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George's Cornflake Crusted Tilapia

So this is an apology - never start with an apology - but I must for George. Sorry it has taken me so long to do this......

George Casper is an up an coming chef. He will have a lengthy period of apprenticeship as he's just 12. But a great chap to talk food with. And going to chef school already. From George's chef school 2012 - looking forward to the offerings from 2013.

What is there not to love about cornflakes? Here is a main course to go with those little chocolate cornflake cakes all Brit kids learn to cook at school.

Paula from Pitt

• 2 cups cornflake crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 4 tilapia fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a shallow dish, combine the cornflake crumbs, dry mustard, coriander and paprika.

Season tilapia fillets with salt and pepper, then coat them thoroughly in the seasoned cornflake crumbs.

 

Heat in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

 

Serves 4.

Yummy Japanese Chicken

Delicious chicken to be served on a bed of rice and chopped spring onions. Recipe from Ruki
Chicken thighs x 4~6, skin on, bones off
4 tbsp 'white' soy paste. *actual colour is dark sable rather than white
Half cup of light soy sauce
1 tbsp shochu or sake
3 tbsp Mirin or 2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Crushed garlic/ginger, as much as you like
dunk the chicken in the mixture overnight and cook them in a medium oven for about 20 minutes laid out flat: the sauce
burns easily!

Keep the lovely sauce and pour over the rice you serve in a bowl under the chicken.

Fish Catalan

In 1981 one of my sibs gave me the first cookbook I got as an adult cook:

The St Michael All Colour

COOKERYBOOK

By Jeni Wright. When M&S still called things "St Michael" - remember? Sorry for my foster countrywomen (and men) but you really have no M&S equivalent. Run forwards almost 30 years and I'm having a soiree and thinking fish but not shellfish in deference to my friends' Kosher diet. And I remember this fish stew that used to be a staple of mine back in the '80s and even '90s. But I reckon I've not cooked it for 10+years - woe what missed years!

So here is a jolly fine fish stew that is embarrassingly easy to cook - shhh... I served it with the Moro Saffron Rice but mash would be nice or plain rice or those grains from Trader Joe's.

Paula from Pitt

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• juice of 1 lemon

• 4 slices filleted halibut (roughly 150g/6oz each) this time I used 1-1.5lbs (orange roughy+monk fish) really any white fish works

• 1 small onion, peeled (yes they did instruct us to do that in 1981) and finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• tbsp flour

• 250g (1/2lb) fresh tomatoes skinned, seeded & peeled (I don't bother to skin or peel, just chop finely)

• 1tbsp tomato puree

• 300ml (1/2 UK pint ie 10fl oz) good, dry white wine

Serves 4.

Mix together 4tbsp oil and lemon juice and place in a water-tight bag (eg those zippy bags) big enough to hold the fish plus a little juice. This is my tip for how to marinate anything. Add salt & ground black pepper. Leave to marinate for 1-2  hours - wobbling it around everyone and then by massaging the contents. This is the "basting" part kept clean and easy.

Heat remaining oil in deep flameproof casserole. Add onion and garlic and fry gently on a low heat for 15minutes or so until soft and golden. I put the lid on.

Add flour, tomatoes, tomato puree, and white wine. Stir constantly and bring to the boil slowly. Sauce should be thick but still stirable.

Heat oven (Gas 4, 150C, 350F)

Add fish and juice from bag. I cut fish into chunks at this point (roughly 1.5-2 inch cubes). Cover gently with sauce. Put on lid. Place in oven. Cook for 20-30 mins until fish flakes ie pulls apart with two forks. Please don't over cook fish - that's the biggest problem with fish cookery.

Remove from oven, top with chopped hazelnuts and parsley. Serve.

Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

From one of my good friends in the new life in Pittsburgh. Great as a main course or side dish.  For you barleyphobes (UK school dinner fear) - face it and think of the shiitake. Very, very good winter comfort food. Thanks to Cheryl.

Paula from Pitt.

Ingredients

• 2tbsp butter, 3 medium onions chopped, 1 tspn sugar
• 9oz sliced button or chestnut mushrooms & 8oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1.5cups uncooked pearl barley (UK people a cup is 8floz so use 12floz in your measuring jug)
• 1tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, pinch dried (or chopped sprig fresh) thyme
• 4cups (32floz) vegetable broth (stock)
• fresh thyme sprigs if you like

How to: Melt butter in a heavy bottomed casserole dish over medium heat, add onion & sugar, cover and cook for 25 mins or til golden brown, stirring frequently.

Add mushrooms, cook for 10 mins or until browned, stirring frequently.

Add barley, cook 2 mins, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat, stir in soy sauce, salt, pepper & thyme. Preheat oven to 350F (175C, Gas 4)

Bring broth to the boil, pour over mushroom & barley. Cover & put in oven for 1 hour-ish until barley is tender. Let stand 10 mins out of oven. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Kubi Lamb

This is a Turkish lamb and chickpea dish that can be perfectly accompanied by the Moro Saffron Rice dish (see sides). I have Kubi to thank for this beauty.

Witte Rijst met Krenten

This recipe may well make you believe that Dutch cuisine deserves the reputation that British cuisine has, but if you, like me, love rice and, like me, love currants, and, like me, have a sweet tooth, you might think this is the best dish in the world.

The other day I had eaten a big bowl of soup earlier on and neither fancied eating a complete meal, nor going out to the shops to buy a snack. Looking in our cupboards, I noticed all the ready-made snacks had already disappeared in our stomachs. My wife, who as always shared my predicament, decided to just boil some rice and snack on that. I would have gone along with that, had it not reminded me of one of the greatest dishes I had as a child.

Halloumi dressing

Finally the secret of the halloumi dressing of bbq & dinner party fame...

For 1 pack of halloumi: Juice of 1 lime, a teaspoon or two of red pesto.

Doubting Bro wrote "where is the rest of the recipe?"

OK so a grind of black pepper to taste.  Slap it on griddled/bbq'd/fried/raw... halloumi.

Sometimes the best things are simple.  Trust me I'm a doctor!

Paula

Ribs and Noodle Soup

This is what we had for lunch today. It's kind of Japanese-y: a miso broth with bean curd, spinach and udon noodles, flavoured with ginger and garlic and served with a pile of pork ribs in a black bean sauce.

Untraditional Hutspot

This dish has a history that goes back to 1574 when the Spanish left an old version of it behind when they gave up besieging the city of Leiden. Potatoes and possibly carrots weren't known in Europe as edible at the time and were added to the recipe later.
The way most Dutch people now eat it is as a mash of potatoes, carrots, onions and rib of beef. Personally I don't like the rib of beef and have made this dish for years without it. Last week I experimented a bit more with it and came up with a version that is even tastier.

It's perfect winter comfort food, although I eat it all year round. It would be easy to make a vegetarian version of this by removing the sausage and using vegetable stock.

Traditional English Roast Beef

Kieron lived up to his reputation as roast master with a fantastic Sunday lunch. The piece of beef was organic and from one of the best butchers in Norfolk. Getting it was tricky, cooking it however was a piece of cake...