Rum & Raisin Ceviche

Ceviche is a delicate way to eat raw fish.  You have to be sure that your fish comes from a clean source and exceptionally fresh!  Prepare the fish even up to 6 hours in advance but marinade only forty minutes before serving!

250g white fish fillets, sea bream, monk fish, sardines, snapper,or sea bass

Juice of two limes

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 small fresh chilli pepper

1 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp white rum

1 tsp chopped fresh dill

Slice fish fillets into bite size of approx 3mm thickness.  Layer fish on a large glass dish.  In  a small bowl add lime juice, sugar, salt, chillies, raisins, rum and chopped dill and stir till sugar dissolves.  Pour over fish. Cover with cling film and chill for 40minutes. Right before serving lift fish from marinade and arrange on a serving plate and pour some of the preserving liquor over. Serve with brown bread and butter.

Pasta Shells with Fresh Borlotti Beans

Beans come into their second season during the fall. Enhance the flavour with a good marrow bone as well as some bacon trimmings and do not expect any left-overs!

200g shelled Fresh Borlotti Beans
150g Bacon Trimmings
2 marrow bones
1 celery stick
Bouquet Garni made from 2 bay leaves, and Sprig of Thyme
100g Prosciutto Dolce cut into small cubes
3 tbsp grated pecorino cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
500g pasta shells

Heat a heavy based casserole and bones and brown each sides.  Cut bacon trimmings into small cubes and dry fry together with the bones.  Add shelled beans, celery stick and bouquet garni and 1.25l water.  Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer covered for 30minutes till beans are cooked and soft when squeazed between two fingers.

Meanwhile boil pasta in plenty salted water till al dente.  Drain and return to pot add olive oil and toss gently.  Remove bouquet garni and bones from the cooked beans then add beans and remaining liquor to pasta.  Add small diced posciutto dolce, and pecorino cheese and stir well.  Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is enough to make 10inch pie dish.

350g Plain Flour
125g Butter
2tbsp cold water
few drops lemon juice
1 small egg
pinch salt

250ml Milk
125ml Cream
4 eggs
100g Grated Pecorino Cheese
125g Fresh cheeselet or
 Cottage Cheese
1 spring onion Finely chopped
100g bacon chopped and dried fried
3 sun dried tomatoes finely sliced
Salt & Pepper

Add flour and chopped cold butter to a food processor and give short pulses till butter crumbs up with flour.  Add egg, salt, lemon juice and process adding water till mixture forms into small balls.  Transfer mixture to working top and gather to form a ball.  Cover with cling film and chill for 20 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 180c.

Roll out pastry thinly and line a 9inch fluted non stick flan dish.  Trim edges then cover with baking paper and add some beans.  Bake blind for 15minutes then take out from the oven carefully lift the baking paper and beans and return the flan to cook for another five minutes.  Remove from oven and lower heat to 170c

Prepare the filling by adding milk , eggs and cream in a large bowl and whisk till combined.  Add grated cheese, crumbled fresh cheselet, finely chopped spring onion bacon and finely sliced sundried tomatoes  and stir well so that all ingredients are combined.  Transfer mixture to flan, taking care not to overfill.  Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25minutes or till it sets and to has a golden colour.  Serve with green salad

Crispy Skin Salmon, with Crushed Potato and Greens

Quantities are for four persons.  Preparation time is half an hour plus 15 minutes for cooking.

8 portions Salmon Fillets (1 inch thick)

5 medium potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

3 Pack Choy

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Chicken Powder

1 inch Ginger  - grated

1 tsp corn flour

1 tsp Peanut oil

Coarse Sea Salt

Freshly ground black Pepper

Peel Potatoes and cut into quarters.  Cover with cold water add 1 tsp salt and bring to boil, simmer covered until just tender.

Heat a large frying pan or wok, add peanut oil and  roughly chop the pack choy.  Adding stems first to pan and stir fry then add grated ginger and cover lightly for just 1 minute to create some steam. Dilute cornflour in 1 tbsp water.  Add chicken powder to pack choy and stir.  Add remaining soft leaves, then soy sauce and finally thicken with diluted cornflour.  Toss well and turn heat off.  Leave covered till serving.

Heat another large frying pan, pat dry salmon fillets and sprinkle 1 tsp salt all over the skin and a grind of black pepper. Drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and dry fry on medium heat skin side down for two minutes.  Cover with lid and continue to fry for further two minutes.  Do not turn fish.  Top will steam and fish will cook through!

Drain potatoes leaving just little water and mash roughly once.  Add olive oil, and season to taste.  Stir well using fork.

Use a round three inch mold spoon potato in the bottom then top with pack choy.  Lift mold carefully. Arrange two salmon fillets per person.  Serve with hot crusty bread!

Tuscan Zuppa di Farro - Wheat Grain Soup

500g Wheat Grain

1 carrot diced

1/4 cabbage or 2 Pack Choy

1 Onion chopped

1 tbsp flour

1.5 Litre Vegetable Stock

1 Celery Stick diced

200g chopped prosciutto (ham)

1 clove garlic crushed

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Grated Pecorino Cheese

Soak wheat grain in cold water for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a soup pot, add chopped onions and crushed garlic and fry gently till golden.  Sprinkle flour and stir then add stock.  Add chopped cabbage, ham, chopped celery stick,  wheat grain and chopped fresh rosemary and bring to boil.  Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or till all vegetables ar soft and soup thickens. Season to taste and serve sprinkled with grated pecorino cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.