Lemon and mustard cobia kebabs

These skewers make a tasty first course, or a main if served with salad or rice.

Cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish – test with the tip of a knife

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

•1 tbsp clear honey

•1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

•Zest and juice of 1 lemon

•4 x 125g/4½oz cobia steaks (or any firm white fish), cut into chunks

•2 peppers (1 red and 1 green), deseeded and cut into large chunks

•8 cherry tomatoes

•Green salad leaves or steamed white rice, to serve

•Freshly ground black pepper

•Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Mix the honey and mustard with the lemon zest and

juice then put the fish in a dish and pour over the honey mix.

Marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

 

Preheat the grill to hot. Thread the fish onto 4 metal skewers,

alternating with the red and green pepper chunks and tomatoes.

Reserve the marinade. Cook under the preheated grill for 4-5 minutes

on each side until cooked, basting well with the leftover marinade.

To serve, put 1 skewer on each plate with salad leaves or steamed rice.

Season with black pepper and serve at once with lemon wedges

for squeezing over.

Roast leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary pesto

Best Cooking Tips
Roast leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary pesto

This lovely roast leg of lamb is smothered in its classic companions,
garlic and rosemary, for a fantastic flavour.

Serving instructions
Serves 6-8
Ready in about 21/2 hours

Ingredients

2.5kg leg of lamb
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked

and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp plain flour
600ml fresh lamb or chicken stock, hot

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/fan210°C/gas 8.
Calculate the roasting time.

2. Using a small, sharp knife, make small 2.5cm deep slits
all over the leg, about 5cm apart.

3. Make the garlic and rosemary pesto. Put the rosemary leaves, garlic,
the salt and some freshly ground black pepper into a mini food processor or spice grinder.
Turn on the machine and slowly add enough of the oil to make a smooth paste.

4. Push some of the pesto into each of the slits in the lamb, then rub the outside of the leg
with any of the remaining paste and any remaining oil. Season lightly with a little more
salt and pepper.

5. Put the lamb, rounded-side up, into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 and continue to roast for the
rest of the calculated cooking time. For a 2.5kg leg cooked to medium
(so the meat is pink near the bone),
you need to roast it for a further 90 minutes.

6. Remove the lamb from the oven and lift it onto a carving board or large plate,
then cover tightly with a sheet of foil. Leave to rest for 15-20 minutes before you start carving.

7. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Pour away the excess fat from the roasting tin and
place the tin with the lamb juices over a medium heat on the hob.
Sprinkle with the flour and stir for a few seconds with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the stock and scrape up all of the caramelised juices from the base of the tin.
Leave to simmer gently until it has reduced to a well-flavoured gravy,
then strain into a gravy boat. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and keep hot.

Nutrition

Carve the lamb into slices and serve immediately with the home-made gravy.
Roast lamb goes wonderfully with creamy dauphinoise or roast potatoes
and steamed fine green beans.

Beef And Vegetable stir Fry

 Main Courses | Serves 4

• 250g dried medium egg noodles
• vegetable oil
• 350g steak, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
• a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger,
 peeled and finely sliced
• 1–2 large fresh red chillies, finely sliced
• 200g peanut shoots or beansprouts
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• juice of ½ a lime
• 1 large red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
• a handful of mangetout, finely sliced
• a handful of baby corn, quartered lengthwise
• 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• a bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked
and roughly chopped
• cos lettuce leaves, to serve

 

Cook the egg noodles in boiling salted water until just tender.
Drain, place in a bowl and set aside.

Heat a large wok or a heavy-based frying pan until very hot.

 Add a splash of vegetable oil then stir fry the beef slices with the sliced

garlic, ginger and chillies until just cooked. Add the shoots or beansprouts,

a good splash of soy sauce and sesame oil and the lime juice

for the last 30 seconds of cooking.

 

Tip the contents of the wok into a large bowl, including all the lovely juices.

Put the wok back on the heat, add a splash more vegetable oil and all the vegetables.

Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the cooked noodles and toss well over the heat.

 

 

Divide the fried vegetables and noodles between 4 plates.

Return the beef and juices to the wok and stir fry until heated through.

Add the coriander and toss until well mixed with the beef.

Arrange on top of the noodles and garnish with a cos lettuce leaf.

 

Sugar boondi

Boondi is prepared with besan/gram flour.
The batter made with besan is passed through a perforated spatula before hitting the oil.
It forms small balls. The deep fried boondi is then coated with sugar syrup for sugar boondi.
Makes: around 2 Cups of Sugar Boondi.

Ingredients:

Besan/ Senagapindi 1 Cup
Water 3/4 Cup
Sugar 1 Cup
Currants a Handful

Method of preparation:

In a mixing bowl, mix besan and water together
into smooth batter without any lumps.

Heat oil in a wok on medium high heat.
Use a perforated big spatula to shield the oil.
Pour the batter onto the perforated big spatula to fill it up.

Make sure to very slightly tap the perforated spoon to let the
batter fall through the holes and into the oil.
Stop when the wok is filled with boondi.
Let the boondi fry and turn a light golden in color.
With help of a skimmer, remove the fried boondi onto
absorbent paper before they turn brown.
Repeat the process until all the besan batter is finished.

Prepare the sugar syrup by heating sugar and around half cup of water
on medium high flame.
Let the sugar completely melt in the water and turn into syrup.
The syrup is done when its thick and forms a thin thread when
pressed between fingers.
Remove the sugar syrup from heat, add cardamom powder.
You can also test the syrup by taking a tbsp of it into a bowl and
seeing how it turns out when it cools down.
Drop all the boondi into the syrup along with currants and let it
the sugar syrup coat all the boondi.
Mix thoroughly and the boondi helps cools down the syrup completely
and syrup starts to turn white.
Store sugar boondi in a tight jar and serve when necessary.
Notes: Make sure not to over fry the boondi.

Suggestions: Make sure besan batter is on thicker side rather than on thinner side.
If the syrup doesn’t crystallize, make sure to heat the sugar syrup for little longer.

Variations: You can also add other nuts and dry fruits to the boondi if desired.

Wasabi-dressed salmon and basmati salad

This recipe shows a simple, healthy way

to serve a tasty salmon based salad.

Serves 4
Takes 35-40 minutes to make and 8-10 minutes to bake

 

3 tbsp light soy sauce
¾ tsp wasabi paste
6 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp caster sugar
450g piece good-quality salmon fillets, without skin
150g basmati and wild rice
150g pack mangetout, halved
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
20g pack fresh mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
½ tbsp poppy seeds

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Shake the soy sauce,

wasabi, lime juice and sugar together in a clean jam jar.

Set aside.

Season the salmon,

 put on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked.

Put in a snug-fitting shallow dish, pour over half the dressing and set aside to cool.

 

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the rice

and simmer for 25 minutes, adding the mangetout for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time.

 Drain.

Cool under cold running water and drain again.

 

3. Tip the rice and mangetout into a large bowl, add the spring onions,

 mint, poppy seeds and remaining wasabi dressing and mix.

Add the cooled salmon and its dressing, and mix gently. Season and serve.

NutritionPer serving: 390kcals, 13.3g fat (2.2g saturated), 28g protein, 41.3g carbs, 10.2g sugar, 2.2g salt

Chef's TipThis recipe also works well with fresh tuna.