Scroll down to see my favourite recipes. Here's a list of them. I'll be adding to them as I make more:
- salmon and avocado salad
- bhajis (Indian-style vegetable fritters)
- roasted peppers
- gravad lax (cured salmon)
Salmon and avocado salad with an orange juice dressing
You will need:
- a packet of watercress (or other leaves)
- an avocado or half per person
- smoked or cured salmon
- The dressing: mix a teaspoon of mustard with a tablespoon of orange juice and a pinch of salt. When blended, stir in 2-3 teaspoons of oil (I used walnut). See the Page on Salad dressings.
- Pile the watercress into the centre of the plates.
- Slice the avocado on top.
- Add the dressing
- Slice the salmon over the top
Bhajis
You will need:
- 200g chick pea flour (from Asian or health food shops)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder (try Doves Farm's)
- 1 teaspoon each of: ground turmeric, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, onion seeds
- half a teaspoon of salt
- a finely chopped green or red chilli
- a handful of fresh coriander chopped
- oil for deep frying
- a vegetable (I've made them with mushrooms, onions, cauliflower and spinach and I think onion and cauli and are my favourites)
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and ground spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the seeds and stir well.
- Add the chopped chilli and coriander and stir again.
- Add a little cold water and mix well ... keep adding a little at a time until it makes a thick batter.
- Slice the vegetable into even pieces that are not too big (I wouldn't do a mixture of vegetables as they'd cook differently) and stir them in until they're coated in batter.
- Drop a spoonful at a time into boiling oil - they sink at first, then come up the surface as they cook. I turn them over so they cook well on each side ... they're cooked when golden brown. Drain them well on kitchen paper.
- Serve immediately with a dip made from natural yoghurt, fresh mint, lemon juice and salt.
I'm usually a big supporter of eating seasonally but we got two red peppers in the veg box delivery last week so I decided to do this Delia recipe.
You will need:
- fresh peppers
- anchovy fillets
- olive oil
- fresh tomatoes
- olives
- garlic
- fresh basil
- Skin the tomatoes by pricking them with a fork and then dropping them into boiling water until the skin starts to curl off. Lift them out of the water and allow them to cool before removing the skin.
- Use some of the oil to cover the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
- Slice the peppers in half, leave the stalk on but remove the seeds (see picture) and lie them skin down in the dish.
- Place an anchovy fillet, some slivers of garlic, a couple of olives, a leaf of basil and a quarter or half of tomato in each pepper half.
- Drizzle olive oil over the peppers and season with salt & pepper.
- Bake in the oven until soft (mine took 45 minutes at 180C).
Gravad lax (cured salmon)
You will need:
- 100g sea salt
- 125g caster sugar
- 100g of fresh dill finely chopped
- 3 tbsp gin
- 600g piece of boneless mid-side salmon fillet
1. Mix the sugar, salt and dill together in a bowl and stir in the gin
2. Line a small baking tray or dish (the same size as the salmon) with a long piece of cling film
3. Spoon a third of the mixture onto the base of the dish and lie the salmon skin side down on the mixture
4. Spoon the remainder of the mixture over the top and down the sides until the fillet is well-covered
5. Wrap the clingfilm over the top of the fillet and put it in the fridge with something heavy on top
6. Leave it at least 48 hours - turning it over twice a day. Don't throw the liquid away that forms in the tray.
Serve with a mustard & dill dressing (mustard, caster sugar, lemon juice, salt & pepper, dill), slices of cucumber and a handful of salad or rocket leaves.
