Something to stew...

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...that's all it takes to make a flavourful and delicious stew for your next dinner. The only effort this fragrant seafood stew requires is a trip to the nearest fish market or seafood counter.

When cooking with seafood it not only makes a huge difference to buy it as fresh as possible but also to cook it as fast as possible. In this particular stew I used fresh king prawns (a favourite here in Australia), black mussels and squid. In addition to the salty and briny flavours of the sea, I added some classic aromatic accompaniments like plenty of white wine, chopped garlic, fresh and tinned tomatoes, a touch of chilli and handfuls of herbs such as bay, fresh lemon thyme, rosemary and basil.  

The key to this dish is to let things stew - but not the seafood! Sounds funny, I know. First cook everything except for the seafood together on a slow heat, stir the pot a little and then, when all the tastes have come together you add the star.  Fresh prawns, mussels and squid cook in just a few minutes and they don't need any more handling than that. Follow the recipe and you'll have perfectly cooked seafood every time! So lovely and delicious...

fragrant seafood stew
serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
2 sprigs of lemon thyme
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tin of tomatoes (use a good brand if you can!)
1 cup white wine
1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
1 tsp sugar
sea salt and cracked black pepper
water (about 1/2-1 cup)
6 large prawns (like king prawns or similar), cleaned
8-10 large mussels, scrubbed
1 squid (cleaned, skinned and sliced into pieces)
handful basil leaves
fresh lemons, quartered

Place a large pot on medium heat and once hot add oil, shallots and stir for a few minutes. Then add garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.  Sweat for about 5-10 minutes and then add tomatoes and white wine. While simmering add chopped chilli, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. At this point add some water because it will evaporate while cooking. Let stew for about 20-30 minutes on a low heat and add a bit more water if too dry. At this point increase heat to medium and place seafood in - prawns first - let cook 1-2 minutes with lid on, then stir in mussels and squid, place lid on pot.  Wait just a few minutes until mussels are open.  Turn off the heat and serve right away in bowls with fresh basil leaves and a quick drizzle of olive oil to mellow things out- serve with fresh bread and lemon.

*credit: stoneware bowls in grey (with prawns) and green (with basil) by Golden Brown Fox Ceramics.

A simple sandwich

In the world of food the word 'simple' is used a lot and in quite different ways. These days, when life is hectic for so many people, to say that a recipe is 'simple' is a sure-fire way to sell it. Often a simple recipe implies that it will only use a few ingredients (hence cooking shows and books aptly name 'four' or 'five ingredients') and that assembly is straightforward and quick (30 minutes or less). My interpretation of simplicity might be a little different: for me, it has to do with using fresh ingredients - foods that haven't been processed too much already. Saying that a dish is simple doesn't necessarily imply a lack: the combination of a few simple ingredients can create something quite spectacular.

 

My 'simple sandwich' consists of a number of tasty items - bread, cheese, tomatoes, fresh greens - and a few little added touches like orange marmalade, garlic, dried rosemary and freshly cracked pepper. What is not simple about this sandwich is the flavour - tangy, salty, sweet and a little spicy, almost umami-ish. The textures of the soft, slightly chewy melted cheese with the crusty bread go perfectly against the smooth sweetness of the marmalade and the little kick of black pepper. So easy to assemble - no pan involved. All you need is a toaster and dare I say microwave (you won't often find me encouraging the use of microwaves but hey - thirty seconds to food heaven is so worth it).

This sandwich has become a favourite of mine - who knew simple could taste so good!

grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with marmalade and black pepper

makes one delicious lunch

two slices fresh wholegrain bread

1 garlic clove (keep whole)

3 slices tomato
a few slices of your favourite aged cheddar cheese (aged cheese has

the tangy flavour you need)

2 tsp orange marmalade

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Place slices in toaster to toast. Take out and while still warm rub the garlic clove over each slice (gently so that you just get a hint of garlic). Next place slices of tomato and cheese on pieces of toast.  Drizzle with marmalade and sprinkle with dried rosemary and fresh pepper. Place pieces of toast together and microwave for 30 seconds or until just melted. If you don't have a microwave or don't use one - warm up the sandwich in a hot oven for a few minutes or until cheese is melted.  Enjoy!