Salmon & miso butter & spinach

For ➍
25 g butter, at room temperature
25 g miso paste
1 ts finely grated lemon zest
1 ts lemon juice
250 g spinach
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
4 tbs oil
salt
4 salmon fillets (150 g each)

Mix the soft butter with the miso paste, the finely grated lemon zest and the lemon juice into a smooth paste. [Put in the center of a piece of cling film. Roll up the foil tightly to form a roll, and twist the sides like with a toffee.]* Cool in the refrigerator.
Clean the spinach, wash the leaves and drain in a colander.
Peel and chop the shallots and garlic clove. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a large saucepan and sauté the shallot and garlic until translucent. Add the spinach. Sprinkle with salt and spoon the spinach leaves until shrunk. Add a little more salt if necessary.  Keep the spinach warm.
Grill the salmon fillet strips over hot coals or fry them in a non-stick pan in 3 tbs of oil.  Allow 3 to 4 m per side**.  Season the grilled or fried salmon with salt and put miso butter on top.
Serve the salmon on a bed of spinach. Serve with glass noodles or soba noodles. ***

*Optional
**The salmon will be glassy inside. If preferred, cook it for 1-2 m longer. 

Alternatively, marinate the salmon in a mix from miso paste, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, fresh garlic, ginger powder & honey. In a cast iron skillet fry the salmon with the non-skin part facing down for 1 m. Then flip salmon over and bring the cast iron into the oven and bake for 8-11 m (depending on thickness of salmon)Send salmon into the oven directly and bake for 11-15 minutes (depending on thickness of salmon). Or bake salmon in the oven directly bake for 11-15 minutes (depending on thickness of salmon). You can mix half of the marinate with 1or 2 tbs of water, boil for a m, and glaze the salmon with it, instead of using the miso butter. 

***Add some sauce to the noodles to spice them up.

Pomodoro torte di Amalfi (tomato & olive tarts)

For ➍

dough:

120 g Italian '00' flour, plus extra for dusting

55 g polenta/cornmeal

70 g ricotta

70 g cold unsalted butter*

large egg (yolk only)

topping:

250 g plum tomatoes

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tbs fresh oregano, chopped

125 g goat cheese**

handful of olives, pitted olive oil,

to sprinkle basil leaves, for garnish

sea salt &freshly ground black pepper

For the dough, place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth. Place the dough on a floured work surface and shape into a large ball. Divide this into separate pieces (1 per person) that you flatten a bit. Wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the can of tomatoes into a sieve and collect the juice for a drink. Chop the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

When the dough is chilled, roll it out into 3mm thick circles on a floured work surface (the dough should be a little rustic around the edges). Top each circle with some drained tomatoes, chopped cherry tomatoes and season to taste. Add the thyme and oregano and crumble some goat cheese over it. Decorate with olives and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Bake for 20 m in the preheated oven, garnish with basil.

*Use same amount olive oil instead.

**Use melting light cheese instead.

Oven baked asparagus

For ➋

500 g asparagus, thinly peeled

1 lemon, grated zest

50 g butter, soft & cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut a parchment paper large enough to close the papillote around the vegetables.

Place the asparagus on baking paper. Sprinkle the grated zest on top. Spread the cubes of butter over the asparagus.

Close the papillote.

Cook the asparagus for 25 to 30 m @ 180°C.

Serve with oven roasted potatoes.

Veal piccata

For ➍

600 g veal steaks

½ cup flour

50 g butter

3 dl olive oil

1.5 dl dry white wine

3 dl chicken stock

2 lemons*

30 g capers

flat leaf parsley

fresh pasta

parmigiano

arugula salad

sun dried tomatoes

white wine vinegar

Ask your butcher to flatten your veal steaks. Or place the pieces between plastic wrap that you have slightly moistened, and then gently flatten the meat with a large flat object such as a pan. .

Season the veal steaks to taste with salt and pepper and then roll them in the flour. Gently knock off the excess flour. 

Heat some butter and olive oil in a pan and fry the veal steaks for about one and a half to two minutes on both sides over a medium heat. Do not bake all the veal steaks at the same time, because then they will not have enough space and you will cook them rather than bake them. Remove the steaks when they are baked, cover them with aluminum foil, add butter and olive oil and fry the rest of the veal steaks.

Once the veal steaks are cooked, add the white wine and gently stir all the browning bits off. Let the wine reduce for a few minutes. Then add the chicken stock. Cut 1 of the lemons into thin slices, them  and let everything reduce by 7-8 m.*

Add 20 g of soft butter, some lemon juice, the finely chopped parsley and the capers and season with salt and pepper. Allow the butter to completely dissolve into the sauce over a low heat. 

Place the veal steaks in the sauce, make sure they are nicely covered, and let them warm up a bit over a low heat.

Serve with fresh pasta, with some olive oil and Parmigiano. Delicious with a rucola salad with some semi-sun-dried tomatoes with pepper, salt, some olive oil and a dash of white wine vinegar. Sprinkle some Parmigiano flakes on the salad.

*or replace lemon slices with lemon zest and add at the end

Mushroom miso risotto

For ➍

50 cl hot water 

2 tbs miso paste or liquid miso 

2 tbs olive oil

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped* 

240 g risotto rice 

10 cl dry white wine 

1 tbs butter 

500 g mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini) cleaned & torn or sliced 

sea salt & shichimi togarashi (Japanese pepper mix)

2 tbs parsley, minced 

Mix the hot water and miso in a saucepan, and keep liquid miso stock simmering over low heat. 

Heat the olive oil in another saucepan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 m, covered, over medium heat. 

Add the risotto rice, stirring until all of the rice is coated in the oil. Add the white wine and boil for 1 m. 

