Squid are beautiful, elegant creatures when swimming around in the sea however they are not quite so gorgeous to look at when on the fishmongers slab.  They are though delicious to eat and cook very quickly in most recipes.  As always your fishmonger, I’m sure, will be happy to prepare the squid for you but they are easy to do yourself.  Here are a few pointers if you want to give it a go:

• Pull the body out from the inside and slice the tentacles off just below the eyes.  Amongst the innards is where you may find a little black sac full of squid ink. Dispose of the head section!
• Push a finger through the middle of the tentacles and cut off the ‘beak’ and dispose of it
• Peel the outer layer of skin off and separate the wings from the body
• Inside the squid is a hard piece that feels like a plastic quill, hold the end and pull it out
• Dispose of both the ‘plastic’ quill and the outer strands of skin so that you are left with a white body
• Wash your squid inside and out, this is easier if you can turn it inside out!

The squid can now be prepared according to the recipe.  The two usual methods used are cutting into rings or to open the squid up flat and to score it lightly with a criss-cross pattern.

Most squid are best cooked very quickly for only a minute or two at the most.  The best advice is to have everything else ready, glass of wine poured, table set and the people that you are feeding ready and waiting! Add the squid to the hot cooking pot and stir till cooked.  This is a squid linguine dish that I made with a spicy tomato sauce.

If you do get a large squid, such as the one in the top picture, then they can be cooked over a low heat and slowly braised. I marinated the squid in garlic, chilli powder and lemon juice, made a curry base then added the squid to cook for about 45 minutes.  I also made a dry cauliflower curry and mixed them all together through cooked basmati rice to serve, a bit like my version of a squid pilau.

Billingsgate Fish Market

Going on cookery courses is fun as you get to learn how other people do things and it all adds to our knowledge which we can pass on within our own sessions.  Following a lovely day spent at Billingsgate Fish School we decided to recreate one of the dishes that we prepared for a meal on Christmas eve with our family.  This is one of the best fish courses we have attended with well-informed staff who are dedicated to their product. There was a good variety of fish and seafood to prepare and we were given clear instructions. It is a very early start though as we have to be there by 6am, which is quite late in fishmongers terms as the market is starting to pack up by then. We arrived early to explore the market on our own but a tour of the market is included in most sessions. However for our Christmas eve meal we didn’t want to get up at 4.30am again so we ordered the fish from the wonderful Star Fishmongers in Ongar’s High Street!  Well Dave was going there anyway …..

Dover Sole stuffed with Tiger Prawns and pesto

Dover Sole from fish course

1 Dover sole per person
6-8 raw prawns per person, peeled
splash of olive oil
Pesto
Large handful of basil leaves
50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
50g toasted pine nuts
5 – 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Skin the slip soles and create pockets in one side, or you can ask your fishmonger to do this but it would be nice to let them know that this is how you would like it prepared. Place on lightly oiled foil on a baking tray.
Make the pesto, which is easiest in a mini food processor. Place all the ingredients in the processor and whizz to form a textured paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir the raw prawns into the pesto.
Push the fillets created by the pockets back and place the prawns in the opening so that they are all snuggly. Pour any excess pesto over the top.
To cook, pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas 6 and bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked. To check it is cooked the flesh of the fish will be opaque and the prawns should be pink.

Some alternatives whilst preparing the fish you can trim off the fins round both sides before stuffing with prawns or you can cook with the fins on then gently pull the bones away after cooking for a cleaner presentation.  The fish can also be stuffed with brown shrimp.

Serving suggestions to have with the dover sole could be some simply boiled new potatoes, chantenay carrots and green beans or we served it with a mushroom risotto to continue the Italian theme. We also had two vegetarian guests and we made stuffed aubergines which worked really well with the mushroom risotto.

Stuffed Aubergine
1 aubergine
4oz squash
1 large shallot
1 clove garlic
3 dried apricots
2oz Pistachio nuts or pine nuts
Handful chopped flat leaf parsley
Slices of your favourite vegetarian cheese

Heat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Halve the aubergine and scoop out the flesh leaving at least a centimetre thick shell behind, dice the scooped out aubergine flesh, squash, onion and garlic and place on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil. Lightly oil the aubergine halves and place on another baking tray. Place both trays in the oven for 20 minutes. Test that the squash is cooked, but remember that it is going to be cooked again. Remove the aubergine halves from the oven and set aside. When the aubergine and squash mix is cooked stir in the nuts, apricots and parsley then fill the aubergine cases. When ready to cook put slices of cheese on top then place the stuffed aubergines in the oven for 20 minutes.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

A couple of delicious recipes that are worth trying. If you can perfect the velveting technique described in the chicken recipe then you are well on your way to creating healthy chinese dishes at home. Ken Hom has even said that he will do it in water rather than oil to make the dish better for you.

