The Food Diaries

Roasted sea bass with chive oil

Place 1/4 cup coarsely chopped chives in a food processor along with 1/3 cup olive oil and some sea salt and pepper. Process until smooth and strain through a fine sieve. Set aside.

Place 4 sea bass fillets (150-250g each) in a roasting pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle more oil over the fillets and season with sea salt and pepper. Place in a hot oven (200c) and cook for around 9 minutes, till the fish is just barely cooked through. You may need to adjust the time depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Transfer the sea bass to serving plates and sprinkle with the chive oil. You can warm the oil slightly before serving.

Serve with some boiled new potatoes.

Serves 4.

Trofie pasta with pesto and aubergine

Finely cube a small aubergine and place in a hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Fry till crisp and golden. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 180g trofie pasta (or other small pasta shape). Cook according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta, setting aside a cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the aubergine, add a few heaping tablespoons of good quality fresh pesto, stir in enough of the cooking water to create a thick sauce. Add a good sprinkling of grated parmesan, season with sea salt and pepper and stir. 

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of little basil leaves.

Serves 2.

Grilled duck breast with Port and cherries

Whisk together 125ml soya sauce with 125ml Sherry. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at 2cm intervals in the duck skin (avoid cutting the meat) of 4 duck breasts (160g each). Place the duck and marinade in a glass dish and cover (or I prefer to use a Ziploc plastic bag). Refrigerate between 2-6 hours.

In a medium saucepan place a dozen black cherries (fresh, frozen, or canned), 200ml chicken stock, 200ml beef stock, 125ml ruby Port and 1 sprig fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, and then simmer till the liquid has reduced down to a thickish sauce (around 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat. Remove the duck from the marinade and place skin side down in the skillet. Cook until much of the fat has melted into the pan and the skin is crisp (around 10 minutes). Turn over and continue cooking to desired doneness (no more than 5 minutes for medium rare). Transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest a couple minutes while you finish the sauce.

Remove the thyme sprig from the sauce. Add 30ml (2tbs) butter to the sauce and whisk till well incorporated. 

Slice the duck breasts on a diagonal and fan out on four plates. Spoon the sauce over the duck and serve. This goes very nicely with Sweet potato crumble.

Chinese-style broccoli stem salad

Cut a small bunch of tenderstem broccoli stems into bite-sized rounds (around 2 cups). Bring a pot to a boil, drop in the broccoli with a 1/2 tsp baking soda (to keep the stems a vivid green). Drain after 1 minute and rinse under cold water. Drain well and place in a serving dish.

Mix together 4 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp brown sugar. Stir till well combined and add to the broccoli.

Serve at room temperature.

Sweet potato crumble

Peel and roughly chop 3 large sweet potatoes. Cook in simmering water till tender. Drain, return to the pot with 1 tbs butter, some grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mash till smooth and spoon into an oven-proof baking dish.

Melt 1 tbs butter in a pan and add 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I like to use Japanese panko) stir till the butter has been absorbed. Add 2 tsp finely chopped parsley and stir. 

Top the sweet potatoes with the breadcrumb mixture and bake in a preheated oven at 200c for 20-30 minutes till golden.

Serves four as a side dish.