Category: Dinner

Ingredients

• 1 whole sea bass, about 800g–1kg, scaled, gutted and trimmed
• 180g brown jasmine rice
• 250g tenderstem broccoli
• 2 pak choi, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch spring onions, cut into 4–5cm lengths
• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 30g fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 limes
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 20g fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly torn
• 40g unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• black pepper

Method

Rinse the brown jasmine rice under cold water. Put it in a saucepan with 400ml cold water, bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a very low simmer. Cook for about 25–30 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C fan.

Line a large baking dish with foil. Make 3 or 4 shallow slashes on each side of the sea bass. Bash the lemongrass with the side of a knife and cut into short lengths. Thinly slice half the ginger and 2 garlic cloves.

Put the lemongrass, sliced ginger, garlic and a few coriander stalks inside the fish. Put the sea bass in a roasting dish, rub with 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp fish sauce, and squeeze over the juice of half a lime.

Bake for about 20–25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the flesh comes cleanly away from the bone at the thickest point.

While the fish cooks, finely chop the remaining ginger and garlic.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the broccoli with a splash of water and stir-fry for about 3 minutes.

Add the pak choi, spring onions, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes, so the vegetables are cooked but still retain some bite.

Mix the remaining 2 tbsp fish sauce, juice of 1 lime, honey and sesame oil. Pour over the vegetables and toss briefly over the heat.

Remove the sea bass from the oven. Mix the remaining lime juice with the juices in the roasting dish and spoon them back over the fish.

Scatter the fish and vegetables generously with the chilli, coriander, mint and chopped peanuts.

Serve the whole sea bass at the table with the brown jasmine rice and stir-fried greens alongside.

Ingredients

• 1 whole brill, gutted and trimmed
• 2 dressed crabs, white and brown meat separated
• 4 leeks, finely sliced
• 300g petit pois
• 2 lemons
• 225ml dry white wine
• 125g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Put the brill in a large roasting tin, season with salt and pepper and dot with 25g butter. Pour 75ml white wine around the fish.

Roast for about 20–25 minutes, depending on its size and thickness, basting once or twice with the buttery wine from the roasting tin. The fish is ready when the flesh comes easily away from the bone at the thickest part.

While the brill cooks, heat the olive oil and 50g butter in a large frying pan or wide saucepan. Add the leeks and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until soft but not browned.

Add the remaining 150ml white wine and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the brown crab meat and petit pois and cook for another 2–3 minutes.

Reduce the heat and gently fold through the white crab meat, remaining 50g butter, the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Warm through without boiling and season with black pepper and a little salt if needed.

Remove the brill from the oven and spoon over some of its buttery roasting juices. Serve whole at the table with the warm crab, leek and pea mixture spooned around or alongside it, with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.

Ingredients

• 3 monkfish tails, about 350g each (approximately 1.05kg total),
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 325g fresh fish stock
• 150g chicken stock1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 125ml dry white wine1 lemon
• 100g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 25g butter
• generous pinch saffron
• 2 bay leaves
• black pepper

Method

Heat half the olive oil in a large casserole or saucepan. Brown the monkfish over a medium-high heat for 1–2 minutes on each side, working in batches if necessary, then remove and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil and onion and cook for about 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and saffron and cook for another minute.

Pour in the white wine and cook for 1–2 minutes, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add the chopped tomatoes, fish stock, chicken stock, cannellini beans and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Return the monkfish to the pan and simmer gently for about 5–7 minutes, until just cooked through.

Remove the bay leaves and stir through the butter and most of the parsley. Add plenty of black pepper.

Scatter over the remaining parsley and serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 180g paella rice or 180g short-grain brown rice
• 160g boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets (about half a standard 320g pack), cut into small pieces
• 165g raw peeled king prawns (1 pack)
• 250g skinless, boneless hake fillets (1 pack), cut into roughly 3cm pieces. Monkfish tail or mussels better if available.
• 325g fresh fish bone broth
• 220g chicken stock
• 150ml boiling water if using brown rice
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped into half rings
• 200g green beans (1 pack), cut into short lengths or 200g frozen peas
• 1 × 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
• generous pinch saffron threads
• 1 small rosemary sprig
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Brown the chicken

Heat the olive oil in a wide frying or paella pan over medium-high heat.

