Dirk’s Smoked Fish Chowder

A rich, creamy soup that smacks of the sea and brings a smile to any grumpy face - even mine! It's quick and easy to make. You can use a mixture of smoked fish, but please try to avoid the obvious cod and haddock and they’re becoming scarce. It's also best to avoid heavily salted/smoked fish or that nasty yellow-dyed stuff, full of chemicals. As smoked fish contains a good amount of salt, it shouldn’t be necessary to add any - just taste for seasoning at the end and add some then if needed.

Shopping list for 4 people:
500g of mixed, lightly-smoked fish - try to get your hands of some pollack, trout, hot smoked salmon - or anything interesting and seasonal that your local fishmonger has available fresh - make sure it's thoroughly filleted with skin removed; 1 whole head of celery (including the leaves) or a whole fennel bulb; 1 large carrot; 1 large onion or 3 shallots; 1 medium leek; 1 large potato; 50g butter; 500ml of good fish stock; 500ml water; a good handful of fresh parsley or dill; 1 fat clove of garlic; 100ml double cream; a few good grindings of freshly black pepper.

Method:
Finely dice the vegetables and remove the herbs from their stalks and finely chop. Bring the stock to a gentle simmer mixed with the water. In a seperate soup pan, melt the butter and sweat the vegetables for 5-10 minutes over a gentle heat, until softened. Add the garlic and sweat for another few minutes before adding the warmed stock/water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for a further 10-12 minutes, before adding the fish (it will break up quicklly). After a couple more minutes, turn down the heat to the lowest setting and add the cream, stirring it in gently. Remove from the heat and add the chopped herbs and black pepper. Check the seasoning. Serve immediately.

The soup can be kept in the fridge (once cooled) in a sealed container for a couple of days. Alternatively you can freeze the base soup (without the fish, cream and herbs) for up to one month. Defrost thoroughly and boil gently for a good 5 minutes before adding the fish etc.

Serve with some warm, crusty bread by a campfire on the seashore.

Dirk’s version of Dawn’s Chestnut Soup

This is a great recipe given to me by our good friend Dawn - who's a great cook. I've modified it slightly, as I'm prone to do. It's a thick, winter soup that's hearty and flavoursome. A little goes a long way. Don't overcook it otherwise you'll be parping for days to come!

Shopping list:
300g fresh chestnuts or 250g vacuum packed or tinned, roasted chestnuts; 1 small head of celery; 2 medium carrots; 1 medium parsnip; 1 large onion; 1 medium leek; 50g butter; 75ml Marsala, Madiera or Medium Sweet Sherry; 1 litre of vegetable stock; a handful each of fresh thyme and fresh parsley; salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method:
First of all, prepare the chestnuts. Roast the fresh chestnuts in a moderate oven for around 10 mins. When cool enough to handle, peel (including the inner membrane). Discard any brown chestnuts. The chestnuts can be a bit fiddly to peel, so alternatively use vacuum packed or tinned. Roughly chop the chestnuts. Dice the vegetables and remove the herbs from their stalks and finely chop.

In a soup pan, melt the butter and sweat the chopped onion, thinly-sliced leek, diced celery (with leaves), diced carrots and parsnip and the chopped thyme for a good 15 minutes over a low heat, until softened. Add the Marsala and leave for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then add the chopped chestnuts and vegetable stock. Season to taste. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for a further 15 minutes. Add a good handful of chopped fresh parsley at the end, the cool a little and liquidise.

Storage and serving:
The soup can be kept in the fridge (once cooled) in a sealed container for 2-3 days. Alternatively it freezes well and can be kept frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost thoroughly and boil gently for a good 5 minutes, stirring often to avoid sticking to the pan - it’s a thick soup!

Serve with some warm, pumpkin bread and a sparkler on Halloween or Guy Fawkes Night.

Dirk's Thai Curry

The recipe here is for a chicken curry, but pescotareans like my good mate Paul can make this with fish or vegetables instead (try it with carrot, butternut squash, green beans and cauliflower - or any good firm fish / shellfish you like). This recipe begins with making a Thai Curry paste. There’s a lot of wee things to buy, but you can make it in bulk and freeze the rest for later. It should keep for a couple of months in an average home freezer or about a week in the fridge.

Shopping list for the curry paste:
Fresh ginger - a 2” piece about the thickness of your thumb - peeled and finely chopped; 3 fat cloves of garlic -peeled and finely chopped; a good handful of fresh coriander leaves and their stems - washed and chopped; 1 tsp each of whole coriander seeds and cumin seeds; 1 shoot of fresh lemon grass, finely chopped; a good handful of dried shrimps (try a Chinese supermarket for these); 2 tbs of Thai fish sauce; 1 tbs light soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 3 medium mild red chillis and 1 small hot green chilli - deseeded and finely chopped; 1 large or 3 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped; 2 tbs of sunflower oil.

