Ginger Jar Food
RECIPES
April 20th, 2012
Canapé: seared mackerel with peanut, tamarind & lime
A new canapé on our list, this super fresh bite uses a thick Asian pesto, made with peanuts, tamarind, lime and fresh coriander root, to give a zing to the seared, fresh mackerel. Stack on a rice cracker for crunch and top with micro herbs for colour.
April 19th, 2012
Simple BBQ sauce
This simple, spicy BBQ sauce recipe is a multi-functional delight. It features most recently on our pulled pork sausage rolls, but has also made an appearance on sticky ribs and buffalo wings. It takes 20 mins, tops. Try it!
April 2nd, 2012
Lamb cutlet with anchovy & rosemary breadcrumbs, salsa verde
Lamb and anchovy are made for each other. The sweetness of the charred lamb cutlet, which has been brushed in runny honey to help it caramelise when seared, is brought to life when then dunked in fine anchovy, rosemary and parsley breadcrumbs before being briefly roasted. Make a simple salsa verde with light herbs such as mint, basil and more parsley to serve alongside your cutlet, and you’ll be in Spring time heaven.
April 2nd, 2012
Coconut & black pepper prawns with mango & apple salad in nahm jim
This dish is a brilliant way to get your fix of hot, salty, sweet ‘n sour. Succulently sweet king prawns (use the biggest and best you can find) are dipped in egg white then rolled in grated coconut, freshly ground black pepper and some sea salt, then deep or shallow fried. The black pepper gives a sharp heat against the sweet coconut, but the extra element comes from a little salsa-ey salad made up of mango, apple and baby herbs, tossed in nahm jim, a Thai dressing incorporating chilli, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar.
April 2nd, 2012
Pulled pork belly sausage rolls with spicy home-made BBQ sauce
These little spicy pork rolls will make an appearance on our bowl and canapé menus, because we think they’re that good. Slow cooked pork belly is stripped and mixed with some of our home-made BBQ sauce before being wrapped in puff pastry, slathered with egg yolk and sesame seeds, and baked into delightfulness. A little more effort than your average sausage roll, but well worth it.
April 2nd, 2012
Ricotta & spinach gnudi with sage butter
These little poached then pan-fried gnudi (pronounced nuddy, I believe) are a lighter version of the more commonly known potato gnocchi. Here, no potato is used, just a little flour and egg to bind the mixture of drained ricotta, wilted spinach and handfuls of Parmesan. The mini dumplings are then poached briefly in boiling salting water before being fried off quickly in a simple sage butter. Crispy-fried sage leaves give the dish some texture.
April 2nd, 2012
Seared tuna with lemongrass guacamole
Replacing some of the lime juice in your guacamole with the citrus notes of lemongrass takes this classic dip in an Asian direction. The next step is to get some spanking fresh tuna, portion it into small pieces, season it well with salt and pepper and sear in it a very hot pan for a few seconds on both sides. Ready in under 10 minutes, this dish can make a great starter, tasting plate or even canapé if you pop your tuna on a small rice cracker.
January 30th, 2012
Grilled mackerel, charred broccoli & aubergine chutney
Grilling slim, oily fish fillets such as mackerel is the perfect way to cook them. Skin side up, a little salt and pepper, 3 to 4 minutes, and you’re left with crisp skin, juicy flesh on the underside, and bags of flavour. To accompany our lovely fish, we created a charred broccoli dish and a roasted aubergine chutney. Again, add them to your toolkit for mix & match suppers.
January 30th, 2012
Monkfish tikka, brown basmati pilaf
I love a curry, but there can be a lot of oil, or ghee or white rice or bread involved, all the things I’m supposed to be avoiding for January. So, rather than admit defeat and let Rivita take over, we came up with this low fat tikka and brown basmati pilaf recipe to bring protein and good grains into our diet. It’s quick and simple so can form part of a tool box of ideas to keep you well fed, in a healthy way!
January 30th, 2012
Spicy grilled chicken with chucumber
I did notice a little theme when writing this newsletter, spice was cropping up A LOT. In my mind if I can’t have cream, butter, carbs or too much sugar, then I’ll turn to my spice box to bring the healthy stuff to life. Here we quickly grill some chicken, which has been marinated in a spicy rub and serve it with chucumber, an Indian salsa made from cucumber, tomato and chilli. It’s excellent.