Archive | July, 2013

Strawberry & Rosewater Sorbet

29 Jul

Strawberry & Rosewater Sorbet

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23 Strawberry Fun Facts

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Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.

The average strawberry has 200 seeds.

The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen.

To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.

In parts of Bavaria, country folk still practice the annual rite each spring of tying small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. They believe that the elves, are passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return.

Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin. Needless to say, she did not bathe daily.

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Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the

Strawberries are a member of the rose family.

Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.

In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace & prosperity.

Folk lore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.

In France, Strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac. A soup made of strawberries, thinned sour cream, borage, & powered sugar was served to newlyweds.

Eating strawberries, which are rich in nitrate, can increase the flow of blood & oxygen to the muscles by 7%. This prevents muscle fatigue, making exercise easier.

In a test, subjects who ate nitrate rich foods like strawberries, before exercising burned 100 more calories than those who did not.

Roughly 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten during the Wimbledon Championships, together with 7,000 litres of cream.

A 100g serving of strawberries will serve you for just 50 calories – that’s a whooping 0g of fat

strawberries can help whiten your teeth? The acids in the fruit help to remove stains.

Strawberries are full of a special substance called ellagic acid which can help fight cancers.

They are also full of flavonoids, which form part of the strawberry’s red colour. They are known to help reduce cholesterol from clogging up the heart’s arteries.

Eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange, that’s 140% of our daily recommended amount.

The word strawberry comes from the Old English words “streowberie” or “streawbelige”. There are a few theories about how they got their name. The “straw” bit could come from the straw that was used to keep the strawberries fresh, or it could come from “strewed”, which means to spread wide.

Strawberries can also be white or yellow and some can even taste like pineapples.
The strawberry plant, the raspberry plant, are members of the rose family.
The Romans loved their wild strawberries – and not only for their taste. They believed strawberries could cure a number of illnesses.

If you’re watching your waistline, why not sprinkle a little black pepper over your strawberries instead of the usual calorific cream? It doesn’t sound that appetising, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised…

Ingredients
For 750/900 ml

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300g caster sugar
900g ripe strawberries, hulled

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juice 1 lemon
2 tbsp rosewater
handful pink rose petals, to serve (optional)

Method.

1. In a medium pan, combine the sugar with 300ml water. Let the sugar dissolve, then bring to the boil for 1 min.

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2. Put the strawberries in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Trickle in the sugar syrup, blend again, then add the lemon juice and rose water.

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3. Pour the strawberry mixture into a large freezer-proof container (an old ice cream tub is perfect), then freeze until almost solid, mashing in the ice crystals every 1-2 hrs until the sorbet is thick and smooth.
4. Wrap well and freeze until solid.

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5. Allow to soften for 15 mins before scooping. Best eaten within a month.

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For more info call or mail : simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0031(0)642297107

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Salt Baked Sea-bass with a summer fennel and bean salad

20 Jul

Salt Baked Sea-bass with a summer fennel and bean salad

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Although the most abundant ingredient in this recipe is salt, this dish is not salty. The purpose of the salt is to encrust the whole fish, cook it evenly and not let it dry out. The result is a very moist fish with clean and pure flavor. My favorite fish to cook using the salt crust method is the SeaBass, but you can use almost any whole fish. Serve this dish with a yummy salad for a simple summer meal. Oh and all the salad ingredients have been organically grown in mr garden😊

Ingredients
Serves 2

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For the sea bass

1kg Line-caught sea bass, gutted and scaled
1kg fine sea salt
2 free range egg whites
1Fennel bulb Finley sliced tops an fonds saved apart

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3 bay leaves
1 onion Finley sliced
1 lemon
1 bunch of dill , 1/2 Finley chopped

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1 handful cherry tomatoes halved
200g freshly podded board beans and peas , blanched and de skinned if you have the time😁

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Method

Preheat an oven to 220C

1. Mix together the 1kg of salt, dill and egg whites until you have a paste of damp salt.

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2. Line a large roasting tray with salt, at least 1.5cm deep

3. place the sliced fennel, onion, lemon and bay leaves on top of the salt base and place the sea bass on top of the salt.fill the cavity of the sea bass with the remaining dill

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4. Cover the sea bass with the remaining salt, patting it down so that it tightly and thickly covers the entire fish. Moisten the salt a little more if necessary to make it stick.

5. Place the salt covered sea bass into the preheated oven and bake for 30 /40minutes

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6. Meanwhile, make the salad Very finely chop the fennel fronds and place into a mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, peas, broad beans and chickpeas. Stir in the lemon juice,and olive oil. Add the salad leaves and toss together Taste and season with pepper as necessary.

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7. To serve, crack the salt crust open and discard the salt. Peel away the skin of the fish, fillet the flesh, discarding any bones and serve immediately with the salad.

Bon appetite 😊🍴

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For more info don’t hesitate to mail or call :
simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0031 (0)642297107

Squid and Choritzo salad

19 Jul

Squid and Choritzo salad

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Squid a delicious, healthy and inexpensive ingredient used all around the world . Many people are afraid of how to cook and prepare but if you follow my simple guide I’m sure you’ll cook it over and over again .
Squid Is best cooked in two ways , long and slow at a low temperature, or fast on a high heat like in the recipe that follows .
You can of course ask your fishmonger to prepare everything for you, but there’s nothing better or satisfying than doing it your self🍴🔪

Preparing Squid
Cleaning and preparing a squid is easier than you might think.
1. Pull the tentacles away from the body of the squid.

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2. -Feel inside the body for the quill (it resembles a shard of plastic). Pull it out of the squid and discard.
-Rinse inside the body of the squid in cold water.

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3. Pull the ears (wing-like flaps) from the body. Pull the purplish skin from the ears and body to leave only the white meat.

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4. Cut the tentacles away from the guts by slicing just below the eyes. Check the centre of the tentacles for the hard beak, which can be discarded. (Discard the guts of the squid or, if desired, retain the ink sack to use in seafood pasta or risotto.)
5. Either slice the body of the squid into rings, or cut down one side of it, open it out, scrape away any traces of guts left inside the body, then score the inside lightly in a cross-hatch pattern.
-Dry off the squid before cooking.

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Squid and Choritzo salad Recipe
Ingredients
Serves 4

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400g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight , or a tin of ready soaked
600g prepared medium-sized squid

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2 big handfuls of cherry tomatoes halved

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I lemon
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-hot red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced across
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

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A small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
200g chorizo picante , cut across into thin slices
100g rocket leaves or watercress
1/2 teaspoon pimenton ( spanish smoked hot paprika powder )
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

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Method
1. Drain the soaked chickpeas, put them into a pan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the skins begin to crack and they are tender – about 40 minutes – adding 1 teaspoon salt to the pan 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Drain and leave to cool.
2. prepare the squid as above
3. Stir the tomatoes into the chickpeas with the lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of the olive and some salt and pepper to taste.

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4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat.

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5. Once at a high temperature ( the oil should start to smoke ) add the squid pieces, scored side facing upwards first (this will make them curl attractively), the chilli, garlic and the tentacles and sear for 30 seconds, then turn them over and sear for another 30 seconds until golden brown and caramelized. Season with salt and pepper

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6. Throw in the chorizo and toss together over a high heat for a further minute. add parsley and pimenton toss all together.

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7.Briefly toss the rocket leaves through the chickpea salad and spoon onto 1 large or 4 individual plates. Top with the sautéed squid and chorizo and serve.
Bon appetite !!!

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For more info don’t hesitate to mail or call
: simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0031 (0)642297107

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