Food from the Sun

Neven’s Food from the Sun

Neven Meguire

To Amelda, who shares my passion for food – a wonderful travelling companion, colleague, friend and wife. Thank you foryour love and support. Where to next?

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Small Bites: Appetisers, Mezze and Tapas

Oven-Roasted Dublin Bay Prawns (Langoustines) with Tomato and Chilli

Roasted Red Pepper and Chilli Hummus with Crispy Tortilla Chips

Halloumi with Griddled Pitta and Red Onion, Bean and Tomato Salad

Bruschetta Platter

Roasted Aubergine and Cumin Soup

Crispy Fried Squid with Harissa and Crème Fraîche

Chicken and Wild Mushroom Wontons with Chinese Black Bean Sauce

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Plum Sauce

Aubergine and Mozzarella Parcels with Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Cracked Patatas Bravas

Chicken Satay with Pickled Cucumber Salad

Poached Oysters with Spinach and Lemongrass

Marinated Olives

Spiced Glazed Almonds

Poultry

Turkey Moussaka

Spicy Chicken and Mango Noodles

Blackened Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Salsa

Chicken and Broad Bean Paella with Clams

Tea-Smoked Barbary Duck

Creamy Chicken Korma

Butterflied Poussin

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Five-Spice Chicken Thigh Salad

Thai Yellow Chicken Curry

Crispy Shredded Chinese Duck Salad

Turkey Enchiladas with Chilli Sauce

Harissa Roast Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Meat

Inverted Cashel Blue Burger with Roasted Tomatoes and Red Onion Salad

Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Smoked Paprika and Red Pepper Butter

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Herb Couscous

Chilli Cornbread Pie

Lamb Shanks Osso Bucco

Barbecued Brine Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze

Caramelised Pork Belly with Mustard Potato Purée

Parma-Wrapped Pork Fillet stuffed with Pesto

Butterflied Lamb with Spiced Mint and Yoghurt Rub

Lamb Rogan Josh

Rack of Lamb with Tapenade Toasts and Wilted Spinach

Porchetta with Sautéed Potatoes

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Fish and Shellfish

Black Cod with a Sweet Basil Crust and Roasted Vine Tomatoes

Mackerel with Puy Lentils and Sherry Vinaigrette

Seared Scallops with Date Jam and Curried Cauliflower Purée

Baked Sea Bass with Tomatoes and Olives

Grilled Salmon with Avocado and Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

Fried Butterflied Sardines with Aubergine Chutney

Seared Tuna with Sweetcorn, Red Pepper and Lime Salsa

Smoked Fish Platter with Smoked Salmon Brandade

Roasted Haddock with Smoked Bacon, Haricot Bean Purée and Wilted Spinach

Hake with Clams, Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes in Parchment Paper

Seared Swordfish with Salsa Verde

Monkfish in Thai Yellow Curry Broth

Crispy Lemon Sole with Chilli Jam and Curried Mayonnaise

Vegetables and Salads

Gorgonzola, Pear and Rocket Salad

Chunky Greek Salad with Feta Cheese

Salade Niçoise

Pomegranate, Orange and Mint Salad

Chargrilled Thai Beef Salad

Italian Bean Salad with Griddled Red Onion

Piedmont Roasted Peppers with Feta Cheese

Chargrilled Vegetable Layered Sandwich with Tapenade

Shallot Tarte Tatin

Pumpkin, Spinach and Chickpea Curry with Flatbread

Roasted Stuffed Aubergines with Goat’s Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

