Author: simplebutsplendid

Fresh, juicy scallops

Juicy scallops on a bed of lambs leaf lettuce dressed with pan juices

We had a huge reason to celebrate… my husband found out he passed his degree so I, being the foodie I am, booked us a nice fancy dinner to celebrate. A little thing to know about my dearest hubby is that he does not eat red meat so any celebration is generally focussed around restaurants that have a good selection of seafood dishes as this feels a bit fancier than the usual chicken.

Having recently moved to London I have found that there is a limited selection of seafood restaurants that serve the type of seafood we like to enjoy. By this I mean warm, richly flavoured cooked seafood and not the towers of shellfish served over ice in the dead of winter.

Never the less I found a quaint little place in central London that had great reviews so off we went. We were definitely not disappointed. The seafood was fresh and cooked to perfection but the star of the evening was by far the scallops started. Served in the shell, delicately flavoured with Pernod (an anise flavoured liquor) with a crisp crumb topping, this was just the type of dish we had been looking for.

Sea scallops with a crisp crumb topping

However, after paying an arm and a leg for a seemingly simplistic dish I set out to come up with my own scallop dish.

Scallops are surprisingly easy to find in the UK although they vary quite a bit in price dependant on how big and if they are diver caught (these are premium quality) or not.

I bought fresh scallops and decided to keep things simple.

Let’s start cooking…

The first step to get a lovely crust on the outside of the scallop is to dry them off really well before cooking. Once dry, season liberally with salt and pepper and add to a screaming hot pan that’s got a little bit of melted butter in already. Sear for 2 minutes per side the remove scallops from the pan.

Lower the heat a bit then add in more butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. Return the scallops to the pan for a final bathe in the delicious juices, baste for 1 minute then switch of the heat and plate up.

I served it as a started salad on top of a bed of lambs leafs lettuce that had been dressed with some of the lemony pan juices.

Fresh, juicy scallops

Servings

2

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • 400g scallops

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced

  • 4 tblsp Butter

Directions

  • Dry scallops thoroughly and season liberally with salt and pepper
  • Melt half the butter in a hot pan
  • Place scallops in but don’t overcrowd the pan
  • Sear on each side for 2 minutes until golden and remove from the pan
  • To the pan, add the remaining butter, lemon juice and zest and the scallops, basting frequently for 1 minute
  • Serve on a bed of lambs leaf lettuce that’s been dressed with the pan juices

simplebutsplendid

Indian comfort food at its best… Kitchiri

Kitchiri- Ultimate warming, healing Indian style comfort food

Kitchiri is quintessential Indian comfort food and it is a well know dish all across all of India and beyond. Most families have their own recipes but the basis of the meal is lentils and rice cooked together. The bright yellow buttery dish looks and tastes like sunshine in a bowl. Both my mom and my mom-in –law always serve it with a little bit of spicy tomato chutney to cut through the richness of the rice.

With just a handful of simple ingredients this is an extremely cost effective dish and relatively fuss free but there is no compromise on flavour. As an added bonus this dish is loaded with turmeric which is great for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Let’s get cooking…

The first is the longest step but it’s not really active cooking. Wash and rinse split peas and set it to boil. This will take about an hour but you’re looking for the right consistency rather than an exact time frame which could result in varying cooking times depending on a number of factors. You want the lentils to cook down until extremely soft and reduced to a paste like consistency. There is no way to overcook this so don’t be afraid.

A much faster way to get to the end result is to use a pressure cooker, I have an Instant Pot so this is what I used and all it took was 10 minutes.

Once the lentils are fully cooked you can start to boil the rice. I use a brown basmati which takes slightly longer to cook and does not disintegrate the way white basmati rice does. Cover the rice with a small amount of water and cook until it is half cooked. Most of the water should have evaporated by now also.

