Thai Red Curry.....In a Hurry

Thai Red Curry.....In a Hurry!

There is nothing better than a good curry. In Ireland, our taste buds have been pretty much ruined by a suspiciously Irish sounding manufacturer in a red topped tub hogging the curry market for years. Mammy's made it, children loved it, everyone's happy. I confess to being one such child, I would happily devour plates of "curry" so long as there were no mushrooms involved. There is a better way. A way that is just as quick and twice as tasty. 

I have spent quite a bit of time making curry pastes. We used to have "Curry Monday" in our house and each week I would try a new recipe from Atul's Curries of the World or Gordon's Great Escape books. Most of these recipes involved hand bashing numerous ingredients into a paste to form a base for the resulting curry. I admit it was worth the time and effort. There is something very satisfying about creating the dish entirely from scratch but sometimes time is of the essence and that is where this curry comes into play. Have everything ready before you start, it takes less than ten minutes to cook. Get the rice on!

Serves 4

1 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 tbsp good quality Red Curry Paste
1 tin (400ml) Coconut Milk
200ml Water
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Sugar
200g Raw Peeled Prawns
1 Pak Choi (peel leaves away from centre and finely slice)
1 Red Pepper (finely sliced)
1 large Carrot (finely sliced)
1 Red Chilli (de-seeded and finely sliced)

1.Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat and add the curry paste. Stir for 40-60 seconds before adding the coconut milk and water. Bring to the boil.

2. Add the fish sauce and sugar and stir well. Add the prawns and simmer for two minutes before adding the vegetables. Simmer for another two minutes being careful not to overcook. Serve with rice.

Prawn Noodle Soup

Prawn Noodle Soup

and Asian Style Chicken Stock

I've gotten into a really good food routine this past few weeks. My plans to be less wasteful and to try to cut down my meat consumption have been relatively successful while I've been lucky enough to eat out in some wonderful restaurants too. One thing that has really cut down on my waste is making stock. Whenever I have a chicken carcass or some beef/lamb/pork bones going spare, I fire them into a saucepan with a selection of vegetables and simmer for a few hours. It doesn't only cut down on waste however, it also adds a great deal to the dishes I then cook with the stock. I have been experimenting with different flavourings in the stocks and now have my three options for chicken stock sorted; generic, asian and heavily herbed.

The generic works great in soup, gravy and anywhere you want a fairly neutral chicken flavour while the heavily herbed is perfect for stews, cooking beans/lentils and anywhere else you want a hit of herbs. The asian option is my favourite though and it makes the perfect base for this beautiful prawn noodle soup (and would work wonderfully in this turkey noodle soup too). For the stock just put a chicken carcass into a saucepan with a large carrot, an unpeeled onion, two sticks of celery, a clove of garlic, a piece of unpeeled ginger, one stick of lemongrass and one star anise. Cover with water and bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that comes to the surface. Add ten red peppercorns, some (dried or fresh) thyme, rosemary and sage and let simmer for two to three hours adding more water if necessary. For a strong, gelatinous stock allow the liquid to reduce to one litre or two litres is fine for a milder flavour. Strain and discard the carcass and vegetation.

You can use standard chicken stock for this dish if you are in a hurry but it won't be quite as spectacular. I used whole crevettes here for extra flavour but feel free to use peeled prawns instead if convenience supersedes taste. You can remove the heads and peel the prawns before serving but make sure to squeeze the juice from the heads into the broth before discarding.

Serves 4 as starter or 2 as main

1 litre of Chicken Stock (preferably the homemade version above)
3 Spring Onions (sliced)
1 thumb size piece of Ginger (peeled and finely sliced)
1/2 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
1 Red Chilli (finely sliced)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely sliced)
7-10 Green Beans (chopped)
220g fresh Crevettes (or any type of prawns)
120g Noodles
50g Spinach (shredded)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the stock in a saucepan and when boiling add all of the ingredients except the spinach. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Check for seasoning and serve. 

Moqueca De Camarao

World Cup, Day 1 - Brazil

Moqueca De Camarao

Shrimp Stew

The World Cup is finally here! Four years of waiting and speculating culminates in a 32 day party of (hopefully) spectacular football. To celebrate this, I've decided to cook 32 different dishes inspired by one of the countries participating each evening. The research has been completed and my challenge began today with a dish from the host country - Brazil.

I originally planned to prepare a Feijoada but I had to review quite a few of the dishes due to the high fat contents. The national dishes of many countries are often part of celebratory feasts eaten once a year; therefore they tend to be quite rich, indulgent and fatty. 32 days of dishes like this could have a serious effect on my waistline, so I've gone with alternative dishes from some nations.

Tonight I served Moqueca De Camarao, a Brazilian-style shrimp stew. It's really delicious. The sweetness of the coconut milk with the sharpness of the lime make for a perfectly balanced dish. Try it, it's quick, easy and best of all it's a pretty cheap dish to cook! Here's my take: it probably isn't the most authentic recipe in the world but trust me, the flavour combinations are terrific!

Serves 3

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

300g Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

1 Red Pepper

1 Chilli

1 Can of Coconut Milk (400ml)

2 tbsp Hot Sauce (I used Gibney's)

zest and juice of 1 Lime

1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)

1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)

1 tbsp Fresh Coriander (finely chopped)

300g Tiger Prawns (raw, peeled and de-veined)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Place the tomatoes, red pepper and chilli on a baking tray. Add 2 tbsp of oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Stir well and roast in a 210 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before peeling and de-seeding the red pepper. Put the red pepper, tomatoes and chilli into a blender with the hot sauce and lime juice. Blend well and add the coconut milk. Mix well and set aside.