Brown the chicken for about 4 minutes.

White rice: leave the chicken in the pan.
Brown rice: remove the chicken to a plate for now.

2. Cook the rice

For WHITE paella rice: add the pepper and green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, paprika, saffron, rosemary and black pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and butter beans, then add the fish broth and chicken stock.

For BROWN rice: add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice, saffron, rosemary, fish broth, chicken stock and 150ml boiling water. Cook for about 20 minutes, then add the browned chicken, pepper, green beans, tomatoes, paprika and butter beans.

For either version, stir once after adding the liquid, bring to a simmer and then do not stir again.

Continue cooking uncovered until the rice is nearly tender:

• White rice: roughly another 12 minutes
• Brown rice: roughly another 10–15 minutes after adding the chicken and vegetables; add a splash more boiling water if necessary

3. Add the seafood

When the rice is about 5–6 minutes from being ready, arrange the hake and prawns over the top and press them lightly into the rice.

Continue cooking without stirring until the rice is tender with a little bite, the seafood and chicken are cooked through, and virtually all the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Finish

For a little socarrat, increase the heat for the final 30–60 seconds, until the rice gently crackles underneath.

Remove from the heat and rest for 3–5 minutes.

Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipes are set out below for:

• Baharat roast lamb rump
• Sumac roasted cauliflower, chickpeas & vegetables
• Herby tabbouleh
• Quick pickled cucumber & radish salad

Also serve with shop-bought houmous, tsatziki, olives.

Baharat Roast Lamb Rump

Ingredients

• 900 g lamb rump

Marinade:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tsp baharat
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• zest of 1 lemon
• salt
• black pepper

Roast beside the meatballs for 25–30 minutes until 54–56°C internally (for adults only) or 61°C (if children will be eating).

Rest for 15 minutes before slicing thinly. Present on a large plate surrounded by houmous (drizzled with harissa for extra interest) and beds of finely chopped little gem lettuce, and sprinkle with:

• parsley
• mint
• sumac
• pomegranate seeds
• toasted pistachios
• feta

Pickled cucumber and radish salad

Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 16 radishes, sliced
• 150 ml apple cider vinegar
• 100 ml water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• handful chopped dill

Mix everything together and leave for at least 30 minutes.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients

• 250 g bulgur wheat
• 250 ml boiling water
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• ½ cucumber, diced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 60 g parsley, chopped
• 20 g mint, chopped
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cover the bulgur with boiling water for about 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork and mix through the remaining ingredients.

Sumac Roasted Cauliflower, Vegetables & Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2 × 400 g tins chickpeas, drained
• 2 aubergines, cubed
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 3 courgettes
• 1 red onion, wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sumac
• salt and pepper

Roast at 220°C fan for 30–35 minutes, turning once.

Finish with:

• parsley
• lemon juice
• toasted almonds

Ingredients

• Chicken legs or thighs
• 3 tins Mutti polpa
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 red onions, diced
• 3 courgettes, cut into long fingers
• 2 peppers, coarsely chopped.
• 2 tins butter beans
• Spinach
• Ricotta
• Smoked paprika
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Fennel seeds
• Fresh basil

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees on fan setting.

Brown chicken and put to one side in the Le Creuset casserole dish with plenty of olive oil on 7.

Fry the onions in the Le Creuset casserole dish with plenty of olive oil on 7, then add garlic and fennel seeds and fry for another minute.

Add tomato, courgette, peppers, butter beans and remaining spices and mix. Once sauce is simmering, add chicken and blobs of ricotta. Sprinkle black pepper over dish, add lid, and put in oven.

Cook for 40 minutes.

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces. Skin-on drumsticks or thighs can also be used.
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 250 g mushrooms (shiitake, chestnut or mixed), sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 head pak choi, or bag of cavolo nero, each chopped
• 150 g tenderstem broccoli
• 150 g frozen shelled edamame
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 25 g fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 800 ml chicken stock
• Juice of one lime
• Fresh coriander (optional)
• Tamari
• Kimchi

Method

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the Le Creuset casserole dish and heat at 7 for a minute. Add the chicken and brown the outside. Remove chicken and put to one side.

Fry onions, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and ginger in the pan for 6-8 minutes until softened.

