Fish Stew

Jamie Oliver’s tomato based Fish Stew. I just added a few carrots and a sweet potato as it happened to lie on the countertop and needed to be used up. And I used only 3 cloves of garlic instead of 5. Thought that was sufficient.

Ingredients for four people

2 onions, chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

3 beef tomatoes, chopped

500gr potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-4cm chunks

3 fresh bay leaves

1 litre of vegetable stock

salt and pepper for seasoning

olive oil

700gr fresh fish (I used a seafood mix cut up in a big chunks by fish monger)

juice of 1 lemon

flat parsley

fresh dill

Put celery and onions in big pan/casserole dish in olive oil on medium heat. Cook for five minutes, before adding the garlic. Cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, potatoes and bay leaves and pour in the stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fish, bring back to the boil and let simmer for another 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and fish flakes apart. Stir in the lemon juice and herbs, season and serve with chunks of rustic bread.

Freezer-project – part 2

Jamie’s Chili con carne and a good old fashioned ratatouille. All in all about an hour and half of intense cooking. Result. About five more containers to fill for the freezer.

Followed Jamie’s recipe nearly to the letter. Only used lamb mince instead of beef. And instead of adding straight to the sauce, I fried it in a separate pan until brown. This way you can poor off a bit of the excess fat. Makes the dish just a little less heavy.

The ratatouille is a mix of white and red onions, peppers, courgettes, aubergines, mushrooms and both fresh and tinned tomatoes. Put in an ovenproof dish for about 45 minutes. Will be great with chicken fillets, lamb chops, with pasta or even with a piece of fish.

Freezer-project

When Mia was born, Denis was around a lot. As so many other families, we were feeling the reality of the recession and Denis ended up on a three day week initially, down to a one day week soon after. Which at the time meant that he was able to be a very hands-on dad. I was able to go for sleeps during the day, didn’t have to worry about cooking, …

Things have turned around since. Denis is in a full-time, permanent job again. We’re delighted of course. We’re haunted really. But it does mean that my maternity leave this time around will be a completely different experience compared to last time. As I’ll be looking after the newborn by myself five days a week. And Mia will only go to the creche twice a week, so three days it’s two babies to keep fed, cleaned and entertained. And as Denis probably won’t feel like cooking after a days work in the office, I’ll be trying to do that too. My mum is coming over for two weeks to help out and Denis has some paternity leave, so hopefully by the time he has to go back to work I’ll have some sort of routine worked out. But I’m preparing myself and convinced Himself to get a freezer. Over the last few weeks I have gradually been stocking up on soups, stews and sauces. The three drawers are full now. Batch number one; Jamie’s Lamb stew, Easy Pea Soup and Roasted Carrot Soup.

Roasted Carrot Soup with Croutons

A recipe I cut out of the Weekend Edition of the Irish Examiner.  Denis brought it into work one day and shared it with one of his colleagues. Who really appreciated the lovely mix of orange zest with the sweet taste of the carrots.

Ingredients for four people

500 gr carrots, washed and chopped

4 cloves of garlic

1 onion, chopped

Olive Oil

Honey

Thyme

Zest of two oranges

1 litre of vegetable stock

Bread for croutons

Toss the carrots, garlic and onion in olive oil in a large overproof dish. Add the honey, sprinkle with thyme (keep some for the croutons) and season. Place in a medium oven for about 20 minutes or until the carrots have turned golden brown and sticky.

Put the carrots in a large pan and add the orange zest and stock. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Blend and serve with the croutons.

For the croutons, toss bread cubes in olive oil and sprinkle with remaining thyme, before putting under grill or frying in pan until golden brown and crispy.

Easy Pea Soup

Pea Soup is very popular back home. We call it “snert soep”. It’s a great winter soup, that can be transformed into a hearty meal, by adding croutons and bacon. I’ve two big containers ready in the freezer, waiting for the first frosty days in December. I’ll just have to add the bacon and croutons.

Ingredients for six people

1 leek, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

500 gr frozen peas

2 Litres of stock, beef or vegetable

Thyme

Bay leave

Pepper and Salt

Olive Oil

Start off by sweating the onions, leek and celery in olive oil. Add potatoes and peas. Add the stock and season with the herbs and pepper and salt. Bring everything to the boil and let simmer for 40 minutes. Blend. Serve with bacon and croutons.