Method:
Soak the dried shrimps in warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes. Then remove from the water and finely chop. Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds for a minute in a hot, non-stick frying pan - just toss them around a bit to stop them from burning. Remove the pan and leave to cool a little. You should really be able to smell the seeds now. Bung all of the ingredients together into a food processor (except the oil) and blitz for about a minute. Then add 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil and mix in well. Chill in the fridge for an hour or two to give the flavours a chance to get to know each other. (You can freeze it at this stage too).

Shopping list for the curry:
1 chicken breast or 2 chicken thighs per person (or of course a good portion of mixed veg or fish per person); 1 block of condensed coconut milk or 1 tin of coconut milk; 1/2 a large shallot per person; 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil.

Method:
Slice the chicken pieces so you get around 8~10 slices per person. If you're using chicken thighs, remove from the bone. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan over a medium to high heat and sear the chicken. Do this in batches if you need to. Add the finely sliced shallot and cook until golden and soft. (If using vegetables in place of chicken, chop them roughly and lightly saute them in the pan now.) Put the chicken back in the pan and add one large tablespoon of the curry paste per 2 people. Dissolve the coconut block in water and add to the pan, or pour in the coconut milk, if using. Bring the pan to a light boil, cover and simmer very gently on a low heat, for around 15 minutes - until the chicken (or veg) is fully cooked through. If you're using fish, add it after the coconut milk and cook for just a few minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or noodles and some stir-fried pak choi.

Paula's Sweetcorn Fritters with Tomato & Harissa Sauce

Paula makes these great Sweetcorn Fritters about once a week. She serves it with a Roasted Tomato & Harissa sauce - it works perfectly.

Shopping list for 4 large fritters:
200g tinned sweetcorn; 75g medium/course polenta; 25g gram (chickpea) flour; 1 organic egg; 25g butter, melted; tsp or 2 of ground cumin; 75ml each of milk & creme friache; salt & pepper; half tsp bicarbonate of soda; generous handful of chopped, fresh coriander; some sunflower oil for frying.

Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, polenta, cumin, coriander and seasonings. Beat the egg. melted butter, milk and creme fraiche together; pout over the dry ingredients and mix well (it should be like a very thick cake mix). Add the sweetcorn and mix well again. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and when hot spoon in the mixture to form 4 large fritters. Fry until golden brown on both sides and serve immediately with the Tomato & Harissa sauce on the side.

Tomato & Harissa Sauce:
Ingredients: 1Kg small plum or cherry tomatoes; olive oil; salt, pepper; a pinch of sugar; 1 tsp harissa.

Method:
Halve the tomatoes and place in a large baking tray - cut side up. Drizzle with the olive oil, a generous sprinkling of course sea salt, a good grinding of pepper and a tsp of sugar (it offsets the acidity of the tomatoes and brings out their natural sweetness). Roast in a pre-heated moderate oven (gas mark 5-6; 180-200 degrees C). When cooked, pour the tomato mixture through a siv over a bowl, using a spoon to mush it down and extract the very last of those gorgeous juices. Discard the remianing dry pulp left in the siv. Add the harissa to the tomato sauce and serve hot with the sweetcorn fritters (or anything else you fancy).

Patricia's Celeriac Gratin

Patricia is one of my co-Directors at Earthy, and she's a great cook - especially talented with veg - as an organic vegetable grower, I suppose she should be! We had a Christmas Preview evening at Earthy and she brought along a trio of veggie dishes (2 of which I've included here) to accompany a massive organic turkey from Whitmuir Organics. Appreciative customers and hungry Earthlings all got stuck in to this fantastic fayre. First up is Patricia's celeriac gratin, which was magic. It's probably the ugliest vegetable on the planet, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in taste.

Shopping list for 6-8 people:
2 medium celeriac; 50g butter; 500ml (1 pint) of Bechemal sauce (I've added a recipe for this below, just in case); a few tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs.

Method:
Peel the celeriac and slice to around 1/2” thick. Boil for 2-3 minutes in water and drain. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the celeriac for a couple of minutes. Place the celeriac in layers in a baking dish and pour over the bechamel sauce. Finally top with the fresh breadcrumbs and pop into a warm oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and crisp on top.