Cantonese Beef

12 oz rump steak
2 slices ginger
2 spring onions
1 tbsp Chinese wine or dry sherry
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp water

4 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

Method
1. Slice the rump steak across the grain into long strips (they should be no thicker than a £1.00 coin!!)
2. Peel the ginger and dice finely
3. Split the spring onions down the middle lengthways and chop finely
4. Put the dry sherry, soy sauce and water in a bowl and add the beef, ginger and spring onions. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes but can be done the day before.
5. In a separate bowl mix together the tomato ketchup, Worcester sauce and sugar and put to one side till later
6. Mix the cornflour with the water and put aside
7. Drain the marinated beef but keep the marinating liquid
8. Heat a few tbsps vegetable oil in a wok and stir fry the beef till it changes colour
9. Add the marinating liquid, the ketchup mix and the cornflour mix to the beef and stir till the sauce thickens. This should only take 5-7 minutes

Chicken stir fry

2 chicken breasts
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornflour

1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 slice ginger
8 oz vegetables – eg. Carrot batons, mangetout, baby sweetcorn, red peppers
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
5 tbsp chicken stock

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (that means pieces you can put in your mouth in one bite!)
2. Mix the egg white and cornflour together and put the chicken in and stir well to coat
3. Slice the onion, garlic, ginger
4. Slice the vegetables into even sized pieces depending on choice of vegetables
5. Half fill a pan with water and put onto boil and whilst it is at a rolling boil add the chicken a few pieces at a time (how many pieces depends on how big your pan is on how many will fit in and cook quickly) for 2-3 minutes then take out and drain whilst you cook the rest. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil in between adding more pieces. (This is called velveting and is normally done cooked in oil but is healthier this way)
6. In a wok heat a few tbsp vegetable oil and add the onion and stir for a couple of minutes then add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds then add the vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes
7. Add the cooked chicken and stir then add the soy sauce, sherry and chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes.
8. Add the cornflour mix and stir till thickened

We happily catered for a Spanish evening for about 50 people recently so thought we would share with you some of the favourite dishes. The menu was based around tapas and included a Spanish meat platter, variety of olives and:

• morcilla – a Spanish black pudding – which was declared tasty but with a stronger flavour of onion than traditional British, or for that matter Scottish, black pudding which required quickly pan frying for 2 minutes each side
• sol o’ millo – a beautifully sliced and lightly cooked piece of steak served on a french stick with a few flakes of sea salt
• tortilla – the traditional potato omelette
• gazpacho – a refreshing blend of tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, sherry vinegar and olive oil, served chilled in small glasses
• patatas bravas – a spicy, tomato sauce based potato dish
• goats cheese stuffed mini (piquillo) peppers

The two favourite dishes we shall explain in more detail and consisted of ‘Chorizo and White Bean Stew’ and ‘Prawns wrapped in Bacon’.  A number of people asked how the chorizo and bean stew was made and there were many requests for more prawns to be cooked. For 50 people we had prepared about 180 prawns in advance and they were all eaten!

Gambas envueltas en tocino
Prawns, raw with no shells, defrosted if frozen
Streaky bacon or serrano ham
Lemons
Parsley, finely chopped
Olive Oil
Wrap the bacon around the prawns and secure with a cocktail stick across the prawn.  Finely chop the parsley and halve the lemons.  In a large frying or sauté pan heat some olive oil until it is very hot and place as many prawns as you can fit in one layer in the pan.  Sauté for about a minute (which in reality will mean that the first ones will be almost ready by the time you put the last ones in the pan so try and be systematic in placing them so you know where you started).  Turn every prawn over and sauté for 1-2 minutes on the other side.  Take the prawns out and place on your serving dish, scatter with parsley and squeeze lemon juice over the top.  Eat straight away.

The Chorizo and White bean stew is a classic Spanish dish and relies on the quality of the chorizo and paprika to really bring it into the realms of deliciousness. In this recipe the first quantities will serve 50 to 60 as a tapas style portion and the figures in brackets will serve 4 – 6 as a main course.

chorizo y guiso de frijoles blancos
1kg (250g) Chorizo for cooking, either picanté (hot, which is the one we had) or dulce (sweet)
1kg (250g) dried white beans, we used haricot
10 (2) onions, diced
5 (1) red pepper. diced
10 (2) cloves of garlic, diced
1½ litres (400g) passata
2tsp (½ tsp) sweet paprika (pimento do la Vera agridulce)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil

The day before soak the beans in a large bowl of water for at least 6 hours. Drain and rinse then put the beans in a large pan and add fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for the amount of time recommended on the packet (the haricot beans took about 45 minutes from boiling). Drain.
Dice the onion and pepper and fry in a little olive oil till softening.
Slice the chorizo and dice the garlic and add to the pan. Cook until the chorizo releases its lovely juice.
Add the beans and stir through till they are all coated with the chorizo oil then add the paprika and passata.
Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Good served with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

A quick and simple lunch idea for 2 people
(with enough mixture to make sweet pancakes for your favourite topping)

Leek and Mushroom Pancakes

Pancakes
100g plain flour
2 eggs
300ml milk

Put the milk and eggs in a blender first, then add the flour and blend for about 30 secs. Putting the liquid ingredients in first means that the flour doesn’t stick to the base and sides as much. Leave to stand whilst you prepare the filling.