Add the miso stock one ladleful at a time into the risotto and onion mixture, stirring occasionally for about 20 m or until all of the stock is fully absorbed.  Or add the liquid, cover and look after 15 m whether the rice is soft enough.

In a separate sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until golden brown.** Season with salt and shichimi togarashi or pepper to taste. 

Divide the risotto onto serving plates. Top with the sautéed mushrooms and garnish with parsley.

*Use a mix of white or yellow onions and scallions. Add the scallions just before the stock is added.

**Or heat the pan, dry cook the mushrooms until slightly brown, then add the butter. Cover for 5 m on medium heat. You might add a splash of wine and a taste of balsamico bianco and lots of shichimi togarashi. Check whether the mushrooms are done.

Risotto with asparagus, lemon & mint

For ➍

50 cl vegetable stock 

2 tbs olive oil 

½ large onion, peeled & finely chopped 

2 sticks celery, trimmed & finely chopped 

200-250 g risotto rice 

10 cl vermouth or dry white wine 

1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed 

35 cl extra vegetable stock 

25 g butter 

1 small handful Parmigiano, freshly grated, plus a block for grating 

½ bunch fresh mint, leaves picked & finely chopped 

1 lemon, zest & juice 

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper 

extra virgin olive oil

Finely chop your asparagus stalks into tiny discs, keeping the tips whole. Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Put the olive oil in a separate large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently for about 15 m, without colouring, until soft. Add the rice and turn up the heat. Don't let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving. Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine. Keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated. 

Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next. Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesn't cook too quickly, otherwise the outside of each grain will be stodgy and the inside hard and nutty and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed. This should take about 14 to 15 m** and give you rice that is beginning to soften but is still a little al dente. Put to one side. 

Put a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and pour in ½ the extra stock, followed by all your risotto base and the finely sliced asparagus stalks and the tips. Stirring all the time, gently bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice and asparagus are cooked. You might not need all your stock. Turn off the heat, beat in your butter and Parmigiano, mint, almost all the lemon zest and all the juice.**  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Put a lid on the pan and leave the risotto to rest for 1 m. 

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of lemon zest and a block of Parmigiano. 

*You can replace ½ of the cheese with a little picked crab or lobster meat or fresh, peeled prawns or sliced scallops.

**Adjust cooing times to your kind of rice.  The asparagus will take about 8-15 m to be cooked al dente.

Read a tip for a quicker risotto.

White fish with caramelized citrus butter & capers

For ➋

2 firm slices of white fish fillet, preferably with skin (choose a firm type, such as halibut)

75 g butter + 1 cube for frying fish

2 tbs capers

1 organic lemon

12 sprigs of fresh oregano

freshly ground black pepper & salt

Preheat the oven to 90 ° C. First fry the fish in a pan that can also be put in the oven. Melt a knob of butter in it over medium to high heat and let it heat up well. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Bake about 4 m on one side, until you have something of a crust. Make sure that the butter does not burn. Lower the heat if necessary.

Turn the fish over and place about 10 m in the oven. (So ​​you do not cook both, but only on one side.) The fillet should be cooked but still juicy, depending on the size this can take a few minutes longer.*

In a second pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Wait until the butter starts to fizz, stir gently with a wooden spoon and keep stirring occasionally until the butter starts to turn golden brown after 5-10 m and smells like nuts.

In the meantime, cut half of the lemon into fine half slices and remove the seeds. Add to the butter together with the capers and fry for 5 m until the lemon starts to brown very slightly.

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix in the oregano (keep 2 sprigs separate for the finish). Place the fish on plates and spoon over the sauce. Finish with the oregano sprigs and an extra turn of the pepper mill. Add the rest of the lemon in wedges. 

Serve with mashed spinach puree.

*Or bake the fish carefully in a pan.

Cod & chorizo

For ➍

1 fennel bulb, halved & thinly sliced, fronds reserved (about 200-250 g)

140 g Spanish chorizo, cut into 1 cm slices 

4 skinless cod fillets (each 120 g) 

salt & freshly ground pepper 

85 g cherry tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tbs unsalted butter 

10 cl dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 small orange 

extra-virgin olive oil & toasted sliced baguette, for serving

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Fold 4 30x40 cm pieces of parchment (or aluminum) in half; unfold and place one-quarter of fennel and chorizo along each crease. 

Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper; place one fillet on each package. 

Top with tomatoes, garlic, butter, and wine. 

Remove zest from orange with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice into strips to yield 1 tbs. Scatter evenly among packages. Squeeze 1 ts juice over each package. 

Fold parchment over to enclose, making small overlapping folds along edges to seal. 

Transfer to 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast until parchment puffs and fish is cooked through, for 20 m. 

Place each package in a shallow bowl and open carefully, allowing steam to escape. 

Serve with fennel fronds, a drizzle of oil, and toasts.

Scallops with lemon butter

For ➍

12 scallops

2 leek stems,

olive oil

pepper & salt

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon in wedges for finishing * 

lemon butter: 

250 g butter, soft, 1 small red pepper without seeds, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

grated zest of 2 untreated lemons

Mix the ingredients for the lemon butter together. Make a rolled sausage in cellophane. Place in the refrigerator or freezer to stiffen.

Clean leek stems. Cut lengthwise. Cut into strips. Steam 6 m. Add salt and pepper. 

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in the pan. Fry scallops 2 m on 1 side and 1 m on the other side. Add lemon butter slices. Spoon the melting butter over the scallops. 

Arrange the leek strips on plates, top with 3 scallops per plate, spoon lemon butter over it. Finish with parsley and lemon slices*.

*Optional