Stir-Fried Baby Pak Choi with Mushrooms

Oven-Baked Tomatoes with Ratatouille and a Basil Crust

Griddled Asparagus with Roasted Red Peppers and Parmesan

Beetroot Carpaccio with Creamed Goat’s Cheese

Baked Mediterranean Vegetables with Tomato, Cooleeney Cheese and Parmesan

Dairy and Eggs

Huevos Rancheros

Garlic Yoghurt Cheese with Crudités and Pitta Bread Fingers

Goat’s Cheese Pâté with Apricot Relish

Quick Quesadillas with Chilli Salsa and Soured Cream

Pizza Brie Tart

Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Chorizo and Manchego Cheese

Twice-Baked Cheese Soufflé

Mozzarella Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce

Warm Crab and Spinach Tart

Pancetta Frittata

Pulses, Grains and Pasta

Smoked Salmon and Saffron Orzo

Tabbouleh Salad

Porcini and Artichoke Pasta with Thyme and Lemon

Puy Lentil, Red Onion and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad

Swiss Chard and Ricotta Ravioli with Parmesan Shavings and Toasted Pine Nuts

Singapore Noodles

Lemon and Herb Couscous with Roasted Spicy Root Vegetables

Seafood Lasagne with Salmon Mousse and Prawn Foam

Oven-roasted Cannellini Beans with Sage and Tomato

Roasted Butternut Squash, Crispy Pancetta and Pine Nut Pasta

Mussel and Saffron Risotto with Leek and Courgette

Crispy Wild Mushroom Risotto Balls with Leek and Smoked Bacon

Baked Macaroni Pie with Dublin Bay Prawns (Langoustines)

Chicken and Chorizo Rice Bake

Sweet Things

Pineapple Tarte Tatin

Peach Open Tartlets with Fromage Frais Sorbet

Churros with Hot Chocolate

Orange Polenta Cake with Rosemary Syrup

Passionfruit Tart

Summer Fruit Crumble with Citrus Mascarpone Cream

Coconut Toasted Meringue with Lemon Curd Cream and Tropical Fruit

Buttermilk Pannacotta with Poached Rhubarb

Catalan Crème Pots

Almond and Apricot Tart with Amaretto Custard

Coconut Pearls in Coconut Milk with Caramelised Bananas

Coconut Crème Caramel with Malibu and Pineapple

Pear Belle-Hélène

Lemon and Mango Cheesecake

Larder

Beef Stock

Vegetable Stock

Chicken Stock

Five-Spice Balsamic Cream

Infused Oils

Acknowledgements

Index

About the Author

Copyright

About the Publisher

Introduction

I love travelling. Every January my wife, Amelda, and I head away to far flung places. In recent years we have been to Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Bali and the USA. And wherever we go I love to sample the local food –tasty Thai noodles, rich Moroccan tagines, spicy Mexican food, delicious Italian pasta, fresh Greek salads and so much more. There are many wonderful new tastes, flavours and ingredients out there to discover.

I also enjoy visiting the local markets, such as the amazing Sineu village in Palma, Mallorca. There is a lot of pleasure to be had in finding exotic vegetables, rifling through enormous sacks of spices and sampling local cheeses and meats. And I love to get down to the ports to see the boats coming in and the freshest fish on offer. In this book I wanted to draw on some of these holiday moments with recipes based on dishes I enjoyed abroad –for you to cook at home.

The food we eat is constantly changing and developing. People are becoming more adventurous. Supermarkets are stocking ever increasing ranges of exotic ingredients and excellent fresh food, and great specialist stores are popping up everywhere. You should have no difficulty finding all the ingredients in my recipes. Those holiday flavours no longer have to be just a distant memory.

No matter how much cooking experience you have, the food you serve is only as good as the ingredients you use and I like to buy local, seasonal produce and to support my

local suppliers who provide fresh, top quality goods. Your butcher and fishmonger will offer better value than anything pre-packed and they are experts when it comes to preparing meat and fish exactly how you want it. They are worth a visit.

Each of the nine chapters in the book is themed around a different type of ingredient. There are ideas for whatever is in your fridge whether you’re preparing breakfast, a quick supper, a barbecue or a special occasion family feast. I have also included a larder chapter; a good basic stock is essential as the body and soul of so many soups and sauces.

Holiday dining is always pleasurable–you get to enjoy the sun while someone else cooks your lunch! I enjoy the change for a while but honestly I am never happier than when I am cooking. To help you to revive those memories I have tried to keep the recipes in this book as straightforward as possible. A few require that extra bit of effort, but I think they are definitely worth it. Join me in these new tastes, flavours and combinations, all with the memory of holidays and that hint of the sun.

