Simple Sautéed Prawns

British Summer Time kicks off from tomorrow getting us straight into those summer vibes, please believe…. I cannot wait for the longer summer days and hot weather. Like last week, here is another really simple, light and delicious recipe to get you into those more lighter meals. Additionally, as we are slowly getting out of lockdown and approaching freedom, many of us shall be returning to offices and places of work and so getting back to our cooking routines when we may have had more time at home makes this recipe even more special. A tasty meal in less than 15 minutes, what more could you ask for?

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 185g raw king prawns
• 5-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tbsp olive spread
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• Basil, a couple of leaves roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

1. On medium heat, start by frying the garlic in the olive spread until lightly softened.
2. Pour in the wine and the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until the wine has reduced.
3. Add the prawns and cook for 4-6 minutes or until cooked through and piping hot.
4. Sprinkle over the chopped basil and mix.

Serve immediately with some bread or a portion of rice.

• 

Advertisement

Baked Sea Bass & Asparagus

Asparagus screams spring time to me. I love the preparations for spring time, seeing the new plants and flowers starting to bloom once again just gets me so excited for the warmer weather and the longer, sunnier days. Additionally we slowly start to move away from the heavier more richer foods and start having lighter meals. Starting with this: baked sea bass and asparagus is a deliciously light meal packed with such simple but tasty ingredients. I really enjoy baking fish in foil, it just keeps the meaty part so soft and moist. By tightening the foil it traps all the juices and the aromas inside so when you open it up after removing it from the oven it just awakens those tastebuds and other senses to the deliciousness you’re about to experience.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 sea bass fillets
• 100g asparagus tips
• 5 cloves of garlic, whole or chopped (depending on how intense you prefer the flavour to be)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
2. Place the sea bass in the centre of a large sheet of foil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Then add all remaining ingredients to the foil and seal it up tightly.
4. Place the foil parcel onto a baking tray and put in the oven and leave to bake for 15-20 minutes.

Best served hot and with a side dish of boiled or roast potatoes.

• 

Re-energising Soup

This week hasn’t been too great if I am quite honest. I haven’t been feeling all that well, my appetite completely disappeared and all I wanted to do was sleep. Drawing closer to the weekend I have managed to gain more energy and strength and so I thought I’d share the perfect recipe to give you that nutritional healthy boost you need after your body has had a rough few days. Personally for this soup I prefer my vegetables to have a bit of bite to them, do cook the soup for longer if you prefer them softer. Additionally, feel free to whiz this up in a food processor or hand blender if you fancy a smoother texture.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 courgette, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 handful spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 2 dried bayleaves
• 1tbsp olive oil
• Ground black pepper

Method:

1. On medium heat, fry the celery, carrot, courgette garlic and bayleaves in oil together for 4-5 minutes.
2. Season with pepper, add the spinach and the stock and mix well. Cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes.

Best served hot.

Chocolatey Biscuit Bites

I feel like I am on a roll with the sweet things recently, which, is really so unlike me but hey, embrace it before all those savoury recipes start kicking back in. I wanted to concoct something that means using up some of the goodies that are left in your pantry. At home, not many of us really ‘fight’ for the digestive biscuits and I knew that if I left them they would just sit there until the end of time. By mixing these biscuits with just a few other components we can create a little indulgent pick me up; perfect for after dinner or a cheeky afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

• 220g digestive biscuits
• 200g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
• 165g unsalted butter
• 20cm square sandwich baking tin
• Walnut halves

Method:

1. Start off by lining your baking tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Melt 100g of butter on low heat. While this is happening, use a large sandwich bag to crush the biscuits into very small pieces and dust. When this is done and the butter has melted mix together and tip into the baking tin and form your biscuit base. Leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set and firm.
3. Put the chocolate pieces and the rest of the butter (65g) in a heatproof bowl and place above a saucepan that is filled with a small amount of water. Gently simmer and occasionally stir the chocolate mixture until smooth and silky. (Be sure that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl and that no water touches the chocolate as this will cause it to seize up.
4. Once the chocolate has melted pour over the biscuit base and spread it out evenly.
5. Take your walnut halves and distribute them however you fancy on the chocolate. Place back in the fridge and leave to firm up again for at least 1 hour. Upon serving, cut into either small squares or slices to your liking.

Enjoy!