Hake, Fresh Peas & Cecina

A barrafina favorite and something that will be on our Christmas table this year. Cecina is the Spanish bresaola, hoping I can find some.

5 tblsp EVOO
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
800 gr of hake, 4x3 cm medallions
2 large shallots, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
200 ml chicken stock
20 gr unsalted butter
8 fresh mint leaves, finely sliced
400 gr fresh peas, shelled and blanched
60 gr cecina, finely sliced
chervil (or other herb)

1. heat 2 tblsp of EVOO in a non-stick pan over medium heat
2. sprinkle salt into pan
3. dry the hake with kitchen paper, add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side
4. heat 2 tblsp of EVOO in a separate pan, cook shallots and garlic 2-3 minutes
5. add stock, bring to boil (if using frozen peas, add them now and bring to boil again)
6. reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid almost completely disappears
7. add butter, mint, fresh peas
8. season with salt and pepper, cook 2 more minutes
9. put cecina into small pan with remaining EVOO and warm through
10. put peas on plates with hake on top, and cecina on the fish
11. garnish with chervil

The Copenhagen List

There are so many wonderful culinary developments coming out of this City that have gone way beyond Noma. Definitely worth making note of Rene Redzepi's favorite haunts.

• The Coffee Collective: excellent espresso
• Torvehallerne market: best produce
• Meyer's Bakery: best pastries
• Det Vide Hus: or the "wise house", for great breakfast and coffee
• Slagteren ved Kultorvet: great butchers
• Manfreds: veggie restaurant with a cool vibe
• Bror: also a cool vibe, with comfort food
• Ved Stranden: wine bar by the canal
• Mikkeller: great beer bar

Haloumi & Mushroom

An enticing recipe from Rowley Leigh; taking particular note of the mushroom pickle that could go with anything. His recipe suggests breading some mozzarella and frying it up, I've opted for a simpler fried haloumi, perhaps with some Ricard?

250 mushrooms, more interesting sorts

maldon sea salt

1 stick of cinnamon

1 bay leaf

6 cloves

150 ml vinegar

350 ml EVOO

2 heads of little gem lettuce

2 tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sherry vinegar

3 tbls EVOO

1. sprinkle mushrooms with salt and leave in a colander for an hour; put the cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, vinegar and EVOO in a pan, bring to a simmer and leave to infuse for 30 minutes; rinse off the mushrooms, drain and add to the ingredients in the pan; bring to a boil then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. put tomatoes, salt, pepper, vinegar and EVOO in a blender with some sugar; blend until smooth and put through a sieve.
3. slice up the gem lettuce and dress, distribute the mushrooms on top of this, adding a piece of haloumi,

David's French Reds

To be updated regularly with favorite reds (ex-feminin Bordeaux which have a separate entry).

• Cotes du Jura Enfant Terrible Ganevat 2011

Mozzarella & Anchovy Toast

I couldn't quite finish my buffalo mozzarella, so decided to marinate it in some chili-laced EVOO from my jar of anchovies. What a superb snack, almost like a mini pizza. Love my fish and cheese!

buffalo mozzarella
best quality anchovies in chili oil
baguette

1. slice baguette
2. top with mozzarella and pieces of anchovy
3. drizzle with chili EVOO
4. grill in the stove until bread toasts and cheese melts
5. take out and drizzle over more chili EVOO and serve

Avocado & Cottage Cheese

Was feeling peckish tonight and this hit the spot.

ripe avocado
best quality cottage cheese
EVOO
maldon sea salt
lemon
crushed dried chili

1. mash the avocado flat on a white plate
2. drizzle with EVOO, lemon juice and add salt and chili to taste
3. spoon some clumps of cottage cheese on top of avocado
4. season with a bit more EVOO and salt and serve

Khoo's Winter Salad

Was watching Rachel Khoo in her little Paris kitchen earlier, and simply couldn't pass up making a note of this recipe. Sumptuous, reminding me of a similar salad I had at Three Blue Ducks in Sydney with bits of beets and haloumi, as well as some sort of cheese mousse.

2 parsnips

1 yellow carrot

1 orange carrot

1 purple carrot

1 quartered apple, skin left on

100 gr of Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese (or a blue cheese)

lardons

sunflower oil

cooked red beet root

various colored raw beetroot

simple vinaigrette

maldon sea salt

1. set oven at 200 degrees
2. cut up parsnips into large bite-size pieces; do the same for carrots
3. place vegetables on a tray with some oil, cook 45 minutes
4. to make cheese mousse, break up 200 gr of the cheese and mash with 8 tblsp of milk into a paste
5. make some whipped cream, and add about half of it to the cheese paste first, then the remaining to keep air in the mixture; put in a piping bag
6. fry 100 gr of lardons
7. in a mandolin, slice both raw and cooked beet root
8. on individual plates, assemble all the vegetables in an artful way
9. pipe the cheese mixture into little pockets, place a few lardons here an there
10. drizzle some vinaigrette over the salad, followed by a sprinkling of salt