Tuna Tartar

Ingredients for a Starter for 2
This dish is quite indulgent as it uses fresh red tuna from the market. However, it is worth it!. It is very easy to make and the result is impressive.

• 1 fresh red tuna steak, about 250gr
• chopped coriander leaves about 1tbs
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• lemon juice, to taste
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced to a pulp
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp wasabi, optional
• soy sauce, to taste

Chop the tuna into small bits. Do this with a heavy chopping knife, until it resembles mince meat.

With a metal spoon, carefully mix in 1 dessertspoon lemon juice, a good pinch of salt, the chopped coriander,  grated ginger garlic,  soy sauce and pepper to taste. Stir 1 tbs of good olive oil into the tuna. Try a little and correct the seasoning to taste.
Stir a little wasabi sauce if you like it.
Serve with Melba toast, as a starter.

Note. If you don't have coriander use the same amount of chopped parsley instead.

Caramelized Onion Dip

This is a Standard dip recipe which as many variations, 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped (see variations)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 100 gr cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, greek yoghurt or mayonnaise
• 100 gr grated cheddar or any other hard cheese

Turn oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Cut the onions in half, and chop them finely.

Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and saute for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.
Place the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well.

Bake for 30 minutes. serve warm or cold with crackers


Variations:
Make your own dip changing the caramelized onion for salmon, chopped artichokes and garlic, bacon and onion.... cooked aubergine and garlic.

Pizza

I like to make my own bread dough for pizza, it is ready in 30 minutes. It is a bit messy to make, but otherwise very easy. For best results, make the dough a few hours ahead and refrigerate until needed.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of active yeast granules
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 250 gm strong bread flour, type 00 if you can find it.
• pinch of salt

Method:
Place the yeast, oil and water in a bowl, whisk a little to dissolve the granules, and leave to stand for a while, at least 30 minutes. Sift the flour with the salt into the yeast mixture, a little at a time, and knead. A wet dough makes best results.
Knead with floury hands until you get a consistent dough that doesn't stick. Stand it in the bowl for 30 minutes. It is now ready to use. However, if you leave this in the refrigerator for 12-24h you will get a better fermentation and flavor in the pizza crust.

Roll out and place on a pizza pan or baking tray, cover with your favourite pizza topping and bake at 250°C for 10-12 minutes, until the edge leaves the sides of the tray. Serve hot with salad.

Any left over dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or so, or even frozen for later use.

To make a pizza:
Turn on the oven to its higher setting.
Roll out the dough onto a baking sheet. Cover with your selected toppings, bake for 10 minutes until browned and bubbling.

Pizza toppings
Classic Margarita pizza: Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, oregano,
Options: ham, chorizo, goat cheese, blue cheese, bacon, anchovies, black olives….

Peruvian Prawn Soup (Chupe)

This soup comes from Peru, and it is one of my favorites. The recipe was given to me by my mother in law who lived in Peru for some years. It is hot, spicy, creamy, and has prawns in it. Perfection.
It is very easy to make. It takes about 45 minutes of preparation once you have all the ingredients. It is perfect to serve at dinner parties because you can make it in the morning and then keep it in a cool place until required. If there is any left after the meal, it even tastes better the next day.
I always prepare more than what I think is sufficient, because guests will ask for second and even third servings.

For best results, make a good stock using the leftover heads and shells of grilled or barbecued prawns.

Serves 6

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 1 small potato, peeled and cut into small dice
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato concentrate
• 1 tsp chili flakes, or sweet paprika
• pinch of Saffron
• 1.5 Lt chicken of fish stock
• 600 grams of cooked prawns
• 300 ml coconut cream or evaporated milk
• 300 gr cooked corn
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100 gr frozen peas
• 150 gm rice

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large pan and gently caramelize the onion and celery for 10 minutes. Add the potato dice, Saffron, garlic, chili and tomato concentrate; cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the condensed milk, corn, and rice; and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked through.
Check the seasoning and add more salt, pepper or chili if necessary
Add the prawns, peas and the beaten eggs, stir the soup until the egg curdles and is starting to boil again.
Serve hot as a main course, with crusty bread and a fruity white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Bread Dumplings

To use up leftover baguette or any other bread.
I have used it to go with a casserole, with roast chicken, and in a broth.

For the dumplings

• 200g/7oz stale baguette or other bread (crust included)
• handful chopped parsley
• 250ml/9oz milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• 5-6 leaves of Sage (optional, instead of parsley)
  
  
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 free-range egg
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• butter, for frying
  
  
  1. Cut the baguette into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add the parsley or Sage. Bring the milk to a boil and pour over. Stir so that the milk is absorbed evenly, then cover and leave for 15 minutes.
  2. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir in the egg, and mix in one tablespoon flour. If the mix is too wet (it should be moist and only slightly sticky), add a second spoon of flour. Wet your hands a little to help stop the dough sticking to them, then make 12-14 dumplings (smaller than a golf ball).
     
     
     3-, heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan and fry the dumplings on a medium heat for five minutes or until golden-brown and crisp, then drain.
     
     
     4- Or cook them in the oven next to a roast
     5- Or shape into smaller balls and serve with broth

Tomato and chili Oil

A hot spicy dip to accompany roast meat or to simply serve with crusty bread, as an informal starter.

Ingredients:

4 tbs good olive oil
300 ml crushed tomato or passata
3 cloves of garlic
Chili flakes, to taste
1 dessertspoon of sugar
salt
pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Peel and slice the garlic, gently heat the oil in a sauce pan and warm the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the rest of ingredients, cook over a gentle heat for 20-25 min. check the seasoning.

Remove the sauce from the heat.
Serve hot or warm, with bread.

Tartiflette savoyarde

Tartiflette Savoyarde

(French Gratin potatoes)

The name derives from the name tartiflette of potato Savoyard tartifles, a term also found in Provençal tartifles. The Savoyards first heard of the tartiflette when it arrived on the menus of restaurants in the ski stations, conveying an image of friendliness, authenticity, and soil of the mountain.

It is hard to find Reblochon outside France, so I often use Raclette cheese instead.

time 50 minutes plus potato cooking time.

yield  8 people, as a side dish 

category potatoes

cuisine France

ingredients 

• 1,2 kg de potatoes, 
• 200 gr de bacon lardons
• 1 onion (optional)
• 1 reblochon cheese
• 1 tub  crème fraiche
• 1 glass white wine (vin blanc de Savoie)

directions

1. Boil the potatoes whole, until cooked through. Drain and cut into thick slices. About 0.5cm.

2. Fry the onion, sliced, in a little butter, until pale and starting to brown

3. Add the lardons to the onion, fry for a minute or so, turn off heat

4. arrange the potatoes in a well buttered ovenproof dish, spoon over the onion and bacon mix. Stir the wine into the creme fraiche, pout over the potatoes. Season well with salt and pepper.

5. Slice the reblochon over the potatoes, (Alternatively, use raclette cheese) 

6. bake in a hot oven 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbly.