Brown shrimp croquettes/Garnalen kroketten

In the UK and Ireland these delicious brown shrimp are impossible to come by and when you do, very expensive. Luckily they are very easy to come by here in the Netherlands and not so expensive. Hollandse Garnalen or Dutch brown shrimp are native to these waters and a favourite chez kitchen exile. I often make potted shrimp with these but on rare occasions make croquettes or kroketten as they are known in Dutch.

Makes about 12 croquettes
200g brown shrimp
2g sweet paprika
60g plain flour
50g butter
290ml fish stock
2 shallots finely chopped
10 ml oil for frying the shallots
salt and pepper

Croquette coating
200g panko breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
100g plain flour
2l - 4l oil for frying (dependent on how large your pan or deep fryer is)

Croquette filling
Fry off the shallots on a low heat for 10 minutes until soft and glossy, place to one side 
Melt the butter, add the flour and paprika and stir to combine with a whisk
Cook for another 2-3 minutes whisking all the time
On a medium heat start to add the fish stock, it will clump up briefly and then thin out a little when all the liquid has been added
Keep whisking on a low heat until the mixture starts to thicken, at this point add the shrimp and shallots and continue whisking until it gets very thick, you need a very stiff mixture for this recipe
Season with salt and pepper and then pour into a deep dish baking tray and allow to cool
Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up further

To coat the croquettes
Take three plates, on one place the flour, on another the egg and another the breadcrumbs
Slice off a three inch long by one inch wide piece of croquette mix and roll in your hands until it forms a cylindrical shape
Roll first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the bread crumb mix ensuring it is well covered
Place to one side on a baking tray and repeat for the rest of the croquette mixture
Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up again

To cook the croquettes
Pour the oil into a pan or deep fryer and heat until the oil reaches 180c
Place the croquettes in gently, taking care not to overcrowd the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown in colour

Patatas bravas/Mushrooms with blue cheese/Garlic shrimps/Chorizo in red wine

These are some of my favourite tapas menu dishes that I like to replicate at home. They are great for evenings when you have friends over and want some easy going sharing dishes.

 
Patatas bravas

For the potatoes
10 small potatoes halved
50ml olive oil or 50g of pork fat
1g salt and a few twists of pepper

Place the potatoes in an oven proof dish, drizzle with the oil and season with the salt and pepper cook at 210c (fan) 220c (normal)
Cook for 30 mins or until brown and crispy

For the sauce
100ml passata
10ml sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic finely sliced
1 shallot finely chopped
6 small fresh tomatoes or 3 normal sized finely chopped (use 100g tinned when not in season)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
10ml oil

Fry off the shallot and garlic in the oil on a low heat until soft, add the tomato puree and smoked paprika and stir through and cook for a further 5 mins
Next add the tomatoes and passata and cook for about 15 mins or until the tomatoes have started to soften
Add the sherry vinegar and stir through for about 1-2mins
Season to taste and serve with the crispy potatoes

Prawns with Garlic

10 large king prawns shell on
2 cloves of garlic finely sliced
10ml olive oil
20ml vermouth
salt and pepper to taste
10g fresh parsely to garnish

Add the oil and garlic to a pan and cook on a very low heat for 10 minutes to allow the oil to infuse
Turn the heat to medium and add the prawns and cook for 1 – 2 mins each side
Turn the heat up high and add the vermouth and cook for a further 1-2 mins
Season with the salt and pepper before serving and sprinkle with the parsely

Chorizo in red wine and port

100g chorizo sliced
20ml port
50ml red wine

Add the chorizo to a warm pan and cook until it starts to release it’s oils (about 4-5 mins) on medium heat
Turn the heat up to high and add the wine and port and cook for 1-2 mins until the sauce reduces

Mushrooms with blue cheese

2 portobello mushrooms quartered      
70g blue cheese such as gorgonzola dolce or stilton
20ml white wine
10ml olive oil

Place the mushrooms in a baking dish and drizzle with the oil
Dot with the cheese and place in a pre warmed oven at 170C (fan) 180c(normal) for 15 mins
Add the wine and bake for a further 5 mins

Masala chai tea chocolate truffles

This recipe was inspired by Hanneke de Jonge who writes the blog Culinea. I had the pleasure of meeting Hanneke last year as she was one of my fellow competitors at the Tasty Talent national cooking competition, which I won. We keep bumping into one another at various cookery festivals these days and it's always a pleasure to catch up.

