Tag Archives: Healthy

Scallops Crevette Black-pudding Pea purée

26 Thursday Jun 2025

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🐚 Scallops, Pea Purée, Black Pudding & Crevette

A luxurious surf-and-turf starter bursting with flavour and elegant presentation

🧾 Ingredients (Serves 2)

For the scallops & crevettes:

  • 4 large king scallops, cleaned, coral removed
  • 2 cooked crevettes (or raw king prawns, deveined)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Splash of olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • Optional: pinch of smoked paprika or lemon zest

For the pea purée:

  • 200g frozen garden peas
  • 1 tbsp crème fraîche or butter
  • Small bunch fresh mint (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

For the black pudding:

  • 2 thick slices of quality black pudding
  • Small knob of butter or oil for frying

🍳 Method

1. Make the pea purée

  • Boil peas for 2–3 mins until just tender.
  • Drain and blitz in a blender with crème fraîche or butter, a little lemon juice, salt, and mint (if using) until smooth.
  • Pass through a sieve for an extra-silky texture (optional). Keep warm.

2. Cook the black pudding

  • Pan-fry slices in butter or oil over medium heat until crispy on the outside (about 2–3 mins each side).
  • Keep warm or cut into neat discs for presentation.

3. Sear the scallops & crevettes

  • Pat scallops dry and season lightly.
  • Heat butter and a little oil in a hot pan.
  • Sear scallops for 1.5–2 minutes each side until golden and just cooked through.
  • In the same pan, quickly flash-fry the crevettes for 1–2 mins (if already cooked, just warm them through with a little butter and lemon zest).

🍽️ To Plate

  • Smear or dollop a generous spoonful of warm pea purée on each plate.
  • Add the crispy black pudding and top with a scallop.
  • Place a crevette elegantly alongside or perched on top.
  • Garnish with micro herbs, pea shoots, or a drizzle of lemon oil.

Cinders Traditional Guacamole

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Appetizers, Dips, Food

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Very Easy

  • 2 Avocados
  • 1 large on the vine tomato finely chopped
  • 1/2 a finely chopped Onion
  • A Bunch of Coriander

    (Cilantro) chopped finely

  • Lime juice 1 lime
  • 1 Clove garlic mashed to a paste
  • Pinch Salt and Pepper

To begin

1 Cut the Avocado in half remove the stone with the knife spoon out the flash onto a chopping board and chop into-chunks or make a smooth paste if you prefer

2 Chop the tomato and onion finely and mix into the Avocado

3 mix in the chopped Coriander / Cilantro

4 Sprinkle on the lime juice add salt and pepper to taste

Scrape into a bowl and place in the fridge for 30 minutes

 

Serve as a Dip or use in 7 layer dip or on a wrap

Delirious Delicious Love this I was taught this at the Guacamole Station in a Mexican Restaurant in #Katy #Houston   SIMPLY THE BEST X X X

 

 

 

 

Chop

The Very Best Chicken- Beef Stock Ever

05 Thursday Jan 2017

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  • 2kg chicken wings I use about 24 chicken wings
  • 2 tbsp. skimmed milk powder
  • Extra Virgin Olive oil
  • 2 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 8 Large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 celery stalks chopped
  • 10 button mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • Large Pinch of Salt – Grinding of Pepper
  • Half bottle white wine
  • Any mixed herbs you have left over or fresh of your choosing You can use dried is you wish too

Act 1

Roughly Chop all the Vegetables, place in a large roasting tin with the peeled garlic

Place Chicken wings on top

Sprinkle over the Milk Powder

Slosh over a good sprinkling of Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place in a hot over, roast for an hour, keep checking and turning the wings so they go brown, stir the vegetables so they do not stick

Act 2

Place everything in a large stock pot, pop in the herbs and wine, cover with cold water and bring to a boil

Skim the stock until clear to get rid of all the impurities

Leave to simmer with the lid on for at least 3 hours, check the water level keeping it topped up to cover the meat

 

Act 3

Turn off the heat and strain into another large pan – crush all the wings and vegetables to release all the juices

