WARM SALMON AND SPINACH SALAD .
Beautiful warm simple salad of pan fried salmon tossed with lightly wilted spinach and finished with toasted pine nuts.
Serves 4.
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
350g/12oz salmon fillet.
450g/1lb fresh spinach, washed.
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts.
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling.
Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fry seasoned salmon fillet skin side down to begin.
Watch carefully and when the fish has cooked up to almost halfway up the side edge, turn over and cook the other side for around 2 minutes, depending on thickness.
This ensures perfectly cooked, moist fish. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Add remaining oil to another pan and add spinach. Lightly wilt, then season and add toasted pine nuts. Place in a large shallow bowl.
Peel the skin away from the salmon fillet and break the flesh into large chunks.
Add to spinach and gently toss. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
SPICED SAUTEED PRAWNS.
Fragrant dish of large king prawns sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with ginger, garlic, chilli and spring onion, finished with chopped coriander.
Serves 4.
12 large King Prawns.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced.
2cm/1 in ginger, peeled and in thin matchsticks.
1 chilli, seeded and chopped.
2 spring onions, rimmed and chopped.
Extra virgin olive oil for deglazing pan.
sea salt.
Peel prawns removing head, shell and vein, but leaving the tails on. Thread them onto kebab sticks.
Heat two tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a pan and gently fry garlic, ginger, chilli and spring onions to soften. Add prawn kebabs and toss around to cook and turn pink.
Transfer to a serving dish with the chopped vegetables. Add extra virgin olIve oil to the pan and stir to catch all the flavours left in the pan. Pour over prawns and finish sprinkled with a little sea salt.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL CRACKERS AND DIPS.
Freshly baked olive oil crackers are fast and easy. These are served with Tomato Salsa, Guacamole and Smoked Salmon Delice. Great, too with cheese.
Serves 4.
For the crackers: 100g/4oz plain flour good pinch sea salt 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp cold water.
For the dips.
TOMATO SALSA.
6 small red tomatoes and 2 yellow (or 8 red), chopped.
1/2 red onion, peeled and finely chopped.
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed.
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
extra virgin olive oil for dressing.
squeeze lemon juice.
GUACAMOLE.
2 large ripe avocados.
1/2 red onion, finely chopped.
small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped.
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped.
juice of a lime.
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
handful fresh coriander, finely chopped.
SMOKED SALMON DELICE.
225g/8oz smoked salmon, finely chopped. 1 tbsp grated onion.
juice of half a lemon.
freshly ground white pepper.
2-3 tbsp soured cream.
To make the crackers, sift flour into a bowl and crumble in sea salt.
Place the extra virgin olive oil and water into a small jug and whisk.
Mix in the flour to make a dough. Remove from the bowl and knead lightly until smooth.
Divide into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Roll out balls on a floured surface very thin.
Place on a baking sheet. Bake in a 200°C hot oven for around 3 minutes or until they begin to puff up.
Turn over and cook for a couple of minutes more, keeping your eye on them.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Alternative: After rolling out, cut into eighths to make bite-sized crackers - and bake as before.
TOMATO SALSA.
Place tomatoes, red onion and garlic in a bowl. Season. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
GUACAMOLE.
Mash avocados in a bowl. Add red onion, chilli and tomatoes. Stir in lime juice and season. Finish with finely chopped coriander.
SMOKED SALMON DELICE.
Place smoked salmon in a bowl and add grated onion. Add lemon juice and season with white pepper. Stir in soured cream.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL CHICKEN.
This is utterly delicious - a definite plus for the repertoire.
Chicken breasts are cooked in stock and white wine with green peppers and olives for a stunningly scrumptious olive sauce Serves 4.
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
4 part-boned chicken breasts.
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped.
3 green peppers, seeded and in large chunks.
300ml/1/2pt chicken stock.
300ml/1/2pt dry white wine.
1 tbsp chopped tarragon.
16 green olives stuffed with anchovies.
1 tbsp tarragon leaves, chopped.
extra tarragon leaves for decoration.
Place 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a heavy bottomed shallow pan. Add chicken breasts, skin-side down and fry until browned. Turn over and brown other side.
Remove from pan.
Add remaining extra virgin olive oil, and cook onion and green peppers to soften slightly. Return chicken to pan.
Pour over chicken stock and white wine. Bring to bubbling, then turn down to simmer.
Cover and cook for around 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
Add chopped tarragon and olives. Bring back to bubbling. Sprinkle with extra tarragon leaves and serve.
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