Scottish – Ferret chef

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Classic soup made from carrots, onions, celery, stock, ground coriander and coriander leaf.

Easy to prepare, and a joy to eat. This is one of my favourite soups and one I eat often. I have also done a bit of experimenting and came up with a recipe for carrot and coriander curry using leftover soup – a really amazing dish that I hope you will try.

You require a stick blender for this recipe.

Tip: thinly slicing the vegetables , although not necessary, helps cook them quicker.

P1070383 (2) — Carrot and Coriander Soup

4 Portions (2 large bowls plus leftovers for curry)

Preparation and cooking time 45 minutes

Ingredients and method

750g carrots – peel, trim ends and thinly slice

1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 bay leaf – remove before blending

3 white onions – peel, dice

3 sticks celery – trim, slice thinly

1.5 L vegetable stock

Handful of coriander leaf and stalks – keep a small amount for garnish and finely chop

1 heaped dessert spoon ground coriander

Salt and pepper – to taste

Method: Start by heating the oil in a deep soup/stock pot. Add the sliced carrot, onion, celery and bay leaf. Fry over medium heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften. You want to add a little colour for flavour but do not let the vegetables burn. Next add the heaped dessert spoon of ground coriander, plus a generous amount of ground black pepper and stir through the vegetables, fry for a further 3-4 minutes stirring frequently. It is vital not to burn the spice, if it catches on bottom of pan add a little water to loosen it.

Add the stock and the fresh coriander (retain a little for garnish), bring to the boil then place lid on pan and reduce to a simmer. Leave the soup to simmer for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the lid and stir well, make sure you scape any residue on sides of pan back into the soup – that’s where the flavour is!

Remove the bay leaf then use the stick blender to blitz the soup until smooth. Add the retained coriander (very finely chopped). Taste and add required salt (should not need much as salt in stock already). Serve in a bowls with some nice crusty bread.

Once cooled store any leftovers in the fridge, and use them the next day to make my carrot and coriander curry.

May 24, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef7 Comments

Scottish Mussels in roasted Tomato and Pepper sauce

Rope grown Scottish mussels, cooked in a sauce made from roasted tomato, red pepper, onion, garlic, chilli, fish stock, white wine and coriander.

One of my favourite ways to cook mussels, guaranteed to bring flavour to your diner table. The secret of the flavour comes from the roasted sauce, which brings a rich deeply satisfying flavour to the dish. Serve with some nice sour dough or crusty bread.

Many people are put off cooking mussels at home because they think it is either hard or too time consuming. In reality it is very easy, to prepare the mussels simply rinse them in water, then soak them in water for 10-15 minutes, discarding any that stay open. To clean them scrape any barnacles off the shells and remove the beards by pulling them gently then cut them off with kitchen scissors. Rinse them well under running water, then they are ready to cook – which takes a matter of minutes, and is easy to tell because they open when they are cooked.

Note: to cook this recipe you require a wide, deep pan with a tight fitting lid.

Serves two people

Preparation 45 minutes, cooking time less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients and method

For the roasted tomato sauce:

2 small red onions – roast whole

1 medium white onion – roast whole

1 Romano pepper – remove stalk and seeds

2 red chillies – remove stalk and seeds

4 plum tomatoes

2 round tomatoes

6 cloves garlic

Method: Pre heat your oven to 220°c. Place the tomatoes, onions, chilli, garlic and pepper on the tray and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove the skins from the tomatoes, chilli, peppers, garlic and onion. Place all in a mini blender or food processor and blitz until a smooth sauce is made.

For the main dish

1 kg rope grown mussels – see opening notes for cleaning instructions

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 glass dry white wine

500ml fish stock

1 tsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper – to taste

3 tbsp. roughly chopped coriander

Method: Heat 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil in the pan over a medium heat. Add the roasted sauce along with the white wine, fish stock, sugar, black pepper and a little salt – take care not to add too much as there is salt in the stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the chopped coriander, stir well, then add the cleaned mussels. Increase the heat until sauce starts to bubble then place the lid on the pan, reduce heat slightly and leave to cook for 3 minutes. Carefully remove lid and look at the mussels, they are ready when they open (see picture for example) if necessary replace lid and cook for further minute. It is important not to over cook the mussels as they will turn rubbery.

Ladle into pre warmed bowls and serve straight away with some nice sourdough or crusty bread to soak up the wonderous sauce.

May 21, 2018January 25, 2019

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Scottish Parsnip Soup

A very easy recipe for fantastic tasting Scottish parsnip soup.

The inspiration for this soup comes from my Grandmother or Granny as we call them in Scotland. She made truly amazing soups and my aim is always to try to match hers. She is sadly no longer with us but I do think she would have liked this.

Ingredients

500g parsnips – peel and thinly slice

100g carrots – peel and slice

1 medium sized leek – wash and slice

2 sticks celery – slice

75g garden peas

4 medium sized white onions – peel and slice

2 bay leaves

1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock

1.5 tbsp. rapeseed oil

Sea salt – for grinding

Black pepper – for grinding

Method: Add the rapeseed oil to a deep soup or stock pot and warm over a medium heat. Add the leeks, bay and onions and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrot, celery, peas and parsnips, stir well and fry for 5-7 minutes until the mixture softens.

Add the stock, stir well, increase heat to bring to the boil for 2 minutes then reduce to a simmer, cover and let it bubble away for 35-40 minutes.

Carefully remove the lid (watch for steam), fish out the bay leaves, then use a stick blender to blitz soup until smooth. Season with a little salt and black pepper to taste and stir well. Serve with rolls or crusty bread and enjoy!