Mushroom and Leek
1 clove garlic
1 leek
7 or 8 mushrooms, I used Chestnut mushrooms
oil or butter
splash of cream
freshly ground black pepper

Method
Finely chop the garlic, remove the outer leaves from the leek, slice lengthways and wash thoroughly imbetween the layers then slice finely into half-moon shapes.
Heat some oil or butter in a saute or frying pan and add the leeks and garlic and saute gently for a few minutes.
Meanwhile wipe the mushrooms clean and slice, then add to the leek mixture and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the black pepper and a splash of cream and stir everything together.

Then back to the pancakes

Heat a suitable pancake or frying pan till nice and warm then add a drizzle of oil, heat a little, swirl around the pan and then pour some of the oil into a heat-proof glass bowl.  This prevents your pancakes being too greasy.  Pour some of the pancake mixture into the centre of the pan and swirl till it covers the base (about three-quarters of a ladle is often a good measure!). Cook for no more than a couple of minutes on one side then flip or toss as you prefer and cook for about 30 seconds on the other side. Remove to a plate and cook three more, (you can reuse the oil in the glass bowl) layering them on the plate with greaseproof paper so that they don’t stick together.

Take a quarter of your leek and mushroom mixture and place in the centre of the top pancake, roll with your hands, then transfer to a heatproof dish or plate. Continue with the remaining mixture and pancakes till all used up. Top with grated cheddar cheese and either heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes for a speedy heat through or in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes for a crisper finish.

This is a very hot curry, it has chillies, black pepper and vinegar, so needs a firm-fleshed fish to be able to take the heat. I have adapted it from a Rick Stein recipe to use ingredients that I had in stock.

Curry Sauce before adding the fish

Goan Masala Paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsps coriander seeds
2 tsps black peppercorns
1 tsp cloves
4 dried red chillies, soaked in water
1 tsp tamarind paste, soaked in same water as the chillies
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder or 1 tbsp fresh turmeric root
thumb tip sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
2 tbsps red wine vinegar

Method
Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds with the peppercorns and cloves then grind to a fine powder.
Put all of the other ingredients in a blender, including the liquid from the soaked chillies and tamarind and add the ground spices, then whizz till a smooth paste.

Fish Curry
1 quantity of Goan Masala Curry Paste (above!)
1 kg fish, cut into cubes (I used red fish, but any thick fleshed snapper, or monkfish, or even prawns or squid would work)
3 tbsp groundnut oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 onion, diced
6-8 curry leaves
tin tomatoes
4 tbsp créme fraiche

Method
Heat groundnut oil and add the whole spices and stir fry for 30 seconds, then add the onion and cook until golden.
Add the spice paste and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the curry leaves, tin of tomatoes and créme fraiche and stir all together, cook for about 5 minutes then add the fish or seafood and simmer for a further 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
Serve with rice.

The best method I know for cooking rice is called the ‘Rule of Thumb’. I always use a timer when cooking the rice otherwise it won’t be perfect and fluffy.

‘Rule of Thumb’ rice
3 oz/75g rice per person placed in a saucepan, top with cold water until the tip of your thumb is lightly touching the rice and the water comes up to the joint. Put a lid on the saucepan and bring to the boil and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to steam for a further 10 minutes. It should then be perfectly cooked and fluffy.

Fishcakes are a lovely light dish for the Spring and can be either starter or main course size.  Making your own fishcakes can be a bit messy, but we like getting our hands in and as long as you are organised you can keep the mess to a minimum. What you need is some ready cooked salmon, mashed potatoes and some finely chopped spring onions and either fresh parsley or dill, simply mix it all together in a bowl and then create into fishcake shapes.  You can choose whatever shape you like but we have done the classic cound shape.

Get your coating bowls ready first.  You will need three bowls and two plates.  In the bowls put flour in the first, an egg lightly beaten in the second and breadcrumbs in the third.  Put a plate at the beginning and end so that you have a plate for your uncoated fishcakes and one for the coated fishcakes.  It is easier if you do each process separately but we stopped to take photos of the whole process as can be seen here.

Fishcake making – the whole process

Here is a picture guide to help you create your own.