Happy Cooking!

Small bites: appetisers, mezze and tapas

Oven-roasted Dublin Bay Prawns (Langoustines) with Tomato and Chilli

Serves 4

900g (2lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled (see page 119), halved and seeded

1 small red chilli, halved and seeded

1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 red pepper, halved, seeded and roughly chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley and basil leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

100g (4oz) Serrano ham slices, finely shredded

25g (1oz) plain flour large pinch of sweet paprika

12 raw large Dublin Bay prawns (langoustines), shelled and left whole

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

1 lemon, cut into wedges crusty bread, to serve

This dish is a great example of Spanish cuisine – the unique flavours of the ingredients enhance but do not smother each other. I was inspired to make this by Gillian Bowler, when she was a contestant on RTE’s The Restaurant. King prawns would also work well instead of Dublin Bay prawns.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Place the tomatoes, chilli, onion, red pepper, garlic clove and herbs in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan set over a medium heat, add the tomato mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fry for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, then stir in the Serrano ham.

Mix the flour and paprika in a shallow bowl and lightly coat the prawns in the mixture. Heat the remaining oil in a very hot frying pan and quickly sear the prawns on both sides until golden brown. Place them in the ovenproof dish on top of the sauce and drizzle over any oil left in the frying pan. Roast for 6–8 minutes or until the prawns are just cooked through and slightly firm. Garnish with parsley and serve at once with lemon wedges and a separate basket of crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices.

Roasted Red Pepper and Chilli Hummus with Crispy Tortilla Chips

Serves 4-6 | VEGETARIAN

1 large red pepper olive oil, for cooking

1 red chilli (mild)

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

good pinch of ground cumin

100ml (312fl oz) tahini (sesame seed paste), optional

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil pinch of sweet or smoked paprika

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

For the tortilla chips

4-6 soft flour tortillas olive oil, for brushing

This variation on traditional hummus has a fantastic, vibrant colour. Here it is served with home-cooked crispy tortilla chips, which are much lower in fat than the ones you buy. It’s also great spread on crackers or chunks of warm bread, or scooped up with toasted garlic bread.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6. To prepare the tortilla chips, place two baking trays in the oven for about 5 minutes until well heated. Meanwhile, brush both sides of the soft flour tortillas with olive oil, then cut in half. Cut each half into four triangles and arrange on the heated baking sheets. Place in the oven for 3–4 minutes until crisped up.

Place the whole red pepper in a roasting tin and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then add the whole chilli and drizzle over a little more olive oil. Continue to cook for another 15–20 minutes until both vegetables are completely tender and nicely charred. Transfer to a plastic food bag and leave to cool completely. This will help to steam the skins off. When cool enough to handle, peel both, cut in half and remove the cores and seeds. Roughly chop the flesh.

Place the red pepper and chilli flesh in a food processor with the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, tahini (if using) and 4 tablespoons of water. Blend to a creamy purée. Taste, then add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or some salt if needed. Turn out into a wide serving bowl, and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle over a little paprika and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the parsley. To serve, arrange the crispy tortilla chips on a platter next to the bowl of roasted red pepper and chilli hummus.

VARIATION

Avocado Hummus

Instead of the red pepper and chilli, you will need one ripe avocado. Hass avocados are available all year round and have a lovely creamy texture, but other varieties are also fine to use. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Proceed with the final stage of the recipe as described opposite.

Halloumi with Griddled Pitta and Red Onion, Bean and Tomato Salad

Serves 4 | VEGETARIAN

250g (9oz) halloumi cheese

1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

4 white pitta bread

For the salad

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

400g can of haricot beans, drained and rinsed

12 vine cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, peeled and diced

12 pitted black olives

1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp chopped fresh mint Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

I first enjoyed halloumi while on holiday in Cyprus, where it has been produced for centuries. It is a semi-hard cheese prepared from the milk of sheep, cows or goats and then sometimes rolled in wild mint. It has a distinct and pleasant flavour and is versatile to cook with, as its soft springy texture always retains its shape even when fried or grilled.

