Hi Bryan :)
There's definitely something psychic going on here - I literally just
finished browsing Leith's yummy site, found at:
http://www.leiths.com/
and dropped by the GA site, to find your question ready and waiting :)
As you've probably guessed, I consider myself a bit of a whizz in the
kitchen and I'm one of those people who finds that cooking helps me to
really relax and unwind. I love creating new recipes and experimenting
with cooking in general.
In particular, I like creating "quick & easy" versions of classic
dishes as it's a real challenge to authenticate the taste whilst
cutting down, for example, on the preparation time or substituting
more readily available ingredients.
To this end, I'm listing one of my favourite recipes - guaranteed not
to require a visit to Harrod's Food Hall, Chinatown in Soho or the US
and very easy to prepare. All ingredients can be found at any Tesco's
or Sainsbury's.
Quick & Easy Spiced Kedgeree (serves 4)
300g basmati rice
100g unsalted butter
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp hot curry paste (e.g. Patak's Madras or similar)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
225g salmon fillets (a pack of 2 salmon fillets is about the right
amount)
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
juice of 1 lime (or approx. 1/8 cup lime juice e.g. Tesco's own)
2tbsp each chopped fresh coriander and parsley (if using dried herbs,
use about 3tbsp each)
1. Throw rice into large pan, pour over 1 1/4 pints water, cover,
bring to a boil, then remove lid and allow all water to be absorbed -
takes about 15 mins. (Alternatively, you can just buy the handy "boil
in the bag" basmati rice packs from Tesco's and pop them in the
microwave (takes about 10 mins) - 2 bags gives you ample rice for 4
people).
2. Whilst the rice is cooking is also a good time to sort out cooking
the salmon fillets. I personally prefer to grill mine - I just think
the taste is nicer - but you may prefer to steam them or bake them.
Steaming takes about 10 mins and baking takes about 20 minutes.
Grilling takes about 15 - 20 mins in total, depending on the thickness
of the salmon fillets. I grill mine under a medium to medium-high
grill, 10 mins on each side.
3. Okay, now that you've got salmon and rice on the go, melt about
half of the butter with all of the oil in a large frying pan (or you
can use a large saucepan, it doesn't really matter). Stir in the
curry paste (the smell is just gorgeous). Now add the onion and cook
until softened and beginnng to brown. Best to do this on a low heat
as it gives you more control and allows you to also keep an eye on the
rice and salmon.
4. Next, throw in your rice into the frying pan and stir quickly to
make sure all the yummy juices are absorbed and the onion is evenly
distributed.
5. Next, mix in the salmon (best to roughly flake it first with a
fork), chopped eggs, spring onions and lime juice.
6. Stir gently, chuck in the herbs along with the remaining butter and
serve in warm bowls.
And that, surely, should satify the tastes of an English gentleman :)
jem-ga :)
p.s. and what's even better about this dish is that you can prepare
the whole thing ahead of time and store in the fridge. 30 minutes
before you're ready to serve it, tip the whole mixture into an oven
proof dish and dot with little bits of butter. Cover with foil and
heat through in a low oven (about 150C for 30 mins seems to do the
trick).
p.p.s the reason I was looking at Leith's is because they do a yummy
champagne testing evening where you sample the types of food that are
traditionally served with champagne and then are given a chance to
discover more about the various different types of champagne available
for consumption - seems like a fun way to spend 2 hours!
http://www.leiths.com/courses/certwine.asp |