First coat your fishcake in flour

Coating in flour helps protect the fish and makes it easier for the egg to stick.  Lightly beat an egg in a bowl then cover the fishcake in the egg so that the breadcrumbs will stick.

Second coat your fishcake in egg

Finally, put the fishcake into the breadcrumbs.  You can make your own breadcrumbs by whizzing up some bread in a food processor or blender or you can buy some.  A favourite with many celebrity chefs at the moment seems to be Japanese Panko breadcrumbs and we had bought some when we went to Chinatown with our nephew last year so that is what we used.

Next cover with breadcrumbs

The fishcakes will cook better and will be less likely to break up if they are chilled for a little while in the fridge.  Then put a little oil in a frying pan and cook on both sides till they are lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes each side.  Don’t have the heat too hot or they may not cook all the way through properly.

Gently cook in a little oil

We served ours with a tomato salsa which was simply a few tomatoes diced, some diced shallot, garlic and chilli and some freshly chopped parsley mixed with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Fishcakes and Salsa

We recently made some Apple and Rosemary Jelly and Chilli, Plum and Damson sauce so have been experimenting with different ways that it can be used to create dishes.

The Chilli, Plum and Damson (damsons donated by my sister) Sauce can be used as a condiment to go with Peking duck, spring rolls, prawns in batter or any other dim sum type Chinese dish. The Apple and Rosemary Jelly needs a little more creative thinking and can be used as a glaze for meat or mixed with other ingredients to make a marinade.

Sausage and Mustard with Apple Jelly
2 tsps Apple and Rosemary Jelly
2 tsps Wholegrain mustard
4 Sausages
Olive Oil
Glass of wine
splash of double cream

Pre heat the oven to 180C
Mix the olive oil, apple and rosemary jelly and mustard together in a baking tray.
Add the suasages and turn to coat in the mixture, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Add the wine and cream and pop back in the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Delicious served with mashed potato.

Chicken Wings with Apple and Rosemary Jelly and Chilli, Plum and Damson Sauce
Marinade
2 tsp Apple and Rosemary Jelly
2 tbsp Chilli, Plum and Damson Sauce
1 clove Garlic, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 – 3 Chicken Wings per person

Mix the marinade ingredients together then add the chicken wings and marinate for at least an hour.
Pre heat the oven to 180C, spread the chicken wings on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
We like to separate the chicken wings to create two pieces and we also skin them.

Duck breast glazed with Apple and Rosemary Jelly

Starting cooking

One of my favourite courses that I coordinate is at The Vojan Indian Restaurant, which is just on the outskirts of Ongar. These courses are in the restaurants’ kitchen cooking with the chefs to create a menu that I have planned with the chefs Farid and Saleem in advance. We change the menu every two months so there is always something more to learn. The courses are very hands-on and lots of fun, and the chefs are very patient!

Cooking in The Vojan

As part of the course then participants get to eat what they have made, and take home any food they can’t manage. This often goes to the other half! Participants are also given some spices to take home so I have created a dish that incorporates the use of these spices in a quick and simple prawn biryani.

Prawn Biryani

Prawn Biryani
(serves 2)
225g bag frozen raw prawns, defrosted (Available in our local Sainsbury’s)
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 onion, diced
1 chilli, diced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Vojan Curry Powder
1 tsp Methi leaves
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp water
100g raw rice, cooked

Method
Put some oil in your pan or wok and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Fry for a few minutes.
Add the turmeric, Vojan Curry Powder and Methi leaves and heat till fragrant (1-2 minutes)
Then add the tomato puree and cook out for a few minutes (Cooking out the tomato puree is important to take away the rawness), add the little bit of water and stir to combine.

Curry Sauce cooking

Next add the raw prawns and cook till turned pink and coated in the sauce.

Prawns cooking in curry sauce

Then add the rice and stir altogether till heated through.

Prawns and Rice

You can add other vegetables if you have them, I threw in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes which you can see in one of the pictures above.

If you are interested in joining The Vojan Cooking Club for a fun, relaxed evening, and to learn a few skills, then please email me at karen@pickled-penguin.com

I read many cook books, foodie magazines and follow tons of chefs on twitter for new ideas to cook. This recipe is adapted from Good Food magazine to use ingredients that I had in and is fresh and vibrant and makes a nice change from green leaves.

1/2 Red Cabbage
2 Beetroots, raw
2 Apples
2 Pears
A bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Dressing
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method
1. Finely shred the red cabbage and place in a large mixing bowl
2. Peel and grate the beetroot, and add to the red cabbage
3. Quarter and core the apples and pears then slice finely and mix into the red cabbage and beetroot
4. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad, add most of the parsley and stir well
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining parsley

Tips
You can slice the red cabbage in a food processor if you have one, and use the grating attachment for the beetroot.  However, don’t worry about having red hands forever as the beetroot juice washes off your hands quite easily.