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Spicy Salmon Parcels with a Zesty Ginger Butter

December 27, 2010 By Delia

Serve with freshly cooked vegetables of your choice, this dish is relatively fast and easy to make, and also quite cheap as well – you’re looking at around £4 per portion, which is quite low for a dish with such varied flavours and textures in the dish – the soft, succulent flesh of the meat, and the crispness of the pastry.

To serve 4
50g Butter, at room temperature
2cm Fresh Root Ginger, Grated
Zest of ½ a Lemon
125g Frozen Filo Pastry
4 x 125g Salmon Fillets, Skinned
½ Red Chilli, Deseeded and Chopped
½ Green Chilli, Deseeded and Chopped

1. Mix half of the butter with the Ginger and Lemon Zest, then season well. Wrap in Clingfilm and shape into a sausage and chill until set – it should be around thirty minutes
2. Heat the oven to 200C and melt the remaining Butter in a small pan, and set aside.
3. Unroll the FIlo Pastry and cover with a clean, damp tea towel, and keep covered as much as possible. Brush with a small amount of the melted butter, and lay another sheet on top. Place the Salmon Fillet on top in the middle of the layers of Pastry, and season with a small amount of the Chillies and Black Pepper. Repeat with the other three Salmon Fillets
4. Unwrap the Ginger Butter, and slice into four equal rounds, and wrap the Pastry up to make a parcel. Transfer to a non-stick baking tray, and brush with the remaining Melted Butter.
5. Cook for fifteen to eighteen minutes, until Crisp and Golden.

Serve fresh from the oven, with a range of various seasonal vegetables.

Photo Courtesy of: Xelliex

Mixed Bean Chilli

December 23, 2010 By Delia

Colourful, taste and cheap to make, this dish makes a superb mid-week supper, especially when served with rice.

Because of the time taken to soak, pre-cook and cook, it’s best to plan well in advance, and then use a slow cooker, left on all day whilst you’re out. Make sure you vigorously boil the Kidney Beans and Black beans to destroy the toxins that are in them.

To Serve 6
2tbsp Corn Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
1 Fresh Red Chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you want less heat)
1 Yellow Pepper, deseeded and chopped
1tsp Ground Cumin
1tbsp Chilli Powder
115g Dried Red Kidney Beans
115g Dried Black Beans
115g Dried Pinto Beans
1l Vegetable Stock
1tbsp Sugar
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat the Oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Saucepan and add the Onion, Garlic, Chilli and Yellow pepper and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for five minutes. Mix in the Cumin and Chilli Powder, and stir for one to two minutes. Add the drained beans and stock and bring to the boil and keep boiling for fifteen minutes.
2. Pour the mixture to the Slow Cooker, cover and cook for around ten hours until the Beans are tender – if you’re leaving it for the entire day, it’s worth putting a little extra liquid in to make sure it doesn’t dry out too much.
3. Season with Salt and Pepper, ladle a third into a bowl, and mash well using a Potato Masher. Return the mashed beans to the Slow Cooker, and stir in well with the sugar.
4. Serve, sprinkled with Chopped Fresh Coriander

Photo Courtesy of: KSDigital

Lime Marinated Salmon

December 15, 2010 By Delia

The fresh Lime juice and Mustard add a great tangy taste to this moist, flaky grilled Salmon. It works well on a range of fish steaks – Tuna, Halibut and Swordfish are all good selections, as long as the fish is firm to touch.

For a spicier taste, and different texture, try some Wholegrain Mustard. I used this (by accident) once, and was very pleased with the results – it’s got a bit more of a kick to it, but it’s a case of adjusting the amount of it used (instead of two teaspoons, try using only one). Alternatively, mix different mustards together to get a different taste entirely!

To Serve 4
¼ Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2tsp Dijon Mustard
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Black Pepper
4 Salmon Steaks

1. Whish the Lime Juice, Olive Oil, Mustard, Ginger, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper and Black Pepper together in a bowl, and pour into a sealable plastic bag. Carefully place the Salmon Steaks in the bag, and make sure that they are well covered.

2. Refrigerate the bag for an hour to allow the flavours to infuse

3. Heat a grill to a medium heat, and lightly oil the tray (or pan). Remove the Salmon from the marinade bag, and drip off any excess marinade, which can be discarded.

4. Grill for five to ten minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the Fish – it should be until the Fish flakes easily with a fork

Photo Courtesy of: WoodleyWonderWorks

Twice Cooked Coconut Shrimp

December 15, 2010 By Delia

Dipped in a tasty batter, rolled in shredded coconut, fried and baked, these shrimp will simple amaze and delight anyone who tastes them. Especially when they try mixed with the home-made dipping sauce!

To serve 6
750gm Large Shrimp – Peeled and de-veined
½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
½ Cup Cornstarch
1tbsp Salt
½ tbsp Ground White Pepper
2tbsp Vegetable Oil
1cup Ice Water
2cups Shredded Coconut
Vegetable Oil (For frying)
½ Cup Orange Marmalade
¼ Cup Dijon Mustard
¼ Cup Honey
¼ tsp Hot Pepper Sauce

1. Peel, de-vein and wash the shrimp, before drying well on paper towels.
2. Mix the Flour, Cornstarch, Salt and White Pepper together, and add two tablespoons of Vegetable Oil and the Ice water, before stirring to blend well – make sure that there are no lumps.
3. Heat the oven up to around 150 C, and pour some Vegetable Oil in a pan and heat up.
4. Pour the Shredded Coconut into a shallow tray. Dip each Shrimp one at a time into the Batter, before dipping into Coconut. Once each Shrimp is coated, place in a frying pain of Oil heated to around 175C, and fry until lightly browned – around about four minutes.
5. Bake the fried Shrimp in the oven for around five minutes to finish them off.
6. Once the Shrimp have been taken out of the oven, leave to cool. During this time, combine the Marmalade, Mustard, Honey and Hot Sauce in a small bowl, and mix well.

Serve on the same plate, on a bed of shredded lettuce.

Photo Courtesy of: VeryGreen