spring recipes

Spring Recipes

Grilled Lemon Sole with Fennel

2 lemon sole, as fresh as possible

1 bulb fennel, chopped into strips

Olive oil

Lay the fish in a large lightly oiled dish with the fennel around the edge. Drizzle with olive oil. Score the fish down to the bone to allow the heat to penetrate. Grill under a high preheated grill for 5-10 minutes, until the fish is cooked and the fennel a little brown at the edges. Serve immediately.

Spring Salsa

4 firm tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded

juice of 1 lime

1 medium red onion

1 chilli, strength according to taste

1 garlic clove

handful fresh coriander

generous grinding of salt and pepper

A good salsa tastes fresh and invigorating. The secret is to chop all the ingredients finely and to combine them as close to serving as possible. Refrigeration can only flatten the interplay of the flavours. The above is the simplest of salsa recipes but feel free to experiment with other raw vegetables and fresh herbs.

First New Potatoes

1lb / 450g new potatoes

small handful fresh parsley or chives

knob of butter

Simply boil from cold until just soft and serve with a knob of butter and sprinkling of herbs. If they are ready ahead of time then drain, return to the pan and keep in a warm place with a tea towel under the lid.

Rhubarb Brûlée

2 fat sticks rhubarb, cut into half-inch sections

150 ml/0.25 pt double cream

30 ml/2 tbsp granulated sugar knob of butter

Melt the butter and add the rhubarb and half the sugar. Stir to mix and cover to simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes or until the rhubarb has softened. Uncover and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes to allow the liquid to reduce a little. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before mixing in the cream. Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins. Just before serving sprinkle the remaining sugar over and caramelise with a blowtorch. Alternatively, sit the ramekins in a dish of cold water and place under a very hot grill. Serve immediately.

Asparagus and Bacon omelette

2 eggs dash milk

100 g / 0.25 lb fresh asparagus (lower grade, thin spears are fine)

2 rashers bacon, chopped

knob of butter

olive oil

salt, pepper

Blanch the asparagus in vigorously boiling water for three minutes, remove and chop into short sections. Whisk the eggs, milk and seasoning. Fry the bacon in the oil for a few minutes; add the butter, asparagus and egg mixture. Cook until the egg sets, finishing under the grill to brown the top.

Lambs Liver on a bed of Young Spinach

2 slabs lambs' liver flour seasoned with salt, pepper and turmeric olive oil

225 g / 0.5 lb young leaf spinach, thoroughly washed

Dust the liver with the seasoned flour. Fry for just a few minutes each side, until brown and slightly crispy outside but still red and succulent inside. Serve immediately on a bed of spinach leaves.

Couscous with Mint

1 small mug couscous

1 small mug water

5 ml / 1 tsp. olive oil

5 ml / 1 tsp. vegetable bouillon powder / stock

handful mint, chopped

zest of one quarter lemon

Couscous can be steamed but I find it simpler to cook this way. The key is to use the same volume of water and couscous for a perfect texture with some bite. Bring the water to the boil with the oil and bouillon, add the couscous and remove from the heat, stirring initially to disperse the grains. Cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Stir in the mint and zest and serve hot, warm or cold.