Sweetcorn Pancake Fritters

This recipe evolved from some experimentation when I wanted to make some corn fritters to serve with Chicken Gumbo, although it was not difficult to work out a satisfactory recipe.  I wanted a fritter that involved shallow frying using a minimum of oil, rather than a calorie laden deep fried version.  (I do not own a deep fat fryer.)  After [...]

Read Full Post »

Chicken Gumbo

Gumbo is a dish from the southern states of the USA, in particular Louisiana. When I first started to collect recipes I pasted or copied them into a file and about twenty years ago I wrote down a recipe for Chicken Gumbo featured on the BBC Food & Drink programme, which I made not long after.   It can also be made with seafood, [...]

Read Full Post »

Fried Plantain

I learned how to make fried plantain by following instructions given by a friend from the Caribbean.  It’s such an easy recipe you might wonder why it is here, nevertheless I think it is worth recording.  Plantain is still fairly new and may be unfamiliar to some people: I had to find out how to cook it!  Although they are the same family, Plantain differ from the yellow dessert bananas [...]

Read Full Post »

Hyacinth’s Salt Fish Cakes

I have eaten lots of Caribbean Salt Fish Cakes but my friend Hyacinth, originally from Jamaica, definitely makes the very best Salt Fish Cakes in E17!  They always ‘go like hot (fish) cakes’ when she brings them to church shared lunches.  One thing that makes them particularly good are that they are crispy outside, soft inside and most importantly, unlike [...]

Read Full Post »

Rice & Peas

This traditional dish from the Caribbean is a combination of rice and red kidney beans, which are are usually called peas, rather than green peas.  The mixture is cooked in coconut milk making it slightly sweet and fragrant.  It is lovely served with any foods from the Caribbean.  I always serve it with Salt Fish Cakes, which I make using a recipe given [...]

Read Full Post »

Chorizo, Pepper & Couscous Stuffed Marrow

Having bought several marrows as they were very reasonably priced on the market, I searched through my books and on the web for some tasty ideas.  This one caught my attention, especially as it used both couscous, which is lovely as a vegetable stuffing and spicy chorizo sausage.  You could add some bacon to the couscous stuffing and top [...]

Read Full Post »

Roasted Lemon Chicken

I often abandon traditional roast dinners in the hot weather, but this zesty lemon flavoured dish has a ’summery’ feel and would be good served with salad, although it could equally as well be eaten with potatoes and vegetables.  The original recipe was called Chicken with Spicy Potatoes, which was how I first served it, except I successfully used [...]

Read Full Post »

Baked Tomato Stuffed Marrow

Having bought a marrow on the market I wanted to find a simple recipe so I could stuff and bake it.  I found several online and eventually decided on this very simple meat free version.  It is worth spending time reducing the tomato mixture as this gives a really rich smooth sauce.  Don’t stint on the basil either [...]

Read Full Post »

Lime & Basil Baked Salmon Parcels

This way of cooking salmon was simple with a beautiful citrus flavour and was perfect for lunch on a warm late Summer Sunday.  The fish was placed on a bed of tomatoes in a greaseproof parcel, topped with a knob of flavoured butter and a slice of lime before being baked in the oven.  As well as using lime as a garnish, I squeezed lime juice over the [...]

Read Full Post »

Basic Recipe: Tortilla Omelette – with Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach

Last year on holiday in the French Basque country the Spanish influence was clearly visible on the menus and in the supermarkets.  One of these was the Tortilla, sometimes called a Spanish Omelette – a Spanish word being used just over the border.  In Italy the word used for this type of dish is Frittata.  The French word is, [...]

Read Full Post »