Zucchini Soup with Fennel and Basil

This soup takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and about 15 minutes to cook so you can be eating a steaming bowl of this within 30 minutes of being home. It is really fast food that is really good.

4 zucchini, sliced into rounds

1 fennel, quartered and finely sliced

vegetable stock

Large handful of fresh basil leaved, shredded

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté fennel til tender (about 5 mins). Add zucchini and a generous amount of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Pour over stock to almost cover zucchini. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer until zucchini is tender. Add basil and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with toast with goats cheese and more fresh basil.  

Middle Eastern Meatballs (Two Ways)

There is nothing better for dinner on a cold night than these deliciously tender meatballs fragrant with middle eastern spices with a tangy lemon sauce. Enjoy them alone or serve on a bed of cous cous, quinoa or rice. For an alternative you can make the meatballs without the sauce and bbq them like small kebabs and serve with hummus, pita and fresh parsley and tomato.

Meatballs

500g mince beef

½ red onion, diced

2 tbspn parsley

2 slices of bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces

1 egg

zest of ½ a lemon

1 tspn salt

½ tspn cumin

½ tspn cinnamon

½ tspn paprika

½ tspn pepper

Sauce

1 tbspn olive oil

½ red onion finely diced

½ tspn paprika

½ tspn ground turmeric

½ tspn cumin

½ tspn cinnamon

¼ tspn cayenne pepper

1½ cups chicken stock

2 tbspn coriander leaves, chopped

Garnish

handful parsley leaves, finely chopped

handful coriander leaves, finely chopped

juice of half a lemon

preserved lemon (skin only) or lemon zest (both optional)

For meatballs, put onion and parsley in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add bread and egg and pulse again. Add meat, zest and spices and process to a thick paste.

Moisten hands and shape into small ball and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.

To make the sauce, heat oil over low heat and slowly cook the onion until soft and golden. Add the spices and stir for a minute. Add the stock and coriander and bring to the boil. Add the meatballs to the pan, gently shaking so the are immersed in the sauce. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Transfer to a platter or bowl, drizzle with lemon juice, scatter over parsley, coriander and preserved lemon or zest if you desire.

Note – if you are making the meatballs to bbq, finely dice the onion and fry it in a tbspn of oil until it is soft and golden. Finely chop the parsley. Omit the bread. And mix everything in a bowl by hand instead using a food processor. Moisten hands to roll the mixture into balls, small patties or kebab shapes and refrigerate for at least 30 mins before putting them on a well oiled bbq.

Chermoula Salmon with Parsley, Fennel and Lemon Salad

Chermoula is a North African spice made from a heady combination of cumin, paprika, chilli, mint and coriander among other things. You can buy chermoula as a spice or paste from delis, middle eastern stores or spice stores, or be adventurous and make your own! Once you have the spice mix, this dish takes 5 minutes to prepare and cook and looks super impressive and like you spent a lot more time slaving in the kitchen. Be sure to serve it with plenty of fresh lemon.

4 pieces of salmon, skin off, cut into scallop sized pieces (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)

3 tbspn olive oil plus extra for drizzling

3 heaped teaspoons of chermoula

good pinch sea salt

1 bunch parsley, leaves only

1 fennel or 2 baby fennel thinly slice (a mandolin is ideal for this)

1 tspn baby capers

1-2 lemons cut into wedges

Place the fish, oil, chermoula and salt in a snap lock bag and shake until fish is evenly covered. Leave to marinate for half an hour if you have time. If not, don’t worry. Preheat the grill to 220 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil, and place the fish pieces on it, taking care to separate each piece. Grill the fish for 2-3 minutes, turn pieces over and put back in the grill for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place the parsley, fennel and capers on a serving plate. Top with cooked fish, drizzle with extra olive oil and squeeze over lemon wedges. Leave lemon wedges on the plate for colour and flavor.

Thai Style Beef Salad

Fresh, fast, fabulous. A perfect meal any time of day. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients in the salad, you can use whatever you have and chop and change to your taste and it will still be gorgeous.

For the best results, take your meat out of the fridge at least one hour, (preferably two) before you cook it so it is close to room temperature and rest it on a cake cooling rack rather than on a plate so it can get air from all sides.

handful of baby spinach

2 carrots, julienned

2 sticks celery, finely sliced

½ red pepper, finely sliced

½ yellow pepper, finely sliced

1 red chili, finely sliced

large handful coriander, leaves only

small handful mint leaves

½ punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

½ avocado, sliced

big handful raw chashews

2 eye fillet steaks

salt and pepper

olive oil

dressing

juice of 1 lime

2 tbspn olive oil

1 tspn light soy sauce

1 tspn balsamic vinegar

Heat a non stick fry pan to medium heat and toast the cashews until they begin to brown, turning frequently. Set cashews aside. Heat the same pan to maximum temperature. Rub the steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear the steaks, turning every 15 seconds until cooked to your liking (3-4 minutes total for average thickness steaks for medium doneness). Allow the steaks to rest (preferably on a cooling rack for 5 minutes) then slice.

Combine all ingredients for salad. Add cashews. Mix together dressing, pour over and toss to combine. Top with slices of steak.