Stewed Squid with Pasta

Years ago, I used to love eating stewed squid from one of my favourite little Greek Restaurants in London.  Unfortunately, the restaurant has been long gone, so when I came across some lovely fresh squid a little while ago, I just had to try and recreate this lovely dish.

Stewed Squid with Pasta

Ingredients

Pasta of choice
Olive oil
1 red onion - finely sliced
4 garlic cloves - finely sliced, or crushed
1-2 small chillies - seeds removed, finely diced
Handful of fresh parsley - leaves and stalks trimmed separately
1 red pepper - finely sliced
Paprika
Red wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500g squid - tubes sliced into rings and tentacles cut into pieces


Boil a large pan of water and cook pasta to directions on packet.

Meanwhile, heat a spoonful of oil in a large saucepan.  Gently stir-fry the onion, garlic, chilli and parsley stalks until soft.

Add the peppers and a shake of paprika and fry together for another minute or so.

Add a good splash of red wine and the tomatoes. Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Bring back to the boil and stir in the squid pieces. Cover and simmer very gently for 4 minutes.  (You don't want to overcook the squid, or it will become rubbery!)

Sprinkle the parsley leaves over and serve with pasta.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Cavolo Nero Pesto

I know, you looked at the title of this post and thought, "Cavolo Nero Pesto, what was she thinking????!!

Well, I really love leafy green veggies, but my family can be a little fussy, so I've been playing with ideas on different ways of using them.  After a not-so-successful attempt at Kale Crisps the other day (I am going to need a food hydrator for things like that), I decided on a pesto instead.  This turned out really well, very garlicky - so you may want to reduced the amount used, if you're not as garlic mad as I am - and there is enough for an easy pasta meal, as well as for basting fish, and/or stuffing under the skin of a chicken before roasting.

Cavolo Nero Pesto

Ingredients

1 bunch Cavolo Nero - washed and stripped from their stalks.  Discard stalks.

Sea salt

40g Butter - approx.

Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic

75g Parmesan - grated

Boil a large pot of well-salted water, plunge in the Cavolo Nero leaves and cook for five minutes.   Remove and drain.

Place the cooked Cavolo Nero in a food processor along with the butter, a couple of tbs of oil, garlic and parmesan and purée until smooth.  Add more oil as needed.

Note*:  I poured a little oil over the top of the pesto in the jars, so it should last a bit longer when stored in the fridge ..... although I think we'll be using it up pretty quickly!

Enjoy!

Caryl  ♥

Bulghur Wheat Salad

On these hot summer nights, I haven't really wanted to eat much more than a salad for dinner.  Teenagers though, need filling up, so adding grains to salad and vegetable ingredients is a great way to satisfy everyone.  This salad was tasty and filling.

Bulghur Wheat Salad

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups bulgur wheat
1 tsp ground oregano
2-1/2 cups boiling water
2 medium courgettes (zucchini) - sliced lengthwise down the middle and then crosswise into diagonal slices
1 large red pepper - sliced into strips
Olive oil
2 medium carrots - grated
2 spring onions - sliced thinly
handful pine-nuts
large handful fresh mint - chopped


Dressing

2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 orange - juice only
Honey - a little drizzle


Put the bulgur wheat into a large bowl and mix in the oregano. Pour the boiling water over and cover with a lid. Set aside for approx. 20 mins.

Combine the courgettes and peppers in a bowl. Give them a good drizzle of olive oil and stir well. Transfer veggies onto a baking tray and roast in the oven - approx. 200 degrees C - for 20 mins.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining dressing ingredients in a small jar. Shake well and put aside.

When the bulgur wheat is cooked, fluff it through with a fork and transfer to a large serving bowl. Mix in the roasted veggies, carrots, spring onions, pine-nuts and mint. Drizzle over just a little dressing and mix through. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving, mix in more dressing to suit your tastes (some people like just a little and others like it soaked right through the salad).

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Baked Mackerel with Roasted Peppers

Mackerel is rich in essential oils, vitamins and minerals.  It is one of the most highly recommended oily fish for a healthy diet and it tastes sooooo good!  :)

Baked Mackerel with Roasted Peppers

Ingredients

3 large capsicum (peppers) - any colour (I had one yellow, one green and one orange in the fridge)
2 large red onions
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Mackerel (whole or fillets) - one (or two small) per person.


Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Slice the peppers into thin strips.  Peel and slice the onions.  Combine together in a bowl, drizzle a little oil over them and add seasoning to taste.  Mix well, then spread onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for approx. 15-20 mins.  Stir half-way through baking.

Meanwhile, season the mackerel.

When peppers and onions are done, remove from the tray and set aside.  Turn the oven down to 180 degrees C.

Place the mackerel on the same tray and bake in oven for approx. 15 mins (for whole fish).  Turn half way through cooking.  (For fillets, bake for approx. 5 mins or so - there is no need for turning).

When fish is done.  Remove from the tray.

Return the peppers to the tray, place the mackerel on top.  Drizzle with a little oil and vinegar, to taste.  Place back in the oven for approx. 5 minutes.

Serve on warmed plates.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