WINTER WARMERS - SPICY FISH SOUP

I like to serve this soup during the winter months as it has a warm kick which we crave at this time of the year thanks to the lovely combination of heat coming from the chilies, the smoky flavour of paprika and the sourness of the lime juice, enhanced by the smell of fresh seafood - it is truly one pot wonder for the body and soul.  

You need (for 6-8 people):

800 gr of seafood marinara (see Hot Tip)

3 tbs of olive oil

1 large brown onion, peeled and cubed

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

2X400 g cans of peeled and chopped tomatoes

1 L of chicken or fish stock

2 tsp of smoked paprika

1 tsp of sweet paprika

Chili flakes as many or as little as you like

1-2 tsp of brown sugar

juice of half a lime

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

1 tbs of flat leaf parsley finely chopped

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 packet of flat bread

Optional:

Thicken the soup by adding a can of lentils or any of your favourite beans to turn it into a meal.

Method: 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onions and garlic but do not let them go brown, add all the ingredients except for the marinara, bring to the boil and let the soup simmer for about 10-15 minutes for the flavours to fully develop.  Give it a taste bearing in mind that the soup should have a distinctive taste from the heat, sourness and sweetness, so adjust the ingredients accordingly to maintain the perfect balance.  Add more sugar and sweet paprika, if the sourness is over-powering or more lime juice if not sour enough.  Also, the heat of the soup can be controlled by adding small amounts of chili flakes until you reach the degree of heat that suits your taste buds.

Once you are happy with the taste, gently submerge the seafood into the pot.  After cooking for about 5 minutes, check if it is ready.  Stir in parsley and serve.

Instead of regular bread, I use flat bread which I brush with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, then slice into strips about 2 cm thick and grill in the oven until crispy and golden brown.  These strips could be served with other soups such as my Pumpkin Soup and Lentil Soup.

Hot Tip:  I find the combination of fish, calamari, octopus and mussels is ideal; all of the ingredients are cut to the same size, cleaned and ready to cook).  

Enjoy!!!

OVEN ROASTED BARRAMUNDI ON A BED OF VEGETABLES MEDLEY

This fish dish is perfect on so many levels: easy, tasty, light, healthy and most important - utterly delicious.

To feed 8 people you need:

8 X 150-200gr barramundi fillets

2 bulbs of fennel (when in season)

1 medium red onion

1/2 of medium size pumpkin

3 tsp of dry oregano

3 tsp of dry thyme

1/2 bulb of garlic

80 ml of extra virgin olive oil

2 red capsicums, deseeded and sliced into strips

8 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp capers

5 anchovy fillets

150 gr of black pitted olives of your choice

1 tsp of chili flakes

4 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

2 cup of white wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Cut the pumpkin into approx into 3x3cm cubes, then cut the remaining vegetables into a similar size so they will cook evenly.  Separate the garlic cloves, place them on a board and give them a little squeeze with the back of your knife.  Place all the vegetables on a baking tray and mix through the capers, olives, anchovies and herbs, sprinkle chilies, season with salt and pepper, pour over wine and mix all the ingredients together.  Place the tray in the oven and roast for one 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.   The vegetables should be tender and the tomatoes should melt into the sauce.

Remove from the oven, snuggle the fish down into the medley of vegetables, drizzle with the remaining oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place it back into the oven for about 10 minutes or to your liking.

To serve – spoon the medley onto a plate, place a piece of fish on top, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and garnish with a slice of lemon.

VOL AN VENTS WITH TEA SMOCKED SALMON MOUSSE

My husband and I have a couple of friends who are both pescaterian so every time we invite them over, I try to come up with some new fish or seafood recipes.

As our paths and our circle of friends do not cross over the Christmas/New Year activities, we invited them over before the festive season started, to mark the end of the year and to wish each other all the best for the year ahead and I wanted to create the menu that would match the occasion, so I wanted my dinner to be festive with a slight touch of decadence.

At last I settled for the menu that I describe as “Frutti di Mare” which literally means Fruits of the Sea

Menu

Hors-d'oeuvre: Mini vol au vents filled with tea smoked salmon pate

 Entree: Sesame seeds crusted crab cakes served with sweet chili sauce

 Main Course:Roast barramundi with a medley of seasonable vegetables

Orange and red onion salad

Dessert: Chocolate semifreddo with pistachio nuts

Tea smoked salmon mousse

You need (for 8 people):

16 small size vol au vents

2-3 pieces, appx 600gr of fresh salmon (tuna is absolutely fine)

1 tbsp whole egg mayonnaise
1 tbsp. crème fresh

1 tbsp of horseradish cream

1 tsp of capers

1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped

4-5 coriander stalks, washed, roots intact

4-5 sprigs of dill

A drop or two of red Tabasco sauce (optional)

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For smoking:

2 tbsp of white sugar

2 tbsp of jasmine rice

2 tbsp of aromatic tea (jasmine, pekoe)

It is the first time in my life that I had smoked anything by myself and I have to say if you are armed with the proper cookware, it is not a big deal.  A wok is ideal but it has to have a rack and a lid which mine doesn’t, so I opted for a bamboo steamer as long as it is the right size to sit on top of the pan and leaves enough space between them to accommodate the fish without squashing it.  Prepare the salmon by sprinkling it with a mixture of sugar and salt, then place it in the steamer.  Line the bottom of the pan with foil, mix sugar, jasmine rice and any flavoured tea of your liking and pour over the foil, cover loosely with another sheet. Place it on a burner on medium heat and wait till the smoking process kicks in.

Once you can smell and see the smoke rising from the pan, place the steamer on top and smoke salmon for about 8 minutes.  The fish should be of a pale pink colour inside and out, but make sure not to overcook it as the process continues even after you take it off the stove.

Once it has cooled down, flake it, mash with a fork and then mix with all the other ingredients.  Adjust the seasoning to your liking, if the mixture looks too clumpy, add 1 or 2 extra spoons of mayonnaise or crème fresh.

When your guests arrive, warm up the vol au vents in the oven for a couple of minutes, fill up with the dip and garnish with a twig of dill and a slice of lemon.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!!

MARINATED BELL PEPPERS

This vegetarian dish is a perfect complement to a grilled meat dish, delicious when stuffed into pita bread or just serve it as a mezze for a Mediterranean banquet.  It has piquant flavours with a punch coming from the fresh garlic but mellowed by the sweetness of the balsamic reduction and fresh basil leaves.

To feed 8 people you need:

 4 red bell peppers (we in OZ call them capsicums)

3-4 cloves of garlic

5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

2 tbsp of balsamic reduction

A pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper

A handful of basil leaves for garnish

 Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 250C.  Place bell peppers on a roasting tray and roast them turning them over for about 30 minutes or until they become black.  Remove from the oven, place in a bowl while still hot and cover with cling wrap for about 15 minutes to loosen up the skin.  Once the peppers are slightly cooled, remove the plastic and peel off the skin discarding the stalk and the seeds. 

Cut the peppers into strips about 2 cm wide and place in a serving bowl.  Peel and crush the garlic, then mix with the remaining ingredients and give it a taste.  The taste should be quite strong but it will be absorbed by the peppers, so make sure that you taste the garlic, salt and acidity of the vinegar.  Pour it over the peppers and place the bowl in the fridge to marinate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.  If the dressing does not cover the peppers fully, give them a toss every now and then.

When you are ready to serve, dash some balsamic reduction over the bell peppers and garnish with basil leaves.

Enjoy!!!