Bechamel Sauce - Pour 500ml of milk into a saucepan and add one, peeled and halved small onion, one bay leaf and a little grated nutmeg, some salt and white pepper. Warm the milk thoroughly on a low heat (but don’t boil it). Set aside and leave to stand for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Melt 50g butter in another saucepan, take off the heat and add 2 tablespoons of white flour and stir well together. Take the bay leaf and onion out of the warmed milk and discard, then pour the infused milk into the butter/flour mixture. Place back on the heat and gently bring to the boil, stirring or whisking lightly as it heats. The sauce should thicken well. If it’s too runny pour a little out into a mixing bowl, leave to cool a little and add some more flour to form a smooth paste, then add this to back into the bechemal sauce and whisk well. When the sauce is smooth and thick, but still pourable, remove from the heat.

Patricia's Honey Mustard Parsnips

These are better than any parsnips I've ever cooked. Patricia certainly knows her veg!

Shopping list for 6-8 people:
6-8 parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthways - removing the ‘woody’ centres; 2 tablespoons of olive oil; 2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard; 2 tablespoons of clear honey.

Method:
Boil the parsnips in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, then drain. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, honey and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the parsnips into the bowl and mix thoroughly until well coated, then place into a roasting tray and cook in a pre-heated moderate oven (gas mark 6; 200C) for around 45 minutes, until deliciously tender.

Spicy Vegetarian Bolognese

I tried for ages to come up with a veggie bolognese sauce that tasted just as good (if not better) than my meat one. I finally settled on the one shown below, which I hope all you veggies and carnivores alike will relish. The dried porcini mushrooms are vital for giving it that earthy, depth of flavour - sadly lacking from most vegetarian bolognese sauces I've tasted (and made). The sherry or marsala works well with this also adding to the depth of flavour. The chilli just helps to give it an extra bit of zing.

Shopping list:
2 medium red onions; 2 medium carrots; 3 celery stalks (with leaves); 1kg winter squash or sweet potato; 150g chestnut or flat mushrooms; 50g dried mushrooms - preferably porcini; 1 litre jar of passata (or 2 tins of plum tomatoes); a big squirt of tomato puree; one small glass sherry or marsala (optional); a big pinch of dried oregano; 3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed; 1 hot fresh chilli (optional); salt and black pepper; a big glug of olive oil.

Method:
Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water until plumped up - strain, reserving the liquor. Finely dice all of the vegetables, including the strained, rehydrated mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan - sautee the onions, celery and carrots over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the onions are soft, but not browned. Add the garlic, chilli, dried oregano, squash and mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes. Turn up the heat, then pour in the sherry or marsala and cook until most of it has evaporated, then add the passata or tomatoes, the puree and around half of the mushroom liquor. Stir well together and season with salt and black pepper. Put a lid on the pan, turn down the heat and simmer gently for about an hour until the bolognese is thick and unctuous. You can do this on the hob or in a moderate oven.

Good served with wholewheat spaghetti and grated parmesan, or mixed through cooked penne or fusilli, popped into an oven proof dish, topped with cheese and finished-off in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes. The sauce also freezes well.

Dirky's Moroccan Honeyed Chicken-Licken

Not an original recipe - based on one from a cookbook and adapted over the years. I make this slightly different every time, but here's the basis. Tweak the spices, quantities and have fun experimenting and modifying it yourself. It's a sweet, sticky, honeyed chicken dish from Morocco and it tastes divine. Best served with couscous, spiced up with a little chilli and flavoured with masses of fresh leafy herbs (coriander, mint, basil - take your pick or mix together). The toasted almonds give it an extra nutty, cruchy dimension, and are well worth adding.

Shopping list for 4 people:
Either a whole chicken (around 2kg) or chicken joints - anything from breasts to wings will work - just make sure it's a good free-ranger; 1 litre jar of passata; 4 large onions; 2 tsp cumin powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; a knob of fresh ginger; 3 or 4 cloves of garlic; 4-6 tbs runny honey (dependent on how sweet you like it); 1 medium hot red chilli (or more to taste); a good pinch of saffron; 1 tsp orange flower water; sunflower oil; salt and pepper and a big handful each of toasted, flaked almonds and coriander to finish with a flourish.

Method:
Joint the chicken into about 8-10 pieces and lightly 'brown' in the sunflower oil in a big heavy-based casserole pan. Drain and remove. Peel and thickly slice the onions and fry in the same pan until softened, but not discoloured. Add the garlic and chilli (both finely chopped) to the pan and then the cumin, finely chopped (or grated) ginger and let the flavours mingle and sweat for a couple of minutes. Add the passata and bring to the boil, stirring well. Season well. Now put the chicken back into the pan and simmer for around 30-40 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and keep them warm. Build up the heat in the pan and reduce the liquor by half. Add the honey and continue to reduce until 'jam-like'. Dissolve the saffron threads in a little hot water, then add to the 'jam' before adding the chicken back in and heating thoroughly through. Just before serving, add the orange flower water.

