Laying Tables...

I love laying the table. There is something so satisfying about building up the layers of linen on wood, placemats, glassware, silverware and so on. Then decorating the table to suit the occasion: hyacinths and daffodils for an Easter lunch, silver dragées, greenery and pine cones for Christmas and peonies in glass cups for a lazy summer lunch outside. Looking through magazines and my own scraps here are a few of my favourite inspirations...

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Seafood the Eastern Way

At the moment my mum is trying the latest diet, ‘The Dukan Diet’, which basically means you eat protein all day everyday to start with then you can alternate with days of vegetables being allowed also. Being the loving supportive daughter that I am (ahem) I am doing it with her (sort of, what she doesn’t know can’t hurt her!) and this poses a big problem in the kitchen. How to make yet another skinless chicken thigh appealing? How many ways with eggs can there be? And how much low fat cottage cheese and yoghurt can one stomach? Added to this, a whiff of ‘diet’ anything and my Dad instantly turns against something. So, to spur us on we bought some amazingly large prawns and a big juicy monkfish tail from the fishmonger – the best thing about this diet is that it is a fantastic excuse to indulge in seafood i.e. breakfast for the last 2 weeks has been smoked salmon and scrambled eggs mmm. Butter, flour, anything but a wipe of oil etc. is obviously out so it was hard to know how to cook the fish, until I remembered how healthy eastern cooking can be, relying on strong spicy marinades in place of the Western tendency to envelope fish in creamy buttery sauces. 

I adapted the monkfish recipe below from one of Rick Stein’s recipes from his Far Eastern Odyssey cookbook and then simply sautéed the precooked prawns in some oil and soy sauce, then served with a Vietnamese carrot salad that I have previously posted about. I also added a pickle from Stein’s cookbook, see below. Of course, noodles can be added for people not crazy enough to do this diet!

Balinese Marinated and Grilled Monkfish Kebabs

• For the marinade, blend: 25g Shallots, roughly chopped, 15g Garlic, roughly chopped, 1 Red Chilli, thinly sliced, 20g Ginger, roughly chopped, ½ Tsp Turmeric, 2 Tbsp Tamarind Water (you can buy the paste in supermarkets, then just add some to water and sieve to remove lumps) and ½ Tsp Salt. Tip into a large bowl and add 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil.
• Chop about 400g Monkfish tail, skinned and boned, into large chunks and mix into the marinade. Leave for about and hour.
• Thread onto metal or wooden (soaked in water for ½ hour) skewers and then grill (or BBQ in the summer) for about 4 minutes on each side.

Balinese Lemongrass and Shallot Sambal

Sambal Matah

• Wrap ½ Tsp Shrinp Paste in a small square of foil to make a parcel and roast in a heavy saucepan for 2-3 minutes each side. Leave to cool.
• In a serving bowl mix 2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, shredded, 4 Red Chillis, finely sliced, 2 Fat Lemongrass Stalks, core finely chopped, 175g Shallots, halved and thinly sliced, 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped and the Fish Paste, crumbled. Stir in 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil and 1 Tbsp Lime Juice and leave for ½ an hour to pickle slightly. 

Chicken, Preserved Lemon, Olive and Fennel Tagine

This makes the most tender chicken you will ever taste. The preserved lemons and olives add a touch of bitterness which is not unpleasant, only serving to balance the sweet juiciness of the braised fennel and chicken.

Serves 4

• Mix 1 Heaped Tsp Coriander Seeds, bashed up, 1 Level Tsp Ground Cumin, 1 Heaped Tsp Ground Ginger and 2 Tbsp Olive Oil together in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl put 1 Chicken (approx 1.5kg), jointed into 4 with the skin on. Massage with the spice rub, then cover with clingfilm, and put into the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours or, even better, overnight.
• When you’re ready to cook, heat a generous lug of olive oil in a tagine or casserole-type 
pan, and fry the chicken pieces over a medium to high heat, skin side down first, for about 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
• While your chicken fries, chop 2 Fennel Bulbs into 8 wedges, and add these to the pan along with 2 Onions, roughly chopped and 4 Cloves of Garlic, sliced. Stir well and fry for a couple more minutes, then mix 3 Small Preserved Lemons, chopped, 80g Green and Black Olives and a large pinch of Saffron.
• Pour in 500ml Chicken Stock, give everything a good stir, then cover with a lid or foil, and simmer on a low heat for 1½ hours, or until the meat starts to fall away from the bone. Halfway through, have a check and give it a good stir. Keep an eye on it and add a splash of water if it looks dry. When the time’s up and your chicken looks perfect, stir gently. If it’s still a bit liquidy, leave it to blip away with the lid off until thickened slightly.
• Season to taste and serve with cous cous.