DISHES WITH IMAGINATION

   Here are a few recipes for dishes, which I hope you will enjoy 





                                                   BOILED TURBOT

A very tasty fish boiled with skill.

1 kg (2 lb) turbot, scaled, gutted and thoroughly washed and boiled with
1 onion, peeled
1 carrot, trimmed and scraped
1 piece of fresh ginger peeled
1 celery stalk, threaded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
Parsley

Remove the skin and bones and place the fish on a heated dish.  Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and chopped parsley and drizzle with olive oil and lemon dressing and garnish with a sprig of parsley.  Keep the stock for preparing a lovely fish soup.




                                          
                                                         SALMON LOAF

A delightful main dish with salmon and rice.


560 g (1 1/4 lb) salmon fillets, skinned and boned
2 large eggs, hard-boiled, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
375 g (12.5 lb) puff pastry 2 sheets of pastry
75 g (2.5 oz)  butter
75 g (2,5 oz) basmati rice
225 ml (7.5 fl oz) fish stock
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
120 g (4 oz) button mushrooms, wiped and finely sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped dill
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
2 tbsp lemon juice

30 g (1 oz) melted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  Melt 30 g (1 oz) butter and stir in the rice and stir, when it is well coated with butter add the fish stock and a little stock and simmer, covered for 15 minutes exactly and take off the heat.  Remove the lid and allow the rice to cool.  Unwrap one puff pastry sheet and place on a baking sheet and spoon half the rice evenly over.


Meanwhile, place the salmon on buttered baking parchment, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then wrap it up loosely folding in the parchment edges and bake for10 minutes exactly.  It has to be half-cooked, then cool and set aside.  Next spoon the salmon on top of the rice, building up as high as possible, pressing and moulding with your hands.  Try to make the mixture look like a loaf.


Then spoon the rest of the rice over on top of the salmon and brush the surface with beaten egg,  Next take the lattice cutter and run it, along the other pastry sheet leaving a margin of 2.5 cm. all around.  Brush it with butter and very carefully lift it to cover the salmon mixture with it.  Press the edges all around to seal,  Then trim the pastry so you have a 2 cm border.  With the help of a fork press it firmly all around.

Raize the oven temperature to 220 C (425 F), brush the top to the pastry with egg wash and the remaining butter,  Now place the salmon loaf on the high shelf of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown,  Remove from the oven and let it rest of 10 minutes before slicing 





                                CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD AND HONEY

A lovely chicken dish.

1 1/2 kg (3 lb) chicken legs, boned, bones boiled in salted water
2 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lime
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
Salt snd freshly ground black pepper
1 cup almonds
1 heaped tbsp mustard
1 heaped tbsp honey


Place the chicken on a baking tin lined with baking parchment.  Sprinkle with the grated zests, salt and pepper and drizzle with orange juice and a little stock. Then massage the chicken with mustard and honey.  Scatter the almonds evenly over cover with a piece of wet parchment and bake in an oven preheated to 180 c (350 F) for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad of your choice. 

          BROCCOLI RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLES SHAVINGS

It is difficult to give the exact amount of liquid used for a perfect risotto.   Some rice varieties need 1:5 (1 part rice – 5 parts liquid), others less or even more liquid.

¾ kg (1½ lb) broccoli florets, boiled, drained and patted dry on kitchen paper, water reserved

500 g (1 lb) white mushrooms, whipped and cut into chunks

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2-3 tbsp butter

6-7 saffron stamens soaked in

250 ml (1 cup) good quality, warm white wine

450 g (15 oz) risotto rice

1 litre (4 cups) hot chicken or vegetable stock

500 ml (2 cups) broccoli water

½ cup parsley, chopped

1 tsp fresh marjoram, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

90 g (3 oz) San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated

Extra grated cheese for serving

1 small white truffle, scrubbed with a brush and patted dry

Sauté the mushrooms in 1 ½ tbsp butter for about 7 minutes and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.   Add the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes more, then remove the vegetables and keep hot.

In the same saucepan add the remaining butter onion and garlic and cook gently until the onion softens.   Add the rice and cook stirring until transparent and pour in the warm wine with the saffron and stir constantly until absorbed.   Add the chicken or vegetable stock and the broccoli water, a cup at a time, stirring the rice until the liquid is absorbed, before adding the next cup.   When the rice is almost done add the vegetables and the herbs and mix gently together.  Finally, remove the saucepan for the fire, add the cheese and let it melt and shave a little white truffle over.

Serve immediately with extra grated cheese and a glass of the same white wine used for cooking, iced this time!

                                 GREEK YOGURT STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

A refreshing delight.

500 g (1 lb) ripe but firm strawberries, washed and hulled

A few drops of lemon juice to accentuate the taste

400 g (2 tubs) Greek yoghurt

150 g (¾ cups) sugar or more

The tiniest pinch of salt

First, blend the strawberries with the lemon juice and refrigerate for 1 hour, until cold.  Add the yoghurt and sugar and salt and blend until smooth.

Spoon the mixture into a bowl, cover and freeze for 2 hours at least.  Then remove from the freezer, stir vigorously and return to the freezer.  Repeat the procedure twice more,  then transfer the ice cream into a container, cover and freeze.  Alternatively, pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions,     

 

                      CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

I have no words for this cake.

24 chocolate digestive biscuits, finely crushed

6 tbsp. butter, melted

A pinch of salt

(Mix everything well together and press into the base of a springform tin and refrigerate)

Chocolate Mousse:

2 tbsp powdered gelatine

2 ½ tbsp. cold water

2 ¼ cup dark chocolate, finely chopped

750 ml (3 cups) thick cream, separated

½ cup icing sugar

1 ½ kg (3 lb) strawberries, hulled

Topping:

2/3 cup thick cream

2 cups chocolate, finely chopped

1 tsp honey

Chocolate shaving for garnish

For the chocolate mousse, soak the powdered gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes, then whisk until thoroughly dissolved.

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and bring a cup of cream to a simmer and remove from the heat.   Add the soaked gelatine and stir well and then pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts. Allow cooling, stirring occasionally.

Beat the remaining cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks and stir ¼ cup into the melted chocolate.   Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until no white streaks are evident.

Spread a thin layer of mousse over the biscuits crust.  Cut enough strawberries in half and place them around the sides of the tin.  Spoon in the remaining mousse, lever the top, cover with cling film and ice for 6 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the ganache.  Heat the cream and pour over the chopped chocolate, after 2-3 minutes add the honey and stir vigorously until smooth shiny.  Refrigerate for 12-15 minutes so that it thickens a little and spread it over the mousse.  Sprinkle the top with chocolate shavings, garnish with strawberries, cover and ice before serving.

 

Autumn Flowers by Henri Fanten Latour