Farmersgirl Kitchen

Thursday, 11 August 2011

Salmon Steaks with Basil and Balsamic Vinegar

Farmed salmon is something we eat regularly, it can be a little bland, so it's nice to dress it up with some punchy flavours. This recipe exceeded both our expectations and is definitely going on my summer favourites list!

Salmon Steaks with Basil and Balsamic Vinegar

from Good Housekeeping Cookery Book (The Cook's Classic Companion)

Serves 4

4 salmon fillets

30ml (2tbsp) balsamic vinegar

10ml (2tsp) soy sauce

90ml (6tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

40g (1 1/2 oz) fresh basil, stalks removed

8 ripe plum tomatoes (or other flavourful tomatoes) diced

30ml (2tbsp) chopped fresh chives

salt and pepper

basil sprigs to garnish

1. Place the salmon steaks in a shallow non-metallic dish. Mix the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce together and pour over the salmon, turning to coat. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put the olive oil and basil in a food processor or blender and work until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and leave to infuse. (do not make this too far in advance)

3. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes with the chives and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside

4. Lift the salmon out of the marinade and place skin side down in a hot pan with a little olive oil. Cook for 4 minutes each side, once cooked add the rest of the marinade to the pan and reduce to a syrupy sauce.

5. Whisk the basil oil briefly at this stage to re-combine.

6. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the warmed serving plates and place a salmon fillet on top. Drizzle with the basil oil and spoon on the reduced marinade. Serve immediately, garnished with basil.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that there are also some courgettes on the plate. They came straight from the garden, chopped into small dice and cooked in a little olive oil in a pan with lemon zest and a teaspoon of lemon juice, seasoned with rosemary salt and pepper.

And finally some boiled new potatoes to soak up the juices.

Labels: balsamic vinegar, basil, courgettes, Good Housekeeping, lemon, salmon, soy sauce, Tinned Tomatoes

Sunday, 22 November 2009

Sugar and Spice and everything nice...

I love spices and they are very much a part of the winter season bringing warmth to your cooking and baking. So when my DH requested a cake, I thought I would make a Gingerbread. Also it doesn't require any eggs and I only had two left!

The recipe is the Gingerbread Slab from The Good Housekeeping Complete Book of Home Baking.

Gingerbread Slab

Gingerbread should always be wrapped tightly in greaseproof paper and foil, then stored in an airtight tin for 2 days before eating. This allows the cake to mature and become moist and sticky. We managed to leave it for 1 day and it is moist and sticky, but I am sure will get better as the week goes on!

125g (4oz) black treacle (molasses)
125g (4oz) golden syrup
50g (2oz) butter or margarine
50g (2oz) lard ( I used all butter)
225g (8oz) plain white flour
1.25ml (1/4 level tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5 ml (1 level tsp) mixed spice
5ml (1 level tsp) ground ginger
100g (4oz) dark brown soft sugar
150ml (1/4 pint) milk

1. Grease a deep 18cm (7in) square cake tin. Line with greaseproof paper and then great the paper.
2. Put the treacle, golden syrup, butter and lard into a saucepan and heat gently until melted.
3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and treacle mixture. Beat well until smooth and of a thick pouring consistency.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven at 170C (325F) mark 3 for 1-1 1/4 hours or until a fine warmed skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 1 hour then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Wrap in greaseproof paper and foil and store in an airtight tin for 2 days before eating.

I also made some mincemeat for Christmas consumption. I used a great recipe from Uma Wylde's blog . Although I did make some changes to the mixture of dried fruits. I used a 300g bag of Testco Island Mix which has dried apricots and pineapple in it as well as raisins. I used a couple of Pink Lady apples rather than the Bramleys, glace cherries instead of cranberries and chopped pecan nuts instead of flaked almonds. I also substituted Cherry Brandy for the cointreau or grand marnier, just because I already had it for my Christmas cake. I had a little lick of the spoon and I have to say it was absolutely delicious and very, very easy to make.

Labels: Gingerbread, Good Housekeeping, mincemeat, Uma Wylde

Monday, 14 September 2009

Gammon and Sweetcorn Pie

Another recipe from the Good Housekeeping 7 Fab Family meals for £33. The recipe on the website is for Gammon and Sweetcorn Parcels, but I decided it would be easier to make a big pie. The flavour of the leek with the parsley sauce, gammon and sweetcorn is really delicious. I used ready rolled shortcrust pastry because I didn't have time to make my own (lazy moo!).

Labels: Gammon, Good Housekeeping, Pie

Saturday, 12 September 2009

Gammon with Parsley Sauce

The All About You website is featuring Good Housekeeping's 7 Fab Family Meals for £33, this recipe is meant for Sunday, but I usually have a special dinner on Saturday and something a little more simple on a Sunday. I have to say the gammon was really delicious and it was only an ordinary joint from the supermarket, the mustard and honey glaze really made the difference and the parsley sauce was delicious.

Labels: Gammon, Good Housekeeping

Tuesday, 4 August 2009

Lemon Curd

I made Lemon Curd yesterday, using the recipe from Good Housekeeping, 50th Anniversary Cookbook, here is the recipe:

Makes 700g (1.5lb)

grated zest and juice of 4 medium ripe, juicy lemons
4 eggs, beaten
125g (4oz) butter, cut in small pieces
350g (12oz) caster sugar

1. Place all the ingredients in a double boiler or in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Sir until the sugar has dissolved and continue to heat gently, stirring, for about 20 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon; do not allow to boil or it will curdle.

2. Strain the lemon curd through a fine sieve. Pot and cover in the usual way. Store in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 weeks.

It nearly went disastrously wrong as I had it in my head that you only used the egg yolks and couldn't quite work out why it wasn't thickening. Eventually I looked again at the recipe and realised that I should have used the whole eggs! I still had the egg whites in a bowl, so whisked them up a little, then added the warm lemon mixture one spoonful at a time, with lots of whisking. Fortunately, it didn't curdle and only took another five minutes to thicken.

Labels: Good Housekeeping, lemon curd

This Page