Cook up the taste of summer - at home!
Hello everyone. Happy Friday! How gorgeous is the weather here in Kent? I hope it’s lovely where you are too.
With this beautiful sun shining, it doesn’t make me feel so bad that I’ve missed out on a holiday abroad this year. And, with the forecast for the weekend looking good too, a mini “staycation” is on the cards. For me, it’s all about good food, good company and relaxation, when jetting off on my jollies. So, I’ve put together some of my favourite holiday-inspired recipes to enjoy at home.
Open up your kitchen to the garden this weekend, make yourself a cocktail and cook up the taste of summer…
Strawberry Daiquiri
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
Nothing screams summer more than a Daiquiri! This is a really simple make-at-home cocktail recipe.
Serves: 4
Prep: 2 minutes
Cooking: 0 minutes
Total: 2 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
200ml light rum
1kg strawberries hulled
Juice of two limes
1 tsp white sugar
300g ice
4 whole strawberries, left whole sliced in half up to the stalk
Fresh mint
Put the rum, strawberries, lime juice and ice into a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour into 4 Martini Glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint and the reserved strawberries on the side of the glass.
Chipotle Steak with Mexican Black Rice Salad
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
Chipotle Paste is mixed with a little olive oil and then smeared over the steaks. Knock up the salad and you’re good to go!
Serves: 2-4
Prep: 5minutes
Cooking: 10minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
4 fillet steaks approx 250g each (if you’re greedy like us) 4cm thick
5 tsp Chipotle Paste
3 tbsp olive oil
500g cooked black rice (I used a pouch for speed – if using dried use 320g)
200g fresh mango cubed
1 Romano red pepper diced
200g edamame beans
1 avocado cubed
Juice of 2 limes
Bunch coriander leaves chopped
Chopped chilli – optional
Put the edamame beans into a bowl and pour over boiling water to defrost them. Drain.
Combine 4 tsp Chipotle Paste and 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl. Add your seasoned steaks and coat.
Combine the rice, mango, edamame beans, avocado, pepper and coriander in a bowl.
Combine the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Chipotle Paste, lime juice, 1/2 tsp Maldon Salt and garlic clove to make a dressing. Pour over the rice salad and mix.
Get a frying pan searing hot an add the steaks. For medium steaks cook for 2 minutes on each side and assuming they are 4-5cm thick and weighing 250g ish then sear around the sides for another 2 minutes in total.
Rest the steaks for 5 minutes before serving with the salad.
Vegan Moroccan Style Vegetable Tagine
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
Here’s a 30 minute minimal effort vegan recipe! If you do need to accommodate vegans, you can add salmon or chopped cooked chicken breasts for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Serves: 4-6
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
2 onions roughly chopped
2 red peppers deseeded and cut into strips
5 garlic cloves crushed
10cm ginger grated
1 aubergine cut into wedges
1 squash peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes approx 3cm x 3cm
3 tsp Ras el Hanout⠀
1 tsp each cumin, coriander and cinnamon
1 tsp salt⠀
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
300g fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
200ml vegetable stock
Fresh coriander
2 tbsp pistachio nuts
Add a tbsp olive oil to a pan and add the onions, peppers, aubergine and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until everything takes on colour before adding the spices, ginger, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and squash.
Give everything in the pan a stir then add the chickpeas and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Taste, season and check the squash is soft. Finish the Tagine with the pistachios and fresh coriander. ⠀
Lamb Koftas
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
These Koftas are best made ahead and refrigerated so they firm. It’s just a case of mixing a few ingredients together using your hands and moulding them onto skewers. Then when you’re ready to cook, they only take about 12 minutes.
Makes: 16 Koftas
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 12 minutes
Total: 17 minutes (plus fridge time)
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
For the Koftas:
800g lamb mince
1 onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed
2 tsp Harissa paste
2 tsp ground coriander
1 egg whisked
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp breadcrumbs or Panko
zest of a lemon
For the Herby Yogurt:-
3 tbsp Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped mint
Juice of half a lemon
Mix together all the ingredients for the Koftas in a bowl and using your hands divide into 16 balls approximately 8cm in diameter. Thread two balls onto each skewer and using your hands shape them into ovals.
Either cook on a hot griddle or barbecue for 10-12 minutes turning every 3 minutes. Just be careful not to turn until the Koftas are well sealed or the meat will stick.
Mix together the Greek Yogurt with the lemon juice and herbs.
Serve the Koftas with the herby yogurt, charred peppers and aubergines and either couscous, pittas or flat breads on the side.
Family Friendly Paella
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
Serves: 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
2 small onions chopped⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2 garlic cloves crushed or 1 tbsp garlic paste⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
250g cooking chorizo cut into slices⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
500g chicken breasts cut into strips⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
100ml white wine⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
150g King Prawns (optional)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2 tsp smoked paprika⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Large pinch Saffron⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 red pepper cubed⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
250g paella rice⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 tbsp tomato purée⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
700ml good chicken stock⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
100g peas or edamame beans
Juice of 1/2 lemon plus extra lemon wedges to serve
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Heat a large pan and add a lug of oil, the onion, garlic and chorizo slices.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Colour for a few minutes before adding the chicken, rice, smoked paprika, saffron, pepper & tomato purée. Stir well.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Add the wine, reduce, stir, then add the stock and seasoning. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked stirring every couple of minutes.⠀⠀⠀
Add more stock or water if the Paella looks like it is becoming too dry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Add the prawns for the final 5 minutes squeeze over the lemon and pop a lid on the pan for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Barbecued Whole Sea Bass
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
2 x 600-800g sea bass (or 4 x 300g) scaled and filleted
3 lemons sliced
Fresh thyme
2-3 fennel bulbs cut into wedges, leaves reserved
2 tsp fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
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Heat a barbecue or a griddle pan over a medium heat. Cut 3 slits down each side of each fish, through the skin & the flesh but not quite down to the bone.
Crush the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar with a tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper. Season the fish inside & out with the fennel/salt mix pushing it into the cuts of the skin.
Lay some lemon slices & the thyme inside the cavities of each fish. Lightly oil the other lemon slices & lay them on the barbecue bars to make a bed for the fish.
Toss the fennel in olive oil and season.
Cook the fennel on the barbecue for 10 minutes turning every couple of minutes. Squeeze over the juice of a lemon.
If cooking larger sea bass (600-800g) cook on each side for 8 minutes. For 300g sea bass 4 minutes each side should be enough. Check the flesh is opaque and will come away from the bone.
Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Cups
Credit to: Anna @ annasfamilykitchen.com
This is a crowd pleasing canapés/nibble/starter. It goes down well with both kids and adults alike.
Serves: 8-12 as a canapé
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
500g pork mince
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 red chilli chopped
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
20g coriander, stalks chopped, leaves reserved
6 x Little Gem Lettuce
Spring onions shredded chopped
Add the oil to a hot frying pan and add the mince and garlic. Break up the mince and stir every couple of minutes so that the meat browns. The liquid needs to completely evaporate.
Add the fish sauce, soy, coriander stalks and brown sugar. Continue cooking (about 8 minutes) until the meat looks brown and sticky.
Cut the bottoms off the lettuce and separate the leaves. Spoon the mixture between the largest lettuce cups (save the middles for a salad) and finish with coriander leaves, the shredded spring onions and a squeeze of lime.