Archive | March, 2018

Cheesy French onion soup toastie

16 Mar

French Onion Soup Cheese Toastie – a French classic in a cosy toastie!

Omg this is a total “ yes I need comfort food “

I made this today and I have to share , just a little time is needed for the onions but it’s worth the waiting for.

INGREDIENTS

• 50g olive oil

• 50g unsalted butter, plus 25g

• 1 tsp yeast extract ( I prefer marmite)

• 4 onions, thinly sliced

• 10 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

• 2 star anise

• 250ml beef stock

• 8 white sourdough bread slices

• 100g cheddar, grated

• 50g emmental , grated

• 50g mozzarella, grated

Meathod

 

1. Heat 50g butter in a frying pan and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook on a medium heat until the onions are translucent and, then reduce the heat and add the thyme.

2. Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are really soft, sticky and caramelised. Add the beef stock and yeast extract, reduce down until syrupy.

3. Heat a pan over a medium heat. Spread the remaining butter on one side oevery slice of bread, and divide the grated cheese and caramelised onions between four of the pieces. Place a buttered slice of bread on top of each cheese and onion slice and butter the top of the sandwich.

4. Place into the hot pan, flipping the sandwich so it goes in buttered side down. Butter the side that is now facing up and place a few thyme sprigs on top. Place a cast iron pan on top of the sandwich to weight down and fry for 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Serve immediately

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stewed skrei with cannellini beans and chorizo

4 Mar

It’s that time of year agin , from January until late March Skrei! I just love this fish,

Norway has a long and proud seafaring heritage stretching back thousands of years, and its people have rightly earned a reputation for harvesting some of the finest seafood in the world.

But every winter, something remarkable happens off Norway’s northern reaches that gives its fishing communities – and seafood lovers everywhere – particular cause for celebration Driven by instinct, great multitudes of cod return from the depths of the Barents Sea to their original spawning grounds all the way off the coast of northern Norway.

These cod arrive in their prime, groomed to perfection by their epic 1000 km swim through freezing, turbulent waters. This heroic journey gives them incredible flesh that’s unsurpassed in taste and texture, flaking off in sumptuous meaty chunks.

Skrei is thought to be one of Norway’s first exports, with its arrival each year enabling Norwegians to live in northern territories when other food sources were scarce. For this reason it’s known affectionately as the “Norwegian Miracle”. It’s also known as the “Valentine’s Fish”, because it spends its life preparing for its long journey to breeding grounds. But the word ‘Skrei’ actually comes from the old Norse word for wanderer, which is fitting for a migrating fish.What makes Skrei so unique?

• Its beautifully white, light and lean flesh

• Firm flakes, a texture earned during its long swim

• Its delicate, silky smooth flavour

• The clean taste that comes from swimming in the cold, clear waters of Norway.

This stew combines the delicate flavour and robust texture of Norwegian Skrei cod with cannellini beans and chorizo.

INGREDIENTS

For the skrei

• 2 Norwegian Skrei fillets (deboned and skinned)

• 175g cooking chorizo

• 2 small white onions, sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, sliced

• 70g cavolo nero, roughly chopped

• 125g cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 1 sprig thyme

• I lemon zested and juiced

• 1 sprig rosemary chopped

• 200ml fish stock

• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the cannellini beans

• Dried cannellini beans

• 1 carrot, peeled

• ½ shallot

• 1 tsp sea salt

• Salt and pepper

METHOD

 

1. The day before you want to cook this dish, soak the beans in cold water for at least 5 hours. Once doubled in size, drain and rinse.

2. Place in a large pan with the veggies, season and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, scoop off any foam and reduce heat to a gentle simmer.

3. Cover pan and cook for approximately 1 hour, adding more water if it gets too low. Once tender, strain and discard the cooked carrot and shallot.

4. Slice the chorizo into bitesize morsels. Sear in a frying pan over med-high heat for 3 minutes on each side (no fat needed). Remove chorizo from pan and set aside on kitchen paper.

5. Use the fat left in pan to sear the onions, garlic and cavolo nero. Cook for about 4 minutes until tender.

6. Then add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes until softened.

7. Finally, add the cooked beans, chorizo, thyme, rosemary,stock, lemon zest and juice together with the Skrei.

8. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 8 minutes. Season to taste and discard the sprig of thyme before serving.

 

9. Plate simply with the Skrei placed over a good bed of the stew

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