Tag Archives: lemon

Herring Roe on Toast

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Fish, Starters

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Herring roe

Herring roe

I went to Waitrose last night and they had Herring Roe for £2.99 a kilo – so I thought I’d give it a go and so for just 52p I got 150g of it. It’s really nice and simple but I have to say that 150g is too much for one person, this was supposed to be my starter but I wasn’t hungry afterwards.

What you will need:

50g roe per person
Slice of nice bread – toasted
A handful of flour
Slice of lemon
Salt & pepper
A small knob of butter
2 tbsp of olive oil

pan fry herring roe

pan fry herring roe

Rince the roe and dry slightly with kitchen paper. Place the flour on a plate and add the roe, ensure the roe is completely dusted in flour. In a pan add the butter and oil, once hot add your roe and cook for a couple of minutes on both sides – they should become nice and golden. Whilst your roe are cooking toast your bread and then place your cooked roe on top of your it, add salt, pepper and a bit of lemon juice – you can serve with a side salad.

This is really easy, cheap and a little different – come on don’t be scared!

Enjoy
Mel!

Beat that cold!

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Remedies

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A concoction for colds

A concoction for colds

Are you suffering from a terrible cold?! If so I have the perfect concoction that I make when I’m bunged up and feeling ill. Bear with me, I know it sounds a little unusual BUT I promise it actually tastes ok.

What you will need:
Half an onion or 1 small onion chopped in quarters
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
Half a lemon and it’s juice
3 to 4 cloves
About a thumb’s worth of chopped ginger
1-2 tbsp honey
2 mugs of water

Beat the cold

Beat the cold

In a pan add all the ingredients except the honey and bring to a boil. Drain the water into a mug and add the honey. Drink and hopefully you’ll feel better!

Get well!

Get well!

The benefits of the ingredients:
Onions have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
Garlic has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties
Cloves have many properties some of them being antioxidant, antiseptic, local anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory (great for those sore throats).
Ginger is an antioxidant and has direct anti-inflammatory effects
Lemon has many properties, some of which are antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting
Honey antioxidant, soothes and makes the whole drink taste that much better 😉

Violet infusion
If you have a bad cough or cold an infusion of dried violets can also help as they have antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties.

Get well!
Mel

Smoked salmon mousse stuffed in cherry tomatoes

15 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Appetizers

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Smoked salmon mousse stuffed in cherry tomatoes

Smoked salmon mousse stuffed in cherry tomatoes

This is the easiest appetizer to make and really has the wow factor. It’s great alongside a glass of bubbly.

What you will need:
15 cherry tomatoes (mixed colours are always pretty)
100g smoked salmon
2 tbsp philadelphia/ soft cheese
Half a lemon’s juice
Salt and pepper
Piping bag

In a blender add the salmon, soft cheese, lemon juice and once all ingredients are blended into a smooth mousse add salt and pepper to taste and blend quickly.

Smoked salmon mousse

Smoked salmon mousse

Cut off the top of the tomatoes and remove the seeds so they become like an empty shell. Put the mouse in your piping bag (you can just use a spoon if you don’t have one) and pipe the mousse into each tomato. I add a little bit of the mousse under the tomato before placing them on the serving dish so that they don’t roll around.

You can also add a tiny slither of lemon on top or some parsely.

And voila! Super simple, impressive and yummy!

Enjoy!
Melanie

Mini Roast Chicken

13 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by in Chicken

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I’m cooking one of my favourites tonight, it’s easy, cheap and everyone likes it (well except for vegetarians) and I know that Claire will be happy to have the leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow!

What you will need:

4 chicken thighs
1 onion
1 lemon’s juice
Mushrooms (if you want and any other veg you fancy)
Potatoes (the timings are for new potatoes)
Rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
A large oven dish

This will feed 2-3 people

Before you do anything you want to turn your oven on to 200C so that it’s nice and hot. Slice up your onions and mushrooms and put them in your oven dish, add rosemary, salt, pepper and drizzle a little olive oil. Mix with hands so that everything is covered in oil (this will ensure that nothing burns).

Lay the chicken on top of the onions and mushrooms and add a bit of salt as this will help the skin go crispy. Drizzle just little of olive oil on top (you don’t need much as the thighs are already quite fatty) and make sure the whole surface is covered in oil. Then add the lemon juice and a bit of water – enough to cover the bottom of the whole dish. Put it in the oven.

Then you want to boil your potatoes for about 10 minutes, drain them and cover them all slightly with olive oil. I’d wait until the chicken’s been in the oven for 15 minutes before adding the potatoes.

Check the chicken every 10 minutes and add water when necessary, you want there to be enough liquid at the end to use as gravy. The chicken should take about 45 minutes to cook.

Either have a salad or some green beans with it.

Fennel salad

31 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by in Salads

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Fennel and garlic salad

Fennel and garlic salad

I keep seeing recipes in the papers about cooked fennel. Ok it’s good but I have to say it’s so much better raw and strangely enough people just don’t seem to eat it that way. It’s so fresh and crunchy with aniseedy flavours. I feel that cooking it takes quite a lot away from it.

You’ll need:

1 fennel
1 – ½ clove of garlic
½ a lemon
2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

So it’s quite simple, cut the fennel in half and then slice thinly. Put it in a bowl and add the crushed garlic and half a lemon’s juice. The acid from the lemon juice will start to ‘cook’ the garlic. Mix it all together and then add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir it all once more. Then cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will ensure that all the flavours are properly infused.

Serve as a side salad with anything really 🙂 I think that this is one of my favourite things. Though I have to warn you that I love garlic, so if you are a little afraid of it don’t put too much.

Little tip: eating garlic keeps mosquitoes away (ok I hear you say the boys as well, haha).

Mel

Lemon Meringue tart

27 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by in Desserts

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Lemon merigue tart

Lemon merigue tart

I’ve been fancying a lemon meringue tart for a couple of weeks now so when I was invited over for a tea party by a friend this afternoon I thought it was the perfect excuse for me to make it. Now I have never made a lemon tart before let alone one with meringue on top but guess what!? It’s really easy to make and it’s so good (plus it looks quite impressive 😉

What you will need:

Shortcrust pastry
5 eggs
200g of sugar
200ml crème fresh
2 lemons

So I went for the lazy option and bought some ready made shortcrust pastry. You need to heat your oven at 180C. In a bowl whisk two eggs, two egg yolks (put the two egg whites in a bowl, this will be for the meringue), 150g of sugar, the zest of two lemons, the juice of two lemons and 200ml of crème fresh.

Put the pastry in a tart tin, poke it a few times with a fork and put it in your heated oven for 10 minutes. Then remove and add in your lemon mix, leave the lemon tart in the oven for 30 minutes.

A few minutes before your tart is cooked take your two egg whites and add two more egg whites, whisk until you can virtually tip the bowl upside down without the eggs falling on your head…then add 50g of sugar and whisk the eggs a bit more. Remove your tart from the oven and cover the surface with the egg whites. Turn the oven down to about 50C and put the tart back in for about 5 – 10 minutes. I would check on the tart after 5 minutes and as soon as parts of the meringue start to golden you know that it’s ready. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

Everyone seemed to enjoy it this afternoon and it definitely satisfied my craving.

Mel