You have surpassed yourself again, Lo. I'll definately give those Brocolli and Cheese Bites a go.
And I can wholeheartedly recommend Jason's Carrot and Coriander Soup. We swapped recipes before Christmas, and I tried his soup between Christmas and the New Year, and it was absolutely delicious. I'd always swerved this soup before, because the recipies I had made the soup too sweet. But Jason's soup is right on the money.
Yep, that one counts. As does the melba toast one from earlier - it might not be a fancy, complicated one, but people on here will learn how to make melba toast from it that did not know how before, so it counts in my book.
Sorry to be pedantic, but the melba toast can't count because I put it on my computer before Christmas, and not in the New Year, so it cannot form part of my vow.
I invented doing it this way because I was routinely in despair at making melba toast the proper way (toasting the bread then cutting each slice through horizontally and then toasting the cut slices). More failures than successes I'm afraid (though the birdies did very well), so I came up with the idea of sort of "ironing" the bread thin and then roasting it, and it worked every time.
Anyway. Today's offerings. I've put three on again, as I'm getting twitchy about the times when I won't be online, so I want to build up my "credits".
Tuna in Rolled Red PeppersThis also works well with canned mackerel
Makes 243 large red peppers
200g/70z can tuna, drained
30ml/2tbsp lemon juice
45ml/3tbsp olive oil
6 green or black olives, stoned and chopped
30ml/2tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, very finely chopped
Place the peppers under a hot grill, turning them occasionally until they are black and blistered on all sides. Remove them from the heat and place them in a polythene bag. Leave them for five minutes, then peel them. Cut the peppers into quarters lengthwise, and remove the stems, seeds and pith.
Flake the tuna and combine with the lemon juice and oil. Stir in the olives, parsley, garlic and celery. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Lay the pepper segments flat, skinned side down. Divide the mixture between them, and spread it out, pressing it into an even layer. Then roll the peppers up and place them in the fridge for at least one hour. Just before serving, cut each roll in half with a sharp knife.
Smoked Trout Mousse in Cucumber CupsThis creamy mousse can be made in advance and chilled in the fridge for two to three days in advance. If you can’t use a piping bag, then just spoon the mixture into the cucumber cups and swirl the tops with a fork.
Makes about 24115g/4oz cream cheese, softened
2 spring onions, chopped
15-30ml/1-2tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
5ml/1tsp horseradish sauce
225g/8oz smoked trout fillet, flaked and any fine bones removed
30-60ml/2-4tbsp double cream
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 cucumbers
Small dill sprigs to garnish
Put the cream cheese, spring onions, dill or parsley and horseradish sauce into a food processor and process until well blended. Add the trout and process until smooth. With the machine running, pour the cream through the feeder tube until a soft mousse-like mixture forms. Season, turn into a bowl and chill for at least 15 minutes or until required.
Using a canelle knife or vegetable peeler, score the length of each cucumber to create a striped effect. Cut each cucumber into 2cm/¾ in thick rounds, discarding the ends. Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out the seeds from the centre of each round.
Spoon the smoked trout mousse into a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle and pipe swirls on the mixture into the prepared rounds. Chill until ready to serve and garnish the tops with tiny sprigs of dill.
Grilled Asparagus with Salt-Cured HamIf you can’t find Serrano Ham, then use Italian Prosciutto or Portuguese Prosciutto Ham. This is done here under the grill, but it can also be successfully done on the BBQ, but put the wrapped spears in a metal grilling basket to make the turning easier to control. Don’t throw away the woody ends of the asparagus spears. Put them in a poly bag and store them in the freezer to make stock for asparagus soup.
Makes 126 slices of Serrano Ham
12 Asparagus spears, the woody ends trimmed.
15ml/1tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the grill to high. Halve each slice of ham lengthwise and wrap one half around each of the asparagus spears. Brush the wrapped spears lightly with the oil and season them. Place them on the grill rack and grill them for 5-6 minutes, turning them frequently, until the asparagus is tender but still firm. Serve right away.
A recipe for Oxtail soup would be great.
Do you still want this recipe Berrno? It is delish but an utter swine to do.