Hanneke has many and varied recipes on her blog and her recipe for the truffles can be found here http://www.culinea.nl/recepten/chai-chocoladetruffels/ 

I, however, decided to put my own spin on the recipe and make a masala chai tea base using whole aromatics, rather than ground spices. I also used 54.5% callebaut chocolate beads, rather than milk chocolate and used butter in the ganache base which is more traditional. It lends a nice sheen to the end result. 

1 slice of fresh ginger thickly cut
3cm piece whole cinnamon
3 green cardamon pods lightly crushed
3cm piece lemongrass
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 vanilla pod
3 cloves
3g assam tea leaves
100ml double cream
20g salted butter
230g 54% chocolate 


Place the ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, lemongrass, bay leaf, cardamon, peppercorns, cloves and assam tea into a pan with the cream and butter
Allow to infuse on a medium heat for 10 minutes
Strain the cream, remove the aromatics and place the cream back into the pan with the chocolate beads on a low heat 
Stir until the chocolate has melted
While the mixture is still warm, pour into silicone moulds and place in the fridge until set

Alternatively
Place the chocolate into a bowl and leave in the fridge to cool for a few hours until almost set
To form the truffles, take a small piece of the ganache and form into a small ball with your hands, 
Repeat until you have done so with all the mixture, you can dust the rolled truffles with icing sugar if you so wish

Earl grey infused date and almond treats

I'm almost embarrassed to write this recipe it is so simple, but hey, I can't do complex all the time, can I?

I noticed I had a surfeit of dates in my cupboard. They're normally lurking in case I fancy cooking sticky toffee pudding. So this time, I fancied doing something a bit different with the dates and wanted a quick and easy snack with a sweet kick so this is how this recipe came about.

100ml earl grey tea cold
300g dates stones removed
100g unsalted almonds

Infuse the dates in the earl grey for 2-3 hours
Drain the dates and place in a food processor with the almonds, reserve about 5 - 10ml of the tea
Pulse the dates till they resemble a rough paste
Add about 5ml of the tea to loosen the mixture somewhat but it needs to be relatively stiff and pulse some more
Roll into small balls

You can add some variety to this recipe by rolling the balls in desiccated coconut, cocoa powder or sesame seeds.

Pork pie

Many of you will associate the pork pie as a quintessential English recipe. It’s not one you’ll encounter outside of the UK, unless you stumble across it in an expat shop or an overseas branch of an English supermarket. I like to serve mine with home-made mustard, pickles and cheese as part of a ploughman’s lunch. This recipe requires a full days attention to make, so do make sure you have enough time set aside. 

Now it must be said that I’m not a huge pork pie fan, but I do indulge occasionally. It was on my weekly trip into town that I stopped by Kitchen Art, my local Kitchen emporium, and had my usual browse. When I say browse, sometimes I’m lucky to get out without spending a small fortune in there. Before you think that this is a shop where the sales assistants push the hard sell, they don’t. It’s just that they have sooo many nice things to buy in there and the sales assistants and owners are very lovely people too.  On my last visit I came across some pork pie tins, so just had to buy some, naturally that led to having to make some pork pies. 

For the hot water crust pastry

300g plain flour
1tsp salt
30g lard
1 egg beaten
70g unsalted butter
100ml boiling water

Sift the flour and salt together
Add the butter and lard and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs
Mix in the beaten egg
Pour in the boiling water and stir till the mixture forms a stiff dough
Form into a ball and place in the fridge to cool and rest

Once the pastry has rested, start to roll it out so you can line your pie tin (I used a 10cm high tin)
Roll out enough to line the tin with slight overlaps on the edges and then roll out another round disk for the top of the pie
The pastry should be about 5mm thick
Line the tin, ensuring you press the pastry well into the bottom and sides, place in the fridge to cool for at least 20 minutes before filling

For the filling

500g pork neck or shoulder roughly minced
200g smoked pancetta or bacon roughly cubed (1cm pieces)
20g mixed dried herbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and ensure it is well seasoned, 
You can check the seasoning by frying off a small piece of the meat and adjust the seasoning if needed

