Buttery prawns with tomato, olives, capers and a splash of Pernod

Tags

Cape Town, chilli, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, Cucumber, Entertaining, Food Blogs, Food Writing, Kate Abbott, Lifestyle, Parsley, Peppers, Pernod, Photography, Prawns, Radish, recipe, Salads, tomatoes

When it gets closer and closer to spring I start craving bright summery flavours, fresh greens and salads. Last evening although very cold gave way to this lovely dinner which has had everyone calling for the recipe, so here it is.

This is dead easy and utterly delicious. The flavour of the Pernod liquor complements but also mellows the intensity of the tomato and olives, coating the prawns in a heavenly buttery sauce.

Served as soon as it is made, accompanied by pieces of wholesome bread or rice to soak up the sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 plum tomatoes

20 tiger prawns

70g softened unsalted butter

1 tbsp. finely chopped capers

½ tsp. dried chilli flakes

70g Kalamata olives, stoned

25ml or Pernod

3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt

Method

If you object to tomato skins then by all means skin them; I choose not to do so. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and set aside.

Peel the prawns, keeping the tail segment of the shell on. Cut a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and remove the dark vein using the tip of a small knife.

Place a frying pan over a high heat. When very hot, add 35gm of the butter and sauté the prawns quickly for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan as you go. Add the tomatoes, chilli and olives and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the prawns are nearly cooked through; then add the Pernod. Do this carefully as it may catch fire. Let the alcohol evaporate for a minute then quickly add the remaining butter, the garlic, the parsley and a little salt. Toss for a second or two to enable the juices to come together in a runny sauce.

Serve immediately, with good crispy bread or rice.

Cucumber, radish, peppers and poppy seed salad

Halve the cucumber along its centre and scoop out the seedy core, which is full of water, and will dilute the dressing and make the salad watery.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large cucumber

4-6 radishes, sliced

I red pepper finely sliced

2 mild red chillies, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. roughly chopped coriander

60ml white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

125ml sunflower oil

1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tbsp. caster sugar

Salt and black pepper

Method

Gently and quickly toast the poppy seeds in a hot, dry pan for a few seconds; semi cover with a lid during the process to prevent the seeds from popping out of the pan.

Slice off and discard the ends of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber down the middle and remove the seeds. Slice the cucumber so you end up with pieces 1cm thick and about 3 cm long. Slice the radishes.

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and adjust the amount of sugar and salt if needed. The salad should have a sharp and sweet tang.

I find it best to have all the ingredients for this salad ready and to assemble this salad just before I start cooking the prawns. This prevents the liquid which the cucumber tends to release, from diluting the dressing.

Note

Adding a few capers also adds another lovely flavour dimension to this salad.

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Food With Friends – a festive occasion

Tags

apples, asparagus, blue cheese, Chefs, Cook Books, Cooking Through The Seasons, Cooks, eggs, feta cheese, food and drink, Food Blogs, Food Writing, garden salad, Lifestyle, olives, paoched eggs, potatoes, Prawns, red onion, roses champain, salad leaves, Spices, steamed rice, tarts, Tomato sauce, tomatoes, Vegetarian, vinaigrette

December brought with it the usual joy of sharing meals and enjoying quality time with family and friends. Keeping things simple yet festive was as always high on my list of priorities; these are some of my favourites dishes served this season.

For Christmas day

Prawns in spicy tomato sauce, served with steamed rice and a garden salad

Under the sway of the palms

Asparagus, red onion and blue cheese tart

Simple but fabulous warm Potato slices and olives, tossed together in an anchovy and garlic vinaigrette served with slivers of tuna and topped with a poached egg.

It’s Almost Time to Bring the Patio Umbrellas out of Storage

Tags

Basmati Rice, Blogging, Books, Books for Cooks, Cape Town, Chillies, Cooks, Eggs Soy sauce, Entertaining, Entertainment, farm fresh eggs, food and drink, Food Blogs, Food Writing, In Season, News, organic, Peanut oil, PhotographyLife, Prawns, recipes, Sesame oil, Spring, Spring onions, Travel, Writing

I wake an hour earlier than usual, to a light filled bedroom, not the usual overcast, dark days of the past few weeks. It’s going to be a sunny, breezy day, but temperature wise still cold enough to warrant warm clothing.

I cannot help but welcome the change in weather with open arms; I notice the lizard sprawled on the sunlit flagstones and wonder if it’s almost time to bring the patio umbrellas out of storage.