Back on the heat to a rolling boil

Simmer and reduce to half

 

Act 4

Turn off the heat and when cold place in the fridge overnight to go very cold

 

Act 5

Next day take off all the fat, it will come off really easy

 

Act 5

Store in pots in the freezer, you will always have homemade Chicken Stock, you will never buy a cube ever again

 

You can also do the same with BEEF BONES about 10 large beef bones –  just switch the White wine to Red

If you do not wish to use Wine, just replace with more water

Enjoy Happy Cooking

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloody Mary Pico De Gallo -Salsa Fresca

04 Wednesday Jan 2017

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This is the most amazing Salsa Fresca – pico de gallo-Bloody Mary! If you want to serve it without Alcohol just leave out the vodka – There is no substitute for the Vodka it will not detract from the most Beautiful pico de gallo

Before you start get a chopping board (Not Glass) A sharp knife and a large bowl add all ingredients as you chop – Finely Dice everything as you go –

    • 6/8 Large Vine ripened  tomatoes still on the Vine
    • Bunch chopped Coriander / cilantro Only to top leaves save the stalks to use later
    • 1 large finely diced onion
    • 1 Celery Stalk
    • 1 small fresh jalapeño serrano chile or Red Chile to your own heat level you can add more if you want a kick
    • Vodka How much depends on how strong you like it – I do 2tbs unless my friend Jean Hudson comes then double the Vodka!
    • 1 Tbs Tomato Ketchup
    • 1 Tbs Sriracha sauce or a chilli sauce of your choice
    • 6 splashes of Worcester Sauce
    • 1 Lime Zest & freshly squeezed juice
    • Large Pinch Sea Salt or Kosher salt brings out all the juices
    • Grinding of fresh Black Pepper
    • 4 Spring Onions -Green Onions
    • Place all diced ingredients in the bowl as you go –  zest lime and juice into the bowl sprinkle salt pepper mix add Tomato Ketchup Worcester Sauce Sriracha Sauce
    • Leave to rest for a couple of hours or overnight to marrige of all the flavors

 

English Prawn Cocktail Vs American

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

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Starters – Appetizers

Shrimp –Vs–Prawns

 Now here is a fun quandary:-Is it a Shrimp Or Is it a Prawn

Please do not ask for shrimp in Britain.  You will get the smallest little pink curled up things that you have ever seen.  I mean little tiny pink shrimps that are not even the size of an American salad shrimp.  The best shrimp come from Morecambe Bay (a seaside town in the north west of England) and are know as, guess what, Morecambe Bay Shrimp.   In British cookery these are a delicacy served as potted shrimp, an excellent dish for an appetizer or starter spread on toast or crackers. Another use for shrimp is to add to rice dishes.   Prawns though area completely different matter, big and juicy, similar to American shrimps.

One way to cut the cost of making a British prawn cocktail is to mix shrimps with the prawns before pouring over the sauce.  They truly are very, very expensive; a treat served on special occasions such as birth, deaths, marriages, birthdays and Christmas parties.   I always feel sorry for the deceased person at a funeral, missing out on a beautiful prawn cocktail.

You will still get a choice of size of your prawns in Britain but they will not be count size as in America.  You have to buy them by the half-pound (8oz) or pound (16oz).   A point here: an English pint is 20oz.   I think that is why Americans can not take our Pints of BEER!

Compare the difference in our two recipes. It is quite amazing that they are in principle called the same thing. Britain uses Creamy Cocktails Sauce and America uses Spicy Tomato Sauce – I have the recipes for both.  Try both recipes for a great bonus to add to your culinary repartee. I don’t say one is better than the other,  both are excellent just different.

Please do not leave it too long; you do not want to make your first for a funeral!

