A Need for Speed

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to two true kings of speed Ayrton Senna and Sir Roger Bannister.This week’s recipes are Tomato, Lentil and Lime Soup, Prawn & Coconut Laksa and Speedy Lamb & Spinach Curry.

Ayrton Senna (21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is generally regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers to have raced. He was killed in a crash at Tamburello corner while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and is the most recent driver to die at the wheel of a Formula One car.

In 2009, a poll of 217 current and former Formula One drivers conducted by the British magazine Autosport named Senna as "the greatest Formula One driver who ever lived".

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE (born 23 March 1929) is an English former athlete best known for running the first mile in less than 4 minutes. Bannister became a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 2001.
Sir Roger was the inaugural recipient of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award in January 1955 (1954 Sportsman of the Year).

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My first recipe is Tomato, Lentil and Lime Soup. Recipe by Janine Ratclifee, courtesy of Olive Magazine April 2012.

Serves 2, Prep 10mins, Cook approx 20mins

1 x Onion, roughly chopped
1 Large x Carrot, peeled and grated
Olive Oil
A Pinch of Chilli Flakes (optional) 
1 tsp x Cumin Seeds
3 tbsp x Puy or Red Lentils
500ml x Passata
900ml x Organic Veg Stock
1 x Lime, juiced and zested
Crusty Bread to serve

Cook the onion and carrot in a little oil until softened then add the chili flakes (if using) and cumin. Cook for a minute then tip in the lentils, tomato and stock. Simmer for 15-20mins until the lentils are soft. Blitz briefly in a blender so you have a semi-smooth texture then stir in the lime juice and zest.

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My next recipe is Prawn & Coconut Laksa Courtesy of GoodFood magazine October 2009.

Serves 1, Prep 10 mins, Cook 8 mins

2 tsp x Oil
1 x Garlic Clove , crushed
1 x Spring Onion , finely chopped
2 tsp x Finely Chopped Fresh Root Ginger
1 x Green Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
½ x lime, juice
100g x Raw Prawns , any size
165ml x Coconut Milk
100ml x Chicken or Vegetable stock
100g x Dried Egg Noodles
Chopped Coriander , to serve

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. When hot, throw in the garlic, spring onion, ginger and green chilli. Cook on a medium heat for 3-4 mins, then squeeze in your lime juice.
Stir in the prawns, then add in the coconut milk and stock. Simmer gently for 5 mins on a low heat until the prawns are pink. Meanwhile, cook your egg noodles in a pan of boiling water for 4 mins until soft. Drain, then tip into the laksa pan. Season to taste, then serve in a bowl, topped with coriander.

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My final recipe is Speedy Lamb & Spinach Curry. Courtesy of BBC GoodFood website.

Serves 4, Prep 10 mins, Cook 6 mins

½ tsp x Cumin Seeds
2 tsp x Sunflower Oil
200g x Lean Lamb Steak, cubed
1 x Red Pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 x Green Chilli, deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp x Mild Curry Paste
225g x Can of Chopped Tomatoes
160ml x Coconut Cream
100g x Baby Spinach
10g x Coriander, chopped (approx. 1 tbsp)

Dry-fry the cumin seeds for about 20secs in a wok then add half the oil and stir-fry the lamb for about 1 min until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Tip onto a plate.
Add the rest of the oil to the wok, then stir-fry the pepper and chilli for a couple of mins until softened. Stir in the curry paste, tomatoes and coconut cream with half a can (from the tomatoes) of water, then simmer for about 5 mins until saucy. Add the lamb, spinach and coriander, stir until the spinach has wilted, then serve with basmati rice.

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If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

"Nothing can separate me from the love of God" – Ayrton Senna

Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D

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Soup Sorrel and Seabass

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is all to do with soup, sorrel and sea bass. The recipes featured this week are Spinach Soup with Beetroot Ribbons, Sea Bass with Seville Orange Sauce and Mulled Apple and Calvados Warmer. The herb of the week is Sorrell.

My first recipe is Spinach Soup with Beetroot Ribbons, recipe by Trina Hanemann, courtesy of Sainsbury’s Magazine Dec 2010.

This recipe serves 8, takes 20mins to prepare and can take 1hr to cook.

2 tbsp x Olive Oil
2 tsp x Cumin Seeds
1 x Onion, roughly chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
2 x Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1.5kgs x Spinach Leaves (or 1kg Frozen Spinach)
1 tsp x Freshly Ground Nutmeg
200ml x Double Cream

For the Beetroot Ribbons
2 x Large Raw Beetroots
500ml x Grapeseed or Sunflower Oil

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the cumin, onion, garlic and potatoes. Cook gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1.5 litres of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the spinach (a handful at a time if fresh), nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, leave to cool a little, then blend until smooth. Peel into thin strips using a potato peeler. Put the strips on kitchen paper to dry.
Pour the soup back into the pan, add the cream and reheat while stirring. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep saucepan and fry the beetroot, 5 or 6 strips at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon as soon as they turn light brown on the edges. Drain on kitchen paper. Season the soup and serve garnished with the beetroot ribbons.


