easy

Chermoula Recipe – or, Moroccan Fish

- Alex Prichard 1 Comment

Untitled
I might have to make this again, just to take a better photo!

Last week I asked Andy want he wanted for dinner ,I suggested to go to the nearest sushi restaurant to taste different fish recipes . I had a bit of a look on the internet and a bit of a look through my cookbooks which also suggested the same as it was close enough.

Made in Morocco is a cookbook that, while it gets sporadic work outs, probably is somewhat underutilised. My mum bought it for me almost 10 years ago (and doesn’t that make me feel ancient) just before I headed off on a holiday to the said country. My break was less haute cuisine and more eating harira (a chickpea and noodle soup) around a campfire. But, you know, if you ever fancy a trip where your night time toilet breaks are outside and accompanied by sleet and braying donkeys, I guess I recommend a ‘winter sun’ trekking holiday*.

I originally thought I was going to make a simple fish tagine from the book, but when push came to shove, even that started to look like too much work, so I decided that actually, I’d just make the chermoula and that would do as a simple sauce/dressing for the fish.

Traditionally, chermoula is quite a wet spice mix which is used as a marinade. But really, it has tons of uses. By altering how much oil you use, you can make it firmer and more dip like, you can use it as a sauce or a marinade, and, in my case, I used left overs on pasta as a kind of pesto. You can use this with pretty much any protein and of course its robust flavour means it would be great with barbecued meat.

Very flexible and very tasty. And, of course, quick, easy and perfect for making ahead!

* This makes me sound a lot more hard core and adventurous in my holidays than I actually am. And I would actually genuinely recommend a trekking holiday in Morocco because the scenery is stunning.

Print
Chermoula Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of coriander
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 red chilli (seeds removed, if you wish)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup of (good quality) olive oil

Instructions

  1. Process everything together, adding the oil slowly until you reach your desired consistency.
  2. If you are making the chermoula as a marinade, make it runnier and use a light olive oil. If you intend to use it as a dip, use a very good quality extra virgin olive oil and make it firmer (dipping consistency!).
https://eatingadelaide.com/chermoula-recipe-moroccan-fish/

South Indian Sambal

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

IMG_3873

We try to eat fish at least once a week and, I have to confess, I really struggle with making sustainable fish choices outside farmed salmon. I want to choose fish which is fresh, local and sustainable – especially when a recipe calls for a firm white fish. We all love flathead but not only is this a bad choice, it’s also stupidly expensive. And sometimes (as in, a Sunday afternoon after a couple of hours at a 3 year old’s birthday party) your choice is dictated by what’s in the supermarket.

Anyway, the happy outcome of this story is that the following sambal would work brilliantly with other proteins. A tandoori lamb chop, a chicken breast, or even snuck into a chicken burger. Or on top of some fish, if you can find something that ticks all the boxes.

Don’t be put off by the fact that the following recipe contains coconut. It’s essential, more for texture than flavour. If you have access to fresh grated coconut, even better, but dessicated will do (I’m testament to that!).

The sambal can be prepared in advance (and I suspect this would improve it) and can be tweaked to suit your preference. Just don’t go overcomplicating things.

I served the sambal on top of the pan fried fish, with steamed green beans and a generous side portion of spicy fried potatoes. Even with the potatoes this is a very healthy dinner.

The original recipe comes from taste.com.au.

Print
South Indian Sambal

Ingredients

  • ½ small brown onion, finely chopped
  • ½ red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • ~ ¼ cup of coconut - either dessicated or shredded fresh
  • fresh green chilli, finely chopped, to taste
  • 1 tomato, finely chopped (deseeded, if you can be bothered!)
  • generous handful of coarsely chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 pinch caster sugar

Instructions

  1. On a mediuam heat, heat some oil (I used peanut) in a pan, and add the onion. When the onion starts to soften, add the ginger and mustard seeds.
  2. When the onion is soft, add the coconut and toast until the coconut just starts to change colour. You need to pay attention here because burnt coconut will taste awful and you won't be able to rectify things!
  3. Place the chilli in a small bowl. Tip over the hot onion and stir through. Allow to cool slightly before adding the tomato, coriander, lemon juice and sugar. Mix well. Taste and correct seasoning (you may want to add salt) if necessary.
  4. If you're making in advance, store in the fridge, but serve at room temperature.
https://eatingadelaide.com/south-indian-sambal/

Pork Chops with Sage, Italian Style

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

Untitled

Despite putting together fun meal plans for Eating Adelaide, our own meal planning has been pretty shambolic of late. We are getting back on track, but a lot of our choices are being driven by how quick something will be to put on the table. The toddler seems to be in the process of dropping his nap (we’ve done well – he’s almost 3 and until the last couple of weeks has routinely been napping 2-3 hours a day!) and Andy has just started a new job.

So there’s not a lot of time for leisurely kitchen activities. Dinner needs to be of the “put in pan and serve” variety. And, of course, I have the sage plant …

A quick trawl through my delicious bookmarks threw up this simple recipe for pork chops, from The Goddess’s Kitchen, an English blog I’ve been following for ages. Maria doesn’t blog as frequently as she used to, and a lot of her posts are baking oriented (one of the reasons I started following in the first place) but this simple pork chop recipe hit the mark.

I served it with mash and a few steamed vegetables, and made a simple tweak to the sauce (I opened the cream for the mash, so I figured I might as well enrich the sauce at the same time!). It’s a great way of using some kitchen garden produce and jazzing up a very simple supper.

Print
Pork Chops with Sage, Italian Style

Ingredients

  • 2 pork loin chops
  • fresh sage leaves, to taste, but at least 3 per chop
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • generous splash of white wine
  • 1 tbsp cream

Instructions

  1. Add some oil or butter to a pan and cook the chops.
  2. When the chops are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. If there is a lot of fat in the pan drain.
  3. Return the pan to a gentle heat and add the garlic and sage leaves. Season. Add the white wine and reduce a little before adding the cream.
  4. Cook for a few minutes, until the raw alcohol taste is cooked out and the sauce reduces further.
  5. Serve the pork chops dressed with the sauce.
https://eatingadelaide.com/pork-chops-sage-italian-style/