Category Archives: Food Blog

Crispy Fish Fajitas with Pomegranate, Avocado Chunks, pickled Onion and Cilantro Tzaziki.

Crispy fish in a Taco is one of the better things in Life. The soft Tortillas and the crispy fish with the cooling sauce is just food heaven.

I can’t say that its super fast to make because there’s a bit of prep work involved. But you could easily just make the fish and use store bought Tzaziki if you are short of time. Any leftover Tzaziki can be used on sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. firm white fish cut in large-ish chunks
1/2 C. fine polenta + 1/2 C. white flour, mixed
2 eggs beaten
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. vegetable oil for frying
Taco seasoning
2 large onions, sliced thin
1/4 C. lemon juice and some beet juice (optional)
2 Avocados, peeled and sliced in to wedges, sprinkle with lemon juice

Cilantro Tzaziki:

1 cucumber, washed and grated coarse
1 C. Plain Yoghurt
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
salt and pepper
a handful of Cilantro, chopped

To serve:

8 Tortillas to serve, whole wheat or regular
2 C. shredded Iceberg lettuce to serve
Lime wedges to serve
1/2 C. pomegranate seeds to serve (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by grating the cucumber, put everything in a tea towel and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Next put it in a bowl. Add the yoghurt, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix and set aside.

Next put the fish chunks in one bowl, season generously with taco seasoning.

In an other bowl, beat the two eggs and add the milk.

In a third bowl, mix the polenta with the flour.

Dip the fish in the egg mixture, then the polenta-flour and put on a separate plate.

Get out a frying pan and heat the oil. Fry the fish for about five minutes on medium high heat. Take out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Meanwhile heat the tortillas. To serve spoon a generous amount of the cilantro tzaziki on the tortilla and some shredded iceberg lettuce, then the crispy fish on top. Add some avocado wedges and sprinkle with onion slivers and pomegranate seeds. Serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy

Looking for more great recipes to try? Be sure to check out this Cajun Jumbo Shrimp Tacos with Corn, a Peach & Koriander Salsa and Roasted Pepper Aïoli

Green Beans with Chorizo & Thyme

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Serves 4 as a side dish

This is a wonderful side dish, crispy green beans blanched and then sauteed with crispy smokey Chorizo.

Chorizo is a Spanish Pork Sausage with lots of smoked Paprika in it. There are various types of Chorizo. The large whole Chorizo that is sliced and eaten as is, or the smaller variety that needs to be cooked. For this dish I have used the precooked type, that is sold sliced or cubed. The fresh Chorizo would crumble in to bits and I like to see the bits of chorizo in the dish in this case.

You could even eat this as a main dish with plenty of Oven Potato Chips.

Ingredients:

1 lb. green beans, washed and tips removed

4 oz. cubed Chorizo

5 sprigs of Thyme

1 tsp. smoked paprika powder

1 tsp olive oil

1 C. Chicken Stock

Method:

In a large frying pan over medium heat add the olive oil and cook the Chorizo until it’s slightly crispy, add the green beans and the paprika powder.

Sauteé a few times.

Meanwhile remove the Thyme leafs from the twigs, you should end up with about 1 tablespoon of fresh leafs. Add to the frying pan along with the stock. Simmer half covered with a lid for 5 minutes, remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes until most of the stock has evaporated and the beans are tender but still with bite.

Enjoy

Myra Xo

Serve straight away. I serve this with Pollo al Ajillo, Chicken in Garlic Sauce .

Summer Cupcakes

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These little Summer Cupcakes were so much fun to make. Don’t they look cute? They are tender and soft, scented with vanilla, just so irresistible.

The most work were the slippers, but even that I did watching tv, so you can imagine it couldn’t have been that difficult, it just takes a little time.

My daughter came home from school one day and told me she had signed me up for baking for the Schools annual BBQ, Yeeaaaay…. No, seriously I don’t mind. I have always been assigned to baking for school because they know how much I love it. Especially baking for kids, they are always so super enthusiastic.

Ingredients;

1 C. All Purpose Unbleached Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
2 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
3-4 tbsp. Milk
½ C. unsalted butter or margarine at room temperature
3/4 C. Caster Sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions:

Adjust rack to lower third of oven; preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place paper cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a piece of waxed paper. Stir the vanilla into the milk. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar beating until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until the batter is light and creamy, and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl after each addition. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the liquid ingredients in 3 additions.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the top of the muffins springs back when lightly touched, and a wooden toothpick inserted in the cakes comes out dry.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely before decorating.

The decorations are made out of fondant, strips of candy mats for the towels and a bit of colored icing sugar for the sea.

Enjoy!

Myra Xo

Looking for more great recipes to try? Be sure to check out these French Crêpes.

Thai Fish Parcels

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These little parcels are a real feast. Each person gets their own package to be opened at the table to reveal an incredible aroma when opened.

This will get you plenty of “oohs and aahs” at your next dinner party.

You can make the parcels a few hours in advance so you can relax when your guests arrive. All you have to do is pop them in the oven and steam some veg. They are super simple to make and quite inexpensive too.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Ingredients;

Cooking spray (olive oil based)
2 C. steamed Jasmin rice or grain of choice
4 Fish Fillets such as Plaice, Sole, Flounder or Tilapia
Thai Roast Chili paste
Lemon Grass paste
1 Lime
a small piece of Ginger, you will need 8 thin slices
A handful of Coriander
1/4 C. Coconut cream
Fish Sauce

Method;

Cut 4 x 12″ pieces of parchment baking paper. Spray each square of paper with a little oil.

Place 1/2 cup of steamed rice or grains of choice onto each square of paper

Place a fish fillet onto the rice tucking the thin tail underneath.

Spread a little Thai roast chili paste over fish, about 1/4 tsp. Then a very thin layer of Lemon grass paste also about a 1/4 tsp. Then sprinkle two thin slices of peeled ginger cut into julienne (matchsticks) over the fillets. Season with a little fish sauce. Grind over some black pepper. Then sprinkle over the Coriander, about 1/2 – 1 tbsp. Top with two slices of lime. Pour over two tbsp. of coconut cream and fold up the parcel to seal.

Place onto a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer parcels to serving plates. Open carefully. Serve with steamed vegetables of choice.

Looking for more great recipes to try? Be sure to check out this Crab stuffed Flounder