The soup can be cooled then stored in a fridge overnight for the next day, when it tastes even better.

May 18, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef4 Comments

White Cabbage Soup

A delicious healthy soup. Easy to make and a pleasure to eat.

White cabbage soups are far creamier and less bitter than green cabbage soups. White cabbage along with carrots, leek, onion, peas, celery, bay leaf, parsnips and garden peas make a flavourful filling soup that is perfect for cold winter nights.

4-6 generous portions

Preparation 20 minutes, cooking 60 minutes

Ingredients

1 white cabbage – outer leafs and stalk removed, roughly chopped then washed

2 large white onions – diced

3 sticks celery – sliced

1 leek – split, washed then sliced

4-6 medium sized carrots – peeled, sliced

3 medium sized parsnips – peeled, sliced

60g garden peas – defrost if using frozen

Small handful flat leaf parsley

1.5L chicken or vegetable stock

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 bay leafs

Salt and pepper to taste

Stick blender required for this recipe

Method: start by heating 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep soup pot. Add the leek, carrot, parsnips, celery and onion then fry for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat until softened. Add the peas and cabbage and fry for a further 3-4 minutes then add the stock. Add the parsley and bay leaf along with a generous amount of seasoning, bring to the boil, cover then simmer for around 45 minutes. Next remove from the heat, remove lid and take out the bay leafs. Use a stick blender to blend into a smooth soup. Taste for seasoning and add extra if required, if too strong add a little water to balance. Before serving heat through, then serve with some nice crusty bread – enjoy!

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February 20, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef1 Comment

Blackened Salmon with flame roasted vegetable rice salad

Salmon marinated in dark soy sauce, wok oil and brown sugar, pan-fried with crispy skin. Served with a rice salad with flame roasted and crunchy fresh salad vegetables. Completed with a dressing made from soy, sugar, lime juice and coriander leaf.

A really healthy dish but one that is packed with flavour. It is also a great excuse to use my favourite kitchen gadget – my blowtorch. Dont worry if you don’t have one, simply dry roast the vegetables in a very hot oven for 5-7 minutes.

The salmon is marinated several hours ahead of cooking and is left with a black coating that caramelises when cooked in a hot pan. Cooking skin side down for most of the cooking to get the skin nice and crispy – after all nobody likes skin on a fish if it isn’t crispy.

Brown salad rice is cooked then cooled ready for the vegetables, half of which are roasted using the blowtorch for deep flavour and the rest are left raw to give the dish some nice crunchy texture.

The dish is completed with a dressing made from brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and coriander.

Serves two people

Preparation time 25 minutes (plus 1-2 hours to marinade), cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the salmon

2 Keta Salmon fillets – make 2-3 diagonal slices in the skin to help skin crisp up

1 dessert spoon Dark soy sauce

1 dessert spoon wok oil

1 dessert spoon brown sugar

Marinade – the soy, oil and sugar in a bowl until combined. Add the salmon coating on both sides then place in fridge for 1-2 hours. Remove 30 minutes before cooking to bring back to room temperature.

For the rice salad

150g brown rice – cook, drain and cool

2 red onions – diced, add to pan for roasting

2 red bird eye chillies – add to pan for roasting

2 green bird eye chillies – add to pan for roasting

1 romano red pepper – add to pan for roasting

3-4 tbsp sweetcorn – add to pan for roasting

4 plum tomatoes – skin, deseed, chop, add to pan for roasting

10cm cucumber – peel, deseed, dice. Raw for crunch

1 small carrot – cut into fine batons. Raw for crunch

1 stick celery – dice, raw for crunch

3 spring onions – finely slice, raw for crunch.

Method: Retain the fresh vegetables in a bowl ready to add to rice. For the roasting vegetables add to a stainless steel pan and use a blowtorch to roast the vegetables until charred. Alternatively add vegetables to a dry baking tray and roast in a very hot oven for 5-7 minutes.

For the dressing

2 dessert spoons brown sugar

2 dessert spoons dark soy sauce

Juice of a lime

Handful coriander leaf – very finely chop, retain a little for garnish.

Method: Mix well in a bowl until combined. Give a second mix prior to serving.

Cooking instructions

For the salmon heat a dry non stick frying pan over a hot heat until very hot. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place skin side down in the pan and cook for 7 minutes. Turn the salmon and cook for 5 minutes on the other side then remove from the pan. These are typical times for average sized fillets, for large or small adjust time by a couple of minutes.
Assemble the rice salad. In a large mixing bowl add the rice, the roasted vegetables and the fresh vegetables. Pour in the salad dressing then mix well until fully combined.
Serve the dish by making a bed of rice salad then place the cooked salmon on top. Sprinkle a little finely chopped coriander on as a garnish.

Blackend Soy Salmon with rice salad

January 25, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef1 Comment

Prawn cocktail

A simple yet delicious recipe for Prawn cocktail. This version of a Marie rose style sauce is the best I have ever tasted, If I don’t say so myself!

Sauce recipe

2 tbsp full fat mayonnaise

1 tbsp single cream

1 tsp tomato ketchup

1/4 tsp Smoked paprika

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp worchester sauce

Juice of 1/4 lemon

A sprinkle of black pepper

Method: Combine and mix well in a bowl, taste test and adjust quantities to taste if requited. Transfer to airtight container ready for serving. The sauce keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Serving: I always use large north atlantic prawns as I think they have the best flavour and texture for a prawn cocktail. I use iceberg lettuce and a nice mixture of good quality baby plum or cherry tomatoes.

January 16, 2018November 28, 2018

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