Monday, March 28th, 2011
Yes, okay, I know that cod is getting close to being endangered, but I did at least buy line caught cod and there is the small fact that I would like us to actually have a fishing fleet in ten years time. So, after reading this recipe, do go and find out more about Hugh Fearnly-Wittingstall and his Fish Fight. Now, back to baked fish.
Fishes and ovens do go together rather well. An oven treats fish a little more kindly than your average frying pan – especially when it comes to light, flaky fish like cod and haddock that I am using here. You do have to watch temperature a bit, be patience and often cover the fish to keep the moisture in. However, with something like cod, because it cooks fairly quickly, it shouldn’t dry out.
So, go grab some nice fish of your choice and meet me by the oven dish!
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
Eggs, Haddock and Bacon cooked with butter
The French have a dish called Oeuf Sur Le Plat, which translates as Eggs on the Plate. However, this dish is not simply an egg put on a plate, but a baked delight often mixed with other ingredients such as bacon, cheese, tomatoes and so on. I remember this being served in round glass dishes on the ferry when we travelled to France from Newhaven to Dieppe many, many years ago, and again on a train in France when I was small. This is easy to cook, and even easier to eat – here I have made it with Haddock and Bacon.
For just one person you will need a metal or glass dish about 15cm in diameter. I used an Indian curry dish, which was just about perfect.
Take a large slice of unsalted butter and grease the dish leaving the remainder of the slice in the middle.
Layer into the dish 3 slices of good smoked bacon and about 150gm of smoked haddock cut into strips. Bake this in a medium hot oven till the bacon is only just cooked (not going brown.)
Remove from the oven and very carefully crack two eggs into the middle – you have to be careful as the eggs will easily break and once they have you cant get them out again! Give a good grind of black pepper and a sprinkling of parsley and put back into the oven.
Bake for about 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked to your liking. It is best if the yokes are still soft.
Remove and serve, warning the diner to be careful of the hot dish! This is a very simple, one dish breakfast or lunch which you can vary as much as you like, really – as long as you keep the eggs, of course.
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Despite still getting some rather nice sunshine, there is more than a little twang of autumn in the air and I feel drawn to cooking good old comfort food! The other day I found some huge King Edwards potatoes and thought I could happily marry them to the big Cumberland Sausages our local Butcher makes. Okay, I don’t live in Cumberland so these are the butcher’s version of them – I am a great believer that local foods should be protected, so true Cumberland or Lincolnshire sausages should have to be made by local companies in the area. But apparently, the large manufacturers think they should have the right to ruin and undermine local produce. Despite that, these are still good sausages.
This recipe is dead easy but does require that the potatoes are baked in an oven and not gently steamed in a Microwave! Right, taties in the oven and grab some sausages, tinned tomatoes, onions and pancetta. (more…)
Yes, okay, I know that cod is getting close to being endangered, but I did at least buy line caught cod and there is the small fact that I would like us to actually have a fishing fleet in ten years time. So, after reading this recipe, do go and find out more about Hugh Fearnly-Wittingstall and his Fish Fight. Now, back to baked fish.
