baked fish with golden walnut crust

1 big fish fillet, pollock or cod
1 lemon, juice and zest grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 teaspoons bread crumbs
1/4 cup walnuts, minced or finely chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
place the fish fillet on a lightly oiled baking dish
season with salt and pepper
drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over fish
+ lemon zest
then put aside for a while

preheat oven to 350°F/180°C
mix together bread crumbs, walnuts and cheese
spread the horseradish on fish
and gently press crumb mixture onto fillet
bake about 15 minutes until fillet is cooked through
and crust is golden

pasta with roasted pumpkin (vegetarian dish)

300 g/ 10.6 oz papardelle/ tagliatelle/ fettuccine pasta (which one you like)

500 g/ 17.6 oz butternut pumpkin, sliced, without seeds

2 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced

100 g/ 3.5 oz feta, crumbled

1 clove garlic

1 lime juice and zest

1 chili pepper

1 cup baby basil leaves

5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

freshly grated pepper and salt

but be careful with salt, cause feta is very salty

preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C/ Gas Mark 6

put the pumpkin and red pepper on a baking tray

drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of the olive

roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pumpkin is tender but not overcooked

cook the pasta in a big saucepan until al dente, then drain immediately

meanwhile combine 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small jar with garlic, hot pepper, lime juice and zest to make dressing

put the pasta on plates, thinly sliced roasted pumpkin, peppers, feta, basil and stir gently with dressing and serve

wild blueberry dumplings with crème fraîche

pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
about 1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoon butter or olive oil

stuffing:
2 cups /500 ml  wild blueberries
1-2 tablespoon cornstarch

for serving:
1/4 cup crème fraîche (or Greek yogurt)

method:

mix all the ingredients of pastry in the large bowl
add just enough hot water and butter to the flour  to make a dough
if the dough is dry, add a little more water;  if it is sticky, add a little more flour
knead for few minutes
then put aside to rest under cover
the dough should be elastic not sticky and easy to roll

wash the berries in running water, and drain well
remove any leaves or stems
take kitchen towel and make them dry carefully
sprinkle the berries with cornstarch

roll the dough on the clean table to get 1 mm thick of the pastry
cut circular pieces using a glass
place a spoonful of stuffing in the centre of this piece of pastry and fold the dough over the filling to form a dumpling
press the edges together to seal
put into boiling water
wait a few minutes until get to the surface of water
allow a minute or two to boil them and then pick them up with draining spoon
pour some crème fraîche or Greek yogurt on top of the dumplings before serving

raw courgette slalad

2-3 medium courgettes, very thinly sliced (this can be done with a potato peeler)
1 lemon, juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil basil, mint, or parsley, chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper
aubergine & bell pepper, grilled
1 small pack feta cheese, crumbled

take extra virgin olive oil, garlic and the lemon juice and make marinade
pour the marinade over the courgette slices
marinate them for about 1/2-1h after that time mix all vegetables together
sprinkle the salad with herbs and cheese

yellow courgettes (zucchini)

cooked broad beans

broad beans

parsley, chopped

butter or olive oil

salt

cook broad beans in salted boiling water for a few minutes until tender

drain and place them on a plate

add parsley and knob of butter or olive oil

season to taste

crescent rolls stuffed with cherries

dough:

0.5 kg/1.1 pound white flour
250 grams/0.55 pound  butter, softened
1.5 tablespoon fresh yeast/2 teaspoons dry yeast
8 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt

filling:

2 cups of cherries, pitted and drained in a sieve
alternatively use apple slices or plum halves

method:

mix all ingredients well and knead dough,
put  the dough in a plastic waterproof bag
tie well and place in a big saucepan half-full of room temperature water

then wait until the dough comes up to the water surface
(or just leave the dough to rise)
add sprinkles of flour if  it’s sticky
roll out the dough quite thinly on a pastry board
use more flour to roll it out well
divide to small squares approximately 4 inches/10 cm each
put 3 – 5 cherries on every square
wrap, starting from one of the corners of the square

if you like more sweet add a teaspoon of sugar to every fruit portion
you can also sprinkle fruits with cinnamon

bake 185 C/ 365 F till done (about 30 minutes)

you could also freeze baked crescent rolls

prawns, avocado and pink grapefruit salad

 

1 cup cooked and peeled  prawns

2 pink grapefruit, cut into segments

2 ripe avocados, peeled, stoned and sliced

1 bunch spring onion, chopped

for dressing:

1 lime ( juice & zest)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

salt and freshly ground black pepper

make the dressing by placing all the dressing ingredients together in a jar and shaking

toss prawns in a half of the dressing

place the remaining salad ingredients

and marinated prawns onto plates

drizzle with the rest of the remaining dressing to serve

apricots

take a small basket of perfectly ripened apricots
cut them in halves and remove the stones
place fruits in a pan, cover
bring to boil over low heat
you can add a few spoons of sugar, if you like
stir occasionally, until the fruits are soft
but not very soft

great with ricotta cheese

strawberries in balsamic vinegar with grilled goat cheese

I like fresh fruits
and strawberries are at the top of my list
I serve them in so many ways
today my last dish
very light and great as a starter with baguette and a glass of wine, shared with friends

recipe for one person:
a few ripe strawberries,  hulled, rinsed, and sliced on plate
sprinkle the berries with 1-2 tablespoons of good-quality balsamic vinegar
and allow the berries to
macerate for about 20 minutes
add
freshly ground black pepper
and
top it with a grilled slice of goat cheese with white noble mould