Janurary - February News
January bought plenty of severe weather, the garden has survived but there were a few casualties.
The Chillies and the baby jacaranda trees, which were grown from seed last year, both hit the dust, and the swiss chard is limp and wet.
There are herbs, mizuna and the always delicious rocket in the tunnel and outside the kales are resurrecting after a little tidy up of wind snapped leaves. These are great veg, they’re very hardy and can be picked on a pick and come again basis all winter. Perfect for minestrones, champ or in a stir-fry. The purple sprouting broccoli is getting ready to do it’s thing, delicious blanched and in salads and the cabbages are ideal for that vital crunchy buzz.
This year’s garden plan is beginning to take shape and the seed list is being compiled. One tunnel is dug and manured. It’s very early to sow most things but I’m eager to have some salad leaves and the broad beans could go in. All I have to do is sow some seeds and we’re off again!
On the culinary front we have been eating lots of earthy veg in gratins, casseroles and soups. In fact January seems a good month to eat the contents of the cupboards and make one-pot dinners.
There are still some places on the Winter Warmers class. It has been re located to Lettercollum and begins at 10 o’clock Saturday 30^th January’ We’ll be making pumpkin and potato gratin, seafood chowder, vegetable and noodle soups, chorizo and cabbage paella, winter minestrone soup, fish tajine, vegetable fritters, salads and a French apple tart trick……..
Con is giving a class on Gluten-free cooking on the 20^th February in Fionnuisce and my next class will be an Italian on the 6^th March at Lettercollum. Details are on our website **
Here is a recipe for the fish tajine. When Con and I were in Morocco I was lucky enough to join the ladies cooking in the kitchen whilst Con was banished to the parlour drinking mint tea. The kitchen was very basic and the tajine was cooked on a charcoal fire. The women quickly prepared the vegetables, assembled the dish in layers, covered it and left it to slowly cook.
A tajine is a two piece earthenware cooking vessel, it’s a good looking dish with a conical lid that captures all the steam and juices from the simmering dish and dumps them back in.
This of course is just what a casserole does, so if you don’t have a tajine, use a casserole with a lid. Or even a deep pan covered with some aluminium foil will do the same job.
Although the list of ingredients looks long, there are only two simple steps to making this dish.
First make the charmoula . This is the marinade, made with plenty of fresh herbs. Then prepare the vegetables.
Use any firm white fish to make this, thick fillets are ideal.
The tomatoes need to be ripe so considering our location and the time of
the year a can of tomatoes would probably be best
800g white fish divided into 4 portions
3tbs olive oil
2-3 large potatoes
1 green pepper
4 ripe tomatoes or one can whole tomatoes drained
For the charmoula/marinade
100ml hot water
a good pinch of saffron
3tbs chopped parsley
3tbs chopped coriander
4tbs olive oil
1 small onion
4 cloves garlic
half tsp salt
1tsp paprika
1tsp cumin
quarter tsp cinnamon
juice of half a lemon
Pre heat the oven to 180c
Put the saffron into the hot water and leave to diffuse.
Peel and finely chop the garlic and the onion.
Put into a bowl with all the other marinade ingredients and mix together.
Put the fish pieces into the marinade, give them a turn so they are well coated and put aside.
Peel and finely slice the potatoes. Pour the olive oil into the tajine or casserole and then put the potatoes in a thin layer. Season with a little salt
Deseed and thinly slice the green pepper and put over the potatoes then chop the tomatoes and scatter on top.
Take the fish from the marinade and put on a plate in the fridge. Mix the saffron and water together with the remaining marinade and pour half
over the vegetables. Cover and cook for one hour. Remove from the oven, uncover the casserole and arrange the fish on top. Mix the remaining charmoula with about 4tbs water and drizzle over everything. Put the cover back on and cook for a further twenty five to thirty minutes.
Take out of the oven, carefully remove the lid and give the fish a little poke to check it’s cooked.
Eat with crusty bread.