....................

Roast Haddock with Bacon and Parsley [#148]

Visited Waitrose with the intention of getting squid for one of the challenge recipes, but there was none. However, they DID have some lovely, spanking fresh thick fillets of line-caught Icelandic haddock so I made this little gem instead. Simple yet totally yummy, I used finely chopped prosciutto instead of bacon, and I also added lemon juice and a little dill at the end too. Served with champ and also a selection of four types of green beans from Oxford's Botanic Garden, this was a scrummy supper!