To assemble the pie

Fill the pie until it reaches the top
Add the pastry lid to the pie and bring together the edges by pinching the pastry together as shown below

Cut a small slit in the top to allow moisture to escape and also so you can fill with the jelly once the pie is cooked
You can keep the slit open while cooking by inserting a nozzle from a piping bag or similar cone shaped object in the top of the pastry lid
The pie can then be cooked at 180C (fan) 200C (normal oven) for 1 hour, lower the heat down to 140C (fan) 160c (normal oven) and then cook for a further hour

Remove from the oven, remove the nozzle and allow to cool

For the Jelly

Traditionally you would make a Jelly with pigs trotters and stock with some herbs (simmer for a couple of hours and allow to cool, strain and then use to top up the pie). This is the way I like to make it myself, but for many of you they are not easy to come by so here is the alternative. 

400ml chicken or pork stock
3 leaves gelatine (be sure to check the brand you are using as the set may vary for each brand and the amount of liquid)

Soak the gelatine leaves for 20 mins in cold water
Warm the stock through and add the leaves, stir until they have dissolved completely
Allow the stock to cool slightly (but not set) before adding to the pie
You may not need all the jelly when filling the pie.

To finish

Top up the pie with the jelly and allow to cool fully before tucking into the pie.

Enjoy!

Crispy chicken wings Dutch fried

As I mentioned previously I'm a big fan of chicken I thought it would be remiss of me not to give you my all time favourite recipe. This isn't some traditional Dutch recipe, just a pun on the fact I now live in the Netherlands.

As much as I like fried chicken I've never been a fan of KFC, I think I've sampled their fare probably twice in my life, which is more than the number of times I've set foot in a McDonalds. Not something I'll be repeating again. I'm not anti fast food joints, but the indigestion really isn't worth it.

Fast food is all well and good but making it in the comfort of your own home with ingredients that you know where they came from is even better. The only thing fast about this recipe is how quickly you eat it as it's so tasty, but it is worth the marinading time!

Allow yourself 2 days to make this with marinading and brining.

Ingredients:
1 dessert spoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp pimenton
1 teaspoon aromat
2 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch) or plain wheat flour
1 tablespoon coarse polenta
10 Chicken wings or 5 boneless thighs halved
1 litre brine solution (10g salt dissolved in 1l water)
400ml buttermilk to marinade
Oil for frying

The day before marinade the chicken in the brine solution for 6-8 hours 
Then marinade the chicken in buttermilk overnight, this helps to tenderize the chicken
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a freezer bag, add the chicken to the bag and closing the freezer bag shake to coat the chicken.
Deep fry at 180c for at least 10 mins until crispy on the outside 

They also can be shallow fried, turning often and quickly for 15 minutes which will crisp the outside 
Or you can fry for 2-3 minutes on each side in a small amount of oil on a high heat and then finish in a moderate oven (180c for 15-20 minutes)

Asian style chicken and prawn balls

I came up with this recipe many years ago when I first purchased my magimix. I think the recipe came about after I was at a loss for something to cook but wasn't in the mood for actual cooking that took ages. So the idea of throwing everything in the magimix seemed to be a good one. I do like Asian flavours and the dip is a good use for my home made chilli jelly.

This is a very easy and healthy recipe; it can be eaten as a snack, served with stir fried veg as a main course or served as nibbles prior to a dinner party with a dipping sauce.

4 chicken thighs, boned and skinned
10 large prawns (uncooked)
1 inch fresh ginger
1 red chilli
2 cloves garlic
2 acallions
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
75g fresh coriander

 1 tsp salt

Roughly chop the ginger, chilli, garlic, spring onion and coriander

Place in a food processor and pulse till finely shredded. 

Roughly dice the thighs and prawns and them add to the mix in the processor

Add the soy sauce whilst it is pulsing, ensure everything has mixed well in the processor.

You can now shape the mixture into balls, take a heaped dessert spoon and shape using your hands. I find it easier if I oil my hands with sesame oil (it adds flavour).

The mixture can now be either steamed, grilled or baked. 

If steaming, do so over a medium heat about 110c for 20 minutes, if baking 180 degrees again for 20 minutes, grilling about 10- 15 mins on a medium heat

I serve this with a dipping sauce, made from sweet chilli sauce (100ml), juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp fish sauce, add chopped coriander leaf as a garnish.