Seville Orange Marmalade

Long pasta with Crab and Fennel

This is nice with a mixed salad. I devised this recipe for M to follow when I needed to work a few extra hours and also craved the flavours of chilli, crab and fennel with the soothing texture of pasta.

Serves 2

200g spaghetti or linguine
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 small bulb of Florence fennel, sliced and fronds reserved
1 tin of white crab meat
100ml white wine or vermouth (dry)
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Bring large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente, this should take about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and chillies and fry gently for about a minute.
3. Add the fennel and continue frying until the fennel is soft and beginning to colour.
4. Add the crab meat and toss with the fennel and chilli mixture.
5. Pour in the white wine and leave to simmer until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, stir in parsley and a spritz of lemon juice to taste.
6. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and return to the pan. Add the crab mixture and toss together. Serve immediately.

Salmon and Pea Lemon Pasta

2 x 130g salmon fillets
200g fusilli pasta
100g frozen peas
small onion, finely chopped

20g butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
100ml white wine
200ml vegetable stock
1 lemon, zest and half the juice

1 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated (optional)
salt and pepper

1. Cook the salmon according to packet instructions - for ease I cooked in my 850W microwave: 2 minutes on high, 1 minute rest, high for a further minute and rest for one more.
2. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes, add peas to the pot.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan with the olive oil. When melted and beginning to bubble add finely chopped onion, season.
4. As soon as onion is beginning to soften, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
5. Blend in wine and gradually add the stock. Bring the sauce to a simmer, adding lemon juice and zest. The sauce is ready when it has thickened slightly and is glossy.
6. Drain the pasta and gently fold in the cooked salmon - flaking it.
7. Pour over the lemon and wine sauce and serve, alternatively, transfer the pasta to an ovenproof dish before pouring over the sauce and sprinkling the pasta dish with the Parmesan before placing it under a pre-heated grill to brown the top.

Blackcurrant fool

serves 5-6

280g fresh or frozen blackcurrants
85g caster sugar
300ml double cream
125 g low fat Greek style yoghurt

1. Make a coulis with the blackcurrants, by placing them in a pan with the sugar and a splash of water. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for a further 5 minutes after the berries have begun to bleed. Cool and sieve the mixture
2. Lightly whip the double cream to soft peaks. Add the yoghurt in spoonfuls, whipping between each addition.
3. Fold the cooled coulis into the yoghurt and spoon into ramekins. Chill.

Aruba Pumpkin and Beef Soup

I would provide the link to the recipe I used but realised that I completely changed it and the soup ended up nothing like the way it was intended. It was so good though, I decided to note what I did down.

Serves 2-3

1 or 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 leef, finely chopped
1 pint beef stock
300g pumpkin puree, unsweetened
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp chilli sauce (I like Enconca West Indian Original Hot Pepper Sauce)
100g beef, cubed (great for using left over meat from the roast)

1. Saute finely chopped leek and celery in oil in a covered saucepan until soft but not coloured.

2. Add beef stock, pumpkin puree, thyme and chilli sauce and bring to a boil, immediately turn down to a simmer.

3. Add cubed beef and leave for 5 minutes so the beef is heated through.

4. Serve with warm crusty bread, if you want any left over for your lunch at work tomorrow hide the remains before your soup addict husband finds it.

Pumpkin Risotto with greens

Pumpkinland

The pumpkin harvest has been brought in and its been sitting on my kitchen floor. I have two pumpkins of the above size and a box of assorted smaller squash. Much as I like pumpkin soup my heart falls of the thought of hauling one of these beasts up on to my work surface and proceeding to hack it up with a knife. I also have to find room for the leftover squash in my freezer and before that, I have to process it into a freezable state.

So what to cook with this haul? First thoughts are:

• Pumpkin Ravioli
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Curry
• Pumpkin Cake
• Pumpkin Crumble
• Pumpkin + Pasta
• Pumpkin Casserole
• Pumpkin Cake
• Pumpkin Risotto

I wonder whether I will run out of ideas before I run out? Hmmm a challenge. Whilst a month of pumpkin recipes cooked would be fun, I think I would start receiving complaints from M. Anyway I'm going for 30 dishes before Christmas.

Beach BBQ

Joined G and friends for a beach barbecue (the first in years). We all had to bring something to incinerate and I took the opportunity to try a few experiments, though I did make sure I put some sausages in my shopping basket to keep the old man happy.

First experiment involved some tuna steaks (cut quite thinly - could have been with being a little thicker), chilli flakes, crushed fennel seeds and trickle of olive oil. These were grilled for a minute or so each side so the inside of the steaks were still a little pink and translucent. M was not keen on eating tuna (he never is) so I left him guzzling bangers whilst G and I ate our tuna steaks. Successful, best left until the coals have toned down a little and are not so fierce.

Second experiment was a lazy hack. I bought a ready prepared batch of mussels in garlic butter - the kind you buy in a box and sealed in their own boil in the bag. I decanted these into a foil bag and sealed it up. Again, they were put on a warm barbecue - we could tell they were done after observing the bag puffing up with its own steam for 5 minutes or so. G, P, M and me tucked in, tossing the empty shells on the beach. Delicious, very successful - best place for doing this kind of thing.

Third experiment: cubed fresh pineapple, strawberries and marshmallows. Interesting mess is the best I can say about these!