Herb of the week - Sorrell (rumex acetosa)
Also known as Bread and Cheese, Sour leaves, Tom thumbs, Thousand fingers and sour sauce. Sorrel is a native of Europe, Asia and North America. It has naturalized in many countries throughout the world on rich, damp, loamy, acid soils. The generic name, Rumex, comes from the Latin rumo, “I suck”. Apparently, Roman soldiers sucked the leaves to relieve thirst, and their doctors used them as a diuretic. The name Sorrel comes from the old French word surelle meaning “sour”. The Tudors considered the herb to be one of the best English vegetables; Henry VIII held it in great esteem.
Rumex Acestosa is also known as broad-leafed sorrel, common sorrel, garden sorrel, meadow sorrel, and confusingly French Sorrel. It is a hardy perennial that can grow to a height of 60-120cms with a spread of 30cms. It bears small, dull greenish flowers which turn reddish-brown as the fruit ripens. Its mid-green lance-shaped leaves have 2 basal lobes pointing backwards.
Sorrel is considered to have blood cleansing and blood improving qualities in a similar way to spinach, which improves the haemoglobin content of the blood. It also contains vitamin C. A leaf may be used in a poultice to treat certain skin complaints, including acne. WARNING:-Care has to be taken that sorrel is not used in too great a quantity or too frequently. Its oxalic acid content may be damaging to health if taken in excess. Very large doses are poisonous, causing severe kidney damage. This herb should not be used medicinally by those predisposed to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or gastric hyperacidity. The leaf may cause dermatitis.
This is an excellent herb with which to experiment. Use sparingly in soups, omelettes, fish sauces, and with poultry and pork. It is useful for tenderizing meat. Wrap it around steaks or add pounded leaf to a marinade. Eat leaves raw in salads, especially the buckler-leaf sorrel, but reduce the vinegar or lemon in any accompanying dressing to compensate for the increased acidity. Cook like spinach, changing the cooking water once to reduce acidity.


My next recipe is Sea Bass with Seville Orange Sauce, recipe by Sam & Sam Clark, courtesy of Sainsbury’s Magazine Dec 2010.

This recipe serves 4, takes 15mins to prepare and takes 30mins to cook.

4 x Sea Bass Fillets (or Bream Fillets) approx 200g each (or alternatively 8 x smaller fillets)
3 tbsp x Olive Oil

For the Seville Orange Sauce
100ml x Seville Orange Juice (3-4 Oranges, or use a mixture of half orange and half lemon juice)
1 heaped tsp x Grated Seville Orange Zest (or ordinary), briefly blanched in boiling water to remove the bitterness
2 x Bay Leaves
A sprig of Thyme
A Good Pinch of Cinnamon
150g x Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
2 tsp x Caster Sugar, or to taste

To make the sauce, put the orange juice and zest, bay, thyme and cinnamon in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Stirring constantly with a balloon whisk, add the butter in 3 batches. Keep the pan over a very low heat and make sure that the sauce emulsifies nicely. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding the flavourings, add sugar to taste and season with salt. It will take more salt than you might think to balance the acidity. Keep over a pan of barely simmering water and simmering frequently.
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Season the sea bass with salt and a little freshly ground black pepper, drizzle the olive oil into the pan to cover the base and, when the oil is smoking hot, gently ease in each fillet, skin-side down, shaking the pan as you go to prevent sticking. You may need to do this in batches. Lower the heat to medium and fry the fillets for 4-5minutes (or 2-3 minutes for smaller fillets), until cooked halfway through. Turn them gently and fry for a couple more minutes, until just cooked through. Serve with the warm sauce spooned over the fish.


My last recipe is Mulled Apple and Calvados Warmer, recipe by Trina Hanemann, courtesy of Sainsbury’s Magazine Dec 2010.

This recipe serves 8, takes 15mins to prepare and takes 55mins to cook.

2kgs x apples, cut into quarters
200g x Caster Sugar
2 x Cinnamon Sticks, plus extra to use as stirrers
200ml x Calvados

In a large pan, bring the apples, sugar, cinnamon sticks and 2 litres of water to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through muslin or a fine sieve and discard the apples and cinnamon sticks. Pour into the cleaned pan and bring to the boil. Add the Calvados and pour into 8 heatproof glasses, each with a cinnamon stick stirrer.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D
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