Great British Prawn Cocktail

For the Sauce

  • 4 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise made with free-range eggs
  • 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup (Heinz)
  • 1 lime, juice and Lime wedges to serve or Lemon if you prefer.  Both work
  • A few drops of Tabasco or chilli sauce
  • 1 splash Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Salad Cream
  • Pinch Salt and white pepper

For the Salad

  • 500 grams / 16oz Atlantic Prawns fresh or defrosted
  • 4 large Crevettes for decoration (Large Prawns shell on)
  • A shredded Lettuce
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 a finely chopped cucumber
  • 4 finely chopped spring onions
  • Sweet Paprika

Mix all the sauce ingredients together leave in the fridge to marry together

Place salad lettuce in cocktail glasses first or I make a very large one on a wooden platter for all my family to share.
Pop the prawns on top leaving aside the crevettes
Pour the sauce over and finish of with a dash of the sweet paprika on each of your cocktails
Dress the glasses with the crevettes, sliced limes and cucumber
This is always served with brown bread and butter.  Cut into triangles please x x
American Shrimp Cocktail
For the sauce
  • 1 cup tomato ketchup (Heinz )
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Lime wedges to serve
  • Pinch salt and white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or chilli sauce
  • Dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Shrimp

2lbs Large Shrimp (16 to 18 count)

Mix to combine ketchup, horseradish, lime juice, Tabasco, dash of Wostershire, salt, and pepper Leave in the fridge to marry.

Arrange all the shrimp around the edge of a chilled bowl .

Pour the cocktail sauce in the middle

Serve with lime wedges

Enjoy x x x 🐟

Raita Fat Free

25 Friday Mar 2016

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Raiata1

  • 1/2 cup greek fat free yogurt I used a small pot of Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 chopped small chunks and seeded cucumber
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tablespoons chopped very fine Mint
  • 2 chopped spring onions
  • 1 teaspoon Mint Sauce
  • 1/2 a Lime juice only

Chop cucumber and spring onions – add mint sauce and chopped herbs -Mix in the Yogurt sprinkle with Lime juice mix well cover and place in the fridge until serving

 

 

 

A Very English Parsnip Soup

29 Monday Feb 2016

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Parsnip Soup

2 Onions chopped

12 Parsnips peeled and cubed

2 carrots peeled and chopped fine

1 leek chopped fine

3 cloves Garlic crushed

1 star Anise

1tsp Garam Masala

1tsp Chinese 5 spice

1/2pint milk

1pint chicken stock

4 tsp creamed Horseradish

Handful chopped coriander

½ a chilli chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbs Olive oil or coconut oil

 

Oil into a large pan

Drop in the onions into the pan cook until soft add garlic carrots leeks and spices

When all soft and wilted down

Add Parsnips cook until juices flow

Enter the chicken stock and milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook for 40 minutes on a low heat stirring from time to time

After 40 mins add coriander give a good stir

Take off the heat and puree in a processor or liquidizer

Warm through and add the horseradish

Serve warm with chunky Garlic Bread

#Parsnips #Soup

Cinders Carbonara No Cream

29 Monday Feb 2016

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Cinders Carbonara #NoCream #Healthy #Booths #Tesco

 

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or Extra Virgin Coconut

3 tsp butter

1 Onions finely chopped

5 cloves garlic crushed and chopped

250g/8oz Diced pancetta

250g/8oz Bacon

125g/4oz Chorizo

125g/4oz cooked ham (Booths do a great roast ham hock )

4 eggs

8 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese or a mix of the two

Handful finely chopped Basil

500g spaghetti

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Heat the oil and butter in large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the pancetta /Bacon stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy.
  2. Add Chorizo and ham cook a little longer set in a bowl but keep the oil in the pan
  3. Fry the onions and garlic until very soft in the oil
  4. Whisk the eggs and half the cheese in a bowl. Add and plenty of black pepper. Set aside.
  5. Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, salted water -Add a handful salt to the water -cook until al dente. Drain well and tip it back into the same pan. Save a tablespoon or two of the drained water add back into the drained Spaghetti Sprinkle the Spaghetti with lots of Olive Oil and toss to coat –
  6. Tip the contents of the pancetta pan into the pasta, then pour in the egg mixture. Mix everything together for 30 seconds with a wooden spoon. The heat from the pasta will be sufficient to cook the egg to a creamy coating.
  7. Sprinkle in the basil
  8. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top