Monthly archives of “February 2015

Fishcakes with chia & linseed crust

Another week has flown by, I have been working on an assignment and was ueber-happy to be spending some time in the kitchen rather than at my desk. This time was awarded with a real feeling of spring, the birds were singing, the light was… Read more

Fishcakes with linseed and chia crust -serves 2-3

Fishcakes
250g of leftover roast vegetables ( e.g. potatoes, carrots, parsnip, onions etc)
150g of mackerel ( tinned or fresh) – other fish works too
4-6 tbsp of ground linseeds
2-3 tbsp of ground chia seeds ( chia & linseeds can be ground together)
1 medium sized egg
1 tsp of Dijon mustard ( English mustard works fine too, but use slightly less as it is hotter)
2 shallots (finely chopped- only add if there are no onions in your roast vegetables)
Himalayan Salt & pepper to taste
honey&mustard sauce ( just mix one tbsp of mustard, 1 tsp of honey- done)
Capers to garnish ( you can add a table spoon to the fish mix if you like , its quite delicious)

Mushy peas with mint
200-300 g of frozen peas
1-2 handful of fresh mint
1-2 tbsp of ghee or butter
Himalayan salt & pepper

Kale Salad
350 g of green and red kale ( washed and torn into smaller pieces)

Lemon dressing
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp of cold pressed olive oil
2 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp of Dijon or English mustard
1/2 tsp of honey
Himalayan salt&pepper to taste

Method:
Mash the left over roast vegetables, add shallots, salt, pepper, beaten egg and mix well. Then add the fish , this is best done in flaking it on top of the mashed ingredients and then carefully folding the fish into the mix, at this point fold in the capers if you are adding them .

Pre-heat the oven at 160c and lay out parchment paper on a roasting tray. Place the ground chia and linseed on a plate- season with salt and pepper. Use a large spoon to divide the mix and make equally sized balls , then one by one flatten with the palm of your hand and coat with the chia and linseed mix before placing them on the baking tray. Do this very carefully as the fishcakes are quite fragile at this point.  Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Prepare the kale salad by just adding the dressing to the washed and dried leaves, best to mix in a glass bowl. Massaging the dressing in well and leave until the fishcakes are ready to be served.

A few minutes before the cakes are done, put the frozen peas in boiling water, simmer for 2-3 minutes and drain well.  Add ghee or butter to the peas, salt & pepper and blend using a hand blender. You can also just mash them manually. Finely chop mint and fold under the mash and serve hot together with the fishcakes and kale salad. Garnish the fishcakes with honey & mustard sauce and capers –

Enjoy !!

Root vegetable curry and a word on seasonal eating

It’s February and we had some snow this week – it was amazing to wake up to everything being covered in a big white blanket- so beautiful! The snow was a quick reminder to check out what is in season this month. Depending on weather… Read more

Root vegetable curry – serves 3-4

1- 2 cups of brown organic lentils ( soaked as instructed on package )
2 shallots ( finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 carrots ( diced), 1/2 celeriac (cubed), 1 parsnip (diced)
2 pints of vegetable stock
Fresh ginger ( a medium sized knob – crushed )
2 dates finely chopped
1-2 tsp of turmeric
1-2 tsp of freshly ground coriander seeds
1-2 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of paprika, 1 whole medium sized dried chili (pierced)
2 tbsp of coconut oil , Himalayan salt & long pepper to taste ( you can cook a couple of snapped long peppers in the curry , it gives it some extra spiciness)

Raw kale & sprouts to garnish ( optional)

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Heat up the oil in a medium sized pot, add the shallots and garlic and saute for 1 minute, lower the heat before adding all the spices, chili, dates & ginger and cook for half a minute, constantly stirring using a wooden spoon as to not burn the spices. If the pot is still very hot, take it of the hob whilst stirring.  Then, add the soaked lentils continue stirring for another 1-2 minutes before adding enough vegetable stock to cover the lentils well.

Depending on the cooking time of your lentils, add the carrots, celeriac and parsnip only for the last 25minutes of the cooking process. That way they stay crunchy and keep a higher nutrient value. Towards the end, season with salt and pepper for taste. If like your curry quite spicy, tear the chili apart and stir well.

The curry is pretty delicious straight way but as most curries it will taste even better the next day, so it is the perfect packed lunch. If you like you can add some raw kale or sprouts after heating it up.   Bon appetite !