To prepare the salad, place the garlic, lemon rind and juice and olive oil in a large pan set over a low heat, stirring to combine. Stir in the haricot beans with the tomatoes, red onion, olives and herbs, add salt and pepper to taste, then leave to warm gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl to marinate for 1 hour, which will allow the flavours to develop.

When ready to cook the halloumi, heat a griddle pan and a frying pan, until both are very hot. Cut the halloumi cheese into four thick slices and dip them in cold water, then dust all over with the paprika. Add the olive oil to the heated frying pan, then add the halloumi slices. Fry for 4 minutes, turning once, until golden. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze the lemon juice over the cheese.

Meanwhile, arrange the pitta bread on the griddle pan or under a preheated grill and cook for 1 minute, turning once until puffed up and lightly charred. Alternatively, put the pitta in a toaster for a minute or two. Cut into slices on the diagonal.

Spoon the red onion, bean and tomato salad into the centre of four plates and arrange a piece of grilled halloumi on top, spooning over the lemon-flavoured pan juices. Arrange the griddled pitta slices on the side to serve.

Bruschetta Platter

Serves 4-6

12 thick slices of rustic bread, preferably sourdough

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Warm grilled breads with various toppings appear all over the Mediterranean, and make the perfect nibble at a drinks party. The key to success with this dish is to use the finest-quality ingredients. Splash out on the best extra-virgin olive oil and get some lovely rustic bread, or if you’re really lucky you might be able to find wood-fired sourdough.

To prepare your bruschetta, preheat the grill to medium or heat a griddle pan and use to toast the slices of bread on both sides. Remove the toast from the heat and immediately rub one side with a piece of garlic.

Drizzle over the olive oil and cut any very large slices of toast in half. Use immediately with a selection of the delicious toppings that follow. Arrange on large serving platters or trays to serve.

Goat’s cheese with fig and onion marmalade

VEGETARIAN

2 tbsp olive oil

3 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

225g (8oz) ready-to-eat dried figs, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 small glass red wine

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar

good pinch of chopped fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground black pepper

450g (1lb) goat’s cheese with rind

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the sliced red onions until softened. Stir in the chopped figs, crushed garlic, red wine and the balsamic vinegar. Simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated, then stir in the teaspoon of caster sugar and the thyme. Season to taste and leave to cool completely, then spread onto the prepared bruschetta. Thinly slice the goat’s cheese and arrange on top. Place briefly under the grill until the cheese is lightly melting and brown on top.

Artichoke and Parmesan purée

VEG ETARIAN

300g jar of artichoke hearts in olive oil (or 400g can of artichoke hearts in water)

handful of flat-leaf parsley

50g (2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

juice of 12 lemon

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drain the artichoke hearts and place in a food processor with the flat-leaf parsley, Parmesan cheese and the lemon juice. Blitz to form a smooth paste, then with the motor still running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, then spread thickly over the prepared bruschetta.

Parma ham-wrapped asparagus with tapenade

12 slices Parma ham

12 asparagus spears, blanched (plunged into boiling water for 1 minute, then rinsed)

For the tapenade

250g (9oz) pitted black olives

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp chopped capers

6 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make a rough-textured tapenade, chop the black olives and mix in a bowl with the lemon juice, capers, anchovy fillets, crushed garlic and the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and add enough olive oil to form a fairly thick paste. Spread each slice of Parma ham with some of the tapenade and then wrap the slices around the blanched asparagus spears. Spread the rest of the tapenade over the prepared bruschetta and put the Parma ham-wrapped asparagus spears on top.

Roasted Aubergine and Cumin Soup

Serves 4-6 | VEGETARIAN

3 large aubergines

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 red peppers

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Vitsp cumin seeds

900ml (112 pints) vegetable stock (see page 213)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

The silky texture of aubergine makes this a particularly rich and creamy soup. At only 150 calories per serving, it’s also the perfect low-fat option.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and trim off the stalks. Brush the cut sides with a little of the oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place cut-side up in a roasting tin along with the whole red peppers and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the flesh of the aubergine is tender and the skin of the red pepper is blackened and blistered.