Tag Archives for recipes

Spicy mackerel and potato medley

This was a surprisingly good creation from the limited contents of my fridge! I got the inspiration for the spices from this very different spiced mackerel recipe.

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 4 new potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • a splash of olive oil
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tin mackerel (125g), drained and broken up with a fork
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until cooked.

2. Meanwhile, dry fry the cumin, coriander and chilli in a large frying pan or wok for about 1 minute until the spices start to release their aroma.

3. Add the olive oil, carrot and leek to the spices and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Then add a splash of boiling water to steam the vegetables. When the water has all evaporated, add another splash and continue until the carrot and leek are cooked.

4. Add the potatoes, mackerel and lemon juice. Heat through and serve.

One of these days I will remember to take photos! :)

Butternut squash risotto

Ingredients to serve 2:

  • 1/2 large butternut squash, chopped into bite-size chunks
  • olive oil
  • 120g long-grain rice
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 100ml white wine
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tin chickpeas
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 100ml creme fraiche

1. Place the butternut squash in a roasting tin, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix well. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes or until soft.

2. Meanwhile, put the rice, vegetable stock and white wine in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid has all been absorbed.

3. Stir-fry the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan or wok for five minutes. Add the cooked rice, chickpeas, oregano and creme fraiche and heat through.

Kedgeree

My New Year’s resolution is going well. With the exception of one day where I totally forgot, I’ve been out for a walk every day, usually for 20-40 minutes. I haven’t found any really exciting new places to go yet, and often it’s just a case of walking to the shops and back, but I’ve been to the beach once, and today I went down to the quayside and discovered some ruined city wall right behind the office where I worked for five years. I’d had no idea it was there.

I’ve also been enjoying cooking lots of healthy meals from scratch, and have decided to share some of my own creations on this blog – starting with tonight’s kedgeree. Please note that yes, I am a hypocritical occasional-fish-eating vegetarian :P and by “healthy”, I mean nutritious, not weight-loss-friendly. (I’ve started learning about the Health at Every Size approach, but that’s for another post!)

Moon Tree’s Mackerel Kedgeree – Serves 2

Mackerel kedgeree

This recipe is very loosely based on Delia Smith’s buttery kedgeree.

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 25g butter (I used butter because we had some that needed using up, but I imagine a tablespoon of olive oil would also work.)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 120g long-grain or basmati rice
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • some mangetout peas
  • 1 tin mackerel (125g), drained and broken up with a fork
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Hard boil the eggs.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan or wok. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes or until soft.

3. Add the spices, mix well and fry for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the rice, carrot, peas and 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add more water if it’s all been absorbed before the 15 minutes are up.

5. Towards the end of the cooking time, peel and chop the eggs.

6. Stir in the eggs, mackerel and lemon juice. Allow to warm through, then serve.

My apologies for the lack of photo. I only decided to blog the recipe after OH and I had nommed the lot. :P Next time I’ll be better prepared!

Edited to add photo: the same recipe, but made with green pepper instead of mangetout peas.