Add in the split pea mixture and add a little water to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pot. This now needs to be watched carefully. Turn your heat down to the lowest and cook while stirring frequently and adding in a tablespoon of water at a time so that nothing burns. Continue until your rice is cooked. The consistency should be quite thick but not dry. In a small pan, fry the onion with the spices and chilli until fragrant then add it to the rice and stir thoroughly. Place blobs of butter in and stir to combine. Serve with a tomato chutney.

Indian comfort food at its best… Kitchiri

Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup yellow split peas

  • 1 cup rice

  • ½ onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1 dried red chilli (fresh chilli would also work)

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

  • Soak split peas for a few hours or overnight
  • Boil until soft (I used the Instant Pot to speed this up, it only takes 10 minutes), on the stove it would 1-1 ½ hours
  • Cover rice with 1 inch of water, add salt to taste and boil until half cooked, most of the water should cook out by this time also
  • Then add the split pea mixture, which should now be a thick paste, to the rice
  • Add a little water so that the rice does not stick to the pot
  • Turn heat to the lowest setting and cook together, stirring frequently, until the rice is cooked
  • In a frying pan braise the onion, chilli and cumin seeds in the oil and butter mixture until fragrant
  • Stir this into the rice
  • Serve with a spicy tomato chutney*

simplebutsplendid

The glory of Indian food

I was raised on the most delicious Indian food. Often Indian meals use spices, starches and pulses to stretch meals in order to feed larger families more cost effectively.

Chutneys and curry gravies made up of braised tomatoes, onions and spices provide a base for proteins or vegetables that can be enjoyed with an assortment of breads or rice. The flavour punch packed by the sauces make it easy enough for a single chicken to feed a family of 8 when cooked into a lush chicken curry.

Hearty biryanis are another easy way to bulk up meals using lentils and rice, served with a few simple salads. Even a simple can of tinned fish, that’s traditionally known as peasant food, gets transformed into a feast when cooked into a biryani.

I often use methods of combining these ingredients taught to me by mom to liven up the blandest of dishes.

Tinned fish biryani

The glory of Indian food

Servings

6-8

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 500g ripened tomatoes or 1 can whole plum tomatoes, blitzed

  • 1 large onion, finely sliced

  • 2 medium potatoes, cut into wedges and roasted

  • 3 hard boiled eggs

  • 4 sprigs mint

  • 4 sprigs thyme

  • 8 sprigs coriander

  • 2 green chillies

  • 1 cup brown rice

  • 1/2 cup frozen peas

  • 1 star anise

  • 4 cardamom pods

  • 2 sticks cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

  • 4 cloves

  • 2 bays leaves

  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (optional)

  • 3 tsp medium curry powder (depending on your heat preference)

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric

  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander

  • 1/2 tsp ground fennel

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt to taste

  • 2 tsp crushed ginger and garlic

  • 2 tblsp plain yoghurt

  • 1 x 400g can of tinned fish (pilchards or pink salmon)

  • 3 tblsp butter

Directions

  • Season potatoes with salt and a pinch of turmeric and roast until soft
  • Cook and peel eggs
  • Par boil the rice until half cooked with whole spices
  • Braise onions and chilli in 2 tblsp oil until translucent
  • Add in chilli powders, ground spices, turmeric and ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, careful not to burn it
  • Add in tomatoes, salt and chopped herbs. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes
  • Once tomatoes are cooked (oil is bubbling to the top) but not completely dried out add in yoghurt, stir then add in fish, cook for 5 minutes.
  • Layer the roasted potatoes on top of the gravy then cover with the rice
  • Scatter over 1/2 cup of water and place halved boiled eggs on top.
  • 10. Dot with butter, cover and steam either on the stove top or oven. I prefer the oven.
  • 11. Pop into oven for 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes
  • 12. After 30 minutes remove from oven, if the rice is fully cooked and the liquid has evaporated the serve, otherwise place back in the oven for a further 30 minutes.
  • 13. Once cooked, serve alongside raita and a simple carrot and onion salad.

simplebutsplendid