Serve on top of some deliciously herbed and spiced couscous, scatter the toasted almonds and chopped coriander on top and dig-in.

Organic Beef and Beer Casserole

A hearty, simple, welcoming casserole to warm your cockles on a cold winter evening. It freezes well, so make a double quantity and keep some stocked in your freezer for when you’re too tired to cook, but still fancy some delicious comfort food. You’ll be glad you did. I use Black Isle organic Porter - it’s an unctuous dark, bitter-sweet stout that works wonderfully well with the beef - but any good, dark beer will do - just don’t use lager.

Shopping list for 4 people: 500g pack of Whitmuir organic shoulder steak, 3 large onions, peeled and sliced, 250g of shallots or small pickling onions, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 bottle of Black Isle Porter, 3 bay leaves, a large pinch of dried, mixed herbs, a glug of Sunflower oil, salt & black pepper.

Method: Brown the meat well in the oil in a heavy, oven-proof casserole pot; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, while you gently simmer the onions in the same oil, until softened. Add the garlic and herbs, and saute gently for a couple of minutes, making sure that the garlic does not catch or burn. Return the beef to the pot and then turn up the heat and add the porter. Bring to the boil, season well, then place the lid on the pot firmly and put into a pre-heated oven at 160oC (gas mark 3) for around 2 hours.

With half an hour to go, peel the shallots or small onions and blanche (pop into boiling water for around a minute). Drain and add to the stew. Serve with celeriac & potato mash (enriched with some creamed horseradish, if you like it) and seasonal greens.

If you’re in need of total comfort food, you could also make some herb dumplings to go with it. Mix 50g of dried suet with 100g of self-raising flour, a good pinch of salt and a handful of finely chopped, fresh herbs (I normally use thyme or lemon thyme with parsley and a wee hint of rosemary). Mix with just enough cold water to form a dough. Flour your hands and roll the dough into golf-ball size dumplings and lay them gently onto the top of your casserole. Put them in at the same time as the shallots.

Go on, try it. You know you want some.

Dirk's Onion Marmalade (or Onion Confit if you're having a posh dinner party).....

This is an easy-to-make, tasty side-dish that goes fantastically well with cold meats like ham, chicken or pork. It's basically a chutney, so you can add all sorts of different flavours and ingredients - dependent on the season and what you're having it with. Just try it and enjoy. This recipe makes 2 jam jars' worth, so you can enjoy one lot with the meal and save another in the fridge for lunches, sandwiches or midnight feasts....enjoy!

Ingredients:
2Kg onions - peeled and sliced (white, red, whatever's best and most available); 100g raw cane sugar; 50g butter; 4 tbs balsamic vinegar; 2 tbs Creme de Cassis (a great thing to have at the back of your store cupboard - not cheap but a little goes a long way, and a wee dodd is diddylicious with some fizz - for a Kir Royale); a couple of good wedges of orange skin - use a tattie peeler - a teaspoon of salt and a dozen good grinds of black pepper.

Method: Melt the butter in a big, heavy pan and add the onions. Saute gently for 10 mins until softened and translucent. Add the other ingedients and stir well. Bring gently to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer very slowly with the pan lid off for around 1.5 hrs until the onions are very soft. You can serve warm or leave to cool and jar up. Stores well in the fridge for a couple of months - but mine never ever lasts more than a couple of weeks as we gorge ourselves on it.

Vegetarian Falafals

I was round at friends yesterday and made these little fellas to take along. They'e quick and easy to make - best done a day before you cook them - and very tasty. You can also make a 'job lot' and freeze some - a great standy-by for when you can't be bothered to cook, but want something delicious and healthy too....

Ingredients:
3 x 400g tins of mixed beans (e.g. cannellini/berlotti/kidney/chickpeas)
Around 50g (two heaped tablespoons) of gram flour (chickpea flour)
Dried cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds - one teaspoon of each
One fresh red chilli - de-seeded and finely chopped
Big bunch or coriander and parsley - roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg - beaten

Method:
Heat the seeds in a heavy, dry pan until they release their flavour (don't burn them though!). Then grind in a pestle & mortar. Drain and thoroughly rinse the beans/pulses. Put all the ingredients into a blender or processor and blitz until well mixed. Add more gram flour if too sticky. Take one tablespoon of the mixture at a time, and with floured hands form into a small burger, rolling it in gram flour. Place the formed burgers onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and refrigerate, preferably overnight. You can also freeze them at this point.

To cook, simply fry in hot sunflower oil until warm all the way through. (you could also deep fry them if you like). Serve with some mayonnaise spiced-up with a good dollop of harissa and a little creme fraise.