Mix together thoroughly the miso paste, chicken stock, a tablespoon of tamari, and a tablespoon of rice vinegar. Add to the casserole dish along with the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan, and simmer on about 3, with the lid slightly ajar, for 15 minutes.

Add brocoli, pepper, edamame and then (after another 2 minutes) cavolo nero. If using pak choi, wait 4 minutes instead. Remove from the heat once greens are soft and add sesame oil and lime juice.

Serve with sesame seeds and spring onion (and coriander if used) sprinkled on each plate, and kimchi on the table.

Ingredients

• 4 Cod loin fillets
• 400g Cherry tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 large thinly sliced fennel
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• Honey
• Capers (rinsed)
• Chilli flakes
• Lemon (sliced)
• 2 tins (drained and rinsed)cannellini beans
• Carrots, washed and sliced into fingers
• New potatoes (not peeled or sliced)

Method

Wash and prepare vegetables.

layer cannellini beans, garlic, fennel, carrots and tomatoes, capers, then cod in a large baking tray (in that order).

Lay slices of lemon over each cod fillet. Sprinkle chill flakes, then splash red wine vinegar and add a couple of large teaspoons of honey to the tray.

Bake in oven for 35 minutes at 180 degrees c.

Boil new potatoes separately for about 12 minutes.

Ingredients

• 500g pork tenderloin, sliced thinly (can be replaced with tempeh, in which case see below)
• 350g fresh (live) kimchi
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (finely minced)
• 2 inch ginger (finely minced)
• 2 heaped teaspoons of white miso paste
• 1 large sheet of dried kelp
• 800ml water
• 1 firm block of tofu (cut into large cubes)
• 2 courgettes, sliced into thick rings
• 4 large carrots, sliced into thin rings
• Broccoli, sliced thinly
• Box shitake mushrooms, stalks removed and sliced thickly
• 150g frozen edamame beans
• 2 spring onions
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp your preferred chilli paste (to taste – we add much less if children will be eating)
• 40g Buckwheat soba noodles or edame / black bean noodles.

Quantities serve two adults and a young child.

Method

Heat up a cast iron casserole dish, add olive oil, ginger and garlic, and fry on a medium heat until aromatic. Add onion and fry until soft and starting to turn golden. Add pork and kimchi, and fry until pork is cooked.

Add water, miso paste, kelp, carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add edamame beans, courgette, broccoli, tofu and shitake mushrooms and simmer for further 10 minutes. Boil water in a separate saucepan to cook noodles, and add noodles once boiling (then cook in accordance with instructions).

Remove kelp and discard.

Stir in sesame oil, spring onion and chilli paste then serve immediately.

If using tempeh:

Slice the tempeh thinly, and simmer gently in a separate pan in water for ten minutes. Then dry slices and fry on both sides in olive oil. Add to soup just before serving.

Ingredients

• Whole sea bass / sea beam (preferred, but make sure this is fully gutted, with gills removed, and scales scraped off) or two fillets per person
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chickpeas
• Garlic
• Red onion
• Parsley
• Spinach
• Cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Mixed seeds

Method

Wash and drain tomatoes and parsley.

Finely chop red onion and garlic.

Grind cumin seeds.

Toast cumin seeeds for a moment in a frying pan, then add olive oil, garlic and onion. Fry on a low-medium heat until soft and starting to caramelise.

Add (whole) cherry tomatoes and chickpeas to pan and stir occasionally. If the cherry tomatoes are less ripe, they may need some help to split and start breaking down – but otherwise you can leave them to cook in their skin until they disintegrate. Once fish is cooked, stir in parsley, paprika and spinach and leave to simmer for another minute before serving.

Meanwhile, heat another frying pan to a high heat, add olive oil, then add sea bass / sea bream. Cooking time will vary depending on size – and fillets are much quicker than whole fish.

We tend to just cook one side (skin down) if cooking fillets – unless the frying pan non-stick surface is excellent there is a risk of destroying the fillets when you try to turn them over. If cooking a whole fish, it is important to fry both sides. In both cases a “splat guard” over the frying pan can help reduce mess – but get one that fits in the dishwasher. Once cooked, season with freshly ground black pepper and a slight pinch of salt.

Sprinkle mixed seeds before serving.