Preparing a 3 course dinner on a week day after work can be quite hectic , but there are many simple things you can make that can really impress your guests and you can still eat at reasonable time. We love picking up ideas from our cook books and I must say the Jamie Oliver 30 min meals is great , I love how simple and delicious his dishes are !!! This time I picked up the chocolate Ganache from his book and it was just what I was looking for: quick , tasty and beautiful (you just can’t go wrong with chocolate).
I hadn’t seen Monica and Patricia in a long time and Monica always says how much she misses my food ,so I was on a mission to make something that would remind her of why she missed it , something simple but full of flavor. I went for a pan fried scallops with chili sauce served with rocket salad, followed by a spicy crusted cod fish served with butter beans and crunchy purple broccolis. Then to finish the meal off, chocolate Ganache …
Everything went well, the food was delicious but there was one little disaster: I used a super hot chili for the fish crust and for those who can’t take hot spices, I certainly wouldn't recommend it, it was burning hot … so be careful when choosing your chili peppers , make sure you know how hot they are .
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| pan fried scallops with chili sauce |
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| purple broccolis with garlic |
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| spicy crusted cod with butter beans |
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| chocolate ganache |
Pan fried scallops with rocket and chili sauce
Scallops (3 per person)
For the sauce :
1 tblspoon Coriander
1 Lemon
2 Chilies ( red and green)
Olive oil , salt and pepper for seasoning
Rocket leaves for serving
Place the scallops on a paper towel to absorb the moist, meanwhile prepare the sauce: finely chop the coriander and the chili, add to a small serving bowl, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and drizzle some olive oil on top. Add a little bit of salt and pepper to taste . Once it’s ready, put aside.
In a hot frying pan , drizzle some olive oil and gently pan fry the scallops, turning only once , leave it until its golden 5-7 min depending on the size
For serving , place a few rocket leaves on a plate and place the scallops on top , drizzling some of the sauce on top , ready to serve
Spicy crusted cod with butter beans
Fish
Fillets of Cod (without skin )
100 g crusty bread
100 g corn flour
½ leek
1 spring onion
½ celery
1 chili
1 onion ( finely chopped)
2 lemon
1 tomatoes
Small bunch of fresh coriander
Using a roasting tray , place the cod and drizzle olive oil , salt and pepper and the juice of 1 lemon , rub and toss the fillets in the flavours ,then put it under the grill in the middle tray of the oven for 5 min while you make the topping
For the topping :
using a food processor :
mix 1 - whiz onions , celery , spring onions and leek . put it aside
mix 2 - repeat process with the chopped bread making the crumbs adding the corn flour in the end . put it aside
in a large frying pan with high heat drizzle some olive oil and add mix 1 gently fry it until golden
In a large mixing bowl add mix 1 and 2 together and the chopped tomatoes, squeeze the lemon of 1 juice and mix it all together you should get a moist crumb past.
Get the fish out of the oven and spread the mix on top of the fish , drizzle some olive oil and put it back in the oven for another 10 min , until crumbs are golden and crispy
Beans
150gr pancetta
2 tomatoes
1 x 400g tin of butter beans
Some fresh herbs , coriander or parsley
1 finely chopped onion
In a sauce pan drizzle some oil and add the pancetta , with medium heat , toss occasionally until it’s crispy , leave on the side
Using the same pan (fremove the extra oil from the bacon put aside) fry the onions with a drizzle of olive oil and add the chopped tomatoes, with the onions golden, tip in the beans and their juices and the bacon let it simmer gently to cook the liquid down . sprinkle some coriander on top and ready to serve
Broccolis
400gr purple broccoli
3 cloves of garlic ( finely sliced )
1 red chili ( finely sliced)
Seasoning
2 tbsp Cider vinegar
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Juice of half lemon
Put the broccoli into a pan of boiling water cook for a couple of minutes until tender , don’t cook it too much , you want to keep it quite crunchy , once cooked drain the water and place it in a serving platter
For seasoning using a small frying pan add the finely sliced garlic with a drizzle of olive oil , tossing occasionally until golden brown .
For the sauce , mix olive oil , cider vinegar and the lemon , shake it until it all mix together
On the platter dress the broccoli with the sauce and toss quickly so it spreads through , sprinkle the garlic and chili on top
Ganache
2 x 100G bars of good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
A large knob of butter
300ml single cream
2 clementines
Some biscuits for serving
Pour boiling water into a deep cooking pot and place a large bowl on top (bain marie)
smash up the chocolate bars into the bowl and add the butter and cream with a pinch of salt . Finely grate in a zest of 1 clementine, gently stir and leave it to melt
once melted, give the chocolate a good stir and divide them into small serving bowls or espresso cups , arrange the Clementine and biscuits on a platter and ready to serve
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