2. Saute the onion and garlic in the remaining oil over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Season well and add the coriander and lime zest and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the prawns, season and cook for 5 minutes until cooked. Add the sauce and allow to slowly heat through. Take off the heat just before boiling and serve with boiled rice.

Simple Fish Soup

Simple Fish Soup

From an early age, my Dad used to take my brother and I fishing almost every month. Hail, rain or shine we'd be sitting on the side of a lake or river with some form of dead bait on the end of our line waiting for the slightest of movements of the rod to indicate a fish was on. As we got older we were promoted to spinning and eventually the art of fly fishing but one thing always remained, the sense of excitement when you felt the pull of a fish, guessing how big he was and usually being incredibly surprised with the fight they put up (especially Pike!). My favourite time for fishing was always the trout season when we'd take home our catch and have it that day for dinner. Nothing better than fresh, wild trout!

My fishing days are pretty much behind me apart from the odd excursion but my excitement for fish remains very much intact. For me, fish epitomizes the quick, delicious and healthy meal. It can be prepared so quickly and yet still be so delicious. This is a very simple yet delicious fish soup. It's very filling and it looks impressive too. Please dont neglect to put the bread at the bottom of your serving dish, it soaks up all the flavour and is the perfect way to round off the meal. As always, the quality of the fish will determine the outcome of this meal, get the freshest you can. This recipe will serve 4 as a starter or 2 as a good sized main. Enjoy!

1tbsp Semolina optional
3tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
7-10 Mini San Marzano Tomatoes or good Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1tbsp Tomato Puree
80ml White Wine
500g Mussels
700ml Vegetable Stock
200g Tiger Prawns
1 Squid Tube (cut into rings)
1tsp Dried Oregano
100g Orzo Pasta
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Ciabatta Roll (halved)

1. Put the mussels in a large mixing bowl and cover with cold water. Add a good pinch of Sea Salt and 1 heaped tablespoon of Semolina (optional) and leave to soak for one hour. Remove from the water and wash under cold running water, taking off the beards and any barnacles as you go. If any mussels are open, give them a sharp tap on the counter, if they dont close immediately discard.

2. Heat the Oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, season well and allow to cook for 5-7 mins until soft but not coloured. Add the Tomatoes and Tomato Puree and cook for 1 minute, add the wine and stir well. Tip in the mussels, put on the lid and allow to cook until the mussels open, a good shake every now and again will help them on their way! Discard any that remain closed.

3. Add the Stock, Prawns, Squid, Oregano and Pasta. Season well and bring back to the boil, put on the lid and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir in the Lemon Juice and check for seasoning.

4. To serve, put half (or a quarter if for a starter) of the Ciabatta at the bottom of each bowl and a few good ladles of Fish and Broth on top. 

Variations

There are hundreds of variations on a Fish Soup and every region in Italy will have its own take. I like to add a Chilli for some kick and of course any fish can be added depending on what you like.

Don't turn your back on the cat while doing this one, it can only end in disaster!

Linguine ai Frutti di Mare

Linguine ai Frutti di Mare

Seafood Linguine

Linguine ai Frutti di Mare is one of my favourite dishes and for me captures everything beautiful about Italian Cuisine. Its a wonderfully refreshing dish that is both quick and delicious and can be made very easily for two or twenty.

Every region in Italy (probably every town) has their own variation on this dish but for the most part they fall into two categories; with tomato or without tomato. I prefer without tomato as it allows the fish to shine through with less distraction. I've been trying different recipes of this for about a year and this is my favourite. The only rule is to make sure the fish is as fresh as possible!

Serves 4

4tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
1 Red Chilli (seeds in or out, finely chopped)
100ml White Wine
500g Fresh Mussels
500g Fresh Clams
300g Fresh Prawns/Crevettes
1 Fresh Squid Tube (cut into rings)
Juice of half a Lemon
Handfull of Flat Leaf Parsley (finely chopped)
400g Dried Linguine 

1. First, soak the Mussels and Clams in salted water for about an hour and then wash each one, removing the beards from the Mussels as you go. If any are open, tap sharply on the counter, discard any that don't close.

2. Cook the Linguine in about 4 litres of well salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water, drizzle some olive oil over the pasta and stir.

3. Meanwhile, heat the Oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the Garlic and Chilli, Fry for a couple of minutes making sure not to burn the Garlic. Add the Wine and then the Mussels and Clams, put the lid on and allow them to cook until they open, Shake the pan occasionally to help them along. Discard any that dont open. 

3. Add the Prawns/Crevettes, season, add the lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes before adding the squid. Cook for 1-2 minutes more before adding the Parsley and Linguine. Add four tablespoons of the Pasta cooking water and stir well. Check for seasoning adding more Salt, Pepper or Lemon Juice if necessary. Serve with some good Bread.

Alternatives

This dish can be made a number of different ways and the easiest alternative is to add some halved Cherry Tomatoes with the Prawns. The Fish can be swapped out for almost anything but be aware that flaky fish will soak up the sauce and leave a much drier result. Another favourite of mine is to swap out the Parsley for finely chopped Spinach.