The afternoon cools dramatically and a chilly breeze blows in through the kitchen where I sip aromatic coffee while planning the evening meal. There will be three of us for supper and I want something that is quick to prepare yet feels like a special treat. I have some lovely fresh prawns, chillies, fresh coriander and farm fresh organic eggs, perfect for a dish of spicy prawn and scrambled eggs, dressed with soy and sesame infused sauce, served together with a bowl of basmati rice.

This is a delightful main course, simple yet full on flavour, perfect for a lunch or supper dish. It’s one I enjoy and so too the friends I have shared it with. To ring the changes I sometimes replace the prawns with firm fish, scallops or pork.

Spicy Prawn Scrambled Eggs Dressed with Soy & Sesame infused Sauce

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

4 – 5 eggs

60 ml peanut or other vegetable oil

600 g prawns, peeled and cleaned

3-4 spring onions finely chopped with some of the green part included

Dried chilli flakes

Sprinkle of salt 

Sauce Dressing

80 ml light soy sauce

2 tsp. white sugar

4-6 drops sesame oil

80 ml water

Accompaniment

Basmati Rice

Garnish

Chopped green parts of spring onion

Method

While the rice is almost cooked start making the sauce. Put all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to the boil then remove from the heat.

Break eggs in a bowl and whisk lightly for a few seconds, add the tiniest bit of salt and pepper. Season the prawns with chilli flakes. 

Heat a wok or a frying pan until almost smoking then add half the oil, leave to heat through for a few seconds then add the prawns and cook until almost done. Remove prawns and wipe wok with some paper towels. Put wok back on the heat, add the balance of the oil, add the egg mixture and stir fry until just beginning to set. At this point add the prawns and the chopped spring onions and gently toss together for a few more seconds to combine.

Remove from the heat and transfer the egg and prawns to a plate and pour over the warm sauce sprinkle over some chopped green parts of spring onion and serve with Basmati rice.

Note: when adding salt to season the ingredients prior to cooking, do so sparingly and  keep in mind the saltiness of the soy sauce in the dressing.

Wintery Sunlight, Alfresco Dinning & Portable Heaters

Tags

Alfresco dining, Cape Wine Farm, Cape Winelands, Cardamom, Coconut cream, Country Life, Entertaining, Food and Wine, Garlic Stock, ginger, Gourmet, Prawns, Risotto, S.A. Food Blogs, Seafood, Seasonal produce, Sweet Paprika, wine

Soft wintery sunlight filtered through the trees cascading over the patio dining area of restaurant Terrior on the wine farm Kleine Zalza. It was just a bit too nippy to enjoy alfresco dinning and for that reason we found a table near the warmth of the portable heaters.

Memorable of the dishes selected was the Coconut and lemongrass prawn risotto which I decided to make and this is my adaptation, replacing the lemongrass which I did not have any of, with cardamom and I have to say the end result was superb.

Prawn and coconut Risotto infused with cardamom

serves 4

Ingredients

Sufficient prawns for four people peeled but keep the tails intact

1 can of coconut cream

500- 700ml chicken stock

15 ml butter

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion finely diced

A thumb size piece of ginger finely chopped

½ tsp. leaf masala (optional)

1 tsp. sweet paprika

The seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed

Black pepper

1½ cups risotto rice

½ cup vermouth or dry sherry

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Salt to taste

½ cup finely grated parmesan

Season to taste

Method

Heat the stock and coconut cream in separate pots.

Once the coconut cream comes up to heat, turn down to a gentle simmer. Add the shelled prawns and poach them in the liquid until the prawns start to curl, remove the prawns to a bowl and drizzle over some olive oil.

In a pan heat the butter and oil, add the onions, ginger, leaf masala, sweet paprika, the cardamom pod seeds, ground black pepper and sauté until onions are soft and translucent. Add the vermouth and sauté until absorbed.

Ladle alternate amounts of stock and coconut cream into the risotto rice, ensure each ladle of liquid is well absorbed before adding the next amount of liquid, stirring frequently; add the garlic and some salt, half way through the cooking process. Continue cooking until the rice reaches a point where the grains are cooked and the rice will no longer absorb any more liquid. About 15-20 minutes. Check for seasoning

Add the prawns and parmesan, folding them through the rice.

Garnish

Reserve two or three prawns for each dish; place on top of each serving of risotto together with a little sprig of either baby cress or coriander and some finely diced tomatoes.

Accompaniments

Serve with a side salad of peppery leaves and some crusty bread.

Notes:

The cardamom pod seeds have a lemony fragrance and I used these to replace the lemongrass used in the original dish. You could also use grated lemon or lime rind, but this would need to be folded in at the end of the cooking process.