Tag: Eggs

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MAIN COURSE

Seafood soup served with garlic mayonnaise and crusty bread


Mussels are a delicious added ingredient, but as I am allergic to these mollusks (and so are many people), I cook them separately by adding the raw mussels to some garlic fried in butter and white wine, then I add them to the individual plates of the other guests.
BLOCK HORIZONTAL LINE
Serves 4

SEAFOOD SOUP

The stock:
⅓ cup/80 ml olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 rasher of bacon, finely chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon/15 ml fennel seeds
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon/15 ml orange zest
8 ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon/15 ml tomato paste
1 medium-hot red chilli, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon/5 ml saffron strands
1 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cups/1 liter fish stock
15 g/½ oz butter
2 tablespoons/30 ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
reserved shells of prawns and crab
¼ cup/60 ml white wine
1 teaspoon/5 ml oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon/5 ml  Pernod

Pernod can be quite overpowering. Add a little at a time then taste and add more if you desire.

3 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The seafood:
500 g/1 lb firm white fish
8 large prawns, shelled and de-veined, reserve shells for stock
8 calamari tubes and heads, tubes cut into rings
1 leg King crab, flesh removed and shells reserved for stock

The aïoli (garlic mayonnaise):
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic (more if you wish)
2 teaspoons/10 ml lemon juice
1 cup groundnut oil

This mayonnaise recipe contains raw eggs and is not suitable for pregnant women, the elderly or very young children.

The garnish:
2 tablespoons/30 ml fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tablespoons/30 ml dill, finely chopped
crusty white bread

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and saute the onions, bacon, leeks, celery, fennel seeds and garlic until soft.  Add the orange zest, tomatoes, tomato paste, chili, saffron, thyme, bay leaves and stock and bring to the boil.  Boil for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil and saute the garlic, shells of the prawns and crab until golden and aromatic.  Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce until half the wine has evaporated.  Add all the contents to the tomato mixture, strain thoroughly and discard the solids.  Add the liquid to the stock.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the fish.  Stir fry for about 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Reheat the pan (add some more oil if necessary) and add the prawns, stir fry for about 1 minute then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Repeat with the calamari rings and pieces of crab but cook this for only 30 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve with the rest of the seafood. 

If you find that some bits are beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, deglaze the pan with a little boiling water and empty the contents of the pan into the unstrained stock (just make sure that there are no burnt bits). Heat some more oil and fry the rest of the seafood. Repeat the process if necessary.

Deglaze the pan with one cup of the reserved stock then add to the rest of the stock.  Bring it all to a gentle simmer and stir in the oregano, Pernod, tomato, chilli and the cooked seafood.  Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a food processor, blend together the egg yolks, salt, garlic and lemon juice. Add the oil in a thin steady stream while the machine keeps running.  Continue until all the oil is incorporated.

To serve:
Serve the soup in deep bowls with the fresh coriander and dill scattered over.  Serve the crusty bread and small bowls filled with the aïoli on the side.

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Deep-fried brie on toast


Serve with fresh figs, crispy glass noodles and a Port vinaigrette

BLOCK HORIZONTAL LINEServes 4

 

Timing is of the essence when deep-frying the cheese. The result needs to be crispy on the outside and soft and creamy in the inside. The crispiness help with sealing in the creaminess, so when you cut into it, the creamy center will deliciously ooze out.

Chickpea flour chips:
100 g/3,5 oz chickpea flour
2 teaspoons/10 ml olive oil oil for deep-frying (if making the deep-fried brie for the same dish, use the same oil)

The cheese:
75 g/2.6 oz Camembert cheese, chilled
1 free-range egg
35 g/1.2 oz white breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs [Panko] are
very good)
125 g/4.4 oz flour
½ teaspoon/3 ml cayene pepper
oil for deep-frying (See Safety and practical tips for deep frying)
4 bundles of glass noodles

The port vinaigrette:
½ cup/125 ml vegetable oil
2 teaspoons/10 ml rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon/3 ml Dijon mustard
1⅓ cup/330 ml port

The garnish:
four slices of bread, trimmed to the size of each wedge (lightly
toasted)
4 fresh figs (preserved figs, each cut in half will do when fresh ones are not available)
1 cup/250 l fresh mixed herb leaves

Chickpea flour has a high proportion of carbohydrates but no gluten and can be used to replace eggs in vegan cooking. It has a distinct flavor and chips are a delicious way of getting extra subtle flavor on the plate.

For the chickpea flour chips, bring 1 cup/250 ml of water to a boil and add salt.  Mix the chickpea flour with half a cup/125 ml of cold water, strain and whisk into the boiling water.  Lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a food processor, add the olive oil and whisk until smooth.  Spread the dough about 8 mm (⅓ in) thick on a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it cool and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.  When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and cut into 8 x 2 cm/3 x ¾ in chips.  Sprinkle each chip lightly with flour, then fry until they are crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

Cut the chilled cheese into 4 wedges.  Whisk the egg in a bowl, and in another bowl put the breadcrumbs.  In a third bowl put the flour mixed with a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Dust each cheese wedge with the flour, then dip into the egg and finally roll it in the breadcrumbs.
Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes, then repeat the process.  Cover again and refrigerate until ready to cook.

To deep-fry the glass noodles, heat the oil you will be frying the cheese in to 190°C/374°F. Drop the bundles of glass noodles into the hot oil for 2 seconds (they will puff up immediately), remove from the oil and drain.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard and season to taste.  In a small saucepan bring the port to a boil and reduce until half the quantity remains.  Let it cool and then whisk into the vinaigrette.

To serve:
For the figs:  make two crossing cuts in the stem and cut halfway to the bottom.  Gently squeeze the figs to open up slightly.

Garnish four plates with the toasted bread, figs and basil leaves.  In a large frying pan heat enough oil to cover the cheese.

With a slotted spoon, lower the crumbed cheese into the hot oil.  It will fry very quickly to a golden brown — less than a minute.  Carefully remove from the oil and briefly drain on paper towels, then transfer to each plate and place on top of the bread.  Place the herb leaves and the glass noodles on top, drizzle the port vinaigrette over and serve immediately with the chickpea flour chips.