Saturday Kitchen Recipes

Angela was joined in the kitchen this month by Geraldine Griffith who is our new Guest Chef at the school.  Geraldine One Day course on the 12th May promises to bring more sunshine and soul into your kitchen with her traditional foods and cooking styles of the Carribean.

 

Angela's Green Papaya Salad

50g dried shrimps

50g raw peanuts

450g firm green papaya or green mango

3 fat cloves garlic

2 red bird eye chillies, deseeded and chopped

80g Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ inch lengths

4tbsp fish sauce

4tbsp lime juice

2tbsp grated palm sugar

12 cherry tomatoes halved

 

First soak the shrimps in water for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile heat a frying pan, add the peanuts and dry roast them until they turn golden brown, remove and decant into a bowl to cool.

Using a speed peeler, remove the skin from the papaya or mango.  Then using either a mandolin or a serrated peeler, shred the flesh of the fruit.  Leave the layer directly surrounding the stone.

Run some cold water into a bowl and soak the papaya to remove some of the sharpness, and to crisp up for about 5 minutes.  Drain well and drain on kitchen paper.

Put the papaya in a mixing bowl.  Drain the shrimp, squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop.

Place the chillies and garlic in a large bowl and bash with a pestle or rolling pin to bruise and release the flavours.  Add the green beans, shrimps and peanuts and continue pounding until the beans split. The ingredients should be crushed and well mixed.

Mix together the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a small bowl, stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Drizzle a little at a time into the mixture, stirring to incorporate thoroughly. 

Now slowly stir in the papaya, lightly pounding between additions.  Finally stir in the tomatoes.  Serve.

 

 

Angela's Chicken and Papaya Salad


Poached chicken

4 organic skinless chicken breasts

1 large onion cut into 6 wedges

2 fat cloves garlic

1 small bunch coriander stalks

3 black peppercorns

1 heaped teaspoon sea salt

Salad

2 large carrots, peeled

1 small red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in water

75g mixed seeds- pumpkin, sesame, flax, hemp

2 heads of endive

Dressing

3 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Juice of 1 orange

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

1 walnut size piece of ginger, grated

1 large garlic clove, pasted with sea salt

1 small chilli, finely chopped

 small bunch coriander, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds lightly toasted


 

First cook the chicken.  ¾ fill a large frying pan with water, add the onion, garlic, coriander stalks, peppercorns and sea salt.  Bring to the boil, add the chicken breasts and poach gently for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the broth.

Prepare the salad- grate the carrot and place in a bowl, drain the onion and mix with the carrot, add the toasted seeds.  Place the endive leaves on serving plates, cover with the carrot mixture.

Mix together the dressing ingredients.  Slice the chicken, lay on top of the carrot mixture, drizzle with the dressing and finish with coriander leaves and toasted cumin seeds.

 

Angela's Calcutta Fishcakes

500g white fish fillets

½ fresh green chilli, seeded, chopped

8 spring onions

Small bunch parsley and coriander

1 small nut size piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp curry powder

1 teaspoon spiced sea salt

To serve : Mango chutney

 

Place the chilli, spring onions, herbs, ginger and curry powder in a food processor.  Whizz to break down and form a lose paste.

Cut the fish fillets into chunks and place in the processor, add a teaspoon of spiced sea salt. Whizz to combine.

Divide the mixture into 8 portions, roll into balls, then flatten into cakes.  Heat some light flavoured oil and fry the fishcakes in batches.  Cook for about 4 minutes on each side.  Drain on kitchen paper and serve with mango chutney.

 

 

Angela's Avocado and Bulgar Lentil Salad

2 large ripe avocados

½ a red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in water

1 large orange segmented and chopped

1 pack bulgar lentils- or use 250g cooked puy lentils

4 tablespoons lime juice

Juice of an orange

1 small chilli, seeded and chopped

1 fat clove garlic, pasted with salt

Small bunch of coriander, and some mint leaves

Olive oil to drizzle

 

Halve the avocados, remove the stone, remove the skin and break up the avocado with your fingers.

Mix with the onion, orange and lentils, mix well and place on a serving plate. 

Make the dressing- mix the fruit juices with the garlic and chilli. Pour over the avocado.

Chop the coriander and mint, mix in.  Drizzle with olive oil.

 

Angela's Caramelised Prawns

Serve with anything, but I love caramelised prawns.  Rinse and pat dry 250g raw peeled tiger prawns.  Heat 2 tablespoons of lime juice with a tablespoon of brown sugar, a chopped chilli, and soy sauce.  When bubbling, turn up the heat and add the prawns.  Stir fry until they are pink and sticky with the sauce.

 

Geraldine's Banana Rum Bread

6 oz. self-raising flour                      

4 oz. margarine                                

4 oz. castor sugar                             

1 small banana                                             

3 oz. dried mixed fruit                     

Pinch of baking powder

2 eggs

2 teaspoons mixed spice

Small glass of dark rum

 

Preparation method

Grease a 6-inch cake tin. Wash fruit and drain.  Process the mixed fruit and the rum until the fruit is slightly mushy.

Blend the eggs and the banana in one bowl and cream the margarine and sugar until white and fluffy in another.  Add all the ingredients together and mix thoroughly until creamy.

Place in cake tin and bake in the middle of preheated oven at gas mark 5 for approx 40 minutes.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

Geraldine's Pickled Cucumber Salad

1/2 Cucumber                                  

1 small onion

1 lemon                                         

Fresh parsley

1 scotch bonnet                            

Sea salt

 

Preparation method

Grate cucumber into a bowl and add grated onion, chopped parsley and scotch bonnet.  Add a pinch of sea salt and lemon juice. Gently mix and serve.

 

Geraldine's Fried Fillets of Fish

A little scotch bonnet                       

Fresh thyme

Fresh sage                                   

Fresh ginger 

Pinch of salt                          

3-4 pimento seeds (all spice)

1 onion                                              

Choice of fish

 

Preparation method

Grate onion and place all ingredients in mortar pestle and crush.  Spread on top of the fish or insert in a small incision. Dip in seasoned flour and fry in hot shallow oil and serve.